Categories
Numbers

Numbers 24

1 And when Balaam had seen that it was pleasing to the Lord that he should bless Israel, he by no means went out as he had gone before, to seek divination. But directing his face opposite the desert,

2 and lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel dwelling in tents by their tribes. And with the Spirit of God rushing into him,

3 taking up his parable, he said: “Balaam, the son of Beor, the man whose eye has been obstructed,

4 the hearer of the sermon of God, he who has gazed upon a vision of the Almighty, he who falls down and so his eyes are opened, has declared:

5 ‘How beautiful are your tabernacles, O Jacob, and your tents, O Israel!

6 They are like forested valleys, like gardens irrigated next to rivers, like tabernacles which the Lord has fixed, like cedars close to waters.

7 Water shall flow from his jar, and his offspring shall be amid many waters, because Agag, his king, shall be taken, and his kingdom shall be removed.

8 Away from Egypt, God has led him, whose strength is like the rhinoceros. They shall devour the nations that are his enemies, and break their bones, and pierce them with arrows.

9 Lying down, he has slept like a lion, and like a lioness, whom no one would dare to awaken. He who blesses you, shall himself also be blessed. He who curses you, shall be considered cursed.”

10 And Balak, being angry against Balaam, clapped his hands together and said: “I called you to curse my enemies, and, to the contrary, you have blessed them three times.

11 Return to your place. I had decided, indeed, to honor you greatly, but the Lord has deprived you of the designated honor.”

12 Balaam responded to Balak: “Did I not say to your messengers, whom you sent to me:

13 Even if Balak would give me his house, filled with silver and gold, I still could not go away from the word of the Lord my God, so as to offer anything, either good or evil, from my own heart; but whatever the Lord will speak, this, too, I shall speak.

14 Yet truly, as I continue on to my own people, I will give you counsel as to what this people shall do to your people in the end times.”

15 Therefore, taking up his parable, he again spoke: “Balaam the son of Beor, the man whose eye has been obstructed,

16 the hearer of the sermon of God, he who knows the doctrine of the Most High, and who sees the visions of the Almighty, who, falling down, has his eyes opened, has declared:

17 I shall see him, but not presently. I shall gaze upon him, but not soon. A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a rod shall spring up from Israel. And he shall strike down the commanders of Moab, and he shall devastate all the sons of Seth.

18 And he shall possess Idumea; the inheritance of Seir shall fall to their enemies. Yet truly, Israel shall act with strength.

19 From Jacob will be he who shall be ruler. And he shall perish the remnants of the city.”

20 And when he saw Amalek, taking up his parable, he said: “Amalek, first among the Gentiles, whose very end shall be perdition.”

21 Likewise, he saw the Kainites, and taking up his parable, he said: “Robust, indeed, is your habitation. But though you will set your nest in a rock,

22 and you will be elect among the stock of Kain, how long will you be able to remain? For Assur shall take you captive.”

23 And taking up his parable once more he said: “Alas! Who will be able to survive, when God will do these things?

24 They shall arrive in Greek warships from Italy. They shall overcome the Assyrians, and they shall devastate the Hebrews, and yet, at the very end, even they themselves shall perish.”

25 And Balaam rose up, and he returned to his place. Likewise, Balak went back, along the way by which he had arrived.

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 25

1 Now Israel, at that time, dwelt in Shittim, and the people were fornicating with the daughters of Moab,

2 who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate, and they adored their gods.

3 And Israel was initiated into Baal of Peor. And so the Lord, being angry,

4 said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, and hang them on gallows against the sun, so that my fury may be averted from Israel.”

5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Let each one kill his neighbors, who have been initiated into Baal of Peor.”

6 And behold, one of the sons of Israel entered, in the sight of his brothers, to a prostitute of Midian, within view of Moses and of all the crowd of the sons of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.

7 And when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, had seen it, he rose up from the midst of the multitude, and, seizing a dagger,

8 he entered after the Israelite man, into the brothel, and he pierced both of them at the same time, specifically, the man and the woman at the location of their genitals. And the scourge ceased from among the sons of Israel.

9 And there were slain twenty-four thousand men.

10 And the Lord said to Moses:

11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has averted my wrath from the sons of Israel. For he was moved against them by my zeal, so that I myself, in my zeal, might not wipe away the sons of Israel.

12 Because of this, say to him: Behold, I give to him the peace of my covenant.

13 And the covenant of the everlasting priesthood shall be as much for him as for his offspring. For he was zealous on behalf of his God, and he has made expiation for the wickedness of the sons of Israel.”

14 Now the name of the Israelite man, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader from the kinship and tribe of Simeon.

15 Moreover, the Midianite woman, who was put to death together with him, was called Cozbi the daughter of Zur, a most noble leader among the Midianites.

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

17 “Let the Midianites perceive you as enemies, and strike them down,

18 for they, too, have behaved with hostility against you, and they have deceived you insidiously by means of the idol Peor, and by Cozbi, the daughter of a commander of Midian, their sister, who was struck down in the day of the scourge because of the sacrilege of Peor.”

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 26

1 After the blood of the guilty was shed, the Lord said to Moses, and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest:

2 “Number the entire sum of the sons of Israel, from twenty years and above, by their houses and kinships, all who are able to go forth to war.”

3 And so, Moses and Eleazar the priest, who were in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho, spoke to those who were

4 from twenty years and above, just as the Lord had commanded. And this is their number:

5 Ruben, the firstborn of Israel; his son, Hanoch, from whom is the family of the Hanochites; and Pallu, from whom is the family of the Palluites;

6 and Hezron, from whom is the family of the Hezronites; and Carmi, from whom is the family of the Carmites.

7 These are the families of the stock of Ruben, whose number was found to be forty-three thousand and seven hundred thirty.

8 The son of Phallu: Eliab;

9 his sons, Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are Dathan and Abiram, the leaders of the people, who rose up against Moses and Aaron in the sedition at Korah, when they rebelled against the Lord.

10 And the earth, opening its mouth, devoured Korah, with many others dying, when the fire burned two hundred fifty men. And a great miracle was wrought,

11 so that, when Korah perished, his sons did not perish.

12 The sons of Simeon, by their kinships: Nemuel, from him is the family of the Nemuelites; Jamin, from him is the family of the Jaminites; Jachin, from him is the family of the Jachinites;

13 Sohar, from him is the family of the Soharites; Shaul, from him is the family of the Shaulites.

14 These are the families of the stock of Simeon, whose entire number was twenty-two thousand two hundred.

15 The sons of Gad, by their kinships: Zephon, from him is the family of the Zephonites; Haggi, from him is the family of the Haggites; Shuni, from him is the family of the Shunites;

16 Ozni, from him is the family of the Oznites; Eri, from him is the family of the Erites;

17 Arod, from him is the family of the Arodites; Areli, from him is the family of the Arelites.

18 These are the families of Gad, whose entire number was forty thousand five hundred.

19 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan, who both died in the land of Canaan.

20 And these were the sons of Judah, by their kinships: Shelah, from whom is the family of the Shelahites; Perez, from whom is the family of the Perezites; Zerah, from whom is the family of the Zerahites.

21 Moreover, the sons of Phares were: Hezron, from whom is the family of the Hezronites; and Hamul, from whom is the family of the Hamulites.

22 These are the families of Judah, whose entire number was seventy-six thousand five hundred.

23 The sons of Issachar, by their kinships: Tola from whom is the family of the Tolaites; Puvah, from whom is the family of the Puvahites;

24 Jashub, from whom is the family of the Jashubites; Shimron, from whom is the family of the Shimronites.

25 These are the kinships of Issachar, whose number was sixty-four thousand three hundred.

26 The sons of Zebulon by their kinships: Sered, from whom is the family of the Seredites; Elon, from whom is the family of the Elonites; Jahleel, from whom is the family of the Jahleelites.

27 These are the kinships of Zebulun, whose number was sixty thousand five hundred.

28 The sons of Joseph by their kinships: Manasseh and Ephraim.

29 From Manasseh was born Machir, from whom is the family of the Machirites. Machir conceived Gilead, from whom is the family of the Gileadites.

30 Gilead had sons: Jezer, from whom is the family of the Jezerites; and Helek, from whom is the family of the Helekites;

31 and Asriel, from whom is the family of the Asrielites; and Shechem, from whom is the family of the Shechemites;

32 and Shemida, from whom is the family of the Shemidaites; and Hepher, from whom is the family of the Hepherites.

33 Now Hepher was the father of Zelophehad, who had no sons, but only daughters, whose names are these: Mahlah, and Noa, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.

34 These are the families of Manasseh, and their number was fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

35 Now the sons of Ephraim by their kinships were these: Shuthelah, from whom is the family of the Shuthelahites; Becher, from whom is the family of the Becherites; Tahan, from whom is the family of the Tahanites.

36 Furthermore, the son of Shuthelah was Eran, from whom is the family of the Eranites.

37 These are the kinships of the sons of Ephraim, whose number was thirty-two thousand five hundred.

38 These are the sons of Joseph by their families: the sons of Benjamin in their kinships: Bela, from whom is the family of the Belaites; Ashbel, from whom is the family of the Ashbelites; Ahiram, from whom is the family of the Ahiramites;

39 Shupham, from whom is the family of the Shuphamites; Hupham, from whom is the family of the Huphamites.

40 The sons of Bela: Arad and Naaman. From Arad, the family of the Aradites; from Naaman, the family of the Naamanites.

41 These are the sons of Benjamin by their kinships, whose number was forty-five thousand six hundred.

42 The sons of Dan by their kinships: Shuham, from whom is the family of the Shuhamites. These are the kinships of Dan by their families.

43 All these were Shuhamites, whose number was sixty-four thousand four hundred.

44 The sons of Asher by their kinships: Imnah, from whom is the family of the Imnahites; Ishvi, from whom is the family of the Ishvites; Beriah, from whom is the family of the Beriahites.

45 The sons of Beriah: Heber, from whom is the family of the Heberites; and Malchiel, from whom is the family of the Malchielites.

46 Now the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.

47 These are the kinships of the sons of Asher, and their number was fifty-three thousand four hundred.

48 The sons of Naphtali by their kinships: Jahzeel, from whom is the family of the Jahzeelites; Guni, from whom is the family of the Gunites;

49 Jezer, from whom is the family of the Jezerites; Shillem, from whom is the family of the Shillemites.

50 These are the kinships of the sons of Naphtali by their families, whose number was forty-five thousand four hundred.

51 This is the sum of the sons of Israel, who were counted: six hundred thousand and one thousand seven hundred thirty.

52 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

53 “The land shall be divided to these, as their possessions, according to the number of their names.

54 To the greater number you shall give a greater portion, and to the lesser number, a lesser portion. To each one, just as they have now been counted, a possession shall be delivered.

55 Yet only in so far as the land is divided by lot to a tribe and to families.

56 Whatever the lot will happen to be, it shall be accepted, either by the greater, or by the lesser.

57 Likewise, this is the number of the sons of Levi by their families: Gershon, from whom is the family of the Gershonites; Kohath, from whom is the family of the Kohathites; Merari, from whom is the family of the Merarites.

58 These are the families of Levi: The family of Libni, the family of Hebroni, the family of Mahli, the family of Mushi, the family of Korah. Yet truly, Kohath conceived Amram,

59 who had a wife, Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to him in Egypt. She bore, to her husband Amram: sons, Aaron and Moses, as well as their sister, Miriam.

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

61 Of these, Nadab and Abihu died, when they had offered strange fire before the Lord.

62 And these were all who were numbered: twenty-three thousand of the male gender, from one month and above. For they were not counted among the sons of Israel, neither was a possession given to them with the others.

63 This is the number of the sons of Israel, who were enrolled by Moses and by Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

64 Among these, not one of them was numbered before, by Moses and Aaron in the desert of Sinai.

65 For the Lord had foretold that all would die in the wilderness. And not one of them remained, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 27

1 Then there approached the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph: and their names are Mahlah, and Noa, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.

2 And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the people, at the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, and they said:

3 “Our father died in the desert, and was not with the sedition, which was stirred up against the Lord under Korah, but he died in his own sin; he had no male sons. Why is his name taken away from his family, because he had no son? Give us a possession among the kinsmen of our father.”

4 And Moses referred their case to the judgment of the Lord.

5 And the Lord said to him:

6 “The daughters of Zelophehad are asking for something just. So give them a possession among the kinsmen of their father, and let them succeed him in his inheritance.

7 And to the sons of Israel, you shall speak these things:

8 When a man dies without a son, his inheritance shall be transferred to his daughter.

9 If he has no daughter, his brothers shall succeed him.

10 But if there were also no brothers, you shall give the inheritance to the brothers of his father.

11 But if he has no paternal uncles, the inheritance shall be given to those who are closest to him. And this shall be, for the sons of Israel, consecrated as a perpetual law, just as the Lord has instructed Moses.”

12 The Lord also said to Moses: “Ascend onto this mountain, Abarim, and contemplate from there the land, which I will give to the sons of Israel.

13 And when you have seen it, you shall then go to your people, just as your brother Aaron went.

14 For you offended me in the desert of Sin at the Contradiction of the multitude; neither were you willing to sanctify me in their sight over the waters. These are the Waters of Contradiction at Kadesh in the desert of Sin.”

15 Moses answered him:

16 “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, provide a man, who may be over this multitude,

17 and who may be able to exit and enter before them, and who may lead them out or lead them in: lest the people of the Lord be like sheep without a shepherd.”

18 And the Lord said to him: “Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom the Spirit is, and place your hand upon him.

19 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire multitude.

20 And you shall give him the precepts in the sight of all, and a portion of your glory, so that the entire congregation of the sons of Israel may listen to him.

21 On his behalf, if anything is to be done, Eleazar the priest shall consult the Lord. He, and all the sons of Israel with him, and the rest of the multitude, shall go out and enter in at his word.”

22 Moses did just as the Lord had instructed. And when he had brought Joshua, he set him before Eleazar the priest, and before the entire gathering of the people.

23 And imposing his hands upon his head, he repeated all that the Lord had commanded.

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 28

1 The Lord also said to Moses:

2 “Instruct the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: Offer my oblation and bread, and the incense of most sweet odor, at their proper times.

3 These are the sacrifices which you must offer: Two immaculate one-year-old lambs each day as a perpetual holocaust.

4 You shall offer one in morning, and the other in the evening,

5 and the tenth part of an ephah of fine wheat flour, which has been sprinkled with the purest oil, and which has the measure of the fourth part of a hin.

6 It is the continual holocaust which you offered at mount Sinai as a most sweet odor of incense to the Lord.

7 And you shall offer a libation of wine, of the fourth part of a hin for each lamb, in the Sanctuary of the Lord.

8 And you shall offer the other lamb similarly, in the evening, according to all the rites of the morning sacrifice and its libations, as an oblation of most sweet odor to the Lord.

9 Then, on the Sabbath day, you shall offer two immaculate one-year-old lambs, and two tenths of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil, as sacrifice, as well as the libations

10 that are usually poured out on each Sabbath as a perpetual holocaust.

11 Then, on the first day of the month, you shall offer a holocaust to the Lord: two calves from the herd, one ram, seven immaculate one-year-old lambs,

12 and three tenths of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil, as sacrifice, for each calf, and two tenths of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil, for each ram,

13 and one tenth of fine wheat flour with oil, as a sacrifice, for each lamb. It is a holocaust of most sweet odor and also an incense to the Lord.

14 Now these shall be the libations of wine, which are to be poured out for each victim: one half portion of a hin for each calf, one third for a ram, and one fourth for a lamb. This shall be the holocaust for all the months, as they succeed one another in the turning of the year.

15 Likewise, a he-goat shall be offered to the Lord for sin, with the perpetual holocaust and its libations.

16 Then, in the first month, the fourteenth day of the month shall be the Passover of the Lord.

17 And the fifteenth day shall be a solemnity. For seven days, they shall eat unleavened bread.

18 And the first day of these days shall be venerable and holy; you shall not do any servile work in it.

19 And you shall offer the incense of a holocaust to the Lord, two calves from the herd, one ram, seven immaculate one-year-old lambs;

20 and with each sacrifice, from fine wheat flour which has been sprinkled with oil, three tenths for each calf, and two tenths for each ram,

21 and one tenth for each lamb, that is, for the seven lambs;

22 and one he-goat for sin, as an expiation for you,

23 aside from the morning holocaust, which you shall always offer.

24 You shall do this on each day of the seven days, as fuel for the fire, and as a most sweet odor to the Lord, which shall rise up from the holocaust and from each of the libations.

25 Likewise, the seventh day shall be very honored and holy for you. Any servile work, you shall not do in it.

26 And also the day of the first-fruits, after the weeks have been fulfilled, when you shall offer new fruits to the Lord, shall be venerable and holy. You shall not do any servile work in it.

27 And you shall offer a holocaust as a most sweet odor to the Lord: two calves from the herd, one ram, and seven immaculate one-year-old lambs,

28 and also, as their sacrifices, fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil, three tenths for each calf, two for each ram,

29 one tenth for each lamb, which all together are seven lambs; likewise, a he-goat,

30 which is slain for expiation, aside from the perpetual holocaust and its libations.

31 You shall offer only what is immaculate, with their libations.”

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 29

1 “Now the first day of the seventh month also shall be venerable and holy to you. In it, you shall not do any servile work, because it is the day of the sounding of the trumpets.

2 And you shall offer a holocaust, as a most sweet odor to the Lord: one calf from the herd, one ram, and seven immaculate one-year-old lambs;

3 and, as their sacrifices, fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil: three tenths for each calf, two tenths for a ram,

4 one tenth for a lamb, which all together are seven lambs;

5 and a he-goat for sin, which is offered as an expiation for the people,

6 aside from the holocaust of the first day of the month with its sacrifices, and the perpetual holocaust with the usual libations. By these same ceremonies, you shall offer incense as a most sweet odor to the Lord.

7 Likewise, the tenth day of this seventh month shall be for you holy and venerable, and you shall afflict your souls. You shall do no servile work in it.

8 And you shall offer a holocaust to the Lord, as a most sweet odor: one calf from the herd, one ram, seven immaculate one-year-old lambs;

9 and for their sacrifices, fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil: three tenths for each calf, two tenths for a ram,

10 one tenth for each lamb, which are all together seven lambs;

11 and a he-goat for sin, apart from those things which are usually offered for offenses as an expiation, and as a perpetual holocaust, with their sacrifice and libations.

12 Yet truly, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, which shall be for you holy and venerable, you shall not do any servile work in it, but you shall celebrate a solemnity to the Lord for seven days.

13 And you shall offer a holocaust, as a most sweet odor to the Lord: thirteen calves from the herd, two rams, fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs;

14 and as their libations, fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil: three tenths for each calf, which is all together thirteen calves, and two tenths for each ram, that is, all together two rams,

15 and one tenth for each lamb, which is all together fourteen lambs;

16 and a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and the sacrifice and its libation.

17 On the next day, you shall offer twelve calves from the herd, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

18 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

19 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and the sacrifice and its libation.

20 On the third day, you shall offer eleven calves, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

21 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

22 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and the sacrifice and its libation.

23 On the fourth day, you shall offer ten calves, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

24 And the sacrifices and the libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

25 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

26 On the fifth day, you shall offer nine calves, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

27 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

28 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

29 On the sixth day, you shall offer eight calves, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

30 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

31 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

32 On the seventh day, you shall offer seven calves, and two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

33 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

34 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

35 On the eighth day, which is most honored, you shall not do any servile work,

36 offering a holocaust as a most sweet odor to the Lord: one calf, one ram, and seven immaculate one-year-old lambs.

37 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

38 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

39 These things you shall offer to the Lord in your solemnities, aside from the vowed and voluntary oblations, as a holocaust, as a sacrifice, as a libation, or as peace-offering victims.”

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 30

1 And Moses explained to the sons of Israel all that the Lord had commanded him.

2 And he said to the leaders of the tribes of the sons of Israel: “This is the word, which the Lord has instructed:

3 If any man makes a vow to the Lord, or binds himself by an oath, he shall not make his word null and void, but all that he has promised, he shall fulfill.

4 If a woman, who is in her father’s house, vows anything, or binds herself by an oath, and she is still in a state of childhood, if her father knew of the vow which she has promised or of the oath by which she has obligated her soul, and he kept silent, she shall be liable to the vow:

5 whatever she has promised or swore, she shall complete in deed.

6 But if her father, as soon as he had heard it, had contradicted it, both her vows and her oaths shall be nullified, neither shall she be held liable to the promise, because her father had contradicted it.

7 If she has a husband, and she has vowed anything, then, once the word has gone out of her mouth, she will have obligated her soul by an oath.

8 On the day that her husband will hear of it, and yet not contradict it, she shall be liable to the vow, and she shall repay whatever she has promised.

9 But if, as soon as he hears it, he contradicts it, then he will have caused her promises, and the words by which she had bound her soul, to be null and void. The Lord will be favorable to her.

10 Widows and divorced women shall repay whatever they have vowed.

11 If a wife in the house of her husband has bound herself by a vow or an oath,

12 if her husband heard it and remained silent, and he did not contradict the promise, she shall repay what she had promised.

13 But if he promptly contradicts it, she shall not be held liable to the promise. For her husband has contradicted it. And the Lord will be favorable to her.

14 If she has vowed or bound herself by oath, in order to afflict her soul by fasting, or by abstaining from other things, it shall be for the arbitration of her husband, as to whether or not she may do it.

15 But if the husband, upon hearing it, remains silent, and he delays judgment until another day, whatever she had vowed or promised, she shall repay, because when he first heard it, he remained silent.

16 And if he contradicted it only sometime after he had known about it, he shall bear his iniquity.”

17 These are the laws which the Lord has appointed to Moses, between a husband and a wife, between a father and a daughter, who is still in the state of childhood or who remains in her father’s house.

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 31

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 “First, avenge the sons of Israel from the Midianites, and then you shall be gathered to your people.”

3 And immediately Moses said: “Arm the men among you for a battle, so that they may be able to fulfill the retribution of the Lord on the Midianites.

4 Let one thousand men be chosen from each tribe of Israel, who shall be sent to war.”

5 And they gave one thousand from each tribe, that is, twelve thousand foot soldiers for battle.

6 And Moses sent them with Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest; also, he delivered to him the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound.

7 And when they had fought against the Midianites and had prevailed, they killed all the men.

8 And they put to death by the sword their kings: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five leaders of the nation, and also Balaam the son of Beor.

9 And they seized their women and little ones, and all their cattle, and all their goods; whatever they were able to have, they despoiled.

10 Both their cities and their villages, as well as their fortresses, they burned.

11 And they carried away prey from everything that they had seized, both of men and of beasts.

12 And they led these to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to all the multitude of the sons of Israel. But the remainder of the articles they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, next to the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

13 Then Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the assembly went out to meet them beyond the camp.

14 And Moses, being angry with the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions, who had arrived from the battle,

15 said: “Why have you spared the females?

16 Are not these the ones who deceived the sons of Israel at the suggestion of Balaam, and who caused you betray the Lord by the sin of Peor, because of which the people also were struck down?

17 Therefore, put to death all of them: whatever is of the male sex, even among the little ones, and cut the throats of those women who have known men by sexual relations.

18 But the young girls, and all female virgins, reserve for yourselves.

19 And remain beyond the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed a man, or who has touched one that was killed, shall be purified on the third day and on the seventh day.

20 And all of the spoils, whether it is a garment, or a vessel, or another useful thing, made from the pelts or hair of goats, or from wood, shall be expiated.”

21 Likewise, Eleazar the priest spoke in this manner to the men of the army who had fought: “This is the precept of the law, which the Lord has commanded Moses:

22 Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin,

23 and all that may be able to pass through fire, shall be purified by fire. But whatever is not able to sustain fire shall be sanctified with the waters of expiation.

24 And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day, and, after having been purified, you shall enter the camp.”

25 And the Lord also said to Moses:

26 “Take the sum of those things which were captured, from man even to beast, you and Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the common people.

27 And you shall divide the prey equally, among those who went out to war and fought, and among the remainder of the multitude.

28 And you shall separate a portion for the Lord from the portion of those who fought and were in the battle: one soul out of five hundred, as much from humans, as from oxen and donkeys and sheep.

29 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, because these are the first-fruits of the Lord.

30 Likewise, from the half of the portion belonging to the sons of Israel, you shall receive the fiftieth head of humans, and of oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and of all living things, and you shall give these to the Levites who stand watch over the care of the tabernacle of the Lord.”

31 And Moses and Eleazar did just as the Lord had instructed.

32 Now the prey which the army had seized was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 seventy-two thousand oxen,

34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,

35 and thirty-two thousand human lives, of the female sex, who had not known men.

36 And one half of the portion was given to those who had been in the battle: three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep.

37 From these, for the portion of the Lord, there were accounted: six hundred seventy-five sheep;

38 and from the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen;

39 from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, sixty-one donkeys.

40 From the sixteen thousand human souls, there fell to the portion of the Lord thirty-two souls.

41 And Moses delivered the number of the first-fruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, just as had been commanded of him,

42 from the one half portion belonging to the sons of Israel, which he had separated from the portion of those who had been in the battle.

43 Yet truly, from the one half portion which fell to the remainder of the multitude, that is, from the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 and from the thirty-six thousand oxen,

45 and from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

46 and from the sixteen thousand persons,

47 Moses took the fiftieth head, and gave it to the Levites who stand watch at the tabernacle of the Lord, just as the Lord had instructed.

48 And when the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions had approached Moses, they said:

49 “We, your servants, have taken a census of the number of the fighting men, whom we had under our hand, and indeed not one was lacking.

50 For this reason, we offer as gifts to the Lord whatever gold each one was able to find amid the spoils, in anklets and arm bands, rings and bracelets, and little chains, so that you may intercede for us to the Lord.”

51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in its various kinds,

52 weighing sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels, from the tribunes and the centurions.

53 For whatever each one had taken away in the spoils was his own.

54 And having been accepted, they took it into the tabernacle of the testimony, as a memorial of the sons of Israel before the Lord.

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 32

1 Now the sons of Ruben and of Gad had many herds, and their substance in cattle was inestimable. And when they had seen that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for feeding animals,

2 they went to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the multitude, and they said:

3 “Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

4 the land, which the Lord has struck in the sight of the sons of Israel, is a very fertile region for pasturing animals. And we, your servants, have very many cattle.

5 And so we beseech you, if we have found favor before you, that you give it to us, your subjects, as a possession, and that you not cause us cross the Jordan.”

6 And Moses answered them: “Should your brothers go to battle, while you sit here?

7 Why do you subvert the minds of the sons of Israel, so that they might not dare to cross into the place which the Lord will give to them?

8 Did not your fathers act in the same way, when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land?

9 And when they had gone all the way to the Valley of the Cluster of Grapes, having viewed the entire region, they subverted the hearts of the sons of Israel, so that they would not enter into the parts that the Lord gave to them.

10 And being angry, the Lord swore an oath, saying:

11 ‘These men, who ascended out of Egypt, from twenty years and above, will not see the land, which I have promised under an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For they were not willing to follow me,

12 except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; these have fulfilled my will.’

13 And the Lord, being angry against Israel, led them in a course through the desert for forty years, until the entire generation, which had done evil in his sight, was consumed.

14 And behold,” he said, “you have risen up in the place of your fathers, the offshoots and the nurslings of sinful men, in order to augment the fury of the Lord against Israel.

15 But if you are not willing to follow him, he will leave the people behind in the wilderness, and you will have been the cause of all our deaths.”

16 But approaching closer, they said: “We will manufacture sheep pens and cattle stalls, as well as fortified cities, for our little ones.

17 But we ourselves will continue on, armed and girded for battle, before the sons of Israel, until we lead them to their places. Our little ones, and whatever we may be able to have, shall be in walled cities, because of the treachery of the inhabitants.

18 We will not return to our houses, even until the sons of Israel may possess their inheritance.

19 Neither will we seek anything across the Jordan, because we already have our possession on its eastern side.”

20 And Moses said to them: “If you accomplish what you have promised, you may go out, equipped for battle, before the Lord.

21 And let every fighting man cross over the Jordan, until the Lord overthrows his enemies,

22 and all the land is subjected to him. Then you will be guiltless with the Lord and with Israel, and you will obtain the regions which you desire before the Lord.

23 But if you do not do what you have said, no one could doubt that you will have sinned against God. And know this: your sin shall overtake you.

24 Therefore, build cities for your little ones, and pens and stables for your sheep and cattle; and fulfill what you have promised.”

25 And the sons of Gad and of Ruben said to Moses: “We are your servants, we shall do what you, our ruler, orders.

26 We will leave behind our little ones, and our wives, and the sheep and cattle, in the cities of Gilead.

27 And we, your servants, all well-equipped, will go forth to battle, just as you, our ruler, has spoken.”

28 Therefore, Moses instructed Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the princes of the families throughout the tribes of Israel, and he said to them:

29 “If the sons of Gad and the sons of Ruben cross over the Jordan with you, all armed for war before the Lord, and if the land becomes subject to you, give them Gilead as a possession.

30 But if they are not willing to cross with you, armed, into the land of Canaan, then let them receive places among you for their dwellings.”

31 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Ruben responded: “Just as the Lord has spoken to his servants, so shall we do.

32 We will go forth, armed, before the Lord into the land of Canaan; and we acknowledge that we have already received our possession across the Jordan.”

33 And so, Moses gave to the sons of Gad and of Ruben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, and their land with its surrounding cities.

34 Therefore, the sons of Gad built up Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

35 and Atroth and Shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,

36 and Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran, as fortified cities with pens for their cattle.

37 Yet truly, the sons of Ruben built up Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,

38 and Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names having been changed) and Sibmah, appointing names for the cities which they had built.

39 Moreover, the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, continued on within Gilead, and they devastated it, putting to death its inhabitant, the Amorite.

40 Therefore, Moses gave the land of Gilead to Machir, the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it.

41 But Jair, the son of Manasseh, went out and occupied its villages, which he called Havoth Jair, that is, the Villages of Jair.

42 Likewise, Nobah went forth and captured Kenath with its villages. And he called it by his own name, Nobah.

Categories
Numbers

Numbers 33

1 These are the lodging places of the sons of Israel, who departed from Egypt by their companies under the hand of Moses and Aaron,

2 which Moses wrote down according to the places of the encampments, which they changed upon the order of the Lord.

3 Thus the sons of Israel set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover, with an exalted hand, being seen by all the Egyptians.

4 And these were burying their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down (for so, too, did he carry out retribution against their gods).

5 And they made camp at Soccoth.

6 And from Soccoth they went to Etham, which is at the furthest limits of the wilderness.

7 Departing from there, they arrived opposite Pi-hahiroth, which looks out toward Baal-zephon, and they were encamped before Migdol.

8 And setting out from Pi-hahiroth, they crossed through the middle of the Sea into the wilderness. And having walked for three days through the desert of Etham, they made camp at Marah.

9 And setting out from Marah, they arrived at Elim, where there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees. And they set up camp there.

10 But departing from there also, they fixed their tents above the Red Sea. And setting out from the Red Sea,

11 they were encamped in the desert of Sin.

12 Departing from there, they went to Dophkah.

13 And setting out from Dophkah, they made camp at Alush.

14 And departing from Alush, they fixed their tents at Rephidim, where the people lacked water to drink.

15 And setting out from Rephidim, they camped in the desert of Sinai.

16 But departing also from the wilderness of the Sinai, they arrived at the Graves of Lust.

17 And setting out from the Graves of Lust, they were encamped at Hazeroth.

18 And from Hazeroth, they went to Rithmah.

19 And setting out from Rithmah, they made camp at Rimmon-perez.

20 And departing from there, they arrived at Libnah.

21 From Libnah, they made camp at Rissah.

22 And departing from Rissah, they went to Kehelathah.

23 Setting out from there, they were encamped at mount Shepher.

24 Departing from mount Shepher, they went to Haradah.

25 Continuing on from there, they made camp at Makheloth.

26 And setting out from Makheloth, they went to Tahath.

27 From Tahath, they made camp at Terah.

28 Departing from there, they pitched their tents at Mithkah.

29 And from Mithkah, they were encamped at Hashmonah.

30 And setting out from Hashmonah, they went to Moseroth.

31 And from Moseroth, they made camp at Bene-jaakan.

32 And setting out from Bene-jaakan, they went to mount Gidgad.

33 Setting out from there, they were encamped at Jotbathah.

34 And from Jotbathah, they went to Abronah.

35 And departing from Abronah, they made camp at Eziongeber.

36 Setting out from there, they went into the desert of Sin, which is Kadesh.

37 And departing from Kadesh, they encamped at mount Hor, at the furthermost limits of the land of Edom.

38 And Aaron the priest ascended onto mount Hor, by the order of the Lord. And there he died, in the fortieth year of the departure of the sons of Israel from Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month,

39 when he was one hundred twenty-three years old.

40 And king Arad the Canaanite, who lived toward the south, heard that the sons of Israel had arrived in the land of Canaan.

41 And setting out from mount Hor, they made camp at Zalmonah.

42 Departing from there, they went to Punon.

43 And setting out from Punon, they were encamped at Oboth.

44 And from Oboth, they went to Iye-abarim, which is at the borders of the Moabites.

45 And setting out from Iye-abarim, they fixed their tents at Dibon-gad.

46 Departing from there, they made camp at Almon-diblathaim.

47 And departing from Almon-diblathaim, they went to the mountains of Abarim, opposite Nebo.

48 And setting out from the mountains of Abarim, they crossed over to the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

49 And they made camp there, from Beth-jeshimoth all the way to Abel-shittim, in the level places of the Moabites,

50 where the Lord said to Moses:

51 “Instruct the sons of Israel, and say to them: When you will have crossed over the Jordan, entering into the land of Canaan,

52 destroy all the inhabitants of that land. Break their monuments, and shatter their statues, and lay waste to every exalted thing,

53 cleansing the land and living in it. For I have given it you as a possession,

54 which you shall divide among you by lot. To the greater number you shall give more, and to the lesser number, less. To each one, just as the lot shall fall, so shall the inheritance be distributed. The possession shall be divided by the tribes and families.

55 But if you are not willing to put to death the inhabitants of the land, those who remain shall be to you like spikes in your eyes and lances in your sides, and they shall be adversaries to you in the land of your habitation.

56 And whatever I had decided to do to them, I will do to you.”