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Numbers 19-20
New American Standard Bible

Ordinance of the Red Heifer

19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an (A)unblemished red heifer in which there is no defect and (B)on which a yoke has never [a]been mounted. 3 And you shall give it to (C)Eleazar the priest, and it shall (D)be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence. 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and (E)sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; (F)its hide, its flesh, and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take (G)cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet material, and throw it into the midst of the [b]burning heifer. 7 The priest (H)shall then wash his clothes and bathe his [c]body in water, and afterward come into the camp; but the priest will be [d]unclean until evening. 8 The one who burns [e]the heifer shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his [f]body in water, and will be unclean until evening. 9 Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them outside the camp in a clean place, and [g]the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep them for (I)water to remove impurity; it is [h]purification from sin. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer (J)shall wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening; and it shall be a permanent statute for the sons of Israel and for the stranger who resides among them.

11 ‘(K)The one who touches the dead body of any [i]person will also be unclean for seven days. 12 That one shall (L)purify himself with [j]the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 (M)Anyone who touches a dead body, the [k]body of a person who has died, and does not purify himself, (N)defiles the [l]tabernacle of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Since the water for impurity was not (O)sprinkled on him, he will be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.

14 ‘This is the law when a person dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent will be unclean for seven days. 15 And every open container, which has no cover tied down on it, will be unclean. 16 (P)Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been killed with a sword or one who has died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days. 17 Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the [m]ashes of the [n]burnt [o](Q)purification from sin and [p]running water shall be [q]added to them in a container. 18 And a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the furnishings, on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one who was killed or the one who died naturally, or the grave. 19 Then the clean person (R)shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and will be clean by evening.

20 ‘But the person who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has (S)defiled the sanctuary of the Lord; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, so he is unclean. 21 So it shall be a permanent statute for them. And the one (T)who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity will be unclean until evening. 22 (U)Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches will be unclean; and the person who touches it will be unclean until evening.’”

Death of Miriam

20 Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the (V)wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

2 (W)There was no water for the congregation, (X)and they assembled against Moses and Aaron. 3 (Y)Then the people argued with Moses and spoke, saying, “(Z)If only we had perished (AA)when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 (AB)Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our livestock to die [r]here? 5 Why did you make us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this wretched place? (AC)It is not a place of [s]grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink!” 6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and (AD)fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them; 7 then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

The Waters of Meribah

8 “Take (AE)the staff; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it shall yield its water. So you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and have the congregation and their livestock drink.”

9 So Moses took the staff (AF)from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock. And he said to them, “(AG)Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; and (AH)water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “(AI)Since you did not trust in Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, for that reason you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13 Those were called the waters of [t](AJ)Meribah, [u]because the sons of Israel argued with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

14 From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to (AK)the king of Edom to say, “This is what your brother Israel has said: ‘You (AL)know all the hardship that has [v]overtaken us; 15 that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16 But (AM)when we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent (AN)an angel, and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17 Please (AO)let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s road, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”

18 (AP)Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through [w]us, or I will come out with the sword against you.” 19 Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the road, and if I and (AQ)my livestock do drink any of your water, (AR)then I will [x]pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, [y]nothing more.” 20 But he said, “(AS)You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy [z]force and a strong hand. 21 (AT)So Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; (AU)then Israel turned away from him.

22 Now when they set out from (AV)Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

Death of Aaron

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron at (AW)Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying, 24 “Aaron will be (AX)gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because (AY)you rebelled against My [aa]command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and his son (AZ)Eleazar, and bring them up to Mount Hor. 26 Then strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron will be (BA)gathered to his people and will die there.” 27 So Moses did just as the Lord had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 And after Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and (BB)put them on his son Eleazar, (BC)Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, the whole house of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty (BD)days.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 19:2 Lit gone up
  2. Numbers 19:6 Lit burning of the heifer
  3. Numbers 19:7 Lit flesh
  4. Numbers 19:7 I.e., ritually unclean, and so throughout the ch
  5. Numbers 19:8 Lit it
  6. Numbers 19:8 Lit flesh
  7. Numbers 19:9 Lit it shall be to the congregation...Israel, for a guarding as water of impurity
  8. Numbers 19:9 Or a sin offering
  9. Numbers 19:11 Lit soul of mankind
  10. Numbers 19:12 Lit it
  11. Numbers 19:13 Lit soul
  12. Numbers 19:13 Lit dwelling place
  13. Numbers 19:17 Lit dust
  14. Numbers 19:17 Lit burning of the
  15. Numbers 19:17 Or sin offering
  16. Numbers 19:17 Lit living
  17. Numbers 19:17 Lit given
  18. Numbers 20:4 Lit there
  19. Numbers 20:5 Lit seed
  20. Numbers 20:13 I.e., contention
  21. Numbers 20:13 Or where
  22. Numbers 20:14 Lit found
  23. Numbers 20:18 Lit me
  24. Numbers 20:19 Lit give
  25. Numbers 20:19 Or no great thing
  26. Numbers 20:20 Lit people
  27. Numbers 20:24 Lit mouth
Listen to Numbers 19-20
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Numbers 19-20
New International Version

The Water of Cleansing

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer(A) without defect or blemish(B) and that has never been under a yoke.(C) 3 Give it to Eleazar(D) the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp(E) and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle(F) it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.(G) 6 The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop(H) and scarlet wool(I) and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7 After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water.(J) He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8 The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.

9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer(K) and put them in a ceremonially clean place(L) outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing;(M) it is for purification from sin.(N) 10 The man who gathers up(O) the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening.(P) This will be a lasting ordinance(Q) both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.(R)

11 “Whoever touches a human corpse(S) will be unclean for seven days.(T) 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;(U) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.(V) 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,(W) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.(X) They must be cut off from Israel.(Y) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;(Z) their uncleanness remains on them.

14 “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15 and every open container(AA) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,(AB) or anyone who touches a human bone(AC) or a grave,(AD) will be unclean for seven days.(AE)

17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes(AF) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water(AG) over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,(AH) dip it in the water and sprinkle(AI) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave(AJ) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle(AK) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.(AL) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes(AM) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20 But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled(AN) the sanctuary of the Lord.(AO) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.(AP) 21 This is a lasting ordinance(AQ) for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22 Anything that an unclean(AR) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”

Water From the Rock

20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin,(AS) and they stayed at Kadesh.(AT) There Miriam(AU) died and was buried.

2 Now there was no water(AV) for the community,(AW) and the people gathered in opposition(AX) to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled(AY) with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead(AZ) before the Lord!(BA) 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness,(BB) that we and our livestock should die here?(BC) 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.(BD) And there is no water to drink!(BE)”

6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting(BF) and fell facedown,(BG) and the glory of the Lord(BH) appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff,(BI) and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.(BJ) You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

9 So Moses took the staff(BK) from the Lord’s presence,(BL) just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together(BM) in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”(BN) 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water(BO) gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy(BP) in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”(BQ)

13 These were the waters of Meribah,[a](BR) where the Israelites quarreled(BS) with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.(BT)

Edom Denies Israel Passage

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh(BU) to the king of Edom,(BV) saying:

“This is what your brother Israel says: You know(BW) about all the hardships(BX) that have come on us. 15 Our ancestors went down into Egypt,(BY) and we lived there many years.(BZ) The Egyptians mistreated(CA) us and our ancestors, 16 but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry(CB) and sent an angel(CC) and brought us out of Egypt.(CD)

“Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.(CE) 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.(CF)”

18 But Edom(CG) answered:

“You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.(CH)”

19 The Israelites replied:

“We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock(CI) drink any of your water, we will pay for it.(CJ) We only want to pass through on foot—nothing else.”

20 Again they answered:

“You may not pass through.(CK)”

Then Edom(CL) came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory,(CM) Israel turned away from them.(CN)

The Death of Aaron

22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh(CO) and came to Mount Hor.(CP) 23 At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom,(CQ) the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people.(CR) He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command(CS) at the waters of Meribah.(CT) 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.(CU) 26 Remove Aaron’s garments(CV) and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people;(CW) he will die there.”

27 Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor(CX) in the sight of the whole community. 28 Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar.(CY) And Aaron died there(CZ) on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29 and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died,(DA) all the Israelites mourned for him(DB) thirty days.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 20:13 Meribah means quarreling.
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