Category: Numbers

[23:1] And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”

[23:2] Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.

[23:3] And Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height,

[23:4] and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”

[23:5] And the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”

[23:6] And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering.

[23:7] And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!’

[23:8] How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

[23:9] For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!

[23:10] Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!”

[23:11] And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.”

[23:12] And he answered and said, “Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

[23:13] And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.”

[23:14] And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

[23:15] Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord over there.”

[23:16] And the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.”

[23:17] And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

[23:18] And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor:

[23:19] God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

[23:20] Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.

[23:21] He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.

[23:22] God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.

[23:23] For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What has God wrought!’

[23:24] Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”

[23:25] And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.”

[23:26] But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord says, that I must do’?”

[23:27] And Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.”

[23:28] So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.

[23:29] And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”

[23:30] And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

[24:1] When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.

[24:2] And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,

[24:3] and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

[24:4] the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:

[24:5] How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!

[24:6] Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.

[24:7] Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

[24:8] God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows.

[24:9] He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”

[24:10] And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times.

[24:11] Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the Lord has held you back from honor.”

[24:12] And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me,

[24:13] ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’?

[24:14] And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”

[24:15] And he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

[24:16] the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:

[24:17] I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.

[24:18] Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly.

[24:19] And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!”

[24:20] Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said, “Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.”

[24:21] And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, “Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock.

[24:22] Nevertheless, Kain shall be burned when Asshur takes you away captive.”

[24:23] And he took up his discourse and said, “Alas, who shall live when God does this?

[24:24] But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he too shall come to utter destruction.”

[24:25] Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.

[25:1] While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.

[25:2] These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

[25:3] So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

[25:4] And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”

[25:5] And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

[25:6] And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

[25:7] When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand

[25:8] and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped.

[25:9] Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

[25:10] And the Lord said to Moses,

[25:11] “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.

[25:12] Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace,

[25:13] and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”

[25:14] The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites.

[25:15] And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian.

[25:16] And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

[25:17] “Harass the Midianites and strike them down,

[25:18] for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”

[26:1] After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest,

[26:2] “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.”

[26:3] And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

[26:4] “Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward,” as the Lord commanded Moses. The people of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were:

[26:5] Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites;

[26:6] of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites.

[26:7] These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were 43,730.

[26:8] And the sons of Pallu: Eliab.

[26:9] The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord

[26:10] and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning.

[26:11] But the sons of Korah did not die.

[26:12] The sons of Simeon according to their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites;

[26:13] of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites.

[26:14] These are the clans of the Simeonites, 22,200.

[26:15] The sons of Gad according to their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites;

[26:16] of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites;

[26:17] of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites.

[26:18] These are the clans of the sons of Gad as they were listed, 40,500.

[26:19] The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

[26:20] And the sons of Judah according to their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites.

[26:21] And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites.

[26:22] These are the clans of Judah as they were listed, 76,500.

[26:23] The sons of Issachar according to their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites;

[26:24] of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites.

[26:25] These are the clans of Issachar as they were listed, 64,300.

[26:26] The sons of Zebulun, according to their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites.

[26:27] These are the clans of the Zebulunites as they were listed, 60,500.

[26:28] The sons of Joseph according to their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim.

[26:29] The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the clan of the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites.

[26:30] These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites;

[26:31] and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites;

[26:32] and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites.

[26:33] Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

[26:34] These are the clans of Manasseh, and those listed were 52,700.

[26:35] These are the sons of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites.

[26:36] And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites.

[26:37] These are the clans of the sons of Ephraim as they were listed, 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their clans.

[26:38] The sons of Benjamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites;

[26:39] of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites.

[26:40] And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites.

[26:41] These are the sons of Benjamin according to their clans, and those listed were 45,600.

[26:42] These are the sons of Dan according to their clans: of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These are the clans of Dan according to their clans.

[26:43] All the clans of the Shuhamites, as they were listed, were 64,400.

[26:44] The sons of Asher according to their clans: of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites.

[26:45] Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites.

[26:46] And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.

[26:47] These are the clans of the sons of Asher as they were listed, 53,400.

[26:48] The sons of Naphtali according to their clans: of Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites;

[26:49] of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites.

[26:50] These are the clans of Naphtali according to their clans, and those listed were 45,400.

[26:51] This was the list of the people of Israel, 601,730.

[26:52] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

[26:53] “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names.

[26:54] To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list.

[26:55] But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.

[26:56] Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller.”

[26:57] This was the list of the Levites according to their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites.

[26:58] These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. And Kohath was the father of Amram.

[26:59] The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.

[26:60] And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

[26:61] But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord.

[26:62] And those listed were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward. For they were not listed among the people of Israel, because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.

[26:63] These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

[26:64] But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.

[26:65] For the Lord had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

[27:1] Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

[27:2] And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying,

[27:3] “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons.

[27:4] Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”

[27:5] Moses brought their case before the Lord.

[27:6] And the Lord said to Moses,

[27:7] “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.

[27:8] And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.

[27:9] And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.

[27:10] And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.

[27:11] And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”

[27:12] The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel.

[27:13] When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,

[27:14] because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

[27:15] Moses spoke to the Lord, saying,

[27:16] “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation

[27:17] who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.”

[27:18] So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.

[27:19] Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight.

[27:20] You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.

[27:21] And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.”

[27:22] And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation,

[27:23] and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord directed through Moses.

[28:1] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

[28:2] “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’

[28:3] And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering.

[28:4] The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;

[28:5] also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil.

[28:6] It is a regular burnt offering, which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.

[28:7] Its drink offering shall be a quarter of a hin for each lamb. In the Holy Place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the Lord.

[28:8] The other lamb you shall offer at twilight. Like the grain offering of the morning, and like its drink offering, you shall offer it as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.