Bible in 90 Days
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. If anyone is bitten by a snake, that person should look at the bronze snake on the pole. Then that person will not die.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Then when a snake bit anyone, that person looked at the bronze snake on the pole and lived.
The Trip to Moab
10 The Israelites left that place and camped at Oboth. 11 Then they left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim in the desert east of Moab. 12 They left that place and camped in Zered Valley. 13 Then they moved and camped across from the Arnon River in the desert. This river started at the Ammonite border. The valley was the border between Moab and the Amorites. 14 That is why these words are written in the Book of the Wars of the Lord:
“… and Waheb in Suphah, and the Valleys of the Arnon, 15 and the hills by the valleys that lead to the town of Ar. These places are at the border of Moab.”
16 The Israelites left that place and traveled to Beer.[a] There is a well in Beer, where the Lord said to Moses, “Bring the people together here, and I will give them water.” 17 Then the Israelites sang this song:
“Well, flow with water!
Sing about it!
18 Great men dug this well.
Important leaders dug this well.
They dug this well with their staffs and walking sticks.
It is a gift in the desert.”[b]
19 The people traveled from Mattanah to Nahaliel. Then they traveled from Nahaliel to Bamoth. 20 They traveled from Bamoth to the Valley of Moab. In this place the top of the Pisgah Mountain looks over the desert.
Sihon and Og
21 The Israelites sent some men to King Sihon of the Amorites. The men said to the king,
22 “Allow us to travel through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard. We will not drink water from any of your wells. We will travel only along King’s Road. We will stay on that road until we have traveled through your country.”
23 But King Sihon would not allow the Israelites to travel through his country. He gathered together his army and marched out to the desert to fight against the Israelites. The king’s army fought against the Israelites at Jahaz.
24 But the Israelites defeated the king and took his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. The Israelites took the land as far as the Ammonite border. They stopped at that border because it was strongly defended by the Ammonites. 25 Israel took all the Amorite cities and began living in them. They even defeated the city of Heshbon and all the small towns around it. 26 Heshbon was the city where Sihon, the Amorite king, lived. In the past Sihon had fought with the king of Moab. Sihon had taken the land as far as the Arnon River. 27 That is why the singers sing this song:
“Go in and rebuild Heshbon!
Make Sihon’s city strong.
28 A fire began in Heshbon.
That fire began in Sihon’s city.
The fire destroyed Ar in Moab.
It burned the hills above Arnon River.
29 It is bad for you, Moab.
You lost Chemosh’s people.
His sons ran away.
His daughters were taken prisoners by Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30 But we defeated those Amorites.
We destroyed their towns from Heshbon to Dibon,
from Nashim to Nophah, near Medeba.”
31 So the Israelites made their camp in the land of the Amorites.
32 Moses sent some men to look at the town of Jazer. Then the Israelites captured that town and the small towns that were around it. They forced the Amorites who were living there to leave.
33 Then the Israelites traveled on the road toward Bashan. King Og of Bashan got his army and marched out to meet the Israelites. He fought against them at Edrei.
34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of that king. I will allow you to defeat him. You will take his whole army and all his land. Do the same to him as you did to Sihon, the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon.”
35 So the Israelites defeated Og and his army. They killed him, his sons, and all his army. Then the Israelites took all his land.
Balaam and the King of Moab
22 Then the Israelites traveled to the Jordan Valley in Moab. They camped near the Jordan River across from Jericho.
2-3 Balak son of Zippor saw everything the Israelites had done to the Amorites. The king of Moab was very frightened of the Israelites because there were so many of them. He was very afraid.
4 The king of Moab said to the leaders of Midian, “This large group of people will destroy everything around us, the way an ox eats all the grass in a field.”
Balak son of Zippor was the king of Moab at this time. 5 He sent some men to Balaam son of Beor. Balaam was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River. This was where Balaam’s people lived.[c] This was Balak’s message:
“A new nation of people has come out of Egypt. There are so many people that they cover all the land. They have camped next to me. 6 Come and help me. These people are too powerful for me. I know that you have great power. If you bless people, good things happen to them. And if you curse people, bad things happen to them. So come and curse these people. Maybe then I will be able to defeat them and force them to leave my country.”
7 The leaders of Moab and Midian left. They went to talk to Balaam. They carried with them money to pay him for his service.[d] Then they told him what Balak had said.
8 Balaam said to them, “Stay here for the night. I will talk to the Lord and tell you the answer he gives me.” So the leaders of Moab stayed there with Balaam that night.
9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam said to God, “The king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, sent them to give me a message. 11 This is the message: A new nation of people has come out of Egypt. There are so many people that they cover the land. So come and curse these people. Then maybe I will be able to fight them and force them to leave my land.”
12 But God said to Balaam, “Don’t go with them. You must not curse those people. They are my people.”
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to leaders from Balak, “Go back to your own country. The Lord will not let me go with you.”
14 So the leaders of Moab went back to Balak and told him this. They said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 So Balak sent other leaders to Balaam. This time he sent many more than the first time. And these leaders were much more important than the first ones he sent. 16 They went to Balaam and said, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says to you: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming. 17 I will pay you very much,[e] and I will do whatever you ask. Come and curse these people for me.”
18 Balaam gave Balak’s officials his answer. He said, “I must obey the Lord my God. I cannot do anything, great or small, against his command. Even if King Balak gives me his beautiful home filled with silver and gold, I will not do anything against the Lord’s command. 19 But you can stay here tonight like the other men did, and during the night I will learn what the Lord wants to tell me.”
20 That night, God came to Balaam. God said, “These men have come again to ask you to go with them. So you can go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.”
Balaam and His Donkey
21 The next morning, Balaam got up, put a saddle on his donkey, and went with the Moabite leaders. 22 Balaam was riding on his donkey. Two of his servants were with him. While Balaam was traveling, God became angry. So the Lord’s angel stood in the road in front of Balaam to stop[f] him.
23 When Balaam’s donkey saw the Lord’s angel standing in the road with a sword in his hand, the donkey turned from the road and went into the field. Balaam could not see the angel, so he was very angry at the donkey. He hit the donkey and forced it to go back on the road.
24 Later, the Lord’s angel stood at a place where the road became narrow. This was between two vineyards. There were walls on both sides of the road. 25 Again the donkey saw the Lord’s angel. So the donkey walked very close to one wall. This crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam hit his donkey again.
26 Later, the Lord’s angel stood at another place where the road became narrow. There was no place where the donkey could go around him. It could not turn to the left or to the right. 27 The donkey saw the Lord’s angel. So the donkey lay down with Balaam sitting on top of it. Balaam was very angry at the donkey. So he hit it with his walking stick.
28 Then the Lord caused the donkey to speak. The donkey said to Balaam, “Why are you angry at me? What have I done to you? You have hit me three times!”
29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made me look foolish. If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!”
30 But the donkey said to Balaam, “Look, I am your donkey. You have ridden me for so many years. And you know that I have never done this to you before!”
“That is true,” Balaam said.
31 Then the Lord allowed Balaam to see the angel. The Lord’s angel was standing in the road, holding a sword in his hand. Balaam bowed low to the ground.
32 Then the Lord’s angel asked Balaam, “Why did you hit your donkey three times? I am the one who came to stop you. But just in time,[g] 33 your donkey saw me and turned away from me. That happened three times. If the donkey had not turned away, I probably would have killed you already. And I would have let your donkey live.”
34 Then Balaam said to the Lord’s angel, “I have sinned. I did not know that you were standing in the road. If I am doing wrong, I will go back home.”
35 Then the Lord’s angel said to Balaam, “No, you can go with these men. But be careful. Speak only the words that I will tell you to say.” So Balaam went with the leaders that Balak had sent.
36 Balak heard that Balaam was coming. So Balak went out to meet him at the Moabite town[h] near the Arnon River. This was at the northern border of his country. 37 When Balak saw Balaam, he said to him, “I asked you before to come. I told you it was very important. Why didn’t you come to me? Did you think I might not be able to pay you?”
38 Balaam answered, “Well, I am here now. I came, but I might not be able to do what you asked. I can only say the words God tells me to say.”
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak killed some cattle and some sheep as his sacrifice. He gave some of the meat to Balaam and some to the leaders who were with him.
41 The next morning Balak took Balaam to the town of Bamoth Baal. From there they could see part of the Israelite camp.
Balaam’s First Message
23 Balaam said, “Build seven altars here. And prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 2 Balak did what Balaam asked. Then Balak and Balaam killed a ram and a bull on each of the altars.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here near this altar. I will go to another place. Then the Lord will come to me, and he will tell me what I must say.” Then Balaam went away to a higher place.
4 God came to Balaam at that place, and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars. And I have killed a bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar.”
5 Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for Balak and said, “Go back to Balak and say the things that I have given you to say.”
6 So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak was still standing near the altar, and all the leaders of Moab were standing there with them. 7 Then Balaam spoke, and this was his message:
“Balak, the king of Moab,
brought me here from the eastern mountains of Aram.
Balak said to me,
‘Come, curse Jacob for me.
Come, speak against the Israelites.’
8 But God is not against them,
so I cannot speak against them either!
The Lord has not asked for bad things to happen to these people.
So I cannot do that either.
9 I see these people from the mountain.
I see them from the high hills.
They live alone.
They are not part of another nation.
10 Who can count Jacob’s people?
They are as many as the grains of dust.
No one can count even a fourth of the Israelites.
Let me die like a good man.
Let my life end as happy as theirs!”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them!”
12 But Balaam answered, “I must say the things that the Lord tells me to say.”
13 Then Balak said to him, “So come with me to another place. At that place you can see more of these people. You cannot see all of them—you can only see part of them. Maybe from that place you can curse them for me.” 14 So Balak led Balaam to Watchmen Hills.[i] This was on top of Mount Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars and killed a bull and a ram on each altar as a sacrifice.
15 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by this altar while I go meet with God over there.”
16 So the Lord came to Balaam and told Balaam what to say. Then he told Balaam to go back to Balak and say these things. 17 So Balaam went to Balak. Balak was still standing near the altar. The leaders of Moab were there with him. Balak saw Balaam coming and said, “What did the Lord say?”
Balaam’s Second Message
18 Then Balaam said this:
“Stand up, Balak, and listen to me.
Hear me, Balak son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man;
he will not lie.
God is not a human being;
his decisions will not change.
If he says he will do something,
then he will do it.
If he makes a promise,
then he will do what he promised.
20 He told me to bless them.
He blessed them, so I cannot change that.
21 God saw no wrong in Jacob’s people.
He saw no sin in the Israelites.
The Lord is their God,
and he is with them.
The Great King is with them!
22 God brought them out of Egypt.
They are as strong as a wild ox.
23 There is no power that can defeat the people of Jacob.
There is no magic that can stop the Israelites.
People will say this about Jacob and the Israelites:
‘Look at the great things God did!’[j]
24 The people are as strong as lions,
and they fight like lions.
And a lion will not rest until it eats what it has caught,
until it drinks the blood of what it has killed.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “You didn’t ask for good things to happen to these people, but you didn’t ask for bad things to happen to them either!”
26 Balaam answered, “I told you before that I can only say what the Lord tells me to say.”
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “So come with me to another place. Maybe God will be pleased and will allow you to curse them from that place.” 28 So Balak led Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks out over the desert.
29 Balaam said, “Build seven altars here. Then prepare seven bulls and seven rams for the altars.” 30 Balak did what Balaam asked. Balak offered the bulls and rams on the altars.
Balaam’s Third Message
24 Balaam saw that the Lord wanted to bless Israel, so he did not try to change that by using any kind of magic. But Balaam turned and looked toward the desert. 2 He looked out across the desert and saw all the Israelites. They were camped with the tribes in their different areas. Then the Spirit of God came on him, 3 and he gave this message:
“This message is from Balaam son of Beor.
I am speaking about things I see clearly.
4 These are the words I heard from God.
I saw what God All-Powerful[k] showed me.
I humbly tell what I clearly see.
5 “People of Jacob, your tents are beautiful!
Israelites, your homes are beautiful!
6 You are like rows of palm trees planted by the streams.
You are like gardens growing by the rivers.
You are like sweet-smelling bushes planted by the Lord.
You are like cedar trees growing by the water.
7 You will always have enough water,
enough water for your seeds to grow.
Your king will be greater than King Agag.
Your kingdom will be very great.
8 “God brought them out of Egypt.
They are as strong as a wild ox.
They will defeat all their enemies.
They will break their bones and shatter their arrows.
9 Israel is like a lion,
curled up and lying down.
Yes, they are like a young lion,
and no one wants to wake him!
Anyone who blesses you will be blessed.
And anyone who curses you will have great troubles.”
10 When Balak heard this, he angrily struck his fist against his hand and said to Balaam, “I called you to come and curse my enemies. But you have blessed them. You have blessed them three times. 11 Now leave and go home! I told you that I would give you a very good payment, but the Lord has caused you to lose your reward.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “You sent men to ask me to come. Don’t you remember what I told them? I said, 13 ‘Even if Balak gives me his most beautiful house filled with silver and gold, I can still say only what the Lord commands me to say. I cannot do anything myself, good or bad. I must say what the Lord commands.’ 14 Now I am going back to my own people. But I will give you this warning. I will tell you what these Israelites will do to you and your people in the future.”
Balaam’s Last Message
15 Then Balaam gave this message:
“This message is from Balaam son of Beor.
I am speaking about things I see clearly.
16 I heard this message from God.
I learned what God Most High taught me.
I saw what God All-Powerful showed me.
I humbly tell what I clearly see.
17 “I see him coming, but not now.
I see him coming, but not soon.
A star will come from the family of Jacob.
A new ruler will come from the Israelites.
He will smash the heads of the Moabites
and crush the heads of all the sons of Sheth.[l]
18 Israel will grow strong!
He will get the land of Edom.
He will get the land of Seir,[m] his enemy.
19 “A new ruler will come from the family of Jacob.
That ruler will destroy the people left alive in that city.”
20 Then Balaam saw the Amalekites and said this:
“Amalek is the strongest of all nations,
but even Amalek will be destroyed!”
21 Then Balaam saw the Kenites and said this:
“You believe that your country is safe,
like a bird’s nest[n] high on a mountain.
22 But you Kenites will be destroyed,
just as the Lord destroyed Cain.
Assyria will make you prisoners.”
23 Then Balaam said this:
“No one can live when God does this.
24 Ships will come from Cyprus.[o]
They will defeat Assyria and Eber,[p]
but those ships will also be destroyed.”
25 Then Balaam got up and went back home, and Balak went his own way.
Israel at Peor
25 While the Israelites were camped near Acacia, the men committed sexual sins[q] with Moabite women. 2-3 The Moabite women invited the men to come and join in their sacrifices to their false gods. So the Israelites joined in worshiping these false gods—they ate the sacrifices and worshiped these gods. There the Israelites began worshiping the false god, Baal of Peor. And the Lord became very angry with them.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Get all the leaders of these people. Then kill them so that all the people can see.[r] Lay their bodies before the Lord. Then the Lord will not show his anger against all the Israelites.”
