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This week we are doing a series on The Torah. The first 5 books of the bible. We are doing this to give people all over the world access to a bible that cannot get to one. At the end of the series we will have bible facts.

1:1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said:

1:2 Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.

1:3 You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army.

1:4 One man from each tribe, each of them the head of his family, is to help you.

1:5 These are the names of the men who are to assist you: from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

1:6 from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;

1:7 from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;

1:8 from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;

1:9 from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;

1:10 from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;

1:11 from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

1:12 from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

1:13 from Asher, Pagiel son of Okran;

1:14 from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;

1:15 from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.

1:16 These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel.

1:17 Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified,

1:18 and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people registered their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one,

1:19 as the Lord commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai:

1:20 From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:21 The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.

1:22 From the descendants of Simeon: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:23 The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.

1:24 From the descendants of Gad: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:25 The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.

1:26 From the descendants of Judah: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:27 The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.

1:28 From the descendants of Issachar: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:29 The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400.

1:30 From the descendants of Zebulun: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:31 The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.

1:32 From the sons of Joseph: From the descendants of Ephraim: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:33 The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500.

1:34 From the descendants of Manasseh: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:35 The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.

1:36 From the descendants of Benjamin: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:37 The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.

1:38 From the descendants of Dan: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:39 The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.

1:40 From the descendants of Asher: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:41 The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.

1:42 From the descendants of Naphtali: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families.

1:43 The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.

1:44 These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family.

1:45 All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israels army were counted according to their families.

1:46 The total number was 603,550.

1:47 The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others.

1:48 The Lord had said to Moses:

1:49 You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites.

1:50 Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant lawover all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it.

1:51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.

1:52 The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard.

1:53 The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.

1:54 The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Numbers chapter 2

2:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron:

2:2 The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family.

2:3 On the east, toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.

2:4 His division numbers 74,600.

2:5 The tribe of Issachar will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar.

2:6 His division numbers 54,400.

2:7 The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon.

2:8 His division numbers 57,400.

2:9 All the men assigned to the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. They will set out first.

2:10 On the south will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur.

2:11 His division numbers 46,500.

2:12 The tribe of Simeon will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

2:13 His division numbers 59,300.

2:14 The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel.

2:15 His division numbers 45,650.

2:16 All the men assigned to the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, number 151,450. They will set out second.

2:17 Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard.

2:18 On the west will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud.

2:19 His division numbers 40,500.

2:20 The tribe of Manasseh will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

2:21 His division numbers 32,200.

2:22 The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni.

2:23 His division numbers 35,400.

2:24 All the men assigned to the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, number 108,100. They will set out third.

2:25 On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan under their standard. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

2:26 His division numbers 62,700.

2:27 The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Okran.

2:28 His division numbers 41,500.

2:29 The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan.

2:30 His division numbers 53,400.

2:31 All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last, under their standards.

2:32 These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All the men in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550.

2:33 The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.

2:34 So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family.

Numbers chapter 3

3:1 This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.

3:2 The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

3:3 Those were the names of Aarons sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

3:4 Nadab and Abihu, however, died before the Lord when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

3:5 The Lord said to Moses,

3:6 Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.

3:7 They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle.

3:8 They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.

3:9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.

3:10 Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.

3:11 The Lord also said to Moses,

3:12 I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine,

3:13 for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.

3:14 The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,

3:15 Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.

3:16 So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

3:17 These were the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

3:18 These were the names of the Gershonite clans: Libni and Shimei.

3:19 The Kohathite clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

3:20 The Merarite clans: Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, according to their families.

3:21 To Gershon belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites; these were the Gershonite clans.

3:22 The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500.

3:23 The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle.

3:24 The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.

3:25 At the tent of meeting the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting,

3:26 the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropesand everything related to their use.

3:27 To Kohath belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites; these were the Kohathite clans.

3:28 The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. The Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.

3:29 The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.

3:30 The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

3:31 They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use.

3:32 The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.

3:33 To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.

3:34 The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 6,200.

3:35 The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

3:36 The Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use,

3:37 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes.

3:38 Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

3:39 The total number of Levites counted at the Lords command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.

3:40 The Lord said to Moses, Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names.

3:41 Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.

3:42 So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him.

3:43 The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.

3:44 The Lord also said to Moses,

3:45 Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the Lord.

3:46 To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites,

3:47 collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.

3:48 Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.

3:49 So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites.

3:50 From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

3:51 Moses gave the red

Numbers chapter 4

4:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron:

4:2 Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families.

4:3 Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

4:4 This is the work of the Kohathites at the tent of meeting: the care of the most holy things.

4:5 When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and put it over the ark of the covenant law.

4:6 Then they are to cover the curtain with a durable leather, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place.

4:7 Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it.

4:8 They are to spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover that with the durable leather and put the poles in place.

4:9 They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light, together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays, and all its jars for the olive oil used to supply it.

4:10 Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of the durable leather and put it on a carrying frame.

4:11 Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with the durable leather and put the poles in place.

4:12 They are to take all the articles used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with the durable leather and put them on a carrying frame.

4:13 They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

4:14 Then they are to place on it all the utensils used for ministering at the altar, including the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Over it they are to spread a covering of the durable leather and put the poles in place.

4:15 After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, only then are the Kohathites to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting.

4:16 Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles.

4:17 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

4:18 See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the Levites.

4:19 So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry.

4:20 But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.

4:21 The Lord said to Moses,

4:22 Take a census also of the Gershonites by their families and clans.

4:23 Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

4:24 This is the service of the Gershonite clans in their carrying and their other work:

4:25 They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, that is, the tent of meeting, its covering and its outer covering of durable leather, the curtains for the entrance to the tent of meeting,

4:26 the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard, the ropes and all the equipment used in the service of the tent. The Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things.

4:27 All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. You shall assign to them as their responsibility all they are to carry.

4:28 This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the tent of meeting. Their duties are to be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.

4:29 Count the Merarites by their clans and families.

4:30 Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.

4:31 As part of all their service at the tent, they are to carry the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases,

4:32 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes, all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry.

4:33 This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the tent of meeting under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.

4:34 Moses, Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the Kohathites by their clans and families.

4:35 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting,

4:36 counted by clans, were 2,750.

4:37 This was the total of all those in the Kohathite clans who served at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lords command through Moses.

4:38 The Gershonites were counted by their clans and families.

4:39 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting,

4:40 counted by their clans and families, were 2,630.

4:41 This was the total of those in the Gershonite clans who served at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lords command.

4:42 The Merarites were counted by their clans and families.

4:43 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the tent of meeting,

4:44 counted by their clans, were 3,200.

4:45 This was the total of those in the Merarite clans. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lords command through Moses.

4:46 So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families.

4:47 All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the tent of meeting

4:48 numbered 8,580.

4:49 At the Lords command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry. Thus they were counted, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Numbers chapter 5

5:1 The Lord said to Moses,

5:2 Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body.

5:3 Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.

5:4 The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

5:5 The Lord said to Moses,

5:6 Say to the Israelites: Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty

5:7 and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged.

5:8 But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with which atonement is made for the wrongdoer.

5:9 All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him.

5:10 Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.

5:11 Then the Lord said to Moses,

5:12 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a mans wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him

5:13 so that another man has sexual relations with her, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act),

5:14 and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impureor if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure

5:15 then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder-offering to draw attention to wrongdoing.

5:16 The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord.

5:17 Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water.

5:18 After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse.

5:19 Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you.

5:20 But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband

5:21 here the priest is to put the woman under this cursemay the Lord cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell.

5:22 May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.  Then the woman is to say, Amen. So be it.

5:23 The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water.

5:24 He shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering will enter her.

5:25 The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the Lord and bring it to the altar.

5:26 The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water.

5:27 If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse.

5:28 If, however, the woman has not made herself impure, but is clean, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.

5:29 This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and makes herself impure while married to her husband,

5:30 or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the Lord and is to apply this entire law to her.

5:31 The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.

Numbers chapter 6

6:1 The Lord said to Moses,

6:2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite,

6:3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.

6:4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

6:5 During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.

6:6 Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body.

6:7 Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head.

6:8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.

6:9 If someone dies suddenly in the Nazirites presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication, they must shave their head on the seventh daythe day of their cleansing.

6:10 Then on the eighth day they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

6:11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for the Nazirite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again.

6:12 They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.

6:13 Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting.

6:14 There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering,

6:15 together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeastthick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.

6:16 The priest is to present all these before the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering.

6:17 He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with its grain offering and drink offering.

6:18 Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication. They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

6:19 After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast.

6:20 The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

6:21 This is the law of the Nazirite who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite.

6:22 The Lord said to Moses,

6:23 Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

6:24 The Lord bless you and keep you;

6:25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

6:26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

6:27 So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Numbers chapter 7

7:1 When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils.

7:2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings.

7:3 They brought as their gifts before the Lord six covered carts and twelve oxenan ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle.

7:4 The Lord said to Moses,

7:5 Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each mans work requires.

7:6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites.

7:7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required,

7:8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest.

7:9 But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible.

7:10 When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar.

7:11 For the Lord had said to Moses, Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.

7:12 The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.

7:13 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:14 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:15 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:16 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:17 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

7:18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, brought his offering.

7:19 The offering he brought was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:20 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:21 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:22 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:23 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

7:24 On the third day, Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun, brought his offering.

7:25 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:26 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:27 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:28 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:29 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

7:30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben, brought his offering.

7:31 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:32 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:33 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:34 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:35 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

7:36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Simeon, brought his offering.

7:37 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:38 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:39 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:40 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:41 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

7:42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the people of Gad, brought his offering.

7:43 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:44 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:45 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:46 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:47 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

7:48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim, brought his offering.

7:49 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:50 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:51 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:52 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:53 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

7:54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh, brought his offering.

7:55 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:56 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:57 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:58 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:59 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

7:60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin, brought his offering.

7:61 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:62 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:63 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:64 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:65 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

7:66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan, brought his offering.

7:67 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:68 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:69 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:70 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:71 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

7:72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Okran, the leader of the people of Asher, brought his offering.

7:73 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:74 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:75 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:76 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:77 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Okran.

7:78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali, brought his offering.

7:79 His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with the finest flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

7:80 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;

7:81 one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;

7:82 one male goat for a sin offering;

7:83 and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

7:84 These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes.

7:85 Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each sprinkling bowl seventy shekels. Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

7:86 The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. Altogether, the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels.

7:87 The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls, twelve rams and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. Twelve male goats were used for the sin offering.

7:88 The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old. These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

7:89 When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.

Numbers chapter 8

8:1 The Lord said to Moses,

8:2 Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.

8:3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

8:4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered goldfrom its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.

8:5 The Lord said to Moses:

8:6 Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.

8:7 To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves.

8:8 Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.

8:9 Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community.

8:10 You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them.

8:11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.

8:12 Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.

8:13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

8:14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.

8:15 After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting.

8:16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman.

8:17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself.

8:18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel.

8:19 From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.

8:20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.

8:21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them.

8:22 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.

8:23 The Lord said to Moses,

8:24 This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting,

8:25 but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer.

8:26 They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.

Numbers chapter 9

9:1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they came out of Egypt. He said,

9:2 Have the Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time.

9:3 Celebrate it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with all its rules and regulations.

9:4 So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover,

9:5 and they did so in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.

9:6 But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean on account of a dead body. So they came to Moses and Aaron that same day

9:7 and said to Moses, We have become unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be kept from presenting the Lords offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?

9:8 Moses answered them, Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you.

9:9 Then the Lord said to Moses,

9:10 Tell the Israelites: When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they are still to celebrate the Lords Passover,

9:11 but they are to do it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

9:12 They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations.

9:13 But if anyone who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, they must be cut off from their people for not presenting the Lords offering at the appointed time. They will bear the consequences of their sin.

9:14 A foreigner residing among you is also to celebrate the Lords Passover in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for both the foreigner and the native-born.

9:15 On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire.

9:16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire.

9:17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.

9:18 At the Lords command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.

9:19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lords order and did not set out.

9:20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lords command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out.

9:21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out.

9:22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.

9:23 At the Lords command they encamped, and at the Lords command they set out. They obeyed the Lords order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

Numbers chapter 10

10:1 The Lord said to Moses:

10:2 Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out.

10:3 When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

10:4 If only one is sounded, the leadersthe heads of the clans of Israelare to assemble before you.

10:5 When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out.

10:6 At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out.

10:7 To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the signal for setting out.

10:8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come.

10:9 When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies.

10:10 Also at your times of rejoicingyour appointed festivals and New Moon feastsyou are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God.

10:11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the covenant law.

10:12 Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran.

10:13 They set out, this first time, at the Lords command through Moses.

10:14 The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard. Nahshon son of Amminadab was in command.

10:15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar,

10:16 and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun.

10:17 Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out.

10:18 The divisions of the camp of Reuben went next, under their standard. Elizur son of Shedeur was in command.

10:19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon,

10:20 and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad.

10:21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.

10:22 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their standard. Elishama son of Ammihud was in command.

10:23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh,

10:24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.

10:25 Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in command.

10:26 Pagiel son of Okran was over the division of the tribe of Asher,

10:27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.

10:28 This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.

10:29 Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses father-in-law, We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, I will give it to you. Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.

10:30 He answered, No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people.

10:31 But Moses said, Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.

10:32 If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us.

10:33 So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest.

10:34 The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

10:35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, Rise up, Lord! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.

10:36 Whenever it came to rest, he said, Return, Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel.

Numbers chapter 11

11:1 Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

11:2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down.

11:3 So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the Lord had burned among them.

11:4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, If only we had meat to eat!

11:5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no costalso the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.

11:6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!

11:7 The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin.

11:8 The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil.

11:9 When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

11:10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.

11:11 He asked the Lord, Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?

11:12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors?

11:13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, Give us meat to eat!

11:14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.

11:15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill meif I have found favor in your eyesand do not let me face my own ruin.

11:16 The Lord said to Moses: Bring me seventy of Israels elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you.

11:17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.

11:18 Tell the people: Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt! Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it.

11:19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days,

11:20 but for a whole monthuntil it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe itbecause you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, Why did we ever leave Egypt?

11:21 But Moses said, Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!

11:22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?

11:23 The Lord answered Moses, Is the Lords arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.

11:24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent.

11:25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesiedbut did not do so again.

11:26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp.

11:27 A young man ran and told Moses, Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.

11:28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses aide since youth, spoke up and said, Moses, my lord, stop them!

11:29 But Moses replied, Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lords people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!

11:30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

11:31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a days walk in any direction.

11:32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp.

11:33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.

11:34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

11:35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there.

Numbers chapter 12

13:1 The Lord said to Moses,

13:2 Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.

13:3 So at the Lords command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.

13:4 These are their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;

13:5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

13:6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

13:7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

13:8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;

13:9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;

13:10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

13:11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;

13:12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

13:13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;

13:14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;

13:15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

13:16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)

13:17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country.

13:18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.

13:19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?

13:20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land. (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

13:21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath.

13:22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

13:23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs.

13:24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there.

13:25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.

13:26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

13:27 They gave Moses this account: We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.

13:28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.

13:29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.

13:30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.

13:31 But the men who had gone up with him said, We cant attack those people; they are stronger than we are.

13:32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.

13:33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.

Numbers chapter 14

14:1 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.

14:2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness!

14:3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldnt it be better for us to go back to Egypt?

14:4 And they said to each other, We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.

14:5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there.

14:6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes

14:7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.

14:8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.

14:9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.

14:10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites.

14:11 The Lord said to Moses, How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?

14:12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.

14:13 Moses said to the Lord, Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.

14:14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

14:15 If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say,

14:16 The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.

14:17 Now may the Lords strength be displayed, just as you have declared:

14:18 The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.

14:19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.

14:20 The Lord replied, I have forgiven them, as you asked.

14:21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth,

14:22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times

14:23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

14:24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

14:25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.

14:26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron:

14:27 How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.

14:28 So tell them, As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say:

14:29 In this wilderness your bodies will fallevery one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.

14:30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

14:31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.

14:32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness.

14:33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness.

14:34 For forty yearsone year for each of the forty days you explored the landyou will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.

14:35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.

14:36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it

14:37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord.

14:38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

14:39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly.

14:40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!

14:41 But Moses said, Why are you disobeying the Lords command? This will not succeed!

14:42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,

14:43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.

14:44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lords covenant moved from the camp.

14:45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way 

Numbers chapter 15

15:1 The Lord said to Moses,

15:2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: After you enter the land I am giving you as a home

15:3 and you present to the Lord food offerings from the herd or the flock, as an aroma pleasing to the Lordwhether burnt offerings or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings or festival offerings

15:4 then the person who brings an offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of olive oil.

15:5 With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.

15:6 With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil,

15:7 and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

15:8 When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering to the Lord,

15:9 bring with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with half a hin of olive oil,

15:10 and also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering. This will be a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

15:11 Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner.

15:12 Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare.

15:13 Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when they present a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

15:14 For the generations to come, whenever a foreigner or anyone else living among you presents a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, they must do exactly as you do.

15:15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord:

15:16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you.

15:17 The Lord said to Moses,

15:18 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land to which I am taking you

15:19 and you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the Lord.

15:20 Present a loaf from the first of your ground meal and present it as an offering from the threshing floor.

15:21 Throughout the generations to come you are to give this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground meal.

15:22 Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses

15:23 any of the Lords commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to come

15:24 and if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering.

15:25 The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering and a sin offering.

15:26 The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.

15:27 But if just one person sins unintentionally, that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering.

15:28 The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven.

15:29 One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.

15:30 But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel.

15:31 Because they have despised the Lords word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.

15:32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.

15:33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly,

15:34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.

15:35 Then the Lord said to Moses, The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.

15:36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.

15:37 The Lord said to Moses,

15:38 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.

15:39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.

15:40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.

15:41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.

Numbers chapter 16

16:1 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain ReubenitesDathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Pelethbecame insolent

16:2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.

16:3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lords assembly?

16:4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.

16:5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him.

16:6 You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers

16:7 and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!

16:8 Moses also said to Korah, Now listen, you Levites!

16:9 Isnt it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lords tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?

16:10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.

16:11 It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?

16:12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, We will not come!

16:13 Isnt it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us!

16:14 Moreover, you havent brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves? No, we will not come!

16:15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.

16:16 Moses said to Korah, You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrowyou and they and Aaron.

16:17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it250 censers in alland present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.

16:18 So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

16:19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly.

16:20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

16:21 Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.

16:22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?

16:23 Then the Lord said to Moses,

16:24 Say to the assembly, Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.

16:25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

16:26 He warned the assembly, Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.

16:27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.

16:28 Then Moses said, This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea:

16:29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me.

16:30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.

16:31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart

16:32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions.

16:33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

16:34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, The earth is going to swallow us too!

16:35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

16:36 The Lord said to Moses,

16:37 Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy

16:38 the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.

16:39 So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,

16:40 as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.

16:41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. You have killed the Lords people, they said.

16:42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.

16:43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting,

16:44 and the Lord said to Moses,

16:45 Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once. And they fell facedown.

16:46 Then Moses said to Aaron, Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started.

16:47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them.

16:48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.

16:49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.

16:50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.

Numbers chapter 17

17:1 The Lord said to Moses,

17:2 Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff.

17:3 On the staff of Levi write Aarons name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe.

17:4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you.

17:5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.

17:6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aarons staff was among them.

17:7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.

17:8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aarons staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.

17:9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lords presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.

17:10 The Lord said to Moses, Put back Aarons staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.

17:11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.

17:12 The Israelites said to Moses, We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!

17:13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?

Numbers chapter 18

18:1 The Lord said to Aaron, You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood.

18:2 Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law.

18:3 They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die.

18:4 They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meetingall the work at the tentand no one else may come near where you are.

18:5 You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again.

18:6 I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting.

18:7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.

18:8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion, your perpetual share.

18:9 You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain or sin or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons.

18:10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy.

18:11 This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.

18:12 I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the Lord as the firstfruits of their harvest.

18:13 All the lands firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.

18:14 Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord is yours.

18:15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.

18:16 When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.

18:17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Splash their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

18:18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours.

18:19 Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.

18:20 The Lord said to Aaron, You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.

18:21 I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.

18:22 From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.

18:23 It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites.

18:24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.

18:25 The Lord said to Moses,

18:26 Speak to the Levites and say to them: When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lords offering.

18:27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress.

18:28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lords portion to Aaron the priest.

18:29 You must present as the Lords portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.

18:30 Say to the Levites: When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.

18:31 You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting.

18:32 By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.

Closing prayer; 

Heavenly Father, thank You that Jesus is that Star and Sceptre Who has gained victory over all our enemies by His death and Resurrection. Thank You also for the many Bible stories that warn about the deceptive tactics of the enemy who desires to wreck our testimony and dishonour Your name. Keep me low at the Cross and broken before You. This I ask in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Prayer of Salvation: Which is how you ask to become a child of Our Heavenly Father. Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and I know you will answer my prayers. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

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Phone: 202-603-1821.