Census of a New Generation

26 [a]Then it came about after the (A)plague, [b]that the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, (B)Take a [c]census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ households, whoever is able to go to war in Israel.” So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them (C)in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, Take a census of the people from twenty years old and upward, as the Lord has commanded Moses.”

Now the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were as follows:

Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. These are the families of the Reubenites, and those who were counted of them were (D)43,730. The son of Pallu: Eliab. The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were (E)called by the congregation, who fought against Moses and against Aaron in the group of Korah, when they fought against the Lord, 10 and (F)the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that group died, (G)when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning sign. 11 (H)The sons of Korah, however, did not die.

12 The sons of Simeon by their families: of [d]Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of [e]Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; 13 of [f]Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. 14 These are the families of the Simeonites, (I)22,200 in number.

15 The sons of Gad by their families: of [g]Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; 16 of [h]Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; 17 of [i]Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites. 18 These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered of them, (J)40,500.

19 The (K)sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20 The (L)sons of Judah by their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites. 21 The sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. 22 These are the families of Judah by those who were numbered of them, (M)76,500.

23 The (N)sons of Issachar by their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of [j]Puvah, the family of the Punites; 24 of [k]Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 25 These are the families of Issachar by those who were numbered of them, (O)64,300.

26 The (P)sons of Zebulun by their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. 27 These are the families of the Zebulunites by those who were numbered of them, (Q)60,500.

28 The (R)sons of Joseph by their families: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and (S)Machir fathered Gilead: of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. 30 These are the sons of Gilead: of [l]Iezer, the family of the (T)Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites; 31 and of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; 32 and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, only daughters; and (U)the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were (V)52,700.

35 These are the sons of Ephraim by their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of [m]Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36 These are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37 These are the families of the sons of Ephraim by those who were numbered of them, (W)32,500. These are the sons of Joseph by their families.

38 The sons of Benjamin by their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of [n]Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; 39 of [o]Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of [p]Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 40 The sons of Bela were [q]Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. 41 These are the sons of Benjamin by their families; and those who were numbered of them were (X)45,600.

42 These are the sons of Dan by their families: of [r]Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan by their families. 43 All the families of the Shuhamites, by those who were numbered of them, were (Y)64,400.

44 The (Z)sons of Asher by their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. 45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. 46 And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47 These are the families of the sons of Asher by those who were numbered of them, (AA)53,400.

48 The (AB)sons of Naphtali by their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; 49 of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of (AC)Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 50 These are the families of Naphtali by their families; and those who were numbered of them were (AD)45,400.

51 These are the ones who were numbered of the sons of Israel, (AE)601,730.

52 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 53 [s]Among these the land shall be divided as an inheritance according to the number of names. 54 (AF)To a larger group you shall increase their inheritance, and to a smaller group you shall decrease their inheritance; each shall be given their inheritance corresponding to the total of those who were numbered of them. 55 But the land shall be (AG)divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. 56 Corresponding to the selection by lot, their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller groups.”

57 (AH)These are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. 58 These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, and the family of the Korahites. (AI)Kohath fathered Amram. 59 And the name of Amram’s wife (AJ)was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 (AK)And to Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 (AL)But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered [t]strange fire before the Lord. 62 Those who were numbered of them were (AM)twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and upward, for (AN)they were not numbered among the sons of Israel (AO)since no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel.

63 These are the ones who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64 (AP)But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said [u]of them, “(AQ)They shall certainly die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them, (AR)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

A Law of Inheritance

27 Then (AS)the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came forward; and these are (AT)the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, before the leaders, and all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father (AU)died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the group of those who gathered together against the Lord, in the group of Korah; but he died in his own sin, and (AV)he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family simply because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s brothers.” (AW)So Moses brought their case before the Lord.

Then the Lord said to [v]Moses, (AX)The daughters of Zelophehad are right about their statements. You shall certainly give them hereditary property among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them. Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall take possession of it; and it shall be a (AY)statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the Lord has commanded Moses.’”

12 (AZ)Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up to this (BA)mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you too (BB)will be gathered to your people, (BC)just as Aaron your brother [w]was; 14 for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, (BD)you rebelled against My [x]command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

Joshua to Succeed Moses

15 Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, 16 (BE)May the Lord, the God of the spirits of [y]humanity, appoint a man over the congregation, 17 who (BF)will go out [z]and come in before them, and lead them out and [aa]bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be (BG)like sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “[ab]Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man (BH)in whom is the Spirit, and (BI)lay your hand on him; 19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and (BJ)commission him in their sight. 20 And you shall put some of your [ac]authority on him, so that all the congregation of the sons of Israel will obey him. 21 Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him (BK)by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his [ad]command they shall go out, and at his [ae]command they shall come in, both he and all the sons of Israel with him, all the congregation.” 22 Then Moses did just as the Lord commanded him; he took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and (BL)commissioned him, just as the Lord had spoken [af]through Moses.

Laws for Offerings

28 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be careful to present to Me My offering, My (BM)food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.’ (BN)And you shall say to them, ‘This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day. You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer [ag]at twilight; also (BO)a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a (BP)grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a [ah]hin of pure oil. It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained on Mount Sinai as a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. Then the drink offering with it shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb; (BQ)in the Holy Place pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the Lord. The other lamb you shall offer [ai]at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord.

‘Then on the Sabbath day two male lambs one year old without defect, and two-tenths of an [aj]ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering: 10 This is the burnt offering of every Sabbath in addition to the (BR)continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

11 ‘Then (BS)at the beginning of each of your months you shall present a burnt offering to the Lord: two [ak]bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 12 (BT)and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, for each bull; and two-tenths of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, for the one ram; 13 and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each lamb, as a burnt offering of a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord. 14 Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull and a third of a hin for the ram and a fourth of a hin for a lamb; this is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year. 15 And one male goat as a sin offering to the Lord; it shall be offered with its drink offering in addition to the (BU)continual burnt offering.

16 (BV)The Lords Passover shall be on the fourteenth day of the first month. 17 (BW)On the fifteenth day of this month there shall be a (BX)feast; unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days. 18 On the (BY)first day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall do no laborious work. 19 But you shall present an offering by fire, a burnt offering to the Lord: two [al]bulls and one ram, and seven male lambs one year old, that you have (BZ)without defect. 20 For their grain offering, you shall offer fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for a bull, and two-tenths for the ram. 21 A tenth of an ephah you shall offer for [am]each of the seven lambs; 22 and one male goat as a (CA)sin offering to make atonement for you. 23 You shall present these besides (CB)the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. 24 In this way you shall present daily, for seven days, (CC)the food of the offering by fire, of a soothing aroma to the Lord; it shall be presented with its drink offering in addition to the (CD)continual burnt offering. 25 On the seventh day you shall have a holy assembly; (CE)you shall do no laborious work.

26 ‘Also on (CF)the day of the first fruits, when you present a new grain offering to the Lord in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy assembly; (CG)you shall do no laborious work. 27 But you shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the Lord: two bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old; 28 and as their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 29 and a tenth for [an]each of the seven lambs; 30 also one male goat to make atonement for you. 31 (CH)Besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, you shall present them with their drink offerings. They shall be without [ao]defect.

Offerings of the Seventh Month

29 (CI)Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy assembly; (CJ)you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. And you shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the Lord: one [ap]bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an [aq]ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, and a tenth for [ar]each of the seven lambs, and one male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for you, (CK)besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the (CL)continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.

‘Then on (CM)the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy assembly, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work. You shall present a burnt offering to the Lord as a soothing aroma: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old, that you have (CN)without defect; and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10 and a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11 one male goat as a sin offering, besides (CO)the sin offering of atonement and (CP)the continual burnt offering, and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

12 ‘Then on (CQ)the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy assembly; you (CR)shall do no laborious work, and you shall celebrate with a feast to the Lord for seven days. 13 You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the Lord: thirteen bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs one year old, which are without defect; 14 and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for [as]each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for [at]each of the two rams, 15 and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16 and one male goat as a sin offering, (CS)besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

17 ‘Then on (CT)the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 18 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number (CU)according to the ordinance; 19 and one male goat as a sin offering, (CV)besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

20 ‘Then on the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 21 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 22 and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and its drink offering.

23 ‘Then on the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 24 their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 25 and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

26 ‘Then on the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs one year old (CW)without defect; 27 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 28 and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and its drink offering.

29 ‘Then on the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 30 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 31 and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offerings.

32 ‘Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 33 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 34 and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

35 (CX)On the eighth day you shall have a sacred assembly; you shall do no laborious work. 36 But you shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; 37 their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 38 and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and its drink offering.

39 ‘You shall present these to the Lord at your (CY)appointed times, besides your vowed offerings and your [au]voluntary offerings, for your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.’” 40 [av]And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Law of Vows

30 [aw]Then Moses spoke to (CZ)the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the word which the Lord has commanded: (DA)If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to [ax]put himself under a binding obligation, he shall not break his word; he shall act in accordance with everything that comes out of his mouth.

“And if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and puts herself under a binding obligation in her father’s house in her youth, and her father hears her vow and her obligation under which she has put herself, and her father [ay]says nothing to her, then all her vows shall [az]remain valid and every binding obligation under which she has put herself shall [ba]remain valid. But if her father expresses disapproval to her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations under which she has put herself shall remain valid; and the Lord will [bb]forgive her because her father has expressed disapproval to her.

“However, if she happens to [bc]marry while [bd]under her vows or the impulsive statement of her lips by which she has obligated herself, and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall remain valid and her binding obligations under which she has put herself shall remain valid. But if on the day her husband hears of it, he expresses disapproval to her, then he will annul her vow which [be]she is under and the impulsive statement of her lips by which she has obligated herself; and the Lord will [bf]forgive her.

“But as for the vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, every binding obligation under which she has put herself, shall remain valid against her. 10 However, if a married woman vowed in her husband’s house, or put herself under a binding obligation with an oath, 11 and her husband heard it, but said nothing to her and did not express disapproval to her, then all her vows shall remain valid and every binding obligation under which she put herself shall remain valid. 12 But if her husband actually annuls them on the day he hears them, then no utterance from her lips concerning her vows or the obligation she put on herself shall remain valid; her husband has annulled them, and the Lord will [bg]forgive her.

13 “Every vow and every binding oath to humble herself, her husband may confirm it or her husband may annul it. 14 But if her husband in fact says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her binding obligations which are on her; he has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard them. 15 However, if he actually annuls them [bh]after he has heard them, then he shall bear the responsibility for her guilt.”

16 These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses concerning matters between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter while she is in her youth in her father’s house.

The Slaughter of Midian

31 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (DB)Take vengeance on the Midianites for the sons of Israel; afterward you will be (DC)gathered to your people.” So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, so that they may [bi]go against Midian to execute (DD)the Lords vengeance on Midian. You shall send a thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel to the war.” So there were selected from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. And Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, (DE)and the holy implements and (DF)the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. So they made war against Midian, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and (DG)they killed every male. They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of those killed: (DH)Evi, Rekem, (DI)Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed (DJ)Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. And the sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and they plundered all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their property. 10 Then they [bj]burned all their cities where they lived and all their encampments. 11 And (DK)they took all the plunder and all the spoils, both of people and of livestock. 12 They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab which are by the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

13 And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp. 14 But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 And Moses said to them, “Have you [bk]spared (DL)all the women? 16 (DM)Behold, they caused the sons of Israel, through the [bl]counsel of (DN)Balaam, to be unfaithful to the Lord in the matter of Peor, so that the plague took place among the congregation of the Lord! 17 (DO)Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man [bm]intimately. 18 However, all the [bn]girls who have not known a [bo]man intimately, keep alive for yourselves. 19 (DP)And as for you, camp outside the camp for seven days; whoever has killed a person and whoever has touched anyone killed, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day. 20 And you shall purify for yourselves every garment, every article of leather, every work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, “This is the statute of the Law which the Lord has commanded Moses: 22 only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that can [bp]withstand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it will be clean, only it shall be purified with (DQ)water for impurity. But whatever cannot [bq]withstand the fire you shall pass through the water. 24 And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and you will be clean; and afterward you may enter the camp.”

Division of the Plunder

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation take a count of the spoils [br]that were captured, both of people and of livestock; 27 and (DR)divide the spoils between the warriors who went to battle and all the congregation. 28 Also, (DS)collect a tribute tax for the Lord from the men of war who went to battle, one [bs]in five hundred of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the sheep; 29 take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an [bt]offering to the Lord. 30 And from the sons of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn from every fifty of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the sheep, from all the animals; and give them to the Levites who (DT)perform the duty of the tabernacle of the Lord.” 31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

32 Now the spoils that remained from the plunder which the [bu]men of war had plundered was 675,000 sheep, 33 seventy-two thousand cattle, 34 sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35 and of captive people, of the women who had not known a [bv]man intimately, in all were thirty-two thousand people.

36 The half, the share of those who went to war, was as follows: the number of sheep was 337,500, 37 the Lords tribute tax of the sheep was 675; 38 the cattle were thirty-six thousand, from which the Lords tribute tax was seventy-two; 39 the donkeys were 30,500, from which the Lords tribute tax was sixty-one; 40 and the captive people were sixteen thousand, from whom the Lords tribute tax was thirty-two persons. 41 And Moses gave the tribute tax, which was the Lords offering, to Eleazar the priest, just (DU)as the Lord had commanded Moses.

42 As for the sons of Israel’s half, which Moses [bw]separated from the men who had gone to war— 43 now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, 44 thirty-six thousand cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and the captive people were sixteen thousand— 47 from the sons of Israel’s half Moses took one drawn from every fifty, both of people and of animals, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the tabernacle of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, approached Moses, 49 and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a census of the men of war who are [bx]under our authority, and no man of us is missing. 50 So we have brought as an offering to the Lord what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, (DV)to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” 51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of crafted articles. 52 All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels. 53 (DW)The men of war had taken plunder, every man for himself. 54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as (DX)a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord.

Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead

32 Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a (DY)very large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of (DZ)Jazer and the land of Gilead, that [by]it was indeed a place suitable for livestock, the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, (EA)Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land (EB)which the Lord [bz]conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our property; do not take us across the Jordan.”

But Moses said to the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, “Should your brothers go to war while you remain here? (EC)And why are you discouraging the [ca]sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from (ED)Kadesh-barnea to see the land. For when they went up to (EE)the [cb]Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the [cc]sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10 So (EF)the Lords anger burned on that day, and He swore, saying, 11 (EG)None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, 12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun; (EH)for they have followed the Lord fully.’ 13 (EI)So the Lords anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord came to an end. 14 Now behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, born of sinful men, to add still more to the burning (EJ)anger of the Lord against Israel. 15 For if you (EK)turn away from following Him, He will once more leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”

16 Then they approached him and said, “We will build sheepfolds for our livestock here and cities for our little ones; 17 (EL)but we ourselves will be armed, hurrying ahead of the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 (EM)We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has gained possession of his inheritance. 19 But we will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us (EN)on this side of the Jordan toward the east.”

20 (EO)So Moses said to them, “If you will do [cd]this, if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, 21 and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven His enemies out from Him, 22 (EP)and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be [ce]free of obligation toward the Lord and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours as property before the Lord. 23 But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure that (EQ)your sin will find you out. 24 Build yourselves cities for your little ones, and sheepfolds for your sheep, and (ER)do [cf]what you have promised.”

25 Then the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do just as my lord commands. 26 (ES)Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall [cg]remain there in the cities of Gilead, 27 while your servants, that is, everyone who is armed for war, (ET)cross over in the presence of the Lord to battle, just as my lord says.”

28 So Moses gave the command regarding them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ households of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, “If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, everyone who is armed for battle, cross with you over the Jordan in the presence of the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as their property; 30 but if they do not cross over with you armed, they shall instead be settled among you in the land of Canaan.” 31 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. 32 We ourselves will cross over armed in the presence of the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the property of our inheritance shall remain with us across the Jordan.”

33 (EU)So Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad, the sons of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the land with its cities with their [ch]territories, the cities of the surrounding land. 34 And the sons of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, (EV)Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 (EW)Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and sheepfolds for sheep. 37 The sons of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 (EX)Nebo, and Baal-meon—their names being changed—and Sibmah, and they gave other names to the cities which they built. 39 The sons of (EY)Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 So Moses gave (EZ)Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it. 41 Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its [ci]towns, and called them [cj](FA)Havvoth-jair. 42 Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and named it Nobah, after (FB)his own name.

Review of the Journey from Egypt to Jordan

33 These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, by which they came out of the land of Egypt by their armies, [ck]under (FC)the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the [cl]command of the Lord, and these are their journeys according to their starting places. (FD)Now they journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the sons of Israel (FE)started out [cm]boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the Lord had fatally struck among them. The Lord had also executed judgments (FF)against their gods.

Then (FG)the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses and camped in Succoth. (FH)They journeyed from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. (FI)Then they journeyed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon; and they camped before Migdol. (FJ)They journeyed [cn]from Pi-hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness; and (FK)they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. (FL)They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. 10 They journeyed from Elim and camped by the [co]Red Sea. 11 And they journeyed from the [cp]Red Sea and camped in (FM)the wilderness of Sin. 12 They journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13 They journeyed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 And they journeyed from Alush and camped (FN)at Rephidim; now it was there that the people had no water to drink. 15 And they journeyed from Rephidim and camped in (FO)the wilderness of Sinai. 16 They journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai, and camped at (FP)Kibroth-hattaavah.

17 They journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at (FQ)Hazeroth. 18 They journeyed from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19 They journeyed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. 20 They journeyed from Rimmon-perez and camped at (FR)Libnah. 21 They journeyed from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 They journeyed from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah. 23 They journeyed from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 They journeyed from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 They journeyed from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 They journeyed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27 They journeyed from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28 They journeyed from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29 They journeyed from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 They journeyed from Hashmonah and camped at (FS)Moseroth. 31 They journeyed from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. 32 They journeyed from (FT)Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33 They journeyed from Hor-haggidgad and camped at (FU)Jotbathah. 34 They journeyed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35 They journeyed from Abronah and camped at (FV)Ezion-geber. 36 They journeyed from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of (FW)Zin, that is, Kadesh. 37 They journeyed from Kadesh and camped at (FX)Mount Hor, (FY)at the edge of the land of Edom.

38 (FZ)Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the [cq]command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come from the land of Egypt, on the first day in the fifth month. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40 Now the Canaanite, the king of (GA)Arad [cr]who lived in the [cs]Negev in the land of Canaan, heard about the coming of the sons of Israel.

41 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 They journeyed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 They journeyed from Punon and camped at (GB)Oboth. 44 They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, at the border of Moab. 45 They journeyed from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46 They journeyed from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47 They journeyed from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of (GC)Abarim, before Nebo. 48 They journeyed from the mountains of Abarim and (GD)camped in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as (GE)Abel-shittim, in the plains of Moab.

Law for Possessing the Land

50 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘(GF)When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from you, and (GG)destroy all their idolatrous sculptures, destroy all their cast metal images, and eliminate all their high places; 53 (GH)and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54 (GI)You shall maintain the land as an inheritance by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall pass on land as an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from you, then it will come about that those whom you let remain of them will be (GJ)like thorns in your eyes and like pricks in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. 56 And just as I plan to do to them, I will do to you.’”

Instruction for Apportioning Canaan

34 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter (GK)the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, that is, the land of Canaan according to its borders. (GL)Your southern region shall [ct]extend from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern border shall [cu]extend from the end of the Salt Sea (GM)eastward. Then your border shall change direction from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim and [cv]continue to Zin, and its [cw]termination shall be to the south of (GN)Kadesh-barnea; and it shall [cx]reach Hazaraddar and [cy]continue to Azmon. Then the border shall change direction from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at (GO)the sea.

‘As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea, that is, its [cz]coastline; this shall be your western border.

(GP)And this shall be your northern border: you shall draw your boundary from the Great Sea to Mount Hor. You shall draw a boundary from Mount Hor to (GQ)the [da]Lebo-hamath, and the termination of the border shall be at Zedad; and the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and its termination shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.

10 ‘For your eastern border you shall also draw a boundary from Hazar-enan to Shepham, 11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to (GR)Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down and reach to the slope on the east side of the Sea of (GS)Chinnereth. 12 And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its termination shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders on all sides.’”

13 So Moses commanded the sons of Israel, saying, “(GT)This is the land that you are to possess by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine and a half tribes. 14 (GU)For the tribe of the sons of Reuben have received theirs according to their fathers’ households, and the tribe of the sons of Gad according to their fathers’ households, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their possession. 15 The two and a half tribes have received their possession across the Jordan opposite Jericho, eastward toward the sunrise.”

16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 (GV)These are the names of the men who shall assign the land to you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 And you shall take one leader of each tribe to assign the land as an inheritance. 19 These are the names of the men: of the tribe of (GW)Judah, (GX)Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20 Of the tribe of the sons of (GY)Simeon, Samuel the son of Ammihud. 21 Of the tribe of (GZ)Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22 And of the tribe of the sons of Dan, a leader, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23 Of the sons of Joseph: of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, a leader, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24 Of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim, a leader, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan. 25 Of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun, a leader, Elizaphan the son of Parnach. 26 Of the tribe of the sons of Issachar, a leader, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27 Of the tribe of the sons of Asher, a leader, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28 Of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali, a leader, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.” 29 These are the ones whom the Lord commanded to apportion the inheritance to the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan.

Cities for the Levites

35 (HA)Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, “Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their equipment and for all their other animals.

“The pasture lands of the cities which you are to give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city [db]outward a thousand cubits around. You shall also measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.

Cities of Refuge

The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the (HB)six cities of refuge, which you shall provide for the one who commits manslaughter to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. The total number of the cities which you are to give to the Levites shall be (HC)forty-eight cities, [dc]together with their pasture lands. (HD)As for the cities which you shall give them from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger, and you shall take fewer from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his inheritance which he possesses.”

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 (HE)Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 (HF)then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your (HG)cities of refuge, so that the one who commits manslaughter by [dd]killing a person (HH)unintentionally may flee there. 12 (HI)The cities shall [de]serve you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who commits manslaughter does not die until he stands before the congregation for [df]trial. 13 So the cities which you are to provide shall be six cities of refuge for you. 14 You (HJ)shall provide three cities across the Jordan, and three cities [dg]in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be a refuge for the sons of Israel, for the stranger, and for the foreign resident among them; so that anyone who [dh]kills a person (HK)unintentionally may flee there.

16 (HL)But if he struck him with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. 17 And if he struck him with a stone in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer (HM)must be put to death. 18 Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he would die, and as a result he did die, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. 19 The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he himself shall put him to death when he meets him. 20 Now (HN)if he pushed him in hatred, or he threw something at him [di](HO)with malicious intent, and as a result he died, 21 or if he struck him with his hand with hostility, and as a result he died, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22 (HP)But if he pushed him suddenly, without hostility, or threw any object at him without [dj]malicious intent, 23 or had any [dk]deadly stone, and without looking he dropped it on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor was he seeking [dl]to harm him, 24 then (HQ)the congregation shall judge between the one who fatally struck the victim and the blood avenger in accordance with these ordinances. 25 And the congregation shall save the one who committed manslaughter from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall return him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if at any time [dm]he goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he flees, 27 and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills [dn]him, he [do]will not be guilty of bloodshed, 28 because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the one who committed manslaughter may return to the land of his property.

29 ‘These things shall be a (HR)statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

30 (HS)If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the [dp]testimony of witnesses, but (HT)no person shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 31 Moreover, you shall not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is [dq]condemned to death, but he must be put to death. 32 And you shall not accept a ransom for one who has fled to his city of refuge, so that he may return to live in the land [dr]before the death of the priest. 33 (HU)So you shall not defile the land in which you live; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except (HV)by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 So you shall not (HW)defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which (HX)I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’”

Inheritance by Marriage

36 (HY)Now the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came forward and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, and they said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord (HZ)was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. But if they [ds]marry one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so it will be withdrawn from our allotted inheritance. And when the (IA)jubilee of the sons of Israel takes place, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so their inheritance will be withdrawn from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel in accordance with the [dt]word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph is right in its statements. (IB)This is [du]what the Lord has commanded regarding the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry [dv]whomever they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.’ So (IC)no inheritance of the sons of Israel will [dw]be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each [dx]retain possession of the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. (ID)And every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall marry one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel may each possess the inheritance of his fathers. So no inheritance will [dy]be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of the sons of Israel shall each [dz]retain possession of its own inheritance.”

10 Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did: 11 (IE)Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles’ sons. 12 They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance [ea]remained with the tribe of the family of their father.

13 (IF)These are the commandments and the ordinances which the Lord commanded to the sons of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 26:1 Ch 25:19 in Heb
  2. Numbers 26:1 Ch 26:1 in Heb
  3. Numbers 26:2 Lit sum
  4. Numbers 26:12 In Gen 46:10 and Ex 6:15, Jemuel
  5. Numbers 26:12 In 1 Chr 4:24, Jarib
  6. Numbers 26:13 In Gen 46:10, Zohar
  7. Numbers 26:15 In Gen 46:16, Ziphion
  8. Numbers 26:16 In Gen 46:16, Ezbon
  9. Numbers 26:17 In Gen 46:16, Arodi
  10. Numbers 26:23 In Gen 46:13, Puvvah; in 1 Chr 7:1, Puah
  11. Numbers 26:24 In Gen 46:13, Iob
  12. Numbers 26:30 In Josh 17:2, Abiezer
  13. Numbers 26:35 In 1 Chr 7:20, Bered
  14. Numbers 26:38 In Gen 46:21, Ehi; in 1 Chr 8:1, Aharah
  15. Numbers 26:39 In Gen 46:21, Muppim; in 1 Chr 7:12, Shuppim
  16. Numbers 26:39 In Gen 46:21, Huppim
  17. Numbers 26:40 In 1 Chr 8:3, Addar
  18. Numbers 26:42 In Gen 46:23, Hushim
  19. Numbers 26:53 Lit To
  20. Numbers 26:61 I.e., prohibited
  21. Numbers 26:65 Or to
  22. Numbers 27:6 Lit Moses, saying
  23. Numbers 27:13 Lit was gathered
  24. Numbers 27:14 Lit mouth
  25. Numbers 27:16 Lit all flesh
  26. Numbers 27:17 Lit before them and who will
  27. Numbers 27:17 Lit who will bring
  28. Numbers 27:18 Lit Take for yourself
  29. Numbers 27:20 Lit majesty
  30. Numbers 27:21 Lit mouth
  31. Numbers 27:21 Lit mouth
  32. Numbers 27:23 Lit by the hand of
  33. Numbers 28:4 Lit between the two evenings; i.e., the time between sunset and nightfall
  34. Numbers 28:5 About 1 gallon or 3.8 liters, and so throughout the ch
  35. Numbers 28:8 See note v 4
  36. Numbers 28:9 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters, and so throughout the ch
  37. Numbers 28:11 Lit bulls, sons of the herd
  38. Numbers 28:19 Lit bulls, sons of the herd
  39. Numbers 28:21 Lit each lamb of
  40. Numbers 28:29 Lit each lamb of
  41. Numbers 28:31 Lit defect to you
  42. Numbers 29:2 Lit bull, a son of the herd, and so throughout the ch
  43. Numbers 29:3 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters, and so throughout the ch
  44. Numbers 29:4 Lit each lamb, and so throughout the ch
  45. Numbers 29:14 Lit each bull of
  46. Numbers 29:14 Lit each ram of
  47. Numbers 29:39 Or freewill offerings
  48. Numbers 29:40 Ch 30:1 in Heb
  49. Numbers 30:1 Ch 30:2 in Heb
  50. Numbers 30:2 Lit bind on his soul, and similarly throughout the ch
  51. Numbers 30:4 Lit is silent to her, and so throughout the ch
  52. Numbers 30:4 Lit stand, and so throughout the ch
  53. Numbers 30:4 Lit stand, and so throughout the ch
  54. Numbers 30:5 I.e., for not fulfilling them
  55. Numbers 30:6 Lit become a husband’s
  56. Numbers 30:6 Lit her vows are on her
  57. Numbers 30:8 Lit is on her
  58. Numbers 30:8 I.e., for not fulfilling them
  59. Numbers 30:12 I.e., for not fulfilling them
  60. Numbers 30:15 I.e., perhaps a long delay before he annuls them
  61. Numbers 31:3 Lit be
  62. Numbers 31:10 Lit burned with fire
  63. Numbers 31:15 Lit let...live
  64. Numbers 31:16 Lit word
  65. Numbers 31:17 Lit in bed with a man
  66. Numbers 31:18 Lit children among the women
  67. Numbers 31:18 Lit man’s bed
  68. Numbers 31:23 Lit come into
  69. Numbers 31:23 Lit come into
  70. Numbers 31:26 Lit of captives
  71. Numbers 31:28 Lit soul from
  72. Numbers 31:29 Or uplifted offering, and so throughout the ch
  73. Numbers 31:32 Lit people
  74. Numbers 31:35 Lit man’s bed
  75. Numbers 31:42 Lit divided
  76. Numbers 31:49 Lit in our hand
  77. Numbers 32:1 Lit behold, the place, a place of
  78. Numbers 32:4 Lit struck
  79. Numbers 32:7 Lit heart of the sons
  80. Numbers 32:9 Or wadi
  81. Numbers 32:9 Lit heart of the sons
  82. Numbers 32:20 Lit this thing
  83. Numbers 32:22 Lit blameless toward
  84. Numbers 32:24 Lit that which has gone out of your mouth
  85. Numbers 32:26 Lit be
  86. Numbers 32:33 Lit borders
  87. Numbers 32:41 Lit tent villages
  88. Numbers 32:41 I.e., the towns of Jair
  89. Numbers 33:1 Lit by the hand
  90. Numbers 33:2 Lit mouth
  91. Numbers 33:3 Lit with a high hand
  92. Numbers 33:8 Many mss and some ancient versions; MT from before Hahiroth
  93. Numbers 33:10 Lit Sea of Reeds
  94. Numbers 33:11 Lit Sea of Reeds
  95. Numbers 33:38 Lit mouth
  96. Numbers 33:40 Lit and he
  97. Numbers 33:40 I.e., South country
  98. Numbers 34:3 Lit be
  99. Numbers 34:3 Lit be
  100. Numbers 34:4 Lit pass along
  101. Numbers 34:4 Lit exits, and so throughout the ch
  102. Numbers 34:4 Lit go forth to
  103. Numbers 34:4 Lit pass along
  104. Numbers 34:6 Lit border
  105. Numbers 34:8 Or entrance of Hamath
  106. Numbers 35:4 Lit and outward
  107. Numbers 35:7 Lit them together with
  108. Numbers 35:11 Lit fatally striking
  109. Numbers 35:12 Lit be to you
  110. Numbers 35:12 Lit judgment
  111. Numbers 35:14 Lit you shall give in
  112. Numbers 35:15 Lit strikes
  113. Numbers 35:20 Lit in pursuit
  114. Numbers 35:22 Lit pursuit
  115. Numbers 35:23 Lit stone by which he would die
  116. Numbers 35:23 Lit his harm
  117. Numbers 35:26 Lit the one who committed manslaughter
  118. Numbers 35:27 Lit the one who committed manslaughter
  119. Numbers 35:27 Lit he has no bloodguilt
  120. Numbers 35:30 Lit mouth
  121. Numbers 35:31 Lit guilty
  122. Numbers 35:32 Or until
  123. Numbers 36:3 Lit become wives to, and so throughout the ch
  124. Numbers 36:5 Lit mouth
  125. Numbers 36:6 Lit the word which
  126. Numbers 36:6 Lit the good one in their eyes
  127. Numbers 36:7 Lit turn about
  128. Numbers 36:7 Lit cling to
  129. Numbers 36:9 Lit turn about
  130. Numbers 36:9 Lit cling to
  131. Numbers 36:12 Lit was to the

26 After the plague had ended, Jehovah said to Moses and to Eleazar (son of Aaron the priest), “Take a census of all the men of Israel who are twenty years old or older, to find out how many of each tribe and clan are able to go to war.”

3-4 So Moses and Eleazar issued census instructions to the leaders of Israel. (The entire nation was camped in the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.) Here are the results of the census:

5-11 The tribe of Reuben: 43,730.

(Reuben was Israel’s oldest son.) In this tribe were the following clans, named after Reuben’s sons:

The Hanochites, named after their ancestor Hanoch.

The Palluites, named after their ancestor Pallu. (In the subclan of Eliab—who was one of the sons of Pallu—were the families of Nemuel, Abiram, and Dathan. This Dathan and Abiram were the two leaders who conspired with Korah against Moses and Aaron, and in fact challenged the very authority of God! But the earth opened and swallowed them; and 250 men were destroyed by fire from the Lord that day, as a warning to the entire nation.)

The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron.

The Carmites, named after their ancestor Carmi.

12-14 The tribe of Simeon: 22,200.

In this tribe were the following clans, founded by Simeon’s sons:

The Nemuelites, named after their ancestor Nemuel.

The Jaminites, named after their ancestor Jamin.

The Jachinites, named after their ancestor Jachin.

The Zerahites, named after their ancestor Zerah.

The Shaulites, named after their ancestor Shaul.

15-18 The tribe of Gad: 40,500.

In this tribe were the following clans founded by the sons of Gad:

The Zephonites, named after their ancestor Zephon.

The Haggites, named after their ancestor Haggi.

The Shunites, named after their ancestor Shuni.

The Oznites, named after their ancestor Ozni.

The Erites, named after their ancestor Eri.

The Arodites, named after their ancestor Arod.

The Arelites, named after their ancestor Areli.

19-22 The tribe of Judah: 76,500.

In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Judah—but not including Er and Onan who died in the land of Canaan:

The Shelanites, named after their ancestor Shelah.

The Perezites, named after their ancestor Perez.

The Zerahites, named after their ancestor Zerah.

This census also included the subclans of Perez:

The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron.

The Hamulites, named after their ancestor Hamul.

23-25 The tribe of Issachar: 64,300.

In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Issachar:

The Tolaites, named after their ancestor Tola.

The Punites, named after their ancestor Puvah.

The Jashubites, named after their ancestor Jashub.

The Shimronites, named after their ancestor Shimron.

26-27 The tribe of Zebulun: 60,500.

In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Zebulun:

The Seredites, named after their ancestor Sered.

The Elonites, named after their ancestor Elon.

The Jahleelites, named after their ancestor Jahleel.

28-37 The tribe of Joseph: 32,500 in the half-tribe of Ephraim; and 52,700 in the half-tribe of Manasseh.

In the half-tribe of Manasseh was the clan of Machirites, named after their ancestor Machir.

The subclan of the Machirites was the Gileadites, named after their ancestor Gilead.

The tribes of the Gileadites:

The Jezerites, named after their ancestor Jezer.

The Helekites, named after their ancestor Helek.

The Asrielites, named after their ancestor Asriel.

The Shechemites, named after their ancestor Shechem.

The Shemidaites, named after their ancestor Shemida.

The Hepherites, named after their ancestor Hepher. (Hepher’s son, Zelophehad, had no sons. Here are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, Tirzah.)

The 32,500 registered in the half-tribe of Ephraim included the following clans, named after the sons of Ephraim:

The Shuthelahites, named after their ancestor Shuthelah. (A subclan of the Shuthelahites was the Eranites, named after their ancestor Eran, a son of Shuthelah.)

The Becherites, named after their ancestor Becher.

The Tahanites, named after their ancestor Tahan.

38-41 The tribe of Benjamin: 45,600.

In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Benjamin:

The Belaites, named after their ancestor Bela.

Subclans named after sons of Bela were:

The Ardites, named after their ancestor Ard.

The Naamites, named after their ancestor Naaman.

The Ashbelites, named after their ancestor Ashbel.

The Ahiramites, named after their ancestor Ahiram.

The Shuphamites, named after their ancestor Shephupham.

The Huphamites, named after their ancestor Hupham.

42-43 The tribe of Dan: 64,400.

In this tribe was the clan of the Shuhamites, named after Shuham, the son of Dan.

44-47 The tribe of Asher: 53,400.

In this tribe were the following clans named after the sons of Asher:

The Imnites, named after their ancestor Imnah.

The Ishvites, named after their ancestor Ishvi.

The Beriites, named after their ancestor Beriah.

Subclans named after the sons of Beriah were:

The Heberites, named after their ancestor Heber.

The Malchielites, named after their ancestor Malchiel.

Asher also had a daughter named Serah.

48-50 The tribe of Naphtali: 45,400.

In this tribe were the following clans, named after the sons of Naphtali:

The Jahzeelites, named after their ancestor Jahzeel.

The Gunites, named after their ancestor Guni.

The Jezerites, named after their ancestor Jezer.

The Shillemites, named after their ancestor Shillem.

51 So the total number of the men of draft age throughout Israel was 601,730.

52-53 Then the Lord told Moses to divide the land among the tribes in proportion to their population, as indicated by the census— 54 the larger tribes to be given more land, the smaller tribes less land.

55-56 “Let the representatives of the larger tribes have a lottery, drawing for the larger sections,” the Lord instructed, “and let the smaller tribes draw for the smaller sections.”

57 These are the clans of the Levites numbered in the census:

The Gershonites, named after their ancestor Gershon.

The Kohathites, named after their ancestor Kohath.

The Merarites, named after their ancestor Merari.

58-59 These are the families of the tribe of Levi: the Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, the Korahites.

While Levi was in Egypt, a daughter, Jochebed, was born to him and she became the wife of Amram, son of Kohath. They were the parents of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. 60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized incense before the Lord.

62 The total number of Levites in the census was 23,000, counting all the males a month old and upward. But the Levites were not included in the total census figure of the people of Israel, for the Levites were given no land when it was divided among the tribes.

63 So these are the census figures as prepared by Moses and Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 64-65 Not one person in this entire census had been counted in the previous census[a] taken in the wilderness of Sinai! For all who had been counted then had died, as the Lord had decreed when he said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” The only exceptions were Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).

27 1-2 One day the daughters of Zelophehad came to the entrance of the Tabernacle to give a petition to Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and others who were there. The names of these women were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They were members of the half-tribe of Manasseh (a son of Joseph). Their ancestor was Machir, son of Manasseh. Manasseh’s son Gilead was their great-grandfather, his son Hepher was their grandfather, and his son Zelophehad was their father.

3-4 “Our father died in the wilderness,” they said, “and he was not one of those who perished in Korah’s revolt against the Lord—it was a natural death, but he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear just because he had no son? We feel that we should be given property along with our father’s brothers.”

So Moses brought their case before the Lord.

6-7 And the Lord replied to Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad are correct. Give them land along with their uncles; give them the property that would have been given to their father if he had lived. Moreover, this is a general law among you, that if a man dies and has no sons, then his inheritance shall be passed on to his daughters. And if he has no daughter, it shall belong to his brothers. 10 And if he has no brother, then it shall go to his uncles. 11 But if he has no uncles, then it shall go to the nearest relative.”

12 One day the Lord said to Moses, “Go up into Mount Abarim and look across the river to the land I have given to the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you shall die as Aaron your brother did, 14 for you rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you did not glorify me[b] before them by following my instructions to order water to come out of the rock.” He was referring to the incident at the waters of Meribah (“Place of Strife”) in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.

15 Then Moses said to the Lord, 16 “O Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all mankind, before I am taken away[c] please appoint a new leader for the people, 17 a man who will lead them into battle and care for them, so that the people of the Lord will not be as sheep without a shepherd.”

18 The Lord replied, “Go and get Joshua (son of Nun), who has the Spirit in him, 19 and take him to Eleazar the priest, and as all the people watch, charge him with the responsibility of leading the people. 20 Publicly give him your authority so that all the people of Israel will obey him. 21 He shall be the one to consult with Eleazar the priest in order to get directions from the Lord. The Lord will speak to Eleazar through the use of the Urim, and Eleazar will pass on these instructions to Joshua and the people. In this way the Lord will continue to give them guidance.”

22 So Moses did as Jehovah commanded and took Joshua to Eleazar the priest. As the people watched, 23 Moses laid his hands upon him and dedicated him to his responsibilities, as the Lord had commanded.

28 1-2 The Lord gave Moses these instructions to give to the people of Israel: “The offerings which you burn on the altar for me are my food, and are a pleasure to me; so see to it that they are brought regularly and are offered as I have instructed you.

“When you make offerings by fire, you shall use yearling male lambs—each without defect. Two of them shall be offered each day as a regular burnt offering. One lamb shall be sacrificed in the morning, the other in the evening. With them shall be offered a grain offering of three quarts of finely ground flour mixed with three pints of oil. This is the burnt offering ordained at Mount Sinai, to be regularly offered as a fragrant odor, an offering made by fire to the Lord. Along with it shall be the drink offering, consisting of three pints of strong wine with each lamb, poured out in the holy place before the Lord. Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and drink offering. It too is a fragrant odor to the Lord, an offering made by fire.

9-10 “On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two yearling male lambs—both without defect—in addition to the regular offerings. They are to be accompanied by a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil, and the usual drink offering.

11 “Also, on the first day of each month there shall be an extra burnt offering to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs—all without defect. 12 Accompany them with nine quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull; and six quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for the ram; 13 and for each lamb, three quarts of finely ground flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. This burnt offering shall be presented by fire and will please the Lord very much. 14 Along with each sacrifice shall be a drink offering—six pints of wine with each bull, four pints for a ram, and three pints for a lamb. This, then, will be the burnt offering each month throughout the year.

15 “Also on the first day of each month you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord. This is in addition to the regular daily burnt offering and its drink offering.

16 “On April first[d] you shall celebrate the Passover—when the death angel passed over the oldest sons of the Israelites in Egypt, leaving them unharmed. 17 On the following day a great, joyous seven-day festival will begin, but no leavened bread shall be served. 18 On the first day of the festival all the people shall be called together before the Lord. No hard work shall be done on that day. 19 You shall offer as burnt sacrifices to the Lord two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs—all without defect. 20-21 With each bull there shall be a grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram there shall be six quarts; and with each of the seven lambs there shall be three quarts of fine flour. 22 You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for yourselves. 23 These offerings shall be in addition to the usual daily sacrifices. 24 This same sacrifice shall be offered on each of the seven days of the feast; they will be very pleasant to the Lord. 25 On the seventh day there shall again be a holy and solemn assembly of all the people, and during that day you may do no hard work.

26 “On the first day of the Harvest Festival[e] all the people must come before the Lord for a special, solemn assembly to celebrate the new harvest. On that day you are to present the first of the new crop of grain as a grain offering to the Lord; there is to be no regular work by anyone on that day. 27 A special burnt offering, very pleasant to the Lord, shall be offered that day. It shall consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs. 28-29 These shall be accompanied by your grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil with each bull, six quarts with the ram, and three quarts with each of the seven lambs. 30 Also offer one male goat to make atonement for yourselves. 31 These special offerings are in addition to the regular daily burnt offerings and grain offerings and drink offerings. Make sure that the animals you sacrifice are without defect.

29 “The Festival of Trumpets shall be celebrated on the fifteenth day of September[f] each year; there shall be a solemn assembly of all the people on that day, and no hard work may be done. On that day you shall offer a burnt sacrifice consisting of one young bull, one ram, and seven yearling male lambs—all without defect. These are sacrifices which the Lord will appreciate and enjoy. 3-4 A grain offering of nine quarts of fine flour mingled with oil shall be offered with the bull, six quarts with the ram, and three quarts with each of the seven lambs. In addition, there shall be a male goat sacrificed as a sin offering, to make atonement for you. These special sacrifices are in addition to the regular monthly burnt offering for that day,[g] and also in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, which are to be offered with the respective grain offerings and drink offerings, as specified by the ordinances governing them.

“Ten days later[h] another convocation of all the people shall be held. This will be a day of solemn humility before the Lord, and no work of any kind may be done. On that day you shall offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord—it will be very pleasant to him—of one young bull, one ram, seven yearling male lambs—each without defect— 9-10 and their accompanying grain offerings. Nine quarts of fine flour mixed with oil are to be offered with the bull, six with the ram, and three with each of the seven lambs. 11 You are also to sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of the Day of Atonement offered annually on that day,[i] and in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and drink offerings.

12 “Five days later[j] there shall be yet another assembly of all the people, and on that day no hard work shall be done; it is the beginning of a seven-day festival before the Lord. 13 Your special burnt sacrifice that day, which will give much pleasure to the Lord, shall be thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs—each without defect— 14 accompanied by the usual grain offerings—nine quarts of fine flour mingled with oil for each of the thirteen young bulls; six quarts for each of the two rams; 15 and three quarts for each of the fourteen lambs. 16 There must also be a male goat sacrificed for a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifice with its accompanying grain offerings and drink offerings.

17 “On the second day of this seven-day festival you shall sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs—each without defect— 18 accompanied by the usual grain offerings and drink offerings. 19 Also, in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifice, you are to sacrifice a male goat with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering for a sin offering.

20 “On the third day of the festival, offer eleven young bulls, two rams, fourteen male yearling lambs—each without defect— 21 and the usual grain offering and drink offering with each sacrifice. 22 And in addition to the regular daily burnt sacrifices, sacrifice a male goat for a sin offering, with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

23 “On the fourth day of the festival, you are to sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs—each without defect— 24 each with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering; 25 also a male goat as a sin offering (along with the usual grain and drink offerings) in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.

26-27 “On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs—each without defect—accompanied by the usual grain offerings and drink offerings; 28 also sacrifice a male goat with the usual grain and drink offerings, as a special sin offering, in addition to the usual daily sacrifices.

29 “On the sixth day of the festival, you must sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs—each without defect— 30 along with their usual grain and drink offerings. 31 In addition to the usual daily sacrifices, sacrifice a male goat and the usual grain and drink offerings as a sin offering.

32 “On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male yearling lambs—each without defect— 33 each with its customary grain and drink offerings; 34 also sacrifice an extra sin offering of one male goat, with the usual grain and drink offerings, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.

35 “On the eighth day summon the people to another solemn assembly; you must do no hard work that day. 36 Sacrifice a burnt offering—they are very pleasant to the Lord—of one young bull, one ram, seven male yearling lambs—each without defect— 37 and the customary grain and drink offerings. 38 Sacrifice also one male goat with the usual grain and drink offerings for a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices. 39 These offerings are compulsory at the times of your annual feasts, and are in addition to sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as freewill offerings, burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, drink offerings, or peace offerings.”

40 So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel.

30 1-2 Now Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes and told them, “The Lord has commanded that when anyone makes a promise to the Lord, either to do something or to quit doing something, that vow must not be broken: the person making the vow must do exactly as he has promised.

“If a woman promises the Lord to do or not do something, and she is still a girl at home in her father’s home, and her father hears that she has made a vow with penalties, but says nothing, then her vow shall stand. But if her father refuses to let her make the vow, or feels that the penalties she has agreed to are too harsh, then her promise will automatically become invalid. Her father must state his disagreement on the first day he hears about it; and then Jehovah will forgive her because her father would not let her do it.

“If she takes a vow or makes a foolish pledge, and later marries, and her husband learns of her vow and says nothing on the day he hears of it, her vow shall stand. But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or foolish pledge, his disagreement makes it void, and Jehovah will forgive her.

“But if the woman is a widow or is divorced, she must fulfill her vow.

10 “If she is married and living in her husband’s home when she makes the vow, 11 and her husband hears of it and does nothing, the vow shall stand; 12 but if he refuses to allow it on the first day he hears of it, her vow is void and Jehovah will forgive her. 13 So her husband may either confirm or nullify her vow, 14 but if he says nothing for a day, then he has already agreed to it. 15 If he waits more than a day and then refuses to permit the vow, whatever penalties to which she agreed shall come upon him—he shall be responsible.”

16 These, then, are the commandments the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife and between a father and his daughter who is living at home.

31 1-2 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take vengeance on the Midianites for leading you into idolatry, and then you must die.”

Moses said to the people, “Some of you must take arms to wage Jehovah’s war against Midian. 4-5 Conscript 1,000 men from each tribe.” So this was done; and out of the many thousands of Israel, 12,000 armed men were sent to battle by Moses. Phinehas (son of Eleazar the priest) led them into battle, accompanied by the Ark,[k] with trumpets blaring. And every man of Midian was killed. Among those killed were all five of the Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. Balaam, the son of Beor, was also killed.

9-11 Then the Israeli army took as captives all the women and children, and seized the cattle and flocks and a lot of miscellaneous booty. All of the cities, towns, and villages of Midian were then burned. 12 The captives and other war loot were brought to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the rest of the people of Israel who were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the people went out to meet the victorious army, 14 but Moses was very angry with the army officers and battalion leaders.

15 “Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded. 16 “These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to worship idols on Mount Peor, and they are the cause of the plague that destroyed us. 17 Now kill all the boys and all the women who have had sexual intercourse. 18 Only the little girls may live; you may keep them for yourselves. 19 Now stay outside of the camp for seven days, all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body. Then purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days. 20 Remember also to purify all your garments and everything made of leather, goat’s hair, or wood.”

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, “This is the commandment Jehovah has given Moses: 22 ‘Anything that will stand heat—such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead— 23 shall be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure; it must then be further purified with the purification water. But anything that won’t stand heat shall be purified by the water alone.’ 24 On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified, and then you may come back into the camp.”

25 And the Lord said to Moses, 26 “You and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the tribes are to make a list of all the loot, including the people and animals; 27 then divide it into two parts. Half of it is for the men who were in the battle, and the other half is to be given to the people of Israel. 28 But first, the Lord gets a share of all the captives, oxen, donkeys, and flocks kept by the army. His share is one out of every five hundred. 29 Give this share to Eleazar the priest to be presented to the Lord by the gesture of waving before the altar. 30 Also levy a 2 percent tribute of all the captives, flocks, and cattle that are given to the people of Israel. Present this to the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle, for it is the Lord’s portion.”

31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded. 32-35 The total booty (besides the jewelry, clothing, etc., which the soldiers kept for themselves) was 675,000 sheep; 72,000 oxen; 61,000 donkeys; and 32,000 young girls.

36-40 So the half given to the army totaled: 337,500 sheep (of which 675 were given to the Lord); 36,000 oxen (of which 72 were given to the Lord); 30,500 donkeys (of which 61 were given to the Lord); 16,000 girls (of whom 32 went to the Levites[l]).

41 All of the Lord’s portion was given to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had directed Moses.

42-46 The half of the booty assigned to the people of Israel—Moses had separated it from the half belonging to the warriors—amounted to: 337,500 sheep, 36,000 oxen, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 girls.

47 In accordance with the Lord’s directions, Moses gave 2 percent of these to the Levites.

48-49 Then the officers and battalion leaders came to Moses and said, “We have accounted for all the men who went out to battle, and not one of us is missing! 50 So we have brought a special thank offering to the Lord from our loot—gold jewelry, bracelets, anklets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This is to make atonement for our souls before the Lord.”

51-52 Moses and Eleazar the priest received this special offering from the captains and battalion leaders and company commanders, and found its total value to be more than $300,000. 53 (The soldiers had also kept personal loot for themselves.) 54 The offering was taken into the Tabernacle and kept there before the Lord as a memorial of the people of Israel.

32 When Israel arrived in the land of Jazar and Gilead, the tribes of Reuben and Gad (who had large flocks of sheep) noticed what wonderful sheep country it was. So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the other tribal leaders and said, 3-4 “The Lord has used Israel to destroy the population of this whole countryside—Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. And it is all wonderful sheep country, ideal for our flocks. Please let us have this land as our portion instead of the land on the other side of the Jordan River.”

“You mean you want to sit here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?” Moses demanded. “Are you trying to discourage the rest of the people from going across to the land that the Lord has given them? This is the same kind of thing your fathers did! I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, but when they finished their survey and returned from the valley of Eshcol, they discouraged the people from going on into the Promised Land. 10-11 And the Lord’s anger was hot against them, and he swore that of all those he had rescued from Egypt, no one over twenty years of age would ever see the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they had refused to do what he wanted them to.

12 “The only exceptions were Caleb (son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite) and Joshua (son of Nun)—for they wholeheartedly followed the Lord and urged the people to go on into the Promised Land.

13 “The Lord made us wander back and forth in the wilderness for forty years until all that evil generation died. 14 But here you are, a brood of sinners doing exactly the same thing! Only there are more of you, so Jehovah’s anger against Israel will be even fiercer this time. 15 If you turn away from God like this, he will make the people stay even longer in the wilderness, and you will be responsible for destroying his people and bringing disaster to this entire nation!”

16 “Not at all!” they explained. “We will build sheepfolds for our flocks and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will go over armed, ahead of the rest of the people of Israel, until we have brought them safely to their inheritance. But first we will need to build walled cities here for our families, to keep them safe from attack by the local inhabitants. 18 We will not settle down here until all the people of Israel have received their inheritance. 19 We don’t want land on the other side of the Jordan; we would rather have it on this side, on the east.”

20 Then Moses said, “All right, if you will do what you have said and arm yourselves for Jehovah’s war, 21 and keep your troops across the Jordan until the Lord has driven out his enemies, 22 then, when the land is finally subdued before the Lord, you may return. Then you will have discharged your duty to the Lord and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the eastern side shall be your possession from the Lord. 23 But if you don’t do as you have said, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will catch up with you. 24 Go ahead and build cities for your families and sheepfolds for your sheep, and do all you have said.”

25 “We will follow your instructions exactly,” the people of Gad and Reuben replied. 26 “Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle shall stay here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But all of us who are conscripted will go over to battle for the Lord, just as you have said.”

28 So Moses gave his approval by saying to Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal leaders of Israel, 29 “If all the men of the tribes of Gad and Reuben who are conscripted for the Lord’s battles go with you over the Jordan, then, when the land is conquered, you must give them the land of Gilead; 30 but if they refuse, then they must accept land among the rest of you in the land of Canaan.”

31 The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, “As the Lord has commanded, so we will do— 32 we will follow the Lord fully armed into Canaan, but our own land shall be here on this side of the Jordan.”

33 So Moses assigned the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites, and of King Og of Bashan—all the land and cities—to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (son of Joseph).

34-36 The people of Gad built these cities: Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth-nimrah, Beth-haran. They were all fortified cities with sheepfolds.

37-38 The children of Reuben built the following cities: Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, Nebo, Baal-meon, Sibmah. (The Israelites later changed the names of some of these cities they had conquered and rebuilt.)

39 Then the clan of Machir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and drove out the Amorites who were living there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the Machirites, and they lived there. 41 The men of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, occupied many of the towns in Gilead, and changed the name of their area to Havroth-jair. 42 Meanwhile, a man named Nobah led an army[m] to Kenath and its surrounding villages, and occupied them, and he called the area Nobah, after his own name.

33 This is the itinerary of the nation of Israel from the time Moses and Aaron led them out of Egypt. Moses had written down their movements as the Lord had instructed him. 3-4 They left the city of Rameses, Egypt, on the first day of April,[n] the day after the night of the Passover. They left proudly, hurried along by the Egyptians who were burying all their eldest sons, killed by the Lord the night before. The Lord had certainly defeated all the gods of Egypt that night!

5-6 After leaving Rameses, they stayed in Succoth, Etham (at the edge of the wilderness), and Pihahiroth (near Baal-zephon, where they camped at the foot of Mount Migdol). From there they went through the middle of the Red Sea and on for three days into the wilderness of Etham, camping at Marah.

Leaving Marah, they came to Elim, where there are twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; they stayed there for quite a long time.

10 Leaving Elim, they camped beside the Red Sea, 11 and then in the wilderness of Sihn.

12 Next was Dophkah, 13 and then Alush; 14 then on to Rephidim (where there was no water for the people to drink).

15-37 From Rephidim they went to the wilderness of Sinai; from the wilderness of Sinai to Kibroth-hattaavah;

From Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth;

From Hazeroth to Rithmah;

From Rithmah to Rimmon-parez;

From Rimmon-parez to Libnah;

From Libnah to Rissah;

From Rissah to Kehelathah;

From Kehelathah to Mount Shepher;

From Mount Shepher to Haradah;

From Haradah to Makheloth;

From Makheloth to Tahath;

From Tahath to Terah;

From Terah to Mithkah;

From Mithkah to Hashmonah;

From Hashmonah to Moseroth;

From Moseroth to Bene-jaakan;

From Bene-jaakan to Hor-haggidgad;

From Hor-haggidgad to Jotbathah;

From Jotbathah to Abronah;

From Abronah to Ezion-geber;

From Ezion-geber to Kadesh (in the wilderness of Zin);

From Kadesh to Mount Hor (at the edge of the land of Edom).

38-39 While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the Lord to go up into the mountain, and there he died. This occurred during the fortieth year after the people of Israel had left Egypt. The date of his death was July 15,[o] when he was 123 years old.

40 It was then that the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land. 41 After dealing with him, the Israelis journeyed from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah, 42 then at Punon, 43 then at Oboth, 44 then Iyeabarim (at the border of Moab). 45 From there they went to Dibon-gad, 46 and then to Almon-diblathaim, 47 and on into the mountains of Abarim, near Mount Nebo, 48 and finally to the plains of Moab beside the river Jordan, opposite Jericho. 49 While in that area they camped at various places along the Jordan River, from Bethjeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim, on the plains of Moab.

50-51 It was while they were camped there that the Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel, “When you pass across the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the people living there and destroy all their idols—their carved stones, molten images, and the open-air sanctuaries in the hills where they worship their idols. 53 I have given the land to you; take it and live there. 54 You will be given land in proportion to the size of your tribes. The larger sections of land will be divided by lot among the larger tribes, and the smaller sections will be allotted to the smaller tribes. 55 But if you refuse to drive out the people living there, those who remain will be as cinders in your eyes and thorns in your sides. 56 And I will destroy you as I had planned for you to destroy them.”

34 1-2 The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel, “When you come into the land of Canaan (I am giving you the entire land as your homeland), the southern portion of the country will be the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin at the Dead Sea, and will continue south past Scorpion Pass[p] in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazaraddar, and on to Azmon. From Azmon the boundary will follow the brook of Egypt down to the Mediterranean Sea.

“Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

7-9 “Your northern border will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and will proceed eastward to Mount Hor, then to Lebo-Hamath, and on through Zedad and Ziphron to Hazar-enan.

10-11 “The eastern border will be from Hazar-enan south to Shepham, then on to Riblah at the east side of Ain. From there it will make a large half-circle, first going south and then westward until it touches the southernmost tip of the Sea of Galilee, 12 and then along the Jordan River, ending at the Dead Sea.”

13 “This is the territory you are to apportion among yourselves by lot,” Moses said. “It is to be divided up among the nine and one-half tribes, 14-15 for the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already been assigned land on the east side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho.”

16-28 And the Lord said to Moses, “These are the names of the men I have appointed to handle the dividing up of the land: Eleazar the priest, Joshua (son of Nun), and one leader from each tribe, as listed below:

TribeLeader
JudahCaleb (son of Jephunneh)
SimeonShemuel (son of Ammihud)
BenjaminElidad (son of Chislon)
DanBukki (son of Jogli)
ManassehHanniel (son of Ephod)
EphraimKemuel (son of Shiphtan)
ZebulunElizaphan (son of Parnach)
IssacharPaltiel (son of Azzan)
AsherAhihud (son of Shelomi)
NaphtaliPedahel (son of Ammihud)

29 These are the names of the men I have appointed to oversee the dividing of the land among the tribes.”

35 While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho, the Lord said to Moses,

“Instruct the people of Israel to give to the Levites as their inheritance certain cities and surrounding pasturelands. These cities are for their homes, and the surrounding lands for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock. 4-5 Their gardens and vineyards shall extend 1500 feet out from the city walls in each direction, with an additional 1500 feet beyond that for pastureland.

“You shall give the Levites the six Cities of Refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run and be safe, and forty-two other cities besides. In all, there shall be forty-eight cities with the surrounding pastureland given to the Levites. These cities shall be in various parts of the nation; the larger tribes with many cities will give several to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer.”

9-10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the people that when they arrive in the land, 11 Cities of Refuge shall be designated for anyone to flee into if he has killed someone accidentally. 12 These cities will be places of protection from the dead man’s relatives who want to avenge his death; for the slayer must not be killed unless a fair trial establishes his guilt. 13-14 Three of these six Cities of Refuge are to be located in the land of Canaan, and three on the east side of the Jordan River. 15 These are not only for the protection of Israelites, but also for foreigners and travelers.

16 “But if someone is struck and killed by a piece of iron, it must be presumed to be murder, and the murderer must be executed. 17 Or if the slain man was struck down with a large stone, it is murder, and the murderer shall die. 18 The same is true if he is killed with a wooden weapon. 19 The avenger of his death shall personally kill the murderer when he meets him. 20 So if anyone kills another out of hatred by throwing something at him, or ambushing him, 21 or angrily striking him with his fist so that he dies, he is a murderer; and the murderer shall be executed by the avenger.

22-23 “But if it is an accident—a case in which something is thrown unintentionally, or in which a stone is thrown without anger, without realizing it will hit anyone, and without wanting to harm an enemy—yet the man dies, 24 then the people shall judge whether or not it was an accident, and whether or not to hand the killer over to the avenger of the dead man. 25 If it is decided that it was accidental, then the people shall save the killer from the avenger; the killer shall be permitted to stay in the City of Refuge; and he must live there until the death of the High Priest.

26 “If the slayer leaves the city, 27 and the avenger finds him outside and kills him, it is not murder, 28 for the man should have stayed inside the city until the death of the High Priest. But after the death of the High Priest, the man may return to his own land and home. 29 These are permanent laws for all Israel from generation to generation.

30 “All murderers must be executed, but only if there is more than one witness; no man shall die with only one person testifying against him. 31 Whenever anyone is judged guilty of murder, he must die—no ransom may be accepted for him. 32 Nor may a payment be accepted from a refugee in a City of Refuge, permitting him to return to his home before the death of the High Priest. 33 In this way the land will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for murder except by the execution of the murderer. 34 You shall not defile the land where you are going to live, for I, Jehovah, will be living there.”

36 1-2 Then the heads of the subclan of Gilead (of the clan of Machir, of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the sons of Joseph) came to Moses and the leaders of Israel with a petition: “The Lord instructed you to divide the land by lot among the people of Israel,” they reminded Moses, “and to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. But if they marry into another tribe, their land will go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way the total area of our tribe will be reduced and will not be returned at the Year of Jubilee.”

Then Moses replied publicly, giving them these instructions from the Lord: “The men of the tribe of Joseph have a proper complaint. This is what the Lord has further commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them be married to anyone they like, so long as it is within their own tribe. In this way none of the land of the tribe will shift to any other tribe, for the inheritance of every tribe is to remain permanently as it was first allotted. The girls throughout the tribes of Israel who are heiresses must marry within their own tribe, so that their land won’t leave the tribe. In this way no inheritance shall move from one tribe to another.’”

10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses. 11-12 These girls, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, were married to men in their own tribe of Manasseh (son of Joseph); so their inheritance remained in their tribe.

13 These are the commandments and ordinances that the Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses, while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 26:64 Not one person . . . had been counted in the previous census. Forty years earlier, at the time of the first census, they had been under twenty years of age, and so were not counted. All who at that time were older than twenty years of age were now dead.
  2. Numbers 27:14 you did not glorify me, implied.
  3. Numbers 27:16 before I am taken away, implied.
  4. Numbers 28:16 on April first, literally, “on the fourteenth day of the first month” (of the Hebrew calendar). when the death angel passed over . . . leaving them unharmed, implied.
  5. Numbers 28:26 The Harvest Festival, also called Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, and the Day of Firstfruits.
  6. Numbers 29:1 fifteenth day of September, literally, “upon the first day of the seventh month” (of the Hebrew calendar).
  7. Numbers 29:6 regular monthly burnt offering for that day, literally, “burnt offerings of the new moon.”
  8. Numbers 29:7 Ten days later, literally, “On the tenth day of the seventh month” (of the Hebrew calendar).
  9. Numbers 29:11 offered annually on that day, implied.
  10. Numbers 29:12 Five days later, literally, “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month” (of the Hebrew calendar).
  11. Numbers 31:6 accompanied by the Ark, literally, “with the vessels of the sanctuary.”
  12. Numbers 31:36 went to the Levites, literally, “were the Lord’s portion.”
  13. Numbers 32:42 led an army, implied.
  14. Numbers 33:3 on the first day of April, literally, “on the fifteenth day of the first month” (of the Hebrew calendar).
  15. Numbers 33:38 July 15, literally, “the first day of the fifth month” (of the Hebrew calendar).
  16. Numbers 34:4 Scorpion Pass, literally, “ascent of Akrabbim.”