5 So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must find the men in your tribe who have led people to worship the false god, Baal of Peor. Then you must kill these men.”
6 At the time Moses and all the elders of Israel were gathered together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. An Israelite man brought a Midianite woman home to his brothers.[s] He did this where Moses and all the leaders could see. Moses and the leaders were very sad. 7 Phinehas was the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron the priest. Phinehas saw this man bring the woman into camp. So he left the meeting and got his spear. 8 He followed the Israelite into the tent. Then he used the spear to kill the Israelite man and the Midianite woman in her tent.[t] He pushed the spear through both of their bodies. At that time there was a great sickness among the Israelites. But when Phinehas killed these two people, the sickness stopped. 9 A total of 24,000 people died from that sickness.
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “I was so angry with the Israelites that I wanted to kill them. But Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, has saved them from my anger. He did this by showing that he feels strongly, just as I do, that my people must worship only me. 12 Tell Phinehas that I am making a peace agreement with him. 13 This is the agreement: He and all of his family who live after him will always be priests, because he had strong feelings for his God. And he did what was needed to make the Israelites pure.”
14 The Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu. He was the leader of a family in the tribe of Simeon. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi.[u] She was the daughter of Zur. Zur was the head of a family and leader of a Midianite tribe.
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “The Midianites are your enemies. You must kill them. 18 They have already made you their enemies. They tricked you at Peor. And they tricked you with the woman named Cozbi. She was the daughter of a Midianite leader, but she was killed when the sickness came to the Israelites. That sickness was caused because the people were tricked into worshiping the false god Baal of Peor.”
The People Are Counted
26 After the great sickness, the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. 2 He said, “Count the Israelites. Count all the men who are 20 years old or older and list them by families. These are the men who are able to serve in the army of Israel.”
3 At this time the people were camped in the Jordan Valley in Moab. This was near the Jordan River, across from Jericho. So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to the people. They said, 4 “You must count every man who is 20 years old or older. The Lord gave Moses this command.”
Here is the list of the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5 These are the people from the tribe of Reuben. (Reuben was the firstborn son of Israel.) The family groups were
Hanoch—the Hanochite family group;
Pallu—the Palluite family group;
6 Hezron—the Hezronite family group;
Carmi—the Carmite family group.
7 The total number of men in these family groups from the tribe of Reuben was 43,730.
8 Pallu’s son was Eliab. 9 Eliab had three sons—Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Remember, Dathan and Abiram were the two leaders who turned against Moses and Aaron. They followed Korah when Korah turned against the Lord. 10 That was the time when the earth opened and swallowed Korah and all of his followers. And 250 men died! That was a warning to all the Israelites. 11 But the other people who were from the family of Korah did not die.
12 These are the family groups from the tribe of Simeon:
Nemuel—the Nemuelite family group;
Jamin—the Jaminite family group;
Jakin—the Jakinite family group;
13 Zerah—the Zerahite family group;
Shaul—the Shaulite family group.
14 The total number of men in these family groups from the tribe of Simeon was 22,200.
15 These are the family groups in the tribe of Gad:
Zephon—the Zephonite family group;
Haggi—the Haggite family group;
Shuni—the Shunite family group;
16 Ozni—the Oznite family group;
Eri—the Erite family group;
17 Arodi—the Arodite family group;
Areli—the Arelite family group.
18 The total number of men in these family groups from the tribe of Gad was 40,500.
19-20 These are the family groups from the tribe of Judah:
Shelah—the Shelanite family group;
Perez—the Perezite family group;
Zerah—the Zerahite family group.
(Two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan.)
21 These are the family groups from Perez:
Hezron—the Hezronite family group;
Hamul—the Hamulite family group.
22 These were the family groups from the tribe of Judah. The total number of men was 76,500.
23 The family groups from the tribe of Issachar were
Tola—the Tolaite family group;
Puah—the Puite family group;
24 Jashub—the Jashubite family group;
Shimron—the Shimronite family group.
25 These were the family groups from the tribe of Issachar. The total number of men was 64,300.
26 The family groups from the tribe of Zebulun were
Sered—the Seredite family group;
Elon—the Elonite family group;
Jahleel—the Jahleelite family group.
27 These were the family groups from the tribe of Zebulun. The total number of men was 60,500.
28 Joseph’s two sons were Manasseh and Ephraim. Each son became a tribe with its own family groups. 29 Manasseh’s family groups were
Makir—the Makirite family groups. (Makir was the father of Gilead.)
Gilead—the Gileadite family groups.
30 The family groups from Gilead were
Iezer—the Iezerite family group;
Helek—the Helekite family group;
31 Asriel—the Asrielite family group;
Shechem—the Shechemite family group;
32 Shemida—the Shemidaite family group;
Hepher—the Hepherite family group.
