Balaam prophesied about the Israelites again

13 After that, King Balak told Balaam, “I ask that you travel with me to a different place. You cannot see all the Israelites from there. You can see just the edge of their campsite. From there you must call on God to do bad things to them for my sake.” 14 So Balak took Balaam to part of the open country that people called Zophim. It was at the top of the hilly area that people called Pisgah. There Balak had people construct seven altars. He offered one bull and one ram on each altar.

15 Then Balaam told Balak, “You stand here close to your wholly burned sacrifice. I will wait for Yahweh to make himself present to me over there.”

16 Then, Yahweh made himself present to Balaam and told him what to say. Then Yahweh said, “Go back to Balak. Tell him that message.”

17 So Balaam went back to Balak. He found Balak standing close to his wholly burned sacrifice. The Moabite officials were with him. Balak asked him, “What did Yahweh say?”

18 Then Balaam began to speak his prophetic message:

“King Balak, Zippor’s son,

pay attention to what I say!

19 God is not a human.

So, he does not speak falsely, like humans do.

He always does

whatever he has said he will do.

20 Listen! God told me to call on him to do good things for the Israelites.

He intends to do good things for them, and I cannot change that.

21 Nothing bad or unfortunate

will happen to the Israelites.

Yahweh their God rules over them,

and they rejoice about that.

22 God led them out of Egypt.

God is as strong as any wild ox.

23 In fact, no one can harm the Israelites

by using magic or curses.

Right now, people will say about the Israelites,

‘Look at the amazing things that God has done!’

24 Listen! This people group is powerful,

like a pouncing lion.

As a lion does not stop hunting until it catches something to eat,

so they will not stop fighting until they completely defeat their enemies.”

25 Then Balak told Balaam, “I see that you are not calling on God to do bad things to the Israelites. You should be silent instead of calling on God to do good things to them!”

26 Balaam replied, “I already told you that I must do whatever Yahweh tells me to do!”

27 Then Balak told Balaam, “I ask that you travel with me to a different place. Maybe in that place God will consider it acceptable for you to call on him to do bad things to the Israelites for my sake.” 28 So Balak had Balaam travel with him to the top of the hilly area that people called Peor. From there, people could look down into the desolate area north of the Dead Sea.

29 Then Balaam told King Balak, “Have people construct seven altars for me here. Then have people get seven bulls and seven rams ready for me here to sacrifice.” 30 So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He offered one bull and one ram on each altar.

24 Balaam now realized that Yahweh intended to do good things to the Israelites. So, he did not go somewhere else to find out what God wished, as he had previously. Instead, he stood facing the nearby desolate area. 2 Balaam looked at the Israelite people. All the people from each tribe had set up their tents together in groups. Then God’s Spirit influenced Balaam. 3 He began to speak his prophetic message:

“I, Balaam, Beor’s son, am speaking.

God has enabled me to know what to say.

4 I am saying what God speaks to me.

God, who is completely powerful, has revealed things to me.

I bow down before him, and he enables me to know what to say.

5 You Israelites, the tents in which you live

are very beautiful!

6 Your campsite is like a long stream bed

or a garden near a river.

It is like a forest of valuable trees

that Yahweh has caused to grow in a fertile place.

7 You will always have plenty of water

so that your crops grow well.

The king who rules you will be very great,

greater than King Agag.

8 God led you Israelites out of Egypt.

God is as strong as any wild ox.

You will completely conquer in battle

all the people who oppose you.

9 

You are like a lion that is lying down.

It is a dangerous to provoke you.

Anyone who calls on God to do good things to you will also receive good things.

Anyone calls on God to do bad things to you will also receive bad things.”

10 Then King Balak was angry with Balaam. He angrily smacked his hands together. He told Balaam, “I had you come here to call on God to do bad things to those who oppose me. Instead, you have called on God to do good things to them three times! 11 So, you must hurry back to your home now! I told you that I would reward you well. But listen to this: Yahweh has prevented you from receiving that reward.”

12 Balaam replied, “You should remember what I told the representatives you had visit me. I told them 13 to suppose that you, King Balak, offered me all the money and possessions you have. Even in that case, I would not be able to disobey what Yahweh tells me to do. I would not be able to do whatever I wanted, whether good or bad. Instead, I would say whatever Yahweh told me to say. That is what I told them.

14 Listen! I will go back home now. First, though, I will inform you about what the Israelites will eventually do to you Moabites.”

15 He began to speak his prophetic message:

“I, Balaam, Beor’s son, am speaking.

God has enabled me to know what to say.

16 I understand what the Most High God shows me,

so I am saying what God speaks to me.

God, who is completely powerful, has revealed things to me.

I bow down before him, and he enables me to know what to say.

17 I know about someone

who will eventually live here.

He will be an Israelite who will rule powerfully

and as gloriously as a star in the sky.

He will conquer the Moabites and their rulers,

all the descendants of Seth.

18 This person will take over the area

where those who oppose him, the Edomites, live.

The Israelites will act powerfully.

19 This person will rule from the land where the Israelites live.

He will kill anyone who survives when he conquers the cities of his enemies.”

20 Then Balaam looked toward the place where the Amalekites lived. He began to speak his prophetic message:

“The Amalekites are the most powerful group in this area.

However, eventually someone will destroy them completely.”

21 Then Balaam looked toward the place where the Kenites lived. He began to speak his prophetic message:

“You live in a strong and secure place,

like a bird’s nest on a cliff.

22 Yet, the Asshur tribe will make you Kenites their prisoners

and burn the place where you live.”

23 Then Balaam began to speak his last prophetic message:

“How terrible! No one can survive when God does these things!

24 People will arrive in boats from the shores of the Kittim region.

They will subdue the Asshur tribe and the Eber tribe.

However, someone will destroy them completely too.”

25 Then Balaam left that place and traveled back to his home. Balak too left that place.

25 Now the Israelites were living in an area that people called Shittim. While they were there, some of the Israelite men began having sex with Moabite women. 2 Those women invited the Israelites to attend feasts where they offered sacrifices to their gods. The Israelites ate some of the food and worshiped the gods. 3 In this way, the Israelites associated themselves with the god Baal whom people worshiped at the town of Peor. So Yahweh was angry with the Israelites.

4 So Yahweh told Moses, “Seize the people who lead the Israelites. Execute them and display their bodies publicly before me. That way, I will stop being very angry with the Israelites.”

5 So Moses told the people who settled disputes among the Israelites, “Consider the people you are responsible for. Each of you must execute any of them who have associated themselves with the god Baal whom people worship at the town of Peor.”

6 Now the whole Israelite community was mourning at the entrance to the sacred tent. Just then, an Israelite man arrived with a Midianite woman. He introduced her to his relatives while Moses and the rest of the Israelites watched. 7 Now Aaron had a son whose name was Eleazar. Eleazar had a son whose name was Phinehas, who was a priest. Phinehas also watched what happened with the Midianite woman. He left the Israelite community and picked up a spear. 8 He followed the Israelite man to a special tent. There, he thrust the spear through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach, killing them both. Then, the Israelites stopped getting sick with the terrible disease that had made many of them sick. 9 However, 24,000 people had already died from the terrible disease.

10 Then Yahweh told Moses, 11 “Aaron’s grandson, Eleazar’s son, Phinehas, the priest, wanted the Israelites to worship only me as strongly as I want the Israelites to worship only me. So, I am not angry with the Israelites any longer. Otherwise, I would have killed all of them because I want them to worship only me. 12 So, proclaim that I am making an agreement with Phinehas to make things go well for him. 13 The agreement means that he and his descendants will always be priests. I am making this agreement because Phinehas wanted the Israelites to worship only me, the God he worships. When he acted, I accepted what he did and removed what the Israelites had done wrong.”

14 The name of the Israelite man whom Phinehas killed along with the Midianite woman was Zimri. He was Salu’s son. He led one of the ancestral families that made up the Simeon tribe. 15 The name of the Midianite woman whom Phinehas killed was Kozbi. She was Zur’s daughter. Zur led one of the ancestral families that made up Midian.

16 Then Yahweh told Moses, 17 “Attack the Midianites and kill them. 18 You must do that because they have acted against you by tricking you. They did that when they convinced the Israelites to worship the god Baal whom people worship at Peor. They also did when Kozbi visited the Israelite campsite. Her father led the Midianites, and she was one of their people. Phinehas killed her. That was when the Israelites were getting sick with a terrible disease when they worshiped the god Baal whom people worship at Peor.”

26 Now after the Israelites stopped getting sick with the terrible disease, Yahweh told Moses and Aaron’s son Eleazar, the priest, 2 “Count all the men among the whole Israelite community. List them by their ancestral families. Only include the men who are at least 20 years old and can be soldiers.”

3 At that time, the Israelites were in the flatlands that were part of Moab. They were on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. Moses and Eleazar the priest told the Israelites, 4 “We are going to count all the men who are at least 20 years old. We will do exactly what Yahweh told Moses to do.”

They did that. So, what follows is the record of the Israelites who left Egypt.

5 The firstborn son of Jacob, whose other name was Israel, was Reuben. The four tribal groups that descended from Reuben were the descendants of Hanoch, the descendants of Pallu, 6 the descendants of Hezron, and the descendants of Carmi. 7 Moses and Eleazar listed 43,730 men from these four tribal groups that descended from Reuben. 8 Now Pallu had a son whose name was Eliab. 9 Eliab had three sons, whose names were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The Israelites had chosen Dathan and Abiram from the community to lead them. However, they joined the community that Korah assembled to oppose Moses and Aaron. When they did that, they opposed Yahweh.

10 Then the ground broke open, and they and Korah fell into the hole. That was when fire destroyed 250 men, and the community that Korah assembled died. What happened to them showed the Israelites what happens when people oppose Yahweh. 11 However, not all of the descendants of Korah died at that time.

12 The five tribal groups that descended from Simeon were the descendants of Nemuel, the descendants of Jamin, the descendants of Jachin, 13 the descendants of Zerah, and the descendants of Shaul. 14 There were 22,200 men from these five tribal groups that descended from Simeon.

15 The seven tribal groups that descended from Gad were the descendants of Zephon, the descendants of Haggi, the descendants of Shuni, 16 the descendants of Ozni, the descendants of Eri, 17 the descendants of Arod, and the descendants of Areli. 18 Moses and Eleazar listed 40,500 men from these seven tribal groups that descended from Gad.

19 Judah had two sons whose names were Er and Onan. However, they died in Canaan and had no descendants. 20 The three tribal groups that descended from Judah through his other sons were the descendants of Shelah, the descendants of Perez, and the descendants of Zerah. 21 The descendants of Perez divided themselves into two groups. They were the descendants of Hezron and the descendants of Hamul. 22 Moses and Eleazar listed 76,500 men from these three tribal groups and two subgroups that descended from Judah.

23 The four tribal groups that descended from Issachar were the descendants of Tola, the descendants of Puvah, 24 the descendants of Jashub, and the descendants of Shimron. 25 Moses and Eleazar listed 64,300 men from these four tribal groups that descended from Issachar.

26 The three tribal groups that descended from Zebulun were the descendants of Sered, the descendants of Elon, and the descendants of Jahleel. 27 Moses and Eleazar listed 60,500 men from these three tribal groups that descended from Zebulun.

28 The tribal groups that descended from Joseph divided themselves into two tribes. These tribes were Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 The two tribal groups that descended from Manasseh were the descendants of Makir and the descendants of Gilead. Now Gilead was Makir’s son. 30 The descendants of Gilead divided themselves into six groups. They were the descendants of Iezer, the descendants of Helek, 31 the descendants of Asriel, the descendants of Shechem, 32 the descendants of Shemida, and the descendants of Hepher. 33 Now Hepher had a son whose name was Zelophehad. Zelophehad did not have any sons. He had only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 Moses and Eleazar listed 52,700 men from these two tribal groups and six subgroups that descended from Manasseh.

35 The three tribal groups that descended from Ephraim were the descendants of Shuthelah, the descendants of Becher, and the descendants of Tahan. 36 Some of the descendants of Shuthelah divided themselves into a group. These people were the descendants of Eran. 37 Moses and Eleazar listed 32,500 men from these three tribal groups and one subgroup that descended from Ephraim. Those tribal groups and the tribal groups that descended from Manasseh were the tribal groups that descended from Joseph.

38 The five tribal groups that descended from Benjamin were the descendants of Bela, the descendants of Ashbel, the descendants of Ahiram, 39 the descendants of Shephupham, and the descendants of Hupham. 40 The descendants of Bela divided themselves into two groups. They were the descendants of Ard and the descendants of Naaman. 41 Moses and Eleazar listed 45,600 men from these five tribal groups and two subgroups that descended from Benjamin.

42 The one tribal group that descended from Dan was the descendants of Shuham. That was the only tribal group that descended from Dan. 43 Moses and Eleazar listed 64,400 men who were descendants of Shuham, who descended from Dan.

44 The three tribal groups that descended from Asher were the descendants of Imnah, the descendants of Ishvi, and the descendants of Beriah. 45 The descendants of Beriah divided themselves into two groups. They were the descendants of Heber and the descendants of Malchiel. 46 Also, Asher had a daughter whose name was Serah. 47 Moses and Eleazar listed 53,400 men from these three tribal groups and two subgroups that descended from Asher.

48 The four tribal groups that descended from Naphtali were the descendants of Jahzeel, the descendants of Guni, 49 the descendants of Jezer, and the descendants of Shillem. 50 Moses and Eleazar listed 45,400 men from these four tribal groups that descended from Naphtali.

51 Moses and Eleazar listed 601,730 Israelite men in total.

52 Then Yahweh told Moses, 53 “You must assign an area within Canaan to each of those tribal groups. Use the number of people in each tribal group to decide which area each one will have. 54 Tribal groups with many people should receive more land. Tribal groups with few people should receive less land. Each tribal group should receive its land according to how many people you and Eleazar listed for that group. 55 However, you must use lots to determine randomly where each tribal group will receive its land. All the tribal groups that belong to the same ancestral tribe must receive land next to each other. 56 You must use lots to determine randomly where each tribal group will receive its land. Tribal groups with many people should receive more land, and tribal groups with few people should receive less land.”

