Numbers 26-36

New Catholic Bible

The Second Census and the Plan to Enter the Promised Land

Chapter 26

The Second Census. ¹ After the plague, the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eleazar, the priest, saying, ² “Take a census of the whole assembly of the people of Israel by their father’s house, those twenty years and older, all of those who are fit to bear arms.”

³ Moses and Eleazar spoke with them in the plain of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, ⁴ “Take a census of those twenty years and older, as the Lord commanded Moses, of all the people of Israel who came forth from the land of Egypt.”

⁵ Reuben was the firstborn son of Israel. The sons of Reuben were: Hanoch, of the Hanochite clan; Pallu, of the Palluite clan; ⁶ Hezron, of the Hezronite clan; Carmi, of the Carmite clan. ⁷ These were the clans of Reuben. Those counted numbered forty-three thousand, seven hundred and thirty.

⁸ The son of Pallu was Eliab. ⁹ The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were the community leaders who rebelled against Moses and Aaron. They were companions of Korah when they rebelled against the Lord. ¹⁰ The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them together with Korah, whose followers died when fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; they served as a warning. ¹¹ The descendants of Korah, however, did not die out.

¹² The sons of Simeon by their clans were: Nemuel, of the Nemuelite clan; Jamin, of the Jaminite clan; Jachin, of the Jachinite clan; ¹³ Zerah, of the Zerahite clan; and Shaul, of the Shaulite clan. ¹⁴ These were the clans of Simeon. There were twenty-two thousand, two hundred of them.^[a]

¹⁵ The sons of Gad by their clans were: Zephon, of the Zephonite clan; Haggi, of the Haggite clan; Shuni, of the Shunite clan; ¹⁶ Ozni, of the Oznite clan; Eri, of the Erite clan; ¹⁷ Arod, of the Arodite clan; and Areli, of the Arelite clan. ¹⁸ These were the clans of Gad. There were forty thousand, five hundred of them.

¹⁹ The sons of Judah: Er and Onan (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). ²⁰ The sons of Judah by their clans were: Shelah, of the Shelahite clan; Perez,^[b] of the Perezite clan; and Zerah, of the Zerahite clan. ²¹ The sons of Perez were: Hezron, of the Hezronite clan; and Hamul, of the Hamulite clan. ²² These were the clans of Judah. There were seventy-six thousand, five hundred of them.

²³ The sons of Issachar by their clans were: Tola, of the Tolaite clan; Puvah, of the Puvahite clan; ²⁴ Jashub, of the Jashubite clan; and Shimron, of the Shimronite clan. ²⁵ These were the clans of Issachar. There were sixty-four thousand, three hundred of them.

²⁶ The sons of Zebulun by their clans were: Sered, of the Seredite clan; Elon, of the Elonite clan; and Jahleel, of the Jahleelite clan. ²⁷ These were the clans of Zebulun. There were sixty thousand, five hundred of them.

²⁸ The sons of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim were: ²⁹ the sons of Manasseh: Machir, of the Machirite clan (Machir was the father of Gilead); Gilead, of the Gileadites. ³⁰ These were the sons of Gilead: Iezer, of the Iezerite clan; Helek, of the Helekite clan; ³¹ Asriel, of the Asrielite clan; Shechem, of the Shechemite clan; ³² Shemida, of the Shemidaite clan; and Hepher, of the Hepherite clan. ³³ (Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, had no sons, only daughters. The name of the daughters of Zelophehad were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.) ³⁴ These were the clans of Manasseh. There were fifty-two thousand, five hundred of them.

³⁵ The sons of Ephraim by their clans were: Shuthelah, of the Shuthelahite clan; Becher, of the Becherite clan; and Tahan, of the Tahanite clan. ³⁶ These were the sons of Shuthelah: Eran, of the Eranite clan. ³⁷ These were the clans of Ephraim. There were thirty-two thousand, five hundred of them. These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.

³⁸ The sons of Benjamin by their clans were: Bela, of the Belaite clan; Ashbel, of the Ashbelite clan; Ahiram, of the Ahiramite clan; ³⁹ Shupham, of the Shuphamite clan; and Hupham, of the Huphamite clan. ⁴⁰ The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: Ard, of the Ardite clan; and Naaman, of the Naamite clan. ⁴¹ These were the clans of Benjamin. There were forty-five thousand, six hundred of them.

