Onkelos Numbers

The Census of Israel

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year of their departure from the land of Egypt, saying: 2 Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel by their clans and their ancestral households, listing their names, every male by head count: 3 from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service in Israel, you and Aaron shall count them by their divisions. 4 And you shall have with you a man of each tribe, a man who is chief of his ancestral household. 5 And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you. Of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; 6 of Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; 7 of Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab; 8 of Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar; 9 of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon; 10 of the sons of Joseph, of Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur; 11 of Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni; 12 of Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai; 13 of Asher, Pagiel son of Ochran; 14 of Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel; 15 of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan. 16 These were the appointed representatives of the congregation, leaders of the ancestral tribes; they were chiefs of Israel's thousands. 17 And Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named; 18 and they assembled all the congregation on the first day of the second month, and they registered their ancestry by their ancestral households, listing their names from twenty years old and up, by head count. 19 As the Lord commanded Moses, he counted them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20 And the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, by their descendants and clans, according to their ancestral households, listing their names, by head count; every male from twenty years old and up, all fit for military service: 21 of the tribe of Reuben were counted 46,500. 22 Of the sons of Simeon, by their descendants and clans and ancestral households, were counted, listing their names, by head count, every male from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 23 of the tribe of Simeon, were counted 59,300. 24 Of the sons of Gad, the descendants of the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 25 of the tribe of Gad, were counted 45,650. 26 Of the sons of Judah, the descendants of the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 27 of the tribe of Judah, were counted 74,600. 28 Of the sons of Issachar, the descendants of the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 29 of the tribe of Issachar, were counted 54,400. 30 Of the tribe of Zebulun, the descendants of the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 31 of the tribe of Zebulun, were counted 57,400. 32 Of the sons of Joseph, the descendants of the sons of Ephraim by the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 33 of the tribe of Ephraim, 40,500. 34 The descendants of the sons of Manasseh by the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 35 of the tribe of Manasseh, were counted 32,200. 36 The descendants of the sons of Benjamin, by the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 37 of the tribe of Benjamin, were counted 35,400. 38 The descendants of the sons of Dan, by the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 39 of the tribe of Dan, were counted 62,700. 40 Of the descendants of the sons of Asher, by the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 41 of the tribe of Asher, were counted 41,500. 42 The descendants of the sons of Naphtali, by the clans of their ancestral households, listing their names, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service; 43 of the tribe Naphtali, were counted 53,400. 44 These were those counted whom Moses and Aaron, and the twelve men, the leaders of Israel, counted, each according to the ancestral households. 45 And all those who were counted of the sons of Israel according to the ancestral households, from twenty years old and up, everyone fit for military service of Israel; 46 all those counted were 603,550.

The Levites Guard the Tabernacle

47 But the Levites, by their ancestral tribe, were not counted among them. 48 And the Lord had spoken with Moses, saying: 49 Only the tribe of Levi you shall not count, nor include them in the census among the sons of Israel. 50 But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its equipment, and over all that belongs to it: and they shall carry the tabernacle and all its equipment, and serve it; and they shall encamp around the tabernacle. 51 And when the tabernacle is to move, the Levites shall take it apart; and when the tabernacle is to remain in place, the Levites shall set it up; but the unauthorized person who comes near shall be put to death. 52 And the sons of Israel shall encamp each man at his own camp, and each man by his standard, according to their divisions. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that anger may not fall on the congregation of the sons of Israel; and the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of testimony. 54 And the sons of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, they did so.

The Arrangement of the Camp

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses and with Aaron, saying: 2 The sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his standard, under the banner of his ancestral household. They shall camp around the Tent of Meeting, facing it. 3 They shall pitch the standard of the camp of Judah on the east, toward the sunrise, by their divisions: and the chief of the sons of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. 4 His division numbered 74,600. 5 And those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar; and the chief of the sons of Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar; 6 his division numbered 54,400. 7 The tribe of Zebulun, and the chief of the sons of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon. 8 His division numbered 57,400. 9 All that were counted of the camp of Judah, 186,400, by their divisions: they shall set out first. 10 The standard of the camp of Reuben shall be to the south, by their divisions: and the chief of the sons of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 His division numbered 46,500. 12 And those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the chief of the sons of Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; 13 his division numbered 59,300. 14 And the tribe of Gad, and the chief of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel; 15 his division numbered 45,650. 16 All who were counted of the camp of Reuben, 151,450, by their divisions: they shall set out second. 17 But the Tent of Meeting shall be moved with the camp of the Levites, in the middle of the camp: as they encamp, so they shall set out, each man in his place, by their standard. 18 The standard of the camp of Ephraim, by their divisions, shall be to the west: and the chief of the sons of Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 His division numbered 40,500. 20 And those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the chief of the sons of Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 His division numbered 32,200. 22 And the tribe of Benjamin, and the chief of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni: 23 his division numbered 35,400. 24 All those counted in the camp of Ephraim were 108,100, by their divisions: and they set out third. 25 The standard of the camp of Dan shall be to the north, by their divisions; and the chief of the sons of Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 His division numbered 62,700. 27 And those who camp by him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the chief of the sons of Asher, Pagiel son of Ochran. 28 His division numbered 41,500. 29 And the tribe of Naphtali, and the chief of the sons of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan: 30 his division numbered 53,400. 31 All who were counted of the camp of Dan, 157,600: they shall set out last by their standards. 32 These are those counted of the sons of Israel, by the ancestral households; all those counted in the camps by their divisions, 603,550. 33 But the Levites were not counted among the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses. 34 And the sons of Israel did according to everything the Lord commanded Moses: they camped by their standards, and they set out, each man by his family, and by the ancestral household.

Aaron and His Sons

1 And these are the descendants of Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron. His firstborn, Nadab; and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were consecrated to offer their offerings and serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord; when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai: and they had no children. And Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests before Aaron their father.

The Levites and Their Duties

5 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and appoint them before Aaron the priest, so that they may serve with him. 7 And they shall keep guard for him and for the whole congregation by the Tent of Meeting to perform the service of the tabernacle. 8 And they shall keep all the equipment of the Tent of Meeting, and the charge of the sons of Israel to perform the service of the tabernacle. 9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron, and to his sons; they are delivered and given to him from the sons of Israel. 10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, so that they may carry out their priestly duties; but the unauthorized person who comes near shall be put to death. 11 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 12 Look, I have brought near the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn that opens the womb of the sons of Israel; and the Levites shall serve before Me. 13 For every firstborn is Mine; on the day that I killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart before Me every firstborn in Israel both people and animals; they are Mine: I am the Lord. 14 And the Lord spoke with Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying: 15 Count the sons of Levi, by their ancestral households, by their families; every male from a month old and up you shall count them. 16 And Moses counted them according to the word of the Lord, as he had been commanded. 17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their families, Mahli and Mushi; these are the families of the Levites after the ancestral households. 21 Of Gershon were the family of Libni and the family of Shimei; these are the families of Gershon. 22 Those counted among them, every male from a month old and up, numbered 7,500. 23 The families of Gershon shall encamp behind the tabernacle, on the west: 24 and the chief of the ancestral household of Gershon, Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting shall be the tent and its covering, and the hanging of the door of the Tent of Meeting; 26 and the curtains of the court, and the hanging of the gate of the court which surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the cords of it, for all its service. 27 And of Kohath was the family of Amram, and the family of Izhar, and the family of Hebron, and the family of Uzziel: these are the families of Kohath. 28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and up, 8,600, keeping the charge of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall encamp by the side of the tabernacle, on the south. 30 And the chief of the ancestral household of the Kohath families shall be Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the lampstand, and the altar, and the equipment of the sanctuary with which they serve, and the screen, and everything used in its service. 32 And the armarkella who is appointed over the chiefs of the Levites is Eleazar son of Aaron the priest: those responsible for guarding the sanctuary shall be placed under his authority. 33 Of Merari, the families of Mahli and the families of Mushi. 34 And the numbers of them, according to the numbers of all the males, from a month old and up, 6,200. 35 And the chief of the ancestral household of the Merari families, Zuriel son of Abihail; and they shall encamp on the side of the tabernacle on the north. 36 And the responsibility of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its bases, and all its equipment, and everything used in its service; 37 and the pillars of the court around, and their bases, their pins, and their cords. 38 Those who camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping charge of the sanctuary, to watch over the children of Israel; and the unauthorized person who comes near shall be put to death. 39 All who were counted of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron counted by the word of the Lord, by their families, every male, from a month old and up, 22,000.

The Redemption of the Firstborn

40 And the Lord spoke to Moses, Count all the firstborn males of the children of Israel, from a month old and up, and record the number of their names. 41 And you shall take the Levites before Me, I am the Lord, instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the cattle of the sons of Israel. 42 And Moses counted, as the Lord commanded him, all the firstborn of the sons of Israel. 43 And all the firstborn males, by the number of their names, from a month old and up by their numbers, were 22,273. 44 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall serve before Me: I am the Lord. 46 For the redemption of the 273 of the sons of Israel who are more than the Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels per person, according to the sanctuary shekel; twenty mahin are a shekel. 48 And you shall give the silver of the redeemed who exceed them to Aaron and his sons. 49 And Moses took the silver of the redeemed who were more than the redeemed by the Levites. 50 Of the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the silver, 1,365 shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave the silver of the redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, by the Memra of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Duties of the Kohathites

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses and with Aaron, saying: 2 Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi by the ancestral households, 3 from thirty years old and up to fifty years; all who enter the service, to do the work of the Tent of Meeting. 4 And this shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting, the Holy of Holies. 5 And Aaron and his sons shall come in when the camp is to move; and they shall take down the veil that is hung, and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it, 6 and put over it a covering of multicolored skins, and cover it with a cloth, entirely blue, and insert its poles. 7 And on the table of the Bread of the Presence they shall spread a blue cloth, and on it put the bowls and pans, and the measures and cups for drink offerings, and the bread that is always on it; 8 and cover it with a cloth of scarlet, and cover it with a covering of multicolored skins, and insert its poles. 9 And they shall take a blue cloth, and cover the lampstand of the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its wick dishes, and all the equipment used in its service; 10 and put it and all its equipment into a covering of multicolored skins, and set it upon a carrying frame. 11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of multicolored skins, and insert its poles. 12 And they shall take all the utensils used for service in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of multicolored skins, and set them on a carrying frame. 13 And they shall collect the ashes from the altar, and spread upon it a cloth of crimson, 14 and put on it all its equipment used in its service; censers, meat forks, shovels, and basins; all the vessels of the altar; and spread over it a covering of multicolored skins, and insert its poles. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary when the camp is to move, the sons of Kohath shall go in to carry them, but they shall not touch the holy things, or they will die; but these are the loads of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting. 16 And the responsibility of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, and the aromatic incense, and the regular mincha, and the anointing oil, with the charge of all the tabernacle, and whatever belongs to the sanctuary and its vessels. 17 And the Lord spoke with Moses and with Aaron, saying: 18 Do not cut off the tribe of the family of Kohath from among the Levites; 19 but do this to them, so that they may live and not die, when they approach the Holy of Holies: Let Aaron and his sons go in, and appoint each man his service and his burden. 20 But they shall not go in to see, when the vessels of the sanctuary are covered, or they will die.

The Duties of Gershon and Merari

21 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 22 Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their ancestral households, by their families; 23 you shall count them from thirty years old and up to fifty years, of all who come in groups to perform service in the Tent of Meeting. 24 This is the service of the family of Gershon, to serve and to carry. 25 And they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent covering of the Tent of Meeting, its covering, and the covering of multicolored skins over it, and the hanging for the door of the Tent of Meeting; 26 and the curtains of the court, and the hanging that is at the entrance of the court, which surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service; and with all that is delivered to them they shall perform their service. 27 All the service of the sons of Gershon shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, with all their burdens, and all their work; and you shall appoint them in charge with all their burdens. 28 This is the service of the family of the sons of Gershon in the Tent of Meeting, and their charge shall be under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 29 Count the sons of Merari by the families of their father's house; 30 you shall count them from thirty years old and up to fifty years, of all who come in groups to perform the service of the Tent of Meeting. 31 And this is the responsibility for carrying in all the service in the Tent of Meeting; the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and their bases; 32 and the columns of the court around, their bases, pins, and cords of all the instruments of all their service; and by their names you shall list the instruments of the charge of their loads. 33 This is the service of the family of the sons of Merari, after all their service in the Tent of Meeting under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

The Census of the Levites in Service

34 And Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation counted the sons of Kohath, by their families, and by the ancestral households; 35 from thirty years old and up to fifty years; everyone who came in a group to the service in the Tent of Meeting. 36 And they who were counted of them by their families, were 2,750. 37 These are those counted from the family of Kohath, everyone serving in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted upon the Memra of the Lord, through Moses. 38 And those counted from the sons of Gershon after the families of their father's house, 39 from thirty years old and up to fifty years, everyone who comes in a group to the service of the Tent of Meeting, 40 even those who were counted of them by their families of their father's house, were 2,630. 41 These are those counted from the sons of Gershon, everyone who did service in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted by the Memra of the Lord. 42 And those counted from the sons of Merari, by the families of their father's house, 43 from thirty years old and up to fifty years, all who come in groups to serve in the Tent of Meeting, 44 even they who were counted by their families, were 3,200. 45 These are they who were counted in the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted by the Memra of the Lord, through Moses. 46 All those counted of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel counted, by their families, and by the ancestral households, 47 from thirty years old and up to fifty years, all who came to perform the work of service, and the work of carrying in the Tent of Meeting, 48 their total count was 8,580. 49 Upon the Memra of the Lord they were counted through Moses; every man according to his service and his load they were counted, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Keeping the Camp Clean

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Command the sons of Israel to send away from the camp everyone with a leprous disease, and everyone who has a discharge, and everyone who is made unclean by contact with a human corpse: 3 both male and female you shall send them away, so that they do not defile their camps; for My Shekinah dwells among you. 4 And the sons of Israel did so; as the Lord spoke with Moses, so did the sons of Israel.

Confession and Restitution

5 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 6 When a man or a woman has committed any of the sins of mankind to act unfaithfully before the Lord, and that man has become guilty; 7 they shall confess the sin which they have committed, and repay the full value of the wrong, and add a fifth part to it, and give it to the person against whom the sin was committed; 8 but if the man has died and has no relative to whom restitution should be made, let the restitution be made before the Lord to the priest, besides the ram of atonement which shall be offered to atone for him. 9 And all separated things of all the consecrations of the sons of Israel which are offered by the priest are his. 10 And the consecrated tenths of every man shall be his, and whatever a man gives to the priest shall be his.

The Ritual for a Suspected Unfaithful Wife

11 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 12 Speak with the sons of Israel, and say to them: If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, 13 and a man has sexual relations with her, and it is hidden from her husband's eyes, and she is defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she has not been caught; 14 but the spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife that she has been defiled; or the spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he becomes jealous of his wife, though she is not defiled; 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and bring her offering for her, a tenth part of three seins of barley flour; he shall pour no oil on it and shall not put frankincense upon it, because it is a mincha of jealousy, a mincha of remembrance, bringing sins to mind. 16 And the priest shall bring her near, and make her stand before the Lord. 17 And the priest shall take water from the basin in a clay vessel. And the priest shall take from the dust which is on the floor of the tabernacle, and put it into the water. 18 And the priest shall make the woman stand before the Lord, and shall loosen the hair on the woman's head, and put the mincha of remembrance, the mincha of jealousy, upon her hands; and in the priest's hand shall be the bitter waters of cursing. 19 And the priest shall make her swear, and say to the woman: If no man has had sexual relations with you, and if you have not strayed into defilement with someone other than your husband, you shall be unharmed from these bitter waters of cursing. 20 But if you have strayed with someone other than your husband, and are defiled; and a man other than your husband has had sexual relations with you, 21 The priest shall make the woman swear the oath of the curse; and the priest shall say to the woman: May the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh waste away and your belly swell. 22 And these waters of cursing shall enter your body, to make your belly swell and your thigh waste away. And the woman shall say, Amen, Amen! 23 And the priest shall write these curses on a scroll, and shall wash them out with the bitter waters. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the bitter waters of cursing; and the waters of the curse shall enter into her to cause bitterness. 25 And the priest shall take from the woman's hand the mincha of jealousy; and lift up the mincha before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar. 26 And the priest shall take a handful of the mincha as its memorial portion, and burn it upon the altar; and afterward the woman shall drink the water. 27 And when he has made her drink the water, then if she has been defiled and has been unfaithful to her husband, the waters of the curse will enter into her with bitterness, and her belly will swell, and her thigh waste away: and the woman shall become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not been defiled, but is innocent, they shall enter harmlessly, and she shall be able to conceive. 29 This is the law of jealousy, when a woman has gone astray from her husband, 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes over a man, and he becomes jealous of his wife. He shall make the wife stand before the Lord; and the priest shall do for him according to all this law. 31 And the man shall be innocent from guilt, but the woman shall receive the punishment for her sin.

The Nazirite Vow

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Speak with the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man or a woman wishes to set himself or herself apart by a vow of the Nazira, to be dedicated before the Lord; 3 he shall abstain from wine, whether new or old; vinegar of new wine or vinegar of old wine he may not drink; he may not drink anything squeezed from grapes; and he may not eat grapes, either fresh or dried. 4 All the days of his nazirate he may not eat anything that is produced by the vine, from its seeds to its pressed juice. 5 All the days of his nazir-vow a razor shall not pass upon his head; until the days of his dedication are completed before the Lord, he shall be consecrated; he shall let the hair of his head grow long. 6 All the days of his vow before the Lord, he shall not go near any dead person: 7 for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, should they die, he shall not make himself unclean; because the consecration of Eloha is upon his head: 8 all the days of his nazirhood he shall be consecrated before the Lord. 9 And if anyone beside him dies suddenly and unexpectedly, and he defiles the head of his vow, let him shave his head on the day of his purification, on the seventh day let him shave it: 10 and on the eighth day let him bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting. 11 And let the priest make one a sin offering, and one a burnt offering, to atone for him; because he has sinned through contact with the dead; and let him consecrate his head again on that day. 12 And he shall devote before the Lord the days of his nazirhood, and bring a year-old lamb for a trespass offering: but the former days do not count, because he has defiled his vow. 13 And this is the law of the Nazirite on the day that the days of his vow are fulfilled. He shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting; 14 and shall present his offering before the Lord, one unblemished year-old lamb, for a burnt offering, and one year-old ewe lamb, unblemished, for a sin offering; and one ram unblemished for a holy sacrifice; 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, their minchas and their drink offerings. 16 And the priest shall present them before the Lord; and make the sin offering and the burnt offering, 17 and the ram he shall offer as a holy sacrifice before the Lord with the basket of unleavened cakes; and the priest shall make the mincha, and the drink offering with it. 18 And let the Nazirite, at the door of the Tent of Meeting, shave his consecrated head; and take the hair of his consecrated head and lay it upon the fire which is under the pot, for the holy sacrifices. 19 And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one of the unleavened cakes from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them upon the hands of the Nazirite after the shaving of his consecration. 20 And the priest shall lift them up as a lifted offering before the Lord. It shall be dedicated to the priest, with the breast of the lifted offering, and the shoulder of the separation; and after that the Nazirite may drink wine. 21 This is the law of the Nazirite, who has vowed his offering before the Lord, for his consecration, in addition to what he can afford; according to the vow he has vowed, he shall act according to the law of his consecration.

The Priestly Blessing

22 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 23 Speak with Aaron and with his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, and shall say to them: 24 The Lord bless you and keep you. 25 The Lord make His Shekinah shine upon you, and be merciful to you. 26 The Lord turn away His displeasure from you, and give you peace. 27 And they shall place the blessing of My Name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.

Gifts for the Tabernacle

1 And it was on the day when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and anointing and consecrating it, and all its equipment, the altar and all its utensils, and had anointed and made them holy, 2 that the leaders of Israel, heads of their ancestral households, the chiefs of the tribes, who had been appointed over those counted, came near, 3 and brought their offerings before the Lord. Six covered wagons and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the leaders, and an ox for each one: and they brought them before the tabernacle. 4 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 5 Take the wagons from them, so that they may be used for the work of the service of the Tent of Meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to the need of his work. 6 And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to the need of their work; 8 and four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to the need of their work, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 9 But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because they had the work of the sanctuary, and carried it on their shoulders.

The Dedication of the Altar

10 And the leaders offered at the dedication of the altar on the day that they anointed it, and the leaders presented their offerings before the altar. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, One leader shall offer, on each day of the dedication of the altar. 12 And he who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah. 13 And his offering was, one bowl of silver, 130 shekels was its weight; one silver basin, seventy shekels in weight, in shekels of the sanctuary; both of them filled with flour, mixed with oil, for a mincha; 14 one incense dish weighing ten shekels; it was of gold, filled with fragrant incense; 15 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb for a burnt offering; 16 one male goat for a sin offering; 17 and for holy sacrifices, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. 18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of the tribe of Issachar, offered. 19 He offered his offering, one silver bowl, 130 shekels was its weight; one silver basin, its weight seventy shekels, in the shekels of the sanctuary; both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 20 one incense dish weighing ten shekels; it was of gold, full of fragrant incense; 21 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 22 one male goat for a sin offering; 23 and for holy sacrifices, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar. 24 On the third day, the leader of the sons of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon. 25 His offering, one silver bowl, its weight 130 shekels; one silver basin, its weight seventy shekels in the shekels of the sanctuary; both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 26 one incense dish weighing ten shekels; it was of gold, and filled with fragrant incense; 27 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 28 one male goat for a sin offering; 29 and for holy sacrifices, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon. 30 On the fourth day the leader of the sons of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur. 31 His offering, one silver bowl, 130 shekels its weight, one silver basin, weighing seventy shekels in the shekels of the sanctuary, both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 32 one incense dish weighing ten shekels; it was of gold, and filled with fragrant incense; 33 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 34 one male goat for a sin offering; 35 and for the holy sacrifice, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur. 36 On the fifth day the leader of the sons of Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 37 His offering, one silver bowl, 130 shekels was its weight, one silver basin, weighing seventy shekels in the shekels of the sanctuary, both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 38 one incense dish weighing ten shekels; it was of gold, filled with fragrant incense; 39 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 40 one male goat for a sin offering; 41 and for holy sacrifices two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 42 On the sixth day the leader of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel. 43 His offering, one silver bowl, its weight 130 shekels, one silver basin, weighing seventy shekels in shekels of the sanctuary, both filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 44 one incense dish weighing ten shekels of gold, full of fragrant incense; 45 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb for a burnt offering, 46 one male goat for a sin offering; 47 and for holy sacrifices, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel. 48 On the seventh day the leader of the sons of Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud. 49 His offering, one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels in shekels of the sanctuary, both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 50 one incense dish weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with fragrant incense; 51 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb, for a burnt offering; 52 one male goat for a sin offering; 53 and for holy sacrifices, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud. 54 On the eighth day the leader of the sons of Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 55 His offering, one silver bowl, weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin, weighing seventy shekels in shekels of the sanctuary, both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 56 one incense dish weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with fragrant incense; 57 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb, for a burnt offering; 58 one male goat for a sin offering; 59 and for holy sacrifices, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 60 On the ninth day the leader of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni. 61 His offering, one silver bowl, weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin, weighing seventy shekels in shekels of the sanctuary, both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 62 one incense dish weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with fragrant incense; 63 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb, for a burnt offering; 64 one male goat for a sin offering; 65 and for holy sacrifices, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni. 66 On the tenth day the leader of the sons of Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 67 His offering, one silver bowl, weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin, weighing seventy shekels in shekels of the sanctuary, both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 68 one incense dish weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with fragrant incense; 69 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb, for a burnt offering; 70 one male goat for a sin offering; 71 and for holy sacrifices, two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 72 On the eleventh day the leader of the sons of Asher, Pagiel son of Ochran. 73 His offering, one silver bowl, weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin, weighing seventy shekels in shekels of the sanctuary, both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 74 one incense dish weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with fragrant incense; 75 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb, for a burnt offering; 76 one male goat for a sin offering; 77 and for holy sacrifices two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ochran. 78 On the twelfth day, the leader of the sons of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan. 79 His offering, one silver bowl, weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin, weighing seventy shekels in shekels of the sanctuary, both of them filled with flour mixed with oil for a mincha; 80 one incense dish weighing ten shekels of gold, filled with fragrant incense; 81 one young bull, one ram, one year-old lamb, for a burnt offering; 82 one male goat for a sin offering; 83 and for holy sacrifices two oxen, five rams, five goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan. 84 This was the dedication of the altar, on the day that they anointed it. The leaders of Israel offered twelve silver bowls, twelve silver basins, twelve golden incense dishes; 85 130 shekels was the weight of one silver bowl, and seventy shekels that of one silver basin: all the silver vessels weighed 2,400 shekels in shekels of the sanctuary. 86 The golden incense dishes were twelve, full of fragrant incense, each weighing ten shekels; the weight of the incense dishes was, in shekels of the sanctuary, all the gold of the incense dishes 120 shekels. 87 All the bulls for the burnt offering were twelve bulls, rams twelve, year-old lambs twelve, and their minchas. And for the sin offering twelve male goats. 88 And all the oxen for holy sacrifices were twenty-four oxen, rams sixty, goats sixty, year-old lambs sixty. This was the Dedication of the Altar after they had anointed it.

The Voice above the Ark

89 And when Moses had gone into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the Voice of Him who spoke with him from above the Mercy Seat over the Ark of the Testimony, between the two Kerubaia; and He spoke to him.

Lighting the Lampstand

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Speak with Aaron, and say to him: When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall shine toward the front of the lampstand. 3 And Aaron did so: toward the front of the lampstand he made the lamps burn, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 And this workmanship of the lampstand was of beaten gold, from its shaft to its lilies, hammered gold according to the pattern which the Lord had shown to Moses, so he made the lampstand.

The Consecration and Service of the Levites

5 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 6 Bring near the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and purify them. 7 This is what you shall do to purify them. Sprinkle upon them the water of purification, and have them shave their whole bodies, and let them wash their clothes, and they shall be clean. 8 And let them take a young bull, and his mincha of flour, sprinkled with oil; and a second bull, you shall take a young bull, for the sin offering. 9 And bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting, and assemble all the congregation of the children of Israel. 10 And you shall bring the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites; 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites as a lifted offering before the Lord from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the Lord. 12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the head of the bulls, and make the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, before the Lord, to make an atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and present them as a lifted offering before the Lord. 14 And you shall thus separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, that the Levites may serve before Me. 15 And afterward the Levites shall enter to serve in the Tent of Meeting; for you will have purified them, and offered them up as a lifted offering. 16 For they are entirely set apart for Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them to be before Me instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among all the children of Israel. 17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are Mine, both people and animals: on the day I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart before Me. 18 And I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons, from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service for the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, so that death may not be among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary. 20 And Moses and Aaron, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel, did to the Levites according to all that the Lord commanded Moses for the Levites; so did the sons of Israel to them. 21 And the Levites were purified, and they cleansed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a lifted offering before the Lord; and Aaron made an atonement for them to purify them. 22 And afterwards the Levites went in to perform their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and before his sons; as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, they did so for them. 23 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 24 This is the rule for the Levites: from twenty-five years old and up he shall come with the groups for their service in the Tent of Meeting, 25 and from fifty years old he shall retire from the company of those serving, and work no longer; 26 but assist his brothers at the Tent of Meeting in keeping guard; but he shall not perform the work: this is how you shall deal with the Levites in their charge.

Passover in the Wilderness

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, in the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year of their departure from the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying: 2 Let the children of Israel perform the Pascha in its time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, they shall perform it in its time; they shall observe all its rites and regulations. 4 And Moses spoke with the sons of Israel to perform the Pascha. 5 And they performed the Pascha in Nisan, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, the children of Israel did so. 6 But there were men who were unclean through contact with a human corpse, and they could not make the Pascha on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron that day, 7 and the men said to him: We are unclean, through contact with a human corpse, and are, therefore, prevented from offering the offering of the Lord in its time among the sons of Israel. 8 And Moses said to them, Wait, until I hear what will be commanded from before the Lord about your case. 9 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 10 Speak with the sons of Israel, saying: If anyone is unclean through contact with a human corpse, or is on a distant journey away from you or your homes, he shall perform the Pascha before the Lord 11 in the second month, on the fourteenth day, at twilight, they shall perform it; with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it: 12 they shall not leave any of it until the morning, and a bone of it shall not be broken; they shall perform it according to all the rites of the Pascha. 13 But the man who is clean, and is not on a journey, and fails to perform the Pascha, that man shall be cut off from his people: because he has not offered the Lord's offering in its time, that man shall receive the punishment for his guilt. 14 And if a foreigner lives with you, and wishes to perform the Pascha before the Lord, according to the rites of the Pascha, and according to its regulations, he shall do so: you shall have one statute for the foreigner, and for the native of the land.

The Cloud Guides Israel

15 And on the day that the Tabernacle was erected the Cloud covered the Tabernacle of the Testimony; and at evening there was upon the Tabernacle the appearance of Fire, until the morning. 16 It was always so; the Cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of Fire covered it at night. 17 And whenever the Cloud was lifted above the Tabernacle, the sons of Israel then set out; and at the place where the Cloud rested, the sons of Israel camped there. 18 By the Memra of the Lord the sons of Israel journeyed, and by the Memra of the Lord they encamped; all the days that the Cloud rested, they remained. 19 However many days the Cloud remained over the Tabernacle, the sons of Israel kept the watch of the Memra of the Lord, and did not set out. 20 And if the Cloud was over the Tabernacle a number of days, according to the Memra of the Lord they remained, and by the Memra of the Lord they set out. 21 Or if the Cloud remained over the Tabernacle only from the evening until morning, and the Cloud was lifted in the morning, they set out; whether by day or by night the Cloud was lifted, they set out; 22 whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer period, the Cloud remained over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel remained, and did not set out; but at the lifting up of it they set out. 23 By the Memra of the Lord they camped, and by the Memra of the Lord they set out; they observed the watch of the Memra of the Lord, upon the Memra of the Lord through Moses.

The Silver Trumpets

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Make yourself two trumpets of silver, you shall make them of hammered silver, and they shall be for you to summon the assembly, and to signal the divisions to set out. 3 And they shall blow with them, and bring all the congregation together to you, at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 4 And if they blow only one, the chiefs, the heads of thousands of Israel, shall gather together to you. 5 When you blow with an alarm, the division camped on the east shall set out, 6 and when you blow with the second alarm, the divisions camped on the south shall set out; they shall sound an alarm when setting out. 7 But when the congregation is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but not with the alarm. 8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow with the trumpets; and this shall be to you a permanent statute for your generations. 9 And when you go into battle in your own land, with the oppressors who oppress you, you shall blow the alarm with the trumpets, so that you may be remembered for good before the Lord your God, and saved from your enemies. 10 And on the day of your rejoicing, and on your appointed festivals, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over your holy sacrifices; and they shall be for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God.

Israel Leaves Sinai

11 And it was in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the Cloud was lifted from above the Tabernacle of the Testimony, 12 and the children of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai; and the Cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 13 And they set out for the first time by the Memra of the Lord through Moses. 14 First the standard of the camp of the sons of Judah set out by their divisions; and over the division was Nahshon son of Amminadab. 15 And over the division of the tribe of the sons of Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar. 16 And over the division of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon. 17 And the tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon set out, and the sons of Merari, carrying the tabernacle. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their divisions, and over its division was Elizur son of Shedeur: 19 and over the division of the tribe of the sons of Simeon was Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the division of the sons of Gad was Eliasaph son of Deuel. 21 And the sons of Kohath set out, carrying the sanctuary, and the Gershonites and sons of Merari set up the tabernacle before they arrived. 22 And the standard of the camps of the sons of Ephraim set out by their divisions, and over his division was Elishama son of Ammihud. 23 And over the division of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh was Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the division of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni. 25 And the standard of the camps of the sons of Dan set out bringing up the rear of all the camps according to their divisions; and over his division was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the division of the tribe of the sons of Asher, Pagiel son of Ochran; 27 and over the division of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan. 28 These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, and according to their divisions they set out.

Moses Invites Hobab

29 And Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel, the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses, We are journeying to the place of which the Lord has said, I will give it to you: come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has spoken, to give good things to Israel. 30 But he said to him, I will not go with you; I will go to my own country and relatives. 31 And he said, Please do not leave us; for you know how we should encamp in the wilderness; and the great things that will be done for us you will see with your own eyes. 32 And if you go with us, we will share with you the good things the Lord gives us.

The Ark Leads the Journey

33 And from the mountain on which the glory of the Lord had been revealed they set out, journeying three days; and the ark of the Lord's covenant went before them, three days' journey, to find them a place to camp. 34 And the Cloud of Glory of the Lord covered them by day as they set out from their encampments. 35 And when the ark set out, Moses said: Reveal Yourself, Lord, that Your enemies may be scattered,⁠a and Your adversaries may flee before You. 36 And when it rested, he said: Return, Lord, and dwell in Your glory among the multitudes of the thousands of Israel.

Complaints and Fire

1 But the people were stirring up evil before the Lord; and it was heard before the Lord, and His anger burned, and a fire was kindled against them from before the Lord, and it consumed the outskirts of the camp. 2 And the people cried to Moses, and Moses prayed before the Lord, and the fire was extinguished. 3 And Moses called the name of that place Taberah; because the fire had been kindled against them from before the Lord.

The People Demand Meat

4 And the mixed multitude who were among them made urgent demands; and the children of Israel also turned, and wept, and said: Who will feed us with meat? 5 We remember the fish which we ate in Egypt for free, the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. 6 But now we long for food, yet there is nothing before our eyes but manna. 7 Now the manna was like the seed of coriander, and its appearance was like bdellium. 8 And the people went about and gathered; and some ground it in mills and others beat it in mortars, and they cooked it in a pot, and made cakes of it, and its taste was like the taste of a cake made with oil. 9 And when the dew came down upon the camp at night, the manna descended upon it. 10 And Moses heard the people weeping with their families, each man at the door of his tent. And the displeasure of the Lord grew very strong, and Moses was troubled by it. 11 And Moses said before the Lord, Why have You treated Your servant so badly, and why have I not found mercy before You, that You have put the burden of all this people upon me? 12 Am I father to all this people, or are they my children, that You have said to me, Carry them in your arms, as a nurse carries a nursing child, to the land which You have promised to their fathers? 13 Where can I get meat to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying: Give us meat to eat. 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15 And if You treat me this way, kill me, please, if I have found mercy before You, so that I may not see my misery.⁠a

The Seventy Elders

16 And the Lord said to Moses, Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be elders of the people, and their officers, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting, and let them stand there with you; 17 and I will reveal Myself, and will speak with you there; and I will extend the Spirit that is on you to them, so that they may share with you the burden of the people, and you will not have to carry it alone. 18 And say to the people, Prepare yourselves for the next day, and you shall eat meat; because you have lamented before the Lord, saying: Who will give us meat, to eat? for we were better off in Egypt; and I will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat it for one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days; 20 but for a whole month, until you loathe it, and it becomes repulsive to you; because you have rejected the Memra of the Lord, whose Shekinah dwells among you; and before whom you have wept, saying: Why did we come out of Egypt? 21 But Moses said, The people among whom I am are 600,000 men on foot; and You have said, I will give them meat to eat for a whole month. 22 Shall the oxen and sheep be slaughtered for them, to satisfy them, or all the fish of the sea be gathered so that they may be satisfied? 23 And the Lord said to Moses: Is the Memra of the Lord limited? Now you shall see whether My word comes true for you or not. 24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered together seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them around the tabernacle. 25 And the Lord was revealed in the Cloud, and spoke with him, and He extended the Spirit that was on him to the seventy elders; and when the Spirit of prophecy rested upon them they prophesied,⁠b and did not stop. 26 But two men remained in the camp, the name of the one Eldad, and the name of the second Medad; and the Spirit of prophecy rested upon them; and, though they were listed among the elders, they had not come out of the camp; but they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran, and reported to Moses, and said: Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp. 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, answered and said, Ribboni Moses, restrain them. 29 But Moses said, Are you jealous for my sake? I wish all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would place the Spirit of prophecy on them. 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

31 And the wind came from before the Lord, and the quails flew in from the sea, and it brought them over the camp for a day's journey here, and a day's journey there, around the camp, and at a height of two cubits above the ground. 32 And the people were up all that day, and all the night, and all the day after it, and collected the quails; he who collected least gathered ten heaps; and they spread them out around the camp. 33 While the meat was still was between their teeth, and they had not yet finished, the Lord's anger burned against the people, and the Lord inflicted death among the people with a severe plague. 34 And he called the name of that place, Kibroth-hattaavah; because there they buried the people who demanded. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth, and they were in Hazeroth.

Miriam and Aaron Challenge Moses

1 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of the beautiful woman he had married, because he had separated from the beautiful woman he had married.⁠a 2 And they said, Has the Lord spoken only with Moses? Has He not spoken with us also? And it was heard before the Lord. 3 But the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were upon the face of the earth. 4 And the Lord spoke suddenly with Moses, and to Aaron and to Miriam: Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting; and those three went out. 5 And the Lord was revealed in the pillar of the Cloud, and stood at the door of the tabernacle: and He called Aaron and Miriam, and the two of them came out. 6 And He said, Listen now to My words. If there are prophets with you, I the Lord will reveal Myself to them in visions, I will speak with them in dreams. 7 But My servant Moses is different; he is trusted among all My people. 8 I speak with him directly; in a vision, not in riddles; and he shall see the likeness of the glory of the Lord.⁠b Why, then, is it that you have not been afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses? 9 And the displeasure of the Lord was strong against them, and He went up. 10 And the Cloud went up from over the tabernacle. And, look, Miriam was white as snow; and Aaron looked at Miriam, and, look, she was afflicted with a leprous disease. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, My lord, please do not lay this sin upon us, because we have acted foolishly, and have transgressed. 12 Please do not let her be separated from among us, for she is our sister. Please pray about this dead flesh which is in her, that she may be healed. 13 And Moses prayed before the Lord, saying: God, please, heal her now. 14 But the Lord said to Moses, If her father had rebuked her, would she not have been ashamed seven days? Let her be confined seven days outside the camp, and afterward be admitted. 15 And Miriam was confined outside the camp seven days; and the people did not set out until Miriam was brought in. 16 And afterward the people journeyed from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

The Scouts Explore Canaan

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Send men, so that they may explore the land of Canaan, which I will give to the children of Israel: you shall send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a ruler among them. 3 And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the Memra of the Lord. All those men were heads of the children of Israel; 4 and these are their names: For the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; 5 for the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; 6 for the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; 7 for the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; 8 for the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun; 9 for the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu; 10 for the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; 11 for the tribe of Joseph, the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi son of Susi; 12 for the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli; 13 for the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; 14 for the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; 15 for the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi: 16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to explore the land. And Moses called Hoshea son of Nun Joshua. 17 And Moses sent them away to explore the land of Canaan. And he said to them, Go up from here through the south and climb into the mountains, 18 and see what the country is like, and the people who dwell upon it, whether they are strong or weak, few or many; 19 and what the land is in which they dwell, whether good or bad; and what the cities they inhabit are like, whether unwalled or fortified; 20 and whether the land is rich or poor; whether it has trees or not: and be courageous, and bring some of the fruits of the land. And it was the season of the first grapes. 21 And they went up, and explored the country, from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, at the entrance to Hamath. 22 And they went up by the south, and came to Hebron; and there were Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, sons of the giants; and Hebron was built seven years before Tanis of Egypt. 23 And they came to the Stream of Grapes, and cut down there a branch, with one cluster of grapes, and carried it on a staff between two; and they also took some of the pomegranates, and some figs. 24 That place was called the Stream of Grapes, on account of the grape cluster which the sons of Israel cut down from there. 25 And they returned from the exploration of the country at the end of forty days.

The Scouts Report to Israel

26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel at the wilderness of Paran, at Petra, and brought back their report to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they reported to him, and said: We came to the land where you sent us, and it certainly does produce milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it. 28 But the people who inhabit the land are very strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and we saw, also, the sons of the giants there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, and the Hittites and Jebusites and Amorites dwell in the mountain, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and upon the bank of the Jordan. 30 And Caleb quieted the people for Moses, and said: Let us go up at once and take possession of it, for we are able to do it: 31 but the men who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are. 32 And they gave a bad report about the land which they had explored to the children of Israel, saying: The country which we passed through to explore, is a land that kills its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are people of great height; 33 and there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which are of the giants; and we seemed like locusts to ourselves, and we seemed the same to them.

Israel Refuses to Enter the Land

1 And all the congregation raised their voices; and all the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 And why is the Lord bringing us to this land, to die by the sword, and our wives and our children be taken captive? Would it not be better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said, to one another, Let us appoint a leader, and go back into Egypt. 5 And Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before all the assembly of the sons of Israel. 6 And Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were of the explorers of the land, tore their clothes. 7 And they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying: The land, which we passed through and explored, is an exceptionally good land. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land, and give us the land which produces milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the Memra of the Lord, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they are delivered into our hand; their strength has gone from them, and the Memra of the Lord is our helper: do not fear them. 10 But all the congregation said that they would stone them with stones. And the Glory of the Lord was revealed at the Tent of Meeting, to all the children of Israel. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people provoke Me, and how long will they disbelieve in My Memra, for all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the plague and destroy them; and will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.

Moses Intercedes for the People

13 But Moses said before the Lord, And the Egyptians will hear of it, for You brought this people up by Your power from among them, 14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land; for they have heard that You, Lord, dwell through Your Shekinah among this people, whose eyes see the glorious Shekinah of the Lord, and that Your Cloud covers them, and that in the pillar of the Cloud You lead them by day, and in the pillar of Fire by night. 15 Now if You kill this people as one man, the nations who have heard the renown of Your power will speak, saying: 16 Because there was not enough strength before the Lord to bring this people into the land which He promised to them, He has killed them in the desert. 17 And now please, let power be magnified from before the Lord, as You have spoken, saying: 18 The Lord is slow to anger, and abundant in goodness and truth: forgiving wrongdoing and rebellion and sins, pardoning those who return to His law: but not acquitting those who will not turn back, but bringing the consequences of the fathers' sins on the rebellious children to the third and to the fourth generation. 19 Pardon, please, the sins of this people according to the greatness of Your goodness, and as You have forgiven this people from Egypt until now. 20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word. 21 Yet, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22 Because all these men who have seen My glory, and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert, but have tested Me these ten times, and have not been obedient to My Memra, 23 they shall never see the land which I promised to their fathers, nor shall any see it who have provoked before Me. 24 But My servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit and followed Me wholeheartedly in reverence, I will bring him into the land where he went, and his children shall possess it. 25 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites lived in the valley. Tomorrow, turn and go to the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.

The Judgment on the Wilderness Generation

26 And the Lord spoke with Moses and to Aaron, saying: 27 How long shall this evil congregation keep complaining against Me? The complaints of the sons of Israel which they make against Me are heard before Me. 28 Say to them, As I live, says the Lord, even as you have spoken before Me, I will do so to you. 29 Your bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and all who are counted of you, of all your numbers, from twenty years old and up who have complained against Me, 30 you shall never come into the land in which I swore by My Memra to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun. 31 But your children, who you said would be taken captive, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected. 32 But your bodies shall fall in this wilderness; 33 and your children shall go about in the wilderness forty years, and shall suffer for your unfaithfulness until your bodies lie in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you explored the land, forty days, a day for a year, a day for a year, you shall receive punishment for your sins, even forty years, and you shall know the consequences of your complaints against Me. 35 I, the Lord, have made the decree in My Memra, I will certainly do this to all this evil congregation who have gathered together against Me; they shall meet their end in this wilderness and die here. 36 And the men whom Moses sent to search the land, and who returned to make all the congregation complain against him, by bringing a bad report about the land; 37 those men who brought the bad report about the land died by the plague before the Lord. 38 But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh lived, of those men who went to explore the land. 39 And Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned deeply.

The Defeat at Hormah

40 And they arose in the morning to go up to the top of the mountain, saying: Look, we will go up to the place of which the Lord has spoken; for we have sinned. 41 But Moses said, Why do you transgress against the decree of the Memra of the Lord? But this will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, for the Shekinah of the Lord is not among you, or you will be defeated by your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword; for, because you have turned away from the service of the Lord, the Memra of the Lord will not be your helper. 44 Yet they persisted in wickedly going up to the summit of the mountain, though the ark of the Lord's covenant, and Moses, did not move from the middle of the camp. 45 And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in the mountain came down and struck them, and pursued them to Hormah.

Grain and Drink Offerings

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Speak with the children of Israel, and say to them: When you have come into the land which I will give you, 3 and you will make an offering before the Lord, a burnt offering, or a holy sacrifice for the fulfillment of a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your appointed festivals to offer acceptable service before the Lord, from the herd or from the flock; 4 let him who brings his offering before the Lord bring for a mincha a tenth of flour mixed with the fourth of a hina of oil. 5 And he shall provide a fourth of a hina of wine as a drink offering upon the burnt offering, or holy sacrifice, for one lamb: 6 or for a ram he shall make a mincha of two tenths of flour mixed with the third of a hina of oil; 7 and you shall bring a third of a hina of wine for the drink offering, to be received with acceptance before the Lord. 8 And when you offer a bull as a burnt offering, or a holy sacrifice for the fulfillment of a vow, or holy sacrifices before the Lord, 9 let him bring with the bull a mincha of three tenths of flour mixed with a half hina of oil; 10 and you shall bring half a hina of wine for the drink offering, an offering to be received with acceptance before the Lord. 11 This is what you shall do for one bull, or one ram, or one lamb from the lambs, or from the young goats. 12 You shall do this for each animal, according to the number you offer. 13 All native-born Israelites shall do these things to offer an offering to be received with favor before the Lord. 14 And if a foreigner who lives with you, or whoever among you in your generations wishes to make an offering to be received with favor before the Lord, he shall do as you do. 15 One congregation and one rite shall be for you and for the foreigners living among you; it is an everlasting statute; you and the foreigner shall be alike before the Lord: 16 one law and one judgment shall be for you and for the foreigners who dwell with you.

The First Portion of Dough

17 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 18 Speak with the sons of Israel, and say to them, When you have come into the land into which I will bring you, 19 and when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall set apart a separation before the Lord. 20 Of the first of your food you shall set apart a cake for a separation; you shall set it apart as you set apart the offering from the threshing floor; 21 of the first of your dough you shall give the separation before the Lord in your generations.

Unintentional Sin and Deliberate Defiance

22 And should you act unintentionally, and not do all these commandments of which the Lord has spoken with Moses, 23 even everything that the Lord commanded you through Moses from the day that the Lord commanded and from then on in your generations, 24 if something escapes the congregation's notice and you act unintentionally, then all the congregation shall make a burnt offering of one young bull, to be received with acceptance before the Lord, with his mincha and his drink offering, according to the proper manner, and one male goat for a sin offering: 25 and the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was unintentional wrongdoing; but they shall bring their offering before the Lord on account of their unintentional wrongdoing. 26 And it shall be forgiven to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and to the foreigners who live among them; for all the people acted unintentionally. 27 And if someone sins unintentionally, he shall bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering; 28 and the priest shall make atonement for the man who has sinned unintentionally before the Lord, to atone for him, and it shall be forgiven him. 29 For the native-born of the sons of Israel, and for the foreigner who lives among you, you shall have one law for anyone who acts unintentionally. 30 But the man who acts defiantly, whether of the native-born, or of the foreigners, he provokes the Lord to anger, and that man shall perish from among his people: 31 because he has despised the word of the Lord, and has treated His commandment as worthless, that man shall be utterly destroyed, his sin is upon him.

The Sabbath Breaker

32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man stealing wood on the day of the Sabbath; 33 and they who had found him stealing wood brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. 34 And they held him in custody; for it had not been explained to them what they should do to him. 35 And the Lord said to Moses, The man shall certainly be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp. 36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.

Fringes as a Reminder

37 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 38 Speak with the children of Israel, and tell them to make fringes on the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that on the fringes on the borders they put a blue cord. 39 And they shall be to you for fringes, so that you may look at it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them, and not wander after the imagination of your heart, or after the sight of your eyes, after which you have gone astray. 40 So that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy before your God. 41 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be Eloha to you: I am the Lord your God.

Korah's Rebellion

1 But Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth of the sons of Reuben, formed a faction. 2 And they rose up in the presence of Moses with other men of the sons of Israel, 250, chiefs of the congregation, appointed representatives and men of renown. 3 And they gathered together against Moses, and against Aaron, and said to them, You take too much on yourselves; for the whole of the congregation are all of them holy, and the Lord's Shekinah dwells among them: why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? 4 And Moses heard, and fell upon his face. 5 And he spoke with Korah, and with all the congregation, saying: In the morning the Lord will make known who belongs to Him, and who has been consecrated to approach to His presence; and whoever He shall appoint shall go near to His service. 6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all his congregation; 7 and put fire in them, and put sweet incense upon it before the Lord tomorrow: and the man whom the Lord will choose, he shall be holy. You have too much, sons of Levi. 8 And Moses said to Korah, Listen now, sons of Levi: 9 Is it a little thing with you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near before Him to perform the service of the Lord's tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to serve them? 10 But He has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you: and are you now seeking the High Priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against the Lord. And Aaron, what is he, that you complain against him? 12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said, We will not come up. 13 Is it a trifle that you have brought us from a land making milk and honey to kill us in the desert, so that you may lord it over us? 14 Nor have you brought us into the land that produces milk and honey, to give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards: will you blind the eyes of these men? We will not come up. 15 And Moses was greatly angered, and said before the Lord, Do not accept their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I injured one of them. 16 And Moses said to Korah, You and all your company shall be prepared before the Lord, you and they and Aaron tomorrow. 17 And each man shall take his censer, and put sweet incense upon them, each man to present his censer before the Lord. 18 And they took each his own censer, and set fire in it, and put sweet incense on it, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting, with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah assembled with him all the company at the door of the Tent of Meeting. And the glory of the Lord was revealed to all the congregation;

The Judgment on the Rebels

20 and the Lord spoke with Moses and to Aaron, saying: 21 Separate yourselves from among this company, and I will destroy them at once. 22 But they fell upon their faces, and said, God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, will You be angry with the whole congregation when one man sins? 23 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 24 Speak with the congregation, saying: Move away from among the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 25 And Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke with the congregation, saying: Move away now from the tents of these guilty men, and do not touch anything that is theirs, or you may be swept away because of all their sins. 27 And they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side; and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, and their sons, and their families. 28 And Moses said: By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, because I am not acting on my own will: 29 If these men die as all people die and meet the fate of all people, the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates something new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up, and all that is theirs, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have caused anger before the Lord. 31 And it was, when he had finished speaking all these words, that the ground under them split apart, 32 and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and the men of their houses; and all the men of Korah, and all their possessions, 33 they, and all who were theirs, went down alive into Sheol; and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation. 34 And all Israel who stood around them fled at their cries; for they said, The earth may swallow us. 35 And fire came out from before the Lord, and consumed the 250 men who had offered the sweet incense.

The Bronze Censers

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Speak to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, to take out the censers from among those who were burned, and throw away the fire, for they are consecrated. 3 The censers of those guilty men who sinned at the cost of their lives, let him hammer them into plates, to cover the altar; for they had offered them before the Lord, and they are consecrated; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel. 4 And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, with which those who were burned had offered, and hammered them out, for a covering for the altar, 5 to be a memorial to the sons of Israel, so that no unauthorized person who is not a descendant of Aaron shall approach to burn sweet incense before the Lord, and so that he does not become like Korah and his company, as the Lord had said to him through Moses.

Aaron Stops the Plague

6 But on the following day, all the congregation of the sons of Israel complained against Moses and against Aaron, saying: You have caused the death of the Lord's people. 7 And it was, while the congregation gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the Tent of Meeting; and, look, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord was revealed. 8 And Moses and Aaron went up before the Tent of Meeting; 9 and the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 10 Separate yourselves from the middle of this congregation, so that I may now destroy them. But they fell upon their faces. 11 And Moses said to Aaron: Take the censer, and put fire upon it from the altar, and lay on sweet incense, and go quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for anger has gone out from before the Lord, the plague has begun. 12 And Aaron took, as Moses had said, and ran into the middle of the congregation, and, look, the plague had begun among the people; and he put on sweet incense and made atonement for the people. 13 And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague ceased. 14 But those who died of the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the incident of Korah. 15 And Aaron returned to Moses, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague ceased.

Aaron's Staff Blossoms

16 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 17 Speak with the sons of Israel, and take from them one staff from each, according to their ancestral households, twelve staffs, and write the name of each man upon his staff. 18 And upon the staff of Levi you shall write the name of Aaron; for there shall be only one staff for each chief of their father's house. 19 And you shall place them in the Tent of Meeting before the testimony, where I will appoint My Memra to be with you. 20 And the staff of the man whom I will choose shall bud; and I will put an end to the complaints before Me of the sons of Israel, with which they have complained against you. 21 And Moses spoke with the sons of Israel; and all their chiefs gave to him, one staff from each chief, according to the ancestral households, twelve staffs. And Aaron's staff was among their staffs. 22 And Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tabernacle of the testimony. 23 And on the following day Moses went into the tabernacle of the testimony; and, look, the staff of Aaron of the house of Levi had sprouted, and produced branches, and had blossomed, and ripened almonds. 24 And Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the sons of Israel, and they recognized them and each took his own staff. 25 And the Lord said to Moses: Take back Aaron's staff before the testimony, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious people, so that their complaints before Me may come to an end, and they do not die. 26 And Moses did as the Lord commanded, he did so. 27 And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying: Look, some of us are killed with the sword; and, look, some are swallowed up by the earth; and, look, some perish with the plague. 28 Whoever approaches, whoever comes near the tabernacle of the Lord dies; look, we are consumed with death.

The Duties of Priests and Levites

1 And the Lord said to Aaron: You and your sons and your ancestral household with you, shall make reconciliation on account of transgressions against the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall make atonement for the sins of your priesthood. 2 Bring your brothers from the tribe of Levi, your ancestral tribe, with you also, and let them be joined with you to serve you; but you and your sons with you shall serve before the tabernacle of the testimony. 3 And they shall keep your charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle; but they shall not approach the equipment of the sanctuary or the altar, so that neither they nor you may die. 4 And they shall be joined with you, and keep charge of the Tent of Meeting for all the service of the tabernacle, and an unauthorized person shall not come near you. 5 And they shall keep charge of the sanctuary and of the altar, so that anger may no longer fall on the sons of Israel. 6 And, look, I have taken your brothers, the Levites, from among the sons of Israel; they are given as a gift to you before the Lord, to perform the service of the Tent of Meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you, take charge of your priesthood, for everything about the altar and within the veil you shall fulfill the service; I have given you the priestly service as a gift, and the unauthorized person who comes near shall die.

The Priests' Share of the Offerings

8 And the Lord said to Aaron: Look, I have given to you the charge of My separated things; of all that are consecrated by the sons of Israel I have given them to you, and to your sons, on account of the anointing, by an everlasting statute. 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things which remain from the fire, of all their offerings, and of all their minchas, and of all their sin offerings, and of all their trespass offerings which they present before Me; they are most sacred to you and to your sons. 10 In the sanctuary you may eat it, every male may eat it, it shall be consecrated to you. 11 And this is yours: the separated things of their minchas, of all the lifted offerings of the sons of Israel, I have given them to you, and to your sons, and to your daughters with you, by an everlasting statute: everyone who is clean in your house may eat of them 12 all the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and the wheat, the first fruits of them which they present before the Lord, I have given them to you. 13 The first fruits of all that is on their land which they present before the Lord shall be yours; everyone in your house who is clean may eat of them. 14 Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours. 15 Whatever opens the womb of all flesh which they offer before the Lord, whether human or animal, shall be yours; but you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of an unclean animal you shall redeem; 16 and his redemption shall be at the age of one month; you shall redeem with the price of five shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty meahs: 17 but the firstborn of an ox, or of a sheep, or of a goat, you may not redeem, they are consecrated; you shall sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and burn their fat, an offering to be accepted before the Lord. 18 But their flesh shall be yours, as the breast of the lifted offering, and the right shoulder, they shall be yours. 19 All the consecrated separations which the sons of Israel set apart before the Lord, I have given to you and to your children with you by an everlasting covenant; it is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord, with you, and your children with you. 20 And the Lord said to Aaron: You will have no possession in their land and no portion among them; the gifts that I have given you, they are your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

The Tithes of the Levites

21 And to the sons of Levi, look, I have given all the tithes in Israel for a possession, on account of the service with which they serve in the ministry of the Tent of Meeting. 22 But the children of Israel must no longer come near to the Tent of Meeting, to incur guilt and to die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the service of the Tent of Meeting, and shall receive the punishment for their guilt; a statute forever throughout your generations. And among the sons of Israel they shall not possess an inheritance; 24 for the tithes of the children of Israel which they set apart before the Lord for a separation, I have given to the Levites for a possession; therefore I have said to them, Among the sons of Israel you shall not possess an inheritance. 25 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 26 Speak also to the Levites, and say to them, When you take from the sons of Israel the tithes which I have given you of theirs, you shall set apart from them a separation before the Lord, a tenth of the tenth. 27 And your separation shall be counted to you as the grain from the threshing floor, and as the wine of the winepress; 28 so you shall set apart the separation before the Lord of all your tithes that you receive from the sons of Israel, and give from it a separation before the Lord to Aaron the priest. 29 Of all that is given to you, you shall set apart every separation for the Lord, of all the best of it, to be the holy portion of it. 30 And say to them, When you have set apart the finest of it, it shall be counted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor, and as the produce of the winepress; 31 and you may eat it anywhere, you and the members of your household; for it is a payment to you on account of your service in the Tent of Meeting. 32 And you shall not incur guilt by it when you set apart the finest of it, nor desecrate the consecrated things of the children of Israel.

The Red Heifer

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses and to Aaron, saying: 2 This is the decree of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring to you a red heifer, unblemished, with no spot in her, and upon which no yoke has been put. 3 And you shall give her to Eleazar the priest, so that he may bring her outside the camp, and someone shall slaughter her before him. 4 And Eleazar, the priest, shall take some of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times. 5 And someone shall burn the heifer before his eyes; he shall burn her skin, flesh, and blood with the contents of her stomach. 6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and throw it into the fire burning the heifer. 7 And the priest shall wash his clothes, and bathe his body in water, and afterwards come into the camp: but the priest shall be unclean until the evening. 8 And he who burns her shall wash his clothes with water, and bathe his body in water, and be unclean until evening. 9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place, and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of sprinkling; it is for purification from sin. 10 And he who gathers up the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening; and it shall be for the children of Israel, and for the foreigners who dwell among you, a statute forever.

Purification after Contact with the Dead

11 Whoever touches any human corpse shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall be sprinkled with it on the third day, and on the seventh day shall be clean; but if he is not sprinkled with it on the third day, on the seventh day he shall not be clean. 13 Whoever touches the dead body of a man who has died, and is not sprinkled with it, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord; and that man shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of sprinkling is not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean, for his uncleanness remains on him. 14 This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who enters the tent, and everyone who is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 15 And every open clay vessel which does not have a covering fastened upon it all around is unclean. 16 And whoever touches one who is killed with the sword in the open field, or a dead body, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 And for the unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, and put spring water upon it in a vessel. 18 And a man who is clean shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle upon the tent, and upon every vessel, and upon the persons who are there, and upon him who had touched the bone, or the one killed, or the dead body, or the grave. 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him. The person being cleansed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and at the evening he shall be clean. 20 But the man who is unclean, and has not been sprinkled with it, shall be cut off from the congregation, because he would defile the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of sprinkling was not sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. 21 And it shall be to them for an everlasting statute, that he who applies the water of sprinkling shall wash his clothes, and whoever touches the water of sprinkling shall be unclean until the evening; 22 and whatever may be touched by the unclean person shall be unclean, and the man who touches it shall be unclean until the evening.

The Death of Miriam

1 And the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Petra; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

Water from the Rock

2 And there was no water for the congregation; and they gathered against Moses and against Aaron; 3 and the people quarreled with Moses, and spoke, saying, If only we had died when our brothers died before the Lord! 4 And why have you brought the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, so that we and our cattle will die here? 5 And why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us into this terrible place? This is not a place for sowing; here are neither fig trees, nor vines, nor pomegranates, nor is there water to drink. 6 And Moses and Aaron went up from before the congregation to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and fell upon their faces; and the glory of the Lord was revealed to them. 7 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying, 8 Take the staff, and gather the congregation together, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the Rock, before their eyes, and it shall give its waters; and you shall bring out water for them from the rock, and give water to the congregation and their cattle. 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as He had commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation before the rock; and he said to them: Listen now, rebels! Are we to bring out water for you from this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with the staff twice; and water gushed out, and the congregation and their cattle drank. 12 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed in My Memra to show My holiness in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land that I have given them. 13 These are the Waters of Strife, because the sons of Israel quarreled before the Lord, and His holiness was shown through them.

Edom Refuses Passage

14 And Moses sent messengers from Petra to the king of Edom: Your brother Israel says this, You know all the trouble we have experienced; 15 that our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers. 16 And we prayed before the Lord, and He accepted our prayers, and sent an Angel, and brought us out from Egypt; and, look, we are in Petra, a city which is at the edge of your territory. 17 Let us now pass through your country: we will not go through a field or through a vineyard, nor will we drink up the water of the cistern: we will travel on the king's highway; we will not turn to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your border. 18 But Edom said to him, You shall not pass through my border, or I will come out against you with the deadly sword. 19 And the sons of Israel said to him, We would go up by the main road; and if we drink of your water, I and my cattle, we will give you the price of it; we will do nothing evil; I will pass through on foot. 20 But he said, You shall not pass through. And Edom came out to meet him with great force and with a strong hand. 21 So Edom refused to permit Israel to go through his border; and Israel turned away from him.

The Death of Aaron

22 And they set out from Petra, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to Mount Hor. 23 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron at Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24 Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My Memra at the waters of strife. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26 and strip Aaron of his robes, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and shall die there. 27 And Moses did as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor before the eyes of all the congregation. 28 And Moses took off his garments from Aaron, and put them upon Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there, on the summit of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 And all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead; and all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

Victory over the King of Arad

1 And when the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the south, heard that Israel was coming by the way of the explorers, he went into battle against Israel, and took some of them captive. 2 And Israel made a vow before the Lord, and said: If You will certainly deliver this people into my hand, then I will destroy their cities. 3 And the Lord accepted Israel's prayer, and gave up the Canaanites; and he destroyed them and their cities, and he called the name of the place Hormah.

The Bronze Serpent

4 And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people grew impatient on the way. 5 And the people complained against the Memra of the Lord, and contended with Moses, saying: Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? for there is neither bread nor water, and we are tired of manna, this light food. 6 And the Lord sent burning serpents among the people, and many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses, and said: We have sinned, for we have complained before the Lord, and have contended with you. Intercede before the Lord, so that He may remove the serpents from among us. And Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses: Make yourself a fiery serpent, and raise it on a pole; and everyone who has been bitten, and looks at it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it upon a pole; and when a serpent had bitten a man, if he looked up to the serpent of bronze, he lived.

The Journey and the Song of the Well

10 And the children of Israel journeyed and encamped in Oboth. 11 And they journeyed from Oboth, and encamped at the Ford of the Passengers, which is in the wilderness opposite Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 And they moved on from there, and encamped by the brook Zered. 13 From there they journeyed, and camped on the other side of Arnon, that is in the wilderness that extends from the territory of the Amorites; for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars, That which the Lord did by the Red Sea, and the great deeds He performed by the torrents of Arnon,⁠a 15 and at the flowing of the streams which lead toward Lehayat, and are joined at the border of Moab. 16 And from there they were given the well, which is the well that the Lord spoke to Moses about, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. 17 Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, well; sing all of you to it. 18 The well which the leaders dug, the chiefs of the people cut it, the scribes with their staffs; it was given to them in the wilderness. 19 And from the time that it was given to them it descended with them to the rivers, and from the rivers it went up with them to the height,⁠b 20 and from the height to the valley which is in the fields of Moab, at the head of Ramatha, which looks toward Beth-jeshimon.

Victory over Sihon

21 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying: 22 I would pass through your country: I will not turn aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink of the waters of the cistern; we will go by the king's highway until we have crossed your border. 23 But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his territory; and Sihon gathered all his people, and came out to confront Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz, and went into battle against Israel. 24 And Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from Arnon to Jabbok, to the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon was strong. 25 And Israel subdued all those cities, and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites; he had made war with the former king of Moab, and had taken all his territory from his hand to Arnon. 27 Therefore those who recite proverbs say: Come to Heshbon; let the city of Sihon be built and finished: 28 for an east wind strong as fire has gone out from Heshbon, and warriors like a flame have come from the city of Sihon: they have killed the people who inhabited Lehayat of Moab, the priests who ministered in the idol-temple in the height of Arnon. 29 Woe to you, Moabites, you are ruined, you people who have worshiped Kemosh; he has delivered up his besieged sons and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon, king of the Amorites. 30 And the kingdom has ceased from Heshbon, the dominion has passed away from Dibon, they have laid waste to the land as far as Nophah which adjoins Medeba. 31 And Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to explore Jazer; and they subdued the towns, and drove out the Amorites who were there.

Victory over Og

33 And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og, king of Bashan, came out to meet them, he and all his people, to give battle at Edrei. 34 But the Lord said to Moses, Do not fear him: for I have delivered him into your hand with all his people and his country; and you shall do to him as you have done to Sihon, the king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon. 35 And they struck him, and his sons, and all his people, until no survivors remained; and they took possession of his land.

Balak Summons Balaam

1 And the sons of Israel moved on, and encamped in the plains of Moab, some distance from the Jordan crossing near Jericho. 2 And Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And the Moabite was greatly afraid of the people, because they were many; indeed, the Moabites were distressed because of the sons of Israel. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now this multitude will consume everything around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak son of Zippor was the king of Moab at that time. 5 And he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor to Pethor in Aram which is on the Euphrates, the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: Look, a people has come out of Egypt; look, they cover the sunshine from the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 Come now, please, curse this people for me, for they are stronger than I am: perhaps I will be able to fight with him, and drive him from the land: for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. 7 And the elders of Moab and of Midian went, with the payment for divination in their hands, and came to Balaam, and told him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, Stay here for the night, and I will bring back word to you, according as the Lord speaks with me. And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 And a word from before the Lord came to Balaam, and said, Who are these men who are with you? 10 And Balaam said before the Lord, Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me. 11 Look, a people have come out of Egypt, and hide the glance of the sun from the earth. Now come, curse him for me, so that I may be able to fight him, and drive him away. 12 And the Lord said to Balaam, You shall not go with them: you shall not curse the people, for he is blessed. 13 And Balaam arose in the morning, and said to the leaders of Balak, Go back to your country; for it is not pleasing before the Lord to permit me to go with you. 14 And the leaders of Moab arose and came to Balak, and said, Balaam refuses to come with us. 15 But Balak sent leaders more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him: This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please let nothing keep you from coming to me; 17 for I will greatly honor you, and will do all that you tell me. Come, then, curse this people for me. 18 Balaam responded, and said to the servants of Balak: If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I have no power to transgress the decree of the Memra of the Lord my God, to do anything, small or great. 19 But now I beg you stay here this night, so that I may know what else the Lord will speak to me. 20 And word came from before the Lord to Balaam by night, and said to him: If the men come to call you, arise and go with them; but you shall do only what I tell you.

Balaam and the Donkey

21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and went with the leaders of Moab. 22 But the displeasure of the Lord was provoked because he went; and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him: and he was riding upon his donkey, and his two young men were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; and the donkey turned aside from the road, and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey to make her return into the road. 24 And the angel of the Lord again stood in the way of the vineyards in a place where there was a fence here and a fence there. 25 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and pressed against the wall, and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall; and he struck her again. 26 And the angel of the Lord went on again, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right or to the left. 27 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and fell down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger flared, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey; and she spoke to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times? 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have mocked me: if only there were a sword in my hand! I would kill you now. 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden ever since I became yours until today? Have I ever treated you like this before? And he said, No. 31 And the Lord unveiled Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed low with his face to the ground. 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Look, I have come out to oppose you, because it is seen before me that you are willing to go in a way contrary to me. 33 But the donkey saw me, and turned from before me these three times: unless she had turned from before me, I would have killed you by now and spared her. 34 And Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, I did not know that you were standing before me in the way. And now, if it displeases you, I will return. 35 But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, Go with the men; you shall say only what I tell you. And Balaam went with the leaders of Balak.

Balak Meets Balaam

36 And Balak heard that Balaam was coming, and went out to meet him, at a city of Moab which is upon the border of Arnon, on the side of the frontier. 37 And Balak said to Balaam, Did I not send an urgent invitation for you? Why did you not come to me? Have you really said that I cannot honor you? 38 And Balaam said to Balak, Look, I have come to you: but even now, have I really any power to speak anything? The word which the Lord puts into my mouth I will speak. 39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to a city of his territory. 40 And Balak slaughtered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam and to the leaders who were with him. 41 And when it was morning, Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to the high places of his idol;⁠a and he saw from there the outskirts of the people.

Balaam's First Oracle

1 And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bulls and seven rams. 2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram upon every altar. 3 And Balaam said to Balak, Remain by your burnt offering; and I will go, if perhaps the Memra may meet me from before the Lord; and the word that He shows me I will disclose to you. And he went alone. 4 And the Memra from before the Lord met Balaam; and he said to Him, I have set the seven altars in order, and have offered a bull and a ram upon every altar. 5 And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said to him: Return to Balak, and this is what you shall say. 6 And he returned to him, and, look, he was standing by his burnt sacrifice, he and all the nobles of Moab. 7 And he took up his oracle, and said: Balak, king of Moab, has brought me from Aram, From the mountains of the east: Come, curse Jacob for me, Come, hunt down Israel for me. 8 How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? How shall I persecute whom God has not persecuted? 9 For from the top of the mountain I see him, And look at him from the heights; Look, the people by themselves are to possess the world, And among the nations they shall not be condemned to destruction. 10 Who can count the dust of the house of Jacob, Of whom it is said, They shall increase as the dust of the earth, Or of one of the four camps of Israel? Let me die the death of his truthful ones, And let my end be like theirs! 11 And Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, and, look, you have done nothing but bless them. 12 But he said, That which the Lord has put in my mouth must I not be careful to speak?

Balaam's Second Oracle

13 And Balak said to him, Come now with me to another place, from where you may see them, where you can see only the outskirts of the people, but not all of them, and curse him for me from there. 14 And he brought him to the field of the watch-tower on the top of the hill; and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar. 15 And he said to Balak, Stand here by your burnt offering, and I will go over there. 16 And the Memra from before the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus speak. 17 And he came to him, and he was standing by his burnt offering, and the nobles of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord spoken? 18 And he took up his oracle, and said: Rise, Balak, and listen, Listen to my words, Son of Zippor: 19 The word of Eloha is not as the words of men; The sons of men speak, but lie; Nor is it as the deeds of mortal beings, Who resolve to act but reconsider and change their plans. What He has said He will perform, And His every word is reliable.⁠a 20 Look, I have received blessings to bless Israel, And I may not turn my blessing from him. 21 I have seen no idol worshipers in the house of Jacob,⁠b Nor those who practice falsehood in Israel. The Memra of the Lord their God is their helper, And the Shekinah of their King is among them. 22 God, who brought them out from Egypt, Becomes his strength and exaltation. 23 For no divination can prosper against the house of Jacob, Nor sorcery against the myriads of Israel. At the proper time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has Eloah done! 24 Look, the people shall dwell as a lioness, And as a lion he shall rise; Until he has killed his prey, He will not rest in his land, And inherit the treasures of the nations. 25 And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them nor bless them. 26 But Balaam answered and said to Balak, Did I not tell you, saying, All that the Lord speaks, that I must do? 27 And Balak said to Balaam, Come now, I will take you to another place; perhaps it may be pleasing before the Lord, so that you may curse them for me from there. 28 And Balak led Balaam to the top of the high place that looks toward Beth-jeshimon. 29 And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bulls and seven rams. 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar.

Balaam's Third Oracle

1 And Balaam saw that it was appointed before the Lord to bless Israel; and he did not go to seek omens as he had before, but set his face toward the calf that the sons of Israel had made in the wilderness.⁠a 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and saw Israel dwelling by his tribes; and the Spirit of prophecy rested upon him from before the Lord.⁠b 3 And he took up his oracle, and said: Balaam, the son of Beor, says, The man who sees clearly says, 4 The one who heard the Memra from before God and saw the vision of the Almighty, lying prostrate when it was revealed to him, declares: 5 How beautiful is your land, Jacob, And your dwelling place, Israel! 6 As rivers flowing onward; as the watered garden by Euphrates, As aromatics planted by the Lord; as cedars planted by the waters. 7 The king anointed from his sons shall increase, And rule over many nations;⁠c His king shall be mightier than Agag, and his kingdom be raised high. 8 God, who brought them from Egypt, is mighty and high, and through Him Israel shall use the wealth of the nations their enemies, Enjoy the captured goods of their kings, and inherit their lands. 9 He rested in his strength, as the lion and the lioness, And no kingdom may disturb him. They who bless you shall be blessed, And they who curse you be cursed.

Balak's Anger

10 And the anger of Balak was roused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and, look, you have done nothing but bless them these three times! 11 And now go to your place. I said, I would honor you greatly; but, look, the Lord has kept you from honor. 12 But Balaam said to Balak, Did I not also tell the messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I have no power to transgress the decree of the Memra of the Lord, to do good or evil of my own will; whatever the Lord shall say, I will speak? 14 And now, look, I go to my people. Come, I will advise you what to do; and will show you what this people will do to your people at the end of the days.

Balaam's Final Oracles

15 And he took up his oracle, and said: Balaam, the son of Beor, speaks, The man who sees clearly speaks, 16 He speaks as one who heard the Memra from before God, And who has knowledge from the Most High, Who saw the vision of the Almighty, lying prostrate when it was revealed to him. 17 I see him, but not now; I see him, but not near. When a king arises from Jacob,⁠d And the Meshiha is anointed from Israel, He will kill the leaders of Moab, and reign over all humankind; 18 And Edom shall be an inheritance, And Seir a possession of his adversaries; But Israel shall grow wealthy. 19 One will descend from the house of Jacob, Who will destroy him that escapes from the city of the peoples. 20 And he looked on the Amalekites, and took up his oracle, and said: Amalek was the beginning of the wars of Israel, But in his end he shall perish forever. 21 And he saw the Shalmaah, and took up his oracle, and said: Your dwelling place is strong, And in a strong fortress you have made your home; 22 But yet Shalmaah shall be destroyed, For Assyria will make you captive. 23 And he took up his oracle, and said: Woe to the wicked who may live when God does this! 24 And ships will come from the Kittim, And afflict Assyria, and subdue beyond the Euphrates; But they also shall perish forever. 25 And Balaam arose, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went on his way.

Israel Worships Baal Peor

1 But Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to have illicit sexual relations with the daughters of Moab; 2 and they invited the people to the sacrifices of their idols, and the people ate and bowed down to their idols. 3 And Israel was joined to Baal-peor, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses: Take all the chiefs of the people, and judge, and put to death anyone who deserves death before the Lord,⁠a in broad daylight, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel: Each of you shall put to death the men under his authority who have joined themselves to Baal-peor.

Phinehas and the Covenant of Priesthood

6 And, look, a man of the sons of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman, in the eyes of Moses, and in the eyes of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 7 And Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest saw, and arose from the middle of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand; 8 and he went in after the man, the son of Israel, into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man, the son of Israel, and the woman, through her belly; and the plague among the children of Israel was stopped. 9 But those who had died by the plague were 24,000. 10 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 11 Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned away My anger from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them; and I have not destroyed the children of Israel in My jealousy. 12 Therefore say to him: Look, I grant him My covenant of peace; 13 and he and his descendants after him shall have it; a covenant of priesthood forever, because he has been zealous before his God, and has made atonement for the children of Israel. 14 And the name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a chief of the ancestral household of the house of Simeon; 15 and the name of the woman, the Midianite woman, was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, who was chief of the people of his father's house in Midian.

Judgment on Midian

16 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 17 Punish the Midianites and kill them, 18 for they afflict you with their snares, with which they ensnare you; as in the incident at Peor and the incident with Cozbi, daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague in the incident at Peor.

The Second Census of Israel

1 And after the plague the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, saying: 2 Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, from twenty years old and up by the ancestral households, everyone fit for military service in Israel. 3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them, and gave instructions to count them in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying: 4 From twenty years old and up, as the Lord commanded Moses, and the sons of Israel who came out from the land of Egypt. 5 Reuben, the first-born of Israel: the sons of Reuben, Hanoch, the family of Hanoch; Pallu, and the family of Pallu; 6 of Hezron, the family of Hezron; of Carmi, the family of Carmi. 7 These are the families of Reuben, and those counted of them were 43,730. 8 And of the sons of Pallu, Eliab; 9 and the sons of Eliab, Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram: these are Dathan and Abiram appointed representatives of the congregation, who gathered against Moses and Aaron in the congregation of Korah, when they gathered against the Lord, 10 when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, and the congregation died, being devoured by the fire, 250 men; and they became a sign; 11 but the sons of Korah did not die. 12 The sons of Simeon by their families: of Nemuel, the family of Nemuel; of Jamin, the family of Jamin; of Jachin, the family of Jachin; 13 of Zerah, the family of Zerah; of Shaul, the family of Shaul. 14 These are the families of Simeon, 22,200. 15 The sons of Gad by their clans; of Zephon, the family of Zephon; of Haggi, the family of Haggi; of Shuni, the family of Shuni; 16 of Ozni, the family of Ozni; of Eri, the family of Eri; 17 of Arod, the family of Arod; of Areli, the family of Areli. 18 These are the families of the sons of Gad, the number of whom was 40,500. 19 Of the sons of Judah, Er and Onan: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan; 20 of the sons of Judah by their clans: of Shelah, the family of Shelah; of Perez, the family of Perez; of Zerah, the family of Zerah. 21 Of the sons of Perez: of Hezron, the family of Hezron; of Hamul, the family of Hamul. 22 These are the families of Judah; the number of them 76,500. 23 The sons of Issachar by their families: Tola, the family of Tola; of Puah, the family of Puah; 24 of Jashub, the family of Jashub; of Shimron, the family of Shimron. 25 These are the families of Issachar; their number 64,300. 26 The sons of Zebulun by their families: of Sered, the family of Sered; of Elon, the family of Elon; of Jahleel, the family of Jahleel. 27 These are the families of Zebulun, by their number 60,500. 28 The sons of Joseph by their families, Manasseh and Ephraim, 29 the sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of Machir; and Machir fathered Gilead; of Gilead, the family of Gilead. 30 These are the children of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of Iezer; of Helek, the family of Helek; 31 and of Asriel, the family of Asriel; and of Shechem, the family of Shechem; 32 and of Shemida, the family of Shemida; and of Hepher, the family of Hepher. 33 And Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These are the families of Manasseh, and their number 52,700. 35 These are the sons of Ephraim by their families: of Shuthelah, the family of Shuthelah; of Becher, the family of Becher; of Tahan, the family of Tahan. 36 And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of Eran. 37 These are the families of the sons of Ephraim, the number of whom was 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph by their families. 38 The sons of Benjamin by their families: of Bela, the family of Bela; of Ashbel, the family of Ashbel; of Ahiram, the family of Ahiram; 39 of Shephupham, the family of Shephupham; of Hupham, the family of Hupham. 40 And the sons of Bela, Ard and Naaman; the family of Ard; and of Naaman, the family of Naaman. 41 These are the sons of Benjamin by their clans, and their number 45,600. 42 These are the children of Dan, by their clans: of Shuham, the families of Shuham. These are the families of Dan by their clans. 43 And the number of the families of Shuham was 64,400. 44 The sons of Asher, by their clans: of Imnah, the families of Imnah; of Ishvi, the families of Ishvi; of Beriah, the family of Beriah. 45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of Heber; of Malkiel, the family of Malkiel. 46 But the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47 These are the families of the sons of Asher, by their number 53,400. 48 The sons of Naphtali, by their clans: of Jahzeel, the families of Jahzeel; of Guni, the families of Guni; 49 of Jezer, the family of Jezer; of Shillem, the family of Shillem. 50 These are the families of Naphtali by their families, and their number 45,400. 51 These were those counted of the sons of Israel, 601,730.

The Division of the Land

52 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 53 You shall divide among these the land for a possession, according to the number of their names. 54 You shall give a larger possession to the larger group and a smaller possession to the smaller group; you shall give each its inheritance according to its number. 55 Nevertheless the land shall be divided by lot, according to the names of the ancestral tribes they shall inherit. 56 Their inheritance shall be divided by lot among the many and the few.

The Census of the Levites

57 And these are the sons of Levi, by their clans: of Gershon, the families of Gershon; of Kohath, the family of Kohath; of Merari, the families of Merari. 58 These are the families of Levi: the family of Libni, the family of Hebron, the family of Mahli, the family of Mushi, the family of Korah. And Kohath fathered Amram. 59 And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi, in Egypt; and she bore to Amram Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam their sister. 60 And Aaron's children were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord. 62 And those counted among them were 23,000 of all the males from a month old and up: for they were not counted among the children of Israel, because no possession was given to them among the children of Israel. 63 These are those whom Moses and Eleazar the priest counted of the sons of Israel, in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, opposite Jericho. 64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest counted when they counted the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said to them that they would certainly die in the wilderness; and not a man of them remained, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

The Inheritance of Zelophehad's Daughters

1 And the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh, son of Joseph, and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah, 2 came and stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders, and all the congregation, at the door of the Tent of Meeting, saying: 3 Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not among the company which gathered against the Lord in the congregation of Korah, but died through his own sin; and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his clan, because he had no son? Give us an inheritance among the brothers of our father. 5 And Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 7 The daughters of Zelophehad have spoken properly. Give to them the possession of an inheritance among the brothers of their father, and transfer to them their father's inheritance. 8 And speak with the children of Israel, saying: If a man dies, having no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter; 9 and if he has no daughter, you shall give his inheritance to his brothers; 10 but if he has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to the brothers of his father; 11 and if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his clan, and he shall inherit it. And this shall be to the children of Israel for a decree of judgment, as the Lord has commanded Moses.

Joshua Is Appointed to Succeed Moses

12 And the Lord said to Moses, Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel; 13 and you shall see it, and be gathered to your people, you too, as Aaron your brother was gathered. 14 As you rebelled against My Memra in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, when you were to show My holiness at the waters before their eyes: these are the waters of strife, at Petra, in the desert of Zin. 15 And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying: 16 Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17 who may go out and go in before them, and may lead them out and bring them in; so that this congregation may not be like a flock without a shepherd. 18 And the Lord said to Moses, Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of prophecy, and lay your hand upon him. 19 And make him stand before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. 20 And you shall confer some of your authority upon him, so that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey him. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, so that he may seek guidance for him by the judgment of Uraia before the Lord: at his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation. 22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and took Joshua, and made him stand before Eleazar the priest, and all the congregation; 23 and he laid his hands upon him, and commissioned him, as the Lord spoke by Moses.

Daily, Sabbath, and Monthly Offerings

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Instruct the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall take care to offer My offering, the food assigned to My offerings to be received with acceptance, at its appointed time. 3 And you shall say to them: This is the offering which you shall offer before the Lord; two year-old lambs unblemished daily, for a regular burnt offering. 4 The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second lamb at twilight. 5 And with one tenth of three seahs of flour for the mincha mixed with the fourth of a hin of beaten oil. 6 It is a regular burnt offering, which was made on Mount Sinai, to be received with acceptance as an offering before the Lord. 7 And its drink offering shall be the fourth of a hin for each lamb; the drink offering of old wine shall be poured out in the sanctuary before the Lord. 8 And the second lamb you shall offer at twilight, as the morning offering; and you shall make its drink offering in the same way, an offering to be received with acceptance before the Lord. 9 But on the Sabbath day two year-old lambs unblemished, and two tenths of flour for the mincha mixed with oil, and its drink offering. 10 It is the Sabbath burnt offering which shall be performed on the Sabbath, together with the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 11 And at the beginning of each month you shall offer a burnt offering before the Lord; two young bulls, and one ram, seven unblemished year-old lambs. 12 And three tenths of flour mixed with oil for each bull, and two tenths of flour for a mincha mixed with oil for the one ram, 13 and a tenth of flour for a mincha mixed with oil for each lamb: it is a burnt offering to be received with acceptance as an offering before the Lord. 14 And their drink offerings shall be half a hina of wine for the bull, and the third of a hina for the ram, and a quarter of a hina for a lamb: this is the burnt offering for the beginning of the month, at its renewal; so shall it be for all the beginnings of the months of the year. 15 And one male goat for a sin offering before the Lord, besides the regular burnt offering, you shall offer with its drink offering.

Passover and Firstfruits Offerings

16 And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is the Pascha before the Lord. 17 And on the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 18 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work; 19 but offer the offering of a burnt offering before the Lord; two young bulls and one ram, you shall have seven unblemished year-old lambs; 20 and their mincha of flour mixed with oil, you shall provide three tenths for the bull and two tenths for the ram: 21 you shall provide a tenth for one lamb, so for the seven lambs. 22 And one goat for a sin offering to make atonement for you; 23 besides the burnt sacrifice of the morning which is the regular burnt sacrifice, you shall make these. 24 You shall offer these in the same way each day for seven days; it is the bread of the offering to be received with acceptance before the Lord; it shall be made with the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 And on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation, when you shall do no ordinary work. 26 But on the day of the First Fruits, when you bring the new mincha before the Lord at your Festival of Weeks, there shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no ordinary work, 27 but offer a burnt offering to be received with favor before the Lord; two young bulls, one ram, seven year-old lambs; 28 and their mincha of flour mixed with oil, three tenths for one bull, two tenths for the ram, 29 a tenth for each lamb of the seven lambs; 30 one male goat to make an atonement for you; 31 besides the regular burnt sacrifice and its mincha you shall offer them without blemish, and their drink offerings.

The Offerings of the Seventh Month

1 And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation, and do no ordinary work; it shall be a day of the sounding of the trumpet to you. 2 And you shall make a burnt sacrifice to be received with favor before the Lord: one young bull, one ram, seven unblemished year-old lambs, 3 and their mincha of flour mixed with oil, three tenths for the bull, two tenths for the ram, 4 and one tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5 and one male goat for a sin offering to make an atonement for you; 6 besides the offering of the month, and its mincha, and the regular sacrifice and its mincha, and their drink offerings, as prescribed for them, to be received with favor, an offering before the Lord. 7 And on the tenth of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and humble yourselves; you shall do no work, 8 but offer a burnt offering before the Lord to be received with favor: one young bull, one ram, and seven unblemished year-old lambs; 9 and their mincha of flour mixed with oil; three tenths for the bull, two tenths for the ram, 10 and a single tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11 one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of the atonement, and the regular sacrifice, its mincha and their drink offerings.

The Festival of Booths

12 And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no ordinary work, but celebrate a festival before the Lord seven days; 13 and offer a burnt sacrifice, an offering to be received with favor before the Lord; thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen year-old lambs, all without blemish; 14 and their mincha of flour mixed with oil, three tenths to one bull for the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each ram, 15 and one tenth for each of the fourteen lambs, 16 and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular sacrifice, its mincha and drink offering. 17 And on the second day you shall offer twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen unblemished year-old lambs, 18 and the minchas and drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and the lambs, as is proper for their number; 19 and one male goat, a sin offering, besides the regular sacrifice, its mincha and drink offering. 20 And on the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen unblemished year-old lambs; 21 and their minchas and drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the lambs, as is prescribed for their number; 22 and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular sacrifice, its mincha and drink offering. 23 On the fourth day ten bulls, two rams, fourteen unblemished year-old lambs; 24 their minchas and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs by their number, as it is proper; 25 and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular sacrifice, its mincha and drink offering. 26 And on the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen unblemished year-old lambs; 27 the minchas and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs according to their number, as it is proper; 28 and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular sacrifice and its drink offering. 29 And on the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, fourteen unblemished year-old lambs; 30 the minchas and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs by their number, as is proper; 31 and one male goat for the sin offering, besides the regular sacrifice, its mincha and drink offering. 32 And on the seventh day seven bulls, two rams, fourteen unblemished year-old lambs; 33 the minchas and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs by their number, as is proper; 34 and one male goat for the sin offering, besides the regular sacrifice, its mincha and drink offering. 35 On the eighth day you shall have an assembly; you shall do no ordinary work, 36 but offer a sacrifice, an offering to be received with favor before the Lord; one bull, one ram, seven unblemished year-old lambs; 37 the minchas and drink offerings for the bull, the ram, and the lambs, as proper, according to their number; 38 and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular sacrifice, its mincha and drink offering. 39 You shall offer these before the Lord in your appointed festivals, besides your vows and your freewill offerings with your burnt sacrifices, their minchas and their drink offerings, and with your holy sacrifices.

Vows and Obligations

1 And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel according to all that the Lord commanded Moses. 2 And Moses spoke with the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying: This is the word which the Lord has commanded: 3 When a man makes a vow before the Lord, or swear an oath to place himself under an obligation, he shall not break his word; he shall do everything he has said. 4 And if a woman makes a vow before the Lord, and places herself under an obligation in her father's house, while she is young, 5 and her father hears her vow, and the obligation she has placed on herself, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every obligation she has placed on herself shall be confirmed. 6 But if her father annuls them on the day that he hears, all the vows and the obligations she has placed on herself shall not stand, and she shall be forgiven before the Lord, because her father undid them. 7 And if she has a husband, and is under a vow, or if she makes a spoken pledge that binds her, 8 and her husband heard and said nothing to her on the day that he heard, her vows shall stand, and the obligation she has placed on herself shall be confirmed: 9 but if her husband on the day that he hears annuls them, the vows which are on her and the utterance of her lips which bound her shall be void, and she shall be forgiven before the Lord. 10 But every vow of the widow, or of one divorced, by which she has bound herself, shall be binding on her. 11 And if she made a vow while in her husband's house, or placed herself under any obligation with an oath, 12 and her husband heard and said nothing to her, and did not annul them, all her vows shall be confirmed, every obligation she has placed on herself shall be confirmed. 13 But if her husband annuls them on the day that he heard, what she pledged in her vow and the obligation she placed on herself shall not be confirmed; her husband has made them void, and she shall be absolved before the Lord. 14 Every vow and every oath to humble herself, her husband may confirm it, or her husband may make it void. 15 But if her husband was completely silent toward her from day to day, then he has confirmed all her vows, or whatever obligations she takes on, he confirms them, because he was silent to her on the day that he heard. 16 But if he annuls them after the day he heard, then he shall receive the punishment for her sin. 17 These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter, in her youth in her father's house.

The War against Midian

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel; afterward you shall be gathered to your people. 3 And Moses spoke with the people, saying: Arm men from among you for the army against Midian, to carry out the vengeance of the Lord's people on Midian: 4 you shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the army. 5 And from the thousands of Israel there were chosen a thousand from each tribe, 12,000 armed for the army. 6 And Moses sent them 1,000 from each tribe for battle, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, with the army, and the holy vessels, and the Jubela trumpets in his hand. 7 And the army gathered against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses; and they slaughtered every male. 8 Among those killed were the kings of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9 And the sons of Israel took the women of Midian captive, with their children and all their cattle, and they plundered all their flocks and goods. 10 And they burned all their inhabited cities and their houses of worship. 11 And they took all the captured goods, and all the people and cattle taken captive, 12 and brought the captives, and the captured livestock, and the captured goods, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp in the fields of Moab, by the Jordan, opposite Jericho. 13 And Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them, outside the camp. 14 But Moses was angry with those who had been appointed over the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the battle. 15 And Moses said to them, Have you spared every woman? 16 Look, these were the ones who caused the sons of Israel, through the advice of Balaam, to do wickedly before the Lord in the incident at Peor, and the plague came upon the congregation of the Lord. 17 But now, kill every male among the children, and every woman who has had sexual relations with a man you shall kill. 18 But all the females who have not had sexual relations with a man you may keep alive for yourselves.

Purification after the Battle

19 And you, remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has taken a life or touched the dead, sprinkle yourselves on the third day, and on the seventh day yourselves and your captives. 20 And every garment, and whatever is made of skin, and every article made of goat's hair, and every wooden object you shall sprinkle. 21 And Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who came from the battle, This is the decree of the law which the Lord has commanded Moses: 22 Only the gold, and the silver, the bronze, iron, tin, and lead, 23 everything that can withstand fire, you shall pass through fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be sprinkled with the water of sprinkling; and whatever cannot withstand fire you shall pass through water. 24 And cleanse your garments on the seventh day; purify yourselves, and afterwards come into the camp.

The Division of the Captured Goods

25 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 26 Take a count of the captives, both people and animals; you, Eleazar the priest, and the ancestral chiefs of the congregation. 27 And divide the captured goods among the men who fought the battle, who went out in the army, and among all the congregation: 28 and separate a portion before the Lord from the share of the men who fought the battle, who went out in the army, one living thing in 500, both people and animals, oxen, donkeys, and sheep. 29 Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for a separation before the Lord. 30 And of the half belonging to the children of Israel, take one out of every fifty, whether people, oxen, sheep, or any cattle, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the Lord. 31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses; 32 and the captured goods, the rest of what the people who went out to war had taken, included sheep numbering 675,000, 33 oxen 72,000, 34 donkeys 61,000, 35 persons, women who had not had sexual relations with a man, in all 32,000. 36 And the half portion of the men who had gone out to the war, consisted of sheep numbering 337,500; 37 and that which was brought up before the Lord, of the sheep 675; 38 and of the 36,000 oxen, the portion brought before the Lord seventy-two. 39 And the donkeys, 30,500, of which the portion brought before the Lord sixty-one. 40 And the persons 16,000, those of them brought before the Lord thirty-two persons. 41 And Moses gave the separation brought up before the Lord to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 42 And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from that of the men who had gone out in the army, 43 and the half share for the congregation consisted of sheep numbering 337,500, 44 oxen 36,000, 45 and donkeys 30,500, 46 and persons 16,000: 47 and Moses took from the children of Israel's half one out of every fifty, both people and animals, and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the Lord's tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Officers' Offering

48 And those who had been appointed over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came to Moses, 49 and said to Moses, Your servants have taken a count of the men who went out to the war with us, and not one of our men is missing. 50 And we bring an offering before the Lord of what each man has found, gold objects, chains, bracelets, rings, amulets, and brooches, to make atonement for our lives before the Lord. 51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, every crafted object. 52 And all the gold of the separation which the captains of thousands and of hundreds separated before the Lord was 16,750 shekels; 53 for the men of the army had taken captured goods, each man for himself. 54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting, a memorial of the sons of Israel before the Lord.

Reuben and Gad Request Land East of the Jordan

1 Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad possessed a very large number of cattle; and they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and, look, the region was suitable for cattle pens. 2 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest, and to the heads of the congregation, saying: 3 Maklelta and Malbasta and the Priests of Beth-nimrin, and Beth-heshbon, and Baale Debaba, and Seath, and Beon, 4 the land which the Lord struck before the congregation of Israel, is a country suited to cattle pens, and your servants have cattle. 5 And they said, If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants for a possession, and let us not go over the Jordan. 6 But Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, Shall your brothers go into battle, and you stay here? 7 And why do you discourage the hearts of the sons of Israel from going over to the land which the Lord has given to them? 8 Your fathers did the same when I sent them from Petra-Geah to survey the land. 9 They went up to the stream of Eshcol, and saw the land, and discouraged the hearts of the sons of Israel, so that they would not enter the land that the Lord had given to them; 10 and the Lord's anger was kindled that day, and He swore, saying: 11 The men who have come out of Egypt, from twenty years old and up, shall never see the land which I promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; for they have not followed Me wholeheartedly in reverence. 12 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they have followed wholeheartedly in reverence for the Lord. 13 And the Lord's anger was strong against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that did wickedly before the Lord had been destroyed. 14 And, look, you have taken the place of your fathers, the followers of sinful men, to add still more to the fierce displeasure of the Lord against Israel. 15 For if you turn away from His service, He will yet make you remain in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.

