Bible in 90 Days
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze snake, and put it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, that person will live.” 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 and lived.
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites went and camped at Oboth. 11 They went from Oboth to Iye Abarim, in the desert east of Moab. 12 From there they went and camped in the Zered Valley. 13 From there they went and camped across the Arnon, in the desert just inside the Amorite country. The Arnon is the border between the Moabites and the Amorites. 14 That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says:
“. . . . and Waheb in Suphah, and the ravines,
the Arnon, 15 and the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar.
These places are at the border of Moab.”
16 The Israelites went from there to Beer; a well is there where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people and I will give them water.”
17 Then the Israelites sang this song:
“Pour out water, well!
Sing about it.
18 Princes dug this well.
Important men made it.
With their scepters and poles, they dug it.”
The people went from the desert to Mattanah. 19 From Mattanah they went to Nahaliel and on to Bamoth. 20 From Bamoth they went to the valley of Moab where the top of Mount Pisgah looks over the desert.
Israel Kills Sihon and Og
21 The Israelites sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let us pass through your country. We will not go through any fields of grain or vineyards, or drink water from the wells. We will travel only along the king’s road until we have passed through your country.”
23 But King Sihon would not let the Israelites pass through his country. He gathered his whole army together, and they marched out to meet Israel in the desert. At Jahaz they fought the Israelites. 24 Israel killed the king and captured his land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They took the land as far as the Ammonite border, which was strongly defended. 25 Israel captured all the Amorite cities and lived in them, taking Heshbon and all the towns around it. 26 Heshbon was the city where Sihon, the Amorite king, lived. In the past he had fought with the king of Moab and had taken all the land as far as the Arnon.
27 That is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon
and rebuild it;
rebuild Sihon’s city.
28 A fire began in Heshbon;
flames came from Sihon’s city.
It destroyed Ar in Moab,
and it burned the Arnon highlands.
29 How terrible for you, Moab!
The people of Chemosh are ruined.
His sons ran away
and his daughters were captured
by Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30 But we defeated those Amorites.
We ruined their towns from Heshbon to Dibon,
and we destroyed them as far as Nophah, near Medeba.”
31 So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
32 After Moses sent spies to the town of Jazer, they captured the towns around it, forcing out the Amorites who lived there.
33 Then the Israelites went up the road toward Bashan. Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet the Israelites, and they fought at Edrei.
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I will hand him, his whole army, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon.”
35 So the Israelites killed Og and his sons and all his army; no one was left alive. And they took his land.
Balak Sends for Balaam
22 Then the people of Israel went to the plains of Moab, and they camped near the Jordan River across from Jericho.
2 Balak son of Zippor saw everything the Israelites had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was scared of so many Israelites; truly, Moab was terrified by them.
4 The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “These people will take everything around us like an ox eating grass.”
Balak son of Zippor was the king of Moab at this time. 5 He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, near the Euphrates River in his native land. Balak said, “A nation has come out of Egypt that covers the land. They have camped next to me, 6 and they are too powerful for me. So come and put a curse on them. Maybe then I can defeat them and make them leave the area. I know that if you bless someone, the blessings happen, and if you put a curse on someone, it happens.”
7 The elders of Moab and Midian went with payment in their hands. When they found Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
8 Balaam said to them, “Stay here for the night, and I will tell you what the Lord tells me.” So the Moabite leaders stayed with him.
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 me with this message: 11 ‘A nation has come out of Egypt that covers the land. So come and put a curse on them, and maybe I can fight them and force them out of my land.’”
12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. Don’t put a curse on those people, because I have blessed them.”
13 The next morning Balaam awoke and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your own country; the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite leaders went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 So Balak sent other leaders—this time there were more of them, and they were more important. 16 They went to Balaam and said, “Balak son of Zippor says this: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to me. 17 I will pay you very well, and I will do what you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.”
18 But Balaam answered Balak’s servants, “King Balak could give me his palace full of silver and gold, but I cannot disobey the Lord my God in anything, great or small. 19 You stay here tonight as the other men did, and I will find out what more the Lord tells me.”
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “These men have come to ask you to go with them. Go, but only do what I tell you.”
Balaam’s Donkey Speaks
21 Balaam got up the next morning and put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went with the Moabite leaders. 22 But God became angry because Balaam went, so the angel of the Lord stood in the road to stop Balaam. Balaam was riding his donkey, and he had two servants with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a sword in his hand, the donkey left the road and went into the field. Balaam hit the donkey to force her back on the road.
24 Later, the angel of the Lord stood on a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 Again the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and she walked close to one wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her again.
26 The angel of the Lord went ahead again and stood at a narrow place, too narrow to turn left or right. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. This made him so angry that he hit her with his stick. 28 Then the Lord made the donkey talk, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to make you hit me three times?”
29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made me look foolish! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!”
30 But the donkey said to Balaam, “I am your very own donkey, which you have ridden for years. Have I ever done this to you before?”
“No,” Balaam said.
31 Then the Lord let Balaam see the angel of the Lord, who was standing in the road with his sword drawn. Then Balaam bowed facedown on the ground.
32 The angel of the Lord asked Balaam, “Why have you hit your donkey three times? I have stood here to stop you, because what you are doing is wrong. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me three times. If she had not turned away, I would have killed you by now, but I would have let her live.”
34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned; I did not know you were standing in the road to stop me. If I am wrong, I will go back.”
35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s leaders.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at Ar in Moab, which was beside the Arnon, at the edge of his country. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “I had asked you before to come quickly. Why didn’t you come to me? I am able to reward you well.”
38 But Balaam answered, “I have come to you now, but I can’t say just anything. I can only say what God tells me to say.”
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak offered cattle and sheep as a sacrifice and gave some meat to Balaam and the leaders with him.
41 The next morning Balak took Balaam to Bamoth Baal; from there he could see the edge of the Israelite camp.
Balaam’s First Message
23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven male sheep for me.” 2 Balak did what Balaam asked, and they offered a bull and a male sheep on each of the altars.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering and I will go. If the Lord comes to me, I will tell you whatever he shows me.” Then Balaam went to a higher place.
4 God came to Balaam there, and Balaam said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.”
5 The Lord told Balaam what he should say. Then the Lord said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.”
6 So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak and all the leaders of Moab were still standing beside his burnt offering 7 when Balaam gave them this message:
“Balak brought me here from Aram;
the king of Moab brought me from the eastern mountains.
Balak said, ‘Come, put a curse on the people of Jacob for me.
Come, call down evil on the people of Israel.’
8 But God has not cursed them,
so I cannot curse them.
The Lord has not called down evil on them,
so I cannot call down evil on them.
9 I see them from the top of the mountains;
I see them from the hills.
I see a people who live alone,
who think they are different from other nations.
10 No one can number the many people of Jacob,
and no one can count a fourth of Israel.
Let me die like good men,
and let me end up like them!”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but you have only blessed them!”
12 But Balaam answered, “I must say what the Lord tells me to say.”
Balaam’s Second Message
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place, where you can also see the people. But you can only see part of them, not all of them. Curse them for me from there.” 14 So Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim, on top of Mount Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars and offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.
15 So Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering, and I will meet with God over there.”
16 So the Lord came to Balaam and told him what to say. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and say such and such.”
17 So Balaam went to Balak, where he and the leaders of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Then Balaam gave this message:
“Stand up, Balak, and listen.
Hear me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not a human being, and he will not lie.
He is not a human, and he does not change his mind.
What he says he will do, he does.
What he promises, he makes come true.
20 He told me to bless them,
so I cannot change the blessing.
21 He has found no wrong in the people of Jacob;
he saw no fault in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
and they praise their King.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
they are as strong as a wild ox.
23 No tricks will work on the people of Jacob,
and no magic will work against Israel.
People now say about them,
‘Look what God has done for Israel!’
24 The people rise up like a lioness;
they get up like a lion.
Lions don’t rest until they have eaten,
until they have drunk their enemies’ blood.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “You haven’t cursed these people, so at least don’t bless them!”
26 Balaam answered Balak, “I told you before that I can only do what the Lord tells me.”
Balaam’s Third Message
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, I will take you to another place. Maybe God will be pleased to let you curse them from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, the mountain that looks over the desert.
29 Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare for me seven bulls and seven male sheep.” 30 Balak did what Balaam asked, and he offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.
24 Balaam saw that the Lord wanted to bless Israel, so he did not try to use any magic but looked toward the desert. 2 When Balaam saw the Israelites camped in their tribes, the Spirit of God took control of him, 3 and he gave this message:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,
the message of a man who sees clearly;
4 this is the message of a man who hears the words of God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
5 Your tents are beautiful, people of Jacob!
So are your homes, Israel!
6 Your tents spread out like valleys,
like gardens beside a river.
They are like spices planted by the Lord,
like cedar trees growing by the water.
7 Israel’s water buckets will always be full,
and their crops will have plenty of water.
Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be very great.
8 God brought them out of Egypt;
they are as strong as a wild ox.
They will defeat their enemies
and break their enemies’ bones;
they will shoot them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, they lie waiting to attack;
like a lioness, no one would be brave enough to wake them.
Anyone who blesses you will be blessed,
and anyone who curses you will be cursed.”
10 Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he pounded his fist. He said to Balaam, “I called you here to curse my enemies, but you have continued to bless them three times. 11 Now go home! I said I would pay you well, but the Lord has made you lose your reward.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “When you sent messengers to me, I told them, 13 ‘Balak could give me his palace filled with silver and gold, but I still cannot go against the Lord’s commands. I could not do anything, good or bad, on my own, but I must say what the Lord says.’ 14 Now I am going back to my own people, but I will tell you what these people will do to your people in the future.”
Balaam’s Final Message
15 Then Balaam gave this message:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,
the message of a man who sees clearly;
16 this is the message of a man who hears the words of God.
I know well the Most High God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
17 I see someone who will come someday,
someone who will come, but not soon.
A star will come from Jacob;
a ruler will rise from Israel.
He will crush the heads of the Moabites
and smash the skulls of the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will be conquered;
his enemy Edom will be conquered,
but Israel will grow wealthy.
19 A ruler will come from the descendants of Jacob
and will destroy those left in the city.”
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and gave this message:
“Amalek was the most important nation,
but Amalek will be destroyed at last.”
21 Then Balaam saw the Kenites and gave this message:
“Your home is safe,
like a nest on a cliff.
22 But you Kenites will be burned up;
Assyria will keep you captive.”
23 Then Balaam gave this message:
“No one can live when God does this.
24 Ships will sail from the shores of Cyprus
and defeat Assyria and Eber,
but they will also be destroyed.”
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.
Israel Worships Baal at Peor
25 While the people of Israel were still camped at Acacia, the men began sinning sexually with Moabite women. 2 The women invited them to their sacrifices to their gods, and the Israelites ate food there and worshiped these gods. 3 So the Israelites began to worship Baal of Peor, and the Lord was very angry with them.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Get all the leaders of the people and kill them in open daylight in the presence of the Lord. Then the Lord will not be angry with the people of Israel.”
5 So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death your people who have become worshipers of Baal of Peor.”
6 Moses and the Israelites were gathered at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, crying there. Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in plain sight of Moses and all the people. 7 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, so he left the meeting and got his spear. 8 He followed the Israelite into his tent and drove his spear through both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman. Then the terrible sickness among the Israelites stopped.
9 This sickness had killed twenty-four thousand people.
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has saved the Israelites from my anger. He hates sin as much as I do. Since he tried to save my honor among them, I will not kill them. 12 So tell Phinehas that I am making my peace agreement with him. 13 He and his descendants will always be priests, because he had great concern for the honor of his God. He removed the sins of the Israelites so they would belong to God.”
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 put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was the chief of a Midianite family.
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “The Midianites are your enemies, and you should kill them. 18 They have already made you their enemies, because they tricked you at Peor and because of their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. She was the woman who was killed when the sickness came because the people sinned at Peor.”
The People Are Counted
26 After the great sickness, the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, 2 “Count all the people of Israel by families. Count all the men who are twenty years old or older who will serve in the army of Israel.” 3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to the people on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho. They said, 4 “Count the men twenty years old or older, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Here are the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5 The tribe of Reuben, the first son born to Israel, was counted. From Hanoch came the Hanochite family group; from Pallu came the Palluite family group; 6 from Hezron came the Hezronite family group; from Carmi came the Carmite family group. 7 These were the family groups of Reuben, and the total number of men was 43,730.
8 The son of Pallu was Eliab, 9 and Eliab’s sons were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were the leaders who turned against Moses and Aaron and followed Korah when he turned against the Lord. 10 The earth opened up and swallowed them and Korah; they died at the same time the fire burned up the 250 men. This was a warning, 11 but the children of Korah did not die.
12 These were the family groups in the tribe of Simeon: From Nemuel came the Nemuelite family group; from Jamin came the Jaminite family group; from Jakin came the Jakinite family group; 13 from Zerah came the Zerahite family group; from Shaul came the Shaulite family group. 14 These were the family groups of Simeon, and the total number of men was 22,200.
15 These were the family groups in the tribe of Gad: From Zephon came the Zephonite family group; from Haggi came the Haggite family group; from Shuni came the Shunite family group; 16 from Ozni came the Oznite family group; from Eri came the Erite family group; 17 from Arodi came the Arodite family group; from Areli came the Arelite family group. 18 These were the family groups of Gad, and the total number of men was 40,500.
19 Two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan.
20 These were the family groups in the tribe of Judah: From Shelah came the Shelanite family group; from Perez came the Perezite family group; from Zerah came the Zerahite family group. 21 These were the family groups from Perez: From Hezron came the Hezronite family group; from Hamul came the Hamulite family group. 22 These were the family groups of Judah, and the total number of men was 76,500.
23 These were the family groups in the tribe of Issachar: From Tola came the Tolaite family group; from Puah came the Puite family group; 24 from Jashub came the Jashubite family group; from Shimron came the Shimronite family group. 25 These were the family groups of Issachar, and the total number of men was 64,300.
26 These were the family groups in the tribe of Zebulun: From Sered came the Seredite family group; from Elon came the Elonite family group; from Jahleel came the Jahleelite family group. 27 These were the family groups of Zebulun, and the total number of men was 60,500.
28 These were the family groups of Joseph through Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 These were the family groups of Manasseh: From Makir came the Makirite family group (Makir was the father of Gilead); from Gilead came the Gileadite family group. 30 These were the family groups that came from Gilead: From Iezer came the Iezerite family group; from Helek came the Helekite family group; 31 from Asriel came the Asrielite family group; from Shechem came the Shechemite family group; 32 from Shemida came the Shemidaite family group; from Hepher came the Hepherite family group. 33 (Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, and their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.) 34 These were the family groups of Manasseh, and the total number of men was 52,700.
35 These were the family groups in the tribe of Ephraim: From Shuthelah came the Shuthelahite family group; from Beker came the Bekerite family group; from Tahan came the Tahanite family group. 36 This was the family group from Shuthelah: From Eran came the Eranite family group. 37 These were the family groups of Ephraim, and the total number of men was 32,500. These are the family groups that came from Joseph.
38 These were the family groups in the tribe of Benjamin: From Bela came the Belaite family group; from Ashbel came the Ashbelite family group; from Ahiram came the Ahiramite family group; 39 from Shupham came the Shuphamite family group; from Hupham came the Huphamite family group. 40 These were the family groups from Bela through Ard and Naaman: From Ard came the Ardite family group; from Naaman came the Naamite family group. 41 These were the family groups of Benjamin, and the total number of men was 45,600.
42 This was the family group in the tribe of Dan: From Shuham came the Shuhamite family group. That was the family of Dan, 43 and the total number of men in the Shuhamite family group of Dan was 64,400.
44 These were the family groups in the tribe of Asher: From Imnah came the Imnite family group; from Ishvi came the Ishvite family group; from Beriah came the Beriite family group. 45 These were the family groups that came from Beriah: From Heber came the Heberite family group; from Malkiel came the Malkielite family group. 46 (Asher also had a daughter named Serah.) 47 These were the family groups of Asher, and the total number of men was 53,400.
48 These were the family groups in the tribe of Naphtali: From Jahzeel came the Jahzeelite family group; from Guni came the Gunite family group; 49 from Jezer came the Jezerite family group; from Shillem came the Shillemite family group. 50 These were the family groups of Naphtali, and the total number of men was 45,400.
51 So the total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.
52 The Lord said to Moses, 53 “Divide the land among these people by the number of names. 54 A large tribe will get more land, and a small tribe will get less land; the amount of land each tribe gets will depend on the number of its people. 55 Divide the land by drawing lots, and the land each tribe gets will be named for that tribe. 56 Divide the land between large and small groups by drawing lots.”
57 The tribe of Levi was also counted. These were the family groups of Levi: From Gershon came the Gershonite family group; from Kohath came the Kohathite family group; from Merari came the Merarite family group. 58 These also were Levite family groups: the Libnite family group, the Hebronite family group, the Mahlite family group, the Mushite family group, and the Korahite family group. (Kohath was the ancestor of Amram, 59 whose wife was named Jochebed. She was from the tribe of Levi and she was born in Egypt. She and Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died because they made an offering before the Lord with the wrong kind of fire.)