33 Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. But he had no sons—only daughters. His daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
34 These are all the family groups from the tribe of Manasseh. The total number of men was 52,700.
35 The family groups from the tribe of Ephraim were
Shuthelah—the Shuthelahite family group;
Beker—the Bekerite family group;
Tahan—the Tahanite family group.
36 Eran was from Shuthelah’s family group;
Eran—the Eranite family group.
37 These were the family groups from the tribe of Ephraim. The total number of men was 32,500.
These family groups of Manasseh and Ephraim are all the descendants of Joseph.
38 The family groups from the tribe of Benjamin were
Bela—the Belaite family group;
Ashbel—the Ashbelite family group;
Ahiram—the Ahiramite family group;
39 Shupham—the Shuphamite family group;
Hupham—the Huphamite family group;
40 The family groups from Bela were
Ard—the Ardite family group;
Naaman—the Naamanite family group.
41 These were all the family groups from the tribe of Benjamin. The total number of men was 45,600.
42 The family groups from the tribe of Dan were
Shuham—the Shuhamite family group.
That was the family group from the tribe of Dan. 43 There were many family groups in the Shuhamite tribe. The total number of men was 64,400.
44 The family groups from the tribe of Asher were
Imnah—the Imnite family group;
Ishvi—the Ishvite family group;
Beriah—the Beriite family group.
45 The family groups from Beriah were
Heber—the Heberite family group;
Malkiel—the Malkielite family group.
46 (Asher also had a daughter named Serah.) 47 These were the family groups in the tribe of Asher. The total number of men was 53,400.
48 The family groups from the tribe of Naphtali were
Jahzeel—the Jahzeelite family group;
Guni—the Gunite family group;
49 Jezer—the Jezerite family group;
Shillem—the Shillemite family group.
50 These were the family groups from the tribe of Naphtali. The total number of men was 45,400.
51 So the total number of men of Israel was 601,730.
52 The Lord said to Moses, 53 “The land will be divided and given to these people. Each tribe will get enough land for all the people who were counted. 54 A large tribe will get much land, and a small tribe will get less land. The land that they get will be equal to the number of people who were counted. 55 But you must use lots to decide which tribe gets which part of the land. Each tribe will get its share of the land, and that land will be given the name of that tribe. 56 Land will be given to each tribe—large and small. And you will throw lots to make the decisions.”
57 They also counted the tribe of Levi. These are the family groups from the tribe of Levi:
Gershon—the Gershonite family group;
Kohath—the Kohathite family group;
Merari—the Merarite family group.
58 These are also family groups from the tribe of Levi:
the Libnite family group;
the Hebronite family group;
the Mahlite family group;
the Mushite family group;
the Korahite family group.
Amram was from the Kohath family group. 59 Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also from the tribe of Levi. She was born in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed had two sons, Aaron and Moses. They also had a daughter, Miriam.
60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died. They died because they made an offering to the Lord with fire that was not allowed.
62 The total number of males one month or older from the tribe of Levi was 23,000. But these men were not counted with the other Israelites. They did not get a share of the land that the Lord gave to the other people.
63 Moses and Eleazar the priest counted all these people. They counted the Israelites while they were in the Jordan Valley in Moab. This was near the Jordan River across from Jericho. 64 Many years before, in the desert of Sinai, Moses and Aaron the priest counted the Israelites. But all these people were dead. Not one of them was still alive, 65 because the Lord told them that they would all die in the desert. The only two men who were left alive were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Zelophehad’s Daughters
27 Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. Hepher was the son of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Makir. Makir was the son of Manasseh. Manasseh was the son of Joseph. Zelophehad had five daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 These five women went to the Meeting Tent and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the Israelites.
The five daughters said, 3 “Our father died while we were traveling through the desert. He died a natural death. He was not one of the men who joined Korah’s group. (Korah was the man who turned against the Lord.) But our father had no sons. 4 This means that our father’s name will not continue. It is not fair that our father’s name will not continue. His name will end because he had no sons. So we ask you to give us some of the land that our father’s brothers will get.”
5 So Moses asked the Lord what he should do. 6 The Lord said to him, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. They should share the land with their father’s brothers. So give them the land that you would have given to their father.
8 “So tell the Israelites, ‘If a man has no son, when he dies everything he owns will be given to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, everything he owns will be given to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, everything he owns will be given to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father had no brothers, everything he owns will be given to the closest relative in his family. This will be a law among the Israelites. The Lord has given this command to Moses.’”
Joshua Is the New Leader
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up on one of mountains in the desert east of the Jordan River. There you will see the land that I am giving to the Israelites. 13 After you have seen this land, you will die like your brother Aaron. 14 Remember when the people became angry at the water in the desert of Zin. Both you and Aaron refused to obey my command. You did not honor me and show the people that I am holy.” (This was at the water of Meribah[v] near Kadesh in the desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “Lord, you are the God who knows what people are thinking. I pray that you will choose a leader for these people.[w] 17 I pray that you will choose a leader who will lead them out of this land and bring them into the new land. Then your people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Joshua son of Nun is very wise.[x] You will place your hand on him and make him the new leader. 19 Tell him to stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. Then make him the new leader.
20 “Show the people that you are making him leader,[y] then all the people will obey him. 21 If Joshua needs to make a decision, he will go to Eleazar the priest. Eleazar will use the Urim to learn the Lord’s answer. Then Joshua and all the Israelites will do the things God says. If he says, ‘go to war,’ they will go to war. And if he says, ‘go home,’ they will go home.”
22 Moses obeyed the Lord. Moses told Joshua to stand before Eleazar the priest and all the Israelites. 23 Then Moses put his hands on him to show that he was the new leader. He did this just as the Lord told him to.
Daily Offerings
28 Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Give this command to the Israelites. Tell them to be sure to give the grain offerings and sacrifices to me at the right time as sweet-smelling gifts. 3 These are gifts that they must give to the Lord. Every day they must give 2 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 4 Offer one of the lambs in the morning and the other lamb just before dark. 5 Also give a grain offering of 8 cups[z] of fine flour mixed with 1 quart[aa] of olive oil.” 6 (They started giving the daily offerings at Mount Sinai as sweet-smelling gifts to the Lord.) 7 “The people must also give the drink offerings that go with the gifts. They must give 1 quart of wine with every lamb. Pour that drink offering on the altar in the Holy Place. This is a gift to the Lord. 8 Offer the second lamb just before dark. Offer it just as the morning offering. Also give the drink offering that goes with it. This will be a sweet-smelling gift to the Lord.
Sabbath Offerings
9 “On the Sabbath you must give 2 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. You must also give a grain offering of 16 cups[ab] of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and a drink offering. 10 This is a special offering for the day of rest. This offering is in addition to the regular daily offering and drink offering.
Monthly Meetings
11 “On the first day of each month you will offer a special burnt offering to the Lord. This offering will be 2 male bulls, 1 ram, and 7 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 12 With each bull, you must give a grain offering of 24 cups[ac] of fine flour mixed with olive oil. And with the ram, you must give a grain offering of 16 cups of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 13 Also give a grain offering of 8 cups of fine flour mixed with olive oil with each lamb. This will be a sweet-smelling gift to the Lord. 14 The drink offering will be 2 quarts[ad] of wine with each bull, 1 1/4 quarts[ae] of wine with the ram, and 1 quart of wine with each lamb. That is the burnt offering that must be offered each month of the year. 15 In addition to the regular daily burnt offering and drink offering, you must also give 1 male goat to the Lord. That goat will be a sin offering.
Passover
16 “The Lord’s Passover will be on the 14th day of the first month. 17 The Festival of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of that month. This festival lasts for seven days. The only bread you can eat is bread made without yeast. 18 You must have a special meeting on the first day of this festival. You will not do any work on that day. 19 You will give burnt offerings to the Lord. The burnt offerings will be 2 bulls, 1 ram, and 7 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 20-21 You must also give a grain offering of 24 cups of fine flour mixed with olive oil with each bull, and 16 cups of fine flour mixed with oil with the ram, and 8 cups of fine flour mixed with oil for each lamb. 22 You must also give a male goat as a sin offering to make you pure. 23 You must give these offerings in addition to the morning burnt offerings that you give every day.
24 “In this way, each day for seven days, you must bring the food that is offered by fire. The smell of these offerings will please the Lord. You must give these offerings in addition to the daily burnt offering and the drink offering that goes with it.
25 “Then, on the seventh day of this festival, you will have another special meeting. You will not do any work on that day.
Festival of Harvest
26 “The first day of the Festival of Harvest is the day you bring the first of your new crops and give them as a grain offering to the Lord. At that time you must also call a special meeting. You must not do any work on that day. 27 You must offer a burnt offering as a sweet-smelling gift to the Lord. You must offer 2 bulls, 1 ram, and 7 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 28 You must also give 24 cups of fine flour mixed with oil with each bull, and 16 cups with each ram, 29 and 8 cups with each lamb. 30 You must also sacrifice a male goat to make you pure. 31 You must give these offerings in addition to the daily burnt offerings and the grain offering you give with them. Be sure there is nothing wrong with the animals or the drink offerings that you give with them.
Festival of Trumpets
29 “There will be a special meeting on the first day of the seventh month. You will not do any work on that day. That is the day for blowing the trumpets.[af] 2 You will offer burnt offerings. Their smell will please the Lord. You will offer 1 bull, 1 ram, and 7 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 3 You will also offer 24 cups[ag] of fine flour mixed with oil with the bull, 16 cups[ah] with the ram, 4 and 8 cups[ai] with each of the 7 lambs. 5 Also offer a male goat as a sin offering to make you pure. 6 These offerings are in addition to the New Moon sacrifice and its grain offering. And they are in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings. These must be done according to the rules. They will be sweet-smelling gifts to the Lord.
The Day of Atonement
7 “There will be a special meeting on the tenth day of the seventh month. During that day you must not eat any food,[aj] and you must not do any work. 8 You will offer burnt offerings. Their smell will please the Lord. You must offer 1 bull, 1 ram, and 7 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 9 You must also offer 24 cups of fine flour mixed with olive oil with the bull, 16 cups with the ram, 10 and 8 cups with each of the 7 lambs. 11 You will also offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This will be in addition to the sin offering for the Day of Atonement. This will also be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
Festival of Shelters
12 “There will be a special meeting on the 15th day of the seventh month.[ak] You must not do any work on that day. You must celebrate a special festival for the Lord for seven days. 13 You will offer burnt offerings as sweet-smelling gifts to the Lord. You will offer 13 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 14 You must also offer 24 cups of fine flour mixed with oil with each of the 13 bulls, 16 cups with each of the 2 rams, 15 and 8 cups with each of the 14 lambs. 16 You must also offer 1 male goat. This must be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
17 “On the second day of this festival, you must offer 12 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 18 You must also give the right amount of grain and drink offerings with the bulls, rams, and lambs. 19 You must also offer 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
20 “On the third day of this festival, you must offer 11 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 21 You must also give the right amount of grain and drink offerings with the bulls, rams, and lambs. 22 You must also give 1 goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
23 “On the fourth day of this festival, you must offer 10 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 24 You must also give the right amount of grain and drink offerings with the bulls, rams, and lambs. 25 You must also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
26 “On the fifth day of this festival, you must offer 9 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 27 You must also give the right amount of grain and drink offerings with the bulls, rams, and lambs. 28 You must also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
29 “On the sixth day of this festival, you must offer 8 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 30 You must also give the right amount of grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs. 31 You must also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
32 “On the seventh day of this festival, you must offer 7 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 33 You must also give the right amount of grain and drink offerings with the bulls, rams, and lambs. 34 You must also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
35 “The eighth day of this festival is a very special meeting for you. You must not do any work on that day. 36 You must offer a burnt offering as a sweet-smelling gift to the Lord. You must offer 1 bull, 1 ram, and 7 lambs that are one year old. There must be nothing wrong with them. 37 You must also give the right amount of grain and drink offerings with the bull, ram, and lambs. 38 You must also give 1 male goat as a sin offering. This must be in addition to the daily sacrifice and its grain offerings and drink offerings.
39 “At the special festivals you must bring your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, and fellowship offerings. You must give these offerings to the Lord. They are in addition to any special gift you might want to give him and any offering that is part of a special promise you make.”
40 Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him.
Special Promises
30 Moses spoke with all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and told them about these commands from the Lord:
2 “If a man makes a special promise to the Lord or makes a promise with an oath, he must not break his promise. He must do everything he said he would do.
3 “A young woman might still be living in her father’s house. And that young woman might make a special promise to give something to the Lord. 4 If her father hears about the promise and agrees, the young woman must do what she promised. 5 But if her father hears about the promise and does not agree, she is free from her promise. She does not have to do what she promised. Her father stopped her, so the Lord will forgive her.
6 “A woman might make a special promise to give something to the Lord and then get married. 7 If the husband hears about the promise and does not object, the woman must do what she promised. 8 But if the husband hears about the promise and refuses to let her keep her promise, the wife does not have to do what she promised. Her husband broke the promise—he did not let her do what she said. So the Lord will forgive her.
9 “A widow or a divorced woman might make a special promise. If she does, she must do exactly what she promised.
10 “A married woman might make a promise to give something to the Lord. 11 If her husband hears about the promise and lets her keep her promise, she must do exactly what she promised. She must give everything she promised. 12 But if her husband hears about the promise and refuses to let her keep the promise, she does not have to do what she promised. It doesn’t matter what she promised to do; if her husband is against it, this ends her duty to do it. And the Lord will forgive her. 13 A married woman might promise to give something to the Lord, or she might promise to do without something,[al] or she might make some other special promise to God. The husband can stop any of these promises, and the husband can let her keep any of these promises. 14 How does the husband let his wife keep her promises? If he hears about the promises and does not stop them, the woman must do exactly what she promised. 15 But if the husband hears about the promises and stops them, he is responsible for breaking her promises.”[am]
16 These are the commands that the Lord gave to Moses. These are the commands about a man and his wife, and about a father and his daughter who is still young and living at home in her father’s house.
Israel Fights Back Against the Midianites
31 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Moses, tell the Israelites this: ‘Go and attack the Midianites, and do to them what they did to you.’ After that Moses, you will die.”[an]
3 So Moses spoke to the people. He said, “Choose some of your men to be soldiers. The Lord will use these men to do to the Midianites what they did to you. 4 Choose 1000 men from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 There will be a total of 12,000 soldiers from the tribes of Israel.”
6 Moses sent these 12,000 men to war. He sent Phinehas son of Eleazar with them as the priest. Phinehas took the holy things and the horns and trumpets with him. 7 The Israelites fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded. They killed all the Midianite men. 8 Among the people who they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword.
9 The Israelites took the Midianite women and children as prisoners. They also took all their sheep, cattle, and other things. 10 Then they burned all their towns and villages. 11 They took all the people and animals 12 and brought them to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the other Israelites. They brought all the things they took in war to the camp of Israel. The Israelites were camped in the Jordan Valley in Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River across from Jericho. 13 Then Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the people went out of the camp to meet with the soldiers.
