Good News Translation (GNT)

The People Complain

1 All night long the people cried out in distress.

2 They complained against Moses and Aaron, and said, “It would have been better to die in Egypt or even here in the wilderness!

3 Why is the Lord taking us into that land? We will be killed in battle, and our wives and children will be captured. Wouldn’t it be better to go back to Egypt?”

4 So they said to one another, “Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt!”

5 Then Moses and Aaron bowed to the ground in front of all the people.

6 And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, two of the spies, tore their clothes in sorrow

7 and said to the people, “The land we explored is an excellent land.

8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will take us there and give us that rich and fertile land.

9 Do not rebel against the Lord and don’t be afraid of the people who live there. We will conquer them easily. The Lord is with us and has defeated the gods who protected them; so don’t be afraid.”

10 The whole community was threatening to stone them to death, but suddenly the people saw the dazzling light of the Lord’s presence appear over the Tent.

Moses Prays for the People

11 The Lord said to Moses, “How much longer will these people reject me? How much longer will they refuse to trust in me, even though I have performed so many miracles among them?

12 I will send an epidemic and destroy them, but I will make you the father of a nation that is larger and more powerful than they are!”

13 But Moses said to the Lord, “You brought these people out of Egypt by your power. When the Egyptians hear what you have done to your people,

14 they will tell it to the people who live in this land. These people have already heard that you, Lord, are with us, that you appear in plain sight when your cloud stops over us, and that you go before us in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

15 Now if you kill all your people, the nations who have heard of your fame will say

16 that you killed your people in the wilderness because you were not able to bring them into the land you promised to give them.

17 So now, Lord, I pray, show us your power and do what you promised when you said,

18 ‘I, the Lord, am not easily angered, and I show great love and faithfulness and forgive sin and rebellion. Yet I will not fail to punish children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their parents.’

19 And now, Lord, according to the greatness of your unchanging love, forgive, I pray, the sin of these people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

20 The Lord answered, “I will forgive them, as you have asked.

21 But I promise that as surely as I live and as surely as my presence fills the earth,

22 none of these people will live to enter that land. They have seen the dazzling light of my presence and the miracles that I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, but they have tried my patience over and over again and have refused to obey me.

23 They will never enter the land which I promised to their ancestors. None of those who have rejected me will ever enter it.

24 But because my servant Caleb has a different attitude and has remained loyal to me, I will bring him into the land which he explored, and his descendants will possess the land

25 in whose valleys the Amalekites and the Canaanites now live. Turn back tomorrow and go into the wilderness in the direction of the Gulf of Aqaba.”

The Lord Punishes the People for Complaining

26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

27 “How much longer are these wicked people going to complain against me? I have heard enough of these complaints!

28 Now give them this answer: ‘I swear that as surely as I live, I will do to you just what you have asked. I, the Lord, have spoken.

29 You will die and your corpses will be scattered across this wilderness. Because you have complained against me, none of you over twenty years of age will enter that land.

30 I promised to let you live there, but not one of you will, except Caleb and Joshua.

31 You said that your children would be captured, but I will bring them into the land that you rejected, and it will be their home.

32 You will die here in this wilderness.

33 Your children will wander in the wilderness for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last one of you dies.

34 You will suffer the consequences of your sin for forty years, one year for each of the forty days you spent exploring the land. You will know what it means to have me against you!

35 I swear that I will do this to you wicked people who have gathered together against me. Here in the wilderness every one of you will die. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

36-37 The men Moses had sent to explore the land brought back a false report which caused the people to complain against the Lord. And so the Lord struck them with a disease, and they died.

38 Of the twelve spies only Joshua and Caleb survived.

The First Attempt to Invade the Land

39 When Moses told the Israelites what the Lord had said, they mourned bitterly.

40 Early the next morning they started out to invade the hill country, saying, “Now we are ready to go to the place which the Lord told us about. We admit that we have sinned.”

41 But Moses said, “Then why are you disobeying the Lord now? You will not succeed!

42 Don’t go. The Lord is not with you, and your enemies will defeat you.

43 When you face the Amalekites and the Canaanites, you will die in battle; the Lord will not be with you, because you have refused to follow him.”

44 Yet they still dared to go up into the hill country, even though neither the Lord’s Covenant Box nor Moses left the camp.

45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived there attacked and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hormah.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/14-a91969a2604d8aa6e4a4e0473b1b1cd7.mp3?version_id=68—

Laws about Sacrifice

1 The Lord gave Moses

2 the following regulations for the people of Israel to observe in the land that he was going to give them.

3 A bull, a ram, a sheep, or a goat may be presented to the Lord as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice in fulfillment of a vow or as a freewill offering or as an offering at your regular religious festivals; the odor of these food offerings is pleasing to the Lord.

4-5 Whoever presents a sheep or a goat as a burnt offering to the Lord is to bring with each animal 2 pounds of flour mixed with 2 pints of olive oil as a grain offering, together with 2 pints of wine.

6 When a ram is offered, 4 pounds of flour mixed with 3 pints of olive oil are to be presented as a grain offering,

7 together with 3 pints of wine. The odor of these sacrifices is pleasing to the Lord.

8 When a bull is offered to the Lord as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice in fulfillment of a vow or as a fellowship offering,

9 a grain offering of 6 pounds of flour mixed with 4 pints of olive oil is to be presented,

10 together with 4 pints of wine. The odor of this sacrifice is pleasing to the Lord.

11 That is what shall be offered with each bull, ram, sheep, or goat.

12 When more than one animal is offered, the accompanying offering is to be increased proportionately.

13 All native Israelites are to do this when they present a food offering, an odor pleasing to the Lord.

14 And if at any time foreigners living among you, whether on a temporary or a permanent basis, make a food offering, an odor that pleases the Lord, they are to observe the same regulations.

15 For all time to come, the samerules are binding on you and on the foreigners who live among you. You and they are alike in the Lord’s sight;

16 the same laws and regulations apply to you and to them.

17 The Lord gave Moses

18 the following regulations for the people of Israel to observe in the land that he was going to give them.

19 When any food produced there is eaten, some of it is to be set aside as a special contribution to the Lord.

20 When you bake bread, the first loaf of the first bread made from the new grain is to be presented as a special contribution to the Lord. This is to be presented in the same way as the special contribution you make from the grain you thresh.

21 For all time to come, this special gift is to be given to the Lord from the bread you bake.

22 But suppose someone unintentionally fails to keep some of these regulations which the Lord has given Moses.

23 And suppose that in the future the community fails to do everything that the Lord commanded through Moses.

24 If the mistake was made because of the ignorance of the community, they are to offer a bull as a burnt offering, an odor that pleases the Lord, with the proper grain offering and wine offering. In addition, they are to offer a male goat as a sin offering.

25 The priest shall perform the ritual of purification for the community, and they will be forgiven, because the mistake was unintentional and they brought their sin offering as a food offering to the Lord.

26 The whole community of Israel and the foreigners living among them will be forgiven, because everyone was involved in the mistake.

27 If any of you sin unintentionally, you are to offer a one-year-old female goat as a sin offering.

28 At the altar the priest shall perform the ritual of purification to purify you from your sin, and you will be forgiven.

29 The same regulation applies to all who unintentionally commit a sin, whether they are native Israelites or resident foreigners.

30 But any who sin deliberately, whether they are natives or foreigners, are guilty of treating the Lord with contempt, and they shall be put to death,

31 because they have rejected what the Lord said and have deliberately broken one of his commands. They are responsible for their own death.

The Man Who Broke the Sabbath

32 Once, while the Israelites were still in the wilderness, a man was found gathering firewood on the Sabbath.

33 He was taken to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community,

34 and was put under guard, because it was not clear what should be done with him.

35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must be put to death; the whole community is to stone him to death outside the camp.”

36 So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded.

Rules about Tassels

37 The Lord commanded Moses

38 to say to the people of Israel: “Make tassels on the corners of your garments and put a blue cord on each tassel. You are to do this for all time to come.

39 The tassels will serve as reminders, and each time you see them you will remember all my commands and obey them; then you will not turn away from me and follow your own wishes and desires.

40 The tassels will remind you to keep all my commands, and you will belong completely to me.

41 I am the Lord your God; I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/15-34c538ebf15f4eca57fc85d6996da797.mp3?version_id=68—

The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram

1-2 Korah son of Izhar, from the Levite clan of Kohath, rebelled against the leadership of Moses. He was joined by three members of the tribe of Reuben—Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—and by 250 other Israelites, well-known leaders chosen by the community.

3 They assembled before Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! All the members of the community belong to the Lord, and the Lord is with all of us. Why, then, Moses, do you set yourself above the Lord’s community?”

4 When Moses heard this, he threw himself on the ground and prayed.

5 Then he said to Korah and his followers, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show us who belongs to him; he will let the one who belongs to him, that is, the one he has chosen, approach him at the altar.

6-7 Tomorrow morning you and your followers take fire pans, put live coals and incense on them, and take them to the altar. Then we will see which of us the Lord has chosen. You Levites are the ones who have gone too far!”

8 Moses continued to speak to Korah. “Listen, you Levites!

9 Do you consider it a small matter that the God of Israel has set you apart from the rest of the community, so that you can approach him, perform your service in the Lord’s Tent, and minister to the community and serve them?

10 He has let you and all the other Levites have this honor—and now you are trying to get the priesthood too!

11 When you complain against Aaron, it is really against the Lord that you and your followers are rebelling.”

12 Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, but they said, “We will not come!

13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us out of the fertile land of Egypt to kill us here in the wilderness? Do you also have to lord it over us?

14 You certainly have not brought us into a fertile land or given us fields and vineyards as our possession, and now you are trying to deceive us. We will not come!”

15 Moses became angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept any offerings these men bring. I have not wronged any of them; I have not even taken one of their donkeys.”

16 Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow you and your 250 followers must come to the Tent of the Lord’s presence; Aaron will also be there.

17 Each of you will take his fire pan, put incense on it, and then present it at the altar.”

18 So they each took their fire pans, put live coals and incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the Tent with Moses and Aaron.

19 Then Korah gathered the whole community, and they stood facing Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the Tent. Suddenly the dazzling light of the Lord’s presence appeared to the whole community,

20 and the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

21 “Move back from these people, and I will destroy them immediately.”

22 But Moses and Aaron bowed down with their faces to the ground and said, “O God, you are the source of all life. When one of us sins, do you become angry with the whole community?”

23 The Lord said to Moses,

24 “Tell the people to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

25 Then Moses, accompanied by the leaders of Israel, went to Dathan and Abiram.

26 He said to the people, “Get away from the tents of these wicked men and don’t touch anything that belongs to them. Otherwise, you will be wiped out with them for all their sins.”

27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrance of their tents, with their wives and children.

28 Moses said to the people, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it is not by my own choice that I have done them.

29 If these men die a natural death without some punishment from God, then the Lord did not send me.

30 But if the Lord does something unheard of, and the earth opens up and swallows them with all they own, so that they go down alive to the world of the dead, you will know that these men have rejected the Lord.”

31 As soon as he had finished speaking, the ground under Dathan and Abiram split open

32 and swallowed them and their families, together with all of Korah’s followers and their possessions.

33 So they went down alive to the world of the dead, with their possessions. The earth closed over them, and they vanished.

34 All the people of Israel who were there fled when they heard their cry. They shouted, “Run! The earth might swallow us too!”

35 Then the Lord sent a fire that blazed out and burned up the 250 men who had presented the incense.

The Fire Pans

36 Then the Lord said to Moses,

37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the bronze fire pans from the remains of those who have been burned, and scatter the coals from the fire pans somewhere else, because the fire pans are holy.

38 They became holy when they were presented at the Lord’s altar. So take the fire pans of these who were put to death for their sin, beat them into thin plates, and make a covering for the altar. It will be a warning to the people of Israel.”

39 So Eleazar the priest took the fire pans and had them beaten into thin plates to make a covering for the altar.

40 This was a warning to the Israelites that no one who was not a descendant of Aaron should come to the altar to burn incense for the Lord. Otherwise he would be destroyed like Korah and his men. All this was done as the Lord had commanded Eleazar through Moses.

Aaron Saves the People

41 The next day the whole community complained against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have killed some of the Lord’s people.”

42 After they had all gathered to protest to Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tent and saw that the cloud was covering it and that the dazzling light of the Lord’s presence had appeared.

43 Moses and Aaron went and stood in front of the Tent,

44 and the Lord said to Moses,

45 “Move back from these people, and I will destroy them on the spot!”

The two of them bowed down with their faces to the ground,

46 and Moses said to Aaron, “Take your fire pan, put live coals from the altar in it, and put some incense on the coals. Then hurry with it to the people and perform the ritual of purification for them. Hurry! The Lord’s anger has already broken out and an epidemic has already begun.”

47 Aaron obeyed, took his fire pan and ran into the middle of the assembled people. When he saw that the plague had already begun, he put the incense on the coals and performed the ritual of purification for the people.

48 This stopped the plague, and he was left standing between the living and the dead.

49 The number of people who died was 14,700, not counting those who died in Korah’s rebellion.

50 When the plague had stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tent.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/16-ee2d08d63cfcc0620aa7f73282dd02fc.mp3?version_id=68—

Aaron’s Walking Stick

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 “Tell the people of Israel to give you twelve walking sticks, one from the leader of each tribe. Write each man’s name on his stick

3 and then write Aaron’s name on the stick representing Levi. There will be one stick for each tribal leader.

4 Take them to the Tent of my presence and put them in front of the Covenant Box, where I meet you.

5 Then the stick of the man I have chosen will sprout. In this way I will put a stop to the constant complaining of these Israelites against you.”

6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a stick, one for each tribe, twelve in all, and Aaron’s stick was put with them.

7 Moses then put all the sticks in the Tent in front of the Lord’s Covenant Box.

8 The next day, when Moses went into the Tent, he saw that Aaron’s stick, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted. It had budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!

9 Moses took all the sticks and showed them to the Israelites. They saw what had happened, and each leader took his own stick back.

10 The Lord said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s stick back in front of the Covenant Box. It is to be kept as a warning to the rebel Israelites that they will die unless their complaining stops.”

11 Moses did as the Lord commanded.

12 The people of Israel said to Moses, “Then that’s the end of us!

13 If anyone who even comes near the Tent must die, then we are all as good as dead!”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/17-61a46f73ac151d30d9224720c64e291f.mp3?version_id=68—

Duties of Priests and Levites

1 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and the Levites must suffer the consequences of any guilt connected with serving in the Tent of my presence; but only you and your sons will suffer the consequences of service in the priesthood.

2 Bring in your relatives, the tribe of Levi, to work with you and help you while you and your sons are serving at the Tent.

3 They are to fulfill their duties to you and their responsibilities for the Tent, but they must not have any contact with sacred objects in the Holy Place or with the altar. If they do, both they and you will be put to death.

4 They are to work with you and fulfill their responsibilities for all the service in the Tent, but no unqualified person may work with you.

5 You and your sons alone must fulfill the responsibilities for the Holy Place and the altar, so that my anger will not again break out against the people of Israel.

6 I am the one who has chosen your relatives the Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you. They are dedicated to me, so that they can carry out their duties in the Tent.

7 But you and your sons alone shall fulfill all the responsibilities of the priesthood that concern the altar and what is in the Most Holy Place. These things are your responsibility, because I have given you the gift of the priesthood. Any unqualified person who comes near the sacred objects shall be put to death.”

The Share of the Priests

8 The Lord said to Aaron, “Remember that I am giving you all the special contributions made to me that are not burned as sacrifices. I am giving them to you and to your descendants as the part assigned to you forever.

9 Of the most sacred offerings not burned on the altar, the following belong to you: the grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the repayment offerings. Everything that is presented to me as a sacred offering belongs to you and your sons.

10 You must eat these things in a holy place, and only males may eat them; consider them holy.

11 “In addition, any other special contributions that the Israelites present to me shall be yours. I am giving them to you, your sons, and your daughters for all time to come. Every member of your family who is ritually clean may eat them.

12 “I am giving you all the best of the first produce which the Israelites give me each year: olive oil, wine, and grain.

13 It all belongs to you. Every member of your family who is ritually clean may eat it.

14 “Everything in Israel that has been unconditionally dedicated to me belongs to you.

15 “Every first-born child or animal that the Israelites present to me belongs to you. But you must accept payment to buy back every first-born child, and must also accept payment for every first-born animal that is ritually unclean.

16 Children shall be bought back at the age of one month for the fixed price of five pieces of silver, according to the official standard.

17 But the first-born of cows, sheep, and goats are not to be bought back; they belong completely to me and are to be sacrificed. Throw their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an odor pleasing to me.

18 The meat from them belongs to you, like the breast and the right hind leg of the special offering.

19 “I am giving to you, to your sons, and to your daughters, for all time to come, all the special contributions which the Israelites present to me. This is an unbreakable covenant that I have made with you and your descendants.”

20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will not receive any property that can be inherited, and no part of the land of Israel will be assigned to you. I, the Lord, am all you need.”

The Share of the Levites

21 The Lord said, “I have given to the Levites every tithe that the people of Israel present to me. This is in payment for their service in taking care of the Tent of my presence.

22 The other Israelites must no longer approach the Tent and in this way bring on themselves the penalty of death.

23 From now on only the Levites will take care of the Tent and bear the full responsibility for it. This is a permanent rule that applies also to your descendants. The Levites shall have no permanent property in Israel,

24 because I have given to them as their possession the tithe which the Israelites present to me as a special contribution. That is why I told them that they would have no permanent property in Israel.”

The Levites’ Tithe

25 The Lord commanded Moses

26 to say to the Levites: “When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that the Lord gives you as your possession, you must present a tenth of it as a special contribution to the Lord.

27 This special contribution will be considered as the equivalent of the offering which the farmer makes of new grain and new wine.

28 In this way you also will present the special contribution that belongs to the Lord from all the tithes which you receive from the Israelites. You are to give this special contribution for the Lord to Aaron the priest.

29 Give it from the best that you receive.

30 When you have presented the best part, you may keep the rest, just as the farmer keeps what is left after he makes his offering.

31 You and your families may eat the rest anywhere, because it is your wages for your service in the Tent.

32 You will not become guilty when you eat it, as long as you have presented the best of it to the Lord. But be sure not to profane the sacred gifts of the Israelites by eating any of the gifts before the best part is offered; if you do, you will be put to death.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/18-ff84371bff7614a8efad1ddeff02634d.mp3?version_id=68—

Ashes of the Red Cow

1 The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron

2 to give the Israelites the following regulations. Bring to Moses and Aaron a red cow which has no defects and which has never been worked,

3 and they will give it to Eleazar the priest. It is to be taken outside the camp and killed in his presence.

4 Then Eleazar is to take some of its blood and with his finger sprinkle it seven times in the direction of the Tent.

5 The whole animal, including skin, meat, blood, and intestines, is to be burned in the presence of the priest.

6 Then he is to take some cedar wood, a sprig of hyssop, and a red cord and throw them into the fire.

7 After that, he is to wash his clothes and pour water over himself, and then he may enter the camp; but he remains ritually unclean until evening.

8 The one who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and pour water over himself, but he also remains unclean until evening.

9 Then someone who is ritually clean is to collect the ashes of the cow and put them in a ritually clean place outside the camp, where they are to be kept for the Israelite community to use in preparing the water for removing ritual uncleanness. This ritual is performed to remove sin.

10 The one who collected the ashes must wash his clothes, but he remains unclean until evening. This regulation is valid for all time to come, both for the Israelites and for the foreigners living among them.

Contact with a Corpse

11 Those who touch a corpse are ritually unclean for seven days.

12 They must purify themselves with the water for purification on the third day and on the seventh day, and then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on both the third and the seventh day, they will not be clean.

13 Those who touch a corpse and do not purify themselves remain unclean, because the water for purification has not been thrown over them. They defile the Lord’s Tent, and they will no longer be considered God’s people.

14 In the case of a person who dies in a tent, anyone who is in the tent at the time of death or who enters it becomes ritually unclean for seven days.

15 Every jar and pot in the tent that has no lidon it also becomes unclean.

16 If any touch a person who has been killed or has died a natural death outdoors or if any touch a human bone or a grave, they become unclean for seven days.

17 To remove the uncleanness, some ashes from the red cow which was burned to remove sin shall be taken and put in a pot, and fresh water added.

18 In the first case, someone who is ritually clean is to take a sprig of hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, everything in it, and the people who were there. In the second case, someone who is ritually clean is to sprinkle the water on those who had touched the human bone or the dead body or the grave.

19 On the third day and on the seventh the person who is ritually clean is to sprinkle the water on the unclean persons. On the seventh day he is to purify those, who, after washing their clothes and pouring water over themselves, become ritually clean at sunset.

20 Those who have become ritually unclean and do not purify themselves remain unclean, because the water for purification has not been thrown over them. They defile the Lord’s Tent and will no longer be considered God’s people.

21 You are to observe this rule for all time to come. The person who sprinkles the water for purification must also wash his clothes; anyone who touches the water remains ritually unclean until evening.

22 Whatever an unclean person touches is unclean, and anyone else who touches it remains unclean until evening.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/19-e4ab2aff737736bfcca205ef5abfeb58.mp3?version_id=68—

Events at Kadesh

1 In the first month the whole community of Israel came to the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

2 There was no water where they camped, so the people gathered around Moses and Aaron

3 and complained: “It would have been better if we had died in front of the Lord’s Tent along with the other Israelites.

4 Why have you brought us out into this wilderness? Just so that we can die here with our animals?

5 Why did you bring us out of Egypt into this miserable place where nothing will grow? There’s no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates. There is not even any water to drink!”

6 Moses and Aaron moved away from the people and stood at the entrance of the Tent. They bowed down with their faces to the ground, and the dazzling light of the Lord’s presence appeared to them.

7 The Lord said to Moses,

8 “Take the stick that is in front of the Covenant Box, and then you and Aaron assemble the whole community. There in front of them all speak to that rock over there, and water will gush out of it. In this way you will bring water out of the rock for the people, for them and their animals to drink.”

9 Moses went and got the stick, as the Lord had commanded.

10 He and Aaron assembled the whole community in front of the rock, and Moses said, “Listen, you rebels! Do we have to get water out of this rock for you?”

11 Then Moses raised the stick and struck the rock twice with it, and a great stream of water gushed out, and all the people and animals drank.

12 But the Lord reprimanded Moses and Aaron. He said, “Because you did not have enough faith to acknowledge my holy power before the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land that I promised to give them.”

13 This happened at Meribah,where the people of Israel complained against the Lord and where he showed them that he is holy.

The King of Edom Refuses to Let Israel Pass

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. They said, “This message is from your kinsmen, the tribes of Israel. You know the hardships we have suffered,

15 how our ancestors went to Egypt, where we lived many years. The Egyptians mistreated our ancestors and us,

16 and we cried to the Lord for help. He heard our cry and sent an angel, who led us out of Egypt. Now we are at Kadesh, a town at the border of your territory.

17 Please permit us to pass through your land. We and our cattle will not leave the road or go into your fields or vineyards, and we will not drink from your wells. We will stay on the main roaduntil we are out of your territory.”

18 But the Edomites answered, “We refuse to let you pass through our country! If you try, we will march out and attack you.”

19 The people of Israel said, “We will stay on the main road, and if we or our animals drink any of your water, we will pay for it—all we want is to pass through.”

20 The Edomites repeated, “We refuse!” and they marched out with a powerful army to attack the people of Israel.

21 Because the Edomites would not let the Israelites pass through their territory, the Israelites turned and went another way.

The Death of Aaron

22 The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and arrived at Mount Hor,

23 on the border of Edom. There the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

24 “Aaron is not going to enter the land which I promised to give to Israel; he is going to die, because the two of you rebelled against my command at Meribah.

25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar up Mount Hor,

26 and there remove Aaron’s priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. Aaron is going to die there.”

27 Moses did what the Lord had commanded. They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community,

28 and Moses removed Aaron’s priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. There on the top of the mountain Aaron died, and Moses and Eleazar came back down.

29 The whole community learned that Aaron had died, and they all mourned for him for thirty days.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/20-e57c02c6791370efb11ea74151065cb5.mp3?version_id=68—

Victory over the Canaanites

1 When the Canaanite king of Arad in the southern part of Canaan heard that the Israelites were coming by way of Atharim, he attacked them and captured some of them.

2 Then the Israelites made a vow to the Lord: “If you will let us conquer these people, we will unconditionally dedicatethem and their cities to you and will destroy them.”

3 The Lord heard them and helped them conquer the Canaanites. So the Israelites completely destroyed them and their cities, and named the place Hormah.

The Snake Made of Bronze

4 The Israelites left Mount Hor by the road that leads to the Gulf of Aqaba, in order to go around the territory of Edom. But on the way the people lost their patience

5 and spoke against God and Moses. They complained, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We can’t stand any more of this miserable food!”

6 Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many Israelites were bitten and died.

7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Now pray to the Lord to take these snakes away.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8 Then the Lord told Moses to make a metal snake and put it on a pole, so that anyone who was bitten could look at it and be healed.

9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten would look at the bronze snake and be healed.

From Mount Hor to the Valley of the Moabites

10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.

11 After leaving that place, they camped at the ruins of Abarim in the wilderness east of Moabite territory.

12 Then they camped in Zered Valley.

13 From there they moved again and camped on the north side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness which extends into Amorite territory. (The Arnon was the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.)

14 That is whyThe Book of the Lord’s Battlesspeaks of “… the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the valleys; the Arnon River,

15 and the slope of the valleys that extend to the town of Ar and toward the border of Moab.”

16 From there they went on to a place called Wells, where the Lord said to Moses, “Bring the people together, and I will give them water.”

17 At that time the people of Israel sang this song:

“Wells, produce your water;

And we will greet it with a song—

18 The well dug by princes

And by leaders of the people,

Dug with a royal scepter

And with their walking sticks.”

They moved from the wilderness to Mattanah,

19 and from there they went on to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

20 and from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of the Moabites, below the top of Mount Pisgah, looking out over the desert.

Victory over King Sihon and King Og

21 Then the people of Israel sent messengers to the Amorite king Sihon to say:

22 “Let us pass through your land. We and our cattle will not leave the road and go into your fields or vineyards, and we will not drink water from your wells; we will stay on the main roaduntil we are out of your territory.”

23 But Sihon would not permit the people of Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered his army and went out to Jahaz in the wilderness and attacked the Israelites.

24 But the Israelites killed many of the enemy in battle and occupied their land from the Arnon River north to the Jabbok, that is, to the Ammonites, because the Ammonite border was strongly defended.

25 So the people of Israel captured all the Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all the surrounding towns, and settled in them.

26 Heshbon was the capital city of the Amorite king Sihon, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had captured all his land as far as the Arnon River.

27 That is why the poets sing,

“Come to Heshbon, to King Sihon’s city!

We want to see it rebuilt and restored.

28 Once from this city of Heshbon

Sihon’s army went forth like a fire;

It destroyed the city of Ar in Moab

And devouredthe hills of the upper Arnon.

29 How terrible for you, people of Moab!

You worshipers of Chemosh are brought to ruin!

Your god let the men become refugees,

And the women became captives of the Amorite king.

30 But now their descendants are destroyed,

All the way from Heshbon to Dibon,

From Nashim to Nophah, near Medeba.”

31 So the people of Israel settled in the territory of the Amorites,

32 and Moses sent men to find the best way to attack the city of Jazer. The Israelites captured it and its surrounding towns and drove out the Amorites living there.

33 Then the Israelites turned and took the road to Bashan, and King Og of Bashan marched out with his army to attack them at Edrei.

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him. I will give you victory over him, all his people, and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled at Heshbon.”

35 So the Israelites killed Og, his sons, and all his people, leaving no survivors, and then they occupied his land.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/21-415e8d4ac066b8572519730197f13c61.mp3?version_id=68—

The King of Moab Sends for Balaam

1 The Israelites moved on and set up camp in the plains of Moab east of the Jordan and opposite Jericho.

2 When the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, heard what the Israelites had done to the Amorites and how many Israelites there were,

3 he and all his people became terrified.

4 The Moabites said to the leaders of the Midianites, “This horde will soon destroy everything around us, like a bull eating the grass in a pasture.” So King Balak

5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor near the Euphrates River in the land of Amaw. They brought him this message from Balak: “I want you to know that a whole nation has come from Egypt; its people are spreading out everywhere and threatening to take over our land.

6 They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them for me. Then perhaps we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse.”

7 So the Moabite and Midianite leaders took with them the payment for the curse, went to Balaam, and gave him Balak’s message.

8 Balaam said to them, “Spend the night here, and tomorrow I will report to you whatever the Lord tells me.” So the Moabite leaders stayed with Balaam.

9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these people that are staying with you?”

10 He answered, “King Balak of Moab has sent them to tell me

11 that a people who came from Egypt has spread out over the whole land. He wants me to curse them for him, so that he can fight them and drive them out.”

12 God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them, and do not put a curse on the people of Israel, because they have my blessing.”

13 The next morning Balaam went to Balak’s messengers and said, “Go back home; the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”

14 So they returned to Balak and told him that Balaam had refused to come with them.

15 Then Balak sent a larger number of leaders, who were more important than the first.

16 They went to Balaam and gave him this message from Balak: “Please don’t let anything prevent you from coming to me!

17 I will reward you richly and do anything you say. Please come and curse these people for me.”

18 But Balaam answered, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not disobey the command of the Lord my God in even the smallest matter.

19 But please spend the night, as the others did, so that I may learn whether or not the Lord has something else to tell me.”

20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “If these men have come to ask you to go with them, get ready and go, but do only what I tell you.”

21 So the next morning Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite leaders.

Balaam and His Donkey

22 God was angry that Balaam was going, and as Balaam was riding along on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants, the angel of the Lord stood in the road to bar his way.

23 When the donkey saw the angel standing there holding a sword, it left the road and turned into the fields. Balaam beat the donkey and brought it back onto the road.

24 Then the angel stood where the road narrowed between two vineyards and had a stone wall on each side.

25 When the donkey saw the angel, it moved over against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against it. Again Balaam beat the donkey.

26 Once more the angel moved ahead; he stood in a narrow place where there was no room at all to pass on either side.

27 This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down. Balaam lost his temper and began to beat the donkey with his stick.

28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the power of speech, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you? Why have you beaten me these three times?”

29 Balaam answered, “Because you have made a fool of me! If I had a sword, I would kill you.”

30 The donkey replied, “Am I not the same donkey on which you have ridden all your life? Have I ever treated you like this before?”

“No,” he answered.

31 Then the Lord let Balaam see the angel standing there with his sword; and Balaam threw himself face downward on the ground.

32 The angel demanded, “Why have you beaten your donkey three times like this? I have come to bar your way, because you should not be making this journey.

33 But your donkey saw me and turned aside three times. If it hadn’t, I would have killed you and spared the donkey.”

34 Balaam replied, “I have sinned. I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me; but now if you think it is wrong for me to go on, I will return home.”

35 But the angel said, “Go on with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with them.

Balak Welcomes Balaam

36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at Ar, a city on the Arnon River at the border of Moab.

37 Balak said to him, “Why didn’t you come when I sent for you the first time? Did you think I wasn’t able to reward you enough?”

38 Balaam answered, “I came, didn’t I? But now, what power do I have? I can say only what God tells me to say.”

39 So Balaam went with Balak to the town of Huzoth,

40 where Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.

Balaam’s First Prophecy

41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, from where Balaam could see a part of the people of Israel.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/22-aad36610399c20da1e9051b23daecf67.mp3?version_id=68—

1 He said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and bring me seven bulls and seven rams.”

2 Balak did as he was told, and he and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go to see whether or not the Lord will meet me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So he went alone to the top of a hill,

4 and God met him. Balaam said to him, “I have built the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each.”

5 The Lord told Balaam what to say and sent him back to Balak to give him his message.

6 So he went back and found Balak still standing by his burnt offering with all the leaders of Moab.

7 Balaam uttered this prophecy:

“Balak king of Moab has brought me

From Syria, from the eastern mountains.

‘Come speak for me,’ he said.

‘Put a curse on the people of Israel.’

8 How can I curse what God has not cursed,

Or speak of doom when the Lord has not?

9 From the high rocks I can see them;

I can watch them from the hills.

They are a nation that lives alone;

They know they are blessed more than other nations.

10 The descendants of Israel are like the dust—

There are too many of them to be counted.

Let me end my days like one of God’s people;

Let me die in peace like the righteous.”

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but all you have done is bless them.”

12 He answered, “I can say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

Balaam’s Second Prophecy

13 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me to another place from which you can see only some of the Israelites. Curse them for me from there.”

14 He took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Mount Pisgah. There also he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each of them.

15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, and I will meet God over there.”

16 The Lord met Balaam, told him what to say, and sent him back to Balak to give him his message.

17 So he went back and found Balak still standing by his burnt offering, with the leaders of Moab. Balak asked what the Lord had said,

18 and Balaam uttered this prophecy:

“Come, Balak son of Zippor,

And listen to what I have to say.

19 God is not like people, who lie;

He is not a human who changes his mind.

Whatever he promises, he does;

He speaks, and it is done.

20 I have been instructed to bless,

And when God blesses, I cannot call it back.

21 I foresee that Israel’s future

Will bring her no misfortune or trouble.

The Lord their God is with them;

They proclaim that he is their king.

22 God has brought them out of Egypt;

He fights for them like a wild ox.

23 There is no magic charm, no witchcraft,

That can be used against the nation of Israel.

Now people will say about Israel,

‘Look what God has done!’

24 The nation of Israel is like a mighty lion:

It doesn’t rest until it has torn and devoured,

Until it has drunk the blood of those it has killed.”

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “You refuse to curse the people of Israel, but at least don’t bless them!”

26 Balaam answered, “Didn’t I tell you that I had to do everything that the Lord told me?”

Balaam’s Third Prophecy

27 Balak said, “Come with me, and I will take you to another place. Perhaps God will be willing to let you curse them for me from there.”

28 So he took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor overlooking the desert.

29 Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars for me here and bring me seven bulls and seven rams.”

30 Balak did as he was told, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/23-9e486d98aa2e4c4a67ac7b773c5b820a.mp3?version_id=68—