Numbers 22:2-35:30

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Balaam Summoned. ² Now Balak, son of Zippor, saw all that Israel did to the Amorites, ³ and Moab feared the Israelites greatly because they were numerous. Moab was in dread of the Israelites. ⁴ So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this horde will devour everything around us as an ox devours the grass of the field.” At that time Balak, son of Zippor, was king of Moab; ⁵ and he sent messengers to Balaam, son of Beor, at Pethor on the river, in the land of the Ammonites,^[a] to summon him with these words, “A people has come out of Egypt! They have covered up the earth and are settling down opposite me! ⁶ Now come, curse this people for me,^[b] since they are stronger than I am. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed and whoever you curse is cursed.” ⁷ So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian, themselves experts in divination,^[c] left and went to Balaam, to whom they gave Balak’s message. ⁸ He said to them, “Stay here overnight, and I will give you whatever answer the Lord gives me.” So the princes of Moab lodged with Balaam.

⁹ Then God came to Balaam and said: Who are these men with you? ¹⁰ Balaam answered God, “Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me the message: ¹¹ ‘This people that has come out of Egypt has covered up the earth. Now come, lay a curse on them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight them and drive them out.’” ¹² But God said to Balaam: Do not go with them and do not curse this people, for they are blessed. ¹³ The next morning Balaam arose and told the princes of Balak, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” ¹⁴ So the princes of Moab went back to Balak with the report, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

Second Appeal to Balaam. ¹⁵ Balak yet again sent princes, who were more numerous and more distinguished than the others. ¹⁶ On coming to Balaam they told him, “Thus says Balak, son of Zippor: Please do not refuse to come to me. ¹⁷ I will reward you very handsomely and will do anything you ask of me. Come, lay a curse on this people for me.” ^18 (A)But Balaam replied to Balak’s servants, “Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, small or great, contrary to the command of the Lord, my God. ¹⁹ But, you too stay here overnight, so that I may learn what else the Lord may say to me.” ²⁰ That night God came to Balaam and said to him: If these men have come to summon you, go back with them; yet only on the condition that you do exactly as I tell you. ²¹ So the next morning when Balaam arose, he saddled his donkey,^[d] and went off with the princes of Moab.

The Talking Donkey. ²² But now God’s anger flared up^[e] at him for going, and the angel of the Lord took up a position on the road as his adversary. As Balaam was riding along on his donkey, accompanied by two of his servants, ²³ the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with sword drawn. The donkey turned off the road and went into the field, and Balaam beat the donkey to bring her back on the road. ²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow lane between vineyards with a stone wall on each side. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord there, she pressed against the wall; and since she squeezed Balaam’s leg against the wall, he beat her again. ²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord again went ahead, and stood next in a passage so narrow that there was no room to move either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord there, she lay down under Balaam. Balaam’s anger flared up and he beat the donkey with his stick.

^28 (B)Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you beat me these three times?” ²⁹ “You have acted so willfully against me,” said Balaam to the donkey, “that if I only had a sword at hand, I would kill you here and now.” ³⁰ But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have always ridden until now? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way before?” “No,” he replied.

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, so that he saw the angel of the Lord standing on the road with sword drawn; and he knelt and bowed down to the ground. ³² But the angel of the Lord said to him: “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come as an adversary because this rash journey of yours is against my will. ³³ When the donkey saw me, she turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, you are the one I would have killed, though I would have spared her.” ³⁴ Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. Yet I did not know that you took up a position to oppose my journey. Since it has displeased you, I will go back home.” ³⁵ But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam: “Go with the men; but you may say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at Ar-Moab on the border formed by the Arnon, at its most distant point. ³⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send an urgent summons to you? Why did you not come to me? Did you think I could not reward you?” ³⁸ Balaam answered Balak, “Well, I have come to you after all. But what power have I to say anything? I can speak only what God puts in my mouth.” ³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. ⁴⁰ Here Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent portions to Balaam and to the princes who were with him.

The First Oracle. ⁴¹ The next morning Balak took Balaam up on Bamoth-baal, and from there he could see some of the people.

Chapter 23

¹ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and here prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” ² So Balak did as Balaam had ordered, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ³ Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I go over there. Perhaps the Lord will meet me, and then I will tell you whatever he lets me see.” And so he went out on the barren height. ⁴ Then God met Balaam, and Balak said to him: “I have erected the seven altars, and have offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” ⁵ The Lord put an utterance in Balaam’s mouth, and said: Go back to Balak, and speak accordingly. ⁶ So he went back to Balak, who was still standing by his burnt offering together with all the princes of Moab. ⁷ Then Balaam recited his poem:

¹¹ “What have you done to me?” cried Balak to Balaam. “It was to lay a curse on my foes that I brought you here; but instead, you have blessed them!” ¹² Balaam replied, “Is it not what the Lord puts in my mouth that I take care to repeat?”

The Second Oracle. ¹³ Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place^[i] from which you can see them; but you will see only some, not all of them, and from there lay a curse on them for me.” ¹⁴ So he brought him to a lookout post on the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each of them. ¹⁵ Balaam then said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I seek a meeting over there.” ¹⁶ Then the Lord met Balaam, and, having put an utterance in his mouth, said to him: Return to Balak, and speak accordingly. ¹⁷ So he went to Balak, who was still standing by his burnt offering together with the princes of Moab. When Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?” ¹⁸ Balaam recited his poem:

²⁵ “Neither lay a curse on them nor bless them,” said Balak to Balaam. ²⁶ But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Everything the Lord tells me I must do’?”

The Third Oracle. ²⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me bring you to another place; perhaps God will approve of your laying a curse on them for me from there.” ²⁸ So he took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks Jeshimon. ²⁹ Balaam then said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here; and here prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.” ³⁰ And Balak did as Balaam had ordered, offering a bull and a ram on each altar.

Chapter 24

¹ Balaam, however, perceiving that the Lord was pleased to bless Israel, did not go aside as before to seek omens, but turned his gaze toward the wilderness. ² When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him, ³ and he recited his poem:

¹⁰ In a blaze of anger at Balaam, Balak clapped his hands^[n] and said to him, “It was to lay a curse on my foes that I summoned you here; yet three times now you have actually blessed them!^{(H) 11} Now flee to your home. I promised to reward you richly, but the Lord has withheld the reward from you!” ¹² Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not even tell the messengers whom you sent to me, ¹³ ‘Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I could not of my own accord do anything, good or evil, contrary to the command of the Lord’? Whatever the Lord says I must say.^(I)

The Fourth Oracle. ¹⁴ “But now that I am about to go to my own people, let me warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.” ¹⁵ Then he recited his poem:

²⁰ Upon seeing Amalek, Balaam recited his poem:

²¹ Upon seeing the Kenites,^[q] he recited his poem:

²³ Upon seeing^[s] [the Ishmaelites?] he recited his poem:

²⁵ Then Balaam set out on his journey home; and Balak also went his way.

Chapter 25

Worship of Baal of Peor. ¹ While Israel was living at Shittim,^[t] the people profaned themselves by prostituting themselves with the Moabite women.^{(L) 2} These then invited the people to the sacrifices of their god, and the people ate of the sacrifices^(M) and bowed down to their god. ³ Israel thereby attached itself to the Baal of Peor,^(N) and the Lord’s anger flared up against Israel. ^4 (O)The Lord said to Moses: Gather all the leaders of the people, and publicly execute them^[u] before the Lord, that the blazing wrath of the Lord may turn away from Israel. ⁵ So Moses told the Israelite judges, “Each of you kill those of his men who have attached themselves to the Baal of Peor.”^[v]

Zeal of Phinehas. ⁶ At this a certain Israelite came and brought in a Midianite woman^[w] to his kindred in the view of Moses and of the whole Israelite community, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ^7 (P)When Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he rose up from the assembly, and taking a spear in his hand, ⁸ followed the Israelite into the tent where he pierced the two of them, the Israelite and the woman. Thus the plague upon the Israelites was checked; ⁹ but the dead from the plague were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses: ¹¹ Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger from the Israelites by his being as jealous among them as I am; that is why I did not put an end to the Israelites in my jealousy.^{[x] 12 (Q)}Announce, therefore, that I hereby give him my covenant of peace,^{[y] 13} which shall be for him and for his descendants after him the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous on behalf of his God and thus made expiation for the Israelites.

^14 [z]The name of the slain Israelite, the one slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, son of Salu, prince of a Simeonite ancestral house. ¹⁵ The name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, who was head of a clan, an ancestral house, in Midian.

Vengeance on the Midianites. ^16 [aa]The Lord then said to Moses: ^17 (R)Treat the Midianites as enemies and strike them, ¹⁸ for they have been your enemies by the deceitful dealings they had with you regarding Peor and their kinswoman Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite prince, who was slain at the time of the plague because of Peor.

III. Second Census of a New Generation and Preparation to Enter the Promised Land

Chapter 26

The Second Census. ¹⁹ After the plague ¹ the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest: ² Take a census, by ancestral houses, throughout the community of the Israelites of all those of twenty years or more who are eligible for military service in Israel.^{(S) 3} So on the plains of Moab along the Jordan at Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest enrolled them, ⁴ those of twenty years or more, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt were as follows:^[ab]

^5 (T)Reuben, the firstborn of Israel. The descendants of Reuben by their clans were: through Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; through Pallu, the clan of the Palluites; ⁶ through Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; through Carmi, the clan of the Carmites. ⁷ These were the clans of the Reubenites, and those enrolled numbered forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.

⁸ From Pallu descended Eliab. ⁹ The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram^(U)—the same Dathan and Abiram, ones designated by the community, who contended with Moses and Aaron as part of Korah’s faction when they contended with the Lord. ¹⁰ The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with Korah, as a warning. The faction was destroyed when the fire consumed two hundred and fifty men. ¹¹ The descendants of Korah, however, did not die out.

¹² The descendants of Simeon by clans were: through Nemuel,^[ac] the clan of the Nemuelites; through Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; through Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites; ¹³ through Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; through Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites. ¹⁴ These were the clans of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred.

¹⁵ The descendants of Gad by clans were: through Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; through Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; through Shuni, the clan of the Shunites; ¹⁶ through Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; through Eri, the clan of the Erites; ¹⁷ through Arod, the clan of the Arodites; through Areli, the clan of the Arelites. ¹⁸ These were the clans of the descendants of Gad, of whom there were enrolled forty thousand five hundred.

¹⁹ The sons of Judah were Er and Onan. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.^{(V) 20} The descendants of Judah by their clans were: through Shelah, the clan of the Shelahites; through Perez, the clan of the Perezites; through Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites. ²¹ The descendants of Perez were: through Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; through Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites. ²² These were the clans of Judah, of whom there were enrolled seventy-six thousand five hundred.

²³ The descendants of Issachar by their clans were: through Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; through Puvah, the clan of the Puvahites; ²⁴ through Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; through Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites. ²⁵ These were the clans of Issachar, of whom there were enrolled sixty-four thousand three hundred.

²⁶ The descendants of Zebulun by their clans were: through Sered, the clan of the Seredites; through Elon, the clan of the Elonites; through Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites. ²⁷ These were the clans of the Zebulunites, of whom there were enrolled sixty thousand five hundred.