The Promise to Join the Other Tribes

16 And they came near to him, and said: We will build here sheepfolds for our cattle and cities for our families; 17 and we will set out eagerly, armed, before the sons of Israel, to bring them into their place; and our families shall remain in cities fortified against the inhabitants of the land: 18 nor will we return to our homes until each of the sons of Israel takes possession of his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them over the Jordan and beyond; for we receive our possession on the east side of the Jordan. 20 And Moses said to them: If you will do this; if you will go armed before the people of the Lord to war, 21 and all your armed men will pass the Jordan before the people of the Lord, until He shall have driven out the enemy before Him, 22 and the land has been subdued before the Lord's people, then afterward you shall return, and be free of guilt before the Lord and with Israel, and this land shall be to you for an inheritance before the Lord. 23 But if you do not do it, look, you have sinned before the Lord; and know, that your sin will find you. 24 Build cities for your families, and pens for your sheep, and do what you have promised. 25 And the tribe of the sons of Gad and of the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle shall be here in the cities of Gilead; 27 but your servants, all armed for battle, will pass over before the people of the Lord to war, as our lord says. 28 And Moses commanded concerning them Eleazar the priest, and Joshua son of Nun, and the ancestral chiefs of the tribes of the sons of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, If the sons of Gad and of Reuben pass over the Jordan with you, all armed for war, before the Lord's people, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. 30 But if they do not cross armed with you, they shall inherit among you in the land of Canaan. 31 But the sons of Gad and of Reuben answered, saying: As the Lord has spoken to your servants, we will do so. 32 We will pass over armed before the people of the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance may be on the other side of the Jordan.

The Land East of the Jordan Is Assigned

33 And Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad, and to the sons of Reuben, and to the half tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og the king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country. 34 And the sons of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, 35 and Atroth-shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah, 36 and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fortified cities and sheepfolds. 37 And the sons of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, 38 and Nebo, and Baal-meon, changing their names, and Sibmah; and they gave names to the cities they built. 39 And the sons of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and subdued it, and drove out the Amorites who were in it. 40 And Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and he lived there. 41 And Jair son of Manasseh went and subdued their villages, and called them the villages of Jair. 42 And Nobah went and subdued Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah after his name.

The Stages of Israel's Journey

1 These are the journeys of the sons of Israel who came out from the land of Egypt in their divisions, under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 And Moses wrote their departures by stages by the Memra of the Lord; and these are their journeys according to their departures. 3 And they set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month, after the day of the Pascha, the children of Israel went out in full view of all the Egyptians. 4 And the Egyptians buried all the firstborn which the Lord had killed among them, and the Lord had carried out judgments on their idols. 5 And the children of Israel set out from Rameses, and encamped in Succoth. 6 And they went on from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, which is at the edge of the wilderness. 7 And they moved on from Etham, and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon, and camped before Migdol. 8 And they departed from Pi-hahiroth, and went through the middle of the sea into the wilderness, and traveled for three days in the wilderness of Etham, and camped in Marah. 9 And they moved on from Marah, and came to Elim; and in Elim were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there. 10 And they moved on from Elim, and camped by the Red Sea. 11 And they moved on from the Red Sea, and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 And they departed from the wilderness of Sin, and camped in Dophkah; 13 and they moved on from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush. 14 And they moved on from Alush, and camped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink. 15 And they moved on from Rephidim, and encamped in the wilderness of Sinai. 16 And they moved on from the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped at Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 And they moved on from Kibroth-hattaavah, and camped in Hazeroth. 18 And they moved on from Hazeroth, and camped in Rithmah. 19 And they moved on from Rithmah, and camped in Rimmon-perez. 20 And they moved on from Rimmon-perez, and encamped in Libnah. 21 And they moved on from Libnah, and camped in Rissah. 22 And they moved on from Rissah, and camped in Kehelathah. 23 And they moved on from Kehelathah, and encamped at Mount Shepher. 24 And they moved on from Mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah. 25 And they moved on from Haradah, and camped in Makheloth. 26 And they moved on from Makheloth, and camped in Tahath. 27 And they moved on from Tahath, and camped in Terah. 28 And they moved on from Terah, and camped in Mithkah. 29 And they moved on from Mithkah, and encamped in Hashmonah. 30 And they moved on from Hashmonah, and camped in Moseroth. 31 And they moved on from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene-jaakan. 32 And they moved on from Bene-jaakan, and camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33 And they moved on from Hor-haggidgad, and camped in Jotbathah. 34 And they moved on from Jotbathah, and camped in Abronah. 35 And they moved on from Abronah, and camped in Ezion-geber. 36 And they moved on from Ezion-geber, and encamped in the wilderness of Zin, which is Petra. 37 And they moved on from Petra, and encamped at Mount Hor, on the borders of the land of Edom. 38 And Aaron the priest went up on Mount Hor by the Memra of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year of the departure of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. 39 And Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor. 40 And the Canaanite, king of Arad, who lived in the south, in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the sons of Israel. 41 And they moved on from Mount Hor, and encamped in Zalmonah. 42 And they moved on from Zalmonah, and camped in Punon. 43 And they moved on from Punon, and camped in Oboth. 44 And they moved on from Oboth, and encamped at the Passing Fords on the border of Moab. 45 And they moved on from the Fords, and camped at Dibon-gad. 46 And they moved on from Dibon-gad, and camped in Almon-diblathaim. 47 And they moved on from Almon-diblathaim, and camped at the mountains of Abarim, which are before Nebo. 48 And they moved on from the mountains of Abarim, and encamped in the plains of Moab by Jordan opposite Jericho. 49 And they encamped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth to the valley of Shittim in the fields of Moab.

Instructions for Settling the Land

50 And the Lord spoke with Moses in the fields of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho, saying: 51 Speak with the sons of Israel, and say to them: When you have passed over Jordan to the land of Canaan, 52 you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, demolish all the houses of their worship, destroy all their cast-metal images, and destroy all their high places. 53 And you shall drive out the inhabitants of the land, and dwell in it; for I have given you the land to inherit. 54 And you shall possess the land by lot, according to your families; you shall give a larger possession to the larger group and a smaller possession to the smaller group: each shall receive the place assigned by lot; according to the ancestral tribes you shall possess. 55 But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the country from before you, it will be that those who remain of them, combining, will take arms against you, and surrounding you with camps they will distress you in the land where you dwell. 56 And it shall be that what I had thought to do to them, I will do to you.

The Borders of Canaan

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 2 Command the sons of Israel, and say to them: When you have entered into the land of Canaan, that land which shall be divided to you for a possession, the land of Canaan within its borders, 3 then your south border shall be from the wilderness of Zin on the frontier of Edom, and your south border shall be from the end of the Dead Sea eastward. 4 And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and shall pass over to Zin; and its end shall be from the south to Petra-Geah, and go on to Hazar-addar, and pass over to Azmon. 5 And the border shall turn from Azmon to the stream of Egypt, and its end shall be toward the west, 6 and for the western border you shall have the Mediterranean Sea; this shall be your western border. 7 And this shall be your northern border: from the Mediterranean Sea you shall mark out Mount Hor; 8 from Mount Hor you shall mark out to the entrance of Hamath, and the end of the border shall be at Zedad. 9 And the border shall be to Ziphron, and its end to Hazar-enan; this shall be your north border. 10 And you shall mark out your eastern border from Hazar-enan to Shepham; 11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, east of the fountain, and the border shall go down and come to the bank of the Sea of Gennesaret on the east. 12 And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its end be at the Dead Sea. This shall be your land with its surrounding borders. 13 And Moses commanded the sons of Israel, saying: This shall be the land which you are to possess by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half tribe. 14 For the tribe of the sons of Reuben by the ancestral households, and the tribe of the sons of Gad by the ancestral households, and the half tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance. 15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance across the Jordan by Jericho toward the east.

The Leaders Who Will Divide the Land

16 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 17 These are the names of the men who shall apportion the land to you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua son of Nun. 18 And you shall take of each tribe one leader to apportion the land, 19 and these are the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; 20 of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Samuel son of Ammihud; 21 of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Chislon; 22 of the tribe of the sons of Dan, chief Bukki son of Jogli; 23 of the sons of Joseph, of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, chief Hanniel son of Ephod; 24 of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim, chief Kemuel son of Shiphtan; 25 of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun, chief Elizaphan son of Parnach; 26 of the tribe of the sons of Issachar, chief Paltiel son of Azzan; 27 and of that of the sons of Asher, chief Ahihud son of Shelomi; 28 and of that of the sons of Naphtali, chief Pedahel son of Ammihud. 29 These are those whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance of the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.

The Cities of the Levites

1 And the Lord spoke with Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan near Jericho, saying: 2 Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites cities to live in from their inherited possession, and they shall give the Levites pastureland around the cities. 3 They shall have the cities to live in, and the pasturelands shall be for their cattle, their possessions, and all their animals. 4 And the pasturelands of the cities which you give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward, a thousand cubits all around. 5 And you shall measure outside the city, on the east side 2,000 cubits, and on the south side 2,000 cubits, and on the west side 2,000 cubits, and on the north side 2,000 cubits, and the city in the middle; this shall be your pastureland around the cities. 6 Of the cities which you give to the Levites, six shall be cities of refuge, which you shall appoint for anyone who has killed a person to flee to, and to them you shall add forty-two cities. 7 All the cities that you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, they and their pasturelands. 8 And the cities that you give shall be of the inheritance of the sons of Israel; of those who have many you shall give many, and of the few you shall give few; each shall give from its cities according to the possession it inherits to the Levites.

The Cities of Refuge

9 And the Lord spoke with Moses, saying: 10 Speak with the sons of Israel, and say to them: When you have passed the Jordan to the land of Canaan, 11 you shall designate cities as cities of refuge for yourselves, so that anyone who has killed a person unintentionally may flee there. 12 And they shall be for you cities of refuge from the avenger of blood, so that the person who killed may not die until he has stood before the congregation for judgment. 13 And of those cities that you give you shall have six cities of refuge: 14 three cities you shall give beyond Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge. 15 For the sons of Israel, and for the foreigner among you, there shall be these six cities of refuge, so that anyone who has killed a person unintentionally may flee there.

Murder and Accidental Killing

16 But if he has struck him with a weapon of iron and killed him, he is a murderer; and the murderer shall certainly be put to death. 17 Or, if he struck him with a stone held in his hand, large enough to cause death, he who killed him is a murderer, and the murderer shall certainly be put to death. 18 Or, if he struck him with a wooden weapon held in his hand large enough to cause death, and he kills him, he is a murderer, and the murderer shall certainly be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood himself shall kill the murderer, when he has been condemned by judgment he shall kill him. 20 And if he struck him out of hatred, or threw at him from hiding and killed him, 21 or out of hatred struck him with his hand and killed him, the attacker is a murderer, he shall certainly be put to death: the avenger of blood shall kill the killer when he is condemned. 22 But if he has struck him suddenly without hatred, or has thrown anything upon him without lying in wait for him, 23 or struck him with a stone sufficient to kill him, but threw it on him without seeing, and has killed him without hating him or seeking to harm him, 24 then the congregation shall judge between the person who struck and the avenger of blood, according to these judgments. 25 And the congregation shall rescue the person who killed from the avenger of blood, and return him to the city of his refuge to which he had fled, and he shall remain in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the person who killed shall come out of the boundary of the city of his refuge to which he has fled, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the bounds of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the person who killed, he shall not be guilty of blood. 28 Because he should have remained within the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the person who killed may return to the land of his inheritance. 29 And these shall be to you a decree of judgment for your generations in all your dwellings. 30 Whoever kills a person shall die, on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against a man to put him to death. 31 Neither may you take money on account of a murderer who is guilty of death, for he shall certainly die. 32 Nor may you take money for him who has fled to his city of refuge, so that he may return to dwell in the land until the high priest dies. 33 But you shall not make guilty the land in which you are; for blood makes the land guilty; and no atonement can be made for the land where innocent blood is shed except by the blood of him who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land in which you dwell, for My Shekinah dwells in the middle of it; for I, the Lord, by My Shekinah dwell among the children of Israel.

Inheritance and Marriage within the Tribe

1 And the ancestral chiefs of the families of the sons of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, of the family of the sons of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders and ancestral chiefs of the sons of Israel, 2 and said: The Lord commanded Rabboni to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel; and Rabboni was commanded by the Memra of the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3 But if they become wives of any of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers, and added to the inheritance of the tribe which will have become theirs, and thus be diminished from the portion of our inheritance. 4 And when the Jubela of the children of Israel comes, their inheritance will be added to the possession of the tribe that has become theirs, and our possession will pass away from the inheritance of our father's tribe. 5 And Moses commanded the sons of Israel by the Memra of the Lord, saying: The tribe of the sons of Joseph have spoken well. 6 This is the thing which the Lord has commanded for the daughters of Zelophehad, saying: Let them become the wives of those who are suitable in their eyes, but they may marry only men from their father's tribe. 7 And the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not turn from tribe to tribe; for every man of the sons of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of his father's tribe. 8 And every daughter inheriting a possession in one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall be the wife of a man from one of the clans of her father's tribe: so that each of the sons of Israel may inherit the possession of his fathers. 9 And the inheritance shall not pass from one tribe to another tribe, but each tribe of the sons of Israel shall keep to its own inheritance. 10 As the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: 11 and Mahlah, and Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, became wives of sons of their father's brothers. 12 They were married into the family of the sons of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained with the tribe of their father's family. 13 These are the commandments and judgments which the Lord commanded through Moses to the children of Israel, in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho.