March 1, 2004 Numbers 7:1-89
Numbers 7
Offerings at the Dedication of the Tabernacle
1 When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and
consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the
altar and all its utensils. 2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads
of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted,
made offerings. 3 They brought as their gifts before the Lord six
covered carts and twelve oxen-an ox from each leader and a cart from every two.
These they presented before the tabernacle.
4 The Lord said to Moses, 5 "Accept these from them, that
they may be used in the work at the Tent of Meeting. Give them to the Levites as
each man's work requires."
6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites.
7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work
required, 8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites,
as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of
Aaron, the priest. 9 But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites,
because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they
were responsible.
10 When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings
for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11 For the
Lord had said to Moses, "Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the
dedication of the altar."
12 The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son
of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.
13 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 14 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
15 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 16 one male goat for a sin offering; 17 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon son of
Amminadab.
18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar,
brought his offering.
19 The offering he brought was one silver plate weighing a hundred
and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels,
both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with
oil as a grain offering; 20 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense; 21 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a
year old, for a burnt offering; 22 one male goat for a sin offering;
23 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a
year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of
Nethanel son of Zuar.
24 On the third day, Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the people of
Zebulun, brought his offering.
25 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 26 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
27 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 28 one male goat for a sin offering; 29 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliab son of
Helon.
30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the people
of Reuben, brought his offering.
31 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 32 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
33 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 34 one male goat for a sin offering; 35 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elizur son of
Shedeur.
36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the
people of Simeon, brought his offering.
37 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 38 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
39 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 40 one male goat for a sin offering; 41 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of
Zurishaddai.
42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the people
of Gad, brought his offering.
43 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 44 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
45 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 46 one male goat for a sin offering; 47 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of
Deuel.
48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the
people of Ephraim, brought his offering.
49 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 50 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
51 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 52 one male goat for a sin offering; 53 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elishama son of
Ammihud.
54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the
people of Manasseh, brought his offering.
55 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 56 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
57 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 58 one male goat for a sin offering; 59 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of
Pedahzur.
60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the people
of Benjamin, brought his offering.
61 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 62 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
63 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 64 one male goat for a sin offering; 65 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Abidan son of
Gideoni.
66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the
people of Dan, brought his offering.
67 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 68 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
69 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 70 one male goat for a sin offering; 71 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of
Ammishaddai.
72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, the leader of the people
of Asher, brought his offering.
73 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 74 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
75 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 76 one male goat for a sin offering; 77 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Pagiel son of
Ocran.
78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of
Naphtali, brought his offering.
79 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty
shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according
to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain
offering; 80 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
81 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt
offering; 82 one male goat for a sin offering; 83 and two
oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be
sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.
84 These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the
dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve
silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes. 85 Each silver plate
weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each sprinkling bowl seventy shekels.
Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels,
according to the sanctuary shekel. 86 The twelve gold dishes filled
with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel.
Altogether, the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels. 87
The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls,
twelve rams and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain
offering. Twelve male goats were used for the sin offering. 88 The
total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to
twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old.
These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.
89 When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord , he
heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the
atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.
March 2, 2004-Numbers 8:1-10:36
Numbers 8
Setting Up the Lamps
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Speak to Aaron and say to
him, 'When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of
the lampstand.' "
3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the
lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the
lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold-from its base to its blossoms.
The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.
The Setting Apart of the Levites
5 The Lord said to Moses: 6 "Take the Levites from among
the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 7 To purify
them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave
their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. 8
Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with
oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. 9
Bring the Levites to the front of the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole
Israelite community. 10 You are to bring the Levites before the Lord
, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to
present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so
that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord .
12 "After the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, use
the one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to
make atonement for the Levites. 13 Have the Levites stand in front of
Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord .
14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites,
and the Levites will be mine.
15 "After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave
offering, they are to come to do their work at the Tent of Meeting. 16
They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as
my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite
woman. 17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is
mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for
myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn
sons in Israel. 19 Of all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as
gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of
the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the
Israelites when they go near the sanctuary."
20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the
Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. 21 The Levites purified
themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave
offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. 22
After that, the Levites came to do their work at the Tent of Meeting under the
supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord
commanded Moses.
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 "This applies to the
Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work
at the Tent of Meeting, 25 but at the age of fifty, they must retire
from their regular service and work no longer. 26 They may assist
their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they
themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the
responsibilities of the Levites."
Numbers 9
The Passover
1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month
of the second year after they came out of Egypt. He said, 2 "Have the
Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. 3 Celebrate
it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in
accordance with all its rules and regulations."
4 So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, 5
and they did so in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the
first month. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.
6 But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day
because they were ceremonially unclean on account of a dead body. So they came
to Moses and Aaron that same day 7 and said to Moses, "We have become
unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be kept from presenting the
Lord's offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?"
8 Moses answered them, "Wait until I find out what the Lord commands
concerning you."
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, 10 "Tell the Israelites:
'When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are
away on a journey, they may still celebrate the Lord's Passover. 11
They are to celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight.
They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
12 They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones.
When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations. 13
But if a man who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate
the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people because he did not
present the Lord's offering at the appointed time. That man will bear the
consequences of his sin.
14 " 'An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the Lord's
Passover must do so in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have
the same regulations for the alien and the native-born.' "
The Cloud Above the Tabernacle
15 On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up,
the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle
looked like fire. 16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud
covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud
lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled,
the Israelites encamped. 18 At the Lord's command the Israelites set
out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the
tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over
the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not
set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few
days; at the Lord's command they would encamp, and then at his command they
would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till
morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by
night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud
stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites
would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.
23 At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command
they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command
through Moses.
Numbers 10
The Silver Trumpets
1 The Lord said to Moses: 2 "Make two trumpets of hammered
silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps
set out. 3 When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble
before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 4 If only one is
sounded, the leaders-the heads of the clans of Israel-are to assemble before
you. 5 When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the
east are to set out. 6 At the sounding of a second blast, the camps
on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out.
7 To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the same signal.
8 "The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is
to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. 9 When
you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you,
sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God
and rescued from your enemies. 10 Also at your times of
rejoicing-your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals-you are to sound the
trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a
memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God."
The Israelites Leave Sinai
11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the
cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. 12 Then the
Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place
until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. 13 They set out,
this first time, at the Lord's command through Moses.
14 The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their
standard. Nahshon son of Amminadab was in command. 15 Nethanel son of
Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, 16 and Eliab son
of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun. 17 Then the
tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it,
set out.
18 The divisions of the camp of Reuben went next, under their
standard. Elizur son of Shedeur was in command. 19 Shelumiel son of
Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, 20 and
Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad. 21
Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be
set up before they arrived.
22 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their
standard. Elishama son of Ammihud was in command. 23 Gamaliel son of
Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, 24 and
Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.
25 Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the
camp of Dan set out, under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in
command. 26 Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of
Asher, 27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of
Naphtali. 28 This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions
as they set out.
29 Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses'
father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, 'I
will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has
promised good things to Israel."
30 He answered, "No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land
and my own people."
31 But Moses said, "Please do not leave us. You know where we should
camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. 32 If you come with us,
we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us."
33 So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for
three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those
three days to find them a place to rest. 34 The cloud of the Lord was
over them by day when they set out from the camp.
35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said,
"Rise up, O Lord !
May your enemies be scattered;
may your foes flee before you."
36 Whenever it came to rest, he said,
"Return, O Lord ,
to the countless thousands of Israel."
March 3, 2004-Numbers 11:1-13:33
Numbers 11
Fire From the Lord
1 Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of
the Lord , and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord
burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2
When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died
down. 3 So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the Lord
had burned among them.
Quail From the Lord
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the
Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! 5
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost-also the cucumbers, melons,
leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we
never see anything but this manna!"
7 The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. 8
The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a handmill or crushed
it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted
like something made with olive oil. 9 When the dew settled on the
camp at night, the manna also came down.
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the
entrance to his tent. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.
11 He asked the Lord , "Why have you brought this trouble on your
servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these
people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them
birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an
infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? 13
Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us
meat to eat!' 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the
burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat
me, put me to death right now-if I have found favor in your eyes-and do not let
me face my own ruin."
16 The Lord said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who
are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to
the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 I will
come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you
and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so
that you will not have to carry it alone.
18 "Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for
tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, "If only
we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the Lord will give you
meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day,
or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole
month-until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it-because you have
rejected the Lord , who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why
did we ever leave Egypt?" ' "
21 But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot,
and you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!' 22
Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they
have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?"
23 The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's arm too short? You will
now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."
24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He
brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent.
25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he
took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders.
When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.
26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained
in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent.
Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27
A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."
28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up
and said, "Moses, my Lord, stop them!"
29 But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all
the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!"
30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea.
It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground,
as far as a day's walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night
and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered
less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp. 33
But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be
consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them
with a severe plague. 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth
Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed
there.
Numbers 12
Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses
1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite
wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the Lord spoken only
through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the
Lord
heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on
the face of the earth.)
4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the
Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. 5
Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the
Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6
he said, "Listen to my words:
"When a prophet of the Lord is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord .
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood
Miriam-leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy;
11 and he said to Moses, "Please, my Lord, do not hold against us the
sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a
stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord , "O God, please heal her!"
14 The Lord replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face,
would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp
for seven days; after that she can be brought back." 15 So Miriam was
confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till
she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of
Paran.
Numbers 13
Exploring Canaan
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Send some men to explore the
land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe
send one of its leaders."
3 So at the Lord's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of
Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. 4 These are their
names:
from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.
16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land.
(Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)
17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, "Go up through
the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like
and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19
What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they
live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it
fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some
of the fruit of the land." (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)
21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as
far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. 22 They went up through the Negev
and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak,
lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23
When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single
cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with
some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of
Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25
At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.
Report on the Exploration
26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite
community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to
the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They
gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it
does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people
who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We
even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the
Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the
Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan."
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should
go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those
people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And they spread among the
Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land
we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great
size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from
the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the
same to them."
March 4, 2004-Numbers 14:1-15:41
Numbers 14
The People Rebel
1 That night all the people of the community raised their voices and
wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron,
and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this
desert! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us
fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it
be better for us to go back to Egypt?" 4 And they said to each other,
"We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite
assembly gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of
Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes
7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed
through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased
with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and
will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord . And do not
be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their
protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them."
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory
of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. 11
The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How
long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I
have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague
and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than
they."
13 Moses said to the Lord , "Then the Egyptians will hear about it!
By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14 And
they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard
that you, O Lord , are with these people and that you, O Lord , have been seen
face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a
pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put
these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report
about you will say, 16 'The Lord was not able to bring these people
into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.'
17 "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have
declared: 18 'The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and
forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he
punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation.' 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin
of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt
until now."
20 The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21
Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills
the whole earth, 22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the
miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and
tested me ten times- 23 not one of them will ever see the land I
promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt
will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different
spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to,
and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and
Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the
desert along the route to the Red Sea. "
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 "How long will
this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these
grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares
the Lord , I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 In
this desert your bodies will fall-every one of you twenty years old or more who
was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one
of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except
Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children
that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land
you have rejected. 32 But you-your bodies will fall in this desert.
33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering
for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.
34 For forty years-one year for each of the forty days you explored the
land-you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against
you.' 35 I, the Lord , have spoken, and I will surely do these things
to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will
meet their end in this desert; here they will die."
36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and
made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it-
37 these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land
were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord . 38 Of the men
who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh
survived.
39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned
bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill
country. "We have sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the
Lord
promised."
41 But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the Lord's command? This
will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you.
You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and
Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord , he
will not be with you and you will fall by the sword."
44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high
hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord's covenant moved from
the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that
hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to
Hormah.
Numbers 15
Supplementary Offerings
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and
say to them: 'After you enter the land I am giving you as a home 3
and you present to the Lord offerings made by fire, from the herd or the flock,
as an aroma pleasing to the Lord -whether burnt offerings or sacrifices, for
special vows or freewill offerings or festival offerings- 4 then the
one who brings his offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering of a
tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil. 5
With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a
hin of wine as a drink offering.
6 " 'With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of
fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil, 7 and a third of a hin
of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the Lord .
8 " 'When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice,
for a special vow or a fellowship offering to the Lord , 9 bring with
the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with
half a hin of oil. 10 Also bring half a hin of wine as a drink
offering. It will be an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord .
11 Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in
this manner. 12 Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare.
13 " 'Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way
when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord .
14 For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living
among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord ,
he must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same
rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance
for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the Lord
: 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the
alien living among you.' "
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 "Speak to the Israelites and
say to them: 'When you enter the land to which I am taking you 19 and
you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the Lord .
20 Present a cake from the first of your ground meal and present it
as an offering from the threshing floor. 21 Throughout the
generations to come you are to give this offering to the Lord from the first of
your ground meal.
Offerings for Unintentional Sins
22 " 'Now if you unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands
the Lord gave Moses- 23 any of the Lord's commands to you through
him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to
come- 24 and if this is done unintentionally without the community
being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt
offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord , along with its prescribed grain
offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering. 25
The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will
be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have brought to the Lord for
their wrong an offering made by fire and a sin offering. 26 The whole
Israelite community and the aliens living among them will be forgiven, because
all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.
27 " 'But if just one person sins unintentionally, he must bring a
year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28 The priest is to make
atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and
when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven. 29 One and
the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a
native-born Israelite or an alien.
30 " 'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien,
blasphemes the Lord , and that person must be cut off from his people. 31
Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person
must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.' "
The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death
32 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering
wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood
brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they
kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.
35 Then the Lord said to Moses, "The man must die. The whole assembly must
stone him outside the camp." 36 So the assembly took him outside the
camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Tassels on Garments
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 "Speak to the Israelites and
say to them: 'Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the
corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You
will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of
the Lord , that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after
the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40 Then you will remember to
obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. 41 I am the
Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your
God.' "
March 5, 2004-Numbers 16:1-18:32
Numbers 16
Korah, Dathan and Abiram
1 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain
Reubenites-Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth-became
insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite
men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.
3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them,
"You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the
Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"
4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said
to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the Lord will show who belongs
to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he
chooses he will cause to come near him. 6 You, Korah, and all your
followers are to do this: Take censers 7 and tomorrow put fire and
incense in them before the Lord . The man the Lord chooses will be the one who
is holy. You Levites have gone too far!"
8 Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites! 9
Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest
of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the
Lord's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?
10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now
you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11 It is against the Lord
that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you
should grumble against him?"
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they
said, "We will not come! 13 Isn't it enough that you have brought us
up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now
you also want to Lord it over us? 14 Moreover, you haven't brought us
into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and
vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!"
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord , "Do not accept
their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I
wronged any of them."
16 Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear
before the Lord tomorrow-you and they and Aaron. 17 Each man is to
take his censer and put incense in it-250 censers in all-and present it before
the Lord . You and Aaron are to present your censers also." 18 So
each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and
Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19 When Korah had
gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. 20
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 "Separate yourselves from this
assembly so I can put an end to them at once."
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, God of
the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only
one man sins?"
23 Then the Lord said to Moses, 24 "Say to the assembly,
'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.' "
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of
Israel followed him. 26 He warned the assembly, "Move back from the
tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will
be swept away because of all their sins." 27 So they moved away from
the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were
standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their
tents.
28 Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the Lord has sent
me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these
men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then
the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord brings about something
totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything
that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know
that these men have treated the Lord with contempt."
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them
split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them,
with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. 33
They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth
closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34
At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth is
going to swallow us too!"
35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were
offering the incense.
36 The Lord said to Moses, 37 "Tell Eleazar son of Aaron,
the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the
coals some distance away, for the censers are holy- 38 the censers of
the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to
overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy.
Let them be a sign to the Israelites."
39 So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by
those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,
40 as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the
Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense
before the Lord , or he would become like Korah and his followers.
41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses
and Aaron. "You have killed the Lord's people," they said.
42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron
and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the
glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front
of the Tent of Meeting, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45
"Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell
facedown.
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it,
along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for
them. Wrath has come out from the Lord ; the plague has started." 47
So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague
had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made
atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and
the plague stopped. 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in
addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50 Then Aaron
returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had
stopped.
