Good News Translation (GNT)

1 By now Balaam knew that the Lord wanted him to bless the people of Israel, so he did not go to look for omens, as he had done before. He turned toward the desert

2 and saw the people of Israel camped tribe by tribe. The spirit of God took control of him,

3 and he uttered this prophecy:

“The message of Balaam son of Beor,

The words of the man who can see clearly,

4 Who can hear what God is saying.

With staring eyes I see in a trance

A vision from Almighty God.

5 The tents of Israel are beautiful,

6 Like long rows of palms

Or gardens beside a river,

Like aloes planted by the Lord

Or cedars beside the water.

7 They will have abundant rainfall

And plant their seed in well-watered fields.

Their king shall be greater than Agag,

And his rule shall be extended far and wide.

8 God brought them out of Egypt;

He fights for them like a wild ox.

They devour their enemies,

Crush their bones, smash their arrows.

9 The nation is like a mighty lion;

When it is sleeping, no one dares wake it.

Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed,

And whoever curses Israel will be cursed.”

10 Balak clenched his fists in anger and said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but three times now you have blessed them instead.

11 Now get on home! I promised to reward you, but the Lord has kept you from getting the reward.”

12 Balaam answered, “I told the messengers you sent to me that

13 even if you gave me all the silver and gold in your palace, I could not disobey the command of the Lord by doing anything of myself. I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

Balaam’s Final Prophecies

14 Balaam said to Balak, “Now I am going back to my own people, but before I go, I am warning you what the people of Israel will do to your people in the future.”

15 Then he uttered this prophecy:

“The message of Balaam son of Beor,

The words of the man who can see clearly,

16 Who can hear what God is saying

And receive the knowledge that comes from the Most High.

With staring eyes I see in a trance

A vision from Almighty God.

17 I look into the future,

And I see the nation of Israel.

A king, like a bright star, will arise in that nation.

Like a comet he will come from Israel.

He will strike the leaders of Moab

And beat down all the people of Seth.

18 He will conquer his enemies in Edom

And make their land his property,

While Israel continues victorious.

19 The nation of Israel will trample them down

And wipe out the last survivors.”

20 Then in his vision Balaam saw the Amalekites and uttered this prophecy:

“Amalek was the most powerful nation of all,

But at the end it will perish forever.”

21 In his vision he saw the Kenites, and uttered this prophecy:

“The place where you live is secure,

Safe as a nest set high on a cliff,

22 But you Kenites will be destroyed

When Assyria takes you captive.”

23 Balaam uttered this prophecy:

“Who are these people gathering in the north?

24 Invaders will sail from Cyprus;

They will conquer Assyria and Eber,

But they, in turn, will perish forever.”

25 Then Balaam got ready and went back home, and Balak went on his way.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/24-80debfc2f9c6f839d43bad58fc669dfb.mp3?version_id=68—

The People of Israel at Peor

1 When the Israelites were camped at Acacia Valley, the men began to have sexual intercourse with the Moabite women who were there.

2 These women invited them to sacrificial feasts, where the god of Moab was worshiped. The Israelites ate the food and worshiped the god

3 Baal of Peor. So the Lord was angry with them

4 and said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of Israel and, in obedience to me, execute them in broad daylight,and then I will no longer be angry with the people.”

5 Moses said to the officials, “Each of you is to kill every man in your tribe who has become a worshiper of Baal of Peor.”

6 One of the Israelites took a Midianite woman into his tent in the sight of Moses and the whole community, while they were mourning at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord’s presence.

7 When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up and left the assembly. He took a spear,

8 followed the man and the woman into the tent, and drove the spear through both of them. In this way the epidemic that was destroying Israel was stopped,

9 but it had already killed twenty-four thousand people.

10 The Lord said to Moses,

11 “Because of what Phinehas has done, I am no longer angry with the people of Israel. He refused to tolerate the worship of any god but me, and that is why I did not destroy them in my anger.

12 So tell him that I am making a covenant with him that is valid for all time to come.

13 He and his descendants are permanently established as priests, because he did not tolerate any rivals to me and brought about forgiveness for the people’s sin.”

14 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the head of a family in the tribe of Simeon.

15 The woman’s name was Cozbi. Zur, her father, was chief of a group of Midianite clans.

16 The Lord commanded Moses,

17 “Attack the Midianites and destroy them,

18 because of the evil they did to you when they deceived you at Peor, and because of Cozbi, who was killed at the time of the epidemic at Peor.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/25-92254729bc7673617177960f62882803.mp3?version_id=68—

The Second Census

1 After the epidemic the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron,

2 “Take a census by families of the whole community of Israel, of all men twenty years old or older who are fit for military service.”

3-4 Moses and Eleazar obeyed and called together all the men of that age group. They assembled in the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho.

These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:

5 The tribe of Reuben (Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob): the clans of Hanoch, Pallu,

6 Hezron, and Carmi.

7 These clans numbered 43,730 men.

8 The descendants of Pallu were Eliab

9 and his sons Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. (These are the Dathan and Abiram who were chosen by the community. They defied Moses and Aaron and joined the followers of Korah when they rebelled against the Lord.

10 The ground opened and swallowed them, and they died with Korah and his followers when fire destroyed 250 men; they became a warning to the people.

11 But the sons of Korah were not killed.)

12 The tribe of Simeon: the clans of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin,

13 Zerah, and Shaul.

14 These clans numbered 22,200 men.

15 The tribe of Gad: the clans of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni,

16 Ozni, Eri,

17 Arod, and Areli.

18 These clans numbered 40,500 men.

19-21 The tribe of Judah: the clans of Shelah, Perez, Zerah, Hezron, and Hamul. (Two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, had died in the land of Canaan.)

22 These clans numbered 76,500 men.

23 The tribe of Issachar: the clans of Tola, Puah,

24 Jashub, and Shimron.

25 These clans numbered 64,300 men.

26 The tribe of Zebulun: the clans of Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

27 These clans numbered 60,500 men.

28 The tribes of Joseph, who was the father of two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

29 The tribe of Manasseh. Machir son of Manasseh was the father of Gilead, and the following clans traced their ancestry to Gilead:

30 the clans of Iezer, Helek,

31 Asriel, Shechem,

32 Shemida, and Hepher.

33 Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

34 These clans numbered 52,700 men.

35 The tribe of Ephraim: the clans of Shuthelah, Becher, and Tahan.

36 The clan of Eran traced its descent from Shuthelah.

37 These clans numbered 32,500 men.

These are the clans descended from Joseph.

38 The tribe of Benjamin: the clans of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram,

39 Shephupham, and Hupham.

40 The clans of Ard and Naaman traced their descent from Bela.

41 These clans numbered 45,600 men.

42 The tribe of Dan: the clan of Shuham,

43 which numbered 64,400 men.

44 The tribe of Asher: the clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah.

45 The clans of Heber and Malchiel traced their descent from Beriah.

46 Asher had a daughter named Serah.

47 These clans numbered 53,400 men.

48 The tribe of Naphtali: the clans of Jahzeel, Guni,

49 Jezer, and Shillem.

50 These clans numbered 45,400 men.

51 The total number of the Israelite men was 601,730.

52 The Lord said to Moses,

53 “Divide the land among the tribes, according to their size.

54-56 Divide the land by drawing lots, and give a large share to a large tribe and a small one to a small tribe.”

57 The tribe of Levi consisted of the clans of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

58 Their descendants included the subclans of Libni, Hebron, Mahli, Mushi, and Korah. Kohath was the father of Amram,

59 who was married to Levi’s daughter Jochebed, who was born in Egypt. She bore Amram two sons, Aaron and Moses, and a daughter, Miriam.

60 Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

61 Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unholy fire to the Lord.

62 The male Levites who were one month old or older numbered 23,000. They were listed separately from the rest of the Israelites, because they were not given any property in Israel.

63 All these clans were listed by Moses and Eleazar when they took a census of the Israelites in the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho.

64 There was not even one man left among those whom Moses and Aaron had listed in the first census in the Sinai Desert.

65 The Lord had said that all of them would die in the wilderness, and except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun they all did.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/26-ca65578137de5fc5a19dffc559aa636e.mp3?version_id=68—

The Daughters of Zelophehad

1 Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah were the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph.

2 They went and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole community at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord’s presence and said,

3 “Our father died in the wilderness without leaving any sons. He was not among the followers of Korah, who rebelled against the Lord; he died because of his own sin.

4 Just because he had no sons, why should our father’s name disappear from Israel? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

5 Moses presented their case to the Lord,

6 and the Lord said to him,

7 “What the daughters of Zelophehad request is right; give them property among their father’s relatives. Let his inheritance pass on to them.

8 Tell the people of Israel that whenever a man dies without leaving a son, his daughter is to inherit his property.

9 If he has no daughter, his brothers are to inherit it.

10 If he has no brothers, his father’s brothers are to inherit it.

11 If he has no brothers or uncles, then his nearest relative is to inherit it and hold it as his own property. The people of Israel are to observe this as a legal requirement, just as I, the Lord, have commanded you.”

Joshua Is Chosen as Successor to Moses

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up the Abarim Mountains and look out over the land that I am giving to the Israelites.

13 After you have seen it, you will die, as your brother Aaron did,

14 because both of you rebelled against my command in the wilderness of Zin. When the whole community complained against me at Meribah, you refused to acknowledge my holy power before them.” (Meribah is the spring at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

15 Moses prayed,

16 “Lord God, source of all life, appoint, I pray, a man who can lead the people

17 and can command them in battle, so that your community will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

18 The Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a capable man, and place your hands on his head.

19 Have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the whole community, and there before them all proclaim him as your successor.

20 Give him some of your own authority, so that the whole community of Israel will obey him.

21 He will depend on Eleazar the priest, who will learn my will by using the Urim and Thummim.In this way Eleazar will direct Joshua and the whole community of Israel in all their affairs.”

22 Moses did as the Lord had commanded him. He had Joshua stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole community.

23 As the Lord had commanded, Moses put his hands on Joshua’s head and proclaimed him as his successor.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/27-74ad7630ffc2ca9816f80a344507650d.mp3?version_id=68—

The Regular Offerings

1 The Lord commanded Moses

2 to instruct the Israelites to present to God at the appointed times the required food offerings that are pleasing to him.

3 These are the food offerings that are to be presented to the Lord: for the daily burnt offering, two one-year-old male lambs without any defects.

4 Offer the first lamb in the morning, and the second in the evening,

5 each with a grain offering of 2 pounds of flour, mixed with 2 pints of the best olive oil.

6 This is the daily offering that is completely burned, which was first offered at Mount Sinai as a food offering, an odor pleasing to the Lord.

7 As the wine offering with the first lamb, pour out at the altar 2 pints of wine.

8 In the evening offer the second lamb in the same way as the morning offering, together with its wine offering. It also is a food offering, an odor pleasing to the Lord.

The Sabbath Offering

9 On the Sabbath day offer two one-year-old male lambs without any defects, 4 pounds of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, and the wine offering.

10 This burnt offering is to be offered every Sabbath in addition to the daily offering with its wine offering.

The Offering on the First Day of the Month

11 Present a burnt offering to the Lord at the beginning of each month: two young bulls, one ram, seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

12 As a grain offering, offer flour mixed with olive oil: with each bull, 6 pounds of flour; with the ram, 4 pounds;

13 and with each lamb, 2 pounds. These burnt offerings are food offerings, an odor pleasing to the Lord.

14 The proper wine offering is 4 pints of wine with each bull, 3 pints with the ram, and 2 pints with each lamb. This is the regulation for the burnt offering for the first day of each month throughout the year.

15 And in addition to the daily burnt offering with its wine offering, offer one male goat as a sin offering.

The Offerings at the Festival of Unleavened Bread

16 The Passover Festival in honor of the Lord is to be held on the fourteenth day of the first month.

17 On the fifteenth day a religious festival begins which lasts seven days, during which only bread prepared without yeast is to be eaten.

18 On the first day of the festival you are to gather for worship, and no work is to be done.

19 Offer a burnt offering as a food offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

20 Offer the proper grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil: 6 pounds with each bull, 4 pounds with the ram,

21 and 2 pounds with each lamb.

22 Also offer one male goat as a sin offering, and in this way perform the ritual of purification for the people.

23 Offer these in addition to the regular morning burnt offering.

24 In the same way, for seven days offer to the Lord a food offering, an odor pleasing to him. Offer this in addition to the daily burnt offering and wine offering.

25 Meet for worship on the seventh day and do no work.

The Offerings at the Harvest Festival

26 On the first day of the Harvest Festival, when you present the offering of new grain to the Lord, you are to gather for worship, and no work is to be done.

27 Offer a burnt offering as an odor pleasing to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

28 Offer the proper grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil: 6 pounds with each bull, 4 pounds with the ram,

29 and 2 pounds with each lamb.

30 Also offer one male goat as a sin offering, and in this way perform the ritual of purification for the people.

31 Offer these and the wine offering in addition to the daily burnt offering and grain offering.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/28-79faf0e494122c02e02096d940c5a7fe.mp3?version_id=68—

The Offerings at the New Year Festival

1 On the first day of the seventh month you are to gather for worship, and no work is to be done. On that day trumpets are to be blown.

2 Present a burnt offering to the Lord, an odor pleasing to him: one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

3 Offer the proper grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil: 6 pounds of flour with the bull, 4 pounds with the ram,

4 and 2 pounds with each lamb.

5 Also offer one male goat as a sin offering, and in this way perform the ritual of purification for the people.

6 Offer these in addition to the regular burnt offering for the first day of the month with its grain offering, and the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and wine offering. These food offerings are an odor pleasing to the Lord.

The Offerings at the Day of Atonement

7 Gather for worship on the tenth day of the seventh month; eat no food and do no work.

8 Offer a burnt offering to the Lord, an odor pleasing to him: one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

9 Offer the proper grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil: 6 pounds of flour with the bull, 4 pounds with the ram,

10 and 2 pounds with each lamb.

11 Also offer one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the goat offered in the ritual of purification for the people, and the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and wine offering.

The Offerings at the Festival of Shelters

12 Gather for worship on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Celebrate this festival in honor of the Lord for seven days and do no work.

13 On this first day offer a food offering to the Lord, an odor pleasing to him: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

14 Offer the proper grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil: 6 pounds of flour with each bull, 4 pounds with each ram,

15 and 2 pounds with each lamb, with the required wine offerings.

16 Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. Offer these in addition to the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and wine offering.

17 On the second day offer twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

18-19 Offer with them all the other offerings required for the first day.

20 On the third day offer eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

21-22 Offer with them all the other offerings required for the first day.

23 On the fourth day offer ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

24-25 Offer with them all the other offerings required for the first day.

26 On the fifth day offer nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

27-28 Offer with them all the other offerings required for the first day.

29 On the sixth day offer eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

30-31 Offer with them all the other offerings required for the first day.

32 On the seventh day offer seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

33-34 Offer with them all the other offerings required for the first day.

35 On the eighth day gather for worship and do no work.

36 Offer a burnt offering as a food offering to the Lord, an odor pleasing to him: one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.

37-38 Offer with them all the other offerings required for the first day.

39 These are the regulations concerning the burnt offerings, grain offerings, wine offerings, and fellowship offerings that you are to make to the Lord at your appointed festivals. These are in addition to the offerings you give in fulfillment of a vow or as freewill offerings.

40 So Moses told the people of Israel everything that the Lord had commanded him.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/29-e31a25e7c71b7fb7d4c34dba49fed769.mp3?version_id=68—

Rules about Vows

1 Moses gave the following instructions to the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

2 When a man makes a vow to give something to the Lord or takes an oath to abstain from something, he must not break his promise, but must do everything that he said he would.