57 The Israelites also listed the Levite men. The three tribal groups that descended from Levi were the descendants of Gershon, the descendants of Kohath, and the descendants of Merari. 58 The people in those three Levite tribal groups further divided themselves into five groups. They were the descendants of Libni, the descendants of Hebron, the descendants of Mahli, the descendants of Mushi, and the descendants of Korah.

Now Amram was Kohath’s descendant. 59 Amram had a wife whose name was Jochebed. She was a Levite, and her mother gave birth to her in Egypt. She and Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and a daughter, Miriam. 60 Aaron had sons whose names were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 However, Nadab and Abihu died. That happened when they offered to Yahweh burning coals that he had not authorized. 62 Moses and Eleazar listed 23,000 Levite men who were at least one month old. Now the Levites did not receive any land like the rest of the Israelites did. So, Moses and Eleazar listed the Levite men separately from the rest of the Israelite men. 63 Those were all the Israelite men whom Moses and Eleazar the priest listed. They listed them when the Israelites were in the flatlands that were part of Moab. They were on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 64 Now Moses and Aaron the priest had previously listed all the Israelite men. They did that when the Israelites were in the desolate area around Sinai. None of those men were among the ones whom Moses and Eleazar the priest listed. They had all died. 65 That happened because Yahweh had told them, “You will all die in this desolate area!” So, only two of them were still alive. Those two were Jephunneh’s son, Caleb, and Nun’s son, Joshua.

27 Now a man whose name was Zelophehad had five daughters. Zelophehad’s father was Hepher, his father was Gilead, his father was Machir, and his father was Manasseh. So, the daughters belonged to the tribal groups descended from Manasseh, who was Joseph’s son. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. After Moses and Eleazar listed the Israelite men, they approached Moses and Eleazar. 2 They stood at the entrance to the sacred tent in the presence of Moses, Eleazar the priest, the men who led the Israelites, and the whole Israelite community. They said, 3 “Our father was not part of the community that Korah assembled to gather together to oppose Yahweh. He died in the desolate area because of what he himself had done wrong, not because he opposed Yahweh. Now he did not have any sons. 4 So, you must assign to us the land that he would have received, just as our uncles and their descendants are receiving land. Otherwise, out of all the land that belongs to our tribal group, none of it will belong to a descendant from our father because he had no sons. That would not be right!” 5 So Moses asked Yahweh what to do about what the women had requested.

6 Yahweh told Moses, 7 “What Zelophehad’s daughters have requested is correct. You must assign to them the land that their father would have received. They must surely receive land, just as their uncles and their descendants are receiving land. 8 Also, tell this to the Israelite people: Suppose that a man dies without having any sons. If he has a daughter, she should receive the land he had. 9 If he has no daughter but has brothers, they should receive the land he had. 10 If he has no brothers but has uncles, they should receive the land he had. 11 If he has no uncles, his closest relative from his tribal group should receive the land he had. All the Israelites must follow this rule. They must do what Yahweh told Moses that they should do.”

12 Yahweh told Moses, “Climb up the nearby peak in the Abarim mountain range. From there, you can look at the land that I am giving to the Israelite people. 13 After you look at the land, you too, like your brother Aaron, will die and be with your ancestors who have already died. 14 That will happen because you and Aaron disobeyed what I said to do at the desolate area of Zin. When the Israelite community argued with you, you did not show the Israelite people how holy I am when you provided water for them.” That happened in the desolate area of Zin, at Meribah Kadesh, where the water gushed out of the rock.

15 Then Moses replied, 16 “Yahweh, you are the God who makes everything live. Please appoint someone to lead this community. 17 This person will lead them when they fight battles and will bring them home safely. Otherwise, the community that worships you, Yahweh, would be without a leader, like a flock of sheep without a shepherd.” 18 So Yahweh told Moses, “Summon Nun’s son Joshua. I have enabled him to lead well. Place your hand on him to commission him. 19 Have him stand in the presence of the priest Eleazar and the whole Israelite community. While they are watching, commission him. 20 Share some of how glorious you are with him. That way, the whole Israelite community will obey him. 21 When Joshua must decide something, he must present himself to Eleazar the priest. Eleazar will use the Urim and Thummim in Yahweh’s presence to ask Yahweh where to go and what to do. Joshua and the whole Israelite community must do whatever Yahweh says.” 22 Moses did what Yahweh had ordered him to do. He summoned Joshua and had him stand in the presence of the priest Eleazar and the whole Israelite community. 23 Moses placed his hands on Joshua and commissioned him. Moses did exactly what Yahweh commanded through him.

28 Yahweh told Moses, 2 “Order the Israelite people to do this: They must make sure to offer sacrificial animals, food, and drink to me at the proper time. When they give them to me, I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them.

3 Also tell them this: Every day, they must offer to me two animals, along with food and drink. They must offer them as a wholly burned sacrifice. These animals must be healthy male sheep that are one year old. 4 They must offer one male sheep in the morning. They must offer the other male sheep early in the evening. 5 The grain offering for each lamb must be about two liters of flour with about one liter of olive oil in it. People must produce this olive oil by striking olives instead of pressing them. 6 They must offer those things to me regularly as a wholly burned sacrifice. That is what they did at Mount Sinai. Then, I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them. 7 The wine offering for each lamb must be about one liter of alcoholic drink. The priest must pour it out in my presence in the Holy Place. 8 They must offer the other male sheep early in the evening. They must include with it the same grain and wine offerings you included with the lamb in the morning. When they give those things to me, I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them.

9 On each Sabbath day, they must offer two healthy male sheep that are one year old. The grain offering for both sheep must be about four liters of flour with olive oil in it, and the wine offering must be about two liters of alcoholic drink. 10 That is the wholly burned sacrifice for the Sabbath day. They must offer it on each Sabbath day in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice and its wine offering.

11 On the first day of each month, they must offer to me two young bulls, one ram, and seven male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. They must offer those animals as wholly burned sacrifices. 12 The grain offering for each bull must be about six liters of flour with olive oil in it. The grain offering for the ram must be about four liters of flour with olive oil in it. 13 The grain offering for each male sheep must be about two liters of flour with olive oil in it. They must offer all those things as wholly burned sacrifices. When they give those things to me, I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them. 14 The wine offering for each bull must be about two liters of wine. The wine offering for the ram must be about about one and one-fourth liters of wine. The wine offering for each male sheep must be about one liter of wine. That is the wholly burned sacrifice for the first day of each month. They must offer it on the first day of each month in the year. 15 They must also offer to me a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice and its wine offering.

16 On the fourteenth day of the first month, they celebrate the the Passover Celebration to honor me. 17 On the fifteenth day of that same month, a celebration that is seven days long begins. During those seven days, everyone eats bread without yeast. 18 On the first day of the celebration, they must gather together for a sacred meeting. They must not do any regular work. 19 They must offer two young bulls, one ram, and seven male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. They must give those animals to me as wholly burned sacrifices. 20 The grain offering for each bull must be about six liters of flour with olive oil in it. The grain offering for the ram must be about four liters of flour with olive oil in it. 21 The grain offering for each of the seven male sheep must be about two liters of flour with olive oil in it. 22 They must also offer one male goat as a purifying sacrifice, which I will accept and remove what they have done wrong. 23 They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice that they offer in the morning. 24 They must offer the same kinds and amounts of sacrificial animals, food, and drink on each of the seven days of the celebration. I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice and its wine offering. 25 On the seventh day of the celebration, they must gather together for a sacred meeting. They must not do any regular work.

26 During the Celebration of Weeks, there is a day when they offer to me some of the first batches of everything that they grow, including grain offerings from the grain they recently harvested. On that day, they must gather together for a sacred meeting. They must not do any regular work. 27 They must offer animals as wholly burned sacrifices. I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them. They must offer two young bulls, one ram, and seven male sheep that are one year old. 28 The grain offering for each bull must be about six liters of flour with olive oil in it. The grain offering for the ram must be about four liters of flour with olive oil in it. 29 The grain offering for each of the seven male sheep must be about two liters of flour with olive oil in it. 30 They must also offer one male goat, which I will accept and remove what they have done wrong. 31 They must offer all those things and the wine offerings that go with them in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice and its grain and wine offerings. The animals that you offer must be healthy.

29 On the first day of the seventh month of every year, they must gather together for a sacred meeting. They must not do any regular work. On that day, they must blow trumpets. 2 They must offer one young bull, one ram, and seven male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. They must offer those animals as wholly burned sacrifices. I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them. 3 The grain offering for the bull must be about six liters of flour with olive oil in it. The grain offering for the ram must be about four liters of flour with olive oil in it. 4 The grain offering for each of the seven male sheep must be about two liters of flour with olive oil in it. 5 They must also offer one male goat as a purifying sacrifice, which I will accept and remove what they have done wrong. 6 They must offer all those things and the wine offerings that go with them in addition to the wholly burned sacrifice for the first day of each month, the regular wholly burned sacrifice, and their grain and wine offerings. They must follow the instructions for those offerings. When they give those things to me, I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them.

7 On the tenth day of the seventh month of very year, they must gather together for a sacred meeting. They must submit themselves to me by not eating anything. They must not do any work at all. 8 They must offer to me one young bull, one ram, and seven male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. They must offer those animals as wholly burned sacrifices. I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them 9 The grain offering for the bull must be about six liters of flour with olive oil in it. The grain offering for the ram must be about four liters of flour with olive oil in it. 10 The grain offering for each of the seven male sheep must be about two liters of flour with olive oil in it. 11 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things and the wine offerings that go with them in addition to the purifying sacrifice that I accept to remove their sins that they offer on this day and the regular wholly burned sacrifice and their grain and wine offerings.

12 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of every year, they must gather together for a sacred meeting. They must not do any regular work. That day is the first day of a celebration to honor me that lasts seven days. 13 On that first day, they must offer 13 young bulls, two rams, and 14 male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. They must offer those animals as wholly burned sacrifices. When they give them to me, I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them. 14 The grain offering for each of the 13 bulls must be about six liters of flour with olive oil in it. The grain offering for each of the two rams must be about four liters of flour with olive oil in it. 15 The grain offering for each of the 14 male sheep must be about two liters of flour with olive oil in it. 16 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice with its grain and wine offerings.

17 On the second day of the celebration, they must offer 12 young bulls, two rams, and 14 male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. 18 They must follow the same instructions as the first day of the celebration for the amount of each grain and wine offering for each of the bulls, rams, and male sheep. 19 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice with its grain and wine offerings.

20 On the third day of the celebration, they must offer 11 bulls, two rams, and 14 male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. 21 They must follow the same instructions as the first day of the celebration for the amount of each grain and wine offering for each of the bulls, rams, and male sheep. 22 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice with its grain and wine offerings.

23 On the fourth day of the celebration, they must offer ten bulls, two rams, and 14 male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. 24 They must follow the same instructions as the first day of the celebration for the amount of each grain and wine offering for each of the bulls, rams, and male sheep. 25 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice with its grain and wine offerings.

26 On the fifth day of the celebration, they must offer nine bulls, two rams, and 14 male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. 27 They must follow the same instructions as the first day of the celebration for the amount of each grain and wine offering for each of the bulls, rams, and male sheep. 28 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice with its grain and wine offerings.

29 On the sixth day of the celebration, they must offer eight bulls, two rams, and 14 male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. 30 They must follow the same instructions as the first day of the celebration for the amount of each grain and wine offering for each of the bulls, rams, and male sheep. 31 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice with its grain and wine offerings.

32 On the seventh day of the celebration, they must offer seven bulls, two rams, and 14 male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. 33 They must follow the same instructions as the first day of the celebration for the amount of each grain and wine offering for each of the bulls, rams, and male sheep. 34 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice with its grain and wine offerings.

35 On the eighth day after the celebration began, they must gather together for a special gathering. They must not do any regular work. 36 They must offer one bull, one ram, and seven male sheep that are one year old. All of them must be healthy. They must offer those animals as wholly burned sacrifices. When they give them to me, I will enjoy the smell of the smoke when they burn them. 37 They must follow the same instructions as the first day of the celebration for the amount of each grain and wine offering for the bull, the ram, and each male sheep. 38 They must also offer a male goat as a purifying sacrifice. They must offer all those things in addition to the regular wholly burned sacrifice with its grain and wine offerings. 39 They must offer all those things to me at their proper times. They must offer them in addition to the offerings that go with solemn promises, the offerings they freely choose to give, and any other wholly burned sacrifices, grain offerings, wine offerings, and fellowship sacrifices.”

40 Moses told the Israelites everything that Yahweh had told him to do.

30 Moses told the men who led the Israelite tribes, “I will tell you what Yahweh instructed me about solemn promises. 2 Suppose that a man makes a solemn promise to Yahweh or commits to a formal agreement with a pledge. In that case, the man must do everything that he said he would do. He must not fail to do all of it.

3 Suppose that there is a young unmarried woman who still lives with her parents. Suppose that she makes a solemn promise to Yahweh or commits to a formal agreement. 4 Suppose that her father learns about her solemn promise or the formal agreement to which she committed. If he does not say anything about it, then her solemn promise or the formal agreement to which she committed remains valid. 5 However, if her father opposes what she said when he learns about it, then her solemn promise or the formal agreement to which she committed is no longer valid. It was her father who opposed what she said, so Yahweh will forgive her for failing to do what she said.

6 Suppose that there is a woman who has made a solemn promise or carelessly committed to a formal agreement. Suppose that she marries a man while that promise or agreement is still valid. 7 Suppose that her husband learns about her promise or agreement. If he does not say anything about it, then her solemn promise or the formal agreement to which she committed remains valid. 8 However, if her husband opposes what she said when he learns about it, then he nullifies her solemn promise or the formal agreement to which she carelessly committed that was still valid. In that case, Yahweh will forgive her for failing to do what she said.

9 Suppose that there is a woman whose husband has died or divorced her. Suppose that she makes a solemn promise or commits to a formal agreement. In that case, her promise or agreement is always valid.

10 Suppose that there is a married woman. Suppose that she makes a solemn promise or commits to a formal agreement with a pledge while she is living with her husband. 11 Suppose that her husband learns about her promise or agreement. If he does not say anything about it or oppose what she said, then her solemn promise or the formal agreement to which she committed remains valid. 12 However, if her husband nullifies her promise or agreement when he learns about it, then everything she said with regard to the solemn promise or the formal agreement to which she committed is no longer valid. It was her husband who nullified what she said, so Yahweh will forgive her for failing to do what she said. 13 Whenever a married woman makes a solemn promise or a formal agreement with a pledge to abstain from something, her husband can confirm that it is valid, or he can nullify it. 14 Now suppose that her husband does not say anything about it for several days. In that case, he has confirmed that her solemn promise or the formal agreement to which she committed is valid. He did not say anything about it when he learned about it, so he has confirmed that it is valid. 15 However, suppose that he nullifies the promise or agreement some time after he learns about it. In that case, Yahweh will punish him for what his wife did wrong by failing to do what she said.”

16 Yahweh gave those instructions to Moses. They deal with a husband and his wife and a father and his young unmarried daughter who still lives with her parents.

31 Yahweh told Moses, 2 “Have the Israelites punish the Midianites for what they did to you all. Then, you will die and be with your ancestors who have already died.”

3 So Moses told the Israelites, “Some of you men must prepare yourselves to fight. You will fight against the Midianites, and Yahweh will use you to punish them. 4 Each Israelite tribe must have 1,000 men go to fight the Midianites.” 5 So, out of the many Israelite men, 1,000 men from each tribe prepared themselves to fight the Midianites. There were 12,000 men in all. 6 Then, Moses had them go to fight the Midianites. One thousand men from each tribe went, and Eleazar’s son Phinehas, the priest, went with them. Eleazar took with him some of the equipment for the sacred tent and the trumpets that they would sound in a special way to communicate. 7 The Israelites did what Yahweh told Moses to do. They attacked the Midianites. They killed all the adult Midianite men. 8 In addition to the soldiers they killed, the Israelites also killed the five men who ruled the Midianites: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Beor’s son, Balaam. 9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children. They took away all the farm animals and valuable things that belonged to the Midianites. 10 They burned down all the towns and settlements where the Midianites lived. 11 They collected everything that they had captured, including the people and the farm animals. 12 They took the prisoners and everything that they had captured to where the Israelites had set up their tents. That was in the flatlands that were part of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. They presented all those things to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the rest of the Israelite community.

13 Now Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the men who led the Israelite community had walked outside the area where the Israelites set up their tents to welcome the soldiers. 14 Moses became angry with some of the soldiers who had returned from fighting the Midianites. Specifically, he became angry with the commanders over groups of 1,000 and 100 soldiers. 15 He told them, “You should not have allowed all the Midianite women to live! 16 Remember, these are the women who did to us Israelites what Balaam said. Many of us stopped being loyal to Yahweh when they convinced them to worship the god Baal whom people worship at Peor. Because of that, many people in our community that worships Yahweh became sick with a terrible disease. 17 So, you must kill every boy and every woman who has had sex with a man. 18 However, you must allow every girl who has not had sex with a man to live among you. 19 As for you all, you must stay outside the area where the Israelites set up their tents for seven days. Every one of you who has killed someone or who has touched a corpse must cleanse himself or herself two days and six days after it happened. That applies both to you and to your prisoners. 20 You must also cleanse each piece of clothing and every item that people made out of animal skin, goat hair, or wood.”

21 Then Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had returned from fighting the Midianites, “Here is a rule from the instructions that Yahweh gave to Moses. 22 As for anything that people made out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead, 23 those things will not burn up. So, you must put them in a fire and also cleanse them using the water and ashes that make things pure. Then they will become pure. As for things that will burn up, you must put them in that special water to cleanse them. 24 On the sixth day after you became impure, you must wash your clothes. Then, you will become pure. After that, you can return to the area where the Israelites set up their tents.”

25 Then Yahweh told Moses, 26 “You, Eleazar the priest, and the men who lead the ancestral families that make up the Israelite community must count everything that you have captured, including the people and the farm animals. 27 Then, you must give half of what you captured to the soldiers who fought against the Midianites. You must give the other half to the rest of the Israelite community. 28 You must require the soldiers who fought against the Midianites to give me one out of every 500 people, oxen, donkeys, and sheep and goats that they received. 29 You must transfer to Eleazar the priest what the soldiers give to me from what they received. 30 Also, you must transfer to the Levites one out of every 50 people and animals, including oxen, donkeys, and sheep and goats, that the rest of the Israelites received. The Levites guard the sacred tent.” 31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did exactly what Yahweh told Moses to do.

32 Here is a record of how many people and animals the soldiers captured. They captured 675,000 sheep and goats. 33 They captured 72,000 oxen. 34 They captured 61,000 donkeys. 35 They captured 32,000 women who had not had sex with a man. 36 The soldiers who had fought against the Midianites received one out of every two people and animals. They received 337,500 sheep and goats. 37 They gave 675 of those sheep and goats to Yahweh. 38 They received 36,000 oxen. They gave 72 of those oxen to Yahweh. 39 They received 30,500 donkeys. They gave 61 of those donkeys to Yahweh. 40 They received 16,000 people. They gave 32 of those people to Yahweh. 41 Then Moses transferred to Eleazar the priest what the soldiers gave to Yahweh. He did what Yahweh told him to do.

42 Then Moses gave the other one out of every two people and animals to the rest of the Israelites. 43 So, the Israelite community received 337,500 sheep and goats. 44 They received 36,000 oxen. 45 They received 30,500 donkeys. 46 They received 16,000 people. 47 Then Moses transferred to the Levites one out of every 50 people and animals that the rest of the Israelites received. The Levites guarded the sacred tent. Moses did what Yahweh told him to do

48 Then some of the soldiers, specifically the commanders over groups of 1,000 and 100 soldiers, approached Moses. 49 They told him, “We who serve you have counted the soldiers whom we commanded when we fought against the Midianites. All of them returned safely. 50 So, each of us is presenting to Yahweh the golden jewelry that we collected. That includes arm bands, wrist bands, rings, decorations for ears, and necklaces. By doing that, we will ransom ourselves from Yahweh, who kept us safe.” 51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them those items that people had made out of gold. 52 Moses and Eleazar received all those gold items from the commanders over groups of 1,000 and 100 soldiers and dedicated them to Yahweh. All together, those items weighed about 184 kilograms. 53 Those items came from what each of the soldiers had taken for himself. 54 When Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold items from the commanders over groups of 1,000 and 100 soldiers, they put them in the sacred tent. That way, Yahweh would think about the Israelites.

32 Now the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad had very many animals. They noticed that the Jazer region and the Gilead region were good places for animals to live. 2 So, leaders from the tribes of Gad and Reuben approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the men who led the Israelite community. They said, 3 “We want to speak about the region that includes the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. 4 Yahweh enabled us, the Israelite community, to capture that region. It is a good place for animals to live, and we have many animals. 5 So, please treat us kindly by giving us that region to live in! We do not want to cross over the Jordan River.”

6 Moses replied, “Your fellow Israelites are about to fight their enemies. It is not right for you to stay here! 7 You are convincing the rest of the Israelites not to travel to the land that Yahweh is giving to us Israelites. That is not right! 8 You are doing the same kind of thing that your ancestors did. That happened when I had some of your ancestors travel from Kadesh Barnea to find out what Canaan was like. 9 They walked all the way to Eshkol Stream Bed and found out what Canaan was like. When they returned, they convinced the rest of the Israelites not to travel to the land that Yahweh was giving to them. 10 So, Yahweh was angry at that time. He solemnly stated 11 that they had not obeyed him completely. So, he promised that none of the men who had left Egypt and who were at least 20 years old would experience the land that he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give to their descendants. 12 However, he stated that this did not apply for two men, who did obey him completely. They are Jephunneh’s son, Caleb, from the Kenizzite tribal group, and Nun’s son, Joshua. 13 Yahweh was angry with the Israelites, so he had them roam around in the desolate area for 40 years. They roamed around until all the adults who had done what Yahweh considered wrong had died. 14 And yet, now you are acting just like your ancestors by together doing what is wrong! You are making Yahweh even angrier with the Israelites. 15 If you do this, you will stop obeying Yahweh. Then, he will make us Israelites go back to the desolate area. So, you will be the ones who harmed all the Israelites.”

16 Then the leaders from the tribes of Gad and Reuben approached Moses again. They said, “We would like to construct walls here to protect our animals. We would like to fortify towns here to protect our families. 17 As for us who can be soldiers, we will quickly prepare to lead the rest of the Israelites to fight their enemies. We will fight along with them until they can live in the area we conquer. Meanwhile, our families will be safe from the people who live nearby because they will live in the towns we fortified. 18 Once the rest of the Israelites have received the land that will be theirs, only then will we go back home. 19 We propose this because we have already received land on the east side of the Jordan River. So, we will not receive any land on the west side of the Jordan River.”

20 Moses replied, “Suppose that you do what you have proposed. You must prepare to fight in Yahweh’s presence. 21 All the soldiers among you must go to the west side of the Jordan River in Yahweh’s presence. They must stay there until Yahweh has made all the people who oppose him leave. 22 Once the whole area belongs to Yahweh, then you may go back home. In that case, you have not done anything wrong to Yahweh or your fellow Israelites. So, Yahweh will give you this area east of the Jordan. 23 Suppose that you do not do what you have proposed. In that case, you will have done what is wrong to Yahweh. You should realize that Yahweh will punish you for that. 24 So, you may fortify towns to protect your families. You may construct walls to protect your sheep and goats. However, you must then do what you said you would do.” 25 The leaders from the tribes of Gad and Reuben told Moses, “Sir, we will do exactly what you have told us to do. 26 We who can be soldiers will leave our children, wives, farm animals, and other animals in the towns here in the Gilead region. 27 All the soldiers among us will go to the west side of the Jordan River in Yahweh’s presence to fight our enemies. We will do what you, sir, have said.”

28 Then Moses told Eleazar the priest, Nun’s son Joshua, and the men who led the ancestral families that made up the Israelite tribes what to do with the people from the tribes of Gad and Reuben. 29 Moses told them, “Suppose that all the soldiers from the tribes of Gad and Reuben go to the west side of the Jordan River with you to fight your enemies in Yahweh’s presence. Once that whole area belongs to you, then you must give them the Gilead region to live in. 30 On the other hand, suppose that their soldiers do not go to the west side of the Jordan River with you. In that case, they will have to receive land with you in Canaan on the west side of the Jordan River.” 31 The leaders from the tribes of Gad and Reuben responded, “We will do exactly what Yahweh has told us to do. 32 The soldiers among us will go to Canaan on the west side of the Jordan River in Yahweh’s presence. After that, we will receive land to live in on this east side of the Jordan River.”

33 So Moses gave land to the people from the tribes of Gad and Reuben and to half of the people from the tribe of Manasseh, who descended from Joseph. He gave them all the cities that were there and the land around the cities. That land had previously belonged to the Amorite people group, whom Sihon had ruled, and to the people who lived in the region of Bashan, whom Og had ruled. 34 The people from the tribe of Gad fortified these towns: Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran. These were the cities that they fortified. They also constructed walls to protect their sheep and goats. 37 The people from the tribe of Reuben fortified these towns: Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal Meon, and Sibmah. They named these cities that they fortified. Later, people renamed Nebo and Baal Meon.

39 The descendants of Manasseh’s son Machir traveled to the Gilead region. They made the Amorite people who lived there leave, and they took the land that those people had lived in. 40 So, Moses gave the Gilead region to the descendants of Manasseh’s son Machir to live in.

41 A descendant of Manasseh, whose name was Jair, traveled with his relatives to some small towns in the Gilead region that belonged to the Amorite people. He attacked and took those towns and called them Havvoth Jair.

42 A man whose name was Nobah and others with him traveled to the town of Kenath and its surrounding villages. They attacked and took them. Nobah called the town by his own name: Nobah.

33 What follows is a list of the places where the Israelites stayed after they left Egypt by their army divisions. Moses and Aaron were in charge of them. 2 Yahweh told Moses to write down each of the places where the Israelites stayed, and so he did. Here are each of the places where the Israelites stayed.

3 On the fifteenth day of the first month of that year, the day after the Passover Celebration, the Israelites left the city of Rameses in Egypt. They left defiantly while all the Egyptian people watched them. 4 Yahweh had killed every oldest male Egyptian. He had punished the gods they worshiped. So, when the Israelites were leaving, the Egyptians were burying the bodies of all their oldest male children.

5 So, the Israelites left the city of Rameses and set up their tents at a place that people called Succoth. 6 They left Succoth and set up their tents at a place that people called Etham. Etham is at the edge of the desolate area. 7 They left Etham and went back toward a place that people called Pi Hahiroth, which is near a place that people called Baal Zephon. They set up their tents in front of a place that people called Migdol. 8 They left the area in front of Hahiroth and walked through the Sea of Reeds to the desolate area. They traveled through the desolate area of Etham for three days. Then, they set up their tents at a place that people called Marah. 9 They left Marah and arrived at a place that people called Elim, where they set up their tents. There were 12 streams of fresh water and 70 palm trees there. 10 They left Elim and set up their tents next to the Sea of Reeds. 11 They left the Sea of Reeds and set up their tents in the desolate area of Sin. 12 They left the desolate area of Sin and set up their tents at a place that people called Dophkah. 13 They left Dophkah and set up their tents at a place that people called Alush. 14 They left Alush and set up their tents at a place that people called Rephidim. There, the Israelites could not find any water to drink. 15 They left Rephidim and set up their tents in the desolate area around Sinai.

16 They left the desolate area around Sinai and set up their tents at a place that they called Kibroth Hattaavah. 17 They left Kibroth Hattaavah and set up their tents at a place that people called Hazeroth. 18 They left Hazeroth and set up their tents at a place that people called Rithmah. 19 They left Rithmah and set up their tents at a place that people called Rimmon Perez. 20 They left Rimmon Perez and set up their tents at a place that people called Libnah. 21 They left Libnah and set up their tents at a place that people called Rissah. 22 They left Rissah and set up their tents at a place that people called Kehelathah. 23 They left Kehelathah and set up their tents at Mount Shepher. 24 They left Mount Shepher and set up their tents at a place that people called Haradah. 25 They left Haradah and set up their tents at a place that people called Makheloth. 26 They left Makheloth and set up their tents at a place that people called Tahath. 27 They left Tahath and set up their tents at a place that people called Terah. 28 They left Terah and set up their tents at a place that people called Mithkah. 29 They left Mithkah and set up their tents at a place that people called Hashmonah. 30 They left Hashmonah and set up their tents at a place that people called Moseroth. 31 They left Moseroth and set up their tents at a place that people called Bene Jaakan. 32 They left Bene Jaakan and set up their tents at a place that people called Hor Haggidgad. 33 They left Hor Haggidgad and set up their tents at a place that people called Jotbathah. 34 They left Jotbathah and set up their tents at a place that people called Abronah. 35 They left Abronah and set up their tents at a place that people called Ezion Geber. 36 They left Ezion Geber and set up their tents at the city of Kadesh in the desolate area of Zin.

37 They left Kadesh and set up their tents at Mount Hor, which is at the edge of the area where the Edomites live. 38 It was the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelite people had left Egypt. Aaron the priest walked up Mount Hor, as Yahweh had commanded him. Then, he died there. 39 When Aaron died at Mount Hor, he was 123 years old. 40 At that time, the Canaanite king who ruled Arad city lived in the Negev in Canaan. He learned that the Israelites had arrived near him. 41 They left Mount Hor and set up their tents at a place that people called Zalmonah. 42 They left Zalmonah and set up their tents at a place that people called Punon. 43 They left Punon and set up their tents at a place that people called Oboth. 44 They left Oboth and set up their tents at a place that people called Iye Abarim. It was at the edge of the area where the Moabites lived. 45 They left Iye Abarim and set up their tents at the city of Dibon Gad. 46 They left Dibon Gad and set up their tents at a place that people called Almon Diblathaim. 47 They left Almon Diblathaim and set up their tents at the Abarim mountain range, in front of Mount Nebo. 48 They left the Abarim mountain range and set up their tents in the flatlands that were part of Moab. They were on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 49 When they set up their tents in the flatlands that were part of Moab, they were on the east side of the Jordan River between a place that people called Beth Jeshimoth and a place that people called Abel Shittim.

50 While the Israelites were in the flatlands that were part of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho, Yahweh told Moses, 51 “Tell this to the Israelite people: They will go to Canaan on the west side of the Jordan River. 52 When they do, they must make all the people who live there leave. They must smash all the sacred statues that those people made out of stone and metal. They must tear down all those people’s hilltop shrines. 53 I have granted Canaan to you, so take it for your own and live there. 54 They must use lots to determine randomly where each tribal group will receive its land. They must follow whatever they determine using lots. Tribal groups with many people should receive more land. Tribal groups with few people should receive less land. All the tribal groups that belong to the same ancestral tribe must receive land next to each other. 55 However, suppose that the Israelites do not force the people who live in Canaan to leave. In that case, all the people who are still there will act against them while they live there. Those people will be like sharp plants digging into their skin. 56 In that way, I will punish the Israelites in the same way that I planned to punish those people.”

34 Yahweh told Moses, 2 “Order the Israelite people to do this: When they enter Canaan, they must receive it as their own land up to the following boundaries. 3 The southern boundary will pass through the desolate area of Zin, near the area where the Edomites live. The southeastern corner will be at the southern edge of the Sea of Salt. 4 From there, the boundary will extend to the west, south of Akrabbim Pass through the desolate area of Zin. It will continue to extend to the west on the south side of the town of Kadesh Barnea through places that people call Hazar Addar and Azmon. 5 From Azmon, the boundary will extend to the west along Egypt Stream Bed, ending at the Mediterranean Sea.

6 The western boundary will be the Mediterranean Sea.

7 The northwestern corner of the boundary will be at the Mediterranean Sea, and it will extend east from there to Mount Hor. 8 From Mount Hor, the boundary will extend to the east to a place that people call Lebo Hamath, then to a place that people call Zedad, 9 then to a place that people call Ziphron, ending at a place that people call Hazar Enan. That will be the northern boundary.

10 The northeastern corner of the boundary will be at Hazar Enan. The boundary will extend south from there to a place that people call Shepham. 11 From Shepham, it will extend south to a place that people call Riblah, which is to the east of a place that people call Ain. From there, it will extend south to the hills on the east side of the Sea of Chinnereth. 12 From there, the border will extend south along the Jordan River, ending at the Sea of Salt. The whole area within those boundaries will belong to the Israelites.”

13 So Moses told the Israelite people, “The area within those boundaries is what you will receive as your land. You must use lots to determine randomly where each tribal group will receive its land. Yahweh has declared that he grants that area to nine and one half of your tribes. 14 As for the other two and one half tribes, they are the descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad, including all their ancestral families, and half of the descendants of Manasseh. They have already received land. 15 They received it on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho.”

16 Yahweh told Moses, 17 “There are two men who will help the Israelites decide who receives what land. They are Eleazar the priest and Nun’s son, Joshua. 18 Additionally, out of the men who lead each tribe, one man from each tribe must also help the Israelites decide who receives what land.

19 What follows are those leaders’ names. Jephunneh’s son, Caleb, is from the tribe of Judah. 20 Ammihud’s son, Shemuel, is from the tribe of Simeon. 21 Chislon’s son, Elidad, is from the tribe of Benjamin. 22 Jogli’s son, Bukki, is a man who leads the tribe of Dan. 23 Ephod’s son, Hanniel, is a man who leads the tribe of Manasseh, who are all descendants of Joseph. 24 Shiphtan’s son, Kemuel, is a man who leads the tribe of Ephraim, who are also all descendants of Joseph. 25 Parnach’s son, Elizaphan, is a man who leads the tribe of Zebulun. 26 Azzan’s son, Paltiel, is a man who leads the tribe of Issachar. 27 Shelomi’s son, Ahihud, is a man who leads the tribe of Asher. 28 Ammihud’s son, Pedahel, is a man who leads the tribe of Naphtali.” 29 Those are the men whom Yahweh told to help the Israelites decide who received what land in Canaan.

35 While the Israelites were in the flatlands that were part of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho, Yahweh told Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to set aside some of the cities that they will receive for the Levites to live in. They must also set aside the fields surrounding those cities for the Levites. 3 The Levites will live in those cities. They will keep their farm animals, some of their possessions, and any other animals they have in the fields surrounding those cities. 4 The fields surrounding the cities that the Israelites set aside for the Levites must be 460 meters wide when you measure from the city edges. 5 On each of the four sides, the fields must be 920 meters wide when you measure along the city edge. The city itself must be in the center. That is the size of the fields surrounding each of the cities for the Levites. 6 Six of the cities that the Israelites set aside for the Levites must be cities to which people can flee in order to be safe. If someone kills another person, then he or she can run to one of these cities and be safe. The Israelites must also set aside 42 more cities for the Levites. 7 Altogether, the Israelites must set aside 48 cities for the Levites, including the fields surrounding them. 8 Tribes with more land must set aside more cities, and tribes with less land must set aside fewer cities. The people from each tribe must set aside these cities for the Levites from among the cities in the land that they will receive.”

9 Yahweh told Moses, 10 “Tell this to the Israelite people: They will go to Canaan on the west side of the Jordan River. 11 When they do, they must choose certain cities to which people can flee in order to be safe. If someone kills another person accidentally, then he or she can run to one of those cities and be safe. 12 When a person kills someone, a close relative of the dead person often seeks to kill that person to avenge his or her relative. If that person is in one of these cities, then the close relative may not kill him or her. Instead, with the Israelite community watching, the leaders must decide whether that person deserves to die. 13 Six of the cities that they set apart for the Levites must be cities to which people can flee in order to be safe. 14 Three of those cities must be on the east side of the Jordan River. The other three must be on the west side in Canaan. They will be cities to which people can flee in order to be safe. 15 If anyone kills another person accidentally, then he or she can run to one of those six cities and be safe. That applies to Israelites, foreigners, and anyone who is living among them temporarily. 16 Suppose that a person hits someone with an iron tool and kills him or her. In that case, that person is a murderer. Someone must certainly execute that murderer. 17 Suppose that a person is holding a stone that could kill a person. Suppose that he or she hits someone with it and kills him or her. In that case, that person is a murderer. Someone must certainly execute that murderer. 18 Suppose that a person is holding a wooden tool that could kill a person. Suppose that he or she hits someone with it and kills him or her. In that case, that person is a murderer. Someone must certainly execute that murderer. 19 It is the close relative of the dead person who must kill the murderer to avenge his or her relative. Whenever the close relative finds the murder, he or she must kill the murderer. 20 Suppose that a person was angry with someone, shoved him or her, and killed him or her. Or suppose that the person intentionally threw something at him or her and killed him or her. 21 Or, suppose that a person was opposing someone, hit him or her, and killed him or her. In all those cases, that person is a murderer. Someone must certainly execute that murderer. It is the close relative of the dead person who must kill the murderer to avenge his or her relative whenever he or she finds the murderer. 22 However, suppose that a person was not opposing someone but suddenly shoved him or her. Or suppose that the person accidentally threw a tool at him or her. 23 Or suppose that the person dropped a stone that could kill a person on him or her without realizing that he or she was there. In each of those cases, suppose that the person was not opposing or trying to harm the other person, and yet he or she died. 24 In each of those cases, the Israelite community must decide whether the person who killed someone is not a murderer or whether the close relative of the dead person should kill the person to avenge his or her relative. They must follow these instructions when they decide. 25 The Israelite community must keep any person who unintentionally killed someone safe from the dead person’s close relative, who wants to kill that person to avenge his or her relative. The community must send that person back to the city where he or she ran to be safe. The person must live there until the high priest dies. That is the priest on whom someone poured the sacred oil. 26 However, suppose that the person who unintentionally killed someone walks past the edges of the city where he or she ran to be safe. 27 Then, suppose that the dead person’s close relative encounters the person who unintentionally killed someone outside the edges of that city and kills that person. In that case, the close relative is not guilty of murder. 28 So, the person who unintentionally killed someone must live in the city where he or she ran to be safe until the high priest dies. Then, the person can go back to the land that belongs to him or her.

29 All the Israelites and their descendants must follow those rules wherever they live. 30 Suppose that someone killed someone else and people testify that it was intentional. In that case, someone must execute the murderer. However, suppose that only one person testifies. In that case, no one can execute that person. 31 The Israelites must not accept money in exchange for allowing a murderer, who deserves to die, to live. Instead, someone must certainly execute that murderer. 32 As for someone who should run to one of those six cities to be safe, the Israelites must not accept money in exchange for allowing that person to go back to his or her own land before the high priest dies. 33 When a person kills someone, it makes the land they live in impure. So, they must not make the land impure. The only way to make the land pure again is to kill the murderer. 34 I am Yahweh. I am present with the Israelites in their land. So, they must not make the land they live in impure.”

36 Now there was a tribal group that was one of the tribal groups that descended from Joseph. Specifically, this tribal group descended from Gilead, whose father was Machir, whose father was Manasseh. The men who led the extended families that made up this tribal group approached Moses and the men who led the Israelite ancestral families and talked with them. 2 They said, “Yahweh told you, sir, to use lots to determine randomly where each of the Israelite tribal groups will receive its land. Yahweh also told you, sir, to assign the land that our relative Zelophehad would have received to his daughters. 3 However, suppose that they marry men from other Israelite tribes. In that case, the land that they received will belong to the tribe of the men whom they married. It will no longer belong to our tribe. In this way, we will lose some of the land that our tribal group received. 4 Also, when it is the year for restoring for the Israelite people, the land that they received will still belong to the tribe of the men whom they married. in this way, we will lose some of the land that belongs to our ancestral tribe.”

5 Then Moses told the Israelite people what Yahweh commanded him to say. He said, “The men who lead this tribe that descends from Joseph have said this correctly. 6 Here is what Yahweh has ordered Zelophehad’s daughters to do. They may marry anyone they like, as long as the man belongs to a tribal group within the same tribe as their father. 7 Land that belongs to one tribe must never transfer to another tribe. Each Israelite must ensure that the land that he or she receives continues to belong to his or her ancestral tribe. 8 Every Israelite woman who receives land from her father must marry a man who belongs to a tribal group within the same tribe as her father. That way, each Israelite will ensure that his or her ancestral land continues to belong to him or her. 9 Land that belongs to one tribe must never transfer to another tribe. Each Israelite must ensure that the land that he or she receives continues to belong to his or her ancestral tribe.”

10 Zelophehad’s daughters did exactly what Yahweh told Moses to do. 11 Zelophehad’s daughters were Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah. They married the sons of their father’s brothers. 12 They married men who belonged to the tribal groups that descended from Manasseh, whose father was Joseph. So, the land that they received continued to belong to the tribe to which their father’s tribal group belonged.

13 Those are the rules and instructions that Yahweh gave to the Israelites through Moses while they were in the flatlands that were part of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho.