Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹By now Balaam realized that the LORD was determined to bless Israel, so he did not resort to divination as before. Instead, he turned and looked out toward the wilderness,

²where he saw the people of Israel camped, tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,

³and this is the message he delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,

⁴the message of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

⁵How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob; how lovely are your homes, O Israel!

⁶They spread before me like palm groves, like gardens by the riverside. They are like tall trees planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters.

⁷Water will flow from their buckets; their offspring have all they need. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.

⁸God brought them out of Egypt; for them he is as strong as a wild ox. He devours all the nations that oppose him, breaking their bones in pieces, shooting them with arrows.

⁹Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”

¹⁰King Balak flew into a rage against Balaam. He angrily clapped his hands and shouted, “I called you to curse my enemies! Instead, you have blessed them three times.

¹¹Now get out of here! Go back home! I promised to reward you richly, but the LORD has kept you from your reward.”

¹²Balaam told Balak, “Don’t you remember what I told your messengers? I said,

¹³‘Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD.’ I told you that I could say only what the LORD says!

¹⁴Now I am returning to my own people. But first let me tell you what the Israelites will do to your people in the future.”

¹⁵This is the message Balaam delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,

¹⁶the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

¹⁷I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the heads of Moab’s people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.

¹⁸Edom will be taken over, and Seir, its enemy, will be conquered, while Israel marches on in triumph.

¹⁹A ruler will rise in Jacob who will destroy the survivors of Ir.”

²⁰Then Balaam looked over toward the people of Amalek and delivered this message: “Amalek was the greatest of nations, but its destiny is destruction!”

²¹Then he looked over toward the Kenites and delivered this message: “Your home is secure; your nest is set in the rocks.

²²But the Kenites will be destroyed when Assyria takes you captive.”

²³Balaam concluded his messages by saying: “Alas, who can survive unless God has willed it?

²⁴Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus ; they will oppress Assyria and afflict Eber, but they, too, will be utterly destroyed.”

²⁵Then Balaam left and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.

¹While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women.

²These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab.

³In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people.

⁴The LORD issued the following command to Moses: “Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the LORD in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel.”

⁵So Moses ordered Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death the men under your authority who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”

⁶Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into his tent, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as everyone was weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

⁷When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. He took a spear

⁸and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man’s body and into the woman’s stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped,

⁹but not before 24,000 people had died.

¹⁰Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹¹“Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest has turned my anger away from the Israelites by being as zealous among them as I was. So I stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended to do in my zealous anger.

¹²Now tell him that I am making my special covenant of peace with him.

¹³In this covenant, I give him and his descendants a permanent right to the priesthood, for in his zeal for me, his God, he purified the people of Israel, making them right with me. ”

¹⁴The Israelite man killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon.

¹⁵The woman’s name was Cozbi; she was the daughter of Zur, the leader of a Midianite clan.

¹⁶Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹⁷“Attack the Midianites and destroy them,

¹⁸because they assaulted you with deceit and tricked you into worshiping Baal of Peor, and because of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed at the time of the plague because of what happened at Peor.”

¹After the plague had ended, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,

²“From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war.”

³So there on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued these instructions to the leaders of Israel:

⁴“List all the men of Israel twenty years old and older, just as the LORD commanded Moses.” This is the record of all the descendants of Israel who came out of Egypt.

⁵These were the clans descended from the sons of Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son: The Hanochite clan, named after their ancestor Hanoch. The Palluite clan, named after their ancestor Pallu.

⁶The Hezronite clan, named after their ancestor Hezron. The Carmite clan, named after their ancestor Carmi.

⁷These were the clans of Reuben. Their registered troops numbered 43,730.

⁸Pallu was the ancestor of Eliab,

⁹and Eliab was the father of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. This Dathan and Abiram are the same community leaders who conspired with Korah against Moses and Aaron, rebelling against the LORD.

¹⁰But the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, and fire devoured 250 of their followers. This served as a warning to the entire nation of Israel.

¹¹However, the sons of Korah did not die that day.

¹²These were the clans descended from the sons of Simeon: The Jemuelite clan, named after their ancestor Jemuel. The Jaminite clan, named after their ancestor Jamin. The Jakinite clan, named after their ancestor Jakin.

¹³The Zoharite clan, named after their ancestor Zohar. The Shaulite clan, named after their ancestor Shaul.

¹⁴These were the clans of Simeon. Their registered troops numbered 22,200.

¹⁵These were the clans descended from the sons of Gad: The Zephonite clan, named after their ancestor Zephon. The Haggite clan, named after their ancestor Haggi. The Shunite clan, named after their ancestor Shuni.

¹⁶The Oznite clan, named after their ancestor Ozni. The Erite clan, named after their ancestor Eri.

¹⁷The Arodite clan, named after their ancestor Arodi. The Arelite clan, named after their ancestor Areli.

¹⁸These were the clans of Gad. Their registered troops numbered 40,500.

¹⁹Judah had two sons, Er and Onan, who had died in the land of Canaan.

²⁰These were the clans descended from Judah’s surviving sons: The Shelanite clan, named after their ancestor Shelah. The Perezite clan, named after their ancestor Perez. The Zerahite clan, named after their ancestor Zerah.

²¹These were the subclans descended from the Perezites: The Hezronites, named after their ancestor Hezron. The Hamulites, named after their ancestor Hamul.

²²These were the clans of Judah. Their registered troops numbered 76,500.

²³These were the clans descended from the sons of Issachar: The Tolaite clan, named after their ancestor Tola. The Puite clan, named after their ancestor Puah.

²⁴The Jashubite clan, named after their ancestor Jashub. The Shimronite clan, named after their ancestor Shimron.

²⁵These were the clans of Issachar. Their registered troops numbered 64,300.

²⁶These were the clans descended from the sons of Zebulun: The Seredite clan, named after their ancestor Sered. The Elonite clan, named after their ancestor Elon. The Jahleelite clan, named after their ancestor Jahleel.

²⁷These were the clans of Zebulun. Their registered troops numbered 60,500.

²⁸Two clans were descended from Joseph through Manasseh and Ephraim.

²⁹These were the clans descended from Manasseh: The Makirite clan, named after their ancestor Makir. The Gileadite clan, named after their ancestor Gilead, Makir’s son.

³⁰These were the subclans descended from the Gileadites: The Iezerites, named after their ancestor Iezer. The Helekites, named after their ancestor Helek.

³¹The Asrielites, named after their ancestor Asriel. The Shechemites, named after their ancestor Shechem.

³²The Shemidaites, named after their ancestor Shemida. The Hepherites, named after their ancestor Hepher.

³³(One of Hepher’s descendants, Zelophehad, had no sons, but his daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.)

³⁴These were the clans of Manasseh. Their registered troops numbered 52,700.

³⁵These were the clans descended from the sons of Ephraim: The Shuthelahite clan, named after their ancestor Shuthelah. The Bekerite clan, named after their ancestor Beker. The Tahanite clan, named after their ancestor Tahan.

³⁶This was the subclan descended from the Shuthelahites: The Eranites, named after their ancestor Eran.

³⁷These were the clans of Ephraim. Their registered troops numbered 32,500. These clans of Manasseh and Ephraim were all descendants of Joseph.

³⁸These were the clans descended from the sons of Benjamin: The Belaite clan, named after their ancestor Bela. The Ashbelite clan, named after their ancestor Ashbel. The Ahiramite clan, named after their ancestor Ahiram.

³⁹The Shuphamite clan, named after their ancestor Shupham. The Huphamite clan, named after their ancestor Hupham.

⁴⁰These were the subclans descended from the Belaites: The Ardites, named after their ancestor Ard. The Naamites, named after their ancestor Naaman.

⁴¹These were the clans of Benjamin. Their registered troops numbered 45,600.

⁴²These were the clans descended from the sons of Dan: The Shuhamite clan, named after their ancestor Shuham.

⁴³These were the Shuhamite clans of Dan. Their registered troops numbered 64,400.

⁴⁴These were the clans descended from the sons of Asher: The Imnite clan, named after their ancestor Imnah. The Ishvite clan, named after their ancestor Ishvi. The Beriite clan, named after their ancestor Beriah.

⁴⁵These were the subclans descended from the Beriites: The Heberites, named after their ancestor Heber. The Malkielites, named after their ancestor Malkiel.

⁴⁶Asher also had a daughter named Serah.

⁴⁷These were the clans of Asher. Their registered troops numbered 53,400.

⁴⁸These were the clans descended from the sons of Naphtali: The Jahzeelite clan, named after their ancestor Jahzeel. The Gunite clan, named after their ancestor Guni.

⁴⁹The Jezerite clan, named after their ancestor Jezer. The Shillemite clan, named after their ancestor Shillem.

⁵⁰These were the clans of Naphtali. Their registered troops numbered 45,400.

⁵¹In summary, the registered troops of all Israel numbered 601,730.

⁵²Then the LORD said to Moses,

⁵³“Divide the land among the tribes, and distribute the grants of land in proportion to the tribes’ populations, as indicated by the number of names on the list.

⁵⁴Give the larger tribes more land and the smaller tribes less land, each group receiving a grant in proportion to the size of its population.

⁵⁵But you must assign the land by lot, and give land to each ancestral tribe according to the number of names on the list.

⁵⁶Each grant of land must be assigned by lot among the larger and smaller tribal groups.”

⁵⁷This is the record of the Levites who were counted according to their clans: The Gershonite clan, named after their ancestor Gershon. The Kohathite clan, named after their ancestor Kohath. The Merarite clan, named after their ancestor Merari.

⁵⁸The Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, and the Korahites were all subclans of the Levites. Now Kohath was the ancestor of Amram,

⁵⁹and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She also was a descendant of Levi, born among the Levites in the land of Egypt. Amram and Jochebed became the parents of Aaron, Moses, and their sister, Miriam.

⁶⁰To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

⁶¹But Nadab and Abihu died when they burned before the LORD the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded.

⁶²The men from the Levite clans who were one month old or older numbered 23,000. But the Levites were not included in the registration of the rest of the people of Israel because they were not given an allotment of land when it was divided among the Israelites.

⁶³So these are the results of the registration of the people of Israel as conducted by Moses and Eleazar the priest on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

⁶⁴Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai.

⁶⁵For the LORD had said of them, “They will all die in the wilderness.” Not one of them survived except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

¹One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad — Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph.

²These women stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

³“Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the LORD; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons.

⁴Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.”

⁵So Moses brought their case before the LORD.

⁶And the LORD replied to Moses,

⁷“The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.

⁸“And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters.

⁹And if he has no daughter either, transfer his inheritance to his brothers.

¹⁰If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.

¹¹But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.”

¹²One day the LORD said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river, and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel.

¹³After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron,

¹⁴for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵Then Moses said to the LORD,

¹⁶“O LORD, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community.

¹⁷Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

¹⁸The LORD replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.

¹⁹Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people.

²⁰Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him.

²¹When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim — one of the sacred lots cast before the LORD — to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.”

²²So Moses did as the LORD commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community.

²³Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

¹The LORD said to Moses,

²“Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me; they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions.

³“Say to the people: This is the special gift you must present to the LORD as your daily burnt offering. You must offer two one-year-old male lambs with no defects.

⁴Sacrifice one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening.

⁵With each lamb you must offer a grain offering of two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of pure oil of pressed olives.

⁶This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

⁷Along with it you must present the proper liquid offering of one quart of alcoholic drink with each lamb, poured out in the Holy Place as an offering to the LORD.

⁸Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and liquid offering. It, too, is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

⁹“On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. They must be accompanied by a grain offering of four quarts of choice flour moistened with olive oil, and a liquid offering.

¹⁰This is the burnt offering to be presented each Sabbath day, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.

¹¹“On the first day of each month, present an extra burnt offering to the LORD of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

¹²These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram,

¹³and two quarts with each lamb. This burnt offering will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

¹⁴You must also present a liquid offering with each sacrifice: two quarts of wine for each bull, a third of a gallon for the ram, and one quart for each lamb. Present this monthly burnt offering on the first day of each month throughout the year.

¹⁵“On the first day of each month, you must also offer one male goat for a sin offering to the LORD. This is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.

¹⁶“On the fourteenth day of the first month, you must celebrate the LORD’s Passover.

¹⁷On the following day — the fifteenth day of the month — a joyous, seven-day festival will begin, but no bread made with yeast may be eaten.

¹⁸The first day of the festival will be an official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day.

¹⁹As a special gift you must present a burnt offering to the LORD — two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

²⁰These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram,

²¹and two quarts with each of the seven lambs.

²²You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the LORD.

²³Present these offerings in addition to your regular morning burnt offering.

²⁴On each of the seven days of the festival, this is how you must prepare the food offering that is presented as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. These will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and liquid offerings.

²⁵The seventh day of the festival will be another official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day.

²⁶“At the Festival of Harvest, when you present the first of your new grain to the LORD, you must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work on that day.

²⁷Present a special burnt offering on that day as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It will consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs.

²⁸These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram,

²⁹and two quarts with each of the seven lambs.

³⁰Also, offer one male goat to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the LORD.

³¹Prepare these special burnt offerings, along with their liquid offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying grain offering. Be sure that all the animals you sacrifice have no defects.

¹“Celebrate the Festival of Trumpets each year on the first day of the appointed month in early autumn. You must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work.

²On that day you must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

³These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts with the bull, four quarts with the ram,

⁴and two quarts with each of the seven lambs.

⁵In addition, you must sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the LORD.

⁶These special sacrifices are in addition to your regular monthly and daily burnt offerings, and they must be given with their prescribed grain offerings and liquid offerings. These offerings are given as a special gift to the LORD, a pleasing aroma to him.

⁷“Ten days later, on the tenth day of the same month, you must call another holy assembly. On that day, the Day of Atonement, the people must go without food and must do no ordinary work.

⁸You must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

⁹These offerings must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts of choice flour with the bull, four quarts of choice flour with the ram,

¹⁰and two quarts of choice flour with each of the seven lambs.

¹¹You must also sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular daily burnt offering with its grain offering, and their accompanying liquid offerings.

¹²“Five days later, on the fifteenth day of the same month, you must call another holy assembly of all the people, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. It is the beginning of the Festival of Shelters, a seven-day festival to the LORD.

¹³On the first day of the festival, you must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It will consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

¹⁴Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil — six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams,

¹⁵and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs.

¹⁶You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

¹⁷“On the second day of this seven-day festival, sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

¹⁸Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.

¹⁹You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

²⁰“On the third day of the festival, sacrifice eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

²¹Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.

²²You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

²³“On the fourth day of the festival, sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

²⁴Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.

²⁵You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

²⁶“On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

²⁷Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.

²⁸You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

²⁹“On the sixth day of the festival, sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

³⁰Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.

³¹You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

³²“On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

³³Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.

³⁴You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

³⁵“On the eighth day of the festival, proclaim another holy day. You must do no ordinary work on that day.

³⁶You must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.

³⁷Each of these offerings must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.

³⁸You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.

³⁹“You must present these offerings to the LORD at your annual festivals. These are in addition to the sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as voluntary offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, liquid offerings, or peace offerings.”

⁴⁰So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel as the LORD had commanded him.

¹Then Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “This is what the LORD has commanded:

²A man who makes a vow to the LORD or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.

³“If a young woman makes a vow to the LORD or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father’s home,

⁴and her father hears of the vow or pledge and does not object to it, then all her vows and pledges will stand.

⁵But if her father refuses to let her fulfill the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The LORD will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfill them.

⁶“Now suppose a young woman makes a vow or binds herself with an impulsive pledge and later marries.

⁷If her husband learns of her vow or pledge and does not object on the day he hears of it, her vows and pledges will stand.

⁸But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or impulsive pledge on the day he hears of it, he nullifies her commitments, and the LORD will forgive her.

⁹If, however, a woman is a widow or is divorced, she must fulfill all her vows and pledges.

¹⁰“But suppose a woman is married and living in her husband’s home when she makes a vow or binds herself with a pledge.

¹¹If her husband hears of it and does not object to it, her vow or pledge will stand.

¹²But if her husband refuses to accept it on the day he hears of it, her vow or pledge will be nullified, and the LORD will forgive her.

¹³So her husband may either confirm or nullify any vows or pledges she makes to deny herself.

¹⁴But if he does not object on the day he hears of it, then he is agreeing to all her vows and pledges.

¹⁵If he waits more than a day and then tries to nullify a vow or pledge, he will be punished for her guilt.”

¹⁶These are the regulations the LORD gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter who still lives at home.

¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

²“On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry. After that, you will die and join your ancestors.”

³So Moses said to the people, “Choose some men, and arm them to fight the LORD’s war of revenge against Midian.

⁴From each tribe of Israel, send 1,000 men into battle.”

⁵So they chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of 12,000 men armed for battle.

⁶Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge.

⁷They attacked Midian as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men.

⁸All five of the Midianite kings — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba — died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

⁹Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder.

¹⁰They burned all the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived.

¹¹After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals,

¹²they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

¹³Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.

¹⁴But Moses was furious with all the generals and captains who had returned from the battle.

¹⁵“Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded.

¹⁶“These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the LORD at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the LORD’s people.

¹⁷So kill all the boys and all the women who have had intercourse with a man.

¹⁸Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves.

¹⁹And all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days.

²⁰Purify all your clothing, too, and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.”

²¹Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, “The LORD has given Moses this legal requirement:

²²Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead —

²³that is, all metals that do not burn — must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone.

²⁴On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp.”

²⁵And the LORD said to Moses,

²⁶“You and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders of each tribe are to make a list of all the plunder taken in the battle, including the people and animals.

²⁷Then divide the plunder into two parts, and give half to the men who fought the battle and half to the rest of the people.

²⁸From the army’s portion, first give the LORD his share of the plunder — one of every 500 of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

²⁹Give this share of the army’s half to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.

³⁰From the half that belongs to the people of Israel, take one of every fifty of the prisoners and of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and other animals. Give this share to the Levites, who are in charge of maintaining the LORD’s Tabernacle.”

³¹So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

³²The plunder remaining from everything the fighting men had taken totaled 675,000 sheep and goats,

³³72,000 cattle,

³⁴61,000 donkeys,

³⁵and 32,000 virgin girls.

³⁶Half of the plunder was given to the fighting men. It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats,

³⁷of which 675 were the LORD’s share;

³⁸36,000 cattle, of which 72 were the LORD’s share;

³⁹30,500 donkeys, of which 61 were the LORD’s share;

⁴⁰and 16,000 virgin girls, of whom 32 were the LORD’s share.

⁴¹Moses gave all the LORD’s share to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had directed him.

⁴²Half of the plunder belonged to the people of Israel, and Moses separated it from the half belonging to the fighting men.

⁴³It totaled 337,500 sheep and goats,

⁴⁴36,000 cattle,

⁴⁵30,500 donkeys,

⁴⁶and 16,000 virgin girls.

⁴⁷From the half-share given to the people, Moses took one of every fifty prisoners and animals and gave them to the Levites, who maintained the LORD’s Tabernacle. All this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁴⁸Then all the generals and captains came to Moses

⁴⁹and said, “We, your servants, have accounted for all the men who went out to battle under our command; not one of us is missing!

⁵⁰So we are presenting the items of gold we captured as an offering to the LORD from our share of the plunder — armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This will purify our lives before the LORD and make us right with him. ”

⁵¹So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from all the military commanders — all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects.

⁵²In all, the gold that the generals and captains presented as a gift to the LORD weighed about 420 pounds.

⁵³All the fighting men had taken some of the plunder for themselves.

⁵⁴So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gifts from the generals and captains and brought the gold to the Tabernacle as a reminder to the LORD that the people of Israel belong to him.

¹The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds,

²they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said,

³“Notice the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon.

⁴The LORD has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock.

⁵If we have found favor with you, please let us have this land as our property instead of giving us land across the Jordan River.”

⁶“Do you intend to stay here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?” Moses asked the men of Gad and Reuben.

⁷“Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the LORD has given them?

⁸Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land.

⁹After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the LORD was giving them.

¹⁰Then the LORD was very angry with them, and he vowed,

¹¹‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly.

¹²The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the LORD.’

¹³“The LORD was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the LORD’s sight had died.

¹⁴But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the LORD even angrier with Israel.

¹⁵If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!”

¹⁶But they approached Moses and said, “We simply want to build pens for our livestock and fortified towns for our wives and children.

¹⁷Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their land. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified towns we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people.

¹⁸We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their portions of land.

¹⁹But we do not claim any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side and accept this as our grant of land.”

²⁰Then Moses said, “If you keep your word and arm yourselves for the LORD’s battles,

²¹and if your troops cross the Jordan and keep fighting until the LORD has driven out his enemies,

²²then you may return when the LORD has conquered the land. You will have fulfilled your duty to the LORD and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the east side of the Jordan will be your property from the LORD.

²³But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

²⁴Go ahead and build towns for your families and pens for your flocks, but do everything you have promised.”

²⁵Then the men of Gad and Reuben replied, “We, your servants, will follow your instructions exactly.

²⁶Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle will stay here in the towns of Gilead.

²⁷But all who are able to bear arms will cross over to fight for the LORD, just as you have said.”

²⁸So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the clans of Israel.

²⁹He said, “The men of Gad and Reuben who are armed for battle must cross the Jordan with you to fight for the LORD. If they do, give them the land of Gilead as their property when the land is conquered.

³⁰But if they refuse to arm themselves and cross over with you, then they must accept land with the rest of you in the land of Canaan.”

³¹The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, “We are your servants, and we will do as the LORD has commanded!

³²We will cross the Jordan into Canaan fully armed to fight for the LORD, but our property will be here on this side of the Jordan.”

³³So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph. He gave them the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and the land of King Og of Bashan — the whole land with its cities and surrounding lands.

³⁴The descendants of Gad built the towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

³⁵Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

³⁶Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran. These were all fortified towns with pens for their flocks.

³⁷The descendants of Reuben built the towns of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

³⁸Nebo, Baal-meon, and Sibmah. They changed the names of some of the towns they conquered and rebuilt.

³⁹Then the descendants of Makir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and they drove out the Amorites living there.

⁴⁰So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there.

⁴¹The people of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, captured many of the towns in Gilead and changed the name of that region to the Towns of Jair.

⁴²Meanwhile, a man named Nobah captured the town of Kenath and its surrounding villages, and he renamed that area Nobah after himself.

¹This is the route the Israelites followed as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

²At the LORD’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way.

³They set out from the city of Rameses in early spring — on the fifteenth day of the first month — on the morning after the first Passover celebration. The people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of all the Egyptians.

⁴Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, whom the LORD had killed the night before. The LORD had defeated the gods of Egypt that night with great acts of judgment!

⁵After leaving Rameses, the Israelites set up camp at Succoth.

⁶Then they left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.

⁷They left Etham and turned back toward Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and camped near Migdol.

⁸They left Pi-hahiroth and crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness beyond. Then they traveled for three days into the Etham wilderness and camped at Marah.

⁹They left Marah and camped at Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.

¹⁰They left Elim and camped beside the Red Sea.

¹¹They left the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.

¹²They left the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

¹³They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

¹⁴They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

¹⁵They left Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.

¹⁶They left the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

¹⁷They left Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

¹⁸They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

¹⁹They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.

²⁰They left Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

²¹They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

²²They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

²³They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

²⁴They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

²⁵They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

²⁶They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

²⁷They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

²⁸They left Terah and camped at Mithcah.

²⁹They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah.

³⁰They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

³¹They left Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.

³²They left Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.

³³They left Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

³⁴They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

³⁵They left Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.

³⁶They left Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

³⁷They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the border of Edom.

³⁸While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the LORD to go up the mountain, and there he died. This happened in midsummer, on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after Israel’s departure from Egypt.

³⁹Aaron was 123 years old when he died there on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land.

⁴¹Meanwhile, the Israelites left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

⁴²Then they left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

⁴³They left Punon and camped at Oboth.

⁴⁴They left Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.

⁴⁵They left Iye-abarim and camped at Dibon-gad.

⁴⁶They left Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.

⁴⁷They left Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains east of the river, near Mount Nebo.

⁴⁸They left the mountains east of the river and camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

⁴⁹Along the Jordan River they camped from Beth-jeshimoth as far as the meadows of Acacia on the plains of Moab.

⁵⁰While they were camped near the Jordan River on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,

⁵¹“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: When you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan,

⁵²you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines.

⁵³Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy.

⁵⁴You must distribute the land among the clans by sacred lot and in proportion to their size. A larger portion of land will be allotted to each of the larger clans, and a smaller portion will be allotted to each of the smaller clans. The decision of the sacred lot is final. In this way, the portions of land will be divided among your ancestral tribes.

⁵⁵But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.

⁵⁶And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”

¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

²“Give these instructions to the Israelites: When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries.

³The southern portion of your country will extend from the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin on the east at the Dead Sea.

⁴It will then run south past Scorpion Pass in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazar-addar, and on to Azmon.

⁵From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the Brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

⁶“Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

⁷“Your northern boundary will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and run east to Mount Hor,

⁸then to Lebo-hamath, and on through Zedad

⁹and Ziphron to Hazar-enan. This will be your northern boundary.

¹⁰“The eastern boundary will start at Hazar-enan and run south to Shepham,

¹¹then down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there the boundary will run down along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee,

¹²and then along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. These are the boundaries of your land.”

¹³Then Moses told the Israelites, “This territory is the homeland you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The LORD has commanded that the land be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes.

¹⁴The families of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received their grants of land

¹⁵on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho toward the sunrise.”

¹⁶And the LORD said to Moses,

¹⁷“Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun are the men designated to divide the grants of land among the people.

¹⁸Enlist one leader from each tribe to help them with the task.

¹⁹These are the tribes and the names of the leaders: Tribe — Leader Judah — Caleb son of Jephunneh

²⁰Simeon — Shemuel son of Ammihud

²¹Benjamin — Elidad son of Kislon

²²Dan — Bukki son of Jogli

²³Manasseh son of Joseph — Hanniel son of Ephod

²⁴Ephraim son of Joseph — Kemuel son of Shiphtan

²⁵Zebulun — Elizaphan son of Parnach

²⁶Issachar — Paltiel son of Azzan

²⁷Asher — Ahihud son of Shelomi

²⁸Naphtali — Pedahel son of Ammihud

²⁹These are the men the LORD has appointed to divide the grants of land in Canaan among the Israelites.”

¹While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,

²“Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands.

³These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.

⁴The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet from the town walls in every direction.

⁵Measure off 3,000 feet outside the town walls in every direction — east, south, west, north — with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns.

⁶“Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns.

⁷In all, forty-eight towns with the surrounding pastureland will be given to the Levites.

⁸These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give property in proportion to the size of its land.”

⁹The LORD said to Moses,

¹⁰“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. “When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

¹¹designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally.

¹²These cities will be places of protection from a dead person’s relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be put to death before being tried by the community.

¹³Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves,

¹⁴three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan.

¹⁵These cities are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.

¹⁶“But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed.

¹⁷Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.

¹⁸Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.

¹⁹The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death.

²⁰So if someone hates another person and waits in ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder.

²¹Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.

²²“But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person,

²³or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies.

²⁴If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative:

²⁵The community must protect the slayer from the avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge to which he fled. There he must remain until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the sacred oil.

²⁶“But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge,

²⁷and the avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder.

²⁸The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property.

²⁹These are legal requirements for you to observe from generation to generation, wherever you may live.

³⁰“All murderers must be put to death, but only if evidence is presented by more than one witness. No one may be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

³¹Also, you must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution; murderers must always be put to death.

³²And never accept a ransom payment from someone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing a slayer to return to his property before the death of the high priest.

³³This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder.

³⁴You must not defile the land where you live, for I live there myself. I am the LORD, who lives among the people of Israel.”

¹Then the heads of the clans of Gilead — descendants of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph — came to Moses and the family leaders of Israel with a petition.

²They said, “Sir, the LORD instructed you to divide the land by sacred lot among the people of Israel. You were told by the LORD to give the grant of land owned by our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

³But if they marry men from another tribe, their grants of land will go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way, the total area of our tribal land will be reduced.

⁴Then when the Year of Jubilee comes, their portion of land will be added to that of the new tribe, causing it to be lost forever to our ancestral tribe.”

⁵So Moses gave the Israelites this command from the LORD: “The claim of the men of the tribe of Joseph is legitimate.

⁶This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: Let them marry anyone they like, as long as it is within their own ancestral tribe.

⁷None of the territorial land may pass from tribe to tribe, for all the land given to each tribe must remain within the tribe to which it was first allotted.

⁸The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe, so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property.

⁹No grant of land may pass from one tribe to another; each tribe of Israel must keep its allotted portion of land.”

¹⁰The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses.

¹¹Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah all married cousins on their father’s side.

¹²They married into the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. Thus, their inheritance of land remained within their ancestral tribe.

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

¹These are the words that Moses spoke to all the people of Israel while they were in the wilderness east of the Jordan River. They were camped in the Jordan Valley near Suph, between Paran on one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other.

²Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir.

³But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the LORD had commanded him to say.

⁴This took place after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth.

⁵While the Israelites were in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River, Moses carefully explained the LORD’s instructions as follows.

⁶“When we were at Mount Sinai, the LORD our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough.

⁷It is time to break camp and move on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions — the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River.

⁸Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’”

⁹Moses continued, “At that time I told you, ‘You are too great a burden for me to carry all by myself.

¹⁰The LORD your God has increased your population, making you as numerous as the stars!

¹¹And may the LORD, the God of your ancestors, multiply you a thousand times more and bless you as he promised!

¹²But you are such a heavy load to carry! How can I deal with all your problems and bickering?

¹³Choose some well-respected men from each tribe who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will appoint them as your leaders.’

¹⁴“Then you responded, ‘Your plan is a good one.’

¹⁵So I took the wise and respected men you had selected from your tribes and appointed them to serve as judges and officials over you. Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten.

¹⁶“At that time I instructed the judges, ‘You must hear the cases of your fellow Israelites and the foreigners living among you. Be perfectly fair in your decisions

¹⁷and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’

¹⁸“At that time I gave you instructions about everything you were to do.

¹⁹“Then, just as the LORD our God commanded us, we left Mount Sinai and traveled through the great and terrifying wilderness, as you yourselves remember, and headed toward the hill country of the Amorites. When we arrived at Kadesh-barnea,

²⁰I said to you, ‘You have now reached the hill country of the Amorites that the LORD our God is giving us.

²¹Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!’

²²“But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’

²³“This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from each of your tribes.

²⁴They headed for the hill country and came to the valley of Eshcol and explored it.

²⁵They picked some of its fruit and brought it back to us. And they reported, ‘The land the LORD our God has given us is indeed a good land.’

²⁶“But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God and refused to go in.

²⁷You complained in your tents and said, ‘The LORD must hate us. That’s why he has brought us here from Egypt — to hand us over to the Amorites to be slaughtered.

²⁸Where can we go? Our brothers have demoralized us with their report. They tell us, “The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and their towns are large, with walls rising high into the sky! We even saw giants there — the descendants of Anak!”’

²⁹“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid of them!

³⁰The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt.

³¹And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’

³²“But even after all he did, you refused to trust the LORD your God,

³³who goes before you looking for the best places to camp, guiding you with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.

³⁴“When the LORD heard your complaining, he became very angry. So he solemnly swore,

³⁵‘Not one of you from this wicked generation will live to see the good land I swore to give your ancestors,

³⁶except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see this land because he has followed the LORD completely. I will give to him and his descendants some of the very land he explored during his scouting mission.’

³⁷“And the LORD was also angry with me because of you. He said to me, ‘Moses, not even you will enter the Promised Land!

³⁸Instead, your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will lead the people into the land. Encourage him, for he will lead Israel as they take possession of it.

³⁹I will give the land to your little ones — your innocent children. You were afraid they would be captured, but they will be the ones who occupy it.

⁴⁰As for you, turn around now and go on back through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. ’

⁴¹“Then you confessed, ‘We have sinned against the LORD! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the LORD our God has commanded us.’ So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack the hill country.

⁴²“But the LORD told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’

⁴³“This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the LORD’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight.

⁴⁴But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah.

⁴⁵Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but he refused to listen.

⁴⁶So you stayed there at Kadesh for a long time.