Numbers 17
The Budding of Aaron's Staff
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and
get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral
tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. 3 On the staff of
Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each
ancestral tribe. 4 Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the
Testimony, where I meet with you. 5 The staff belonging to the man I
choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you
by the Israelites."
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve
staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron's staff
was among them. 7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the Tent
of the Testimony.
8 The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that
Aaron's staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but
had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out
all the staffs from the Lord's presence to all the Israelites. They looked at
them, and each man took his own staff.
10 The Lord said to Moses, "Put back Aaron's staff in front of the
Testimony, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their
grumbling against me, so that they will not die." 11 Moses did just
as the Lord commanded him.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, "We will die! We are lost, we are
all lost! 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord
will die. Are we all going to die?"
Numbers 18
Duties of Priests and Levites
1 The Lord said to Aaron, "You, your sons and your father's family
are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary, and you and
your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the
priesthood. 2 Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to
join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the Tent of the
Testimony. 3 They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all
the duties of the Tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the
sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They are to
join you and be responsible for the care of the Tent of Meeting-all the work at
the Tent-and no one else may come near where you are.
5 "You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the
altar, so that wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6 I
myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to
you, dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the Tent of Meeting. 7
But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at
the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood
as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death."
Offerings for Priests and Levites
8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, "I myself have put you in charge of
the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I
give to you and your sons as your portion and regular share. 9 You
are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From
all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain or sin or
guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as
something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy.
11 "This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all
the wave offerings of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and
daughters as your regular share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially
clean may eat it.
12 "I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine
and grain they give the Lord as the firstfruits of their harvest. 13
All the land's firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours. Everyone
in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
14 "Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord is yours.
15 The first offspring of every womb, both man and animal, that is offered
to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every
firstborn male of unclean animals. 16 When they are a month old, you
must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels of silver,
according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.
17 "But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep or a
goat; they are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an
offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord . 18 Their meat
is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are
yours. 19 Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the
Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your
regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both
you and your offspring."
20 The Lord said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in their
land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your
inheritance among the Israelites.
21 "I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their
inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.
22 From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting,
or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. 23 It
is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the
responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the
generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites.
24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the
Israelites present as an offering to the Lord . That is why I said concerning
them: 'They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.' "
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 "Speak to the Levites and
say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your
inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord's offering.
27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor
or juice from the winepress. 28 In this way you also will present an
offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From
these tithes you must give the Lord's portion to Aaron the priest. 29
You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything
given to you.'
30 "Say to the Levites: 'When you present the best part, it will be
reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress. 31
You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages
for your work at the Tent of Meeting. 32 By presenting the best part
of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy
offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.' "
March 6, 2004-Numbers 19:1-21:35
Numbers 19
The Water of Cleansing
1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 "This is a
requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring
you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke.
3 Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp
and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest is to take
some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of
the Tent of Meeting. 5 While he watches, the heifer is to be
burned-its hide, flesh, blood and offal. 6 The priest is to take some
cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer.
7 After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with
water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till
evening. 8 The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe
with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.
9 "A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put
them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They shall be kept by the
Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification
from sin. 10 The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also
wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a
lasting ordinance both for the Israelites and for the aliens living among them.
11 "Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven
days. 12 He must purify himself with the water on the third day and
on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on
the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. 13 Whoever touches
the dead body of anyone and fails to purify himself defiles the Lord's
tabernacle. That person must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of
cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean; his uncleanness remains
on him.
14 "This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone
who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days,
15 and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
16 "Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed
with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a
human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
17 "For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned
purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18
Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water
and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He
must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or someone who
has been killed or someone who has died a natural death. 19 The man
who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days,
and on the seventh day he is to purify him. The person being cleansed must wash
his clothes and bathe with water, and that evening he will be clean. 20
But if a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he must be cut off from
the community, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord . The water of
cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, and he is unclean. 21 This
is a lasting ordinance for them.
"The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and
anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22
Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches
it becomes unclean till evening."
Numbers 20
Water From the Rock
1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the
Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered
in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and
said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord ! 4
Why did you bring the Lord's community into this desert, that we and our
livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to
this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And
there is no water to drink!"
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7
The Lord said to Moses, 8 "Take the staff, and you and your brother
Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it
will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community
so they and their livestock can drink."
9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence, just as he
commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in
front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you
water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the
rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their
livestock drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust
in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not
bring this community into the land I give them."
13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled
with the Lord and where he showed himself holy among them.
Edom Denies Israel Passage
14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying:
"This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that
have come upon us. 15 Our forefathers went down into Egypt, and we
lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, 16
but when we cried out to the Lord , he heard our cry and sent an angel and
brought us out of Egypt.
"Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17
Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or
vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's highway
and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your
territory."
18 But Edom answered:
"You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you
with the sword."
19 The Israelites replied:
"We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your
water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot-nothing else."
20 Again they answered:
"You may not pass through."
Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21
Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away
from them.
The Death of Aaron
22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to
Mount Hor. 23 At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to
Moses and Aaron, 24 "Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will
not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against
my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar
and take them up Mount Hor. 26 Remove Aaron's garments and put them
on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die
there."
27 Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the
sight of the whole community. 28 Moses removed Aaron's garments and
put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then
Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29 and when the whole
community learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for
him thirty days.
Numbers 21
Arad Destroyed
1 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that
Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and
captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow to the Lord : "If
you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their
cities." 3 The Lord listened to Israel's plea and gave the Canaanites
over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was
named Hormah.
The Bronze Snake
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go
around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke
against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of
Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest
this miserable food!"
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people
and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We
sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will
take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole;
anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a
bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and
looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth. 11 Then
they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the desert that faces Moab
toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the
Zered Valley. 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the
Arnon, which is in the desert extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the
border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 That is why the
Book of the Wars of the Lord says:
"...Waheb in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon 15 and the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the site of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab."
16 From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the Lord said
to Moses, "Gather the people together and I will give them water."
17 Then Israel sang this song:
"Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18 about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank-
the nobles with scepters and staffs."
Then they went from the desert to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to
Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley
in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites:
22 "Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any
field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's
highway until we have passed through your territory."
23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He
mustered his entire army and marched out into the desert against Israel. When he
reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. 24 Israel, however, put him to
the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far
as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified. 25 Israel
captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and
all its surrounding settlements. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon
king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had
taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.
27 That is why the poets say:
"Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;
let Sihon's city be restored.
28 "Fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.
It consumed Ar of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon's heights.
29 Woe to you, O Moab!
You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh!
He has given up his sons as fugitives
and his daughters as captives
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 "But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon is destroyed all the way to Dibon.
We have demolished them as far as Nophah,
which extends to Medeba."
31 So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.
32 After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its
surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33
Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan
and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.
34 The Lord said to Moses, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have
handed him over to you, with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did
to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon."
35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole
army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
March 7, 2004-Numbers 22:1-24:25
Numbers 22
Balak Summons Balaam
1 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along
the Jordan across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the
Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people.
Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.
4 The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to
lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field."
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent
messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in
his native land. Balak said:
"A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have
settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a curse on these people,
because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them
and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed,
and those you curse are cursed."
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for
divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
8 "Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you
back the answer the Lord gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him.
9 God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"
10 Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me
this message: 11 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face
of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be
able to fight them and drive them away.' "
12 But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a
curse on those people, because they are blessed."
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go
back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you."
14 So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused
to come with us."
15 Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more
distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said:
"This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming
to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you
say. Come and put a curse on these people for me."
18 But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled
with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the
command of the Lord my God. 19 Now stay here tonight as the others
did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me."
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come
to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."
Balaam's Donkey
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the
princes of Moab. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the
angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his
donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw
the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she
turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two
vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel
of the Lord , she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it.
So he beat her again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow
place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left.
27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord , she lay down under Balaam,
and he was angry and beat her with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened
the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you
beat me these three times?"
29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had
a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."
30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you
have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"
"No," he said.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the
Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell
facedown.
32 The angel of the Lord asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey
these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a
reckless one before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me
these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you
by now, but I would have spared her."
34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord , "I have sinned. I did not
realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I
will go back."
35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak
only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him
at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37
Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn't you come
to me? Am I really not able to reward you?"
38 "Well, I have come to you now," Balaam replied. "But can I say
just anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth."
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak
sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the princes who were
with him. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal,
and from there he saw part of the people.
Numbers 23
Balaam's First Oracle
1 Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls
and seven rams for me." 2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of
them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I
go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me
I will tell you." Then he went off to a barren height.
4 God met with him, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars,
and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram."
5 The Lord put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Go back to
Balak and give him this message."
6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering,
with all the princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam uttered his oracle:
"Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.
'Come,' he said, 'curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.'
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
and may my end be like theirs!"
11 Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to
curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!"
12 He answered, "Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?"
Balaam's Second Oracle
13 Then Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place where you
can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there,
curse them for me." 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the
top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on
each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I meet
with him over there."
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said,
"Go back to Balak and give him this message."
17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with
the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?"
18 Then he uttered his oracle:
"Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
21 "No misfortune is seen in Jacob,
no misery observed in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
the shout of the King is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
23 There is no sorcery against Jacob,
no divination against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, 'See what God has done!'
24 The people rise like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion
that does not rest till he devours his prey
and drinks the blood of his victims."
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless
them at all!"
26 Balaam answered, "Did I not tell you I must do whatever the
Lord
says?"
Balaam's Third Oracle
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Come, let me take you to another
place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there."
28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.
29 Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls
and seven rams for me." 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered
a bull and a ram on each altar.
Numbers 24
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he
did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the
desert. 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by
tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him 3 and he uttered his oracle:
"The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,
4 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5 "How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwelling places, O Israel!
6 "Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord ,
like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
"Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be exalted.
8 "God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;
with their arrows they pierce them.
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness-who dares to rouse them?
"May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed!"
10 Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands
together and said to him, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have
blessed them these three times. 11 Now leave at once and go home! I
said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being
rewarded."
12 Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,
13 'Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I
could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of
the Lord -and I must say only what the Lord says'? 14 Now I am going
back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your
people in days to come."
Balaam's Fourth Oracle
15 Then he uttered his oracle:
"The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
17 "I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city."
Balaam's Final Oracles
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and uttered his oracle:
"Amalek was first among the nations,
but he will come to ruin at last."
21 Then he saw the Kenites and uttered his oracle:
"Your dwelling place is secure,
your nest is set in a rock;
22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Asshur takes you captive."
23 Then he uttered his oracle:
"Ah, who can live when God does this?
24 Ships will come from the shores of Kittim;
they will subdue Asshur and Eber,
but they too will come to ruin."
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.
March 8, 2004-Numbers 25:1-26:65
Numbers 25
Moab Seduces Israel
1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in
sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the
sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods.
3 So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger
burned against them.
4 The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill
them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord , so that the Lord's
fierce anger may turn away from Israel."
5 So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death
those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."
6 Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right
before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were
weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 When Phinehas son
of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a
spear in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He
drove the spear through both of them-through the Israelite and into the woman's
body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; 9 but those
who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar,
the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for
he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not
put an end to them. 12 Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of
peace with him. 13 He and his descendants will have a covenant of a
lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made
atonement for the Israelites."
14 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman
was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. 15 And the
name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a
tribal chief of a Midianite family.
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 "Treat the Midianites as
enemies and kill them, 18 because they treated you as enemies when
they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of
a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of
Peor."
Numbers 26
The Second Census
1 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron,
the priest, 2 "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by
families-all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of
Israel." 3 So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from
Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, 4
"Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded
Moses."
These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5 The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were:
through Hanoch, the Hanochite clan;
through Pallu, the Palluite clan;
6 through Hezron, the Hezronite clan;
through Carmi, the Carmite clan.
7 These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.
8 The son of Pallu was Eliab, 9 and the sons of Eliab were
Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community
officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah's followers
when they rebelled against the Lord . 10 The earth opened its mouth
and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured
the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign. 11 The line of Korah,
however, did not die out.
12 The descendants of Simeon by their clans were:
through Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan;
through Jamin, the Jaminite clan;
through Jakin, the Jakinite clan;
13 through Zerah, the Zerahite clan;
through Shaul, the Shaulite clan.
14 These were the clans of Simeon; there were 22,200 men.
15 The descendants of Gad by their clans were:
through Zephon, the Zephonite clan;
through Haggi, the Haggite clan;
through Shuni, the Shunite clan;
16 through Ozni, the Oznite clan;
through Eri, the Erite clan;
17 through Arodi, the Arodite clan;
through Areli, the Arelite clan.
18 These were the clans of Gad; those numbered were 40,500.
19 Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan.
20 The descendants of Judah by their clans were:
through Shelah, the Shelanite clan;
through Perez, the Perezite clan;
through Zerah, the Zerahite clan.
21 The descendants of Perez were:
through Hezron, the Hezronite clan;
through Hamul, the Hamulite clan.
22 These were the clans of Judah; those numbered were 76,500.
23 The descendants of Issachar by their clans were:
through Tola, the Tolaite clan;
through Puah, the Puite clan;
24 through Jashub, the Jashubite clan;
through Shimron, the Shimronite clan.
25 These were the clans of Issachar; those numbered were 64,300.
26 The descendants of Zebulun by their clans were:
through Sered, the Seredite clan;
through Elon, the Elonite clan;
through Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan.
27 These were the clans of Zebulun; those numbered were 60,500.
28 The descendants of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and
Ephraim were:
29 The descendants of Manasseh:
through Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead);
through Gilead, the Gileadite clan.
30 These were the descendants of Gilead:
through Iezer, the Iezerite clan;
through Helek, the Helekite clan;
31 through Asriel, the Asrielite clan;
through Shechem, the Shechemite clan;
32 through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan;
through Hepher, the Hepherite clan.
33 (Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters,
whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.)
34 These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700.
35 These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans:
through Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan;
through Beker, the Bekerite clan;
through Tahan, the Tahanite clan.
36 These were the descendants of Shuthelah:
through Eran, the Eranite clan.
37 These were the clans of Ephraim; those numbered were 32,500.
These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.
38 The descendants of Benjamin by their clans were:
through Bela, the Belaite clan;
through Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan;
through Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan;
39 through Shupham, the Shuphamite clan;
through Hupham, the Huphamite clan.
40 The descendants of Bela through Ard and Naaman were:
through Ard, the Ardite clan;
through Naaman, the Naamite clan.
41 These were the clans of Benjamin; those numbered were 45,600.
42 These were the descendants of Dan by their clans:
through Shuham, the Shuhamite clan.
These were the clans of Dan: 43 All of them were Shuhamite clans; and
those numbered were 64,400.
44 The descendants of Asher by their clans were:
through Imnah, the Imnite clan;
through Ishvi, the Ishvite clan;
through Beriah, the Beriite clan;
45 and through the descendants of Beriah:
through Heber, the Heberite clan;
through Malkiel, the Malkielite clan.
46 (Asher had a daughter named Serah.)
47 These were the clans of Asher; those numbered were 53,400.
48 The descendants of Naphtali by their clans were:
through Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan;
through Guni, the Gunite clan;
49 through Jezer, the Jezerite clan;
through Shillem, the Shillemite clan.
50 These were the clans of Naphtali; those numbered were 45,400.
51 The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.
52 The Lord said to Moses, 53 "The land is to be allotted
to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. 54 To a
larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one;
each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed.
55 Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits
will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. 56 Each
inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups."
57 These were the Levites who were counted by their clans:
through Gershon, the Gershonite clan;
through Kohath, the Kohathite clan;
through Merari, the Merarite clan.
58 These also were Levite clans:
the Libnite clan,
the Hebronite clan,
the Mahlite clan,
the Mushite clan,
the Korahite clan.
(Kohath was the forefather of Amram; 59 the name of Amram's wife was
Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. To Amram
she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam. 60 Aaron was the
father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and
Abihu died when they made an offering before the Lord with unauthorized fire.)
62 All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000. They
were not counted along with the other Israelites because they received no
inheritance among them.
63 These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when
they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from
Jericho. 64 Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and
Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai.
65 For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the
desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua
son of Nun.
March 9, 2004-Numbers 27:1-29:40
Numbers 27
Zelophehad's Daughters
1 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the
son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of
Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
They approached 2 the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and stood
before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly, and said,
3 "Our father died in the desert. He was not among Korah's followers,
who banded together against the Lord , but he died for his own sin and left no
sons. 4 Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because
he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives."
5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord 6 and the
Lord said to him, 7 "What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right.
You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father's
relatives and turn their father's inheritance over to them.
8 "Say to the Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his
inheritance over to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, give his
inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his
inheritance to his father's brothers. 11 If his father had no
brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may
possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the Lord
commanded Moses.' "
Joshua to Succeed Moses
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go up this mountain in the Abarim
range and see the land I have given the Israelites. 13 After you have
seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,
14 for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of
Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes."
(These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the Lord , 16 "May the Lord , the God of
the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community 17 to
go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so
the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."
18 So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom
is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before
Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.
20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community
will obey him. 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will
obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord . At his
command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his
command they will come in."
22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him
stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 Then he
laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through
Moses.
Numbers 28
Daily Offerings
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Give this command to the
Israelites and say to them: 'See that you present to me at the appointed time
the food for my offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to me.' 3
Say to them: 'This is the offering made by fire that you are to present to the
Lord : two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each
day. 4 Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,
5 together with a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour
mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives. 6 This is
the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an
offering made to the Lord by fire. 7 The accompanying drink offering
is to be a quarter of a hin of fermented drink with each lamb. Pour out the
drink offering to the Lord at the sanctuary. 8 Prepare the second
lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering
that you prepare in the morning. This is an offering made by fire, an aroma
pleasing to the Lord .
Sabbath Offerings
9 " 'On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs a year old
without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of
two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. 10 This is the
burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and
its drink offering.
Monthly Offerings
11 " 'On the first of every month, present to the Lord a burnt
offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all
without defect. 12 With each bull there is to be a grain offering of
three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, a grain
offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; 13
and with each lamb, a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed
with oil. This is for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to
the Lord by fire. 14 With each bull there is to be a drink offering
of half a hin of wine; with the ram, a third of a hin ; and with each lamb, a
quarter of a hin. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon
during the year. 15 Besides the regular burnt offering with its drink
offering, one male goat is to be presented to the Lord as a sin offering.
The Passover
16 " 'On the fourteenth day of the first month the Lord's Passover is
to be held. 17 On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a
festival; for seven days eat bread made without yeast. 18 On the
first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 19 Present
to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one
ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 20 With each
bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed
with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 21 and with each of the seven
lambs, one-tenth. 22 Include one male goat as a sin offering to make
atonement for you. 23 Prepare these in addition to the regular
morning burnt offering. 24 In this way prepare the food for the
offering made by fire every day for seven days as an aroma pleasing to the Lord
; it is to be prepared in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink
offering. 25 On the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no
regular work.
Feast of Weeks
26 " 'On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the Lord an
offering of new grain during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do
no regular work. 27 Present a burnt offering of two young bulls, one
ram and seven male lambs a year old as an aroma pleasing to the Lord . 28
With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of
fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 29 and with each
of the seven lambs, one-tenth. 30 Include one male goat to make
atonement for you. 31 Prepare these together with their drink
offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. Be
sure the animals are without defect.
Numbers 29
Feast of Trumpets
1 " 'On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and
do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. 2 As
an aroma pleasing to the Lord , prepare a burnt offering of one young bull, one
ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. 3 With the
bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed
with oil; with the ram, two-tenths ; 4 and with each of the seven
lambs, one-tenth. 5 Include one male goat as a sin offering to make
atonement for you. 6 These are in addition to the monthly and daily
burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified.
They are offerings made to the Lord by fire-a pleasing aroma.
Day of Atonement
7 " 'On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly.
You must deny yourselves and do no work. 8 Present as an aroma
pleasing to the Lord a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male
lambs a year old, all without defect. 9 With the bull prepare a grain
offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram,
two-tenths; 10 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. 11
Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for
atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their
drink offerings.
Feast of Tabernacles
12 " 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, hold a sacred
assembly and do no regular work. Celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven
days. 13 Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the
Lord , a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen male
lambs a year old, all without defect. 14 With each of the thirteen
bulls prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed
with oil; with each of the two rams, two-tenths; 15 and with each of
the fourteen lambs, one-tenth. 16 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and
drink offering.
17 " 'On the second day prepare twelve young bulls, two rams and
fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. 18 With the
bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings
according to the number specified. 19 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and
their drink offerings.
20 " 'On the third day prepare eleven bulls, two rams and fourteen
male lambs a year old, all without defect. 21 With the bulls, rams
and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the
number specified. 22 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in
addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink
offering.
23 " 'On the fourth day prepare ten bulls, two rams and fourteen male
lambs a year old, all without defect. 24 With the bulls, rams and
lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number
specified. 25 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to
the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
26 " 'On the fifth day prepare nine bulls, two rams and fourteen male
lambs a year old, all without defect. 27 With the bulls, rams and
lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number
specified. 28 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to
the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
29 " 'On the sixth day prepare eight bulls, two rams and fourteen
male lambs a year old, all without defect. 30 With the bulls, rams
and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the
number specified. 31 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in
addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink
offering.
32 " 'On the seventh day prepare seven bulls, two rams and fourteen
male lambs a year old, all without defect. 33 With the bulls, rams
and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the
number specified. 34 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in
addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink
offering.
35 " 'On the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work.
36 Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord , a
burnt offering of one bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without
defect. 37 With the bull, the ram and the lambs, prepare their grain
offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. 38
Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt
offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
39 " 'In addition to what you vow and your freewill offerings,
prepare these for the Lord at your appointed feasts: your burnt offerings, grain
offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings. ' "
40 Moses told the Israelites all that the Lord commanded him.
March 10, 2004-Numbers 30:1-31:54
Numbers 30
Vows
1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the
Lord commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath
to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do
everything he said.
3 "When a young woman still living in her father's house makes a vow
to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge 4 and her father hears
about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every
pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. 5 But if her father
forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she
obligated herself will stand; the Lord will release her because her father has
forbidden her.
6 "If she marries after she makes a vow or after her lips utter a
rash promise by which she obligates herself 7 and her husband hears
about it but says nothing to her, then her vows or the pledges by which she
obligated herself will stand. 8 But if her husband forbids her when
he hears about it, he nullifies the vow that obligates her or the rash promise
by which she obligates herself, and the Lord will release her.
9 "Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be
binding on her.
10 "If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates
herself by a pledge under oath 11 and her husband hears about it but
says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by
which she obligated herself will stand. 12 But if her husband
nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges that
came from her lips will stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the Lord will
release her. 13 Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes
or any sworn pledge to deny herself. 14 But if her husband says
nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the
pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears
about them. 15 If, however, he nullifies them some time after he
hears about them, then he is responsible for her guilt."
16 These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning
relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young
daughter still living in his house.
Numbers 31
Vengeance on the Midianites
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Take vengeance on the
Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."
3 So Moses said to the people, "Arm some of your men to go to war
against the Midianites and to carry out the Lord's vengeance on them. 4
Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel." 5
So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were
supplied from the clans of Israel. 6 Moses sent them into battle, a
thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who
took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
7 They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed
every man. 8 Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and
Reba-the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the
sword. 9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and
took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. 10 They
burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their
camps. 11 They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people
and animals, 12 and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses
and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of
Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community
went to meet them outside the camp. 14 Moses was angry with the
officers of the army-the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds-who
returned from the battle.
15 "Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. 16
"They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning
the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague
struck the Lord's people. 17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every
woman who has slept with a man, 18 but save for yourselves every girl
who has never slept with a man.
19 "All of you who have killed anyone or touched anyone who was
killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you
must purify yourselves and your captives. 20 Purify every garment as
well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood."
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into
battle, "This is the requirement of the law that the Lord gave Moses: 22
Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead 23 and anything else that can
withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it
must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand
fire must be put through that water. 24 On the seventh day wash your
clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp."
Dividing the Spoils
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 "You and Eleazar the priest
and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals
that were captured. 27 Divide the spoils between the soldiers who
took part in the battle and the rest of the community. 28 From the
soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord one out of
every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep or goats. 29
Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as the
Lord's part. 30 From the Israelites' half, select one out of every
fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats or other animals. Give
them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord's tabernacle."
31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32 The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was
675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys 35
and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.
36 The half share of those who fought in the battle was:
337,500 sheep, 37 of which the tribute for the Lord was 675;
38 36,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the Lord was 72;
39 30,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the Lord was 61;
40 16,000 people, of which the tribute for the Lord was 32.
41 Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the Lord's part,
as the Lord commanded Moses.
42 The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from
that of the fighting men- 43 the community's half-was 337,500 sheep,
44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys 46 and
16,000 people. 47 From the Israelites' half, Moses selected one out
of every fifty persons and animals, as the Lord commanded him, and gave them to
the Levites, who were responsible for the care of the Lord's tabernacle.
48 Then the officers who were over the units of the army-the
commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds-went to Moses 49
and said to him, "Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and
not one is missing. 50 So we have brought as an offering to the Lord
the gold articles each of us acquired-armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings
and necklaces-to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord ."
51 Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold-all the
crafted articles. 52 All the gold from the commanders of thousands
and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the
Lord weighed 16,750 shekels. 53 Each soldier had taken plunder for
himself. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the
commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the Tent
of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord .
March 11, 2004-Numbers 32:1-33:56
Numbers 32
The Transjordan Tribes
1 The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks,
saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. 2
So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the
community, and said, 3 "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon,
Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon- 4 the land the Lord subdued before the
people of Israel-are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock.
5 If we have found favor in your eyes," they said, "let this land be
given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan."
6 Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, "Shall your countrymen go
to war while you sit here? 7 Why do you discourage the Israelites
from going over into the land the Lord has given them? 8 This is what
your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land.
9 After they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and viewed the land, they
discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them.
10 The Lord's anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: 11
'Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty
years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath
to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob- 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh
the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.'
13 The Lord's anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in
the desert forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in
his sight was gone.
14 "And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of
your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. 15 If
you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the
desert, and you will be the cause of their destruction."
16 Then they came up to him and said, "We would like to build pens
here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. 17 But
we are ready to arm ourselves and go ahead of the Israelites until we have
brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in
fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18
We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received his
inheritance. 19 We will not receive any inheritance with them on the
other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east
side of the Jordan."
20 Then Moses said to them, "If you will do this-if you will arm
yourselves before the Lord for battle, 21 and if all of you will go
armed over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before
him- 22 then when the land is subdued before the Lord , you may
return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land
will be your possession before the Lord .
23 "But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord
; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Build
cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you
have promised."
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, "We your servants will
do as our Lord commands. 26 Our children and wives, our flocks and
herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants,
every man armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord , just as
our Lord says."
28 Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua
son of Nun and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes. 29 He
said to them, "If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross
over the Jordan with you before the Lord , then when the land is subdued before
you, give them the land of Gilead as their possession. 30 But if they
do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in
Canaan."
31 The Gadites and Reubenites answered, "Your servants will do what
the Lord has said. 32 We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan
armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan."
33 Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe
of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the
kingdom of Og king of Bashan-the whole land with its cities and the territory
around them.
34 The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth
Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran as fortified
cities, and built pens for their flocks. 37 And the Reubenites
rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim, 38 as well as Nebo and Baal
Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they
rebuilt.
39 The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured
it and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead
to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. 41
Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them
Havvoth Jair. 42 And Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding
settlements and called it Nobah after himself.
Numbers 33
Stages in Israel's Journey
1 Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came
out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2
At the Lord's command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their
journey by stages:
3 The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the
first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out boldly in full view of
all the Egyptians, 4 who were burying all their firstborn, whom the
Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment on their
gods.
5 The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth.
6 They left Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.
7 They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal
Zephon, and camped near Migdol.
8 They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the desert,
and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at
Marah.
9 They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs
and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.
10 They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea.
11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.
12 They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.
13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.
14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water
for the people to drink.
15 They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai.
16 They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.
17 They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.
20 They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.
21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah.
28 They left Terah and camped at Mithcah.
29 They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah.
30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.
32 They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.
33 They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.
36 They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.
37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom.
38 At the Lord's command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he
died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the
Israelites came out of Egypt. 39 Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three
years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev of Canaan,
heard that the Israelites were coming.
41 They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42 They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.
44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.
45 They left Iyim and camped at Dibon Gad.
46 They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.
47 They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim,
near Nebo.
48 They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab
by the Jordan across from Jericho. 49 There on the plains of Moab
they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.
50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the Lord
said to Moses, 51 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you
cross the Jordan into Canaan, 52 drive out all the inhabitants of the
land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and
demolish all their high places. 53 Take possession of the land and
settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 54 Distribute
the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger
inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot
will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.
55 " 'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those
you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides.
They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. 56 And
then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.' "
March 12, 2004-Numbers 34:1-36:13
Numbers 34
Boundaries of Canaan
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Command the Israelites and
say to them: 'When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an
inheritance will have these boundaries:
3 " 'Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along
the border of Edom. On the east, your southern boundary will start from the end
of the Salt Sea, 4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin
and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon,
5 where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Sea.
6 " 'Your western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. This
will be your boundary on the west.
7 " 'For your northern boundary, run a line from the Great Sea to
Mount Hor 8 and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will
go to Zedad, 9 continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will
be your boundary on the north.
10 " 'For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to
Shepham. 11 The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the
east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Kinnereth.
12 Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the
Salt Sea.
" 'This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.' "
13 Moses commanded the Israelites: "Assign this land by lot as an
inheritance. The Lord has ordered that it be given to the nine and a half
tribes, 14 because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of
Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. 15
These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance on the east side of
the Jordan of Jericho, toward the sunrise."
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 "These are the names of the
men who are to assign the land for you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and
Joshua son of Nun. 18 And appoint one leader from each tribe to help
assign the land. 19 These are their names:
Caleb son of Jephunneh,
from the tribe of Judah;
20 Shemuel son of Ammihud,
from the tribe of Simeon;
21 Elidad son of Kislon,
from the tribe of Benjamin;
22 Bukki son of Jogli,
the leader from the tribe of Dan;
23 Hanniel son of Ephod,
the leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph;
24 Kemuel son of Shiphtan,
the leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph;
25 Elizaphan son of Parnach,
the leader from the tribe of Zebulun;
26 Paltiel son of Azzan,
the leader from the tribe of Issachar;
27 Ahihud son of Shelomi,
the leader from the tribe of Asher;
28 Pedahel son of Ammihud,
the leader from the tribe of Naphtali."
29 These are the men the Lord commanded to assign the inheritance to
the Israelites in the land of Canaan.
Numbers 35
Towns for the Levites
1 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the Lord
said to Moses, 2 "Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to
live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them
pasturelands around the towns. 3 Then they will have towns to live in
and pasturelands for their cattle, flocks and all their other livestock.
4 "The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will
extend out fifteen hundred feet from the town wall. 5 Outside the
town, measure three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand on the south
side, three thousand on the west and three thousand on the north, with the town
in the center. They will have this area as pastureland for the towns.
Cities of Refuge
6 "Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to
which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two
other towns. 7 In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns,
together with their pasturelands. 8 The towns you give the Levites
from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the
inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few
from one that has few."
9 Then the Lord said to Moses: 10 "Speak to the Israelites
and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 11 select
some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone
accidentally may flee. 12 They will be places of refuge from the
avenger, so that a person accused of murder may not die before he stands trial
before the assembly. 13 These six towns you give will be your cities
of refuge. 14 Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in
Canaan as cities of refuge. 15 These six towns will be a place of
refuge for Israelites, aliens and any other people living among them, so that
anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.
16 " 'If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies,
he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. 17 Or if anyone
has a stone in his hand that could kill, and he strikes someone so that he dies,
he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. 18 Or if anyone
has a wooden object in his hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he
dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. 19 The
avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall
put him to death. 20 If anyone with malice aforethought shoves
another or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies 21
or if in hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall
be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer
to death when he meets him.
22 " 'But if without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or
throws something at him unintentionally 23 or, without seeing him,
drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then since he was not his
enemy and he did not intend to harm him, 24 the assembly must judge
between him and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. 25
The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood
and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He must stay there
until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 " 'But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of
refuge to which he has fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds him
outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty
of murder. 28 The accused must stay in his city of refuge until the
death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may he return
to his own property.
29 " 'These are to be legal requirements for you throughout the
generations to come, wherever you live.
30 " 'Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer
only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the
testimony of only one witness.
31 " 'Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves
to die. He must surely be put to death.
32 " 'Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of
refuge and so allow him to go back and live on his own land before the death of
the high priest.
33 " 'Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the
land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed,
except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land
where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord , dwell among the Israelites.'
"
Numbers 36
Inheritance of Zelophehad's Daughters
1 The family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of
Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke
before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families. 2
They said, "When the Lord commanded my Lord to give the land as an inheritance
to the Israelites by lot, he ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother
Zelophehad to his daughters. 3 Now suppose they marry men from other
Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral
inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the
inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. 4 When the Year of
Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the
tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal
inheritance of our forefathers."
5 Then at the Lord's command Moses gave this order to the Israelites:
"What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. 6
This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone
they please as long as they marry within the tribal clan of their father. 7
No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for every Israelite
shall keep the tribal land inherited from his forefathers. 8 Every
daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her
father's tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of
his fathers. 9 No inheritance may pass from tribe to tribe, for each
Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits."
10 So Zelophehad's daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. 11
Zelophehad's daughters-Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah-married their
cousins on their father's side. 12 They married within the clans of
the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in
their father's clan and tribe.
13 These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses
to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
March 13, 2004-Deuteronomy 1:1-3:11
Deuteronomy 1
The Command to Leave Horeb
1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of
the Jordan-that is, in the Arabah-opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel,
Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb
to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)
3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses
proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning
them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites,
who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned
in Ashtaroth.
5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound
this law, saying:
6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long enough
at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of
the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains,
in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the
Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8
See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the
Lord swore he would give to your fathers-to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-and to
their descendants after them."
The Appointment of Leaders
9 At that time I said to you, "You are too heavy a burden for me to
carry alone. 10 The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that
today you are as many as the stars in the sky. 11 May the Lord , the
God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has
promised! 12 But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and
your disputes all by myself? 13 Choose some wise, understanding and
respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you."
14 You answered me, "What you propose to do is good."
15 So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men,
and appointed them to have authority over you-as commanders of thousands, of
hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. 16 And I
charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and
judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of
them and an alien. 17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both
small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God.
Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. 18 And at
that time I told you everything you were to do.
Spies Sent Out
19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and
went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful
desert that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 20 Then I
said to you, "You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord
our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given you the
land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord , the God of your fathers,
told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
22 Then all of you came to me and said, "Let us send men ahead to spy
out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and
the towns we will come to."
23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man
from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and
came to the Valley of Eshcol and explored it. 25 Taking with them
some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, "It is a
good land that the Lord our God is giving us."
Rebellion Against the Lord
26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command
of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, "The
Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the
Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made us
lose heart. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the
cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.' "
29 Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of
them. 30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for
you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the
desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his
son, all the way you went until you reached this place."
32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, 33
who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day,
to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
34 When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly
swore: 35 "Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land
I swore to give your forefathers, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh.
He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet
on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly."
37 Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, "You
shall not enter it, either. 38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun,
will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. 39
And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do
not yet know good from bad-they will enter the land. I will give it to them and
they will take possession of it. 40 But as for you, turn around and
set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea. "
41 Then you replied, "We have sinned against the Lord . We will go up
and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us." So every one of you put on his
weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
42 But the Lord said to me, "Tell them, 'Do not go up and fight,
because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.' "
43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the
Lord's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country.
44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased
you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.
45 You came back and wept before the Lord , but he paid no attention to
your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. 46 And so you stayed in
Kadesh many days-all the time you spent there.
Deuteronomy 2
Wanderings in the Desert
1 Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route
to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way
around the hill country of Seir.
2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 "You have made your way
around this hill country long enough; now turn north. 4 Give the
people these orders: 'You are about to pass through the territory of your
brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you,
but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not
give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given
Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. 6 You are to pay them in
silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.' "
7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He
has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the
Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.
8 So we went on past our brothers the descendants of Esau, who live
in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion
Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.
9 Then the Lord said to me, "Do not harass the Moabites or provoke
them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to
the descendants of Lot as a possession."
10 (The Emites used to live there-a people strong and numerous, and
as tall as the Anakites. 11 Like the Anakites, they too were
considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites
used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed
the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in
the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)
13 And the Lord said, "Now get up and cross the Zered Valley." So we
crossed the valley.
14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea
until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting
men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 The
Lord's hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the
camp.
16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died,
17 the Lord said to me, 18 "Today you are to pass by the
region of Moab at Ar. 19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not
harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any
land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the
descendants of Lot."
20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live
there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a
people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed them
from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place.
22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in
Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and
have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites who
lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor
destroyed them and settled in their place.)
Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon
24 "Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into
your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take
possession of it and engage him in battle. 25 This very day I will
begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They
will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you."
26 From the desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of
Heshbon offering peace and saying, 27 "Let us pass through your
country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or
to the left. 28 Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their
price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot- 29 as the
descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for
us-until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us."
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord
your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give
him into your hands, as he has now done.
31 The Lord said to me, "See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his
country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land."
32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at
Jahaz, 33 the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him
down, together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we
took all his towns and completely destroyed them-men, women and children. We
left no survivors. 35 But the livestock and the plunder from the
towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer on
the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as
Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave us all of
them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God, you
did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the
course of the Jabbok nor that around the towns in the hills.
Deuteronomy 3
Defeat of Og King of Bashan
1 Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og
king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.
2 The Lord said to me, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed
him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to
Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon."
3 So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and
all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors. 4 At that
time we took all his cities. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did
not take from them-the whole region of Argob, Og's kingdom in Bashan. 5
All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and
there were also a great many unwalled villages. 6 We completely
destroyed them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying every
city-men, women and children. 7 But all the livestock and the plunder
from their cities we carried off for ourselves.
8 So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites the
territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon.
9 (Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.)
10 We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all
Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, towns of Og's kingdom in Bashan. 11
(Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was
made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still
in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)
March 14, 2004-Deuteronomy 3:12-5:33
Deuteronomy 3
Division of the Land
12 Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites
and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge, including half
the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns. 13 The rest of
Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of
Manasseh. (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the
Rephaites. 14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region
of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites; it was
named after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair. ) 15
And I gave Gilead to Makir. 16 But to the Reubenites and the Gadites
I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle
of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River, which is the border
of the Ammonites. 17 Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah,
from Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ), below the slopes of
Pisgah.
18 I commanded you at that time: "The Lord your God has given you
this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for
battle, must cross over ahead of your brother Israelites. 19 However,
your wives, your children and your livestock (I know you have much livestock)
may stay in the towns I have given you, 20 until the Lord gives rest
to your brothers as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that
the Lord your God is giving them, across the Jordan. After that, each of you may
go back to the possession I have given you."
Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan
21 At that time I commanded Joshua: "You have seen with your own eyes
all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the
same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be
afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you."
23 At that time I pleaded with the Lord : 24 "O Sovereign
Lord , you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong
hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and
mighty works you do? 25 Let me go over and see the good land beyond
the Jordan-that fine hill country and Lebanon."
26 But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen
to me. "That is enough," the Lord said. "Do not speak to me anymore about this
matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and
south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to
cross this Jordan. 28 But commission Joshua, and encourage and
strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to
inherit the land that you will see." 29 So we stayed in the valley
near Beth Peor.
Deuteronomy 4
Obedience Commanded
1 Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you.
Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land
that the Lord , the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 Do not add
to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the
Lord your God that I give you.
3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord
your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4
but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.
5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God
commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take
possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your
wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees
and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." 7
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord
our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation
is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am
setting before you today?
9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not
forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long
as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he
said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may
learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their
children." 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain
while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep
darkness. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard
the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 He
declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to
follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord
directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in
the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
Idolatry Forbidden
15 You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb
out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, 16 so
that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any
shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on
earth or any bird that flies in the air, 18 or like any creature that
moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 19 And when
you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars-all the heavenly
array-do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord
your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. 20 But as
for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out
of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are.
21 The Lord was angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore
that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is
giving you as your inheritance. 22 I will die in this land; I will
not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of
that good land. 23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord
your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form
of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24 For the Lord your God
is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in
the land a long time-if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing
evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and provoking him to anger, 26
I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly
perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not
live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 27 The Lord will
scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the
nations to which the Lord will drive you. 28 There you will worship
man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
29 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you
look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you
are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days
you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 For the Lord
your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the
covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
The Lord Is God
32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day
God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has
anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard
of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of
fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for
himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and
wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and
awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before
your very eyes?
35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord
is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you
hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you
heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your
forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt
by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you
nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give
it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.
39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in
heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his
decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with
you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord
your God gives you for all time.
Cities of Refuge
41 Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, 42
to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if he had unintentionally
killed his neighbor without malice aforethought. He could flee into one of these
cities and save his life. 43 The cities were these: Bezer in the
desert plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan
in Bashan, for the Manassites.
Introduction to the Law
44 This is the law Moses set before the Israelites. 45
These are the stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out
of Egypt 46 and were in the valley near Beth Peor east of the Jordan,
in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon and was
defeated by Moses and the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. 47
They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two
Amorite kings east of the Jordan. 48 This land extended from Aroer on
the rim of the Arnon Gorge to Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon), 49 and
included all the Arabah east of the Jordan, as far as the Sea of the Arabah,
below the slopes of Pisgah.
Deuteronomy 5
The Ten Commandments
1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them
and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with
us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this
covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The
Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At
that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the
Lord , because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And
he said:
6 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the
land of slavery.
7 "You shall have no other gods before me.
8 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You
shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and
fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a
thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord
will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God
has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you
shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your
manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor
the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest,
as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the
Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched
arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has
commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the
land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 "You shall not murder.
18 "You shall not commit adultery.
19 "You shall not steal.
20 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your
desire on your neighbor's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox
or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
22 These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to
your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and
the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone
tablets and gave them to me.
23 When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain
was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and your elders came to
me. 24 And you said, "The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his
majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a
man can live even if God speaks with him. 25 But now, why should we
die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of
the Lord our God any longer. 26 For what mortal man has ever heard
the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived?
27 Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us
whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey."
28 The Lord heard you when you spoke to me and the Lord said to me,
"I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good.
29 Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my
commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!
30 "Go, tell them to return to their tents. 31 But you
stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you
are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess."
32 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do
not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in all the way
that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and
prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
March 15, 2004-Deuteronomy 6:1-8:20
Deuteronomy 6
Love the Lord Your God
1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed
me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to
possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them
may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and
commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3
Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that
you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord
, the God of your fathers, promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be
upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them
when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and
when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on
your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on
your gates.
10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your
fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you-a land with large, flourishing
cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good
things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive
groves you did not plant-then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be
careful that you do not forget the Lord , who brought you out of Egypt, out of
the land of slavery.
13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his
name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around
you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and
his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the
land. 16 Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. 17
Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and
decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord's
sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good
land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers, 19 thrusting
out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.
20 In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the
stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?" 21
tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of
Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous
signs and wonders-great and terrible-upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole
household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and
give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. 24 The
Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so
that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25
And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has
commanded us, that will be our righteousness."
Deuteronomy 7
Driving Out the Nations
1 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to
possess and drives out before you many nations-the Hittites, Girgashites,
Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger
and stronger than you- 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered
them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally.
Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry
with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for
your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to
serve other gods, and the Lord's anger will burn against you and will quickly
destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their
altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their
idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.
The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth
to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because
you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all
peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he
swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and
redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful
God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love
him and keep his commands. 10 But
those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I
give you today.
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them,
then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to
your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your
numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land-your
grain, new wine and oil-the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in
the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You will
be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be
childless, nor any of your livestock without young. 15 The Lord will
keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible
diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you.
16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you.
Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a
snare to you.
17 You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we
are. How can we drive them out?" 18 But do not be afraid of them;
remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. 19
You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders,
the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you
out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. 20
Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until even the
survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by
them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.
22 The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by
little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild
animals will multiply around you. 23 But the Lord your God will
deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are
destroyed. 24 He will give their kings into your hand, and you will
wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against
you; you will destroy them. 25 The images of their gods you are to
burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it
for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord
your God. 26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you,
like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it
is set apart for destruction.
Deuteronomy 8
Do Not Forget the Lord
1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that
you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord
promised on oath to your forefathers. 2 Remember how the Lord your
God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to
test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep
his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then
feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach
you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the
mouth of the Lord . 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did
not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as
a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and
revering him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good
land-a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys
and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees,
pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be
scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can
dig copper out of the hills.
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God
for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not
forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his
decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and
are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and
when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all
you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you
will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of
slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that
thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought
you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the
desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so
that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to
yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for
me." 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you
the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to
your forefathers, as it is today.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and
worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely
be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so
you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.
March 16, 2004-Deuteronomy 9:1-11:32
Deuteronomy 9
Not Because of Israel's Righteousness
1 Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and
dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have
walls up to the sky. 2 The people are strong and tall-Anakites! You
know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?"
3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes
across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue
them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the
Lord has promised you.
4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say
to yourself, "The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land
because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these
nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is
not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to
take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these
nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he
swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand,
then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is
giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
The Golden Calf
7 Remember this and never forget how you provoked the Lord your God
to anger in the desert. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you
have been rebellious against the Lord . 8 At Horeb you aroused the
Lord's wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you. 9 When I
went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the
covenant that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days
and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. 10 The Lord gave
me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the
commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the
day of the assembly.
11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me
the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord
told me, "Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of
Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded
them and have made a cast idol for themselves."
13 And the Lord said to me, "I have seen this people, and they are a
stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy
them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a
nation stronger and more numerous than they."
15 So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze
with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 16
When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made
for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly
from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took the two
tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your
eyes.
18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days
and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you
had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord's sight and so provoking him to
anger. 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord , for he was angry
enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me. 20
And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I
prayed for Aaron too. 21 Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the
calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to
powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the
mountain.
22 You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth
Hattaavah.
23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, "Go up
and take possession of the land I have given you." But you rebelled against the
command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him. 24
You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.
25 I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights
because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to the
Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord , do not destroy your people, your own
inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with
a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin.
28 Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, 'Because the
Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because
he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the desert.' 29
But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great
power and your outstretched arm."
Deuteronomy 10
Tablets Like the First Ones
1 At that time the Lord said to me, "Chisel out two stone tablets
like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden chest.
2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first
tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the chest."
3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone
tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets
in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written
before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of
the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. 5
Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as
the Lord commanded me, and they are there now.
6 (The Israelites traveled from the wells of the Jaakanites to
Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as
priest. 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a
land with streams of water. 8 At that time the Lord set apart the
tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord , to stand before the
Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today.
9 That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their
brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as the Lord your God told them.)
10 Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, as I did
the first time, and the Lord listened to me at this time also. It was not his
will to destroy you. 11 "Go," the Lord said to me, "and lead the
people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to
their fathers to give them."
Fear the Lord
12 And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to
fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to
observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own
good?
14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens,
the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on
your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all
the nations, as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore,
and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is
God of gods and Lord of Lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no
partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the
fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.
19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were
aliens in Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast
to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is your praise; he is
your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with
your own eyes. 22 Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were
seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars
in the sky.
Deuteronomy 11
Love and Obey the Lord
1 Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his
laws and his commands always. 2 Remember today that your children
were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God:
his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; 3 the signs he
performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of
Egypt and to his whole country; 4 what he did to the Egyptian army,
to its horses and chariots, how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red
Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them.
5 It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the desert
until you arrived at this place, 6 and what he did to Dathan and
Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in
the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their
tents and every living thing that belonged to them. 7 But it was your
own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.
8 Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that
you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing
the Jordan to possess, 9 and so that you may live long in the land
that the Lord swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a
land flowing with milk and honey. 10 The land you are entering to
take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you
planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. 11
But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of
mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. 12 It is a land
the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it
from the beginning of the year to its end.
13 So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today-to
love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your
soul- 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both
autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil.
15 I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will
eat and be satisfied.
16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other
gods and bow down to them. 17 Then the Lord's anger will burn against
you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will
yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving
you. 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as
symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them
to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them
on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your
days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore
to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the
earth.
22 If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to
follow-to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to
him- 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you,
and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. 24
Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend
from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea.
25 No man will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he
promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever
you go.
26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse- 27
the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you
today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God
and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which
you have not known. 29 When the Lord your God has brought you into
the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the
blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses. 30 As you know, these
mountains are across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the setting sun, near
the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the
Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. 31 You are about to cross the
Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.
When you have taken it over and are living there, 32 be sure that you
obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.
March 17, 2004-Deuteronomy 12:1-14:29
Deuteronomy 12
The One Place of Worship
1 These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the
land that the Lord , the God of your fathers, has given you to possess-as long
as you live in the land. 2 Destroy completely all the places on the
high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations
you are dispossessing worship their gods. 3 Break down their altars,
smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the
idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.
4 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way. 5
But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your
tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; 6
there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts,
what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of
your herds and flocks. 7 There, in the presence of the Lord your God,
you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put
your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.
8 You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit,
9 since you have not yet reached the resting place and the
inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But you will cross
the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as an
inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that
you will live in safety. 11 Then to the place the Lord your God will
choose as a dwelling for his Name-there you are to bring everything I command
you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all
the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord . 12 And there
rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your sons and daughters, your menservants
and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns, who have no allotment or
inheritance of their own. 13 Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt
offerings anywhere you please. 14 Offer them only at the place the
Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command
you.
15 Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns
and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer,
according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially
unclean and the clean may eat it. 16 But you must not eat the blood;
pour it out on the ground like water. 17 You must not eat in your own
towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your
herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings
or special gifts. 18 Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of
the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose-you, your sons and
daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your
towns-and you are to rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you put your
hand to. 19 Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live
in your land.
20 When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory as he promised
you, and you crave meat and say, "I would like some meat," then you may eat as
much of it as you want. 21 If the place where the Lord your God
chooses to put his Name is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from
the herds and flocks the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in
your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want. 22 Eat them
as you would gazelle or deer. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may
eat. 23 But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is
the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. 24 You must
not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. 25 Do not
eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you
will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord .
26 But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to
give, and go to the place the Lord will choose. 27 Present your burnt
offerings on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The
blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God,
but you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all these regulations
I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after
you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord
your God.
29 The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations you are
about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in
their land, 30 and after they have been destroyed before you, be
careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these
nations serve their gods? We will do the same." 31 You must not
worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they
do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and
daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
32 See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away
from it.
Deuteronomy 13
Worshiping Other Gods
1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and
announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or
wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other
gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," 3 you must
not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing
you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere.
Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. 5
That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion
against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from
the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God
commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.
6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you
love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and
worship other gods" (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, 7
gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to
the other), 8 do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity.
Do not spare him or shield him. 9 You must certainly put him to
death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands
of all the people. 10 Stone him to death, because he tried to turn
you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land
of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one
among you will do such an evil thing again.
12 If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is
giving you to live in 13 that wicked men have arisen among you and
have led the people of their town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship other
gods" (gods you have not known), 14 then you must inquire, probe and
investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this
detestable thing has been done among you, 15 you must certainly put
to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people
and its livestock. 16 Gather all the plunder of the town into the
middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as
a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It is to remain a ruin forever,
never to be rebuilt. 17 None of those condemned things shall be found
in your hands, so that the Lord will turn from his fierce anger; he will show
you mercy, have compassion on you, and increase your numbers, as he promised on
oath to your forefathers, 18 because you obey the Lord your God,
keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right in
his eyes.
Deuteronomy 14
Clean and Unclean Food
1 You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or
shave the front of your heads for the dead, 2 for you are a people
holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the
Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.
3 Do not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals
you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle,
the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.
6 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that
chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a
split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the
coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are
ceremonially unclean for you. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it
has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or
touch their carcasses.
9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has
fins and scales. 10 But anything that does not have fins and scales
you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
11 You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these you may not
eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 13 the red kite, the
black kite, any kind of falcon, 14 any kind of raven, 15
the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 16 the
little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the desert owl, the
osprey, the cormorant, 18 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe
and the bat.
19 All flying insects that swarm are unclean to you; do not eat them.
20 But any winged creature that is clean you may eat.
21 Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an
alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a
foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God.
Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.
Tithes
22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each
year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the
firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the
place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere
the Lord your God always. 24 But if that place is too distant and you
have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the
place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25
then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the
place the Lord your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy
whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you
wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord
your God and rejoice. 27 And do not neglect the Levites living in
your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.
28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that
year's produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites
(who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the
fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be
satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your
hands.
March 18, 2004-Deuteronomy 15:1-18:22
Deuteronomy 15
The Year for Canceling Debts
1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2
This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made
to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite
or brother, because the Lord's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.
3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any
debt your brother owes you. 4 However, there should be no poor among
you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your
inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the
Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you
today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and
you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many
nations but none will rule over you.
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of
the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or
tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and
freely lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful not to harbor this
wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so
that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He
may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.
10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then
because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in
everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people
in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and
toward the poor and needy in your land.
Freeing Servants
12 If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and
serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. 13
And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. 14
Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress.
Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that
you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give
you this command today.
16 But if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you,"
because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17
then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will
become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant.
18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because
his service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a
hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
The Firstborn Animals
19 Set apart for the Lord your God every firstborn male of your herds
and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your oxen to work, and do not shear the
firstborn of your sheep. 20 Each year you and your family are to eat
them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. 21
If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must
not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You are to eat it in your
own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were
gazelle or deer. 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on
the ground like water.
Deuteronomy 16
Passover
1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the Lord
your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night.
2 Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your
flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name.
3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat
unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste-so
that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from
Egypt. 4 Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land
for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the
first day remain until morning.
5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God
gives you 6 except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his
Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes
down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. 7 Roast it and
eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to
your tents. 8 For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh
day hold an assembly to the Lord your God and do no work.
Feast of Weeks
9 Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to
the standing grain. 10 Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord
your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord
your God has given you. 11 And rejoice before the Lord your God at
the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name-you, your sons and
daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the
aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you. 12 Remember
that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.
Feast of Tabernacles
13 Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have
gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. 14
Be joyful at your Feast-you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and
maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who
live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord
your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you
in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be
complete.
16 Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your
God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of
Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the Lord
empty-handed: 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the
way the Lord your God has blessed you.
Judges
18 Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town
the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. 19
Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe
blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. 20
Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the
Lord your God is giving you.
Worshiping Other Gods
21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build
to the Lord your God, 22 and do not erect a sacred stone, for these
the Lord your God hates.
Deuteronomy 17
1 Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any
defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.
2 If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord
gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of
his covenant, 3 and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods,
bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky, 4
and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it
thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has
been done in Israel, 5 take the man or woman who has done this evil
deed to your city gate and stone that person to death. 6 On the
testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one
shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 7 The
hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the
hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.
Law Courts
8 If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to
judge-whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults-take them to the place the Lord
your God will choose. 9 Go to the priests, who are Levites, and to
the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you
the verdict. 10 You must act according to the decisions they give you
at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they direct you
to do. 11 Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions
they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the
left. 12 The man who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest
who stands ministering there to the Lord your God must be put to death. You must
purge the evil from Israel. 13 All the people will hear and be
afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.
The King
14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have
taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over
us like all the nations around us," 15 be sure to appoint over you
the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do
not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16
The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make
the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, "You
are not to go back that way again." 17 He must not take many wives,
or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver
and gold.
18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for
himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are
Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days
of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully
all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider
himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the
left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in
Israel.
Deuteronomy 18
Offerings for Priests and Levites
1 The priests, who are Levites-indeed the whole tribe of Levi-are to
have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the offerings
made to the Lord by fire, for that is their inheritance. 2 They shall
have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he
promised them.
3 This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a
bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls and the inner parts. 4 You
are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and oil, and the first
wool from the shearing of your sheep, 5 for the Lord your God has
chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister
in the Lord's name always.
6 If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where
he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose,
7 he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow
Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord . 8 He is to
share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale
of family possessions.
Detestable Practices
9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not
learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no
one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who
practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the
dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord , and
because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those
nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the Lord your
God.
The Prophet
14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice
sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you
to do so. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like
me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. 16 For this
is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when
you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire
anymore, or we will die."
17 The Lord said to me: "What they say is good. 18 I will
raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my
words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19
If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I
myself will call him to account. 20 But a prophet who presumes to
speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who
speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death."
21 You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not
been spoken by the Lord ?" 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name
of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not
spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
March 19, 2004-Deuteronomy 19:1-22:30
Deuteronomy 19
Cities of Refuge
1 When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is
giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and
houses, 2 then set aside for yourselves three cities centrally
located in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3
Build roads to them and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is
giving you as an inheritance, so that anyone who kills a man may flee there.
4 This is the rule concerning the man who kills another and flees
there to save his life-one who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without
malice aforethought. 5 For instance, a man may go into the forest
with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head
may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these
cities and save his life. 6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might
pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him
even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor
without malice aforethought. 7 This is why I command you to set aside
for yourselves three cities.
8 If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on
oath to your forefathers, and gives you the whole land he promised them, 9
because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today-to love the Lord
your God and to walk always in his ways-then you are to set aside three more
cities. 10 Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your
land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you
will not be guilty of bloodshed.
11 But if a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, assaults
and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, 12 the elders
of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over
to the avenger of blood to die. 13 Show him no pity. You must purge
from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with
you.
14 Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone set up by your
predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is
giving you to possess.
Witnesses
15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or
offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of
two or three witnesses.
16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime,
17 the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of
the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time.
18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness
proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, 19
then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from
among you. 20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid,
and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Show no
pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Deuteronomy 20
Going to War
1 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots
and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your
God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 When you
are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army.
3 He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle
against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or
give way to panic before them. 4 For the Lord your God is the one who
goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."
5 The officers shall say to the army: "Has anyone built a new house
and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else
may dedicate it. 6 Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to
enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it.
7 Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him
go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her." 8 Then
the officers shall add, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so
that his brothers will not become disheartened too." 9 When the
officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over
it.
10 When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of
peace. 11 If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it
shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. 12 If they
refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.
13 When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all
the men in it. 14 As for the women, the children, the livestock and
everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And
you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. 15
This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and
do not belong to the nations nearby.
16 However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving
you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. 17
Completely destroy them-the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites
and Jebusites-as the Lord your God has commanded you. 18 Otherwise,
they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping
their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.
19 When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it
to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you
can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people,
that you should besiege them? 20 However, you may cut down trees that
you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at
war with you falls.
Deuteronomy 21
Atonement for an Unsolved Murder
1 If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your
God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, 2
your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to
the neighboring towns. 3 Then the elders of the town nearest the body
shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke 4
and lead her down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where
there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer's
neck. 5 The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the
Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name
of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. 6 Then
all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the
heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they shall declare:
"Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. 8
Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O Lord ,
and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man." And the
bloodshed will be atoned for. 9 So you will purge from yourselves the
guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes
of the Lord .
Marrying a Captive Woman
10 When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God
delivers them into your hands and you take captives, 11 if you notice
among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her
as your wife. 12 Bring her into your home and have her shave her
head, trim her nails 13 and put aside the clothes she was wearing
when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and
mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall
be your wife. 14 If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever
she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have
dishonored her.
The Right of the Firstborn
15 If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and
both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love,
16 when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the
rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his
actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. 17 He must
acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double
share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father's strength. The
right of the firstborn belongs to him.
A Rebellious Son
18 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his
father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, 19
his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the
gate of his town. 20 They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours
is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a
drunkard." 21 Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death.
You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be
afraid.
Various Laws
22 If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body
is hung on a tree, 23 you must not leave his body on the tree
overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a
tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is
giving you as an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 22
1 If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it
but be sure to take it back to him. 2 If the brother does not live
near you or if you do not know who he is, take it home with you and keep it
until he comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. 3 Do the
same if you find your brother's donkey or his cloak or anything he loses. Do not
ignore it.
4 If you see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do
not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet.
5 A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's
clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.
6 If you come across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree
or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not
take the mother with the young. 7 You may take the young, but be sure
to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long
life.
8 When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that
you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the
roof.
9 Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not
only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.
10 Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.
11 Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
12 Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.
Marriage Violations
13 If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her, dislikes her
14 and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, "I married this
woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,"
15 then the girl's father and mother shall bring proof that she was a
virgin to the town elders at the gate. 16 The girl's father will say
to the elders, "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her.
17 Now he has slandered her and said, 'I did not find your daughter
to be a virgin.' But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity." Then her
parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, 18 and
the elders shall take the man and punish him. 19 They shall fine him
a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the girl's father, because this man
has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he
must not divorce her as long as he lives.
20 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl's
virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her
father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has
done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her
father's house. You must purge the evil from among you.
22 If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man
who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married
and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of
that town and stone them to death-the girl because she was in a town and did not
scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife. You must
purge the evil from among you.
25 But if out in the country a man happens to meet a girl pledged to
be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. 26
Do nothing to the girl; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is
like that of someone who attacks and murders his neighbor, 27 for the
man found the girl out in the country, and though the betrothed girl screamed,
there was no one to rescue her.
28 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married
and rapes her and they are discovered, 29 he shall pay the girl's
father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her.
He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
30 A man is not to marry his father's wife; he must not dishonor his
father's bed.
March 20, 2004-Deuteronomy 23:1-26:19
Deuteronomy 23
Exclusion From the Assembly
1 No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter
the assembly of the Lord .
2 No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may
enter the assembly of the Lord , even down to the tenth generation.
3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the
assembly of the Lord , even down to the tenth generation. 4 For they
did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of
Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to
pronounce a curse on you. 5 However, the Lord your God would not
listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord
your God loves you. 6 Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as
long as you live.
7 Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not abhor an
Egyptian, because you lived as an alien in his country. 8 The third
generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord .
Uncleanness in the Camp
9 When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from
everything impure. 10 If one of your men is unclean because of a
nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. 11
But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to
the camp.
12 Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve
yourself. 13 As part of your equipment have something to dig with,
and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. 14
For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver
your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you
anything indecent and turn away from you.
Miscellaneous Laws
15 If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his
master. 16 Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever
town he chooses. Do not oppress him.
17 No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute.
18 You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male
prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord
your God detests them both.
19 Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or
anything else that may earn interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner
interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you
in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
21 If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it,
for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of
sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.
23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made
your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.
24 If you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes
you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25 If you enter your
neighbor's grain field, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not
put a sickle to his standing grain.
Deuteronomy 24
1 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he
finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce,
gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she
leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her
second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to
her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first
husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been
defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord . Do not bring sin
upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
5 If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have
any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and
bring happiness to the wife he has married.
6 Do not take a pair of millstones-not even the upper one-as security
for a debt, because that would be taking a man's livelihood as security.
7 If a man is caught kidnapping one of his brother Israelites and
treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the
evil from among you.
8 In cases of leprous diseases be very careful to do exactly as the
priests, who are Levites, instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have
commanded them. 9 Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along
the way after you came out of Egypt.
10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into
his house to get what he is offering as a pledge. 11 Stay outside and
let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12
If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession.
13 Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he
will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the
Lord your God.
14 Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy,
whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns.
15 Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is
counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be
guilty of sin.
16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children
put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
17 Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the
cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in
Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you
to do this.
19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do
not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so
that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20
When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second
time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 21
When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again.
Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 22
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.
Deuteronomy 25
1 When men have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the
judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty.
2 If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him
lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his
crime deserves, 3 but he must not give him more than forty lashes. If
he is flogged more than that, your brother will be degraded in your eyes.
4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son,
his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take
her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. 6
The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his
name will not be blotted out from Israel.
7 However, if a man does not want to marry his brother's wife, she
shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, "My husband's brother refuses
to carry on his brother's name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a
brother-in-law to me." 8 Then the elders of his town shall summon him
and talk to him. If he persists in saying, "I do not want to marry her," 9
his brother's widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off
one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, "This is what is done to the man
who will not build up his brother's family line." 10 That man's line
shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.
11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to
rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his
private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
13 Do not have two differing weights in your bag-one heavy, one
light. 14 Do not have two differing measures in your house-one large,
one small. 15 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures,
so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16
For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals
dishonestly.
17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you
came out of Egypt. 18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you
on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of
God. 19 When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies
around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall
blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
Deuteronomy 26
Firstfruits and Tithes
1 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as
an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2
take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land
the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place
the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to
the priest in office at the time, "I declare today to the Lord your God that I
have come to the land the Lord swore to our forefathers to give us." 4
The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the
altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the Lord
your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a
few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.
6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to
hard labor. 7 Then we cried out to the Lord , the God of our fathers,
and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8
So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,
with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought
us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;
10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O Lord , have
given me." Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him.
11 And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in
all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce
in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the
alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be
satisfied. 13 Then say to the Lord your God: "I have removed from my
house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the
fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned
aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them. 14 I have
not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed
any of it while I was unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have
obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. 15
Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel
and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our forefathers, a
land flowing with milk and honey."
Follow the Lord 's Commands
16 The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees
and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
17 You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you
will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and
that you will obey him. 18 And the Lord has declared this day that
you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to
keep all his commands. 19 He has declared that he will set you in
praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will
be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.
March 21, 2004-Deuteronomy 27:1-28:68
Deuteronomy 27
The Altar on Mount Ebal
1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: "Keep all
these commands that I give you today. 2 When you have crossed the
Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones
and coat them with plaster. 3 Write on them all the words of this law
when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a
land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord , the God of your fathers,
promised you. 4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these
stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. 5
Build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any
iron tool upon them. 6 Build the altar of the Lord your God with
fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7
Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence
of the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write very clearly all the
words of this law on these stones you have set up."
Curses From Mount Ebal
9 Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, said to all Israel,
"Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord
your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and
decrees that I give you today."
11 On the same day Moses commanded the people:
12 When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on
Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and
Benjamin. 13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce
curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.
14 The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud
voice:
15 "Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol-a thing
detestable to the Lord , the work of the craftsman's hands-and sets it up in
secret."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
16 "Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or his mother."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
17 "Cursed is the man who moves his neighbor's boundary stone."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
18 "Cursed is the man who leads the blind astray on the road."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
19 "Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the
fatherless or the widow."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
20 "Cursed is the man who sleeps with his father's wife, for he
dishonors his father's bed."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
21 "Cursed is the man who has sexual relations with any animal."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
22 "Cursed is the man who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his
father or the daughter of his mother."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
23 "Cursed is the man who sleeps with his mother-in-law."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
24 "Cursed is the man who kills his neighbor secretly."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
25 "Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent
person."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
26 "Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by
carrying them out."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
Deuteronomy 28
Blessings for Obedience
1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his
commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the
nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and
accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land
and the young of your livestock-the calves of your herds and the lambs of your
flocks.
5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will
be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from
you in seven.
8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you
put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you
on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways.
10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the
name of the Lord , and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you
abundant prosperity-in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and
the crops of your ground-in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.
12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to
send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You
will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The Lord will
make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the
Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will
always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from
any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following
other gods and serving them.
Curses for Disobedience
15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully
follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will
come upon you and overtake you:
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land,
and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
20 The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in
everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin
because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. 21 The Lord will
plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are
entering to possess. 22 The Lord will strike you with wasting
disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with
blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. 23 The sky
over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. 24 The
Lord will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down
from the skies until you are destroyed.
25 The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You
will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will
become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. 26 Your
carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth,
and there will be no one to frighten them away. 27 The Lord will
afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the
itch, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will afflict you
with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. 29 At midday you will
grope about like a blind man in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything
you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue
you.
30 You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will
take her and ravish her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it.
You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit.
31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of
it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your
sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. 32
Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out
your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. 33
A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you
will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days. 34 The sights
you see will drive you mad. 35 The Lord will afflict your knees and
legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your
feet to the top of your head.
36 The Lord will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation
unknown to you or your fathers. There you will worship other gods, gods of wood
and stone. 37 You will become a thing of horror and an object of
scorn and ridicule to all the nations where the Lord will drive you.
38 You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little,
because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant vineyards and
cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because
worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your
country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off. 41
You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will
go into captivity. 42 Swarms of locusts will take over all your trees
and the crops of your land.
43 The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and
higher, but you will sink lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you,
but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail.
45 All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and
overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God
and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. 46 They will be a
sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever. 47 Because you
did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity,
48 therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you
will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on
your neck until he has destroyed you.
49 The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the
ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will
not understand, 50 a fierce-looking nation without respect for the
old or pity for the young. 51 They will devour the young of your
livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave
you no grain, new wine or oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your
flocks until you are ruined. 52 They will lay siege to all the cities
throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall
down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is
giving you.
53 Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you
during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and
daughters the Lord your God has given you. 54 Even the most gentle
and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the
wife he loves or his surviving children, 55 and he will not give to
one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all
he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the
siege of all your cities. 56 The most gentle and sensitive woman
among you-so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground
with the sole of her foot-will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or
daughter 57 the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears.
For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that
your enemy will inflict on you in your cities.
58 If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which
are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name-the
Lord your God- 59 the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your
descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses.
60 He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded,
and they will cling to you. 61 The Lord will also bring on you every
kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you
are destroyed. 62 You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky
will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the Lord your God.
63 Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number,
so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the
land you are entering to possess.
64 Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of
the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods-gods of wood and
stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. 65 Among those
nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot.
There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a
despairing heart. 66 You will live in constant suspense, filled with
dread both night and day, never sure of your life. 67 In the morning
you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the evening, "If only it were
morning!"-because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that
your eyes will see. 68 The Lord will send you back in ships to Egypt
on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves
for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.
March 22, 2004-Deuteronomy 29:1-31:29
Deuteronomy 29
Renewal of the Covenant
1 These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to
make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with
them at Horeb.
2 Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them:
Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his
officials and to all his land. 3 With your own eyes you saw those
great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. 4 But to this
day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears
that hear. 5 During the forty years that I led you through the
desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. 6
You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that
you might know that I am the Lord your God.
7 When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of
Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. 8 We took
their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the
half-tribe of Manasseh.
9 Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may
prosper in everything you do. 10 All of you are standing today in the
presence of the Lord your God-your leaders and chief men, your elders and
officials, and all the other men of Israel, 11 together with your
children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood
and carry your water. 12 You are standing here in order to enter into
a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this
day and sealing with an oath, 13 to confirm you this day as his
people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your
fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 14 I am making this covenant, with
its oath, not only with you 15 who are standing here with us today in
the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today.
16 You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed
through the countries on the way here. 17 You saw among them their
detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. 18
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart
turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations;
make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
19 When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a
blessing on himself and therefore thinks, "I will be safe, even though I persist
in going my own way." This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as
the dry. 20 The Lord will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath
and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will
fall upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven. 21
The Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster,
according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.
22 Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners
who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land
and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it. 23 The whole
land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur-nothing planted, nothing
sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.
24 All the nations will ask: "Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why
this fierce, burning anger?"
25 And the answer will be: "It is because this people abandoned the
covenant of the Lord , the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them
when he brought them out of Egypt. 26 They went off and worshiped
other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given
them. 27 Therefore the Lord's anger burned against this land, so that
he brought on it all the curses written in this book. 28 In furious
anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them
into another land, as it is now."
29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things
revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the
words of this law.
Deuteronomy 30
Prosperity After Turning to the Lord
1 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon
you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among
the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your
God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to
everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore
your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the
nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to
the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will
gather you and bring you back. 5 He will bring you to the land that
belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you
more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6 The Lord your God
will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may
love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7 The
Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute
you. 8 You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am
giving you today. 9 Then the Lord your God will make you most
prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the
young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight
in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, 10
if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written
in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul.
The Offer of Life or Death
11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or
beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to
ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey
it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will
cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14
No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may
obey it.
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and
destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to
walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live
and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering
to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you
are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I
declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live
long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I
have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so
that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord
your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life,
and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 31
Joshua to Succeed Moses
1 Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2
"I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you.
The Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross the Jordan.' 3 The Lord
your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations
before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross
over ahead of you, as the Lord said. 4 And the Lord will do to them
what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along
with their land. 5 The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do
to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do
not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you."
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all
Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the
land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide
it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before
you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be
afraid; do not be discouraged."
The Reading of the Law
9 So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons
of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord , and to all the elders
of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven
years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, 11
when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will
choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12
Assemble the people-men, women and children, and the aliens living in your
towns-so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow
carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not
know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you
live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."
Israel's Rebellion Predicted
14 The Lord said to Moses, "Now the day of your death is near. Call
Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, where I will commission
him." So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting.
15 Then the Lord appeared at the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the
cloud stood over the entrance to the Tent. 16 And the Lord said to
Moses: "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon
prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They
will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 On that
day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from
them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon
them, and on that day they will ask, 'Have not these disasters come upon us
because our God is not with us?' 18 And I will certainly hide my face
on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
19 "Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the
Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against
them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and
honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their
fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and
breaking my covenant. 21 And when many disasters and difficulties
come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be
forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before
I bring them into the land I promised them on oath." 22 So Moses
wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: "Be strong and
courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on
oath, and I myself will be with you."
24 After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from
beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried
the ark of the covenant of the Lord : 26 "Take this Book of the Law
and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will
remain as a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and
stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am
still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! 28
Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that
I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to testify
against them. 29 For I know that after my death you are sure to
become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to
come, disaster will fall upon you because you will do evil in the sight of the
Lord and provoke him to anger by what your hands have made."
March 23, 2004-Psalm 90:1-17,Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52
Psalm 90
BOOK IV Psalms 90-106
1
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn men back to dust,
saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death;
they are like the new grass of the morning-
6 though in the morning it springs up new,
by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
10 The length of our days is seventy years-
or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of your anger?
For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, O Lord ! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us-
yes, establish the work of our hands.
Deuteronomy 31
The Song of Moses
30 And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in
the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:
Deuteronomy 32
1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain
and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord .
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.
5 They have acted corruptly toward him;
to their shame they are no longer his children,
but a warped and crooked generation.
6 Is this the way you repay the Lord ,
O foolish and unwise people?
Is he not your Father, your Creator,
who made you and formed you?
7 Remember the days of old;
consider the generations long past.
Ask your father and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will explain to you.
8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided all mankind,
he set up boundaries for the peoples
according to the number of the sons of Israel.
9 For the Lord's portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted inheritance.
10 In a desert land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them on its pinions.
12 The Lord alone led him;
no foreign god was with him.
13 He made him ride on the heights of the land
and fed him with the fruit of the fields.
He nourished him with honey from the rock,
and with oil from the flinty crag,
14 with curds and milk from herd and flock
and with fattened lambs and goats,
with choice rams of Bashan
and the finest kernels of wheat.
You drank the foaming blood of the grape.
15 Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
filled with food, he became heavy and sleek.
He abandoned the God who made him
and rejected the Rock his Savior.
16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods
and angered him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God-
gods they had not known,
gods that recently appeared,
gods your fathers did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
you forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 The Lord saw this and rejected them
because he was angered by his sons and daughters.
20 "I will hide my face from them," he said,
"and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,
children who are unfaithful.
21 They made me jealous by what is no god
and angered me with their worthless idols.
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.
22 For a fire has been kindled by my wrath,
one that burns to the realm of death below.
It will devour the earth and its harvests
and set afire the foundations of the mountains.
23 "I will heap calamities upon them
and spend my arrows against them.
24 I will send wasting famine against them,
consuming pestilence and deadly plague;
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,
the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
25 In the street the sword will make them childless;
in their homes terror will reign.
Young men and young women will perish,
infants and gray-haired men.
26 I said I would scatter them
and blot out their memory from mankind,
27 but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
lest the adversary misunderstand
and say, 'Our hand has triumphed;
the Lord has not done all this.' "
28 They are a nation without sense,
there is no discernment in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this
and discern what their end will be!
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
unless the Lord had given them up?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,
as even our enemies concede.
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,
and their clusters with bitterness.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.
34 "Have I not kept this in reserve
and sealed it in my vaults?
35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them."
36 The Lord will judge his people
and have compassion on his servants
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.
37 He will say: "Now where are their gods,
the rock they took refuge in,
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up to help you!
Let them give you shelter!
39 "See now that I myself am He!
There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal,
and no one can deliver out of my hand.
40 I lift my hand to heaven and declare:
As surely as I live forever,
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword
and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
and repay those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
while my sword devours flesh:
the blood of the slain and the captives,
the heads of the enemy leaders."
43 Rejoice, O nations, with his people, ,
for he will avenge the blood of his servants;
he will take vengeance on his enemies
and make atonement for his land and people.
44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this
song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting
all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, "Take to heart all
the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your
children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not
just idle words for you-they are your life. By them you will live long in the
land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."
Moses to Die on Mount Nebo
48 On that same day the Lord told Moses, 49 "Go up into
the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan,
the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There
on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your
people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his
people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the
presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin
and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. 52
Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the
land I am giving to the people of Israel."
March 24, 2004-Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12, Joshua 1:1-2:24
Deuteronomy 33
Moses Blesses the Tribes
1 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the
Israelites before his death. 2 He said:
"The Lord came from Sinai
and dawned over them from Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran.
He came with myriads of holy ones
from the south, from his mountain slopes.
3 Surely it is you who love the people;
all the holy ones are in your hand.
At your feet they all bow down,
and from you receive instruction,
4 the law that Moses gave us,
the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
5 He was king over Jeshurun
when the leaders of the people assembled,
along with the tribes of Israel.
6 "Let Reuben live and not die,
nor his men be few."
7 And this he said about Judah:
"Hear, O Lord , the cry of Judah;
bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh, be his help against his foes!"
8 About Levi he said:
"Your Thummim and Urim belong
to the man you favored.
You tested him at Massah;
you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.
9 He said of his father and mother,
'I have no regard for them.'
He did not recognize his brothers
or acknowledge his own children,
but he watched over your word
and guarded your covenant.
10 He teaches your precepts to Jacob
and your law to Israel.
He offers incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless all his skills, O Lord ,
and be pleased with the work of his hands.
Smite the loins of those who rise up against him;
strike his foes till they rise no more."
12 About Benjamin he said:
"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,
for he shields him all day long,
and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."
13 About Joseph he said:
"May the Lord bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below;
14 with the best the sun brings forth
and the finest the moon can yield;
15 with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains
and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
16 with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
17 In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
his horns are the horns of a wild ox.
With them he will gore the nations,
even those at the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;
such are the thousands of Manasseh."
18 About Zebulun he said:
"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and you, Issachar, in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain
and there offer sacrifices of righteousness;
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,
on the treasures hidden in the sand."
20 About Gad he said:
"Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain!
Gad lives there like a lion,
tearing at arm or head.
21 He chose the best land for himself;
the leader's portion was kept for him.
When the heads of the people assembled,
he carried out the Lord's righteous will,
and his judgments concerning Israel."
22 About Dan he said:
"Dan is a lion's cub,
springing out of Bashan."
23 About Naphtali he said:
"Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord
and is full of his blessing;
he will inherit southward to the lake."
24 About Asher he said:
"Most blessed of sons is Asher;
let him be favored by his brothers,
and let him bathe his feet in oil.
25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,
and your strength will equal your days.
26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides on the heavens to help you
and on the clouds in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemy before you,
saying, 'Destroy him!'
28 So Israel will live in safety alone;
Jacob's spring is secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew.
29 Blessed are you, O Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord ?
He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will trample down their high places. "
Deuteronomy 34
The Death of Moses
1 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of
Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land-from
Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and
Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 the
Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far
as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land I promised on
oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your
descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over
into it."
5 And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord
had said. 6 He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor,
but to this day no one knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was a
hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his
strength gone. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of
Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because
Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what
the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the
Lord knew face to face, 11 who did all those miraculous signs and
wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt-to Pharaoh and to all his officials and
to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or
performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Joshua 1
The Lord Commands Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord , the Lord said to
Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now
then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the
land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites. 3 I will give you
every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your
territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the
Euphrates-all the Hittite country-to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No
one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was
with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to
inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be
strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave
you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful
wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your
mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything
written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I
not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 "Go
through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from
now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the
Lord your God is giving you for your own.' "
12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
Joshua said, 13 "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the
Lord gave you: 'The Lord your God is giving you rest and has granted you this
land.' 14 Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in
the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men,
fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your
brothers 15 until the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you,
and until they too have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God is
giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses
the servant of the Lord gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise."
16 Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will
do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed
Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was
with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey
your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong
and courageous!"
Joshua 2
Rahab and the Spies
1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go,
look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the
house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
2 The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have
come here tonight to spy out the land." 3 So the king of Jericho sent
this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your
house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said,
"Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5
At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know
which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." 6
(But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax
she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the
spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the
pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof
9 and said to them, "I know that the Lord has given this land to you
and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this
country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the
Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and
what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan,
whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts
melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is
God in heaven above and on the earth below. 12 Now then, please swear
to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown
kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives
of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them,
and that you will save us from death."
14 "Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't
tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord
gives us the land."
15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house
she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 Now she had said to them,
"Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three
days until they return, and then go on your way."
17 The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be
binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this
scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have
brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your
house. 19 If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his
blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is
in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him.
20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the
oath you made us swear."
21 "Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them
away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22 When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three
days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without
finding them. 23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of
the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him
everything that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, "The
Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting
in fear because of us."
March 25, 2004-Joshua 3:1-6:27
Joshua 3
Crossing the Jordan
1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from
Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2
After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving
orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your
God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from
your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go,
since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a
thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."
5 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the
Lord will do amazing things among you."
6 Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and
pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in
the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.
8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach
the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.' "
9 Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words
of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living
God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites,
Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11
See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the
Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes
of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who
carry the ark of the Lord -the Lord of all the earth-set foot in the Jordan, its
waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests
carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the
Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who
carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge,
16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great
distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the
water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut
off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who
carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the
middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had
completed the crossing on dry ground.
Joshua 4
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord
said to Joshua, 2 "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from
each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle
of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you
and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the
Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, "Go over before
the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to
take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the
Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your
children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' 7 tell them that the
flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord . When
it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are
to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."
8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve
stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of
the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with
them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the
twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the
priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to
this day.
10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the
middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by
the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11
and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came
to the other side while the people watched. 12 The men of Reuben, Gad
and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, armed, in front of the Israelites,
as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle
crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.
14 That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and
they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.
15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 "Command the priests
carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan."
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan."
18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the
covenant of the Lord . No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than
the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as
before.
19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the
Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And
Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.
21 He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask
their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 tell them, 'Israel
crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the Lord your God dried up
the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the
Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until
we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the
earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might
always fear the Lord your God."
Joshua 5
Circumcision at Gilgal
1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the
Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan
before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no
longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and
circumcise the Israelites again." 3 So Joshua made flint knives and
circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.
4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt-all the
men of military age-died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. 5
All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in
the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites
had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military
age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord . For the
Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly
promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7
So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua
circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised
on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they
remained where they were in camp until they were healed.
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the
reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at
Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11
The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the
land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the
day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for
the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.
The Fall of Jericho
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man
standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him
and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
14 "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I
have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked
him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"
15 The commander of the Lord's army replied, "Take off your sandals,
for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
Joshua 6
1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one
went out and no one came in.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into
your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around
the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have
seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh
day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.
5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the
people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people
will go up, every man straight in."
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up
the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in
front of it." 7 And he ordered the people, "Advance! March around the
city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord ."
8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying
the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the
ark of the Lord's covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched
ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark.
All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded
the people, "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word
until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!" 11 So he had the ark
of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned
to camp and spent the night there.
12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the
ark of the Lord . 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets
went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The
armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord ,
while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they
marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six
days.
15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the
city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the
city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests
sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the Lord has
given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be
devoted to the Lord . Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her
house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep
away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own
destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel
liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and
gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into
his treasury."
20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of
the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man
charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city
to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it-men and women,
young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into
the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in
accordance with your oath to her." 23 So the young men who had done
the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and
all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a
place outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put
the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the
Lord's house. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her
family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as
spies to Jericho-and she lives among the Israelites to this day.
26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before
the Lord is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
"At the cost of his firstborn son
will he lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
will he set up its gates."
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the
land.
March 26, 2004-Joshua 7:1-9:27
Joshua 7
Achan's Sin
1 But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted
things ; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of
Judah, took some of them. So the Lord's anger burned against Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to
the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men
went up and spied out Ai.
3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will
have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not
weary all the people, for only a few men are there." 4 So about three
thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who
killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate
as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the
hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before
the ark of the Lord , remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the
same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, "Ah,
Sovereign Lord , why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver
us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to
stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now
that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the
other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and
wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great
name?"
10 The Lord said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on
your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant,
which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they
have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.
12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they
turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I
will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to
destruction.
13 "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in
preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says:
That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your
enemies until you remove it.
14 " 'In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe
that the Lord takes shall come forward clan by clan; the clan that the Lord
takes shall come forward family by family; and the family that the Lord takes
shall come forward man by man. 15 He who is caught with the devoted
things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has
violated the covenant of the Lord and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!' "
16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes,
and Judah was taken. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and he took
the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and
Zimri was taken. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man,
and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of
Judah, was taken.
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord , the
God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide
it from me."
20 Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord , the
God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder
a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of
gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in
the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it
was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the
things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread
them out before the Lord .
24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah,
the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle,
donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25
Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring
trouble on you today."
Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned
them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which
remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that
place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
Joshua 8
Ai Destroyed
1 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have
delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.
2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king,
except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an
ambush behind the city."
3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose
thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night 4
with these orders: "Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city.
Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. 5 I and all
those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as
they did before, we will flee from them. 6 They will pursue us until
we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away
from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them, 7 you are to
rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your
hand. 8 When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the
Lord has commanded. See to it; you have my orders."
9 Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and
lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai-but Joshua spent that night
with the people.
10 Early the next morning Joshua mustered his men, and he and the
leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai. 11 The entire force that
was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They
set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. 12
Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel
and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 They had the soldiers take up
their positions-all those in the camp to the north of the city and the ambush to
the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley.
14 When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city
hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place
overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against
him behind the city. 15 Joshua and all Israel let themselves be
driven back before them, and they fled toward the desert. 16 All the
men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured
away from the city. 17 Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not
go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Hold out toward Ai the javelin that
is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city." So Joshua held out
his javelin toward Ai. 19 As soon as he did this, the men in the
ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the
city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.
20 The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising
against the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction, for the
Israelites who had been fleeing toward the desert had turned back against their
pursuers. 21 For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had
taken the city and that smoke was going up from the city, they turned around and
attacked the men of Ai. 22 The men of the ambush also came out of the
city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on
both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives.
23 But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields
and in the desert where they had chased them, and when every one of them had
been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who
were in it. 25 Twelve thousand men and women fell that day-all the
people of Ai. 26 For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out
his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. 27 But Israel
did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord
had instructed Joshua.
28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a
desolate place to this day. 29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree and
left him there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take his body
from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they
raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.
The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord , the God of
Israel, 31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the
Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of
Moses-an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they
offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. 32
There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of
Moses, which he had written. 33 All Israel, aliens and citizens
alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of
the ark of the covenant of the Lord , facing those who carried it-the priests,
who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of
them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly
commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law-the blessings and
the curses-just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was
not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole
assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived
among them.
Joshua 9
The Gibeonite Deception
1 Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these
things-those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire
coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)- 2 they came together
to make war against Joshua and Israel.
3 However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to
Jericho and Ai, 4 they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation
whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and
mended. 5 The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore
old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. 6
Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of
Israel, "We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us."
7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "But perhaps you live near
us. How then can we make a treaty with you?"
8 "We are your servants," they said to Joshua.
But Joshua asked, "Who are you and where do you come from?"
9 They answered: "Your servants have come from a very distant country
because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him: all
that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the
Amorites east of the Jordan-Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who
reigned in Ashtaroth. 11 And our elders and all those living in our
country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say
to them, "We are your servants; make a treaty with us." ' 12 This
bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to
you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. 13 And these wineskins that
we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals
are worn out by the very long journey."
14 The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of
the Lord . 15 Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let
them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.
16 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the
Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. 17 So
the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon,
Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 18 But the Israelites did not
attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by
the Lord , the God of Israel.
The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, 19 but all the
leaders answered, "We have given them our oath by the Lord , the God of Israel,
and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We
will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we
swore to them." 21 They continued, "Let them live, but let them be
woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community." So the leaders'
promise to them was kept.
22 Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, "Why did you deceive
us by saying, 'We live a long way from you,' while actually you live near us?
23 You are now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as
woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."
24 They answered Joshua, "Your servants were clearly told how the
Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to
wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because
of you, and that is why we did this. 25 We are now in your hands. Do
to us whatever seems good and right to you."
26 So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill
them. 27 That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water
carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord
would choose. And that is what they are to this day.
March 27, 2004-Joshua 10:1-12:24
Joshua 10
The Sun Stands Still
1 Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai
and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and
its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel
and were living near them. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed
at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it
was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. 3 So
Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of
Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. 4 "Come up
and help me attack Gibeon," he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and
the Israelites."
5 Then the five kings of the Amorites-the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron,
Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon-joined forces. They moved up with all their troops
and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.
6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do
not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because
all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us."
7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including
all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be
afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able
to withstand you."
9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.
10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated
them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up
to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11
As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord
hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from
the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said
to the Lord in the presence of Israel:
"O sun, stand still over Gibeon,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
13 So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full
day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day
when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!
15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
Five Amorite Kings Killed
16 Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah.
17 When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in
the cave at Makkedah, 18 he said, "Roll large rocks up to the mouth
of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. 19 But don't stop!
Pursue your enemies, attack them from the rear and don't let them reach their
cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand."
20 So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed them completely-almost to a
man-but the few who were left reached their fortified cities. 21 The
whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one
uttered a word against the Israelites.
22 Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five
kings out to me." 23 So they brought the five kings out of the
cave-the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24
When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel
and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your
feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on
their necks.
25 Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be
strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are
going to fight." 26 Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung
them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until evening.
27 At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the
trees and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of
the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day.
28 That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the
sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to
the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Southern Cities Conquered
29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to
Libnah and attacked it. 30 The Lord also gave that city and its king
into Israel's hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left
no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of
Jericho.
31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to
Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. 32 The Lord
handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city
and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33
Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated
him and his army-until no survivors were left.
34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to
Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it. 35 They
captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone
in it, just as they had done to Lachish.
36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron
and attacked it. 37 They took the city and put it to the sword,
together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors.
Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it.
38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked
Debir. 39 They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them
to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors.
They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to
Hebron.
40 So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country,
the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all
their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just
as the Lord , the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua subdued
them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon.
42 All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign,
because the Lord , the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
Joshua 11
Northern Kings Defeated
1 When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king
of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph, 2 and to the northern
kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the
western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; 3 to the Canaanites
in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the
hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah. 4
They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots-a
huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 5 All these kings
joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against
Israel.
6 The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this
time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to
hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."
7 So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the
Waters of Merom and attacked them, 8 and the Lord gave them into the
hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater
Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no
survivors were left. 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed:
He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.
10 At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its
king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) 11
Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing
anything that breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself.
12 Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to
the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had
commanded. 13 Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on
their mounds-except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites
carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but
all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not
sparing anyone that breathed. 15 As the Lord commanded his servant
Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of
all that the Lord commanded Moses.
16 So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev,
the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains
of Israel with their foothills, 17 from Mount Halak, which rises
toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He
captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. 18
Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. 19 Except
for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the
Israelites, who took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord
himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might
destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had
commanded Moses.
21 At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill
country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and
from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their
towns. 22 No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza,
Gath and Ashdod did any survive. 23 So Joshua took the entire land,
just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel
according to their tribal divisions.
Then the land had rest from war.
Joshua 12
List of Defeated Kings
1 These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated
and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to
Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah:
2 Sihon king of the Amorites,
who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge-from
the middle of the gorge-to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the
Ammonites. This included half of Gilead. 3 He also ruled over the
eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea
), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
4 And the territory of Og king of Bashan,
one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5
He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of the people
of Geshur and Maacah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
6 Moses, the servant of the Lord , and the Israelites conquered them.
And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites
and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession.
7 These are the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites
conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon
to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir (their lands Joshua gave as an
inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions- 8
the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the
desert and the Negev-the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites,
Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites):
9 the king of Jericho one
the king of Ai (near Bethel) one
10 the king of Jerusalem one
the king of Hebronp one
11 the king of Jarmuth one
the king of Lachish one
12 the king of Eglon one
the king of Gezer one
13 the king of Debir one
the king of Geder one
14 the king of Hormah one
the king of Arad one
15 the king of Libnah one
the king of Adullam one
16 the king of Makkedah one
the king of Bethel one
17 the king of Tappuah one
the king of Hepher one
18 the king of Aphek one
the king of Lasharon one
19 the king of Madon one
the king of Hazor one
20 the king of Shimron Meron one
the king of Acshaph one
21 the king of Taanach one
the king of Megiddo one
22 the king of Kedesh one
the king of Jokneam in Carmel one
23 the king of Dor (in Naphoth Dor ) one
the king of Goyim in Gilgal one
24 the king of Tirzah one
thirty-one kings in all.
March 28, 2004-Joshua 13:1-15:63
Joshua 13
Land Still to Be Taken
1 When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the Lord said to
him, "You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken
over.
2 "This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines
and Geshurites: 3 from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the
territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the territory
of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron-that of
the Avvites); 4 from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from
Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek, the region of the Amorites, 5
the area of the Gebalites ; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below
Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
6 "As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to
Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before
the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I
have instructed you, 7 and divide it as an inheritance among the nine
tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh."
Division of the Land East of the Jordan
8 The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had
received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he,
the servant of the Lord , had assigned it to them.
9 It extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the
town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau of Medeba as far
as Dibon, 10 and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who
ruled in Heshbon, out to the border of the Ammonites. 11 It also
included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount
Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salecah- 12 that is, the whole
kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had survived
as one of the last of the Rephaites. Moses had defeated them and taken over
their land. 13 But the Israelites did not drive out the people of
Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.
14 But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the
offerings made by fire to the Lord , the God of Israel, are their inheritance,
as he promised them.
15 This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan:
16 The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from
the town in the middle of the gorge, and the whole plateau past Medeba 17
to Heshbon and all its towns on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth
Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim,
Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the
slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth 21 -all the towns on the plateau
and the entire realm of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled at Heshbon. Moses
had defeated him and the Midianite chiefs, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba-princes
allied with Sihon-who lived in that country. 22 In addition to those
slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who
practiced divination. 23 The boundary of the Reubenites was the bank
of the Jordan. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the
Reubenites, clan by clan.
24 This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan:
25 The territory of Jazer, all the towns of Gilead and half the
Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah; 26 and from Heshbon to
Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir; 27
and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon with the rest of
the realm of Sihon king of Heshbon (the east side of the Jordan, the territory
up to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth ). 28 These towns and their
villages were the inheritance of the Gadites, clan by clan.
29 This is what Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that
is, to half the family of the descendants of Manasseh, clan by clan:
30 The territory extending from Mahanaim and including all of Bashan,
the entire realm of Og king of Bashan-all the settlements of Jair in Bashan,
sixty towns, 31 half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal
cities of Og in Bashan). This was for the descendants of Makir son of
Manasseh-for half of the sons of Makir, clan by clan.
32 This is the inheritance Moses had given when he was in the plains
of Moab across the Jordan east of Jericho. 33 But to the tribe of
Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord , the God of Israel, is their
inheritance, as he promised them.
Joshua 14
Division of the Land West of the Jordan
1 Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance
in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads
of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them. 2 Their inheritances
were assigned by lot to the nine-and-a-half tribes, as the Lord had commanded
through Moses. 3 Moses had granted the two-and-a-half tribes their
inheritance east of the Jordan but had not granted the Levites an inheritance
among the rest, 4 for the sons of Joseph had become two
tribes-Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites received no share of the land but only
towns to live in, with pasturelands for their flocks and herds. 5 So
the Israelites divided the land, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Hebron Given to Caleb
6 Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of
Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the Lord said to Moses the
man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old
when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the
land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8
but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with
fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on
that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be
your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed
the Lord my God wholeheartedly.'
10 "Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for
forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about
in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am
still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go
out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country
that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites
were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me,
I will drive them out just as he said."
13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as
his inheritance. 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh
the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord , the God of Israel,
wholeheartedly. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba,
who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)
Then the land had rest from war.
Joshua 15
Allotment for Judah
1 The allotment for the tribe of Judah, clan by clan, extended down
to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south.
2 Their southern boundary started from the bay at the southern end of
the Salt Sea, 3 crossed south of Scorpion Pass, continued on to Zin
and went over to the south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it ran past Hezron up to Addar
and curved around to Karka. 4 It then passed along to Azmon and
joined the Wadi of Egypt, ending at the sea. This is their southern boundary.
5 The eastern boundary is the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the
Jordan.
The northern boundary started from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the
Jordan, 6 went up to Beth Hoglah and continued north of Beth Arabah
to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 7 The boundary then went up to
Debir from the Valley of Achor and turned north to Gilgal, which faces the Pass
of Adummim south of the gorge. It continued along to the waters of En Shemesh
and came out at En Rogel. 8 Then it ran up the Valley of Ben Hinnom
along the southern slope of the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem). From there
it climbed to the top of the hill west of the Hinnom Valley at the northern end
of the Valley of Rephaim. 9 From the hilltop the boundary headed
toward the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, came out at the towns of Mount
Ephron and went down toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim). 10 Then
it curved westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of
Mount Jearim (that is, Kesalon), continued down to Beth Shemesh and crossed to
Timnah. 11 It went to the northern slope of Ekron, turned toward
Shikkeron, passed along to Mount Baalah and reached Jabneel. The boundary ended
at the sea.
12 The western boundary is the coastline of the Great Sea.
These are the boundaries around the people of Judah by their clans.
13 In accordance with the Lord's command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb
son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah-Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the
forefather of Anak.) 14 From Hebron Caleb drove out the three
Anakites-Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai-descendants of Anak. 15 From
there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath
Sepher). 16 And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in
marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." 17
Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah
to him in marriage.
18 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father
for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for
you?"
19 She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land
in the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and
lower springs.
20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan:
21 The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward
the boundary of Edom were:
Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23
Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor
Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, 28 Hazar Shual,
Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad,
Kesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32
Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain and Rimmon-a total of twenty-nine towns and their
villages.
33 In the western foothills:
Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35
Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah
(or Gederothaim) -fourteen towns and their villages.
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, 38 Dilean, Mizpah,
Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmas,
Kitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah and Makkedah-sixteen towns
and their villages.
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44
Keilah, Aczib and Mareshah-nine towns and their villages.
45 Ekron, with its surrounding settlements and villages; 46
west of Ekron, all that were in the vicinity of Ashdod, together with their
villages; 47 Ashdod, its surrounding settlements and villages; and
Gaza, its settlements and villages, as far as the Wadi of Egypt and the
coastline of the Great Sea.
48 In the hill country:
Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir),
50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon and Giloh-eleven
towns and their villages.
52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah,
54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) and Zior-nine towns and
their villages.
55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam,
Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah and Timnah-ten towns and their villages.
58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth Anoth and
Eltekon-six towns and their villages.
60 Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah-two towns and
their villages.
61 In the desert:
Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt and En
Gedi-six towns and their villages.
63 Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in
Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.
March 29, 2004-Joshua 16:1-19:31
Joshua 16
Allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh
1 The allotment for Joseph began at the Jordan of Jericho, east of
the waters of Jericho, and went up from there through the desert into the hill
country of Bethel. 2 It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz), crossed
over to the territory of the Arkites in Ataroth, 3 descended westward
to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the region of Lower Beth Horon and
on to Gezer, ending at the sea.
4 So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their
inheritance.
5 This was the territory of Ephraim, clan by clan:
The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar in the east to Upper
Beth Horon 6 and continued to the sea. From Micmethath on the north
it curved eastward to Taanath Shiloh, passing by it to Janoah on the east.
7 Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho and
came out at the Jordan. 8 From Tappuah the border went west to the
Kanah Ravine and ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the
Ephraimites, clan by clan. 9 It also included all the towns and their
villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the
Manassites.
10 They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day
the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced
labor.
Joshua 17
1 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph's
firstborn, that is, for Makir, Manasseh's firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of
the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because the Makirites were
great soldiers. 2 So this allotment was for the rest of the people of
Manasseh-the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. These
are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.
3 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir,
the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, whose names were Mahlah,
Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 4 They went to Eleazar the priest,
Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, "The Lord commanded Moses to give
us an inheritance among our brothers." So Joshua gave them an inheritance along
with the brothers of their father, according to the Lord's command. 5
Manasseh's share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east
of the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh
received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest
of the descendants of Manasseh.
7 The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher to Micmethath east of
Shechem. The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at
En Tappuah. 8 (Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself,
on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.) 9 Then the
boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. There were towns belonging to
Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the
northern side of the ravine and ended at the sea. 10 On the south the
land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh
reached the sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.
11 Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and
the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding
settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth ).
12 Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the
Canaanites were determined to live in that region. 13 However, when
the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but
did not drive them out completely.
14 The people of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only
one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people and
the Lord has blessed us abundantly."
15 "If you are so numerous," Joshua answered, "and if the hill
country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land
for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites."
16 The people of Joseph replied, "The hill country is not enough for
us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those
in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel."
17 But Joshua said to the house of Joseph-to Ephraim and
Manasseh-"You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one
allotment 18 but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its
farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have iron chariots and
though they are strong, you can drive them out."
Joshua 18
Division of the Rest of the Land
1 The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up
the Tent of Meeting there. The country was brought under their control, 2
but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their
inheritance.
3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before
you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord , the God of your
fathers, has given you? 4 Appoint three men from each tribe. I will
send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it,
according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. 5
You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory
on the south and the house of Joseph in its territory on the north. 6
After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them
here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God.
7 The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the
priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben and the
half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side
of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them."
8 As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua
instructed them, "Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of
it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the
presence of the Lord ." 9 So the men left and went through the land.
They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and
returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots
for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord , and there he distributed the
land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.
Allotment for Benjamin
11 The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan. Their
allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:
12 On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the
northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at
the desert of Beth Aven. 13 From there it crossed to the south slope
of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of
Lower Beth Horon.
14 From the hill facing Beth Horon on the south the boundary turned
south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath
Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.
15 The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the
west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16
The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom,
north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued down the Hinnom Valley along the
southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel. 17 It then
curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth, which faces the Pass of
Adummim, and ran down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 18 It
continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah and on down into the Arabah.
19 It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah and came out at the
northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was
the southern boundary.
20 The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side.
These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of
Benjamin on all sides.
21 The tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, had the following cities:
Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and
Geba-twelve towns and their villages.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,
27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite
city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath-fourteen towns and their villages.
This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.
Joshua 19
Allotment for Simeon
1 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan.
Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah. 2 It included:
Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, 3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4
Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,
6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen-thirteen towns and their villages;
7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan-four towns and their villages- 8
and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the
Negev).
This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, clan by clan. 9
The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because
Judah's portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their
inheritance within the territory of Judah.
Allotment for Zebulun
10 The third lot came up for Zebulun, clan by clan:
The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid. 11 Going west
it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam.
12 It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of
Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13 Then it
continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and
turned toward Neah. 14 There the boundary went around on the north to
Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El. 15 Included were
Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and
their villages.
16 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun,
clan by clan.
Allotment for Issachar
17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar, clan by clan. 18
Their territory included:
Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20
Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth
Pazzez. 22 The boundary touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh,
and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages.
23 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe
of Issachar, clan by clan.
Allotment for Asher
24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher, clan by clan.
25 Their territory included:
Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad and Mishal. On
the west the boundary touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. 27 It then
turned east toward Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El, and
went north to Beth Emek and Neiel, passing Cabul on the left. 28 It
went to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. 29
The boundary then turned back toward Ramah and went to the fortified city of
Tyre, turned toward Hosah and came out at the sea in the region of Aczib,
30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.
31 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe
of Asher, clan by clan.
March 30, 2004-Joshua 19:32-21:45
Allotment for Naphtali
32 The sixth lot came out for Naphtali, clan by clan:
33 Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim,
passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. 34
The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok. It touched
Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordan on the east. 35
The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36
Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38 Iron,
Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and
their villages.
39 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe
of Naphtali, clan by clan.
Allotment for Dan
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan, clan by clan.
41 The territory of their inheritance included:
Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43
Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45
Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46 Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the
area facing Joppa.
47 (But the Danites had difficulty taking possession of their
territory, so they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and
occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named it Dan after their forefather.)
48 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe
of Dan, clan by clan.
Allotment for Joshua
49 When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted
portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them,
50 as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for-Timnath
Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled
there.
51 These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of
Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the
presence of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And so they
finished dividing the land.
Joshua 20
Cities of Refuge
1 Then the Lord said to Joshua: 2 "Tell the Israelites to
designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3
so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee
there and find protection from the avenger of blood.
4 "When he flees to one of these cities, he is to stand in the
entrance of the city gate and state his case before the elders of that city.
Then they are to admit him into their city and give him a place to live with
them. 5 If the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender
the one accused, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally and without
malice aforethought. 6 He is to stay in that city until he has stood
trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving
at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the town from which he
fled."
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of
Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is,
Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 On the east side of the
Jordan of Jericho they designated Bezer in the desert on the plateau in the
tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in
the tribe of Manasseh. 9 Any of the Israelites or any alien living
among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities
and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the
assembly.
Joshua 21
Towns for the Levites
1 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest,
Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel 2
at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, "The Lord commanded through Moses that you
give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock." 3 So,
as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns
and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:
4 The first lot came out for the Kohathites, clan by clan. The
Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns
from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. 5 The rest of Kohath's
descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan
and half of Manasseh.
6 The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the
clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh
in Bashan.
7 The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, received twelve towns from
the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.
8 So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their
pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following
towns by name 10 (these towns were assigned to the descendants of
Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot
fell to them):
11 They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its
surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather
of Anak.) 12 But the fields and villages around the city they had
given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city
of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,
15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together
with their pasturelands-nine towns from these two tribes.
17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba,
18 Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands-four towns.
19 All the towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were
thirteen, together with their pasturelands.
20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns
from the tribe of Ephraim:
21 In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of
refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer, 22 Kibzaim and Beth
Horon, together with their pasturelands-four towns.
23 Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon,
24 Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands-four towns.
25 From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath
Rimmon, together with their pasturelands-two towns.
26 All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest
of the Kohathite clans.
27 The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:
from the half-tribe of Manasseh,
Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshtarah,
together with their pasturelands-two towns;
28 from the tribe of Issachar,
Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their
pasturelands-four towns;
30 from the tribe of Asher,
Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath and Rehob, together with their
pasturelands-four towns;
32 from the tribe of Naphtali,
Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and
Kartan, together with their pasturelands-three towns.
33 All the towns of the Gershonite clans were thirteen, together with
their pasturelands.
34 The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:
from the tribe of Zebulun,
Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their
pasturelands-four towns;
36 from the tribe of Reuben,
Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their
pasturelands-four towns;
38 from the tribe of Gad,
Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim, 39
Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands-four towns in all.
40 All the towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of
the Levites, were twelve.
41 The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites
were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands. 42 Each of
these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.
43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their
forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The
Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers.
Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over
to them. 45 Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of
Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
March 31, 2004-Joshua 22:1-24:33
Joshua 22
Eastern Tribes Return Home
1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe
of Manasseh 2 and said to them, "You have done all that Moses the
servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded.
3 For a long time now-to this very day-you have not deserted your
brothers but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. 4
Now that the Lord your God has given your brothers rest as he promised, return
to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the
other side of the Jordan. 5 But be very careful to keep the
commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the
Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to
him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul."
6 Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their
homes. 7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in
Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of
the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,
8 saying, "Return to your homes with your great wealth-with large
herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of
clothing-and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies."
9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left
the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which
they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.
10 When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan,
the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing
altar there by the Jordan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they
had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the
Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to
go to war against them.
13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the
land of Gilead-to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With
him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each
the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.
15 When they went to Gilead-to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of
Manasseh-they said to them: 16 "The whole assembly of the Lord says:
'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn
away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?
17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have
not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community
of the Lord ! 18 And are you now turning away from the Lord ?
" 'If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole
community of Israel. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over
to the Lord's land, where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and share the land with
us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for
yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 When Achan
son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come
upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his
sin.' "
21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the
heads of the clans of Israel: 22 "The Mighty One, God, the Lord ! The
Mighty One, God, the Lord ! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in
rebellion or disobedience to the Lord , do not spare us this day. 23
If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt
offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may
the Lord himself call us to account.
24 "No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say
to ours, 'What do you have to do with the Lord , the God of Israel? 25
The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you-you Reubenites and
Gadites! You have no share in the Lord .' So your descendants might cause ours
to stop fearing the Lord .
26 "That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar-but not
for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' 27 On the contrary, it is to be a
witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship
the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship
offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours,
'You have no share in the Lord .'
28 "And we said, 'If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants,
we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord's altar, which our fathers
built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and
you.'
29 "Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord and turn away from
him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and
sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his
tabernacle."
30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community-the
heads of the clans of the Israelites-heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to
say, they were pleased. 31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest,
said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the Lord is with us,
because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the Lord in this matter. Now you
have rescued the Israelites from the Lord's hand."
32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned
to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and
reported to the Israelites. 33 They were glad to hear the report and
praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to
devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.
34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A
Witness Between Us that the Lord is God.
Joshua 23
Joshua's Farewell to the Leaders
1 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest
from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in
years, 2 summoned all Israel-their elders, leaders, judges and
officials-and said to them: "I am old and well advanced in years. 3
You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these
nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. 4
Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of
the nations that remain-the nations I conquered-between the Jordan and the Great
Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will drive them out of
your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take possession of
their land, as the Lord your God promised you.
6 "Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book
of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7
Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the
names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to
them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have
until now.
9 "The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to
this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a
thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11
So be very careful to love the Lord your God.
12 "But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of
these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and
associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God
will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become
snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you
perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.
14 "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all
your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave
you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. 15
But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, so the Lord
will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you
from this good land he has given you. 16 If you violate the covenant
of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and
bow down to them, the Lord's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly
perish from the good land he has given you."
Joshua 24
The Covenant Renewed at Shechem
1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He
summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented
themselves before God.
2 Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the Lord , the God of
Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham
and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I
took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout
Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to
Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but
Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
5 " 'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by
what I did there, and I brought you out. 6 When I brought your
fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with
chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 But they cried to the
Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the
sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the
Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.
8 " 'I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the
Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed
them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 9 When
Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent
for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not
listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of
his hand.
11 " 'Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens
of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites,
Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.
12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before
you-also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.
13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did
not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you
did not plant.'
14 "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away
the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the
Lord . 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then
choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your
forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land
you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord ."
16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord
to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought
us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed
those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and
among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord
drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the
land. We too will serve the Lord , because he is our God."
19 Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord .
He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and
your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will
turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to
you."
21 But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the Lord ."
22 Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you
have chosen to serve the Lord ."
"Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.
23 "Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are
among you and yield your hearts to the Lord , the God of Israel."
24 And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God and
obey him."
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at
Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded
these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set
it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord .
27 "See!" he said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness
against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a
witness against you if you are untrue to your God."
Buried in the Promised Land
28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord ,
died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 And they buried him in the
land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north
of Mount Gaash.
31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of
the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done
for Israel.
32 And Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from
Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a
hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This
became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants.
33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had
been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.