⁴² The sons of Dan by their clans were: Shuham, of the Shuhamite clan. These were the clans of Dan. ⁴³ The only clan was of the Shuhamites. There were sixty-four thousand, four hundred of them.

⁴⁴ The sons of Asher by their clans were: Imnah, of the Imnite clan; Ishvi, of the Ishvite clan; and Beriah, of the Beriite clan. ⁴⁵ The descendants of Beriah were: Heber, of the Heberite clan and Malchiel, of the Malchielite clan. ⁴⁶ Asher also had a daughter named Serah.^{[c] 47} These were the clans of Asher. There were fifty-three thousand, four hundred of them.

⁴⁸ The sons of Naphtali by their clans were: Jahzeel, of the Jahzeelite clan; Guni, of the Gunite clan; ⁴⁹ Jezer, of the Jezerite clan; and Shillem, of the Shillemite clan. ⁵⁰ These were the clans of Naphtali. There were forty-five thousand, four hundred of them.

⁵¹ The total number of people of Israel was six hundred and one thousand, seven hundred and thirty.

⁵² Land Allotments. The Lord then spoke to Moses, saying, ⁵³ “The land is to be allotted unto these as an inheritance based on the number of those inscribed. ⁵⁴ To the larger group you will give a larger inheritance, to the smaller group you will give a smaller inheritance. Every clan will be given an inheritance according to its size. ⁵⁵ But the land will be divided by lot; they will inherit it according to the number of the names of their ancestral tribes. ⁵⁶ Each inheritance will be distributed by lot, to the larger and smaller groups.”

⁵⁷ The Levite Census.^[d]These were the Levites who were counted by their clans: Gershon, of the Gershonite clan; Kohath, of the Kohathite clan; and Merari, of the Merarite clan.^{[e] 58} These were also Levite clans: the Libnite clan; the Hebronite clan; the Mahlite clan; the Mushite clan; and the Kohathite clan.

Kohath became the father of Amram. ⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam to Amram. ⁶⁰ To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁶¹ Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unclean fire before the Lord. ⁶² The total number of all the males one month old and older was twenty-three thousand. They were not counted among the people of Israel because no inheritance was given to them among the people of Israel.

⁶³ These were the figures of the people of Israel counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest in the plain of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho. ⁶⁴ There was not a single person among the people of Israel whom Moses and Aaron had counted in the Sinai Desert. ⁶⁵ The Lord said of them: “They will surely die in the wilderness.” There were none of them left except for Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun.

Chapter 27

Zelophehad’s Daughters.^{[f] 1} The daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, the son of Joseph came forward. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ² They stood before Moses and Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders and all the assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They said, ³ “Our father died in the desert, but he was not in the band of those who conspired together with Korah against the Lord. He died on account of his own sin. He had no sons. ⁴ Why should the name of our father perish from his clan because he did not have a son? Give us property among our father’s kinsmen.”

⁵ So Moses brought their case before the Lord. ⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁷ “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is just. You surely must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s kinsmen, and you must turn their father’s inheritance over to them. ⁸ Say to the people of Israel, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, then turn over his inheritance to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, then turn over his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, then give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ If the father has no brothers, you will give his inheritance to his nearest kinsman in his clan so that he might possess it. This will be a statute and an ordinance for the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.’ ”

¹² Joshua Commissioned by Moses. The Lord said to Moses, “Go up onto Mount Abarim and look upon the land that I have given to the people of Israel. ¹³ After you have seen it, you will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was, ¹⁴ for in the Desert of Zin, in the strife over the water with the assembly, you both disobeyed my command to treat me as holy before their eyes.” (This is the water of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

¹⁵ Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ¹⁶ “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, place a man over the assembly ¹⁷ who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the assembly of the Lord might not be like sheep without a shepherd.”^{[g] 18} So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom the Spirit is found, and lay your hand upon him. ¹⁹ Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the whole assembly and commission him in their sight. ²⁰ Give him some of your authority, so that the assembly of the people of Israel might obey. ²¹ He will stand before Eleazar, the priest, who will inquire for him before the Lord with the judgment of the Urim. At his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole assembly.”^[h]

²² So Moses did as the Lord had commanded him. He took Joshua and brought him before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. ²³ He laid his hand upon him and commissioned him, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Chapter 28

Daily Offerings.^{[i] 1} The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘You will be careful to present my offering in its proper time, my food for my offerings made by fire, a pleasant fragrance.’ ³ You will say to them, ‘This is the offering that you will make by fire to the Lord: two male year-old lambs that are without defect. They are each day’s regular burnt offering.^{[j] 4} You will offer one lamb in the morning, and you will offer the other lamb in the evening ⁵ along with one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil as a cereal offering. ⁶ This is the regular burnt offering which was established on Mount Sinai as a pleasing fragrance, an offering made by fire to the Lord. ⁷ Its drink offering is to be a fourth of a hin for each lamb. You will pour out the strong wine as a drink offering to the Lord in the sanctuary. ⁸ The other lamb will be offered in the evening with the same cereal offering as in the morning and the drink offering. You will offer it as an offering made by fire, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

Sabbath Offerings. ⁹ “ ‘On the Sabbath offer two male year-old lambs that are without defect, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering, and its drink offering. ¹⁰ The burnt offering for each Sabbath is in addition to the regular burnt offerings and their drink offerings.

¹¹ Monthly Offerings.“ ‘At the beginnings of your months, you will offer a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs that are without defect ¹² along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering for each young bull, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering for each ram, ¹³ and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering for each lamb. This will be a burnt offering, a pleasing fragrance, an offering made by fire to the Lord. ¹⁴ The drink offering will be half a hin of wine for each young bull, a third of a hin for each ram, and a fourth of a hin for each lamb. This is the burnt offering to be made each new moon^[k] throughout the year. ¹⁵ Besides the regular burnt offerings with their drink offerings, one kid goat is to be offered to the Lord as a sin offering.

¹⁶ At Passover.^[l]“ ‘The Passover of the Lord is to be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month. ¹⁷ The fifteenth day of this month is a feast, unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days. ¹⁸ On the first day you will have a sacred assembly, you are not to do any heavy labor. ¹⁹ Present an offering made by fire of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs to the Lord. They are to be without defect. ²⁰ Their grain offering will be fine flour mixed with oil. You will offer three-tenths of an ephah for a young bull and two-tenths of an ephah for a ram. ²¹ You will offer one-tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs ²² and one goat as a sin offering to make your atonement. ²³ You will offer these in addition to the morning burnt offering, which is the regular burnt offering. ²⁴ This is the way that you will offer the food of the offering made by fire each day for seven days, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. It is offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and their drink offerings. ²⁵ On the seventh day you will have a holy assembly; you are not to do any heavy labor.

²⁶ Pentecost.^[m]“ ‘On the day of the firstfruits,^[n] when you bring a new cereal offering to the Lord for the Feast of Weeks, you are to have a holy assembly; you are not to do any heavy labor. ²⁷ You will present a burnt offering as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs ²⁸ along with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each young bull, two-tenths of an ephah for each ram, ²⁹ and a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs, ³⁰ along with one kid goat to make your atonement. ³¹ They are to be without defect. ³² You will present them in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal offerings and their drink offerings.

Chapter 29

Feast of Trumpets.^{[o] 1} “ ‘On the first day of the seventh month you will have a holy assembly. You are not to do any heavy labor. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. ² You will offer a pleasing fragrance to the Lord, a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs without defect. ³ The cereal offering is to be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for a young bull, two-tenths of an ephah for a ram, ⁴ and a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs. ⁵ The sin offering is one kid goat to make your atonement. ⁶ These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings along with their cereal offerings and their drink offerings, according to custom. They are offerings made by fire, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

Day of Atonement. ⁷ “ ‘On the tenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy assembly. You are to humble yourselves and are not to do any heavy labor.^{[p] 8} You will present a burnt offering to the Lord as a pleasing fragrance: one young bull, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs, without defect. ⁹ Their grain offering is to be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the young bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the one ram, ¹⁰ and a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs. ¹¹ The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular burnt offerings with their cereal and drink offerings.

¹² Feast of Tabernacles.^[q]“ ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy assembly. You are not to do any heavy labor. You are to celebrate a feast of the Lord for seven days. ¹³ Present an offering made by fire as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs. They are to be without defect. ¹⁴ Their cereal offering is to be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen young bulls, two-tenths of an ephah for each of the two rams, ¹⁵ and a tenth of an ephah for each of the fourteen lambs. ¹⁶ The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.

¹⁷ “ ‘On the second day offer twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs without defect. ¹⁸ The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. ¹⁹ The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.

²⁰ “ ‘Then on the third day offer eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. ²¹ The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. ²² The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.

²³ “ ‘Then on the fourth day offer ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. ²⁴ The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. ²⁵ The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.

²⁶ “ ‘Then on the fifth day offer nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. ²⁷ The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. ²⁸ The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.

²⁹ “ ‘Then on the sixth day offer eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. ³⁰ The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. ³¹ The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.

³² “ ‘Then on the seventh day offer seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male year-old lambs, without defect. ³³ The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bulls, rams, and lambs will be in the customary number. ³⁴ The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.

³⁵ “ ‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly. You are not to do any heavy labor. ³⁶ You are to present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven male year-old lambs, without defect. ³⁷ The cereal offering and the drink offering for the young bull, ram, and lambs will be in the customary number. ³⁸ The sin offering is one kid goat. This is in addition to the regular burnt offerings along with their cereal and drink offerings.

³⁹ “ ‘You will present these to the Lord on your appointed feast days, in addition to your vow offerings, your free-will offerings, your cereal offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’ ”

⁴⁰ Moses spoke to the people of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.^[r]

Chapter 30

Vows to the Lord and Others.^1 [s]Then Moses spoke to the leaders of the ancestral tribes of Israel, saying, “This is what the Lord commands: ² When a person makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself to some commitment, he is not to break his promise. He will do everything just as he said he would.

^3 [t]“When a young woman who is still in her father’s house makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind herself to some commitment, ⁴ and her father hears about her vow and her commitment made by oath and he says nothing to her, then all her vows and all the oaths by which she bound herself will be valid. ⁵ But if her father forbids it on the day that he hears about it, then none of her vows and the oaths with which she bound herself will be valid. The Lord will release her because her father has forbidden her to do it.

⁶ “If she marries after she has made a vow or a rash statement from her mouth by which she has bound herself ⁷ and her husband hears about it, and he says nothing to her on the day that he hears about it, then her vows and the oaths with which she bound herself will be valid. ⁸ But if her husband forbids it on the day that he hears about it, then he makes void the vows she has made and the rash statements from her mouth by which she has bound herself. The Lord will release her.

⁹ “Any vow or obligation made by a widow or a divorced woman by which she bound herself will be binding. ¹⁰ If she made the vow while she was in her husband’s house or swore an oath to bind herself to some commitment ¹¹ and her husband heard about it and said nothing to her and did not forbid it, then all her vows and all the oaths with which she bound herself will be valid. ¹² But if her husband forbids it on the day that he hears about it, then whatever proceeded out of her mouth concerning her vows or the oaths by which she bound herself will not be valid. Her husband makes them void and the Lord will release her. ¹³ Her husband can let stand or make void any vow or oath by which she bound herself to humble herself. ¹⁴ But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows and all her oaths. He has confirmed them because he said nothing to her on the day that he heard about it. ¹⁵ But if he makes them void after he has heard about them, then he will bear her guilt.”

¹⁶ These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses concerning a husband and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living in her father’s house.

Chapter 31

Israel Battles the Midianites.^{[u] 1} The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Take vengeance upon the Midianites for the people of Israel. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

³ Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of your men for war so that they might go out against the Midianites to execute the Lord’s vengeance upon Midian. ⁴ Send a thousand men to war from each of the tribes of Israel.”

⁵ So they set aside a thousand from each tribe of Israel, twelve thousand armed for battle. ⁶ Moses sent them out to battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Eleazar the priest. He took the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hands. ⁷ They battled against the Midianites, as the Lord had commanded Moses, killing all of the males. ⁸ They killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian, along with the others they killed. They also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, with the sword.

⁹ The people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones and all their cattle and all their flocks and all their goods. ¹⁰ They also burned down all the cities in which they dwelt and all their fortresses. ¹¹ They took all the booty and all the spoils, both of man and beast ¹² and brought the captives, the spoils, and the booty to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the assembly of the people of Israel at the camp on the plain of Moab which is near the Jordan, across from Jericho.

¹³ Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the assembly met them outside of the camp. ¹⁴ Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of the thousands and the captains of the hundreds, who had returned from battle. ¹⁵ Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women? ¹⁶ These are the ones who caused the people of Israel to follow the advice of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the affair of Peor, causing a plague among the assembly of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now kill every boy and kill every woman who has slept with a man, ¹⁸ but save the girls for yourselves who have not yet slept with a man.

¹⁹ Purification after Battle.^[v]“Any of you who has killed a person and anyone who has touched any of those who have been killed must stay outside of the camp for seven days. You are to purify yourself and your captives on the third and the seventh days. ²⁰ Purify all of your clothes as well as all of your leather goods and everything made from goat hair and everything made from wood.”

²¹ Then Eleazar said to the men of war who had gone into battle: “This is a statute of the law which the Lord has commanded Moses: ²² gold, silver, brass, iron, tin, lead, ²³ and anything else that can withstand fire will be pure if you pass it through fire. However, it must also be purified with the water of purification. Whatever cannot withstand fire must pass through water. ²⁴ You will wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be pure, and you can then enter the camp.”

²⁵ Dividing the Spoils. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^26 [w]“You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the fathers’ households are to count the booty, both of man and of beast. ²⁷ Divide the booty into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all of the assembly. ²⁸ Establish a share for the Lord from the men of war who went out into battle: one out of five hundred, of the people, 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 offering to the Lord.

³⁰ “From the half share that belongs to the people of Israel, take one out of every fifty, of people, of the cattle, of the donkeys, of the sheep, and of all the animals. Give them to the Levites who have responsibility over the sanctuary of the Lord.”

³¹ Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³² The booty remaining from the spoils that the men of war captured was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, ³³ seventy-two thousand cattle, ³⁴ sixty-one thousand donkeys, ³⁵ and thirty-two thousand girls who had never slept with a man.

³⁶ The half share for those who went out to fight was three hundred thirty-seven thousand, five hundred sheep, ³⁷ of which the share for the Lord was six hundred seventy-five; ³⁸ thirty-six thousand cattle, of which the share for the Lord was seventy-two; ³⁹ thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, of which the share for the Lord was sixty-one; ⁴⁰ and sixteen thousand people, of which the share for the Lord was thirty-two.

⁴¹ Moses gave the share that was the Lord’s offering to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁴² The half share of the people of Israel, which Moses had divided from that which belonged to the men who had gone to war, ⁴³ that is, the assembly’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand, five hundred sheep; ⁴⁴ thirty-six thousand cattle; ⁴⁵ thirty thousand, five hundred donkeys; ⁴⁶ and sixteen thousand people. ⁴⁷ From the Israelite half share, Moses took one part for every fifty from man and beast and gave it to the Levites who were responsible for the sanctuary, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁴⁸ The officers of the army, the captains of the thousands, and the captains of the hundreds, came to Moses. ⁴⁹ They said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our care, not missing one of them. ⁵⁰ We have therefore brought an offering to the Lord from what each man has taken from the gold jewelry, the chains, the bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”

⁵¹ Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all crafted jewelry. ⁵² The entire gold offering that the captains of the thousands and the captains of the hundreds offered to the Lord was sixteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty shekels. ⁵³ (Each of the men of war had taken booty for himself.) ⁵⁴ Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of the thousands and the captains of the hundreds and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the people of Israel before the Lord.

Chapter 32

Settling in Transjordan. ¹ The Reubenites and the Gadites^[x] had very large herds and flocks. They saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for herds and flocks, ² so the Gadites and the Reubenites came and spoke to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the assembly saying, ³ “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, ⁴ the land that the Lord has conquered before the people of Israel, are lands suitable for herds and flocks, and your servants have herds and flocks.” ⁵ They continued, “If we have found favor in your sight, then let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not bring us over the Jordan.”

Moses’ Response. ⁶ Moses said to the Gadites and the Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you rest here? ⁷ Why are you discouraging the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them? ⁸ This is what your fathers did when I sent them out from Kadesh-barnea to see the land. ⁹ When they went up into the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the people of Israel so that they did not enter into the land that the Lord had given them. ¹⁰ The Lord’s anger blazed on that day and he swore, ¹¹ ‘None of those who are twenty years and older and who came out of Egypt will see the land that I promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, for they have not followed me wholeheartedly. ¹² Only Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua, the son of Nun, will see it for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ ¹³ The Lord’s anger blazed against Israel and he made them wander in the desert for forty years until the entire generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was consumed. ¹⁴ Now, you brood of sinful men have risen up to take your fathers’ place, adding to the Lord’s blazing anger against Israel. ¹⁵ If you turn away from him again, he will leave you in the desert and you will have destroyed this entire people.”

¹⁶ Another Request. So they came up to him and said, “Let us build enclosures here for our herds and flocks and cities for our little ones. ¹⁷ We will still arm ourselves, going before the people of Israel, to bring them into their dwelling place. Our little ones will be sheltered from the inhabitants of the land in the fortified cities. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received his inheritance. ¹⁹ We will not take an inheritance on the other side of the Jordan, for it has fallen to us to have an inheritance on this side of the Jordan, on the east.”

²⁰ Settlement Reached. Then Moses said to them, “You are to do this: arm yourselves for the Lord’s war, ²¹ and have all your armed men go over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies before him ²² and the land is subdued before the Lord. Then after this, you can return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel. This land will be your possession before the Lord. ²³ But if you do not do this, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and be sure, your sin will catch up with you. ²⁴ Build your cities for your little ones and your enclosures for your sheep, but then do what you have promised to do.”

²⁵ The Gadites and the Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do as our lord commands. ²⁶ Our children and our wives, our flocks and our herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. ²⁷ But your servants will cross over, every one of them armed for battle, to fight, as my lord has proposed.”

²⁸ Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the leaders of the ancestral tribes of the people of Israel. ²⁹ Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and the Reubenites cross over the Jordan, every man armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you will give them the land of Gilead as a possession. ³⁰ However, if they do not cross over armed, then they will have a possession among you in the land of Canaan.”

³¹ The Gadites and the Reubenites answered, saying, “We will do what the Lord has said to your servants. ³² We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan. The possession of our inheritance will remain on this side of the Jordan.”^[y]

³³ So Moses gave to the Gadites and the Reubenites and to half of the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan; he gave the land and its cities with their territory and the cities of the surrounding countryside. ³⁴ The Gadites built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities with sheepfolds for the sheep.

³⁷ The Reubenites built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸ Nebo, Baal-meon^[z] (whose names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities that they built.

³⁹ The Machirites who were from Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, driving out the Amorites who were in it. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt there. ⁴¹ Jair, the son of Manasseh, went and took its small towns and called them Havvoth-jair. ⁴² Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages. He called it Nobah after himself.

Chapter 33

Stages of Israel’s Journey.^{[aa] 1} These are the journeys of the people of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. ² At the command of the Lord, Moses recorded the stages of their journeys. These are their journeys by stages: ³ the people of Israel left Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after Passover. They went out triumphantly in the sight of the Egyptians. ⁴ This was while the Egyptians were burying their firstborn whom the Lord had slain. The Lord also executed judgment upon their gods.

⁵ The people of Israel set out from Rameses, and they camped in Succoth. ⁶ They set out from Succoth and they camped in Etham, which is on the fringes of the desert. ⁷ They left Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, to the east of Baal-zephon. They camped near Migdol. ⁸ They left Pi-hahiroth and crossed over through the midst of the sea into the desert. They traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, camping in Marah. ⁹ They left Marah and came to Elim. There are twelve springs and seventy palm trees there, so they camped there. ¹⁰ They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

¹¹ They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin. ¹² They left the Desert of Sin and camped in Dophkah. ¹³ They left Dophkah and camped in Alush. ¹⁴ They left Alush and camped in Rephidim. (There was no water there for the people to drink.) ¹⁵ They left Rephidim and camped in the Sinai Desert. ¹⁶ They left the Sinai Desert and camped in Kibroth-hattaavah. ¹⁷ They left Kibroth-hattaavah and camped in Hazeroth. ¹⁸ They left Hazeroth and camped in Rithmah. ¹⁹ They left Rithmah and camped in Rimmon-perez. ²⁰ They left Rimmon-perez and camped in Libnah. ²¹ They left Libnah and camped in Rissah. ²² They left Rissah and camped in Kehelathah. ²³ They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. ²⁴ They left Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah. ²⁵ They left Haradah and camped in Makheloth. ²⁶ They left Makheloth and camped in Tahath. ²⁷ They left Tahath and camped in Terah. ²⁸ They left Terah and camped in Mithkah. ²⁹ They left Mithkah and camped in Hashmonah. ³⁰ They left Hashmonah and camped in Moseroth. ³¹ They left Moseroth and camped in Bene-jaakan. ³² They left Bene-jaakan and camped in Hor-haggidgad. ³³ They left Hor-haggidgad and camped in Jotbathah. ³⁴ They left Jotbathah and camped in Abronah. ³⁵ They left Abronah and camped in Ezion-geber.^{[ab] 36} They left Ezion-geber and camped in Kadesh, which is in the Desert of Zin. ³⁷ They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom.

³⁸ Then Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor following the Lord’s command. He died there in the fortieth year after the people of Israel came out of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. ³⁹ Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰ The Canaanite king of Arad who dwelt in the Negeb in the land of Canaan heard that the people of Israel were coming.

⁴¹ They left Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah. ⁴² They left Zalmonah and camped in Punon. ⁴³ They left Punon and camped in Oboth. ⁴⁴ They left Punon and camped in Iye-abarim on the border of Moab. ⁴⁵ They left Iye-abarim, and camped in Dibon-gad. ⁴⁶ They left Dibon-gad and camped in Almon-diblathaim. ⁴⁷ They left Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim near Nebo. ⁴⁸ They left the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plain of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho. ⁴⁹ There on the plain of Moab they camped near the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.

⁵⁰ Possession and Division of Canaan. On the plain of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁵¹ “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan ⁵² drive out the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all of their carved images^[ac] and all of their cast idols. Demolish all of their high places. ⁵³ Take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given you the land to possess. ⁵⁴ Distribute the land by lot among your families. Give a larger inheritance to those that are larger and a smaller inheritance to those that are smaller. Wherever the lot falls, give it to them. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes. ⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, then those whom you leave will become splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land in which you dwell.’ ”

Chapter 34

Canaan’s Boundaries. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance: the land of Canaan to its borders.

³ “ ‘Your southern section will run from the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern border will be along the eastern coast of the Salt Sea. ⁴ Your border in the south will extend from the Ascent of Akrabbim on to Zin, and then passing on the south of Kadesh-barnea on to Hazar-addar and Azmon. ⁵ From Azmon the border will stretch to the Wadi of Egypt,^[ad] ending where it enters the sea.

⁶ “ ‘Your western border will be the great sea. This will be your western border.

⁷ “ ‘Your northern border will run from the great sea to Mount Hor. ⁸ From Mount Hor it will run to the Pass of Hamath. The border will then run to Zedad. ⁹ The border will continue on to Ziphron and it will end at Hazar-enan. This will be your northern border.

¹⁰ “ ‘Your eastern border will run from Hazar-enan to Shepham. ¹¹ The border will run down from Shepham to Riblah on the eastern side of Ain. The border will run down until it reaches the eastern shore of the Sea of Chinnereth.^{[ae] 12} The border will run down along the Jordan until it enters the Salt Sea. This will be your land, with your borders on every side.’ ”

¹³ Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, “This is the land that you will inherit by lot, as the Lord commanded. Give it to the nine and one-half tribes. ¹⁴ The tribe of the Reubenites, according to their ancestral tribe, has received their inheritance. The tribe of the Gadites, according to their ancestral tribe, as well as the half-tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance. ¹⁵ The two and one-half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan, opposite Jericho, to the east, toward the direction of sunrise.”

¹⁶ Appointed Leaders.^[af] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁷ “The names of the men who will divide the land for you are: Eleazar the priest and Joshua, the son of Nun. ¹⁸ You will choose one leader from each tribe to divide the land for inheritance. ¹⁹ These are the names of the men: from the tribe of Judah: Caleb, the son of Jephunneh; ²⁰ from the tribe of Simeon: Samuel, the son of Ammihud; ²¹ from the tribe of Benjamin: Elidad, the son of Chislon; ²² from the tribe of Dan, a leader: Bukki, the son of Jogli; ²³ from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, a leader: Hanniel, the son of Ephod; ²⁴ from the tribe of Ephraim, a leader: Kemuel, the son of Shiphtan; ²⁵ from the tribe of Zebulun, a leader: Elizaphan, the son of Parnach; ²⁶ from the tribe of Issachar, a leader: Paltiel, the son of Azzan; ²⁷ from the tribe of Asher, a leader: Ahihud, the son of Shelomi; ²⁸ from the tribe of Naphtali, a leader: Pedahel, the son of Ammihud.” ²⁹ These are the ones whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance of the people of Israel in the land of Canaan.

Chapter 35

The Levites’ Share. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses in the plain of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, ² “Command the people of Israel to give cities to the Levites from the inheritance that they will possess. Also give the Levites pastures around the cities. ³ They are to have cities in which they can dwell as well as pastures for their cattle, their flocks, and all their other animals. ⁴ The pastures that you will give the Levites around the cities will extend one thousand cubits^[ag] from the city wall.

⁵ “Outside of the city, measure two thousand cubits on the east side, two thousand cubits on the south side, two thousand cubits on the west side, and two thousand cubits on the north side, with the city in the middle. This will be the pastures for the city.

⁶ “Six of the cities that you give to the Levites will be established as cities of refuge to which a person who has killed another can flee. In addition, there are to be another forty-two cities. ⁷ In all you will give the Levites forty-eight cities along with their pastures. ⁸ The cities that you will give the Levites from the possession of Israel will be given according to the inheritance that they have inherited. Those who have more will give more and those who have less will give less.”

Cities of Refuge. ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ¹¹ choose cities that will be your cities of refuge to which a person who has accidentally killed another person can flee. ¹² These will be cities of refuge from the kinsman avenger^[ah] so that the killer will not die until he has received judgment before the assembly. ¹³ These six cities that you give will be your cities of refuge. ¹⁴ Give three cities across the Jordan and give three cities in the land of Canaan to be your cities of refuge. ¹⁵ These six cities will be a refuge for the people of Israel, for foreigners, and for foreigners dwelling among them, to which a person who has killed accidentally can flee.

¹⁶ Treatment of Murderers.“ ‘If someone strikes another with an iron object to kill him, then he is a murderer. The murderer will be put to death. ¹⁷ If someone strikes another with a stone in his hand to kill him, then he is a murderer. The murderer will be put to death. ¹⁸ If someone strikes another with a wooden object in his hand to kill him, then he is a murderer. The murderer will be put to death. ¹⁹ The kinsman avenger of blood will kill him. When he meets the murderer, he will put him to death. ²⁰ If anyone pushes another person out of hatred or lays in wait and throws something at him in order to kill him, ²¹ or if with bitterness he strikes someone with his hand in order to kill him, then that person will be put to death, for he is a murderer. The kinsman avenger of blood will kill the murderer when he meets him.

²² “ ‘But if someone without bitterness pushes another person or throws something at him without his lying in wait, ²³ or he has a deadly stone object and he does not see the other, but drops it on him causing him to die, and he was not an enemy nor was he seeking to harm the other person, ²⁴ then the assembly will judge between the killer and the kinsman avenger of blood according to these ordinances: ²⁵ the assembly will save the killer from the hands of the kinsman avenger of blood. The assembly will send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He will live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with holy oil.

²⁶ “ ‘But if the killer at any time crosses over the boundary of the city of refuge to which he has fled, ²⁷ and the kinsman avenger of blood finds him outside of the boundary of the city of refuge, and the kinsman avenger of blood kills the killer, he will not be considered to have blood guilt. ²⁸ He should have remained in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. After the death of the high priest, the killer can return to the land of his possession. ²⁹ These things will be a statute and an ordinance for you for all of your generations and in all of your dwellings.

³⁰ “ ‘If a person kills another, the murderer will be put to death upon the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of a single witness. ³¹ You are not to accept a ransom for the murderer who is guilty of death; he is to be put to death. ³² You are not to take a ransom from someone who has fled to his city of refuge who wants to return to live in the land before the death of the priest.

³³ “ ‘You are not to pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed upon it except through the blood of the person who shed it. ³⁴ You are not to pollute the land in which you dwell, for I dwell in it; I, the Lord, dwell among the people of Israel.’ ”

Chapter 36

The Daughters of Zelophehad. ¹ The family heads of the clan of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses, before the leaders, and before the family heads of the people of Israel. ² They said, “When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, the Lord commanded my lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. ³ If they marry members of another Israelite tribe, then the inheritance of our ancestral tribe will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they have married. It will be taken from the portion of our inheritance. ⁴ During the Jubilee of the people of Israel their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they were received. Thus, their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our ancestral tribe.”

⁵ Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of Joseph is correct in what they have said. ⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whomever they wish, only they are to marry within the ancestral tribe of their father. ⁷ Thus, no inheritance among the people of Israel will be transferred from one tribe to another. The people of Israel will hold on to the inheritance of their ancestral tribe. ⁸ Every daughter who comes into the possession of an inheritance of any tribe among the people of Israel will marry someone from the family of the tribe of her father. This way, each Israelite will inherit the inheritance of his fathers. ⁹ No inheritance will pass from one tribe to another. Each Israelite tribe is to keep its own inheritance.’ ”

¹⁰ Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord had commanded Moses.^{[ai] 11} Zelophehad’s daughters, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, married their cousins on their father’s side. ¹² They married within the clans of the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. Their inheritance remained within their clan and their tribe. ¹³ These are the commandments and the ordinances that the Lord commanded the people of Israel through Moses while they were in the plain of Moab, near the Jordan, across from Jericho.