62 The total number of male Levites one month old or older was 23,000. But these men were not counted with the other Israelites, because they were not given any of the land among the other Israelites.
63 Moses and Eleazar the priest counted all these people. They counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. 64 Moses and Aaron the priest had counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai, but no one Moses counted on the plains of Moab was in the first counting. 65 The Lord had told the Israelites they would all die in the desert, and the only two left were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Zelophehad’s Daughters
27 Then the daughters of Zelophehad came near. Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad’s daughters belonged to the family groups of Manasseh son of Joseph. The daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 They went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the people. They said, 3 “Our father died in the desert. He was not one of Korah’s followers who came together against the Lord, but he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Our father’s name will die out because he had no sons. Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case to the Lord, 6 and the Lord said to him, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right; they should certainly get what their father owned. Give them property among their father’s relatives.
8 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then everything he owned should go to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then everything he owned should go to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then everything he owned should go to his father’s brothers. 11 And if his father had no brothers, then everything he owned should go to the nearest relative in his family group. This should be a rule among the people of Israel, as the Lord has given this command to Moses.’”
Joshua Is the New Leader
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Climb this mountain in the Abarim Mountains, and look at the land I have given to the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you will die and join your ancestors as your brother Aaron did, 14 because you both acted against my command in the Desert of Zin. You did not honor me as holy before the people at the waters of Meribah.” (This was at Meribah in Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “The Lord is the God of the spirits of all people. May he choose a leader for these people, 17 who will go in and out before them. He must lead them out like sheep and bring them in; the Lord’s people must not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, because my Spirit is in him. Put your hand on him, 19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. Then give him his orders as they watch. 20 Let him share your honor so that all the Israelites will obey him. 21 He must stand before Eleazar the priest, and Eleazar will get advice from the Lord by using the Urim. At his command all the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will all come in.”
22 Moses did what the Lord told him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people, 23 and he put his hands on him and gave him orders, just as the Lord had told him.
Daily Offerings
28 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give this command to the Israelites. Tell them: ‘Bring me food offerings made by fire, for a smell that is pleasing to me, and be sure to bring them at the right time.’ 3 Say to them, ‘These are the offerings you must bring to the Lord: two male lambs, a year old, as a burnt offering each day. They must have nothing wrong with them. 4 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at twilight. 5 Also bring a grain offering of two quarts of fine flour, mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives. 6 This is the daily burnt offering which began at Mount Sinai; its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 7 Offer one quart of wine with each lamb as a drink offering; pour it out to the Lord at the Holy Place. 8 Offer the second lamb at twilight. As in the morning, also give a grain offering and a drink offering. This offering is made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
Sabbath Offerings
9 “‘On the Sabbath day you must give two male lambs, a year old, that have nothing wrong with them. Also give a drink offering and a grain offering; the grain offering must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 10 This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the daily burnt offering and drink offering.
Monthly Offerings
11 “‘On the first day of each month bring a burnt offering to the Lord. This will be two young bulls, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old, and they must have nothing wrong with them. 12 Give a grain offering with each bull of six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. Also give a grain offering with the male sheep. It must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 13 And give a grain offering with each lamb of two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 14 The drink offering with each bull will be two quarts of wine, with the male sheep it will be one and one-third quarts, and with each lamb it will be one quart of wine. This is the burnt offering that must be offered each month of the year. 15 Besides the daily burnt offerings and drink offerings, bring a sin offering of one goat to the Lord.
The Passover
16 “‘The Lord’s Passover will be on the fourteenth day of the first month. 17 The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the fifteenth day of that month. For seven days, you may eat only bread made without yeast. 18 Have a holy meeting on the first day of the festival, and don’t work that day. 19 Bring to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 20 With each bull give a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. With the male sheep it must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. 21 With each of the seven lambs, it must be two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. 22 Bring one goat as a sin offering, to remove your sins so you will belong to God. 23 Bring these offerings in addition to the burnt offerings you give every morning. 24 So bring food for the offering made by fire each day for seven days, for a smell that is pleasing to the Lord. Do it in addition to the daily burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day have a holy meeting, and don’t work that day.
The Feast of Weeks
26 “‘On the day of firstfruits when you bring new grain to the Lord during the Feast of Weeks, have a holy meeting. Don’t work that day. 27 Bring this burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. This smell is pleasing to the Lord. 28 Also, with each bull give a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep, it must be four quarts of flour, 29 and with each of the seven lambs offer two quarts of flour. 30 Offer one male goat to remove your sins so you will belong to God. 31 Bring these offerings and their drink offerings in addition to the daily burnt offering and its grain offering. The animals must have nothing wrong with them.
The Feast of Trumpets
29 “‘Have a holy meeting on the first day of the seventh month, and don’t work on that day. That is the day you blow the trumpets. 2 Bring these burnt offerings as a smell pleasing to the Lord: one young bull, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 3 With the bull give a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep offer four quarts, 4 and with each of the seven lambs offer two quarts. 5 Offer one male goat for a sin offering to remove your sins so you will belong to God. 6 These offerings are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings. Their grain offerings and drink offerings must be done as you have been told. These offerings are made by fire to the Lord, and their smell is pleasing to him.
The Day of Cleansing
7 “‘Have a holy meeting on the tenth day of the seventh month. On that day do not eat and do not work. 8 Bring these burnt offerings as a smell pleasing to the Lord: one young bull, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 9 With the bull give a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep it must be four quarts, 10 and with each of the seven lambs it must be two quarts. 11 Offer one male goat as a sin offering. This will be in addition to the sin offering which removes your sins, the daily burnt offering with its grain offering, and the drink offerings.
The Feast of Shelters
12 “‘Have a holy meeting on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and do not work on that day. Celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days. 13 Bring these burnt offerings, made by fire, as a smell pleasing to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 14 With each of the thirteen bulls offer a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With each of the two male sheep it must be four quarts, 15 and with each of the fourteen lambs it must be two quarts. 16 Offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
17 “‘On the second day of this festival give an offering of twelve bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 18 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required. 19 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
20 “‘On the third day offer eleven bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 21 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required. 22 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
23 “‘On the fourth day offer ten bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 24 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required. 25 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
26 “‘On the fifth day offer nine bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 27 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required. 28 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
29 “‘On the sixth day offer eight bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 30 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required. 31 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
32 “‘On the seventh day offer seven bulls, two male sheep, and fourteen male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 33 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, sheep, and lambs, according to the number required. 34 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
35 “‘On the eighth day have a closing meeting, and do not work on that day. 36 Bring an offering made by fire, a burnt offering, as a smell pleasing to the Lord. Offer one bull, one male sheep, and seven male lambs a year old. They must have nothing wrong with them. 37 Bring the grain and drink offerings for the bull, the male sheep, and the lambs, according to the number required. 38 Offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.
39 “‘At your festivals you should bring these to the Lord: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings. These are in addition to other promised offerings and special gifts you want to give to the Lord.’”
40 Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him.
Rules About Special Promises
30 Moses spoke with the leaders of the Israelite tribes. He told them these commands from the Lord.
2 “If a man makes a promise to the Lord or says he will do something special, he must keep his promise. He must do what he said. 3 If a young woman still living at home makes a promise to the Lord or pledges to do something special, 4 and if her father hears about the promise or pledge and says nothing, she must do what she promised. She must keep her pledge. 5 But if her father hears about the promise or pledge and does not allow it, then the promise or pledge does not have to be kept. Her father would not allow it, so the Lord will free her from her promise.
6 “If a woman makes a pledge or a careless promise and then gets married, 7 and if her husband hears about it and says nothing, she must keep her promise or the pledge she made. 8 But if her husband hears about it and does not allow it, he cancels her pledge or the careless promise she made. The Lord will free her from keeping it.
9 “If a widow or divorced woman makes a promise, she must do whatever she promised.
10 “If a woman makes a promise or pledge while she is married, 11 and if her husband hears about it but says nothing and does not stop her, she must keep her promise or pledge. 12 But if her husband hears about it and cancels it, she does not have to do what she said. Her husband has canceled it, so the Lord will free her from it. 13 A woman’s husband may make her keep or cancel any promise or pledge she has made. 14 If he says nothing to her about it for several days, she must keep her promises. If he hears about them and says nothing, she must keep her promises. 15 But if he cancels them long after he heard about them, he is responsible if she breaks her promise.”
16 These are commands that the Lord gave to Moses for husbands and wives, and for fathers with daughters living at home.
Israel Attacks the Midianites
31 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2 “Pay back the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites; after that you will die.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “Get some men ready for war. The Lord will use them to pay back the Midianites. 4 Send to war a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5 So twelve thousand men got ready for war, a thousand men from each tribe. 6 Moses sent those men to war; Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the holy things and the trumpets for giving the alarm. 7 They fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every Midianite man. 8 Among those they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword.
9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children, and they took all their flocks, herds, and goods. 10 They burned all the Midianite towns where they had settled and all their camps, 11 but they took all the people and animals and goods. 12 Then they brought the captives, the animals, and the goods back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the Israelites. Their camp was on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the people went outside the camp to meet them. 14 Moses was angry with the army officers, the commanders over a thousand men, and those over a hundred men, who returned from war.
15 He asked them, “Why did you let the women live? 16 They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and turned the Israelites from the Lord at Peor. Then a terrible sickness struck the Lord’s people. 17 Kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations. 18 But save for yourselves the girls who have not had sexual relations with a man.
19 “All you men who killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days you and your captives must make yourselves clean. 20 You must clean all your clothes and anything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, “These are the teachings that the Lord gave to Moses: 22 Put any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead— 23 anything that will not burn—into the fire, and then it will be clean. But also purify those things with the cleansing water. Then they will be clean. If something cannot stand the fire, wash it with the water. 24 On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may come into the camp.”
Dividing the Goods
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the family groups should take a count of the goods, the men, and the animals that were taken. 27 Then divide those possessions between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the people. 28 From the soldiers who went to war, take a tax for the Lord of one item out of every five hundred. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, or sheep. 29 Take it from the soldiers’ half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s share. 30 And from the people’s half, take one item out of every fifty. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals. Give that to the Levites, who take care of the Lord’s Holy Tent.” 31 So Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32 There remained from what the soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 women who had not had sexual relations with a man. 36 The soldiers who went to war got 337,000 sheep, 37 and they gave 675 of them to the Lord. 38 They got 36,000 cattle, and they gave 72 of them to the Lord. 39 They got 30,500 donkeys, and they gave 61 of them to the Lord. 40 They got 16,000 people, and they gave 32 of them to the Lord. 41 Moses gave the Lord’s share to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded him.
42 Moses separated the people’s half from the soldiers’ half. 43 The people got 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 people. 47 From the people’s half Moses took one item out of every fifty for the Lord. This included the animals and the people. Then he gave them to the Levites, who took care of the Lord’s Holy Tent. This was what the Lord had commanded Moses.
48 Then the officers of the army, the commanders of a thousand men and commanders of a hundred men, came to Moses. 49 They told Moses, “We, your servants, have counted our soldiers under our command, and not one of them is missing. 50 So we have brought the Lord a gift of the gold things that each of us found: arm bands, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces. These are to remove our sins so we will belong to the Lord.”
51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, which had been made into all kinds of objects. 52 The commanders of a thousand men and the commanders of a hundred men gave the Lord the gold, and all of it together weighed about 420 pounds; 53 each soldier had taken something for himself. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of a thousand men and the commanders of a hundred men. Then they put it in the Meeting Tent as a memorial before the Lord for the people of Israel.
The Tribes East of the Jordan
32 The people of Reuben and Gad had large flocks and herds. When they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were good for the animals, 2 they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the people. 3-4 They said, “We, your servants, have flocks and herds. The Lord has captured for the Israelites a land that is good for animals—the land around Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. 5 If it pleases you, we would like this land to be given to us. Don’t make us cross the Jordan River.”
6 Moses told the people of Gad and Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to war while you stay behind? 7 You will discourage the Israelites from going over to the land the Lord has given them. 8 Your ancestors did the same thing. I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look at the land. 9 They went as far as the Valley of Eshcol, and when they saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from going into the land the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord became very angry that day and made this promise: 11 ‘None of the people who came from Egypt and who are twenty years old or older will see the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These people have not followed me completely. 12 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun followed the Lord completely.’
13 “The Lord was angry with Israel, so he made them wander in the desert for forty years. Finally all the people who had sinned against the Lord died, 14 and now you are acting just like your ancestors! You sinful people are making the Lord even more angry with Israel. 15 If you quit following him, it will add to their stay in the desert, and you will destroy all these people.”
16 Then the Reubenites and Gadites came up to Moses and said, “We will build pens for our animals and cities for our children here. 17 Then our children will be in strong, walled cities, safe from the people who live in this land. Then we will prepare for war. We will help the other Israelites get their land, 18 and we will not return home until every Israelite has received his land. 19 We won’t take any of the land west of the Jordan River; our part of the land is east of the Jordan.”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.