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Numbers 33-36

Numbers 33

1These are the stages of the journeys of the Israelites, by which they came out of the land of Egypt by their [tribal] armies, under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

2Moses recorded their points of departure, as the LORD commanded, stage by stage; and these are their journeys according to their points of departure:

3They set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the Israelites moved out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians,

4while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the LORD had struck down among them. Upon their gods the LORD also executed judgments.

5Then the Israelites moved out from Rameses [where they had all joined together], and camped in Succoth.

6They moved out from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.

7They moved out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, east of Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.

8They moved out from before Pi-hahiroth and passed through the midst of the [Red] Sea into the wilderness; and they went a three days' journey in the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.

9They moved out from Marah and came to Elim; in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

10They moved out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds).

11They moved out from the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin.

12They moved out from the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

13They moved out from Dophkah and camped at Alush.

14They moved out from Alush and camped at Rephidim; now it was there that the people had no water to drink.

15They moved out from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai [where they remained for about a year].

16They moved out from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

17They moved out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

18They moved out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah [near Kadesh, the place from which the twelve spies were sent to spy out the land of Canaan].

19They moved out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.

20They moved out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

21They moved out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.

22They moved out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

23They moved out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

24They moved out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

25They moved out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

26They moved out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

27They moved out from Tahath and camped at Terah.

28They moved out from Terah and camped at Mithkah.

29They moved out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

30They moved out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

31They moved out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.

32They moved out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.

33They moved out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

34They moved out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

35They moved out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber [or Elath on the gulf of Aqabah].

36They moved out from Ezion-geber and camped in the Wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.

37They moved out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.

38Aaron the priest went up on Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month.

39Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev (the South country) in the land of Canaan, heard that the sons of Israel were coming.

41They moved out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

42Then they moved out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

43They moved out from Punon and camped at Oboth.

44They moved out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, on the border of Moab.

45They moved out from Iyim (Iye-abarim) and camped at Dibon-gad.

46They moved out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.

47They moved out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before [Mount] Nebo.

48They moved out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho [their last stop on the journey to Canaan].

49They camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

50Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying,

51"Say to the children of Israel, 'When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

52then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you and destroy all their sculpted images, and destroy all their cast idols and completely eliminate all their [idolatrous] high places,

53and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess.

54You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the large tribe you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the small tribe you shall give a smaller inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be [the location of] his [inheritance]. According to the tribes of your fathers (ancestors) you shall inherit.

55But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them will be like pricks in your eyes and like thorns in your sides, and they will attack you in the land in which you live.

56And as I [the LORD] planned to do to them, so I will do to you.'"

Numbers 34

1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2"Command the Israelites, 'When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall be yours as an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its boundaries,

3your southern region shall be from the Wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern boundary from the end of the Salt (Dead) Sea eastward.

4Your boundary shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and continue on to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to Hazar-addar and pass on to Azmon.

5Then the boundary shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt (Wadi el-arish), and its limit shall be at the [Mediterranean] Sea.

6'As the western boundary you shall have the Great [Mediterranean] Sea and its coastline. This shall be your western boundary.

7'And this shall be your north border: from the Great [Mediterranean] Sea mark out your boundary line to Mount Hor;

8from Mount Hor you shall mark out your boundary to the entrance of Hamath, and the limit of the border shall be at Zedad;

9then the [northern] boundary shall go on to Ziphron, and its limit shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern boundary.

10'You shall mark out your eastern boundary from Hazar-enan to Shepham;

11the [eastern] boundary shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and shall descend and reach to the slope on the east of the Sea of Chinnereth [the Sea of Galilee];

12and the [eastern] boundary shall go down to the Jordan [River], and its limit shall be at the Salt (Dead) Sea. This shall be your land according to its boundaries all around.'"

13So Moses commanded the Israelites, saying, "This is the land you are to inherit by lot, which the LORD has commanded to be given to the nine tribes and the half-tribe [of Manasseh],

14for the tribe of the sons of Reuben and the tribe of the sons of Gad have received their inheritance by their fathers' households, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their possession.

15The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan [River] opposite Jericho, eastward toward the sunrise."

16Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

17"These are the names of the men who shall divide the land among you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.

18You shall take one leader from every tribe to divide the land for the inheritance.

19These are the names of the men: From the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;

20from the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Samuel the son of Ammihud;

21from the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon;

22from the tribe of the sons of Dan a leader, Bukki the son of Jogli;

23of the sons of Joseph: from the tribe of the sons of Manasseh a leader, Hanniel the son of Ephod;

24from the tribe of the sons of Ephraim a leader, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan;

25from the tribe of the sons of Zebulun a leader, Elizaphan the son of Parnach;

26from the tribe of the sons of Issachar a leader, Paltiel the son of Azzan;

27from the tribe of the sons of Asher a leader, Ahihud the son of Shelomi;

28from the tribe of the sons of Naphtali a leader, Pedahel the son of Ammihud."

29These are the [twelve] men whom the LORD commanded [to work with Joshua and Eleazar] to divide the inheritance to the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan.

Numbers 35

1Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho, saying,

2"Command the Israelites to give to the Levites cities to live in from the inheritance of their possession; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities.

3The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their livestock.

4"The pasture lands around the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits (1,500 ft.) around.

5You shall also measure outside the city on the east, south, west, and north sides two thousand cubits (3,000 ft.), with the city in the center. This shall belong to the Levites as pasture lands for the cities.

6[Among] the cities which you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall provide for the one who commits manslaughter to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities [to the Levites].

7So you shall give to the Levites forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasture lands.

8As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the Israelites, from the larger tribes you shall take many and from the smaller tribes few; each tribe shall give [at least some] of its cities to the Levites in proportion to [the size of] its inheritance which it possesses."

9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10"Tell the Israelites, 'When you cross the Jordan [River] into the land of Canaan,

11then you shall select for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge, so that the one who kills any person unintentionally may escape there.

12The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who has caused the death of another will not be killed until he has had a [fair] trial before the congregation.

13The cities which you are to provide shall be your six cities of refuge.

14You shall provide three cities on this [east] side of the Jordan [River], and three [more] cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be the cities of refuge.

15These six cities shall be a refuge for the Israelites and for the stranger and the resident alien among them; so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may escape there.

16'But if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with an iron object so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

17If he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a stone in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

18Or if he struck his victim down [intentionally] with a wooden object in hand, which may cause a person to die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall certainly be put to death.

19The blood avenger shall himself put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.

20But if he pushed his victim out of hatred or threw something at him with malicious intent, and he died,

21or if, in enmity, he struck the victim down with his hand, and he died, the one that struck the victim shall certainly be put to death; he is a murderer. The blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

22'But if he pushed the victim suddenly, not in enmity, or threw anything at him without malicious intent,

23or without seeing him hit him [accidentally] with a stone object that could kill him, and he died, and [the offender] was not his enemy nor intending to harm him,

24then the congregation shall judge between the offender and the blood avenger according to these ordinances.

25The congregation shall rescue the offender from the hand of the blood avenger and return him to his city of refuge, [the place] to which he had escaped; and he shall live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the sacred oil.

26But if at any time the one guilty of manslaughter comes outside the border of his city of refuge to which he fled,

27and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge and kills the offender, the blood avenger will not be guilty of murder,

28because the offender should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the high priest's death the offender shall return to the land of his possession.

29'These things shall be a statute for you throughout your generations wherever you may be.

30'If anyone kills a person [intentionally], the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of [two or more] witnesses; but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of [only] one witness.

31Moreover, you shall not accept a ransom [in exchange] for the life of a murderer guilty and sentenced to death; but he shall certainly be put to death.

32You shall not accept a ransom for him who has escaped to his city of refuge, so that he may return to live in his [own] land before the death of the high priest.

33So you shall not pollute and defile the land in which you live; for [the shedding of innocent] blood pollutes and defiles the land. No atonement (expiation) can be made for the land for the [innocent] blood shed in it, except by the blood (execution) of him who shed it.

34You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I live, for I, the LORD, live among the people of Israel.'"

Numbers 36

1The leaders of the fathers' households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, approached and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers' households of the Israelites,

2and they said, "The LORD commanded my lord [Moses] to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.

3But if the daughters marry any of the men from any of the other tribes of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken away from that of our fathers (tribal ancestors) and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so it will be taken away from our allotted inheritance.

4When the [year of] Jubilee of the Israelites comes, then their inheritance will be added [permanently] to that of the tribe to which they belong; so their inheritance will be taken away from that of the tribe of our fathers (tribal ancestors)."

5Then Moses commanded the Israelites in accordance with the word of the LORD, saying, "The statement of the tribe of the sons of Joseph is correct.

6This is what the LORD commands regarding the daughters of Zelophehad: 'Let them marry whom they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.'

7So no inheritance of the Israelites shall be transferred from tribe to tribe, for every one of the Israelites shall hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers (tribal ancestors).

8Every daughter who possesses an inheritance [of land] in any one of the tribes of the Israelites shall marry [only] a man whose family is of her father's tribe, so that the Israelites may each possess the inheritance of his fathers (tribal ancestors).

9So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, but each of the tribes of the Israelites shall hold to its own inheritance."

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

11For Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father's brothers.

12They married into the families of the descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.

13These are the commandments and the ordinances (judgments) which the LORD commanded through Moses to the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho.