Laws for Purification

19 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, (A)and on which a yoke has never come. And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and (B)it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and (C)sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. (D)Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. And the priest shall take (E)cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. Then the priest (F)shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. (G)The one who burns the heifer (H)shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. And a man who is clean shall gather up (I)the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a (J)clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for (K)impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer (L)shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.

11 (M)“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12 He (N)shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. 13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, (O)defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, (P)and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.

14 “This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days. 15 And every (Q)open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean. 16 (R)Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a (S)grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 For the unclean they shall take (T)some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh[a] water shall be added in a vessel. 18 Then a clean person shall take (U)hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean (V)on the third day and on the seventh day. (W)Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall (X)wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.

20 “If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, (Y)that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean. 21 And it shall be a statute forever for them. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22 And (Z)whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”

The Death of Miriam

20 And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came (AA)into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And (AB)Miriam died there and was buried there.

The Waters of Meribah

(AC)Now there was no water for the congregation. (AD)And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people (AE)quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished (AF)when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And (AG)why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and (AH)fell on their faces. (AI)And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (AJ)“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So (AK)you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff (AL)from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

Moses Strikes the Rock

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, (AM)“Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, (AN)and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because (AO)you did not believe in me, (AP)to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 (AQ)These are the waters of Meribah,[b] where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.

Edom Refuses Passage

14 (AR)Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to (AS)the king of Edom: “Thus says (AT)your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: 15 (AU)how our fathers went down to Egypt, (AV)and we lived in Egypt a long time. (AW)And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. 16 And (AX)when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and (AY)sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. 17 (AZ)Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, (BA)or drink water from a well. We will go along the King's Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.” 18 But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.” 19 And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, (BB)and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, (BC)then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20 But he said, (BD)“You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. 21 Thus Edom (BE)refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel (BF)turned away from him.

The Death of Aaron

22 And they journeyed from (BG)Kadesh, and the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came to (BH)Mount Hor. 23 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, 24 (BI)“Let Aaron be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel, because (BJ)you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor. 26 And strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron (BK)shall be gathered to his people and shall die there.” 27 Moses did as the Lord commanded. And they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 (BL)And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there (BM)on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, (BN)all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Arad Destroyed

21 When (BO)the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in (BP)the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. (BQ)And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.”[c] And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called (BR)Hormah.[d]

The Bronze Serpent

From Mount Hor (BS)they set out by the way to the Red Sea, (BT)to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people (BU)spoke against God and against Moses, (BV)“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and (BW)we loathe this worthless food.” (BX)Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and (BY)they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. (BZ)And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. (CA)Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So (CB)Moses made a bronze[e] serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

The Song of the Well

10 And the people of Israel set out and (CC)camped in Oboth. 11 (CD)And they set out from Oboth and (CE)camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 From there they set out and camped in (CF)the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the (CG)Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,

“Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15 and the slope of the valleys
that extends to the seat of (CH)Ar,
and leans to the border of Moab.”

16 And from there they continued (CI)to Beer;[f] that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so that (CJ)I may give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:

“Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!—
18 the well that the princes made,
that the nobles of the people dug,
with (CK)the scepter and with their staffs.”

And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah (CL)that looks down on the desert.[g]

King Sihon Defeated

21 Then (CM)Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 (CN)“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 (CO)But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and (CP)came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 (CQ)And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the (CR)Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the (CS)ballad singers say,

“Come to (CT)Heshbon, let it be built;
    let the city of Sihon be established.
28 For (CU)fire came out from (CV)Heshbon,
    flame from the city of Sihon.
It devoured (CW)Ar of Moab,
    and swallowed[h] the heights of the Arnon.
29 (CX)Woe to you, O Moab!
    You are undone, O people of (CY)Chemosh!
He has made his sons fugitives,
    and his daughters captives,
    to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 So we overthrew them;
    Heshbon, as far as (CZ)Dibon, perished;
    and we laid waste as far as Nophah;
    fire spread as far as (DA)Medeba.”[i]

King Og Defeated

31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out (DB)Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle (DC)at Edrei. 34 (DD)But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And (DE)you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 19:17 Hebrew living
  2. Numbers 20:13 Meribah means quarreling
  3. Numbers 21:2 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verse 3
  4. Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction
  5. Numbers 21:9 Or copper
  6. Numbers 21:16 Beer means well
  7. Numbers 21:20 Or Jeshimon
  8. Numbers 21:28 Septuagint; Hebrew the lords of
  9. Numbers 21:30 Compare Samaritan and Septuagint; Hebrew and we laid waste as far as Nophah, which is as far as Medeba

The Water of Cleansing

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer(A) without defect or blemish(B) and that has never been under a yoke.(C) Give it to Eleazar(D) the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp(E) and slaughtered in his presence. Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle(F) it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.(G) The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop(H) and scarlet wool(I) and throw them onto the burning heifer. After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water.(J) He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.

“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer(K) and put them in a ceremonially clean place(L) outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing;(M) it is for purification from sin.(N) 10 The man who gathers up(O) the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening.(P) This will be a lasting ordinance(Q) both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.(R)

11 “Whoever touches a human corpse(S) will be unclean for seven days.(T) 12 They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;(U) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.(V) 13 If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,(W) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.(X) They must be cut off from Israel.(Y) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;(Z) their uncleanness remains on them.

14 “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15 and every open container(AA) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,(AB) or anyone who touches a human bone(AC) or a grave,(AD) will be unclean for seven days.(AE)

17 “For the unclean person, put some ashes(AF) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water(AG) over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,(AH) dip it in the water and sprinkle(AI) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave(AJ) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19 The man who is clean is to sprinkle(AK) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.(AL) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes(AM) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20 But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled(AN) the sanctuary of the Lord.(AO) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.(AP) 21 This is a lasting ordinance(AQ) for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22 Anything that an unclean(AR) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”

Water From the Rock

20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin,(AS) and they stayed at Kadesh.(AT) There Miriam(AU) died and was buried.

Now there was no water(AV) for the community,(AW) and the people gathered in opposition(AX) to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled(AY) with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead(AZ) before the Lord!(BA) Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness,(BB) that we and our livestock should die here?(BC) Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.(BD) And there is no water to drink!(BE)

Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting(BF) and fell facedown,(BG) and the glory of the Lord(BH) appeared to them. The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff,(BI) and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.(BJ) You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

So Moses took the staff(BK) from the Lord’s presence,(BL) just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together(BM) in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”(BN) 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water(BO) gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy(BP) in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”(BQ)

13 These were the waters of Meribah,[a](BR) where the Israelites quarreled(BS) with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.(BT)

Edom Denies Israel Passage

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh(BU) to the king of Edom,(BV) saying:

“This is what your brother Israel says: You know(BW) about all the hardships(BX) that have come on us. 15 Our ancestors went down into Egypt,(BY) and we lived there many years.(BZ) The Egyptians mistreated(CA) us and our ancestors, 16 but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry(CB) and sent an angel(CC) and brought us out of Egypt.(CD)

“Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.(CE) 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.(CF)

18 But Edom(CG) answered:

“You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.(CH)

19 The Israelites replied:

“We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock(CI) drink any of your water, we will pay for it.(CJ) We only want to pass through on foot—nothing else.”

20 Again they answered:

“You may not pass through.(CK)

Then Edom(CL) came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory,(CM) Israel turned away from them.(CN)

The Death of Aaron

22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh(CO) and came to Mount Hor.(CP) 23 At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom,(CQ) the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people.(CR) He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command(CS) at the waters of Meribah.(CT) 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.(CU) 26 Remove Aaron’s garments(CV) and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people;(CW) he will die there.”

27 Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor(CX) in the sight of the whole community. 28 Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar.(CY) And Aaron died there(CZ) on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29 and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died,(DA) all the Israelites mourned for him(DB) thirty days.

Arad Destroyed

21 When the Canaanite king of Arad,(DC) who lived in the Negev,(DD) heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. Then Israel made this vow(DE) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[b](DF) their cities.” The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites(DG) over to them. They completely destroyed them(DH) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[c](DI)

The Bronze Snake

They traveled from Mount Hor(DJ) along the route to the Red Sea,[d](DK) to go around Edom.(DL) But the people grew impatient on the way;(DM) they spoke against God(DN) and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt(DO) to die in the wilderness?(DP) There is no bread! There is no water!(DQ) And we detest this miserable food!”(DR)

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes(DS) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.(DT) The people came to Moses(DU) and said, “We sinned(DV) when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord(DW) will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed(DX) for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;(DY) anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake(DZ) and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.(EA)

The Journey to Moab

10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.(EB) 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab(EC) toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.(ED) 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon(EE), which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.(EF) 14 That is why the Book of the Wars(EG) of the Lord says:

“. . . Zahab[e] in Suphah and the ravines,
    the Arnon 15 and[f] the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar(EH)
    and lie along the border of Moab.”

16 From there they continued on to Beer,(EI) the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”

17 Then Israel sang this song:(EJ)

“Spring up, O well!
    Sing about it,
18 about the well that the princes dug,
    that the nobles of the people sank—
    the nobles with scepters and staffs.”

Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah(EK) overlooks the wasteland.

Defeat of Sihon and Og

21 Israel sent messengers(EL) to say to Sihon(EM) king of the Amorites:(EN)

22 “Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.(EO)

23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory.(EP) He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz,(EQ) he fought with Israel.(ER) 24 Israel, however, put him to the sword(ES) and took over his land(ET) from the Arnon to the Jabbok,(EU) but only as far as the Ammonites,(EV) because their border was fortified. 25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites(EW) and occupied them,(EX) including Heshbon(EY) and all its surrounding settlements. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon(EZ) king of the Amorites,(FA) who had fought against the former king of Moab(FB) and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.(FC)

27 That is why the poets say:

“Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;
    let Sihon’s city be restored.

28 “Fire went out from Heshbon,
    a blaze from the city of Sihon.(FD)
It consumed(FE) Ar(FF) of Moab,
    the citizens of Arnon’s heights.(FG)
29 Woe to you, Moab!(FH)
    You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!(FI)
He has given up his sons as fugitives(FJ)
    and his daughters as captives(FK)
    to Sihon king of the Amorites.

30 “But we have overthrown them;
    Heshbon’s dominion has been destroyed all the way to Dibon.(FL)
We have demolished them as far as Nophah,
    which extends to Medeba.(FM)

31 So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.(FN)

32 After Moses had sent spies(FO) to Jazer,(FP) the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan(FQ),(FR) and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.(FS)

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.(FT)

35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors.(FU) And they took possession of his land.(FV)

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 20:13 Meribah means quarreling.
  2. Numbers 21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3.
  3. Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction.
  4. Numbers 21:4 Or the Sea of Reeds
  5. Numbers 21:14 Septuagint; Hebrew Waheb
  6. Numbers 21:15 Or “I have been given from Suphah and the ravines / of the Arnon 15 to