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Instructions on Dividing the Land
52 Then the Lord told Moses, 53 “The land is to be divided for an inheritance according to the total number of these names. 54 The more there are in number,[a] you are to increase their inheritance, and the less there are in number, you are to decrease their inheritance. You are to provide an inheritance to each based on the size of their family, 55 but the land is to be divided by lot, inheriting according to the names of their ancestor’s tribe. 56 Depending on the lot, the portion of their inheritance is to be divided between those with more members[b] and those with fewer members.”[c]
Levitical Genealogies
57 Those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi, listed according to their families, included: From Gershon, the family of the descendants of Gershon; from Kohath, the family of the descendants of Kohath; and from Merari, the family of the descendants of Merari. 58 These were the families of Levi: The family of the descendants of Libni, the family of the descendants of Hebron, the family of the descendants of Mahli, the family of the descendants of Musha, and the family of the descendants of Korah.
Now Kohath had a son named Amram. 59 Amram’s wife was Levi’s daughter Jochebed, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.
60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire in the Lord’s presence. 62 All of those individuals numbered 23,000. No male from the age of a month and above was numbered among the Israelis because no inheritance was to be assigned to them among the Israelis.
63 So this has been a list of those who were registered[d] by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they numbered the Israelis in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64 But none of these men among these numbered by Moses and by Aaron the priest (that is, when they numbered the Israelis in the wilderness of Sinai) survived to enter the land, 65 because the Lord had said about them, “They’ll certainly die in the wilderness. No man will survive from them except Jephunneh’s son Caleb and Nun’s son Joshua.”
Zelophehad’s Daughters(A)
27 Now the daughters of Hepher’s son Zelophehad, Gilead’s grandson, who had been fathered by Machir, who had been fathered by Manasseh, from the tribe of Manasseh, the direct son of Joseph, were named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached 2 Moses, Eleazar the priest, the elders, and the entire community at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before them, and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness, but he wasn’t with the company of those who gathered against the Lord along with the company of Korah. He died in his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Why are you going to eliminate the name of our father from his family, just because he had no son? Give us a possession from among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought the family into the Lord’s presence, 6 and the Lord told Moses, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are telling the truth. You are certainly to give to them a possession for an inheritance among their father’s relatives. You are to pass on the inheritance of their father to them. 8 Tell the Israelis that when a man dies without a son, you are to pass his inheritance to his daughter. 9 If he doesn’t have a daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he doesn’t have brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father doesn’t have brothers, then give his inheritance to a relative who is nearest to him from the family and he’ll take possession of it. This is to be a permanent ordinance[e] for the Israelis, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Preparations for a Successor to Moses
12 Then the Lord told Moses, “You are to climb these Abarim mountains and look over the land that I’m going to give the Israelis. 13 After you’ve seen it, you’ll be taken to be with your people just as your brother Aaron was gathered to them,[f] 14 because in the wilderness of Zin, when the community rebelled, you rebelled against my command to treat me as holy before their eyes in regards to the Meribah Springs in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
15 Moses responded to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord God of the spirits of all living creatures appoint a man over the community 17 who will go in and out before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in so that the Lord’s community won’t be like a flock without a shepherd.”
God Appoints Joshua
18 “Select Nun’s son Joshua. The Spirit is in that man,” the Lord answered Moses. “You are to lay your hand on him 19 and make him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. Then you are to set him in charge right before their eyes, 20 turning over your authority[g] to him so that the entire community of Israel knows to[h] obey him. 21 You are to make him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest, who is to inquire on his behalf using the Urim[i] in the presence of the Lord regarding a decision of judgment, because by his command[j] he and all the Israelis with him will go out or come in.”
22 So Moses did what the Lord had commanded him. He took Joshua, made him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the entire community, 23 laid his hands on him, and charged him, just as the Lord had commanded, using Moses’ authority.[k]
Daily Offerings(B)
28 The Lord told Moses, 2 “You are to command the Israelis about my offerings that they are to be sure to bring edible offerings to me, presented by fire, and a pleasing aroma to me, at their appointed time. 3 Tell them that this is the offering, presented by fire, that you are to offer to the Lord: two one year old lambs, offered daily every day. 4 Offer the first lamb in the morning and the second toward the evening,[l] 5 accompanied by one tenth of an ephah[m] of fine flour for grain offering, mixed with one fourth of a hin[n] of pure olive oil. 6 This burnt offering, which was prescribed at Mount Sinai, is to be offered every day[o] as a pleasing aroma made by fire to the Lord.
7 “The drink offering is to be one fourth of a hin[p] for each[q] lamb. You are to pour out a drink offering of strong wine to the Lord in the Holy Place. 8 You are also to offer the second lamb toward the evening. Just like the morning sacrifice,[r] you are to present the grain offering, accompanied by its corresponding drink offering, as a presentation made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”
Sabbath Offerings
9 “Every Sabbath day, you are to offer two one year old lambs without any defects[s] with two tenths of an ephah[t] of fine flour for grain offering, mixed with olive oil, along with their corresponding drink offering. 10 This burnt offering is to be presented every Sabbath, as well as the regular burnt offering, along with its corresponding drink offering.”
Monthly Offerings
11 “On the first day of each month,[u] you are to offer a burnt offering to the Lord consisting of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one year old lambs, all of them without any defects, 12 along with three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, for each bull, two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, for the one ram, 13 and one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb. This burnt offering will be a pleasing aroma, incinerated as an offering to the Lord. 14 Their drink offerings are to be half a hin[v] of wine for each bull, one third of a hin[w] for the ram, and one fourth of a hin[x] for each lamb. This burnt offering is to be presented each and every month throughout the year. 15 One goat is to be offered at regular intervals as a sin offering to the Lord, accompanied by its corresponding drink offering.”
John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus(A)
3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 and Annas and Caiaphas high priests, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3 John[a] went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“He is a voice calling out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord![b] Make his paths straight!
5 Every valley will be filled,
and every mountain and hill will be leveled.
The crooked ways will be made straight,
and the rough roads will be made smooth.
6 Everyone[c] will see the salvation
that God has provided.’”[d]
7 John would say to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him, “You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! Don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have father Abraham!’ because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! 9 The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”
10 The crowds kept asking him, “What, then, should we do?”
11 He answered them, “The person who has two coats must share with the one who doesn’t have any, and the person who has food must do the same.”
12 Even some tax collectors came to be baptized. They asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He told them, “Stop collecting more money than the amount you are told to collect.”
14 Even some soldiers were asking him, “And what should we do?”
He told them, “Never extort money from anyone by threats or blackmail, and be satisfied with your pay.”
15 Now the people were filled with expectation, and all of them were wondering if John was perhaps the Messiah.[e] 16 John replied to all of them, “I’m baptizing you with[f] water, but one is coming who is more powerful than I, and I’m not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with[g] the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. He’ll gather the grain into his barn, but he’ll burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.”
18 With many other exhortations John[h] continued to proclaim the good news to the people. 19 Now Herod the tetrarch had been rebuked by John[i] because he had married[j] his brother’s wife Herodias and because of all of the other evil things Herod had done. 20 Added to all this, Herod[k] locked John up in prison.
Jesus is Baptized(B)
21 When all the people had been baptized, Jesus, too, was baptized. While he was praying, heaven opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him, appearing in the form of a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, saying,[l] “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you!”[m]
To the Director: A composition[a] by David for stringed instruments.
A Prayer for God’s Protection
61 God, hear my cry;
pay attention to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to you
whenever my heart is overwhelmed.
Place me on the rock that’s too high for me.
3 For you have been a refuge for me,
a tower of strength before the enemy.
4 Let me make my home in your tent forever;
let me hide under the shelter of your wings.
5 For you, God, have heard my promises;
you have assigned to me[b] the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Add day after day to the king’s life;
may his years continue[c] for many generations.
7 May he be enthroned before God forever;
Appoint your[d] gracious love and truth to guard him.
8 So I will sing songs to your name forever;
I will fulfill my promises day by day.
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