14 Moses was very angry with the leaders of the army, the commanders of 1000 men, and the commanders of 100 men, who came back from the war. 15 Moses said to them, “Why did you let the women live? 16 These are the women who listened to Balaam and caused the men of Israel to turn away from the Lord that time at Peor. The disease will come to the Lord’s people again. 17 Now, kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations with a man. 18 You can let all the young girls live—but only if they never had sexual relations with any man. 19 And then, all you men who killed other people must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must stay outside the camp even if you just touched a dead body. On the third day you and your prisoners must make yourselves pure. You must do the same thing again on the seventh day. 20 You must wash all of your clothes. You must wash anything made with leather, wool, or wood. You must purify yourselves.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest spoke to the soldiers. He said, “These are the rules that the Lord gave to Moses for soldiers coming back from war. 22-23 You must put gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead into the fire and then wash these things with the special water to make them pure. If something can be put in the fire, you must put it in fire to purify it. If things cannot be put in fire, you must still wash them with the special water. 24 On the seventh day you must wash all of your clothes. Then you will be pure. After that you can come into camp.”
25 Then the Lord said to Moses, 26 “You, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders should count all the prisoners, animals, and everything the soldiers took in war. 27 Then divide these things between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the Israelites. 28 Take part of these things from the soldiers who went to war. That part will belong to the Lord. His share is one from every 500 items. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, and sheep. 29 Take that share from the soldiers’ half of the things they took in war. Then give these things to Eleazar the priest. That part will belong to the Lord. 30 And then, from the people’s half, take one thing for every 50 items. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or any other animal. Give that share to the Levites, because they take care of the Lord’s Holy Tent.”
31 So Moses and Eleazar did what the Lord commanded Moses. 32 The soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 women. (These are only the women who had not had sexual relations with any man.) 36 The soldiers who went to war got 337,500 sheep. 37 They gave 675 sheep to the Lord. 38 The soldiers got 36,000 cattle. They gave 72 cattle to the Lord. 39 The soldiers got 30,500 donkeys. They gave 61 donkeys to the Lord. 40 The soldiers got 16,000 women. They gave 32 women to the Lord. 41 Moses gave all these gifts for the Lord to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded him.
42 Then Moses counted the people’s half. This was their share that Moses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war. 43 The people got 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 women. 47 Moses took one out of every 50 women and animals. He gave them to the Levites because they took care of the Lord’s Holy Tent. Moses did this as the Lord had commanded.
48 Then the leaders of the army (the leaders over 1000 men and the leaders over 100 men) came to Moses. 49 They told Moses, “We, your servants, have counted our soldiers. We have not missed any of them. 50 So we are bringing the Lord’s gift from every soldier. We are bringing things that are made of gold—armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This gift to the Lord is to make us pure.”
51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted all these gold items from them. 52 The gold that the commanders[ao] and captains[ap] gave to the Lord weighed about 424 pounds.[aq] 53 The soldiers kept the rest of their share of the things they took in war. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders and captains and then put that gold in the Meeting Tent. This present was a memorial[ar] before the Lord for the Israelites.
Tribes East of the Jordan River
32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had many cattle. These people looked at the land near Jazer and Gilead. They saw that this land was good for their cattle. 2 So the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad came to Moses. They spoke to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the people. 3-4 They said, “We, your servants, have many cattle. And the land that the Lord let the people of Israel capture is good land for cattle. This land includes the area around Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah,[as] Nebo, and Beon. 5 If it pleases you, we would like this land to be given to us. Don’t take us to the other side of the Jordan River.”
6 Moses told the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad, “Will you let your brothers go and fight while you settle here? 7 Why are you trying to discourage the Israelites? You will make them not want to cross the river and take the land that the Lord has given to them! 8 Your fathers did the same thing to me. In Kadesh Barnea I sent spies to look at the land. 9 These men went as far as Eshcol Valley. They saw the land, and they discouraged the Israelites. These men made the Israelites not want to go into the land that the Lord had given to them. 10 The Lord became very angry with the people. He made this promise: 11 ‘None of the people who came from Egypt and are 20 years old or older will be allowed to see this land. I made a promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I promised to give this land to these people, but they did not really follow me. 12 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun really followed the Lord!’
13 “The Lord was very angry with the Israelites. So he made the people stay in the desert for 40 years. He made them stay there until all the people who had sinned against the Lord were dead. 14 And now you are doing the same thing that your fathers did. You sinful people, do you want the Lord to be even more angry with his people? 15 If you stop following the Lord, he will make Israel stay even longer in the desert. Then you will destroy all these people!”
16 But the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad went to Moses. They said, “We will build cities for our children and barns for our animals here. 17 Then our children can be safe from the other people who live in this land. But we will gladly come and help the other Israelites. We will bring them to their land. 18 We will not come back home until everyone in Israel has taken his part of the land. 19 We will not take any of the land west of the Jordan River. No, our part of the land is east of the Jordan River.”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International