²⁸ The sons of Joseph were Manasseh and Ephraim. ²⁹ The descendants of Manasseh by clans were: through Machir, the clan of the Machirites. Now Machir begot Gilead: through Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites. ³⁰ The descendants of Gilead were: through Iezer, the clan of the Iezrites; through Helek, the clan of the Helekites; ³¹ through Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; through Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites; ³² through Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; through Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites. ^33 (W)As for Zelophehad, son of Hepher—he had no sons, but only daughters. The names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. ³⁴ These were the clans of Manasseh, and those enrolled numbered fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

³⁵ These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: through Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; through Becher, the clan of the Becherites; through Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites. ³⁶ These were the descendants of Shuthelah: through Eran, the clan of the Eranites. ³⁷ These were the clans of the Ephraimites, of whom there were enrolled thirty-two thousand five hundred.

These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.

³⁸ The descendants of Benjamin by their clans were: through Bela, the clan of the Belaites; through Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; through Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites; ³⁹ through Shupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; through Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites. ⁴⁰ The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: through Ard, the clan of the Ardites; through Naaman, the clan of the Naamites. ⁴¹ These were the descendants of Benjamin by their clans, of whom there were enrolled forty-five thousand six hundred.

⁴² These were the descendants of Dan by their clans: through Shuham the clan of the Shuhamites. These were the clans of Dan, ⁴³ of whom there were enrolled sixty-four thousand four hundred.

⁴⁴ The descendants of Asher by their clans were: through Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; through Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; through Beriah, the clan of the Beriites; ⁴⁵ through Heber, the clan of the Heberites; through Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites. ⁴⁶ The name of Asher’s daughter was Serah. ⁴⁷ These were the clans of the descendants of Asher, of whom there were enrolled fifty-three thousand four hundred.

⁴⁸ The descendants of Naphtali by their clans were: through Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; through Guni, the clan of the Gunites; ⁴⁹ through Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; through Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites. ⁵⁰ These were the clans of Naphtali, of whom there were enrolled forty-five thousand four hundred.

⁵¹ These were the Israelites who were enrolled: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.

Allotment of the Land.^{[ad] 52} The Lord said to Moses: ^53 (X)Among these the land shall be divided as their heritage in keeping with the number of people named. ^54 (Y)To a large tribe you shall assign a large heritage, to a small tribe a small heritage, each receiving its heritage in proportion to the number enrolled in it. ⁵⁵ But the land shall be divided by lot, all inheriting according to the lists of their ancestral tribes. ⁵⁶ As the lot falls the heritage of each tribe, large or small, will be assigned.

Census of the Levites. ⁵⁷ These were the Levites enrolled by clans: through Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; through Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; through Merari, the clan of the Merarites. ⁵⁸ These were clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites.^[ae]

Now Kohath begot Amram, ⁵⁹ whose wife was named Jochebed. She was the daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister. ⁶⁰ To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord. ⁶² The Levites enrolled were twenty-three thousand, every male one month or more of age.^(Z) They were not enrolled with the other Israelites, however, for no heritage was given them among the Israelites.

⁶³ These, then, were those enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the priest, when they enrolled the Israelites on the plains of Moab along the Jordan at Jericho. ⁶⁴ Among them there was not one of those who had been enrolled by Moses and Aaron the priest, when they enrolled the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai. ^65 (AA)For the Lord had told them that they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun.

Chapter 27

Zelophehad’s Daughters. ¹ The daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, came forward. (Zelophehad belonged to the clans of Manasseh, son of Joseph.) The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.^{(AB) 2} Standing before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the princes, and the whole community at the entrance of the tent of meeting, they said: ³ “Our father died in the wilderness. Although he did not join the faction of those who conspired against the Lord,^[af] Korah’s faction, he died for his own sin without leaving any sons. ⁴ But why should our father’s name be cut off from his clan merely because he had no son? Give us land among our father’s kindred.”

Laws Concerning Heiresses.^{[ag] 5} So Moses laid their case before the Lord, ⁶ and the Lord said to him: ⁷ The plea of Zelophehad’s daughters is just; you shall give them hereditary land among their father’s kindred and transfer their father’s heritage to them. ⁸ Tell the Israelites: If a man dies without leaving a son, you shall transfer his heritage to his daughter; ⁹ if he has no daughter, you shall give his heritage to his brothers; ¹⁰ if he has no brothers, you shall give his heritage to his father’s brothers; ¹¹ if his father had no brothers, you shall give his heritage to his nearest relative in his clan, who shall then take possession of it.

This will be the statutory procedure for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.^(AC)

Joshua to Succeed Moses. ¹² The Lord said to Moses: Go up into this mountain of the Abarim range^[ah] and view the land that I have given to the Israelites.^{(AD) 13} When you have viewed it, you will be gathered to your people, as was Aaron your brother.^{(AE) 14} For in the rebellion of the community in the wilderness of Zin you both rebelled against my order to acknowledge my holiness before them by means of the water.^(AF) (These were the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵ Then Moses said to the Lord, ¹⁶ “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all humanity,^[ai] set over the community someone ¹⁷ who will be their leader in battle and who will lead them out and bring them in, that the Lord’s community may not be like sheep without a shepherd.” ¹⁸ And the Lord replied to Moses: Take Joshua, son of Nun,^(AG) a man of spirit,^[aj] and lay your hand upon him. ¹⁹ Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole community, and commission him in their sight. ²⁰ Invest him with some of your own power, that the whole Israelite community may obey him. ²¹ He shall present himself to Eleazar the priest, who will seek for him the decision of the Urim^[ak] in the Lord’s presence; and as it directs, Joshua, all the Israelites with him, and the whole community will go out for battle; and as it directs, they will come in.

²² Moses did as the Lord had commanded him. Taking Joshua and having him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole community, ²³ he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord had directed through Moses.

Chapter 28

General Sacrifices. ¹ The Lord said to Moses: ² Give the Israelites this commandment: At their prescribed times, you will be careful to present to me the food offerings that are due me, oblations of pleasing aroma to me.

Each Morning and Evening. ^3 (AH)You will tell them therefore: This is the oblation which you will offer to the Lord: two unblemished yearling lambs each day as the regular burnt offering,^{[al] 4} offering one lamb in the morning and the other during the evening twilight, ⁵ each with a grain offering of one tenth of an ephah of bran flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of oil of crushed olives.^{[am] 6} This is the regular burnt offering that was made at Mount Sinai for a pleasing aroma, an oblation to the Lord. ⁷ And as the libation for the first lamb, you will make a libation to the Lord in the sanctuary^[an] of a fourth of a hin of strong drink. ⁸ The other lamb you will offer during the evening twilight, making the same grain offering and the same libation as in the morning, as an oblation of pleasing aroma to the Lord.

On the Sabbath. ⁹ On the sabbath day: two unblemished yearling lambs, with a grain offering of two tenths of an ephah of bran flour mixed with oil, and its libation. ¹⁰ This is the sabbath burnt offering each sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its libation.

At the New Moon Feast. ¹¹ On your new moons^[ao] you will offer as a burnt offering to the Lord two bulls of the herd, one ram, and seven unblemished yearling lambs, ¹² with three tenths of an ephah of bran flour mixed with oil as the grain offering for each bull, two tenths of an ephah of bran flour mixed with oil as the grain offering for the ram, ¹³ and one tenth of an ephah of bran flour mixed with oil as the grain offering for each lamb, a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, an oblation to the Lord. ¹⁴ Their libations will consist of a half a hin of wine for each bull, a third of a hin for the ram, and a fourth of a hin for each lamb. This is the burnt offering for the new moon, for every new moon through the months of the year. ¹⁵ Moreover, there will be one goat for a purification offering to the Lord; it will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offering and its libation.

At the Passover. ¹⁶ The fourteenth day^[ap] of the first month is the Passover of the Lord,^{(AI) 17} and the fifteenth day of this month is the pilgrimage feast. For seven days unleavened bread is to be eaten. ¹⁸ On the first day you will declare a holy day, and you shall do no heavy work.^{[aq](AJ) 19} You will offer an oblation, a burnt offering to the Lord: two bulls of the herd, one ram, and seven yearling lambs that you are sure are unblemished. ²⁰ Their grain offerings will be of bran flour mixed with oil; you will offer three tenths of an ephah for each bull and two tenths for the ram. ²¹ You will offer one tenth for each of the seven lambs; ²² and one goat as a purification offering to make atonement for yourselves. ²³ These offerings you will make in addition to the morning burnt offering which is part of the regular burnt offering. ²⁴ You will make exactly the same offerings each day for seven days as food offerings, oblations of pleasing aroma to the Lord; they will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offering with its libation. ²⁵ On the seventh day you will declare a holy day: you shall do no heavy work.^(AK)

At Pentecost. ²⁶ On the day of first fruits,^[ar] on your feast of Weeks,^(AL) when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain, you will declare a holy day: you shall do no heavy work. ²⁷ You will offer burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord: two bulls of the herd, one ram, and seven yearling lambs that you are sure are unblemished. ²⁸ Their grain offerings will be of bran flour mixed with oil: three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths for the ram, ²⁹ and one tenth for each of the seven lambs. ³⁰ One goat will be for a purification offering to make atonement for yourselves. ³¹ You will make these offerings, together with their libations, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering.

Chapter 29

On New Year’s Day. ¹ In the seventh month on the first day^[as] you will declare a holy day, and do no heavy work; it shall be a day on which you sound the trumpet.^{(AM) 2} You will offer a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull of the herd, one ram, and seven unblemished yearling lambs. ³ Their grain offerings will be of bran flour mixed with oil: three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the ram, ⁴ and one tenth for each of the seven lambs. ⁵ One goat will be a purification offering to make atonement for yourselves. ⁶ These are in addition to the burnt offering for the new moon with its grain offering, and in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, together with the libations prescribed for them, for a pleasing aroma, an oblation to the Lord.

On the Day of Atonement. ⁷ On the tenth day of this seventh month^[at] you will declare a holy day, humble yourselves, and do no sort of work.^{(AN) 8} You will offer a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma: one bull of the herd, one ram, and seven yearling lambs that you are sure are unblemished. ⁹ Their grain offerings of bran flour mixed with oil: three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the one ram, ¹⁰ and one tenth for each of the seven lambs. ¹¹ One goat will be a purification offering. These are in addition to the purification offering for purging,^[au] the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their libations.

On the Feast of Booths. ^12 [av]On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you will declare a holy day:^(AO) you shall do no heavy work. For the following seven days you will celebrate a pilgrimage feast to the Lord. ¹³ You will offer a burnt offering, an oblation of pleasing aroma to the Lord: thirteen bulls^[aw] of the herd, two rams, and fourteen yearling lambs that are unblemished. ¹⁴ Their grain offerings will be of bran flour mixed with oil: three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, ¹⁵ and one tenth for each of the fourteen lambs. ¹⁶ One goat will be a purification offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and libation.

¹⁷ On the second day: twelve bulls of the herd, two rams, and fourteen unblemished yearling lambs, ¹⁸ with the grain offerings and libations for the bulls, rams and lambs in their prescribed number, ¹⁹ as well as one goat as a purification offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and libation.

²⁰ On the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen unblemished yearling lambs, ²¹ with the grain offerings and libations for the bulls, rams and lambs in their prescribed number, ²² as well as one goat for a purification offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and libation.

²³ On the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen unblemished yearling lambs, ²⁴ the grain offerings and libations for the bulls, rams and lambs in their prescribed number, ²⁵ as well as one goat as a purification offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and libation.

²⁶ On the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen unblemished yearling lambs, ^27 (AP)with the grain offerings and libations for the bulls, rams and lambs in their prescribed number, ²⁸ as well as one goat as a purification offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and libation.

²⁹ On the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen unblemished yearling lambs, ³⁰ with the grain offerings and libations for the bulls, rams and lambs in their prescribed number, ³¹ as well as one goat as a purification offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and libation.

³² On the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen unblemished yearling lambs, ³³ with the grain offerings and libations for the bulls, rams and lambs in their prescribed number, ³⁴ as well as one goat as a purification offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and libation.

³⁵ On the eighth day^(AQ) you will hold a public assembly:^[ax] you shall do no heavy work. ³⁶ You will offer a burnt offering, an oblation of pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull, one ram, and seven unblemished yearling lambs, ³⁷ with the grain offerings and libations for the bulls, rams and lambs in their prescribed number, ³⁸ as well as one goat as a purification offering, besides the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and libation.

³⁹ These are the offerings you will make to the Lord on your festivals, besides your votive or voluntary offerings of burnt offerings, grain offerings, libations, and communion offerings.

Chapter 30

¹ So Moses instructed the Israelites exactly as the Lord had commanded him.

Validity and Annulment of Vows. ² Moses said to the heads of the Israelite tribes, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ³ When a man makes a vow to the Lord or binds himself under oath to a pledge,^[ay] he shall not violate his word, but must fulfill exactly the promise he has uttered.^(AR)

⁴ “When a woman makes a vow to the Lord, or binds herself to a pledge, while still in her father’s house in her youth, ⁵ and her father learns of her vow or the pledge to which she bound herself and says nothing to her about it, then any vow or any pledge to which she bound herself remains valid. ⁶ But if on the day he learns of it her father opposes her, then any vow or any pledge to which she bound herself becomes invalid; and the Lord will release her from it, since her father opposed her.

⁷ “If she marries while under a vow or under a rash pledge to which she bound herself, ⁸ and her husband learns of it, yet says nothing to her on the day he learns it, then the vows or the pledges to which she bound herself remain valid. ⁹ But if on the day her husband learns of it he opposes her, he thereby annuls the vow she had made or the rash pledge to which she had bound herself, and the Lord will release her from it. ¹⁰ (The vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, however, any pledge to which such a woman binds herself, is valid.)

¹¹ “If it is in her husband’s house^[az] that she makes a vow or binds herself under oath to a pledge, ¹² and her husband learns of it yet says nothing to her to oppose her, then all her vows remain valid or any pledge to which she has bound herself. ¹³ But if on the day he learns of them her husband annuls them, then whatever she has expressly promised in her vows or in her pledge becomes invalid; since her husband has annulled them, the Lord will release her from them.

¹⁴ “Any vow or any pledge that she makes under oath to humble herself, her husband may either confirm or annul. ¹⁵ But if her husband, day after day, says nothing at all to her, he thereby confirms all her vows or all the pledges incumbent upon her; he has confirmed them, because on the day he learned of them he said nothing to her. ¹⁶ If, however, he annuls them^[ba] some time after he first learned of them, he will be responsible for her guilt.”

¹⁷ These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses concerning a husband and his wife, as well as a father and his daughter while she is still in her youth in her father’s house.

Chapter 31

Campaign Against the Midianites. ¹ The Lord said to Moses:^{[bb] 2} Avenge the Israelites on the Midianites, and then you will be gathered to your people. ³ So Moses told the people, “Arm some men among you for the campaign, to attack Midian and to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. ⁴ From each of the tribes of Israel you will send a thousand men to the campaign.” ⁵ From the contingents of Israel, therefore, a thousand men of each tribe were levied, so that there were twelve thousand men armed for war. ⁶ Moses sent them out on the campaign, a thousand from each tribe, with Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest for the campaign, who had with him the sacred vessels and the trumpets for sounding the alarm. ⁷ They waged war against the Midianites, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male. ⁸ Besides those slain in battle, they killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian;^[bc] and they also killed Balaam, son of Beor, with the sword. ⁹ But the Israelites took captive the women of the Midianites with their children, and all their herds and flocks and wealth as loot, ¹⁰ while they set on fire all the towns where they had settled and all their encampments. ¹¹ Then they took all the plunder, with the people and animals they had captured, and brought the captives, together with the spoils and plunder, ¹² to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the Israelite community at their camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

Treatment of the Captives. ¹³ When Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the leaders of the community, went outside the camp to meet them, ¹⁴ Moses became angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign. ¹⁵ “So you have spared all the women!” he exclaimed. ¹⁶ “These are the very ones who on Balaam’s advice were behind the Israelites’ unfaithfulness to the Lord in the affair at Peor,^(AS) so that plague struck the Lord’s community. ^17 [bd]Now kill, therefore, every male among the children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man. ¹⁸ But you may spare for yourselves all the girls who have not had sexual relations.

Purification After Combat. ¹⁹ “Moreover, remain outside the camp for seven days; every one of you who has killed anyone or touched someone killed will purify yourselves on the third and on the seventh day—both you and your captives. ²⁰ You will also purify every garment, every article of leather, everything made of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”

²¹ Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had taken part in the battle: “This is the prescribed ritual which the Lord has commanded Moses: ²² gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead— ²³ whatever can stand fire—you shall put into the fire, that it may become clean; however, it must also be purified with water of purification.^[be] But whatever cannot stand fire you must put into the water. ²⁴ On the seventh day you will wash your garments, and then you will again be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

Division of the Spoils. ²⁵ The Lord said to Moses: ²⁶ With the help of Eleazar the priest and of the heads of the ancestral houses of the community, inventory all the spoils captured, human being and beast alike; ²⁷ then divide the spoils^[bf] between the warriors who went on the campaign and the whole community. ²⁸ You will levy a tax for the Lord on the soldiers who went on the campaign: one out of every five hundred persons, oxen, donkeys, and sheep. ²⁹ From their half you will take it and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. ³⁰ From the Israelites’ half you will take one captive from every fifty human beings, oxen, donkeys, and sheep—all the animals—and give them to the Levites, who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle. ³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did this, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Amount of the Plunder. ³² This plunder, what was left of the loot which the troops had taken, amounted to six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, ³³ seventy-two thousand oxen, ³⁴ sixty-one thousand donkeys, ³⁵ and thirty-two thousand women who had not had sexual relations.

³⁶ The half-share that fell to those who had gone out on the campaign was in number: three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, ³⁷ of which six hundred and seventy-five fell as tax to the Lord; ³⁸ thirty-six thousand oxen, of which seventy-two fell as tax to the Lord; ³⁹ thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, of which sixty-one fell as tax to the Lord; ⁴⁰ and sixteen thousand persons, of whom thirty-two persons fell as tax to the Lord. ⁴¹ Moses gave the taxes contributed to the Lord to Eleazar the priest, exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁴² As for the Israelites’ half, which Moses had taken from the men who had fought— ⁴³ the community’s half was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, ⁴⁴ thirty-six thousand oxen, ⁴⁵ thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, ⁴⁶ and sixteen thousand persons. ⁴⁷ From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one captive from every fifty, from human being and beast alike, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Gifts of the Officers. ⁴⁸ Then those who were officers over the contingents of the army, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, came up to Moses ⁴⁹ and said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing. ^50 [bg]So, we have brought as an offering to the Lord articles of gold that each of us has picked up—anklets, bracelets, rings, earrings, or pendants—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” ⁵¹ Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from them, all fashioned pieces. ⁵² The gold that was given as a contribution to the Lord—from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds—amounted in all to sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. ⁵³ What the common soldiers had looted each one kept for himself.^{[bh] 54} So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and put it in the tent of meeting as a reminder on behalf of the Israelites before the Lord.

Chapter 32

Request of Gad and Reuben. ¹ Now the Reubenites and Gadites had a very large number of livestock. Noticing that the land of Jazer and of Gilead^[bi] was a place suited to livestock, ² the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community and said, ^3 [bj]“The region of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Baal-meon— ⁴ the land which the Lord has laid low before the community of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” ⁵ They continued, “If we find favor with you, let this land be given to your servants as their possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

Moses’ Rebuke. ⁶ But Moses answered the Gadites and Reubenites: “Are your kindred, then, to go to war, while you remain here? ⁷ Why do you wish to discourage the Israelites from crossing to the land the Lord has given them? ⁸ That is just what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to reconnoiter the land.^{(AT) 9} They went up to the Wadi Eshcol and reconnoitered the land, then so discouraged the Israelites that they would not enter the land the Lord had given them. ^10 (AU)At that time the anger of the Lord flared up, and he swore: ¹¹ None of the men twenty years old or more who have come up from Egypt will see the land I promised under oath to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, because they have not followed me unreservedly— ^12 (AV)except the Kenizzite^[bk] Caleb, son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua, son of Nun, since they have followed the Lord unreservedly. ¹³ So the anger of the Lord flared up against the Israelites and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord had disappeared. ¹⁴ And now here you are, offspring of sinful stock, rising up in your ancestors’ place to add still more to the Lord’s blazing anger against the Israelites. ¹⁵ If you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will bring about the ruin of this entire people.”

Counter Proposal. ¹⁶ But they approached him and said: “We will only build sheepfolds here for our flocks and towns for our families; ¹⁷ but we ourselves will march as troops in the vanguard before the Israelites,^(AW) until we have led them to their destination. Meanwhile our families will remain in the fortified towns because of the land’s inhabitants. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until all the Israelites have taken possession of their heritage. ^19 (AX)But we will not claim any heritage with them across the Jordan and beyond, because we have received a heritage for ourselves on the eastern side of the Jordan.”

Agreement Reached. ^20 [bl]Moses said to them in reply: “If you do this—if you march as troops before the Lord into battle ²¹ and cross the Jordan in full force before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out of his way ²² and the land is subdued before the Lord, then you may return here, free from every obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and this land will be your possession before the Lord.^{(AY) 23} But if you do not do this, you will have sinned against the Lord, and you can be sure that the consequences of your sin will overtake you. ²⁴ Build the towns, then, for your families, and the folds for your flocks, but fulfill what you have promised.”

²⁵ The Gadites and Reubenites answered Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. ^26 (AZ)While our wives and children, our livestock and other animals remain there in the towns of Gilead, ²⁷ all your servants will go across as armed troops before the Lord to battle, just as my lord says.”

²⁸ So Moses gave this command in their regard to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua, son of Nun, and to the heads of the ancestral houses of the Israelite tribes: ²⁹ He said to them, “If all the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you in full force before the Lord into battle, the land will be subdued before you, and you will give them Gilead as a possession. ³⁰ But if they will not go across in force with you before the Lord, you will bring their wives and children and livestock across before you into Canaan, and they will possess a holding among you in the land of Canaan.”

³¹ To this the Gadites and Reubenites replied, “We will do what the Lord has ordered your servants. ³² We ourselves will go across in force before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but we will retain our hereditary property on this side of the Jordan.”^{[bm] 33} So Moses gave them—^[bn]the Gadites and Reubenites, as well as half the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph—the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, the land with its towns, and the districts of the surrounding towns.^(BA)

³⁴ The Gadites rebuilt the cities of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran—fortified cities—and sheepfolds. ³⁷ The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸ Nebo, Baal-meon (names to be changed!),^[bo] and Sibmah. These towns, which they rebuilt, they called by their old names.

Other Conquests. ³⁹ The descendants of Machir, son of Manasseh, went to Gilead and captured it, dispossessing the Amorites who were there. ⁴⁰ (Moses gave Gilead to Machir,^(BB) son of Manasseh, and he settled there.) ⁴¹ Jair,^(BC) a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their tent villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.^{[bp] 42} Nobah went and captured Kenath with its dependencies and called it Nobah after his own name.

Chapter 33

Stages of the Journey. ¹ The following are the stages by which the Israelites went out by companies from the land of Egypt under the guidance of Moses and Aaron.^{[bq] 2} Moses recorded the starting points of the various stages at the direction of the Lord. These are the stages according to their starting points: ³ They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover the Israelites went forth in triumph, in view of all Egypt, ⁴ while the Egyptians buried those whom the Lord had struck down, every firstborn; on their gods, too, the Lord executed judgments.^(BD)

From Egypt to Sinai. ⁵ Setting out from Rameses, the Israelites camped at Succoth. ⁶ Setting out from Succoth, they camped at Etham near the edge of the wilderness. ⁷ Setting out from Etham, they turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped opposite Migdol.^{(BE) 8} Setting out from Pi-hahiroth, they crossed over through the sea into the wilderness,^(BF) and after they traveled a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, they camped at Marah. ⁹ Setting out from Marah, they came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.^{(BG) 10} Setting out from Elim, they camped beside the Red Sea. ¹¹ Setting out from the Red Sea, they camped in the wilderness of Sin. ¹² Setting out from the wilderness of Sin, they camped at Dophkah. ¹³ Setting out from Dophkah, they camped at Alush. ¹⁴ Setting out from Alush, they camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.^{(BH) 15} Setting out from Rephidim, they camped in the wilderness of Sinai.^(BI)

From Sinai to Kadesh. ¹⁶ Setting out from the wilderness of Sinai, they camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. ¹⁷ Setting out from Kibroth-hattaavah, they camped at Hazeroth.^{(BJ) 18} Setting out from Hazeroth, they camped at Rithmah. ¹⁹ Setting out from Rithmah, they camped at Rimmon-perez. ²⁰ Setting out from Rimmon-perez, they camped at Libnah. ²¹ Setting out from Libnah, they camped at Rissah. ²² Setting out from Rissah, they camped at Kehelathah. ²³ Setting out from Kehelathah, they camped at Mount Shepher. ²⁴ Setting out from Mount Shepher, they camped at Haradah. ²⁵ Setting out from Haradah, they camped at Makheloth. ²⁶ Setting out from Makheloth, they camped at Tahath. ²⁷ Setting out from Tahath, they camped at Terah. ²⁸ Setting out from Terah, they camped at Mithkah. ²⁹ Setting out from Mithkah, they camped at Hashmonah. ^30 [br]Setting out from Hashmonah, they camped at Moseroth. ³¹ Setting out from Moseroth, they camped at Bene-jaakan. ³² Setting out from Bene-jaakan, they camped at Mount Gidgad. ³³ Setting out from Mount Gidgad, they camped at Jotbathah. ³⁴ Setting out from Jotbathah, they camped at Abronah. ³⁵ Setting out from Abronah, they camped at Ezion-geber.^{[bs] 36} Setting out from Ezion-geber, they camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is, Kadesh.^(BK)

From Kadesh to the Plains of Moab. ³⁷ Setting out from Kadesh, they camped at Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom.

³⁸ Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor^(BL) at the Lord’s direction, and there he died in the fortieth year after the departure of the Israelites from the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. ³⁹ Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

^40 [bt]When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who ruled over the Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming….

^41 [bu]Setting out from Mount Hor, they camped at Zalmonah. ⁴² Setting out from Zalmonah, they camped at Punon. ⁴³ Setting out from Punon, they camped at Oboth. ⁴⁴ Setting out from Oboth, they camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab. ⁴⁵ Setting out from Iye-abarim, they camped at Dibon-gad. ⁴⁶ Setting out from Dibon-gad, they camped at Almon-diblathaim. ⁴⁷ Setting out from Almon-diblathaim, they camped in the Abarim range opposite Nebo. ⁴⁸ Setting out from the Abarim range, they camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho. ⁴⁹ They camped by the Jordan on the plains of Moab extended from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.

Conquest and Division of Canaan. ⁵⁰ The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho: ⁵¹ Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you go across the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ⁵² dispossess all the inhabitants of the land before you; destroy all their stone figures, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.^(BM)

⁵³ You will take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. ⁵⁴ You will apportion the land among yourselves by lot, clan by clan, assigning a large heritage to a large clan and a small heritage to a small clan.^(BN) Wherever anyone’s lot falls, there will his possession be; you will apportion these shares within your ancestral tribe.

⁵⁵ But if you do not dispossess the inhabitants of the land before you, those whom you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land where you live,^{(BO) 56} and I will treat you as I had intended to treat them.

Chapter 34

The Boundaries. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ² Give the Israelites this order: When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the territory that shall fall to you as your heritage—the land of Canaan with its boundaries:

³ Your southern boundary will be at the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom;^(BP) on the east your southern boundary will begin at the end of the Salt Sea. ⁴ Then your boundary will turn south of the Akrabbim Pass and cross Zin. Terminating south of Kadesh-barnea, it extends to Hazar-addar and crosses to Azmon.^{(BQ) 5} Then the boundary will turn from Azmon to the Wadi of Egypt and terminate at the Sea.^(BR)

⁶ For your western boundary you will have the Great Sea^[bv] with its coast; this will be your western boundary.

⁷ This will be your boundary on the north: from the Great Sea you will draw a line to Mount Hor,^{[bw] 8} and draw it from Mount Hor to Lebo-hamath, with the boundary terminating at Zedad. ⁹ Then the boundary extends to Ziphron and terminates at Hazar-enan. This will be your northern boundary.

¹⁰ For your eastern boundary you will draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham. ¹¹ From Shepham the boundary will go down to Riblah, east of Ain, and descending further, the boundary will strike the ridge on the east side of the Sea of Chinnereth;^{[bx] 12} then the boundary will descend along the Jordan and terminate with the Salt Sea.

This will be your land, with the boundaries that surround it.

¹³ Moses also gave this order to the Israelites: “This is the land, to be apportioned among you by lot, which the Lord has commanded to be given to the nine and a half tribes. ¹⁴ For the tribe of the Reubenites according to their ancestral houses, and the tribe of the Gadites according to their ancestral houses, as well as half of the tribe of Manasseh, have already received their heritage; ¹⁵ these two and a half tribes have received their heritage across the Jordan opposite Jericho, in the east, toward the sunrise.”

Supervisors of the Allotment. ¹⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁷ These are the names of the men who shall apportion the land among you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua, son of Nun; ^18 (BS)and you will designate one leader from each of the tribes to apportion the land. ¹⁹ These are the names of the men:

Chapter 35

Cities for the Levites. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho: ^2 (BT)Command the Israelites out of the heritage they possess to give the Levites cities to dwell in; you will also give the Levites the pasture lands around the cities. ³ The cities will be for them to dwell in, and the pasture lands will be for their cattle, their flocks, and all their other animals. ⁴ The pasture lands of the cities to be assigned the Levites shall extend a thousand cubits out from the city walls in every direction. ⁵ You will measure out two thousand cubits outside the city along the east side, two thousand cubits along the south side, two thousand cubits along the west side, and two thousand cubits along the north side, with the city lying in the center. These will be the pasture lands of their cities.

^6 (BU)Now these are the cities you will give to the Levites: the six cities of asylum which you must establish for the homicide to run to, and in addition forty-two other cities— ⁷ a total of forty-eight cities with their pasture lands which you will assign to the Levites. ^8 [by]In assigning the cities from what the Israelites possess, take more from a larger group and fewer from a smaller one, so that each will cede cities to the Levites in proportion to the heritage which it receives.

Cities of Asylum. ^9 (BV)The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁰ Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you go across the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ¹¹ select for yourselves cities to serve as cities of asylum, where a homicide who has killed someone inadvertently may flee. ¹² These cities will serve you as places of asylum from the avenger of blood,^[bz] so that a homicide will not be put to death until tried before the community. ¹³ As for the cities you assign, you will have six cities of asylum: ¹⁴ you will designate three cities beyond the Jordan, and you will designate three cities in the land of Canaan. These will be cities of asylum. ¹⁵ These six cities will serve as places of asylum for the Israelites, and for the resident or transient aliens among them, so that anyone who has killed a person inadvertently may flee there.

Murder and Manslaughter. ^16 [ca]If someone strikes another with an iron instrument and causes death, that person is a murderer, and the murderer must be put to death.^{(BW) 17} If someone strikes another with a death-dealing stone in the hand and death results, that person is a murderer, and the murderer must be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if someone strikes another with a death-dealing club in the hand and death results, that person is a murderer, and the murderer must be put to death. ¹⁹ The avenger of blood is the one who will kill the murderer, putting the individual to death on sight.

²⁰ If someone pushes another out of hatred, or throws something from an ambush, and death results,^{(BX) 21} or strikes another with the hand out of enmity and death results, the assailant must be put to death as a murderer. The avenger of blood will kill the murderer on sight.

^22 (BY)However, if someone pushes another without malice aforethought, or without lying in ambush throws some object at another, ²³ or without seeing drops upon another some death-dealing stone and death results, although there was neither enmity nor malice— ²⁴ then the community will judge between the assailant and the avenger of blood in accordance with these norms. ²⁵ The community will deliver the homicide from the avenger of blood and the community will return the homicide to the city of asylum where the latter had fled;^(BZ) and the individual will stay there until the death of the high priest who has been anointed with sacred oil. ²⁶ If the homicide leaves at all the bounds of the city of asylum to which flight had been made, ²⁷ and is found by the avenger of blood beyond the bounds of the city of asylum, and the avenger of blood kills the homicide, the avenger incurs no bloodguilt; ²⁸ for the homicide was required to stay in the city of asylum until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may the homicide return to the land of the homicide’s possession.

²⁹ This is the statute for you throughout all your generations, wherever you live, for rendering judgment.

Judgment. ³⁰ Whenever someone kills another, the evidence of witnesses is required to kill the murderer.^(CA) A single witness does not suffice for putting a person to death.