Camping on the Way to Moab

Transcription

1 Numbers 21:8 - Numbers 32:19 (The Message) Numbers 21:8-32:19 8 GOD said to Moses, Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live. 9 So Moses made a snake of fiery copper and put it on top of a flagpole. Anyone bitten by a snake who then looked at the copper snake lived. Camping on the Way to Moab The People of Israel set out and camped at Oboth. They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim in the wilderness that faces Moab on the east. They went from there and pitched camp in the Zered Valley. Their next camp was alongside the Arnon River, which marks the border between Amorite country and Moab. The Book of the Wars of GODrefers to this place: Waheb in Suphah, the canyons of Arnon; Along the canyon ravines that lead to the village Ar And lean hard against the border of Moab They went on to Beer (The Well), where GOD said to Moses, Gather the people; I ll give them water. That s where Israel sang this song: Erupt, Well! Sing the Song of the Well, the well sunk by princes, Dug out by the peoples leaders digging with their scepters and staffs From the wilderness their route went from Mattanah to Nahaliel to Bamoth (The Heights) to the valley that opens into the fields of Moab from where Pisgah (The Summit) rises and overlooks Jeshimon (Wasteland) Israel sent emissaries to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, Let us cross your land. We won t trespass into your fields or drink water in your vineyards. We ll keep to the main road, the King s Road, until we re through your land But Sihon wouldn t let Israel go through. Instead he got his army together and marched into the wilderness to fight Israel. At Jahaz he

2 attacked Israel. But Israel fought hard, beat him soundly, and took possession of his land from the Arnon all the way to the Jabbok right up to the Ammonite border. They stopped there because the Ammonite border was fortified. Israel took and occupied all the Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its surrounding villages. Heshbon was the capital city of Sihon king of the Amorites. He had attacked the former king of Moab and captured all his land as far north as the river Arnon. That is why the folk singers sing, Come to Heshbon to rebuild the city, restore Sihon s town Fire once poured out of Heshbon, flames from the city of Sihon; Burning up Ar of Moab, the natives of Arnon s heights. Doom, Moab! The people of Chemosh, done for! Sons turned out as fugitives, daughters abandoned as captives to the king of the Amorites, to Sihon. 30 Oh, but we finished them off: Nothing left of Heshbon as far as Dibon; Devastation as far off as Nophah, scorched earth all the way to Medeba Israel moved in and lived in Amorite country. Moses sent men to scout out Jazer. They captured its villages and drove away the Amorites who lived there. 33 Then they turned north on the road to Bashan. Og king of Bashan marched out with his entire army to meet Moses in battle at Edrei. 34 GOD said to Moses, Don t be afraid of him. I m making a present of him to you, him and all his people and his land. Treat him the same as Sihon king of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon. 35 So they attacked him, his sons, and all the people there was not a single survivor. Israel took the land. Balaam 22 The People of Israel marched on and camped on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho.

3 2-3 Balak son of Zippor learned of all that Israel had done to the Amorites. The people of Moab were in a total panic because of Israel. There were so many of them! They were terrorized. 4-5 Moab spoke to the leaders of Midian: Look, this mob is going to clean us out a bunch of crows picking a carcass clean. Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent emissaries to get Balaam son of Beor, who lived at Pethor on the banks of the Euphrates River, his homeland. 5-6 Balak s emissaries said, Look. A people has come up out of Egypt, and they re all over the place! And they re pressing hard on me. Come and curse them for me they re too much for me. Maybe then I can beat them; we ll attack and drive them out of the country. You have a reputation: Those you bless stay blessed; those you curse stay cursed. 7-8 The leaders of Moab and Midian were soon on their way, with the fee for the cursing tucked safely in their wallets. When they got to Balaam, they gave him Balak s message. Stay here for the night, Balaam said. In the morning I ll deliver the answer that GOD gives me. The Moabite nobles stayed with him. 9 Then God came to Balaam. He asked, So who are these men here with you? Balaam answered, Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent them with a message: Look, the people that came up out of Egypt are all over the place! Come and curse them for me. Maybe then I ll be able to attack and drive them out of the country. 12 God said to Balaam, Don t go with them. And don t curse the others they are a blessed people. 13 The next morning Balaam got up and told Balak s nobles, Go back home; GOD refuses to give me permission to go with you. 14 So the Moabite nobles left, came back to Balak, and said, Balaam wouldn t come with us.

4 15-17 Balak sent another group of nobles, higher ranking and more distinguished. They came to Balaam and said, Balak son of Zippor says, Please, don t refuse to come to me. I will honor and reward you lavishly anything you tell me to do, I ll do; I ll pay anything only come and curse this people Balaam answered Balak s servants: Even if Balak gave me his house stuffed with silver and gold, I wouldn t be able to defy the orders of my GOD to do anything, whether big or little. But come along and stay with me tonight as the others did; I ll see what GOD will say to me this time. 20 God came to Balaam that night and said, Since these men have come all this way to see you, go ahead and go with them. But make sure you do absolutely nothing other than what I tell you Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went off with the noblemen from Moab. As he was going, though, God s anger flared. The angel of GOD stood in the road to block his way. Balaam was riding his donkey, accompanied by his two servants. When the donkey saw the angel blocking the road and brandishing a sword, she veered off the road into the ditch. Balaam beat the donkey and got her back on the road But as they were going through a vineyard, with a fence on either side, the donkey again saw GOD s angel blocking the way and veered into the fence, crushing Balaam s foot against the fence. Balaam hit her again GOD s angel blocked the way yet again a very narrow passage this time; there was no getting through on the right or left. Seeing the angel, Balaam s donkey sat down under him. Balaam lost his temper; he beat the donkey with his stick. 28 Then GOD gave speech to the donkey. She said to Balaam: What have I ever done to you that you have beat me these three times? 29 Balaam said, Because you ve been playing games with me! If I had a sword I would have killed you by now. 30 The donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your trusty donkey on whom you ve ridden for years right up until now? Have I ever done anything like this to you before? Have I? He said, No.

5 31 Then GOD helped Balaam see what was going on: He saw GOD s angel blocking the way, brandishing a sword. Balaam fell to the ground, his face in the dirt GOD s angel said to him: Why have you beaten your poor donkey these three times? I have come here to block your way because you re getting way ahead of yourself. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she hadn t, I would have killed you by this time, but not the donkey. I would have let her off. 34 Balaam said to GOD s angel, I have sinned. I had no idea you were standing in the road blocking my way. If you don t like what I m doing, I ll head back. 35 But GOD s angel said to Balaam, Go ahead and go with them. But only say what I tell you to say absolutely no other word. And so Balaam continued to go with Balak s nobles. 36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him in the Moabite town that was on the banks of the Arnon, right on the boundary of his land. 37 Balak said to Balaam, Didn t I send an urgent message for help? Why didn t you come when I called? Do you think I can t pay you enough? 38 Balaam said to Balak, Well, I m here now. But I can t tell you just anything. I can speak only words that God gives me no others Balaam then accompanied Balak to Kiriath Huzoth (Street-Town). Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep for sacrifices and presented them to Balaam and the nobles who were with him. 41 At daybreak Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal (The Heights of Baal) so that he could get a good view of some of the people. 23 Balaam said, Build me seven altars here, and then prepare seven bulls and seven rams. 2 Balak did it. Then Balaam and Balak sacrificed a bull and a ram on each of the altars. 3 Balaam instructed Balak: Stand watch here beside your Whole-Burnt- Offering while I go off by myself. Maybe GOD will come and meet with me.

6 Whatever he shows or tells me, I ll report to you. Then he went off by himself. 4 God did meet with Balaam. Balaam said, I ve set up seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 5 Then GOD gave Balaam a message: Return to Balak and give him this message He went back and found him stationed beside his Whole-Burnt-Offering and with him all the nobles of Moab. Then Balaam spoke his messageoracle: Balak led me here from Aram, the king of Moab all the way from the eastern mountains. Go, curse Jacob for me; go, damn Israel. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I damn whom GOD has not damned? From rock pinnacles I see them, from hilltops I survey them: Look! a people camping off by themselves, thinking themselves outsiders among nations. But who could ever count the dust of Jacob or take a census of cloud-of-dust Israel? I want to die like these right-living people! I want an end just like theirs! 11 Balak said to Balaam, What s this? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and all you ve done is bless them. 12 Balaam answered, Don t I have to be careful to say what GOD gives me to say? 13 Balak said to him, Go with me to another place from which you can only see the outskirts of their camp you won t be able to see the whole camp. From there, curse them for my sake. 14 So he took him to Watchmen s Meadow at the top of Pisgah. He built seven altars there and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, Take up your station here beside your Whole-Burnt- Offering while I meet with him over there.

7 16 GOD met with Balaam and gave him a message. He said, Return to Balak and give him the message Balaam returned and found him stationed beside his Whole-Burnt- Offering and the nobles of Moab with him. Balak said to him, What did GOD say? Then Balaam spoke his message-oracle: On your feet, Balak. Listen, listen carefully son of Zippor: God is not man, one given to lies, and not a son of man changing his mind. Does he speak and not do what he says? Does he promise and not come through? I was brought here to bless; and now he s blessed how can I change that? He has no bone to pick with Jacob, he sees nothing wrong with Israel. GOD is with them, and they re with him, shouting praises to their King. God brought them out of Egypt, rampaging like a wild ox. No magic spells can bind Jacob, no incantations can hold back Israel. People will look at Jacob and Israel and say, What a great thing has God done! Look, a people rising to its feet, stretching like a lion, a king-of-the-beasts, aroused, Unsleeping, unresting until its hunt is over and it s eaten and drunk its fill. 25 Balak said to Balaam, Well, if you can t curse them, at least don t bless them. 26 Balaam replied to Balak, Didn t I tell you earlier: All God speaks, and only what he speaks, I speak? Balak said to Balaam, Please, let me take you to another place; maybe we can find the right place in God s eyes where you ll be able to curse them for me. So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, with a vista over the Jeshimon (Wasteland). 29 Balaam said to Balak, Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for sacrifice.

8 30 Balak did it and presented an offering of a bull and a ram on each of the altars By now Balaam realized that GOD wanted to bless Israel. So he didn t work in any sorcery as he had done earlier. He turned and looked out over the wilderness. As Balaam looked, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe. The Spirit of God came on him, and he spoke his oracle-message: 3-9 Decree of Balaam son of Beor, yes, decree of a man with 20/20 vision; Decree of a man who hears God speak, who sees what The Strong God shows him, Who falls on his face in worship, who sees what s really going on. What beautiful tents, Jacob, oh, your homes, Israel! Like valleys stretching out in the distance, like gardens planted by rivers, Like sweet herbs planted by the gardener GOD, like red cedars by pools and springs, Their buckets will brim with water, their seed will spread life everywhere. Their king will tower over Agag and his ilk, their kingdom surpassingly majestic. God brought them out of Egypt, rampaging like a wild ox, Gulping enemies like morsels of meat, crushing their bones, snapping their arrows. Israel crouches like a lion and naps, king-of-the-beasts who dares disturb him? Whoever blesses you is blessed, whoever curses you is cursed Balak lost his temper with Balaam. He shook his fist. He said to Balaam: I got you in here to curse my enemies and what have you done? Blessed them! Blessed them three times! Get out of here! Go home! I told you I would pay you well, but you re getting nothing. You can blame GOD Balaam said to Balak, Didn t I tell you up front when you sent your emissaries, Even if Balak gave me his palace stuffed with silver and gold, I couldn t do anything on my own, whether good or bad, that went against GOD s command? I m leaving for home and my people, but I warn you of what this people will do to your people in the days to come. Then he spoke his oracle-message:

9 15-19 Decree of Balaam son of Beor, decree of the man with 20/20 vision, Decree of the man who hears godly speech, who knows what s going on with the High God, Who sees what The Strong God reveals, who bows in worship and sees what s real. I see him, but not right now, I perceive him, but not right here; A star rises from Jacob a scepter from Israel, Crushing the heads of Moab, the skulls of all the noisy windbags; I see Edom sold off at auction, enemy Seir marked down at the flea market, while Israel walks off with the trophies. A ruler is coming from Jacob who ll destroy what s left in the city. 20 Then Balaam spotted Amalek and delivered an oracle-message. He said, Amalek, you re in first place among nations right now, but you re going to come in last, ruined He saw the Kenites and delivered his oracle-message to them: Your home is in a nice secure place, like a nest high on the face of a cliff. Still, you Kenites will look stupid when Asshur takes you prisoner Balaam spoke his final oracle-message: Doom! Who stands a chance when God starts in? Sea-Peoples, raiders from across the sea, will harass Asshur and Eber, But they ll also come to nothing, just like all the rest. 25 Balaam got up and went home. Balak also went on his way. The Orgy at Shittim While Israel was camped at Shittim (Acacia Grove), the men began to have sex with the Moabite women. It started when the women invited the

10 men to their sex-and-religion worship. They ate together and then worshiped their gods. Israel ended up joining in the worship of the Baal of Peor. GOD was furious, his anger blazing out against Israel. 4 GOD said to Moses, Take all the leaders of Israel and kill them by hanging, leaving them publicly exposed in order to turn GOD s anger away from Israel. 5 Moses issued orders to the judges of Israel: Each of you must execute the men under your jurisdiction who joined in the worship of Baal Peor. 6-9 Just then, while everyone was weeping in penitence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, an Israelite man, flaunting his behavior in front of Moses and the whole assembly, paraded a Midianite woman into his family tent. Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw what he was doing, grabbed his spear, and followed them into the tent. With one thrust he drove the spear through the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, right through their private parts. That stopped the plague from continuing among the People of Israel. But 24,000 had already died GOD spoke to Moses: Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has stopped my anger against the People of Israel. Because he was as zealous for my honor as I myself am, I didn t kill all the People of Israel in my zeal. So tell him that I am making a Covenant-of-Peace with him. He and his descendants are joined in a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the People of Israel The name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the head of the Simeonite family. And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family GOD spoke to Moses: From here on make the Midianites your enemies. Fight them tooth and nail. They turned out to be your enemies when they seduced you in the business of Peor and that woman Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed at the time of the plague in the matter of Peor. Census on the Plains of Moab After the plague GOD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, Number the entire community of Israel by families count every person who is twenty years and older who is able to serve in the army of Israel.

11 3-4 Obeying GOD s command, Moses and Eleazar the priest addressed them on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho: Count off from age twenty and older. 4-7 The People of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt: Reuben, Israel s firstborn. The sons of Reuben were: Hanoch and the Hanochite clan, Pallu and the Palluite clan, Hezron and the Hezronite clan, Carmi and the Carmite clan. These made up the Reubenite clans. They numbered 43, The son of Pallu: Eliab The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. (These were the same Dathan and Abiram, community leaders from Korah s gang, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the Korah Rebellion against GOD. The Earth opened its jaws and swallowed them along with Korah s gang who died when the fire ate them up, all 250 of them. After all these years, they re still a warning sign. But the line of Korah did not die out.) The sons of Simeon by clans: Nemuel and the Nemuelite clan, Jamin and the Jaminite clan, Jakin and the Jakinite clan, Zerah and the Zerahite clan, Shaul and the Shaulite clan. These were the clans of Simeon. They numbered 22,200 men The sons of Gad by clans: Zephon and the Zephonite clan, Haggi and the Haggite clan, Shuni and the Shunite clan, Ozni and the Oznite clan, Eri and the Erite clan, Arodi and the Arodite clan, Areli and the Arelite clan. These were the clans of Gad. They numbered 40,500 men.

12 19-22 Er and Onan were sons of Judah who died early on in Canaan. The sons of Judah by clans: Shelah and the Shelanite clan, Perez and the Perezite clan, Zerah and the Zerahite clan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and the Hezronite clan, Hamul and the Hamulite clan. These were the clans of Judah. They numbered 76, The sons of Issachar by clans: Tola and the Tolaite clan, Puah and the Puite clan, Jashub and the Jashubite clan, Shimron and the Shimronite clan. These were the clans of Issachar. They numbered 64, The sons of Zebulun by clans: Sered and the Seredite clan, Elon and the Elonite clan, Jahleel and the Jahleelite clan. These were the clans of Zebulun. They numbered 60, The sons of Joseph by clans through Manasseh and Ephraim. Through Manasseh: Makir and the Makirite clan (now Makir was the father of Gilead), Gilead and the Gileadite clan. The sons of Gilead: Iezer and the Iezerite clan, Helek and the Helekite clan, Asriel and the Asrielite clan, Shechem and the Shechemite clan, Shemida and the Shemidaite clan,

13 Hepher and the Hepherite clan. Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. These were the clans of Manasseh. They numbered 52, The sons of Ephraim by clans: Shuthelah and the Shuthelahite clan, Beker and the Bekerite clan, Tahan and the Tahanite clan. The sons of Shuthelah: Eran and the Eranite clan. These were the clans of Ephraim. They numbered 32,500. These are all the sons of Joseph by their clans The sons of Benjamin by clans: Bela and the Belaite clan, Ashbel and the Ashbelite clan, Ahiram and the Ahiramite clan, Shupham and the Shuphamite clan, Hupham and the Huphamite clan. The sons of Bela through Ard and Naaman: Ard and the Ardite clan, Naaman and the Naamite clan. These were the clans of Benjamin. They numbered 45, The sons of Dan by clan: Shuham and the Shuhamite clan. These are the clans of Dan, all Shuhamite clans. They numbered 64, The sons of Asher by clan: Imnah and the Imnite clan, Ishvi and the Ishvite clan,

14 Beriah and the Beriite clan. The sons of Beriah: Heber and the Heberite clan, Malkiel and the Malkielite clan. Asher also had a daughter, Serah. These were the clans of Asher. They numbered 53, The sons of Naphtali by clans: Jahzeel and the Jahzeelite clan, Guni and the Gunite clan, Jezer and the Jezerite clan, Shillem and the Shillemite clan. These were the clans of Naphtali. They numbered 45, The total number of the People of Israel: 601, GOD spoke to Moses: Divide up the inheritance of the land based on population. A larger group gets a larger inheritance; a smaller group gets a smaller inheritance each gets its inheritance based on the population count Make sure that the land is assigned by lot. Each group s inheritance is based on population, the number of names listed in its ancestral tribe, divided among the many and the few by lot These are the numberings of the Levites by clan: Gershon and the Gershonite clan, Kohath and the Kohathite clan, Merari and the Merarite clan. The Levite clans also included: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, the Korahite clan.

15 58-61 Kohath was the father of Amram. Amram s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, born into the Levite family during the Egyptian years. Jochebed bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam to Amram. Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar; however, Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized sacrifice in the presence of GOD. 62 The numbering of Levite males one month and older came to 23,000. They hadn t been counted in with the rest of the People of Israel because they didn t inherit any land These are the ones numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, the People of Israel counted in the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho. Not one of them had been among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest in the census of the People of Israel taken in the Wilderness of Sinai. For GOD had said of them, They ll die, die in the wilderness not one of them will be left except for Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun. The Daughters of Zelophehad 27 The daughters of Zelophehad showed up. Their father was the son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Makir son of Manasseh, belonging to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2-4 They came to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. They stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and the congregation and said, Our father died in the wilderness. He wasn t part of Korah s rebel anti-godgang. He died for his own sins. And he left no sons. But why should our father s name die out from his clan just because he had no sons? So give us an inheritance among our father s relatives. 5 Moses brought their case to GOD. 6-7 GOD ruled: Zelophehad s daughters are right. Give them land as an inheritance among their father s relatives. Give them their father s inheritance Then tell the People of Israel, If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give it to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give it to his father s brothers. If his father had no brothers, give it to the nearest relative so that the inheritance stays in the family. This is the standard procedure for the People of Israel, as commanded by GOD through Moses.

16 Joshua GOD said to Moses, Climb up into the Abarim Mountains and look over at the land that I am giving to the People of Israel. When you ve had a good look you ll be joined to your ancestors in the grave yes, you also along with Aaron your brother. This goes back to the day when the congregation quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin and you didn t honor me in holy reverence before them in the matter of the waters, the Waters of Meribah (Quarreling) at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin Moses responded to GOD: Let GOD, the God of the spirits of everyone living, set a man over this community to lead them, to show the way ahead and bring them back home so GOD s community will not be like sheep without a shepherd GOD said to Moses, Take Joshua the son of Nun the Spirit is in him! and place your hand on him. Stand him before Eleazar the priest in front of the entire congregation and commission him with everyone watching. Pass your magisterial authority over to him so that the whole congregation of the People of Israel will listen obediently to him. He is to consult with Eleazar the priest who, using the oracle-urim, will prayerfully advise him in the presence of GOD. He will command the People of Israel, the entire community, in all their comings and goings Moses followed GOD s orders. He took Joshua and stood him before Eleazar the priest in front of the entire community. He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, following the procedures GOD had given Moses. Offerings GOD spoke to Moses: Command the People of Israel. Tell them, You re in charge of presenting my food, my Fire-Gifts of pleasing fragrance, at the set times. Tell them, This is the Fire-Gift that you are to present to GOD: two healthy yearling lambs each day as a regular Whole-Burnt- Offering. Sacrifice one lamb in the morning, the other in the evening, together with two quarts of fine flour mixed with a quart of olive oil for a Grain-Offering. This is the standard Whole-Burnt-Offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a pleasing fragrance, a Fire-Gift to GOD. The Drink-Offering that goes with it is a quart of strong beer with each lamb. Pour out the Drink- Offering before GOD in the Sanctuary. Sacrifice the second lamb in the evening with the Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering the same as in the morning a Fire-Gift of pleasing fragrance for GOD.

17 9-10 On the Sabbath, sacrifice two healthy yearling lambs, together with the Drink-Offering and the Grain-Offering of four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. This is the regular Sabbath Whole-Burnt-Offering, in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt-Offering and its Drink-Offering. 11 On the first of the month offer a Whole-Burnt-Offering to GOD: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs all healthy A Grain-Offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil goes with each bull, four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil with the ram, and two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil with each lamb. This is for a Whole-Burnt-Offering, a pleasing fragrance, a Fire-Gift to GOD. Also, Drink-Offerings of two quarts of wine for each bull, one and a quarter quarts of wine for the ram, and a quart of wine for each lamb are to be poured out This is the first of the month Whole-Burnt-Offering to be made throughout the year. In addition to the regular Whole-Burnt-Offering with its accompanying Drink-Offering, a he-goat is to be offered to GOD as an Absolution-Offering GOD s Passover is to be held on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of this month hold a festival For seven days, eat only unraised bread: Begin the first day in holy worship; don t do any regular work that day. Bring a Fire-Gift to GOD, a Whole-Burnt-Offering: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs all healthy. Prepare a Grain-Offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for each bull, four quarts for the ram, and two quarts for each lamb, plus a goat as an Absolution-Offering to atone for you Sacrifice these in addition to the regular morning Whole-Burnt-Offering. Prepare the food this way for the Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance to GOD, every day for seven days. Prepare it in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt- Offering and Drink-Offering. 25 Conclude the seventh day in holy worship; don t do any regular work on that day On the Day of Firstfruits when you bring an offering of new grain to GOD on your Feast-of-Weeks, gather in holy worship and don t do any regular work. Bring a Whole-Burnt-Offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs as a pleasing fragrance to GOD. Prepare a Grain- Offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for each bull, four quarts for

18 the ram, and two quarts for each lamb, plus a he-goat as an Absolution- Offering to atone for you. 31 These are all over and above the daily Whole-Burnt-Offering and its Grain-Offering and the Drink-Offering. Remember, the animals must be healthy On the first day of the seventh month, gather in holy worship and do no regular work. This is your Day-of-Trumpet-Blasts. Sacrifice a Whole- Burnt-Offering: one young bull, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs all healthy as a pleasing fragrance to GOD. Prepare a Grain-Offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for the bull, four quarts for the ram, and two quarts for each lamb, plus a he-goat as an Absolution-Offering to atone for you. 6 These are all over and above the monthly and daily Whole-Burnt-Offerings with their Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings as prescribed, a pleasing fragrance, a Fire-Gift to GOD. 7 On the tenth day of this seventh month, gather in holy worship, humble yourselves, and do no work Bring a Whole-Burnt-Offering to GOD as a pleasing fragrance: one young bull, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs all healthy. Prepare a Grain- Offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for the bull, four quarts for the ram, and two quarts for each of the seven lambs. Also bring a he-goat as an Absolution-Offering to atone for you in addition to the regular Whole- Burnt-Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering Gather in holy worship on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; do no regular work. Celebrate a Festival to GODfor seven days. Bring a Whole- Burnt-Offering, a Fire-Gift of pleasing fragrance to GOD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen yearling male lambs all healthy. Prepare a Grain- Offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for each of the bulls, four quarts for each ram, and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs. Also bring a he-goat as an Absolution-Offering in addition to the regular Whole- Burnt-Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering On the second day: twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen yearling male lambs all healthy. Prepare Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings to go with the bulls, rams, and lambs following the prescribed recipes. And bring a he-goat as an Absolution-Offering in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt- Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering.

19 20-22 On the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs all healthy. Prepare Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings to go with the bulls, rams, and lambs following the prescribed recipes. And bring a hegoat as an Absolution-Offering in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt- Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering On the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs all healthy. Prepare Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings to go with the bulls, rams, and lambs following the prescribed recipes. And bring a hegoat as an Absolution-Offering in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt- Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering On the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs all healthy. Prepare Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings to go with the bulls, rams, and lambs following the prescribed recipes. And bring a hegoat as an Absolution-Offering in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt- Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering On the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs all healthy. Prepare Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings to go with the bulls, rams, and lambs following the prescribed recipes. And bring a hegoat as an Absolution-Offering in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt- Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering On the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs all healthy. Prepare Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings to go with the bulls, rams, and lambs following the prescribed recipes. And bring a hegoat as an Absolution-Offering in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt- Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering On the eighth day: Gather in holy worship; do no regular work. Bring a Fire-Gift of pleasing fragrance to GOD, a Whole-Burnt-Offering: one bull, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs all healthy. Prepare Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings to go with the bulls, rams, and lambs following the prescribed recipes. And bring a he-goat as an Absolution-Offering in addition to the regular Whole-Burnt-Offering with its Grain-Offering and Drink- Offering. 39 Sacrifice these to GOD as a congregation at your set feasts: your Whole- Burnt-Offerings, Grain-Offerings, Drink-Offerings, and Peace-Offerings. These are all over and above your personal Vow-Offerings and Freewill- Offerings. 40 Moses instructed the People of Israel in all that GOD commanded him.

20 Vows Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the People of Israel: This is what GOD commands: When a man makes a vow to GOD or binds himself by an oath to do something, he must not break his word; he must do exactly what he has said. 3-5 When a woman makes a vow to GOD and binds herself by a pledge as a young girl still living in her father s house, and her father hears of her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then she has to make good on all her vows and pledges. But if her father holds her back when he hears of what she has done, none of her vows and pledges are valid.god will release her since her father held her back. 6-8 If she marries after she makes a vow or has made some rash promise or pledge, and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her, then she has to make good on whatever she vowed or pledged. But if her husband intervenes when he hears of it, he cancels the vow or rash promise that binds her. And GOD will release her. 9 Any vow or pledge taken by a widow or divorced woman is binding on her When a woman who is living with her husband makes a vow or takes a pledge under oath and her husband hears about it but says nothing and doesn t say she can t do it, then all her vows and pledges are valid. But if her husband cancels them when he hears about them, then none of the vows and pledges that she made are binding. Her husband has canceled them and GOD will release her. Any vow and pledge that she makes that may be to her detriment can be either affirmed or annulled by her husband. But if her husband is silent and doesn t speak up day after day, he confirms her vows and pledges she has to make good on them. By saying nothing to her when he hears of them, he binds her to them. If, however, he cancels them sometime after he hears of them, he takes her guilt on himself. 16 These are the rules that GOD gave Moses regarding conduct between a man and his wife and between a father and his young daughter who is still living at home. The Midianite War GOD spoke to Moses: Avenge the People of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you will go to be with your dead ancestors.

21 3-4 Moses addressed the people: Recruit men for a campaign against Midian, to exact GOD s vengeance on Midian, a thousand from each tribe of Israel to go to war. 5-6 A fighting force of a thousand from each tribe of Israel twelve thousand in all was recruited. Moses sent them off to war, a thousand from each tribe, and also Phinehas son of Eleazar, who went as priest to the army, in charge of holy vessels and the signaling bugles They attacked Midian, just as GOD had commanded Moses, and killed every last man. Among the fallen were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. The People of Israel took the Midianite women and children captive and took all their animals and herds and goods as plunder. They burned to the ground all the towns in which Midianites lived and also their tent camps. They looted and plundered everything and everyone stuff and people and animals. They took it all captives and booty and plunder back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the company of Israel where they were camped on the Plains of Moab, at Jordan-Jericho Moses, Eleazar, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet the returning army outside the camp. Moses was furious with the army officers the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds as they came back from the battlefield: What s this! You ve let these women live! They re the ones who, under Balaam s direction, seduced the People of Israel away from GOD in that mess at Peor, causing the plague that hit GOD s people. Finish your job: kill all the boys. Kill every woman who has slept with a man. The younger women who are virgins you can keep alive for yourselves Now here s what you are to do: Pitch tents outside the camp. All who have killed anyone or touched a corpse must stay outside the camp for seven days. Purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days. Purify every piece of clothing and every utensil everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood Eleazar the priest then spoke to the soldiers who had fought in the battle: This is the ruling from the Revelation that GOD gave Moses: Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead and anything else that can survive fire must be passed through the fire; then it will be ritually purified. It must also be ritually washed in the Water-of-Cleansing. Further, whatever cannot survive fire must be put through that water. On the seventh day scrub your clothes; you will be ritually clean. Then you can return to camp.

22 25-27 GOD said to Moses, I want you and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders in the community to count the captives, people and animals. Split the plunder between the soldiers who fought the battle and the rest of the congregation Then tax the booty that goes to the soldiers at the rate of one life out of five hundred, whether humans, cattle, donkeys, or sheep. It s a GOD-tax taken from their half-share to be turned over to Eleazar the priest on behalf of GOD. Tax the congregation s half-share at the rate of one life out of fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, or other animals. Give this to the Levites who are in charge of the care of GOD s Dwelling. 31 Moses and Eleazar followed through with what GOD had commanded Moses The rest of the plunder taken by the army: 675,000 sheep 72,000 cattle 61,000 donkeys 32,000 women who were virgins The half-share for those who had fought in the war: 337,500 sheep, with a tax of 675 for GOD 36,000 cattle, with a tax of 72 for GOD 30,500 donkeys, with a tax of 61 for GOD 16,000 people, with a tax of 32 for GOD 41 Moses turned the tax over to Eleazar the priest as GOD s part, following GOD s instructions to Moses The other half-share for the Israelite community that Moses set apart from what was given to the men who fought the war was: 337,500 sheep 36,000 cattle 30,500 donkeys 16,000 people 47 From the half-share going to the People of Israel, Moses, just as GOD had instructed him, picked one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites, who were in charge of maintaining GOD s Dwelling.

23 48-50 The military officers commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds came to Moses and said, We have counted the soldiers under our command and not a man is missing. We ve brought offerings to GOD from the gold jewelry we got armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, ornaments to make atonement for our lives before GOD Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them, all that finecrafted jewelry. In total, the gold from the commanders of thousands and hundreds that Moses and Eleazar offered as a gift to GOD weighed about six hundred pounds, all donated by the soldiers who had taken the booty. Moses and Eleazar took the gold from the commanders of thousands and hundreds and brought it to the Tent of Meeting, to serve as a reminder for the People of Israel beforegod. Tribes East of the Jordan The families of Reuben and Gad had huge herds of livestock. They saw that the country of Jazer and Gilead was just the place for grazing livestock. And so they came, the families of Gad and of Reuben, and spoke to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the congregation, saying, Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon the country that GOD laid low before the community of Israel is a country just right for livestock, and we have livestock. 5 They continued, If you think we ve done a good job so far, give us this country for our inheritance. Don t make us go across the Jordan Moses answered the families of Gad and Reuben: Do you mean that you are going to leave the fighting that s ahead to your brothers while you settle down here? Why would you even think of letting the People of Israel down, demoralizing them just as they re about to move into the land GOD gave them? That s exactly what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to survey the country. They went as far as the Valley of Eshcol, took one look and quit. They completely demoralized the People of Israel from entering the land GOD had given them. And GOD got angry oh, did he get angry! He swore: They ll never get to see it; none of those who came up out of Egypt who are twenty years and older will ever get to see the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They weren t interested in following me their hearts weren t in it. None, except for Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun; they followed me their hearts were in it. 13 GOD s anger smoked against Israel. He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until that entire generation that acted out evil in his sight had died out.

24 14-15 And now here you are, just one more mob of sinners stepping up to replace your ancestors, throwing fuel on the already blazing anger of GOD against Israel. If you won t follow him, he ll do it again. He ll dump them in the desert and the disaster will be all your fault They came close to him and said, All we want to do is build corrals for our livestock and towns for our families. Then we ll take up arms and take the front lines, leading the People of Israel to their place. We ll be able to leave our families behind, secure in fortified towns, safe from those who live in the land. But we won t go back home until every Israelite is in full possession of his inheritance. We won t expect any inheritance west of the Jordan; we are claiming all our inheritance east of the Jordan.