3 When a young woman still living in her father’s house makes a vow to give something to the Lord or promises to abstain from something,

4 she must do everything that she vowed or promised unless her father raises an objection when he hears about it.

5 But if her father forbids her to fulfill the vow when he hears about it, she is not required to keep it. The Lord will forgive her, because her father refused to let her keep it.

6 If an unmarried woman makes a vow, whether deliberately or carelessly, or promises to abstain from something, and then marries,

7 she must do everything that she vowed or promised unless her husband raises an objection when he hears about it.

8 But if her husband forbids her to fulfill the vow when he hears about it, she is not required to keep it. The Lord will forgive her.

9 A widow or a divorced woman must keep every vow she makes and every promise to abstain from something.

10 If a married woman makes a vow or promises to abstain from something,

11 she must do everything that she vowed or promised unless her husband raises an objection when he hears about it.

12 But if her husband forbids her to fulfill the vow when he hears about it, she is not required to keep it. The Lord will forgive her, because her husband prevented her from keeping her vow.

13 Her husband has the right to affirm or to annul any vow or promise that she has made.

14 But if, by the day after he hears of the vow, he has raised no objection, she must do everything that she has vowed or promised. He has affirmed the vow by not objecting on the day he heard of it.

15 But if he later annuls the vow, he must suffer the consequences for the failure to fulfill the vow.

16 These are the rules that the Lord gave Moses concerning vows made by an unmarried woman living in her father’s house or by a married woman.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/30-1d0340ce8bb9402fb9cfcc3fb5111a6a.mp3?version_id=68—

The Holy War against Midian

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 “Punish the Midianites for what they did to the people of Israel. After you have done that, you will die.”

3 So Moses said to the people, “Get ready for war, so that you can attack Midian and punish them for what they did to the Lord.

4 From each tribe of Israel send a thousand men to war.”

5 So a thousand men were chosen from each tribe, a total of twelve thousand men ready for battle.

6 Moses sent them to war under the command of Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took charge of the sacred objects and the trumpets for giving signals.

7 They attacked Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed all the men,

8 including the five kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Balaam son of Beor.

9 The people of Israel captured the Midianite women and children, took their cattle and their flocks, plundered all their wealth,

10 and burned all their cities and camps.

11 They took all the loot that they had captured, including the prisoners and the animals,

12 and brought them to Moses and Eleazar and to the community of the people of Israel, who were at the camp on the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho.

The Army Returns

13 Moses, Eleazar, and all the other leaders of the community went out of the camp to meet the army.

14 Moses became angry with the officers, the commanders of battalions and companies, who had returned from the war.

15 He asked them, “Why have you kept all the women alive?

16 Remember that it was the women who followed Balaam’s instructions and at Peor led the people to be unfaithful to the Lord. That was what brought the epidemic on the Lord’s people.

17 So now kill every boy and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse,

18 but keep alive for yourselves all the girls and all the women who are virgins.

19 Now all of you who have killed anyone or have touched a corpse must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and on the seventh day purify yourselves and the women you have captured.

20 You must also purify every piece of clothing and everything made of leather, goats’ hair, or wood.”

21 Eleazar the priest said to the men who had returned from battle, “These are the regulations that the Lord has given to Moses.

22-23 Everything that will not burn, such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead, is to be purified by passing it through fire. Everything else is to be purified by the water for purification.

24 On the seventh day you must wash your clothes; then you will be ritually clean and will be permitted to enter the camp.”

Division of the Loot

25 The Lord said to Moses,

26 “You and Eleazar, together with the other leaders of the community, are to count everything that has been captured, including the prisoners and the animals.

27 Divide what was taken into two equal parts, one part for the soldiers and the other part for the rest of the community.

28 From the part that belongs to the soldiers, withhold as a tax for the Lord one out of every five hundred prisoners and the same proportion of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

29 Give them to Eleazar the priest as a special contribution to the Lord.

30 From the part given to the rest of the people, take one out of every fifty prisoners and the same proportion of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Give them to the Levites who are in charge of the Lord’s Tent.”

31 Moses and Eleazar did what the Lord commanded.

32-35 The following is a list of what was captured by the soldiers, in addition to what they kept for themselves: 675,000 sheep and goats, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 virgins.

36-40 The half share of the soldiers was 337,500 sheep and goats, of which 675 were the tax for the Lord; 36,000 cattle for the soldiers, of which 72 were the tax for the Lord; 30,500 donkeys for the soldiers, of which 61 were the tax for the Lord; and 16,000 virgins for the soldiers, of which 32 were the tax for the Lord.

41 So Moses gave Eleazar the tax as a special contribution to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded.

42-46 The share of the community was the same as that for the soldiers: 337,500 sheep and goats, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgins.

47 From this share Moses took one out of every fifty prisoners and animals, and as the Lord had commanded, gave them to the Levites who were in charge of the Lord’s Tent.

48 Then the officers who had commanded the army went to Moses

49 and reported, “Sir, we have counted the soldiers under our command and not one of them is missing.

50 So we are bringing the gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces that each of us has taken. We offer them to the Lord as a payment for our lives, so that he will protect us.”

51 Moses and Eleazar received the gold, all of which was in the form of ornaments.

52 The total contribution of the officers weighed over four hundred pounds.

53 Those who were not officers kept the loot they had taken.

54 So Moses and Eleazar took the gold to the Tent, so that the Lord would protect the people of Israel.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/31-13df2d40b7a73908116eff43ac99dc26.mp3?version_id=68—

The Tribes East of the Jordan

1 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had a lot of livestock. When they saw how suitable the land of Jazer and Gilead was for cattle,

2 they went to Moses, Eleazar, and the other leaders of the community and said,

3-4 “This region which the Lord has helped the Israelites occupy—the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon—is good land for livestock, and we have so much livestock.

5 Please give us this land as our property, and do not make us cross the Jordan River and settle there.”

6 Moses replied, “Do you want to stay here while the other Israelites go to war?

7 How dare you try to discourage the people of Israel from crossing the Jordan into the land which the Lord has given them?

8 That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land.

9 They went as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, but when they returned, they discouraged the people from entering the land which the Lord had given them.

10 The Lord became angry that day and made a promise:

11 ‘I swear that because they did not remain loyal to me, none of the men twenty years old or older who came out of Egypt will enter the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’

12 This included everyone, except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun; they remained loyal to the Lord.

13 The Lord became angry with the people and made them wander in the wilderness forty years until that whole generation that had displeased him was dead.

14 And now you have taken your ancestors’ place, a new generation of sinful people ready to bring down the fierce anger of the Lord on Israel again.

15 If you people of Reuben and Gad refuse to follow him now, he will once again abandon all these people in the wilderness, and you will be responsible for their destruction.”

16 They approached Moses and said, “First, allow us to build stone enclosures here for our sheep and fortified towns for our dependents.

17 Then we will be ready to go with the other Israelites into battle and lead the attack until we have settled them in the land that will be theirs. In the meantime, our dependents can live here in the fortified towns, safe from the people of this land.

18 We will not return to our homes until all the other Israelites have taken possession of the land assigned to them.

19 We will not take possession of any property among them on the other side of the Jordan, because we have received our share here east of the Jordan.”

20 Moses answered, “If you really mean what you say, then here in the presence of the Lord get ready to go into battle.

21 All your fighting men are to cross the Jordan and under the command of the Lord they are to attack our enemies until the Lord defeats them

22 and takes possession of the land. After that, you may return, because you will have fulfilled your obligation to the Lord and to the other Israelites. Then the Lord will acknowledge that this land east of the Jordan is yours.

23 But if you do not keep your promise, I warn you that you will be sinning against the Lord. Make no mistake about it; you will be punished for your sin.

24 So build your towns and the enclosures for your sheep, but do what you have promised!”

25 The men of Gad and Reuben said, “Sir, we will do as you command.

26 Our wives and children and our cattle and sheep will remain here in the towns of Gilead.

27 But all of us are ready to go into battle under the Lord’s command. We will cross the Jordan and fight, just as you have said.”

28 So Moses gave these commands to Eleazar, Joshua, and the other leaders of Israel:

29 “If the men of Gad and Reuben cross the Jordan ready for battle at the Lord’s command and if with their help you are able to conquer the land, then give them the land of Gilead as their property.

30 But if they do not cross the Jordan and go into battle with you, they are to receive their share of the property in the land of Canaan, as you do.”

31 The men of Gad and Reuben answered, “Sir, we will do as the Lord has commanded.

32 Under his command we will cross into the land of Canaan and go into battle, so that we can retain our property here east of the Jordan.”

33 So Moses assigned to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and to half the tribe of Manasseh all the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan, including the towns and the country around them.

34 The tribe of Gad rebuilt the fortified towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran.

37 The tribe of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

38 Nebo, Baal Meon (this name was changed), and Sibmah. They gave new names to the towns they rebuilt.

39 The clan of Machir son of Manasseh invaded the land of Gilead, occupied it, and drove out the Amorites who were there.

40 So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir, and they lived there.

41 Jair, of the tribe of Manasseh, attacked and captured some villages and named them “Villages of Jair.”

42 Nobah attacked and captured Kenath and its villages, and he renamed it Nobah, after himself.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/32-41d08a87b4e285620d619fdcd79d0d4b.mp3?version_id=68—

The Journey from Egypt to Moab

1 The following account gives the names of the places where the Israelites set up camp after they left Egypt in their tribes under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

2 At the command of the Lord, Moses wrote down the name of the place each time they set up camp.

3 The people of Israel left Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month of the year, the day after the first Passover. Under the Lord’s protection they left the city of Rameses in full view of the Egyptians,

4 who were burying the first-born sons that the Lord had killed. By doing this, the Lord showed that he was more powerful than the gods of Egypt.

5 The people of Israel left Rameses and set up camp at Sukkoth.

6 Their next camp was at Etham on the edge of the desert.

7 From there they turned back to Pi Hahiroth, east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol.

8 They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the Red Seainto the desert of Shur; after a three days’ march they camped at Marah.

9 From there they went to Elim, where they camped, because there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees there.

10 They left Elim and camped near the Gulf of Suez.

11 Their next camp was in the desert of Sin.

12 Then they camped at Dophkah,

13 and after that at Alush.

14 Next was Rephidim, where there was no water for them to drink.

15-37 From Rephidim to Mount Hor they set up camp at the following places: the Sinai Desert, Kibroth Hattaavah (or “Graves of Craving”), Hazeroth, Rithmah, Rimmon Perez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, Mount Shepher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Terah, Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene Jaakan, Hor Haggidgad, Jotbathah, Abronah, Eziongeber, the wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh), and Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

38-39 At the command of the Lord, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor. At the age of 123 he died there on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites had left Egypt.

40 The king of Arad in southern Canaan heard that the Israelites were coming.

41-49 From Mount Hor to the plains of Moab the Israelites set up camp at the following places: Zalmonah, Punon, Oboth, the ruins of Abarim in the territory of Moab, Dibon Gad, Almon Diblathaim, the Abarim Mountains near Mount Nebo, and in the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, between Beth Jeshimoth and Acacia Valley.

Instructions before Crossing the Jordan

50 There in the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho the Lord gave Moses

51 the following instructions for Israel: “When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

52 you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land. Destroy all their stone and metal idols and all their places of worship.

53 Occupy the land and settle in it, because I am giving it to you.

54 Divide the land among the various tribes and clans by drawing lots, giving a large piece of property to a large clan and a small one to a small clan.

55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those that are left will be as troublesome as splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will fight against you.

56 If you do not drive them out, I will destroy you, as I planned to destroy them.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/NUM/33-7dac59fec27b133f723e03b8ccff0af4.mp3?version_id=68—