From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians

Chapter 1

¹ On the first day of the second month, two years after their departure from the land of Egypt, Jehovah spoke to Moses inside the Tent of Proofs [while they were still] in the desert at Sinai, and He said, ² ‘Take a census of the entire gathering of Israel by families and lines of descent. [Record] the names of all the males ³ who are twenty years old and older… all that serve as the army of Israel. You and Aaron should count them and calculate their strength. ⁴ And the rulers of each tribe (the paternal heads of the families) should go with you.

⁵ ‘These are the names of the men who should help you: For the tribe of Reuben, EliSur the son of SediUr. ⁶ For the [tribe of] Symeon, SalamiEl the son of SuriSadai. ⁷ [For the tribe] of Judah, NaAsson the son of AminAdab. ⁸ [For the tribe] of IsSachar, NathaniEl the son of Sogar. ⁹ [For the tribe] of ZebuLon, EliAb the son of ChaElon. ¹⁰ [For the tribes] of Joseph, EliSama the son of EmiUd for EphraIm, and GamaliEl the son of PhadaSur for ManasSeh.¹¹ [For the tribe] of BenJamin, AbiDan the son of GadeOni. ¹² [For the tribe] of Dan, AchiEzer the son of AmiSadai. ¹³ [For the tribe] of Asher, PhagaiEl the son of Echran. ¹⁴ [For the tribe] of Gad, EliSaph the son of RaguEl. ¹⁵ [For the tribe] of NaphTali, AchiRe the son of AiNan.’

¹⁶ These were the most famous men among the gathering. They were the heads of the tribes by their families, and the leaders of the thousands in Israel. ¹⁷ So Moses and Aaron gathered these men who were called by name. ¹⁸ Then they assembled the entire gathering that day, and registered the [men] by tribes and family lines, recording the names and numbers of all who were twenty [years old] and older, ¹⁹ as Jehovah had commanded Moses there in the desert of Sinai.

²⁰ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of Reuben (the first-born of Israel), the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ²¹ was forty-six thousand, four hundred.

²² Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of Symeon, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ²³ was fifty-nine thousand, three hundred.

²⁴ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of Judah, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ²⁵ was seventy-four thousand, six hundred.

²⁶ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of IsSachar, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ²⁷ was fifty-four thousand, four hundred.

²⁸ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of ZebuLon, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ²⁹ was fifty-seven thousand, four hundred.

³⁰ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of Joseph, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ³¹ was forty thousand, five hundred from the tribe of EphraIm, ³² and for ManasSeh, ³³ it was thirty-two thousand, two hundred.

³⁴ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of BenJamin, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ³⁵ was thirty-five thousand, four hundred.

³⁶ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of Gad, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ³⁷ was forty-five thousand, six hundred and fifty.

³⁸ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of Dan, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ³⁹ was sixty-two thousand, seven hundred.

⁴⁰ Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of Asher, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ⁴¹ was forty-one thousand, five hundred.

⁴² Among the families, divisions, and households of the sons of NaphTali, the number of males twenty years old and up who were counted as the strength of Israel, ⁴³ was fifty-three thousand, four hundred.

⁴⁴ This was the census that Moses, Aaron, and the twelve rulers of Israel conducted… a man from each tribe. ⁴⁵ They counted all the males twenty years old and up among the children of Israel who could [serve in battle], ⁴⁶ [and there was a total of] six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. ⁴⁷ However, those of the Tribe of Levi weren’t counted, ⁴⁸ for Jehovah had told Moses, ⁴⁹ ‘You must not gather the tribe of Levi and count them among the children of Israel. ⁵⁰ Rather, put the Levites in charge of the Tent of Proofs, its furnishings, and everything in it. They must serve there and camp around the Tent. ⁵¹ And whenever the Tent is moved, the Levites must take it down and [be in charge of] setting it up again. Anyone else who goes near it must die.

⁵² ‘The [rest of] the children of Israel must camp in the order and grouping of their own armies. ⁵³ But the Levites must camp around and in front of the Tent of Proofs, so there may be no sins among the children of Israel. For, the Levites must protect the Tent of Proofs.’

⁵⁴ And the children of Israel did everything that Jehovah commanded Moses and Aaron.

Chapter 2

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, ² ‘Have the children of Israel camp [facing each other] in a circle around the Tent of Proofs. Everyone must stay together under the emblems for their paternal houses.

³ ‘The first in the camp, starting on the east side, shall be the [Tribe] of Judah with their armies. Their leader is NaShon the son of AmmiNadab, ⁴ and there are seventy-four thousand, six hundred in his army.

⁵ ‘The Tribe of IsSachar, whose leader is NathanEl the son of Zuar, should camp next to them. ⁶ There are fifty-four thousand, four hundred in his army.

⁷ ‘The tribe of ZebuLon, whose leader is EliAb the son of Helon, should camp next to them. ⁸ There are fifty-seven thousand, four hundred in his army.

⁹ ‘All together, there are one hundred and eighty-six thousand, four hundred under the army of Judah. They and their armies must be the first to move.

¹⁰ ‘This is the order for the camp of Reuben, whose army [will camp] toward the south: The leader of the children of Reuben is EliZur the son of ShedeUr, ¹¹ and there are forty-six thousand, five hundred in his army.

¹² ‘The Tribe of Simeon, whose leader is ShelumiEl the son of ZuriShadDai, should camp next to them. ¹³ There are fifty-nine thousand, three hundred in his army.

¹⁴ ‘The tribe of Gad, whose leader is EliAsaph the son of DeuEl, will camp next to them, ¹⁵ and there are forty-five thousand, six hundred and fifty in his army.

¹⁶ ‘All together, there are a hundred and fifty-one thousand, four hundred and fifty under the army of Reuben. They and their armies will follow second.

¹⁷ ‘Then following them should be the Tent of Proofs, surrounded by the Levites who will travel between the armies. In whatever order they camp, that’s the order that they should follow in their march, each group following in the order of their divisions.

¹⁸ ‘The Tribe of EphraIm and their armies must camp on the west side. Their leader is EliShama the son of AmmiHud, ¹⁹ and there are forty thousand, five hundred in his army.

²⁰ ‘The tribe of ManasSeh should camp next to them. Their leader is GamaliEl the son of PedahZur, ²¹ and there are thirty-two thousand, two hundred in his army.

²² ‘The tribe of BenJamin should camp next to them. Their leader is AbiDan the son of Gideoni, ²³ and there are thirty-five thousand, four hundred in his army.

²⁴ ‘All together, there are one hundred eight thousand, one hundred in the army of EphraIm. They and their armies should follow third.

²⁵ ‘The Tribe of Dan and their armies should camp on the north side. Their leader is AhiEzer the son of AmmiShadDai, ²⁶ and there are sixty-two thousand, seven hundred in his army.

²⁷ ‘The tribe of Asher should camp next to them. Their leader is PagiEl the son of Ocran, ²⁸ and there are forty-one thousand, five hundred in his army.

²⁹ ‘The tribe of NaphTali should camp next to them. Their leader is AhiRa the son of Enan, ³⁰ and there are fifty-three thousand four hundred in his army.

³¹ ‘All together, there are a hundred and fifty-seven thousand, six hundred in the armies of Dan, and they must be last in the marching order.’

³² This is how the children of Israel were counted (by family lines), and altogether there were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty in their army. ³³ However, the Levites weren’t counted among them, just as Jehovah instructed Moses.

³⁴ And the children of Israel did everything that Jehovah told Moses. They each camped in their [specified] locations, and they marched in order by family lines.

Chapter 3

¹ These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day in that Jehovah spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai.

² These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab was the firstborn, and then there were AbiUd, EliEzer, and IthaMar. ³ They were the anointed Priests who were made perfect for the Priesthood. ⁴ However, Nadab and AbiUd died before Jehovah when they offered [incense] to Him in an unauthorized way, while they were in the Sinai Desert. And because they had no children, just EliEzer and IthaMar served as Priests with their father Aaron.

⁵ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and told him, ⁶ ‘Bring the tribe of Levi up in front of Aaron the Priest, for they are all going to serve him. ⁷ They must follow his instructions and then give the instructions to of the children of Israel, there in front of the Tent of Proofs… and they must work at the Tent. ⁸ They are to take care of all the furnishings at the Tent of Proofs, and to instruct the children of Israel about things having to do with the Tent. ⁹ Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons the Priests, for they have been given to Me as a gift from among the children of Israel.

¹⁰ ‘Appoint Aaron and his sons to be in charge of the Tent of Proofs. Then they must give instructions concerning the Priesthood, everything that belongs to the Altar, and everything inside the veil. And anyone else who touches these things must die.’

¹¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ¹² ‘Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the children of Israel [to take the place] of [the rest of] the [firstborn] males that are among the children of Israel. [The Levites] are their ransom, and they are Mine. ¹³ For, all the firstborn have been Mine since the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. I chose all the firstborn in Israel as holy to Myself – both the men and the animals – and they are Mine, for I am Jehovah.’

¹⁴ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert and said, ¹⁵ ‘Take a census of the sons of Levi by family lines and divisions… count every male from a month old and up.’

¹⁶ So, Moses and Aaron counted them following Jehovah’s instructions.

¹⁷ The sons of Levi were Gedson, CaAth, and MeraRi. ¹⁸ Gedson’s sons (and family lines) were Lobeni and Semei. ¹⁹ CaAth’s sons (and family lines) were AmRam, IsSaAr, Hebron, and OziEl. ²⁰ MeraRi’s sons (and family lines) were MoOli and Musi. These were the families of the Levites by family lines.

²¹ The Gedson family lines were those of Lobeni and Semei. ²² And the number of males [in that line], which were a month old and older, was seven thousand, five hundred. ²³ The sons of Gedson were to camp behind the Tent on its west side. ²⁴ The ruler of the family of Gedson was EliSaph, the son of DaEl. ²⁵ The instructions that were given to the sons of Gedson concerning the Tent of Proofs, was to care for the tent itself, the veil that covers the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, ²⁶ the curtains for the courtyard, the veil to the courtyard (which is around the Tent), and the like.

²⁷ There were [four] divisions that were counted [in the family line] of CaAth. They were AmRam, IsSaAr, Hebron, and OziEl. ²⁸ There were eight thousand, six hundred males a month old and older, and they were given these instructions regarding the holy things: ²⁹ The families of the sons of CaAth were to camp next to the Tent, along its south side. ³⁰ The ruler of the family line and divisions of CaAth was EliSaphan, the son of OziEl. ³¹ They were told that they were to be in charge of the Chest, the Table, the Sacred Lamp, the Altars, and all the furnishings in the Holy Place that were used in holy service inside the veil, and all their parts.

³² The head over the chiefs of the Levites was EliEzer, the son of Aaron the Priest. He was appointed to give all the instructions regarding the holy things.

³³ The family lines of MeraRi were those of MoOli and Musi. ³⁴ All the males a month old and older among this line, were counted at six thousand and fifty. ³⁵ The head of the family line and divisions of MeraRi was SuriEl, the son of AbiChail. They were to camp next to the Tent, along its north side. ³⁶ The sons of MeraRi were told that they were to be in charge of the Tent’s caps, rafters, posts, sockets, all their fittings and pieces, ³⁷ the posts for the courtyard, and their bases, pins, and ropes.

³⁸ Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to camp in front of the Tent of Proofs on its east side. They were to take care of the Holy Place and give instructions about it to the children of Israel. And anyone who touched it was to die.

³⁹ All the Levites who Moses and Aaron counted, which were a month old and older (by family lines), following Jehovah’s instructions, were twenty-two thousand.

⁴⁰ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ‘Now count all the firstborn males among the children of Israel who are a month old and older, and take their names. ⁴¹ Then take the Levites for Me in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel. Also, take all the Levites’ cattle in place of the first-born of the cattle of the children of Israel, for I am Jehovah.’

⁴² So Moses counted all the firstborn of the children of Israel, just as Jehovah commanded him. ⁴³ And all the male firstborn a month old and older that were counted by name were twenty-two thousand, two hundred and seventy-three.

⁴⁴ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ⁴⁵ ‘Now take the Levites in place of all the first-born of the sons of Israel, and the Levite’s cattle in place of their cattle, and they must be Mine, for I am Jehovah. ⁴⁶ And the ransom [that must be paid] for all the firstborn of the sons of Israel that exceed the number of Levites (the two hundred and seventy-three) ⁴⁷ [must be paid for], with five silver-coins per person. They must be paid for, using the holy double-silver coins at twenty copper coins per silver coin. ⁴⁸ Then give the money to Aaron and his sons as the ransom for those who exceed their number.’

⁴⁹ So, Moses took the silver as the ransom for those that exceeded the number who were bought by the Levites. ⁵⁰ The amount of holy silver coins that he took from the firstborn of the sons of Israel was one thousand, three hundred and sixty-five. ⁵¹ Then Moses gave the ransom for these extra ones to Aaron and his sons, according to the instructions that Jehovah gave to Moses.

Chapter 4

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, ² ‘Take a census of the children of CaAth (separate from the sons of Levi) by family lines. ³ Count those from twenty-five to fifty years old who work and serve in the Tent of Proofs. ⁴ For these are the very holy things that the sons of CaAth must do at the Tent of Proofs: ⁵ Whenever the camp is about to move, Aaron and his sons must enter and take down the [inner] veil, and use it to cover the Chest of Proofs. ⁶ Then they must cover it with a blue skin and put a blue [cloth] over that. Then they must put the staves through [the rings on the Chest].

⁷ ‘They must also put a purple cloth over the table that holds the showbread, along with its dishes, censers, cups, pitchers for drink offerings, and the loaves (which must always be left on the table). ⁸ Then they must cover it with a scarlet cloth, and cover that with a blue skin, and mount [the table] on staves.

⁹ ‘Then they must cover the Sacred Lamp that provides the light, along with its lanterns, snuffers, funnels, and all the oil jars, with a blue cloth, ¹⁰ and put it and all its utensils inside a blue skin bag, and mount it on staves. ¹¹ Also, the golden [incense] altar must be wrapped in blue cloth, then covered with blue skins and mounted on staves.

¹² ‘Then they must take all the rest of the things that are used in the services in the Holy Place, and put them in a blue cloth [bag], then cover them with blue skins, and mount them on staves.

¹³ ‘Then they must cover the Altar with purple cloth, ¹⁴ along with all the utensils that are used with it (the fire pans, flesh-hooks, cups, covering, and all its utensils), then wrap it in all a blue covering of skins, and mount it on the staves.

‘They must also cover the basin and its base with blue cloth, wrap it in blue skins, and mount it on staves.

¹⁵ ‘Aaron and his sons must finish covering the holy things and all the holy utensils before the camp can move. Thereafter, the sons of CaAth must bear all [the Tent’s] furnishings, but they must not [actually] touch the holy things, or else they will die. These [are the things] that just the sons of CaAth are to carry from the Tent of Proofs.

¹⁶ ‘EliEzer, the son of Aaron (the Priest) is to be the overseer. He is to give instructions concerning the oil for the lamp, the incense, the daily food offerings, and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the whole Tent, everything that’s in it, and everything that’s done there.’

¹⁷ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, ¹⁸ ‘You must prevent the family of CaAth (the tribe among the Levites) from being destroyed. ¹⁹ This is what you must do for them so they can live and not die: Whenever they approach the Holy of Holies, Aaron and his sons must take the lead. Then they are the ones who must mount the [sacred items] to be carried on the staves. ²⁰ That way, [the family of CaAth] won’t [be tempted to] rush in to look at the holy things and die.

²¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ²² ‘Now take a census of the children of Gedson by family lines. ²³ Count all those between the ages of twenty-five and fifty years old who go in to serve and work in the Tent of Proofs; ²⁴ because the public service of the family of Gedson is to serve and to carry. ²⁵ They must carry and attend to the skins of the Tent, the Tent of Proofs itself, its veil, the blue covering that goes over its top, the cover for the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, ²⁶ all the curtains for the courtyard, the mountings, and all the other utensils of service.

²⁷ The sons of Gedson must take their direction from Aaron and his sons in everything that they do in their assignments and jobs. You must count them by names and [show them] all the things they must carry. ²⁸ This is the job of the sons of Gedson in the Tent of Proofs, and IthaMar, the son of Aaron the Priest, is to give them their instructions.

²⁹ ‘Also, take a census of the sons of MeraRi by family lines. ³⁰ Count all those between the ages of twenty-five and fifty years old who go in to serve and work in the Tent of Proofs. ³¹ These are the things you are to tell them, and that they must carry as their job at the Tent of Proofs: They must carry the Tent’s caps, rafters, poles, and sockets, as well as the sockets and poles for the veil and the curtain at the entrance to the Tent. ³² They must also carry the poles for the surrounding courtyard and for the veil at the entrance to the courtyard, along with their sockets, pins, ropes, furnishings, and things for service.

‘Count them by name, and show what each of them is to carry. ³³ This is the assignment for the family of the sons of MeraRi. It is their job at the Tent of Proofs, under the direction of IthaMar, the son of Aaron the Priest.’

³⁴ So Moses, Aaron, and the rulers of Israel took a census of the sons of CaAth by family lines, ³⁵ [and counted] all those between the ages of twenty-five and fifty years old who go in to serve and work in the Tent of Proofs. ³⁶ And their number by family lines came to two thousand, seven hundred and fifty. ³⁷ This is how many there were of the family of CaAth that served in the Tent of Proofs, as Moses and Aaron counted them, following Jehovah’s instructions to Moses.

³⁸ Then they counted the sons of Gedson by family lines who were ³⁹ between twenty-five and fifty years old that go in to serve at the Tent of Proofs. ⁴⁰ And their number by family lines came to two thousand, six hundred and thirty. ⁴¹ This is how many there were of the family of Gedson that served in the Tent of Proofs, as Moses and Aaron counted them, following Jehovah’s instructions to Moses.

⁴² Then they counted the sons of MeraRi by family lines who were ⁴³ between twenty-five and fifty years old that go in to serve at the Tent of Proofs. ⁴⁴ And their number by family lines came to three thousand, two hundred. ⁴⁵ This is how many there were of the family of MeraRi, as Moses and Aaron counted them, following Jehovah’s instructions to Moses.

⁴⁶ So, Moses, Aaron, and the rulers of Israel counted all these Levites by family lines ⁴⁷ who were between twenty-five and fifty years old, and who serve, work at, and carry the things for the Tent of Proofs. ⁴⁸ All together, there were eight thousand, five hundred and eighty who were counted. ⁴⁹ Then after they were counted (following the words of Jehovah through Moses), they appointed each man his job, and they reviewed his duties and discussed what he was to carry.

Chapter 5

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘Give these instructions to the children of Israel: Tell them to drive everyone out of the camp that has leprosy, those with gonorrhea, and anyone who has made himself unclean [with a dead] person, ³ whether they are males or females. Drive them out of the camp, so they can’t dirty the place where I live among them.’

⁴ And that’s what the children of Israel did; they drove them out of the camp, just as Jehovah told Moses.

⁵ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ⁶ ‘Speak to the children of Israel and tell them that any man or woman who has committed any of the sins that are common to man, or has in any way overstepped [My] Commandments and erred, ⁷ must confess the sin he committed and make restitution for his sin. He [must pay] the price and add a fifth more to it, and restore [everything] to the person he has sinned against.

⁸ ‘Now, if a man doesn’t owe anything to anyone for his sin, the sin-offering must be paid to Jehovah. A ram must be [be given to] the Priest as payment for his sins, and as the price to cover his sins.

⁹ ‘And when it comes to the first fruitage of all the holy things among the children of Israel; everything that they offer to Jehovah must be [given to] the Priest for himself. ¹⁰ All the holy things that men [offer] or choose to donate must be given to the Priest, and it will be his as a gift.’

¹¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ¹² ‘Speak to the children of Israel and tell them: Whenever a wife rebels against [her husband] and tries to dominate and rule over him, ¹³ and then someone goes to bed with her and has sex with her behind her husband’s back; if she hides her filth and there is no proof of it (and [the other man] doesn’t take her), ¹⁴ and [her husband] thereafter develops a jealous spirit and suspects that she has dirtied herself – or if he has developed a jealous spirit and she hasn’t dirtied herself – ¹⁵ then he must bring his wife to the Priest, along with the gift of a quart of barley meal. He must not pour any oil or frankincense on the barley meal, because it is a sacrifice of jealousy… it is a sacrifice to be remembered and to recall sins to mind.

¹⁶ ‘Then the Priest must take [the woman] to stand before Jehovah. ¹⁷ The Priest must pour clean running water into a clay pot, then take some of the dirt that is on the floor of the Tent of Proofs and throw it into the water. ¹⁸ Then the Priest must stand the woman before Jehovah, uncover her head, and place the sacrifice that is to be remembered (the sacrifice of jealousy) into her hands.

‘Next, the Priest must take the water that brings a curse into his hands. ¹⁹ And the Priest must make the woman swear [in reply to the words], If you aren’t guilty and no one has laid down with you, and if you haven’t sinned and dirtied yourself, and you have [been respectful] to your husband; [then say that you are] free from this water that brings the curse. ²⁰ But if you have sinned and dirtied your marriage, and [allowed] someone to lie with you other than your husband… ²¹ then the Priest must make the woman swear [to accept] the oaths of this curse.

‘The Priest must say to her: May Jehovah bring a curse upon you by the oath [you have sworn] in the midst of your people. May Jehovah cause your [sexual parts] to rot away and your belly to swell. ²² May this water that brings the curse enter your womb to cause your belly to swell and your [sexual parts] to rot away.

‘And the woman must say, May it happen; may it happen.

²³ ‘Thereafter, the Priest must write these curses on a scroll, then rinse them away with the water that brings the curse; ²⁴ for he must make the woman drink the water that brings the curse.

²⁵ ‘Next, the Priest must take the sacrifice of jealousy from the woman’s hands and carry it to the Altar to present it before Jehovah. ²⁶ Then the Priest must take a handful of the sacrificial [grain] and offer it on the Altar as a reminder, and he must make the woman drink the water.

²⁷ ‘And this is what will happen: If she has dirtied herself and her husband hasn’t been able to [prove] it, the water that brings the curse will enter her and cause her belly to swell and her [sexual parts] to rot away; and thereafter, the woman must be cursed among her people. ²⁸ But if the woman hasn’t dirtied herself and has remained chaste, she must be declared free of guilt and thereafter give birth to a [child].

²⁹ ‘This is the law of jealousy [that covers the cases of where] a married woman sins and dirties herself, ³⁰ or where a man develops a jealous spirit and becomes jealous of his wife. He should take his wife before Jehovah, and the Priest must make her follow this law. ³¹ And whereas the man will be cleared from his sin, the woman must be responsible for hers.

Chapter 6

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘Speak to the children of Israel and tell them that whenever a man or woman wishes to make a great vow to set himself aside as holy to Jehovah, ³ he may not eat or drink anything made from grapes, such as wine, brandy, fresh grapes, raisins, or vinegar that is made from wine or other alcoholic products ⁴ during the period of his vow. Nor may he eat anything that comes from the vine, such as wine made from grape seeds or skins ⁵ during the whole period that he is set aside. Nor may a razor be used to cut the person’s hair until the period of the vow to Jehovah is completed. For the person must be holy and cherish the long hair of his head ⁶ for as long as his vow to Jehovah lasts, and he must not go near any dead bodies… ⁷ not even to [the corpse] of his father, mother, brother, or sister. They must not dirty themselves with dead bodies, because the vow of God is on them and on their heads, ⁸ and they must remain holy to Jehovah during the entire period of their vow.

⁹ ‘And if anyone should suddenly die near him, the head of that person will immediately be considered dirty and it must be cleansed. The person must shave his head on the seventh day, ¹⁰ then bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the Priest at the entrance to the Tent of meeting on the eighth day. ¹¹ The Priest must offer one as a sin offering and the other as a whole-burnt offering, to pay for the sin [of being close to] a dead body. Then the person’s head will [once again] become holy on that day, ¹² and he will [again] be made perfect to Jehovah during the rest of [the period of] the vow. Then he must bring a yearling lamb as an offering for the error; and because the vow on his head was polluted, the full period of [the vow] must be [restarted].

¹³ ‘It is also the law for the person who has made such a vow, that on the day that his vow is finished, the person must bring gifts to the entrance of the Tent of Proofs. ¹⁴ The gifts that he must bring to Jehovah are: one perfect yearling male lamb as a whole-burnt offering; one perfect yearling female lamb as a sin offering; one perfect male sheep as a peace offering; ¹⁵ a basket of fermentation-free bread made with fine flour kneaded with oil; fermentation-free cakes that have been anointed with oil; a food offering and a drink offering.

¹⁶ ‘The Priest must bring them before Jehovah and [sacrifice] the sin offering and the whole-burnt offering. ¹⁷ Then he must sacrifice the male sheep as a peace offering to Jehovah, along with the basket of fermentation-free bread, followed by the food offering and the drink offering. ¹⁸ Then the one who made the vow must shave his head that was made holy, there at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, and put the hair on the fire while it is burning the peace-offering sacrifice.

¹⁹ ‘Then, after the person has shaved off his holy hair, the Priest must take the larger of the ram’s shoulders, along with one fermentation-free loaf and one fermentation-free cake from the basket, and lay them in the person’s hands. ²⁰ Then the Priest must present them as an offering before Jehovah, and this holy portion will then belong to the Priest, along with the breast and shoulder of the wave offering. Then the person who made the oath must drink some wine.

²¹ ‘This is the law for any person who makes a vow to Jehovah: [He must give all] his gifts that were promised to Jehovah, along with anything else that he may be able to afford, which is [in addition] to the things that are [required by] the strong vow of setting oneself aside as holy [to Jehovah].’

²² Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ²³ ‘Speak to Aaron and to his sons and tell them to bless the sons of Israel who have My Name with these words: ²⁴ May Jehovah bless you and watch over you. ²⁵ May Jehovah’s face shine upon you, and may He have mercy on you. ²⁶ May [Jehovah keep His eyes] on you and bring you peace.’

Chapter 7

¹ So the day came when Moses finished setting up the Tent. Then he anointed it and made it and all its furnishings, as well as the Altar and all its furnishings, holy… he made them perfect by anointing them.

² Then the leaders of Israel (the twelve heads of their family lines and leaders of their tribes… those who took the lead in the census) ³ brought gifts before Jehovah. There were six covered wagons pulled by twelve bulls (two per [wagon]) that were contributed by the leaders, which were brought to the Tent.

⁴ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ⁵ ‘Take [these things] and use them for service at the two cherubs that are above the Propitiatory, which cover the Chest of Proofs. And give the [wagons] to the Levites… [distribute] them among the groups by their assigned jobs.’

⁶ So Moses took the wagons and bulls, and gave them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two wagons and four bulls to the sons of Gedson for their jobs, ⁸ and four wagons and eight bulls to the sons of MeraRi for their assignments under IthaMar, the son of Aaron the Priest. ⁹ However, he didn’t give any to the sons of CaAth, because the sacred things that they had to carry were to be borne on their shoulders. ¹⁰ [Israel’s] leaders brought these things to the Altar for the dedication of the Altar on the day that it was to be anointed.

¹¹ Then Jehovah told Moses, ‘One leader must also bring a gift each day for the dedication of the Altar.’

¹² So on the first day, NaAsson (the son of AminAdab), the leader of the tribe of Judah, ¹³ brought his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty holy silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ¹⁴ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ¹⁵ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ¹⁶ one goat kid (for a sin offering), ¹⁷ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of NaAsson, the son of AminAdab.

¹⁸ On the second day, NathaniEl (the son of Sogar), the leader of the tribe of IsSachar, brought ¹⁹ his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty holy silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ²⁰ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ²¹ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ²² one goat kid (for a sin offering), ²³ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of NathaniEl, the son of Sogar.

²⁴ On the third day, EliAb the son of ChaElon), the leader of the tribe of ZebuLon, brought ²⁵ his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty holy silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ²⁶ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ²⁷ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ²⁸ one goat kid (for a sin offering) ²⁹ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of EliAb, the son of ChaElon.

³⁰ On the fourth day, EliSur (the son of SediUr), the leader of the tribe of Reuben, brought ³¹ his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty holy silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ³² [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ³³ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ³⁴ one goat kid (for a sin offering), ³⁵ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of EliSur, the son of SediUr.

³⁶ On the fifth day, SalamiEl (the son of SuriSadai) the leader of the tribe of Symeon, brought ³⁷ his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty holy silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ³⁸ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ³⁹ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ⁴⁰ one goat kid (for a sin offering), ⁴¹ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of SalamiEl, the son of SuriSadai.

⁴² On the sixth day, EliSaph (the son of RaguEl), the leader of the tribe of Gad, brought ⁴³ his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ⁴⁴ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ⁴⁵ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ⁴⁶ one goat kid (for a sin offering), ⁴⁷ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of EliSaph, the son of RaguEl.

⁴⁸ On the seventh day, EliSama (the son of EmiUd), the leader of the tribe of EphraIm, ⁴⁹ brought his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ⁵⁰ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ⁵¹ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ⁵² one goat kid (for a sin offering), ⁵³ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of EliSama, the son of EmiUd.

⁵⁴ On the eighth day, GamaliEl (the son of PhadasSur), the leader of the tribe of ManasSeh, ⁵⁵ brought his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ⁵⁶ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ⁵⁷ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ⁵⁸ one goat kid (for a sin offering), ⁵⁹ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of GamaliEl, the son of PhadasSur.

⁶⁰ On the ninth day, AbiDan (the son of GadeOni), the leader of the tribe of BenJamin, ⁶¹ brought his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ⁶² [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ⁶³ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ⁶⁴ one goat kid (for a sin offering), ⁶⁵ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of AbiDan, the son of GadeOni.

⁶⁶ On the tenth day, AchiEzer (the son of AmiSadai), the leader of the tribe of Dan, ⁶⁷ brought his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ⁶⁸ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ⁶⁹ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ⁷⁰ one goat kid (for a sin offering), ⁷¹ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of AchiEzer, the son of AmiSadai.

⁷² On the eleventh day, PhageEl (the son of Echran), the leader of the tribe of Asher, ⁷³ brought his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ⁷⁴ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ⁷⁵ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ⁷⁶ one goat kid (for a sin offering), ⁷⁷ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of PhageEl, the son of Echran.

⁷⁸ On the twelfth day, AchiRe (the son of AiNan), the leader of the tribe of NaphTali, ⁷⁹ brought his gift. [It included] one silver platter that weighed the same as a hundred and thirty silver coins, and a silver bowl that weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. Both were filled with fine flour that was kneaded with oil for a food offering. ⁸⁰ [There was also] a golden censer filled with ten silver coins worth of incense, ⁸¹ as well as one calf from the herd, one ram, and one yearling male lamb (for a whole-burnt offering), ⁸² one goat kid (for a sin offering), ⁸³ and two heifers, five rams, five billy goats, and five yearling female lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice. These were the gifts of AchiRe, the son of AiNan.

⁸⁴ These [were the gifts] from the leaders of the tribes of Israel during the period when the Altar was being anointed. There were twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve golden censers. ⁸⁵ Each platter weighed the same as a hundred and thirty silver coins, and each bowl weighed the same as seventy holy silver coins. So all together, their combined weight was two thousand, four hundred holy silver coins. ⁸⁶ The twelve golden censers were each filled with incense, and the gold weighed the same as a hundred and twenty silver coins.

⁸⁷ The number of cattle for the whole burnt offerings amounted to twelve calves, twelve rams, and twelve yearling male lambs (plus food offerings and drink offerings); there were twelve kid goats for the sin offerings; ⁸⁸ and the number of cattle that were sacrificed for the peace offering included twenty-four heifers, sixty rams, sixty yearling billy goats, and sixty perfect yearling female lambs, which were all offered for the dedication of the Altar.

Then, after that, [Moses] made [Aaron] perfect by anointing him. ⁸⁹ And from that point on, whenever Moses went into the Tent of Proofs to speak to God, he would hear the voice of Jehovah speaking to him from between the two cherubs that were above the Propitiatory, which covers the Chest of Proofs.

Chapter 8

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘Speak to Aaron and tell him that when he assembles the [sacred] lamp, the seven lanterns must be arranged to illuminate the area across from the lamp.’

³ And that’s what Aaron did. He [assembled and] lit the lamps to illuminate the area directly across from the lamp, just as Jehovah had instructed Moses.

⁴ The Sacred Lamp’s base and stem were of solid gold, as were its lilies. They were made following the pattern that Jehovah had shown to Moses.

⁵ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ⁶ ‘Take the Levites out from among the children of Israel and purify them. ⁷ This is how should you perform their purification: Have them rinse themselves in clean water, shave all the hair from their bodies, then wash their clothes… and make sure that they are clean.

⁸ ‘Then they must bring two yearling calves from the herd, along with a food offering and some fine flour mixed with oil. ⁹ Then assemble the entire gathering of the sons of Israel and bring the Levites up before them at the Tent of Proofs. ¹⁰ Stand them there in front of Jehovah, and have the sons of Israel lay their hands on the Levites.

¹¹ ‘Next, Aaron must set the Levites aside as a gift to Jehovah from the children of Israel, and they must be made ready to perform Jehovah’s work. ¹² Then have the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the calves, and you should sacrifice one as a sin offering, and the other as a whole-burnt offering to Jehovah, to pay for their sins.

¹³ ‘Then stand the Levites in front of Jehovah (and before Aaron and his sons), and give them to Jehovah as a gift… ¹⁴ separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel as Mine!

¹⁵ ‘Thereafter, the Levites must go to the Tent where they are to work, and you must purify them and present them there before Jehovah, ¹⁶ for they will have been given to Me as a gift from the children of Israel. I have taken them as Mine in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel that open a womb. ¹⁷ For, all the firstborn among the children of Israel (both the men and the animals) became Mine on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt… that’s when I made them holy to Myself. ¹⁸ But now I am taking the Levites instead of the first-born of the children of Israel, ¹⁹ and I am presenting them as a gift to Aaron and his sons, to serve the children of Israel at the Tent of Proofs. And there they must make the payments for the sins of the children of Israel, so none of the sons of Israel will have to go near the holy things.’

²⁰ Then Moses, Aaron, and the entire gathering of the children of Israel did everything that Jehovah commanded Moses concerning the Levites. ²¹ The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a gift before Jehovah, and [sacrificed] the payments for their sins to purify them. ²² Thereafter, the Levites entered the Tent to serve before Aaron and his sons, just as Jehovah had instructed Moses.

²³ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ²⁴ ‘This is the rule for the Levites: Those who are twenty-five years old and older must enter to serve at the Tent of Proofs. ²⁵ But when they reach fifty years old, they may no longer serve or work there. ²⁶ They may supervise their brothers who serve in the Tent of Proofs, but they may not work there anymore. Give the Levites these instructions.’

Chapter 9

¹ It was in the first month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt, that Jehovah spoke to Moses there in the Sinai Desert and said, ² ‘Tell the children of Israel to keep the Passover at the proper time. ³ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month, you must keep it and obey its laws and instructions.’

⁴ So Moses ordered the children of Israel to sacrifice the Passover ⁵ on the fourteenth day of the first month, there in the Sinai Desert. And the children of Israel did just as Jehovah told Moses.

⁶ However, there were some men who were unclean due to [touching] a dead body, and they were unable to keep the Passover on that day. So, they went before Moses and Aaron ⁷ and said, ‘We are unclean because we touched the dead body of a man. So, will we not to be allowed to offer our gifts to Jehovah at this time, along with the rest of the children of Israel?’

⁸ Then Moses said, ‘Stay here and I will listen to whatever instructions Jehovah gives us about this.’

⁹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ¹⁰ ‘Tell the sons of Israel that whenever a man among you or your descendants has become unclean because of touching a dead body, or is far away on a journey, he must still keep the Passover to Jehovah, ¹¹ but he must do it on the evening of the fourteenth day of the second month. [The Passover sacrifice] must be offered then, and eaten with fermentation-free bread and bitter herbs. ¹² They must not leave any of it over until the next day, nor may they break any of its bones. They must offer the sacrifice just as they would on the Passover. ¹³ But if anyone is clean and is not away on a trip, he must be sure to keep the Passover. Any person who doesn’t offer the gift to Jehovah at the proper time is guilty, and must be cut off from his people!

¹⁴ ‘And if an alien should come into your land and wish to observe the Passover to Jehovah, he must do so according to the laws and instructions concerning the Passover. So there is just one law [concerning this], and it applies to both natives and aliens.’

¹⁵ Well, from the time that the Tent was [first] pitched, a cloud covered the Tent of Proofs all day long, and what looked like fire covered the Tent from evening until morning. ¹⁶ And that’s how it always was… a cloud cover by day, and the appearance of fire by night. ¹⁷ And whenever the cloud left the Tent, the children of Israel were to leave that place; and whenever the cloud just stayed there, the children of Israel camped. ¹⁸ So, the children of Israel camped by the commands of Jehovah, and they moved by the commands of Jehovah… as long as the cloud covered the Tent, the children of Israel were to camp. ¹⁹ And even if the cloud stayed over the Tent for a long time, the children of Israel were to follow God’s instructions and not move. ²⁰ For, whenever the cloud covered the Tent for a number of days, they were to camp, following the words of Jehovah, and they were to stay camped there by the commands of Jehovah. ²¹ But whenever the cloud moved up from over the Tent, they were to move, whether it was day or night. ²² If the cloud covered the Tent for a full month, the children of Israel had to camp and were not to leave, ²³ for they were only to move by the commands of Jehovah. And this is what they did. They followed the instructions and commands that Jehovah gave through Moses.

Chapter 10

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘Make two silver trumpets for yourselves to call assemblies and to move the camp. Make them of hammered [silver]. ³ With one [type of] sound, the whole gathering must come to the entrance of the Tent of Proofs, ⁴ and with another, just the rulers and leaders must come to you.

⁵ ‘You must sound an alarm for the camp to move, starting with those in the east; ⁶ when you sound a second alarm, the camps to the south must move; with the sound of the third alarm, those camps pitched in the west must move; and with the fourth alarm, those that are camping in the north must move… and they must sound an alarm as they leave.

⁷ ‘Blow the horn to sound assembly, but not as an alarm. ⁸ The Priests (the sons of Aaron) must blow the trumpets. This is to be the rule for you through all your generations and through the ages.

⁹ ‘And if you must go to war against your enemies that will oppose to you in your land, you must also blow the trumpets as a reminder to Jehovah, and then you will be saved from your enemies.

¹⁰ ‘And on days when you are joyful, or during your feasts, or during your New Moons, and when you sacrifice whole burnt offerings and peace offerings, you must blow the trumpets. ¹¹ This must be done as a reminder to you before your God, for I am Jehovah your God.’

¹² And thereafter, the children of Israel packed their bags in the Sinai Desert, and the cloud came to rest in the Pharan Desert. ¹³ And following the instructions of Jehovah through Moses, the first group started their march.

¹⁴ The first to leave were the children of Judah with their army, headed by NaAsson, the son of AminAdab. ¹⁵ They [were followed by] the sons of IsSachar under NathaniEl, the son of Sogar. ¹⁶ Then came the army of the tribe of the sons of ZebuLon, under EliAb, the son of ChaElon.

¹⁷ Then the Tent was taken down, and the sons of Gedson started out, followed by the sons of MeraRi, who carried the Tent.

¹⁸ Then came the camp of Reuben and their army that was led by EliSur, the son of SediUr. ¹⁹ They were followed by the army of the tribe of the sons of Symeon, under SalamiEl, the son of SuriSadai. ²⁰ Next came the army of the children from the tribe of Gad, under EliSaph, the son of RaguEl.

²¹ Then the sons of CaAth came forward bearing the holy things, because the Tent was to be set up before they arrived.

²² Next, the camp of EphraIm set out with their army under EliSama, the son of SemiUd. ²³ They were followed by the armies of the tribe of the sons of ManasSeh, under GamaliEl, the son of PhadasSur. ²⁴ Then came the army of the tribe of the children of BenJamin, under AbiDan, the son of GadeOni. ²⁵ Next in the order of the camp came the sons of Dan and their army, under AchiEzer, the son of AmiSadai. ²⁶ Then came the army of the tribe of the sons of Asher, under PhageEl, the son of Echran. ²⁷ They were followed by the army of the tribe of the sons of NaphTali, under AchiRe, the son of AiNan.

²⁸ These are the armies of the children of Israel, and it’s the way that they started their march.

²⁹ And Moses said to his father-in-law Jethro (the son of RaguEl the Midianite), ‘We are traveling to the place about which Jehovah said, I’m going to give this to you. So, come with us and we will treat you well, because Jehovah has promised good things for Israel.’

³⁰ But [Jethro] replied, ‘No, I won’t go. I’m going to return to my family and my land.’

³¹ However, [Moses insisted] saying, ‘Don’t leave us! Why, you’ve been with us all through the desert, and you should be considered an elder among us. ³² For if you go with us; when Jehovah does good things for us, we will do good things for you.’

³³ Then they left the Mountain of Jehovah and traveled for three days. And the Chest of Jehovah’s Sacred Agreement was carried ahead of them for all three days as a comfort to them. ³⁴ And the cloud hung over them by day, starting from when they left the camp.

³⁵ Then, when the Chest was brought forward, Moses said, ‘Arise, O Jehovah! Let Your enemies be scattered and may all who hate You run in terror!’

³⁶ And when they reached its resting place, he said, ‘Turn [Your face] again, O Jehovah, to the thousands and tens of thousands in Israel!’

Chapter 11

¹ Then the people started murmuring sinful things against Jehovah, and He heard them. This made Him very angry, and a fire that came from Jehovah started burning among them, which consumed part of the camp, ² so the people called for Moses. And after he prayed to Jehovah, the fire went out. ³ Thereafter, they called that place ‘The Burning,’ because that was where a fire from Jehovah had burned among them.

⁴ It was the [ethnics] who were mixed among them that started [complaining]. They (and some of the children of Israel) sat down and started crying and saying, ‘Who is going to give us meat to eat? ⁵ We remember all the fish that we used to eat in Egypt, as well as the cucumbers, melons, leeks, garlic, and onions. ⁶ But now our lives have become [empty], because all we can see is manna!’

⁷ The manna looked like coriander seeds, and it appeared [on the ground] like frost. ⁸ The people went into the fields and collected it, then they ground it in a mill or pounded it in a mortar. Thereafter, they baked it in a pan and made cakes from it. It tasted like sweet crackers that had been mixed with oil. ⁹ And during the night, when the dew was settling on the camp, the manna came down upon it.

¹⁰ Well, Moses heard them sitting in front of their [tents] in family groups, crying. This made Jehovah very angry, and Moses viewed these actions as evil. ¹¹ So Moses asked Jehovah, ‘Why have You done this to your servant, and why haven’t I found favor in Your eyes, so that You should lay the burden of these people on me? ¹² Am I the one who carried and gave birth to all these people, so that You should tell me, Take them into your arms as a nursing mother would take her new-born baby, and carry them into the land that You promised to their fathers? ¹³ Where can I find meat to feed all these people? For, here they are crying before me and saying, Give us meat to eat. ¹⁴ I can’t carry all these people by myself; they’re just too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If You’re going to do this to me, then just kill me (if I’ve found Your favor), so I don’t have to [endure] this pain!’

¹⁶ Then Jehovah told Moses, ‘Gather seventy men from among the elders of Israel to Me. [Make sure that] you know they are the elders and scribes among the people, then bring them to the Tent of Proofs and have them stand there with you. ¹⁷ Then I will come down and speak with you there; for I will take [some] of [My] Breath that is on you and put it on them, and they will have to share the burden of the people with you… you won’t have to handle it by yourself.

¹⁸ ‘Then go to the people and tell them, ‘Now purify yourselves, because tomorrow you’re going to eat meat. Yes, you who have bawled before Jehovah and asked, Who will give us meat to eat? and said, Things were good for us [back in Egypt]!

‘So, Jehovah will provide meat, and you must eat the meat. ¹⁹ You aren’t going to eat it for one day, or two, or five, or ten, or twenty days. ²⁰ You’re going to eat it for a full month… until it comes out your noses! You’re going to be sick of it, because you disobeyed Jehovah who is here among you. You bawled before Him and asked, Why did we ever leave Egypt?’

²¹ Then Moses asked, ‘Why, there are six-hundred-thousand soldiers among us, and are You telling me to give them enough meat to eat for a whole month? ²² Must we slaughter all the sheep and cattle for them… and will even that be enough? Or must we catch all the fish in the sea for them, and would that be enough?’

²³ Then Jehovah said to Moses: ‘Isn’t the hand of Jehovah big enough? By now you should know whether My words will come true!’

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people what Jehovah said. Then he gathered seventy men from among the people’s elders and stood them around the Tent. ²⁵ Then Jehovah came down in a cloud to speak to [Moses], and He took some of the Breath that was in him and put it into the seventy elders. And when [God’s] Breath came to rest upon them, they started prophesying… and then they stopped.

²⁶ However, two of these men were still back in the camp at the time; one was ElDad, and the other was MoDad. They were part of the group that [Moses] had chosen, but they hadn’t made it to the Tent. Yet, [God’s] Breath also came to rest upon them, and they started prophesying in the camp. ²⁷ So a young man ran and told Moses. He said: ‘ElDad and MoDad are prophesying in the camp!’

²⁸ Well, JoShua (the son of NaWeh) who was Moses’ assistant and chosen successor, said, ‘Lord Moses; Make them stop!’

²⁹ But Moses replied, ‘Are you jealous for me? I wish that all of Jehovah’s people were Prophets when He puts His Breath on them.’

³⁰ And with that, Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

³¹ Then Jehovah blew His Breath, and [flocks of] quail blew over the sea and into the camp. They covered the ground several feet deep for a day’s journey all around the camp. ³² So the people went out all that day, all night, and all the next day to gather quail. Why, even those who gathered the least gathered hundreds. And then, all around the camp they [sat down to feast].

³³ Well, they were still picking the meat that was stuck between their teeth when Jehovah showed how angry He was with the people, for He then struck them with a great plague. ³⁴ And thereafter, that place was called the Graves of Greed, because there is where they buried all the greedy people.

³⁵ Then the people moved away from the Graves of Greed [and went to] to AsherOth, where they [set up camp].

Chapter 12

¹ Then Miriam and Aaron started condemning Moses because of the Ethiopian woman who he had taken as his wife. ² They asked, ‘Is Moses the only one that Jehovah has spoken to? Hasn’t He also spoken to us?’ And Jehovah heard them say this.

³ Now, Moses was the humblest man on the earth, ⁴ so Jehovah immediately spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, and said. ‘All three of you, come to the Tent of Proofs!’

⁵ So the three of them went to the Tent of Proofs, and Jehovah descended in a column of clouds. He stood there at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs and called Aaron and Miriam, and they stepped forward. ⁶ Then He said to them, ‘Listen to Me; If either of you are Prophets of Jehovah, I will make things known to you in a vision and speak to you as you sleep. ⁷ However, that isn’t the way [that I speak] to My servant Moses who has faithfully [served] in My House. ⁸ I’m not hidden to him, but I appear and speak to him mouth to mouth. Why, he has seen the glory of Jehovah, so why aren’t you afraid to speak against My servant Moses?’

⁹ Well, Jehovah was very angry with them; and then as He left, ¹⁰ the cloud disappeared from the Tent, and {Look!} Miriam had leprosy that was [as white] as snow!

Well, when Aaron saw that Miriam had leprosy, ¹¹ he said to Moses, ‘I beg you my lord; don’t hold this sin against us, because we did this in ignorance! ¹² Don’t allow her to be one of the [walking] dead – like a miscarriage from her mother’s womb – and half of her flesh to be eaten away.’

¹³ Then Moses called to Jehovah and said, ‘Oh God, I beg You; Heal her!’

¹⁴ And Jehovah replied to Moses, ‘If her father had just spit in her face, wouldn’t she have been shamed for seven days? Therefore, she may not enter the camp for seven days; but then she may return.’

¹⁵ So, Miriam was driven away from the camp for seven days, and the people didn’t beak camp until Miriam was cleansed.

Chapter 13

¹ After that, the people left AsherOth and camped in the Pharan Desert. ² There Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ³ ‘Send some men as spies into the land of the CanaAnites that I am giving to the sons of Israel. Choose men who are leaders from each of the tribes and family lines.’

⁴ So, following Jehovah’s instructions, Moses chose leaders from the sons of Israel and sent them out from the Desert of Pharan. ⁵ From the tribe of Reuben [he sent] SamuEl, the son of ZachUr. ⁶ From the tribe of Symeon [he sent] Saphat, the son of Suri. ⁷ From the tribe of Judah [he sent] Caleb, the son of JePhonNe. ⁸ From the tribe of IsSachar [he sent] IlaAl, the son of Joseph. ⁹ From the tribe of EphraIm [he sent] Ause, the son of NaWeh. ¹⁰ From the tribe of BenJamin [he sent] Phalti, the son of Raphu. ¹¹ From the tribe of ZebuLon [he sent] GudiEl, the son of Sudi. ¹² From the tribe of Joseph’s son ManasSeh [he sent] GadDi, the son of Susi. ¹³ From the tribe of Dan [he sent] AmiEl, the son of Gamali. ¹⁴ From the tribe of Asher [he sent] Sathur, the son of MichaEl. ¹⁵ From the tribe of NaphTali [he sent] Nabi, the son of Sabi. ¹⁶ And from the tribe of Gad [he sent] GudiEl, the son of MacChi. ¹⁷ These are the men who Moses sent as spies into the land. However, Moses called Ause (the son of NaWeh) JoShua.

¹⁸ As Moses sent them to spy in the land of CanaAn, he told them, ‘Travel through this desert, then climb the mountain and ¹⁹ peer into the land to see what it looks like, and watch the people who live there to [determine] whether they are strong or weak, many or few. ²⁰ Then notice whether the land they live on is good or bad, what cities there are, and whether they have walls or not. ²¹ Also, pay attention to the land and see whether it is rich or poor, and if there are trees. Then venture in and take some of the fruitage of the land.’

Well, it was springtime, and the grapes were ready to be harvested, ²² as they went and surveyed the land from the Sin Desert [all the way] to RhoOb (on the way to AiMath). ²³ They traveled through the desert and got as far as Hebron, where they found AchiMan, SesSi, and ThelAmi, the descendants of Enach. (Hebron had been built seven years before Tanin of Egypt.)

²⁴ Well, when they got to the valley where the grapes were grown; after surveying it, they cut down a cluster of grapes and carried it on staves. They also picked some pomegranates and figs. ²⁵ Then they called that place The Valley of the Cluster, because of the cluster of [grapes] that the children of Israel cut down there.

²⁶ Then after forty days, they returned from their survey of the land ²⁷ and they went before Moses, Aaron, and the entire gathering of the children of Israel [who were] in the desert at Pharan Cades. Then they spoke to the whole gathering and showed them the fruit from the land, ²⁸ and they gave this report: ‘We went into the land where you sent us, and found a land that is flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of the fruit from there. ²⁹ However, the nation that lives there is aggressive, and they have large, strong, walled cities.

‘We also saw the children of Enach there, ³⁰ and the Amalechites live in the land toward the south, while the Hittites, Evites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country, and the CanaAnites live between the Sea and the Jordan River.’

³¹ Then Caleb stopped them from speaking before Moses, and said, ‘No, we must surely go there and inherit [that land], because we can beat them.’

³² But the [the other] men disagreed and said, ‘We must not go there, because there’s no way we can beat a nation like that; for they’re much stronger than we are!’

³³ Then they really terrified the children of Israel when they said, ‘The land that we walked through and surveyed swallows up the people who live there. And all the people that we saw there were huge! ³⁴ We saw giants who [were so large] that we looked like grasshoppers in comparison.’

Chapter 14

¹ Well at that, the whole gathering started wailing and crying, which went on throughout the night. ² Then all the children of Israel started grumbling about Moses and Aaron, and they came to them and said, ³ ‘We would rather have died in the land of Egypt than in this desert! Why is Jehovah bringing us to this land just to be killed in war, and our wives and children to serve as prey? It would be better for us to return to Egypt!’

⁴ Then they started saying to each other, ‘Let’s appoint [someone else] as our ruler, and return to Egypt!’

⁵ At this, Moses and Aaron just fell to their faces before the entire gathering of the children of Israel. ⁶ But JoShua (the son of NaWeh) and Caleb (the son of JePhonNe), who were among those that spied in the land, started ripping their clothes. ⁷ Then they addressed the gathering of the children of Israel and said, ‘The land that we surveyed is really very good! ⁸ And if Jehovah has chosen us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us – a land that flows with milk and honey. ⁹ So, don’t leave Jehovah, and don’t be afraid of the people in that land, because they are just meat for us. Their time has ended, for Jehovah is with us. So don’t be afraid!’

¹⁰ Then all the people started throwing rocks at them. [And suddenly] the glory of Jehovah appeared in the cloud over the Tent of Proofs before all the children of Israel. ¹¹ And Jehovah said to Moses, ‘How much longer will these people continue to anger Me, and how much longer will they refuse to believe Me after all the signs I’ve given them? ¹² I will strike them and put them to death… I will destroy them and make a great nation of you and of your father’s house; one that will be much greater than this!’

¹³ But Moses replied, ‘Then Egypt would hear of it! Why, You used Your power to bring these people out from among them. ¹⁴ Also, the people who live in this land have heard that You are their Lord, that You are with these people, and that You, O Jehovah, have been seen face to face! Why, Your cloud rests upon them, and You lead them each day in a column of clouds and by a column of fire all night long. ¹⁵ So, if You were to destroy this whole nation, then all the nations that have heard of Your Name will say, ¹⁶ Because Jehovah couldn’t bring His people into the land that He swore to give them, He has [killed] them in the desert!

¹⁷ ‘So, O Lord, show Your power; and may the things You said prove to be true: ¹⁸ Jehovah is patient, merciful, and true. He removes mistakes, errors, and sins. He will never acquit the guilty, but will bring the sins of fathers on their children for three or four generations. ¹⁹ Forgive these people for their sins by Your great mercy, and show them the same favor [that You’ve shown] them [since You led them out of] Egypt!’

²⁰ Then Jehovah replied to Moses: ‘I will be [patient] with them as you’ve asked. ²¹ For as I live, and as My Name is living, the glory of Jehovah must fill the whole earth. ²² Because, all men have seen My glory through all the signs that I gave in Egypt and in the desert. But this is the tenth time that [Israel] has tested Me and refused to listen to My voice. ²³ So, they will not see the land that I promised to their fathers. Rather, I will give it to their children who are with Me here… those who are inexperienced and don’t yet know good from bad. I’m going to give the land to them, but those who angered Me will never see it. ²⁴ However, My servant Caleb [will see it], because he had a different spirit and he followed Me. I will bring him into the land that he traveled through, and his seed will inherit it. ²⁵ But the Amalechites and CanaAnites will [continue to] live in the valley. So tomorrow [you must] turn around and return to the desert by way of the Red Sea.’

²⁶ Then Jehovah spoke to both Moses and Aaron and said, ²⁷ ‘How much longer will this gathering remain wicked? I’ve heard the grumbling against Me coming from [all] the children of Israel… and all their complaints about you. ²⁸ So, tell them that Jehovah says, As I live; Whatever I’ve heard you say is exactly what I’m going to do to you. ²⁹ Your bodies will fall in this desert, and all those who were reviewed and counted from twenty years old and up – all who grumbled against Me – ³⁰ will never enter the land that I stretched out My hand to give you, except for Caleb (the son of JePhonNe), and JoShua (the son of NaWeh).

³¹ ‘Then I will bring your little ones (who you said would serve as prey) into the land, and they will inherit the land that you rejected, ³² while your bodies will fall in this desert. ³³ So your sons must be fed in this desert for forty years, and they must carry the weight of your infidelity, while your bodies rot in the desert. ³⁴ For each day that was spent spying in that land – forty days – you must bear your sins a day for a year – for forty years – and you will get to know My rage. ³⁵ For I Jehovah have spoken, and that’s what I will do to this evil gathering that has stood together against Me. You will be totally destroyed and die here in this desert!’

³⁶ Then all the men who Moses sent to spy in the land and who then returned and grumbled before the group and said evil things about the land ³⁷ were struck with a plague from Jehovah and died. ³⁸ So, among the men who served as spies in the land, only JoShua (the son of NaWeh) and Caleb (the son of JePhonNe) survived.

³⁹ So then, Moses explained all these things to the children of Israel, and the people became very depressed.

⁴⁰ Then early the next morning, [Moses] stepped up to the top of a hill and said, ‘{Look!} Now those of us who are left are going to travel to the place where Jehovah told us to go, because we have sinned.’

⁴¹ And Moses asked, ‘Why didn’t you obey the words of Jehovah and prosper? ⁴² Now you can’t [enter the land], because Jehovah isn’t with you; otherwise you will [be cut down] before your enemies. ⁴³ For the Amalechites and the CanaAnites stand there before you, and you will be cut down with swords, because you disobeyed Jehovah and turned aside. So, Jehovah will not be among you.’

⁴⁴ Well, they went up to the top of the mountain and tried to force their way [into the land] anyhow, but the Chest of Jehovah’s Sacred Agreement and Moses never left the camp. ⁴⁵ So the Amalechites and the CanaAnites that lived on the mountain attacked them, drove them away, and destroyed them all the way to [Mount] Herman; and they [had to] return to the camp.

Chapter 15

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘Speak to the children of Israel and tell them: When you enter the land that I will give you (and the place where you will live) ³ and offer whole burnt offerings to Jehovah, or offerings to fulfill a vow, or free-will offerings, or feast sacrifices from the herd or flock as a sweet odor to Jehovah, ⁴ the person who offers the gift must also bring a food offering of a quart of flour mixed with oil, ⁵ and a quart [of wine] as a drink offering with each lamb that you sacrifice as a sweet odor to Jehovah.

⁶ ‘And when you offer a ram as a whole-burnt offering or sacrifice, you should prepare a food offering of two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil, ⁷ and two quarts of wine as a drink offering, as a sweet odor to Jehovah.

⁸ ‘And if you offer a sacrifice from the herd as a whole-burnt offering, or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a peace offering to Jehovah, ⁹ then along with the calf, add a food offering of three quarts of fine flour mixed with oil, ¹⁰ and three quarts of wine as a drink offering, as a sweet odor to Jehovah.

¹¹ ‘You must do this for each calf, ram, lamb, sheep, or goat kid that you offer. ¹² And you must do the same thing for each one, no matter how many you may offer. ¹³ All the natives in the country must do this whenever they offer sacrifices as a sweet odor to Jehovah… ¹⁴ whether the person is an alien in your land or someone who was born among you, they must offer [the same] sacrifices as a sweet odor to [Jehovah… everyone among the gathering must offer sacrifices to Jehovah! ¹⁵ There must be just one law for you and for the aliens who live among you. It is a law through the ages and throughout your generations, that the aliens must act as you do before Jehovah. ¹⁶ Both you and the aliens who live among you must follow the same laws and regulations!’

¹⁷ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ¹⁸ ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and tell them: When you enter the land where I am taking you ¹⁹ and you start eating bread from the land, you must set aside a special wave-offering to Jehovah from the first fruitage of your dough. ²⁰ You must set aside and offer your bread as a wave offering in the same way that you offer grain – ²¹ as the first fruitage of your dough – and give it to Jehovah as a wave offering throughout your generations.

²² ‘Now, if you should fail to follow all these commandments that Jehovah gave to Moses, ²³ and which Moses has been telling you since the day that Jehovah selected you, and on through your generations, ²⁴ and if an error is committed by mistake and without the knowledge of the gathering, then the whole gathering must offer a perfect calf from the herd as a whole-burnt offering and as a sweet odor to Jehovah, along with food and drink offerings (according to the rules), and one goat kid as a sin offering. ²⁵ Then the Priest must make payment for the sins of the entire gathering of the children of Israel, and they will be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their gift as a burnt-offering to Jehovah for their error and involuntary sin. ²⁶ If it is a mistake, all must be forgiven, whether they are from the children of Israel or from the aliens that are living among you.

²⁷ ‘And if a person sins by mistake, he must bring a yearling nanny goat as a sin offering. ²⁸ Then the Priest must [sacrifice it] to pay for the sin that was committed in error. ²⁹ This same law applies to the natives of the children of Israel and to the aliens who live among them… whoever commits an error unwittingly.

³⁰ ‘And whenever any person – a native or an alien – does anything so presumptuous as to anger God, he must be cut off from among his people. ³¹ For, when he disregards the Word of Jehovah and breaks His Laws, that person must be found guilty of sin and destroyed.’

³² Well, it was while the children of Israel were in the desert that they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath. ³³ And those who found him doing this brought him before Moses, Aaron, and the entire gathering of the children of Israel. ³⁴ Then he was placed in custody, because they didn’t know what to do with him. ³⁵ But thereafter, Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ‘The man must absolutely be put to death by the entire gathering. Stone him with rocks!’

³⁶ So the entire gathering dragged him outside the camp and stoned him with rocks, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

³⁷ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ³⁸ ‘Speak to the children of Israel and tell them that they must wear fringes on the bottoms of their clothing throughout all their generations. These fringes are to be made of blue lace. ³⁹ Then, whenever they look at these fringes, they must think of all the Commandments of Jehovah and remember to obey them, instead of turning back and following the immoral things of their imaginations. ⁴⁰ They must remember and obey all My Commandments, and be holy before Me, ⁴¹ for I am Jehovah, the God who brought them out of the land of Egypt to be their God… I am Jehovah your God!’

Chapter 16

¹ And KorAh (the son of IsaAr, of CaAth, of Levi), Dathan, AbiRam (the sons of EliAb), and Aun (the son of Phaleth of Reuben) started talking ² in rebellion against Moses, along with two hundred and fifty men from the sons of Israel who were chiefs of the assembly, chosen advisors, and men of fame. ³ They came up against Moses and Aaron, and said, ‘That’s enough of you! Why, the whole gathering of Israel is holy, and Jehovah is among them; so why have you set yourselves up over the gathering of Jehovah?’

⁴ Well when Moses heard this, he fell to his face. ⁵ Then he spoke to KorAh and his group and said, ‘God has visited us, and He knows who are His, who are holy, who are set aside to Him, who He has chosen, and who He has purchased for Himself. ⁶ So do this: KorAh and his entire group should take their censors ⁷ and put fire and incense in them to stand before Jehovah tomorrow. Then we will let Jehovah choose who will be holy. And may this settle the matter, you sons of Levi.’

⁸ Then Moses addressed KorAh, saying, ‘Listen to me, you sons of Levi. ⁹ Is it unimportant to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the gathering of Israel and brought you close to Him to serve His people in His Tent, ¹⁰ so that you and all your brothers (the sons of Levi) also want to become the Priests? ¹¹ Why, you and your group have gathered against God! Just who is Aaron that you should be complaining against him?’

¹² Then Moses sent for Dathan and AbiRam (the sons of EliAb), and they replied; ‘We aren’t coming. ¹³ Doesn’t it matter to you that you brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, [then you decided] to kill us here in the desert? And now do you want to rule over us too? ¹⁴ Why, if you’re our leader, then why didn’t you bring us into the land that’s flowing with milk and honey, and give us our inheritance of land and vineyards? Couldn’t you have just blinded the eyes of the men [in that land]? No! We aren’t coming!’

¹⁵ Well, this upset Moses, and he said to Jehovah, ‘Don’t accept their sacrifices, because I haven’t taken anything that they want away from them, nor have I harmed any of them.’

¹⁶ Then Moses told KorAh, ‘Be sure that your whole group is holy, then get them ready to stand before Jehovah with Aaron tomorrow. ¹⁷ Each man must bring his censer, then you must each put incense in them and carry the censers before Jehovah… two hundred and fifty censers in all. Then you and Aaron must also bring your censers.’

¹⁸ So, each man brought his censer, put fire and incense in them, then they stood beside Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs. ¹⁹ There KorAh and his group stood defiantly as the glory of Jehovah appeared to the whole gathering.

²⁰ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, ²¹ ‘Stand away from the entire gathering [of Israel], for I am getting ready to consume them all!’

²² Well, they fell to their faces, and begged, ‘Oh God; the God of all the spirits and flesh; If just one man has sinned, must You bring Your rage against the whole gathering?’

²³ And Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ²⁴ ‘Then tell the gathering to get away from KorAh and his group!’

²⁵ So Moses got up and walked over to Dathan and AbiRam, and all the elders of Israel went with him. ²⁶ Then he spoke to the gathering and said, ‘Get away from the tents of these stubborn men and don’t touch anything that belongs to them. Otherwise, you’ll be consumed along with them for their sins!’

²⁷ So, everyone got away from their tents, as KorAh, Dathan, and AbiRam went over and stood at the entrances to their tents, along with their wives, their children, and all their belongings.

²⁸ Then Moses said, ‘Now you will know that; when Jehovah sent me to do these things, it wasn’t on my own. ²⁹ If these men just die a natural death, and if what happens to them is the same as what happens to all men, then Jehovah hasn’t sent me. ³⁰ But if Jehovah brings a miracle and the earth opens her mouth and swallows them, their homes, their tents, and everything that belongs to them, and they go down into their graves alive, then you must know that these men have angered Jehovah!’

³¹ And just as he finished saying those words, the ground rumbled beneath them. ³² Then the ground opened and swallowed them, their homes, all the men that were with KorAh, and all their cattle… ³³ they and all that they had went down into their graves alive. Then the ground covered them, and they perished there in the midst of the gathering.

³⁴ Well at that, all the Israelites who were standing nearby fled from the noise, shouting: ‘[Run], so the earth doesn’t swallow us too!’

³⁵ Then fire came from Jehovah and it consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.

³⁶ Thereafter, Jehovah spoke to ³⁷ EliEzer (the son of Aaron the Priest) through Moses, and said, ‘Now, pick up the bronze censers from where the men were burned, then melt them down, because they are holy, ³⁸ [and use them as a sign against] those sinners and against their lives. Beat [the metal] into plates to cover the Altar, for these [censors] were brought before Jehovah as holy, so they must be used as a sign to the children of Israel!’

³⁹ Therefore, EliEzer (the son of Aaron the Priest) took the bronze censers that the men who had been burned had carried, and he formed them into a covering for the Altar. ⁴⁰ This was to serve as a reminder to the children of Israel that no one other than the seed of Aaron might come close to offer incense before Jehovah, so what happened to KorAh and those who conspired with him doesn’t happen to them. [And he did just] as Jehovah told him through Moses.

⁴¹ Well, the next day, the people started grumbling against Moses and Aaron again, and they shouted, ‘You’ve killed the people of Jehovah!’ ⁴² Then a mob gathered against Moses and Aaron, and they foolishly ran into the Tent of Proofs. And at that, the cloud covered it and the glory of Jehovah appeared!

⁴³ Then Moses and Aaron entered through the front of the Tent of Proofs, ⁴⁴ and Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, ⁴⁵ ‘Get away from the whole gathering [of the children of Israel], because I am consuming them!’

And immediately they fell to their faces, ⁴⁶ and Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take a censer, put some fire from the Altar and some incense into it, and quickly carry it into the camp to pay for their sins. Because, Jehovah’s rage has come upon us and He is already destroying the people!’

⁴⁷ So Aaron took it (just as Moses told him), and ran around throughout the gathering, because a plague had already started among them, and he used the incense to pay for the sins of the people. ⁴⁸ Then he stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.

⁴⁹ All together, fourteen thousand, seven hundred died from the plague… in addition to those who died because of KorAh. ⁵⁰ And when Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, the plague ended.

Chapter 17

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘Tell the children of Israel to have their leaders each bring a walking stick with them, one for each of the family lines – twelve walking sticks – and have them each write his name on his walking stick. ³ Then write Aaron’s name on the walking stick of Levi. Each tribe should provide these sticks for [the heads] of their family lines. ⁴ Then you must put all of them inside the Tent of Proofs, before the Chest of Proofs, where I [meet with] you. ⁵ And whoever owns the walking stick that blossoms is the man that I have chosen. This will bring an end to all the children of Israel’s grumbling to Me about you.’

⁶ So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a walking stick, one for each of the heads of their family lines – twelve walking sticks – and Aaron’s walking stick was placed among them. ⁷ Then Moses laid the walking sticks before Jehovah inside the Tent of Proofs.

⁸ Well, the next morning, when Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Proofs, they saw that the walking stick of Aaron (from the tribe of Levi) had blossomed, putting out buds, blooms, and almonds! ⁹ Then Moses carried all the walking sticks that were before Jehovah out before the sons of Israel for them to see, and each [of the leaders] took his walking stick.

¹⁰ And Jehovah told Moses, ‘Now, place Aaron’s walking stick among the Proofs and keep it as a sign for these disobedient children. Then tell them to stop grumbling to Me, so they don’t die!’

¹¹ And that’s what Moses and Aaron did… they did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

¹² Then [the leaders] of the children of Israel spoke to Moses and asked, ‘Now, are we going to be cut off, destroyed, and consumed? ¹³ Why, everyone who touches the Tent of Jehovah dies, so are we now going to be totally destroyed?’

Chapter 18

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Aaron and told him, ‘You, your sons, and your [tribe] will be guilty of any sins against the holy things, and you and your sons [are responsible for] your Priesthood. ² So now, take your brothers from the tribe of Levi (the family line of your father), accept them as yours, and have them serve you and your sons before the Tent of Proofs. ³ They must obey you and follow your instructions regarding everything having to do with the Tent. However, they must not go near the holy furnishings or the Altar, so that they – and you – don’t die.

⁴ ‘They must be joined to you and follow your instructions regarding the Tent of Proofs and all the services at the Tent. But no one else may even approach you. ⁵ You alone are to give instructions when it comes to the holy things and the Altar, and there must be no more anger [about this] among the children of Israel. ⁶ For I have taken your brothers the Levites out from among the children of Israel as a gift to Me, to serve at the Tent of Proofs.

⁷ ‘Now, you and your descendants must maintain your assigned positions as Priests, serving at the Altar and inside the veil, doing the things that are required. You must serve in the position of your Priesthood, and any [non-authorized] person who comes close to it must die!’

⁸ Then Jehovah told Aaron: ‘Look, I have given you all the instructions regarding the first fruitage of everything that is to be made perfect for Me by the children of Israel. This is an honor for you and your descendants, and it is a law through the ages ⁹ that all the perfected holy things from among the burnt offerings, gifts, sacrifices, all the error and sin offerings – whatever holy things that they bring to Me – will belong to you and to your sons. ¹⁰ And these things must be considered holy to you, so all the males (you and your sons) must eat them in this very holy place.

¹¹ ‘And I am giving all the first fruitage among the gifts – the wave-offerings of the children of Israel – to you and to your sons and daughters. It is a law through the ages that all those in your homes who are clean may eat them. ¹² All the first offerings of oil, wine, grain, and whatever else they may offer to Jehovah, is yours. ¹³ All the first fruitage of the land – whatever is offered to Jehovah – must belong to you, and anyone in your home who is clean may eat them.

¹⁴ ‘Anything that the children of Israel choose to dedicate must also be yours. ¹⁵ Whatever they bring to Jehovah, whether man or animal – everything that opens a womb – must be yours. However, the first-born of men and the first-born of unclean animals must be paid for. ¹⁶ The value of anything a month old and upwards is five silver coins (twenty copper coins per holy silver coin). ¹⁷ However, you must not pay for the first-born calves, sheep, and goats, because they are holy. You must pour their blood on the Altar, and offer the fat as a burnt offering and a sweet odor to Jehovah. ¹⁸ But their flesh is yours, as is the breast and the right shoulder of the wave-offerings. ¹⁹ All the special offerings of holy things – whatever the children of Israel offer as special to Jehovah – I have given to you, your sons, and your daughters who live with you. This is a rule through the ages. It is a Sacred Agreement of salt through the ages between Me, you, and your seed that descends from you.’

²⁰ Then Jehovah told Aaron: ‘You aren’t going to receive an inheritance in that land, nor may you own any part of it, for I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel. ²¹ Look! I have given the sons of Levi all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance for the services they perform at the Tent of Proofs.

²² ‘Now, the children of Israel must not go close to the Tent of Proofs, or they will [be found] guilty and die. ²³ Just the Levites may work and serve at the Tent of Proofs, and they must be responsible for their mistakes. This is to be a law through the ages and throughout all your generations. They must not receive an inheritance among the children of Israel, ²⁴ because I have given the Levites the tithes of the children of Israel as their inheritance… everything that is offered to Jehovah. That is why I am telling them that they are to receive no inheritance among the children of Israel.’

²⁵ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ²⁶ ‘Speak to the Levites and tell them that when they receive the tithes from the children of Israel that I am giving them as their inheritance, they must set aside a tenth of the tithe as a wave offering to Jehovah. ²⁷ These wave offerings must be treated as grain offerings from the [threshing] floor and as offerings from a wine press. ²⁸ They must set this portion aside from all tithe offerings to Jehovah and everything else that they receive from the children of Israel, and give My offerings to Aaron the Priest. ²⁹ This includes a portion of all gifts that are given as offerings to Jehovah and all the first fruitage.

³⁰ ‘Tell them that whenever they offer the first fruitage, the Levites must think of it as produce from a threshing floor or from a wine press. ³¹ They and their families may eat it anywhere, because this is their reward for serving at the Tent of Proofs. ³² They won’t sin by doing this, as long as they [set aside] a portion of the first-fruitage and they don’t dirty the holy things of the children of Israel. Otherwise, they will be put to death.’

Chapter 19

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, ² ‘This is a commandment of the Law that Jehovah has given you: Speak to the sons of Israel and tell them to bring you a perfect unspotted red heifer that has never worn a yoke, ³ then give her to EliEzer the Priest. Have them take her to a clean place outside the camp and slaughter it there before him.

⁴ ‘Then EliEzer must take some of her blood and sprinkle it in front of the Tent of Proofs seven times. ⁵ And thereafter, they must burn it to ashes before him, making sure that her skin, flesh, blood, and dung are totally consumed. ⁶ And the Priest must take some cedar wood, some hyssop, and some scarlet-colored wool, and throw it into the [fire] that is burning the heifer. ⁷ Then the Priest must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and go into the camp and remain unclean until the evening. ⁸ Also, whoever burns [the heifer] must wash his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until evening.

⁹ ‘Then a clean man must gather up the heifer’s ashes and lay them aside in a clean place outside the camp, to be kept for the gathering of the children of Israel to make a water to sprinkle for purification. ¹⁰ And the man that gathers up the heifer’s ashes must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This is a law for the children of Israel and for the aliens that join with them throughout the ages.

¹¹ ‘Whoever touches a human corpse must be unclean for seven days. ¹² He must then be purified both on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean. But if he isn’t purged on the third and seventh days, he won’t be clean. ¹³ Also, anyone who touches the carcass of a man who has died and doesn’t get purified, will dirty the Tent of Jehovah, so that person must be cut off from Israel, because; if the cleansing water isn’t sprinkled on him, he is unclean and will remain unclean.

¹⁴ ‘This is also the law: Whenever a man dies inside a house, anyone who enters that house and everything in the house must be unclean for seven days. ¹⁵ All jars that are open and don’t have lids that are tightly sealed must be unclean. ¹⁶ Also, anyone who touches a man that was murdered, or a cadaver, or a human bone, or a tomb, must be unclean for seven days.

¹⁷ ‘They must take the burnt ashes of purification and pour them into a jar with running water to make the [water of] purification. ¹⁸ Then a clean man must take [a branch] of hyssop and dip it into the water, and sprinkle the house, the furniture, and all the people who are there that may have touched the human bone, or the murdered man, or the cadaver, or the tomb. ¹⁹ The clean man must sprinkle it on the unclean people on the third and seventh days. Then on the seventh day, he must purify himself, wash his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until evening.

²⁰ ‘Any man who has become unclean and chooses not to purify himself must be cut off from among the gathering, because he has dirtied the holy things of Jehovah… if the cleansing water hasn’t been sprinkled on him, he remains unclean.

²¹ ‘And it is the law through the ages that whoever sprinkles the water of purification must wash his clothes; and whoever even touches the water must be unclean until evening. ²² Also, everything that an unclean man touches must be unclean, and anyone who touches [that thing] must be unclean until evening.’

Chapter 20

¹ It was during the first month that the people (the whole gathering of the children of Israel) traveled to the Sin Desert, and they stayed in Cades… and it was there that Miriam died and was buried.

² However, there was no water in that place, so all the people came to Moses and Aaron, ³ and they started shouting at Moses, saying, ‘We would rather have died when our brothers were destroyed before Jehovah! ⁴ Why have you brought the gathering of Jehovah into this desert… to kill us along with our cattle? ⁵ Just what kind of a place is this? You brought us out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place where we can’t plant crops, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates, and there’s no water here to drink!’

⁶ Then Moses and Aaron went to the entrance of the Tent of Proofs and stood before the people, and [they both] fell to their faces. Then the glory of Jehovah appeared to them, ⁷ and [God] spoke to Moses, saying, ⁸ ‘Call an assembly, then take your walking stick, and you and your brother Aaron must call out to the rock that stands before them, and it will give you its water. You must bring the water out of the rock for them and give it to the gathering and their cattle to drink.’

⁹ So Moses took his walking stick that was there before Jehovah, just as Jehovah had commanded him, ¹⁰ and Moses and Aaron assembled the gathering in front of the rock. Then he said to them, ‘Listen to me, you rebels; Must we bring water for you out of this rock?’

¹¹ Then Moses raised his hand and hit the rock with his rod twice, and water came gushing out; so the gathering and their cattle drank.

¹² Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you didn’t believe Me enough to mention Me before the children of Israel, you won’t be allowed to lead this gathering into the land that I have given them. ¹³ This is the Water of Rebellion, because it’s where the children of Israel spoke rebelliously before Jehovah; yet I remained holy among them.’

¹⁴ Then Moses sent messengers from Cades to the king of Edom, and said, ‘Thus is what your brother Israel is saying: You know all the hard times we’ve seen, ¹⁵ and how our fathers went down to Egypt and of the many [years] that we spent there, and how the Egyptians oppressed us and our fathers. ¹⁶ Well, when we called out to Jehovah, He heard our voice and sent His messenger who brought us out of Egypt.

‘And now we are in the city of Cades, at the edge of your land, ¹⁷ and we wish to pass through your land. We won’t walk through your fields or through your vineyards, nor will we drink water from your cisterns. We will travel along the King’s Highway, and we won’t turn right or left until we have past your borders.’

¹⁸ But the Edomites replied, ‘You may not pass through [our land], for if you do, we will go to war against you!’

¹⁹ Then the children of Israel said, ‘Then we will go around the mountain, and if our cattle and we drink any of your water, we will pay you for it. It shouldn’t bother you if we travel around the mountain.’

²⁰ But [the Edomites] replied, ‘You may not pass through [our land]!’

Then the Edomites came out to meet them with a huge, well-armed army, ²¹ and they refused to allow Israel to cross their borders; so Israel turned and went another way… ²² the whole gathering left Cades and traveled to Mount Or.

²³ It was while they were at Mount Or (on the border of the land of Edom) that Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron, and said: ²⁴ ‘Aaron is now going to be laid [to rest] with his people… and you may not enter the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you angered Me at the Water of Rebellion! ²⁵ So, take Aaron and his son EliEzer up Mount Or before the whole gathering, ²⁶ then remove Aaron’s [official] garments and put them on EliEzer. And thereafter, Aaron will die and be added to [his people].’

²⁷ So Moses did just as Jehovah commanded him. He took them up Mont Or before the whole gathering, ²⁸ he removed Aaron’s clothes and put them on his son EliEzer, and then Aaron died on top of the mountain.

Well, when Moses and EliEzer walked down the mountain, ²⁹ the gathering realized that Aaron was dead. Then the whole house of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty days.

Chapter 21

¹ And Arad, the CanaAnite king who lived near the desert, heard that Israel had traveled through Atharin, so he went to war against Israel and carried some of their [people] off as captives. ² Then Israel swore a vow to Jehovah, saying, ‘If You will hand them over to us, we will dedicate them and their cities to You.’

³ So Jehovah heard what [the people of] Israel said, and gave the CanaAnites into their hands. They [destroyed] them and their cities, and they started calling that place the Cursed.

⁴ Thereafter, they left Mount Or and traveled toward the Red Sea, circling the land of Edom. And somewhere along the way, the people lost their courage. ⁵ Then they started speaking against God and Moses, saying, ‘Why have you brought us out of Egypt… to kill us here in the desert? [We have] no bread or water, and we have come to hate the worthless bread.’

⁶ So, Jehovah sent poisonous snakes among them that bit [many] people, and quite a few of the children of Israel died. ⁷ And then the people went to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah and against you. Please pray to Jehovah and [ask] Him to take these snakes away from us!’

⁸ So Moses prayed to Jehovah for the people, and Jehovah told Moses, ‘Make a snake and raise it as a sign. Then, whenever a snake bites someone, they can look at [this sign] and they will live.’

⁹ As the result, Moses made a brass snake and put it on a sign, so whenever a snake bit a person, he could look at the bronze snake and survive.

¹⁰ Then the children of Israel left that place and started camping in ObOth. ¹¹ And from ObOth they moved to AchalGai, which is on the eastern edge of the desert across from Moab. ¹² From there they traveled on and camped in the Valley of Zared. ¹³ Then they left [Zared] and camped on the other side of Arnon, in the desert that runs along the border of the Amorites (Arnon is the border between Moab and the Amorites). ¹⁴ And that’s why it was written about ZoOb (in the book of the Wars of Jehovah) that, ‘The dry river beds of Arnon were set on fire, ¹⁵ and Moab’s [Capital] Er [was built] along the river beds at their border.’

¹⁶ It was there that they came to a well, and Jehovah said, ‘I have given this well to Moses; so gather the people and I will give them water to drink.’

¹⁷ Then Israel started singing this song at the well:

¹⁸ ‘Their leaders dug it;
The kings of their nation and their kingdom;
They in their kingship sank it in rock;
It was the well to ManthaNain.

¹⁹ And from ManthaNain to NaAliEl,
And from NaAliEl to BamOth,
Then from BamOth to Janen;
And from the plains of Moab,
And the quarry that faces the desert.’

²⁰ Then Moses sent ambassadors to Seon (the king of the Amorites) with words of peace. They [said to him], ²¹ ‘We [wish to] pass through your land. We will travel along the road; we won’t step into your fields or vineyards; ²² and we won’t drink water from your wells. We will just travel along the King’s Highway until we pass your borders.’

²³ But Seon wouldn’t allow Israel to cross his borders. Rather, he gathered all his people and set up battle lines against Israel from the desert [all the way] to JasSa. ²⁴ However, Israel beat them and slaughtered [many of their people with] swords; then they owned all the land from Arnon to JaBoc, as far as the children of AmMan (for JaZer borders the [land of] the children of AmMan).

²⁵ Israel captured all the Amorite cities in the [district of] Hesh-Eboneh and they started living in them. ²⁶ For Hesh-Eboneh was the city of Seon (the king of the Amorites), and he had previously fought against the king of Moab and captured all the land from AroEr to Arnon. ²⁷ That’s why there was a saying among those who speak of such dark things:
‘Come to Hesh-Eboneh to build,
And prepare the city for Seon.
²⁸ For a fire came out of Hesh-Eboneh;
A flame from the City of Seon,
And it has burned and consumed,
As far as the pillars of Arnon in Moab.

²⁹ Woe to you O Moab;
You people of Chamosh, for you’ve lost.
Your sons that survived have been sold;
Your daughters are captives of Seon,
Who is the Amorite king.
³⁰ Their seed has perished from Hesh-Eboneh to DaEbon,
And their women caused a fire that’s burning in Moab.’

³¹ It was while Israel was living in the cities of the Amorites ³² that Moses sent spies to JaZer. Then he captured it and its [surrounding] villages, and drove out the Amorites who lived there. ³³ And after their return, they [marched] up the road that leads to Bashan and Og (Bashan’s king), and his army came from EdraIn to meet them.

³⁴ Then Jehovah told Moses: ‘Don’t be afraid of him, for I am putting him, his people, and his land into your hands. Now, do to him as you did to Seon the king of the Amorites who lived in Hesh-Eboneh.’

³⁵ So, they attacked and destroyed [Og], his sons, and all his people. None of them were taken alive, so [Israel] inherited their land.

Chapter 22

¹ Then the children of Israel left that place and camped on the west side of Moab, by the Jordan River near Jericho. ² And when Balak (SepPhor’s son) saw what the Israelites did to the Amorites, ³ [he] and the people of Moab became very concerned and upset, because there were many Israelites. ⁴ So, the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, ‘This gathering is going lick up everything around us like a calf would swallow down the greens in a field!’

Well, Balak (the son of SepPhor) was the king of Moab at the time. ⁵ So he sent ambassadors to call BalaAm the son of Beor, who was at Phathura (which is alongside a river in the land of his people). [And he told them] to say, ‘Look, these people who have come from Egypt are covering the land… and now they are camping close to me! ⁶ So, come and curse these people for me, because they are stronger than we are. Then we will be able to attack them and drive them out of the land. Because, I know that whoever you bless will be blest, and whoever you curse will be cursed.’

⁷ So the elders of Moab and Midian left, carrying their charms in their hands, and they went to BalaAm and told him everything that Balak had said. ⁸ Then he told them: ‘Spend the night here and I will tell you whatever the Lord says to me.’

So the leaders of Moab then spent the night with BalaAm. ⁹ And God came to BalaAm [during the night] and asked him, ‘Who are these men that are with you?’

¹⁰ And BalaAm replied, ‘Balak (the son of SepPhor and the king of Moab) sent them to Me. For he said, ¹¹ Look; These people have come from Egypt, and they [literally] cover the land. And now they are camping close to me. So, come and curse them for me, then I can cut them down and drive them out of the land.’

¹² And God told BalaAm: ‘You must not go with them, nor should you curse these people, because they are blest.’

¹³ So, when BalaAm got up the next morning, he told Balak’s [ambassadors]: ‘Hurry and return to your lord, because God won’t allow me to go with you.’

¹⁴ Then the Moabites got up and returned to Balak, and said, ‘BalaAm won’t come with us.’

¹⁵ Well, Balak then sent some [of his] rulers who were even more respected than the last ones. ¹⁶ They went to BalaAm and said, ‘This is what Balak the son of SepPhor says: I beg you; Please hurry and come to me, ¹⁷ for I will honor you with great [gifts], and I will do anything you ask. So, come and curse these people for me!’

¹⁸ But BalaAm answered Balak’s leaders in these words: ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I still wouldn’t be able to violate the words of God Jehovah and do anything good or anything bad, for I know [this is wrong]. ¹⁹ But spend [another] night here, and I will see what the Lord says.’

²⁰ Then God came to BalaAm during the night and told him, ‘When these men who came to call you [awaken], go with them. But just do the things that I tell you to do.’

²¹ Well, when BalaAm got up in the morning, he saddled his burro and went with the leaders of Moab. ²² But God became very angry and sent His messenger to stop him. So, as he was riding along on his burro, accompanied by two of his servants; ²³ when the burro saw the messenger of God standing in her way with a sword in his hand, she turned aside and went into the field. Well, BalaAm started hitting the [animal] with a stick to make her [behave].

²⁴ Then Jehovah’s messenger went and stood in the Avenue of Vines, which had a fence on both sides. ²⁵ And when the burro saw God’s messenger, she pushed up against the wall, squeezing BalaAm’s foot, and he started hitting her again.

²⁶ Then Jehovah’s messenger went ahead and stood in a narrow place where it was impossible to turn either right or left. ²⁷ And when the burro saw the messenger of God, she just sat down under BalaAm.

Well, BalaAm was furious, and he again started beating the burro with his stick. ²⁸ But God opened the burro’s mouth, and she asked BalaAm, ‘Just what have I done to you that you’ve started beating me a third time?’

²⁹ And BalaAm told the burro, ‘You’re making a fool of me. Why, if I had had a sword in my hand I would have killed you!’

³⁰ Then the burro told BalaAm: ‘I’m the burro that you’ve ridden since you were young; have I ever disobeyed you?’

And [BalaAm] replied, ‘No.’

³¹ And at that, God opened BalaAm’s eyes so he could see the messenger of Jehovah standing in the way with his sword in his hand. So he prostrated himself and bowed to his face.

³² Then God’s messenger asked him, ‘Why did you beat your burro this third time? Look; I came and stood in front of you three times, because the way that you’re heading is wrong! And when this burro saw me, she turned away from me three times. ³³ Why, if she hadn’t turned away, I would have killed you and left her alive!’

³⁴ Well at that, BalaAm said to Jehovah’s messenger, ‘I have sinned! I didn’t realize that you were standing in our way. So, if it displeases you for me to go on, I will turn back.’

³⁵ Then Jehovah’s messenger told BalaAm: ‘Go on with these men! However, make sure that whatever I tell you is what you will tell them!’

So, BalaAm traveled on with Balak’s rulers.

³⁶ Well, when Balak heard that BalaAm had arrived [in his land], he traveled to a city at the border of Arnon (which is on the edge of Moab) to meet him. ³⁷ Then Balak asked BalaAm: ‘Didn’t I send for you? So, why didn’t you come to me? May I not be allowed to honor you?’

³⁸ And BalaAm replied, ‘Look, I’m here now. But let me [warn] you; whatever God tells me is what I must say.’

³⁹ So, BalaAm traveled with Balak until they reached the Cities of Streets. ⁴⁰ There Balak offered sheep and calves [to God], then he called for BalaAm and the leaders who were with him. ⁴¹ And since it was morning, Balak took BalaAm to the sacred column of Baal, and introduced him to some of the people there.

Chapter 23

¹ Then BalaAm said to Balak, ‘Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven calves and seven rams for me.’

² So Balak just did as BalaAm told him, and he offered up a calf and a ram on each altar. ³ Then he said to Balak: ‘Stand here by your sacrifices, and I will go to see if God will appear and meet with me. Then I will tell you whatever He says.’

And Balak stood by his sacrifices ⁴ while BalaAm went to enquire of God… he went straight ahead and God appeared to him. Then BalaAm said, ‘I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a calf and a ram on each altar.’

⁵ Then God said, ‘Return to Balak and tell him this… ’ then He put the words into BalaAm’s mouth.

⁶ So, BalaAm returned to [Balak], who was standing next to his whole-burnt offerings with all the leaders of Moab. Then the Breath of God came over BalaAm ⁷ and he spoke this prophecy:

‘Balak the king of Moab sent for Me…
In Mesopotamia… the mountains in the east.
He said, Come, curse Jacob for me…
Come call a curse on Israel for me.

⁸ But, how can I curse someone who the Lord will not curse,
Or dedicate those who God won’t destroy?
⁹ For I see them on the tops of the Mountains;
I see and observe them in the hills.

And {Look!} these people must live alone;
They must not be considered as one of the nations.

¹⁰ For, who’s counted the seed of Jacob exactly,
And who may number the families of Israel?
May my life die among the lives of the righteous,
And my seed be as their seed.’

¹¹ Then Balak said to BalaAm, ‘What have you done to me? I called you to curse my enemies; but look… you have greatly blessed them!’

¹² And BalaAm replied to Balak, ‘Shouldn’t I say whatever the Lord puts into my mouth?’

¹³ And Balak said, ‘Then come with me to another place where you won’t see these people… you’ll only see part of them. Then curse them for me there.’

¹⁴ So, he took him to a high place in a field, to the top of some quarried blocks, where he built seven altars and offered a calf and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵ Then BalaAm said to Balak, ‘Now stand next to your sacrifices, while I will go [and speak to] God.’

¹⁶ And God met with BalaAm and said, ‘Return to Balak and tell him this… ’ Then He put the words into his mouth.

¹⁷ So he returned to Balak, who was standing next to his whole-burnt sacrifice, along with all the leaders of Moab. And Balak asked, ‘What did Jehovah say?’

¹⁸ And [BalaAm] spoke this prophecy:

‘Stand up and listen, O Balak,
Listen to the proofs, O son of SepPhor.
¹⁹ God doesn’t waver like men,
Nor may He be threatened as sons of men.

Must he say something and then not do it;
Must he speak and not keep His word?
²⁰ Look, I’ve been instructed to bless them,
So I’ll bless and not turn back.

²¹ There must be no trouble in Jacob,
Nor may sorrow be seen within Israel;
For Jehovah their God is with them,
And the glory of kings is among them.

²² It was God who brought them from Egypt
And His glory is as a rhinoceros.
²³ For there’s no sooth-saying in Jacob,
And there are no enchanters in Israel.

So in time, Jacob and Israel will be told
The things that God will then do.

²⁴ {Look!} These people will become like cubs of a lion,
And they will grow into lions.
They won’t lie down ‘til they’ve eaten their prey,
And drunk the blood of those whom they’ve killed.’

²⁵ Then Balak said to BalaAm, ‘If you can’t curse the people for me, then don’t bless them!’

²⁶ And BalaAm replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you that I must say whatever God tells me?’

²⁷ And Balak said, ‘Then come, and I will take you to another place that is more pleasing to God, and you can curse them for me there.’

²⁸ So Balak took BalaAm to the top of Phogor, which runs into the desert. ²⁹ And BalaAm said to Balak, ‘Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven calves and seven rams for me.’

³⁰ And Balak did just as BalaAm told him. Then he offered a calf and a ram on each altar.

Chapter 24

¹ It was then that BalaAm finally realized that it pleased God to bless Israel, so he didn’t follow his usual custom of looking for omens. Rather, he just turned his face toward the desert. ² Then as BalaAm looked and saw Israel camped by their tribes, God’s Breath came over him, ³ and he spoke this prophecy:

‘BalaAm, son of Beor; this man who truly does see…
⁴ Who hears the prophecies of the [great] Mighty One…
His eyes were opened and he saw a vision of God…
While he slept, his eyes were then opened.

⁵ How good are the places where you live, O Jacob,
And your tents, O Israel.
⁶ Like shady groves and gardens by a river;
Like tents pitched by God and cedars by water.

⁷ ‘For a man will come from your seed,
Who will rule many nations.
His kingdom must be raised high and then grow.
⁸ For out of Egypt God brought him.

He has the glory of the rhinoceros.
He will consume the nations who hate him,
He must drain them of all their marrow,
And shoot his enemies through with his arrows.

⁹ He will lie down and rest like a lion,
And as a young lion, who will wake him?
So those who bless him are blest,
And those who curse him are cursed.’

¹⁰ Well, this made Balak very angry with BalaAm; so he clapped his hands and said to him, ‘I called you to curse my enemy, but look; You’ve blessed him for the third time! ¹¹ Now, hurry and go back home. For though I said that I would honor you, now the Lord has deprived you of your glory!’

¹² And BalaAm replied to Balak, ‘Didn’t I tell the messengers who you sent to Me ¹³ that if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I wouldn’t oppose the Lord and do either good or bad by myself, but that I would say whatever God tells me to say? ¹⁴ So now, {Look!} I will go back to my home. But [first], come here and I’ll tell you what these people will do to your people in the last days.’ ¹⁵ Then he spoke this prophecy:

‘BalaAm the son of Beor says this…
The man who truly sees tells you this:
¹⁶ I heard the prophecies of God,
Knowledge from the Most High I received.

I saw a vision of God in my sleep,
And it opened my eyes.
¹⁷ I’ll point to him, but not now;
I’ll bless him, though he’s not near.

A star must arise from Jacob,
And from Israel a man must then spring.
He will crush the leaders of Moab,
And all sons of Seth he will plunder.

¹⁸ For his courage he’ll receive Edom,
And inherit his enemy Esau.
¹⁹ [This man] will come out of Jacob,
And destroy all escaping from the cities.’

²⁰ Then he noticed the Amalechites and spoke this prophecy:

‘Amalech is the first among nations,
But their seed will [also soon] die.’

²¹ Then he noticed the Kenites, and he spoke this prophecy:

‘Though the place where you live is very strong,
You should build your nest on a rock.
²² And even if Beor provides you good hiding,
The Assyrians will take you as captives.’

²³ Then he noticed Og, and he spoke this prophecy:

’Oh, oh; Who will survive when God does such things?
²⁴ For ships will come from Cypriot shores,
Who’ll defeat Assyria and Eber;
They’ll be destroyed all together.’

²⁵ Then BalaAm got up and left for his [land], and Balak went back home.

Chapter 25

¹ Well, it was while Israel was camped at SatTin that [many of] the people made themselves dirty by engaging in immoral sex with the daughters of Moab. ² Then they started worshiping their idols, offering sacrifices to them, and eating their sacrifices. ³ So, Israel had become totally devoted to Beel Phegor, which made Jehovah very angry with them.

⁴ And as the result, Jehovah told Moses: ‘Take all the leaders, then lay them out in the sunlight before Jehovah to make examples of them, so His anger will turn away from Israel!’

⁵ And Moses told the tribes of Israel: ‘You must each kill any of your friends who have devoted themselves to Beel Phegor.’

⁶ And just then, an Israelite man came and led his brother over to [have sex with] a Midianite woman… and he did this right in front of Moses and the whole gathering of the children of Israel, who had been weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs! ⁷ And when Phineas (the son of EliEzer and grandson of Aaron the Priest) saw it, he stood up in the midst of the gathering, took a spear in his hand, ⁸ and followed the Israelite man right into his bedroom. Then he ran the spear through the Israelite man, and through the woman’s womb. And with that, the plague [that had come] on the children of Israel stopped. ⁹ However, by then, twenty-four thousand had died.

¹⁰ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ¹¹ ‘Phineas (the son of EliEzer and grandson of Aaron the Priest) has brought an end to My rage against the children of Israel. And although I was very zealous, I didn’t consume them all in My zeal. ¹² So, tell him that I am making a sacred agreement of peace ¹³ with him and with the seed that descends from him. They will be Priests through the ages due to his zeal for his God, and because he paid for the sins of the children of Israel.’

¹⁴ Now, the name of the Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zambri. He was the son of Salmon and a leader of one of the lines of the tribe of Symeon. ¹⁵ The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Chasbi. She was the daughter of Sur, who was a leader of the nation of OmMoth and a chief among the people of Midian.

¹⁶ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ‘Tell the children of Israel ¹⁷ that the Midianites are to be considered their enemies, so they must be treated as a plague and killed! ¹⁸ For, the treachery that they used to trap you (as in the case of Phogor and Chasbi, a daughter of a leader of Midian, who was killed on the day of the plague) has proven that they are your enemies!’

Chapter 26

¹ Well, after the plague, Jehovah spoke to Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) and said, ² ‘Take a census of the gathering of the children of Israel. Count all those who are twenty years old and upwards that serve as soldiers for Israel, by family lines.’

³ So, it was there at ArabOth of Moab, near the Jordan and Jericho, that Moses and EliEzer the Priest [took the census] ⁴ and counted all [the soldiers] who were twenty years old and older, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. And these are the [family lines] of Israel that came out of Egypt:

⁵ Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. His descendants were Enoch and his family, PhalLu and his family of PhalLuites, ⁶ Asron and his family of Asronites, and Charmi and his family. ⁷ So, the [army of] the descendants of Reuben was numbered at forty-three thousand, seven hundred and thirty.

⁸ The descendants of PhalLu were EliAb ⁹ and his sons, NamuEl, Dathan, and AbiRam. [Dathan and AbiRam] were the famous men among the gathering who joined KorAh in opposing Moses and Aaron, and rebelling against Jehovah. ¹⁰ Then the ground opened its mouth and swallowed them along with KorAh; and their followers perished when fire destroyed all two hundred and fifty as a sign [from God]. ¹¹ However, KorAh’s sons weren’t killed.

¹² The descendants of Symeon were NamuEl and his family of NamuElites, JaMin and his family of JaMinites, JaChin and his family of JaChinites, ¹³ Zara and his family of Zaraites, and Saul and his family of Saulites. ¹⁴ So, the [army of] the descendants of Symeon was numbered at twenty-two thousand, two hundred.

¹⁵ The descendants of Judah were Er and AuNan (who both died in the land of CanaAn), ¹⁶ Selom and his family of Selomites, Phares and his family of Pharesites, and Zara and his family of Zaraites. ¹⁷ Phares’ sons were Asron and his family of Asronites, and JaMun and his family of JaMunites. ¹⁸ So, the [army of] the descendants of Judah was numbered at seventy-six thousand, five hundred.

¹⁹ The descendants of IsSachar and their family lines were Thola and his family of Tholaites, Phua and his family of Phuaites, ²⁰ JaSub and his family of JaSubites, and SamRam and his family of SamRamites. ²¹ So, the [army of] the descendants of IsSachar was numbered at sixty-four thousand, four hundred.

²² The descendants of ZebuLon and their family lines were Sared and his family of Saredites, AlLon and his family of AlLonites, and AlLel and his family of AlLelites. ²³ So, the [army of] the descendants of ZebuLon was numbered at sixty thousand, five hundred.

²⁴ The descendants of Gad and their family lines were Saphon and his family of Saphonites, Angi and his family of Angites, Suni and his family of Sunites, ²⁵ Azeni and his families of Azenites and Addites, ²⁶ AroAdi and his family of AroAdites, and AriEl and his family of AriElites. ²⁷ So, the [army of] the descendants of Gad was numbered at forty-four thousand, five hundred.

²⁸ The descendants of Asher and their family lines were JaMin and his family of JaMinites, JoShua and his family of JoShuites, BarJa and his family of BarJaites, ²⁹ Chober and his family of Choberites, and MelchiEl and his family of MelchiElites. ³⁰ (Asher’s daughter’s name was Sara). ³¹ So, the [army of] the descendants of Asher was numbered at forty-three thousand, four hundred.

³² Joseph had two sons, ManasSeh and EphraIm, and each had his own family line.

³³ The descendants of ManasSeh and their family lines were Machir and his family of Machirites. Machir’s son was GalaAd, and he was the father of the GalaAdites. ³⁴ The descendants of GalaAd were AchiEzer and his family of AchiEzerites, Cheleg and his family of Chelegites, ³⁵ EsriEl and his family of EsriElites, Sychem and his family of Sychemites, ³⁶ SymaEr and his family of SymaErites, Opher and his family of Opherites. ³⁷ Opher’s son SalpaAd had no sons, just daughters. His daughter’s names were SalpaAd, Mala, Nua, Egla, Melcha, and Thersa. ³⁸ So, the [army of] the descendants of ManasSeh was numbered at fifty-two thousand, seven hundred.

³⁹ The descendants of EphraIm were SuthaLa and his family of SuthaLanites and Tanach and his family of Tanachites. ⁴⁰ SuthaLa was the father of Eden and his family of Edenites. ⁴¹ So, the [army of] the descendants of EphraIm was numbered at thirty-two thousand, five hundred.

These were the families of the children of Joseph and their family lines.

⁴² The descendants of BenJamin and their family lines were Bale and his family of Balites, Asuber and his family of Asuberites, JaChiran and his family of JaChiranites, ⁴³ and Sophan and his family of Sophanites. ⁴⁴ Bale’s sons were Adar and NoEman. Adar started his family of Adarites and NoEman started his family of NoEmanites. ⁴⁵ So, the [army of] the descendants of BenJamin and their family lines was numbered at thirty-five thousand, five hundred.

⁴⁶ The descendants of Dan were SaMei and his family of SaMeites. So, the [army of] the descendants of Dan ⁴⁷ through SaMei and his family line was numbered at sixty-four thousand, four hundred.

⁴⁸ The descendants of NaphTali and their family lines were AsiEl and his family of AsiElites, Gaun and his family of Gaunites, ⁴⁹ Jeser and his family of Jeserites, and SelLem and his family of SelLemites. ⁵⁰ So, the [army of] the descendants of NaphTali was numbered at forty thousand, three hundred.

⁵¹ So all together, there were six hundred-and-one thousand, seven hundred and thirty, who were counted among [the army] of the children of Israel,

⁵² Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ⁵³ ‘This is how the land must be divided: The inheritances should be allotted by [family] names, ⁵⁴ and the larger groups should be given larger inheritances, while the smaller groups should be given smaller inheritances. So, use this census to divide the inheritances. ⁵⁵ The land must be divided by these names and assigned by lottery, and each of the family lines and tribes must be given an assignment [of land]. ⁵⁶ Then divide [the land] into smaller and larger portions.

⁵⁷ Now, the descendants of Levi and their family lines were Gedson and his family of Gedsonites, CaAth and his family of CaAthites, MeraRi and his family of MeraRites, ⁵⁸ and Lobi and his families of Lobenites, Hebronites, Coreites, and Musites.

CaAth’s son was AmRam. ⁵⁹ His wife’s name was JoChabed, and she was the daughter of Levi. She gave birth to these [grandsons] of Levi while she was in Egypt: AmRam, Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.

⁶⁰ Aaron’s sons were Nadab, AbiUd, EliEzer, and IthaMar, ⁶¹ but Nadab and AbiUd died when they offered unauthorized fire to Jehovah while they were in the Sinai Desert. ⁶² There were twenty-three thousand males among [Aaron’s family line] who were a month old and older. However, they weren’t counted among the children of Israel, because they were to receive no inheritance among them.

⁶³ This was the census that was conducted by Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) in ArabOth of Moab, near the Jordan River and Jericho. ⁶⁴ However, none among them had been counted in the [earlier] census of the children of Israel that was taken by Moses and Aaron in the Sinai Desert, ⁶⁵ for Jehovah told them that they were going to die in the desert, and none were left except Caleb (the son of JePhonNe) and JoShua (the son of NaWeh).

Chapter 27

¹ The daughters of SalpaAd (who was the son of Opher, grandson of GalaAd, and great-grandson of Machir – and whose daughter’s names were MaAla, Nua, Egla, Melcha, and Thersa) of the tribe of ManasSeh (which is one of the sons of Joseph) came ² and stood before Moses, EliEzer the Priest, all the leaders, and the whole gathering at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs. Then they said: ³ ‘Our father died in the desert, but he wasn’t among those in the gathering who rebelled against Jehovah by joining with KorAh. Rather, he died for his own sin… and he had no sons. [Please] don’t allow the name of our father to be blotted out from among his people just because he had no sons. Give us an inheritance among our father’s brothers!’

⁴ So, Moses brought their case before Jehovah.

⁵ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ⁶ ‘The daughters of SalpaAd are right. You should assign them an inheritance among their father’s brothers as their father’s inheritance. ⁷ So, speak to the children of Israel and tell them: ⁸ If a man dies without any sons, you must give his inheritance to his daughters. ⁹ If he has no daughters, you must give his inheritance to his brother. ¹⁰ However, if he has no brothers, you must give his inheritance to his father’s brother. ¹¹ And if his father has no brothers, you must give the inheritance to the nearest relative in his tribe.’

These were the laws concerning the inheritance of possessions among the children of Israel that Jehovah gave to Moses.

¹² Then Jehovah told Moses: ‘Go to the Mountain in the country beyond the Jordan (Mount Nabau) and gaze upon the land CanaAn, which I am giving to the sons of Israel. ¹³ Then you will be added to your people, just as your brother Aaron was added to them on Mount Or. ¹⁴ This is because you failed in My commandments while [you were] in the desert of Sin, when the whole gathering opposed Me and refused to consider Me holy, and you failed to [speak of] Me as holy when you brought the water out [of the rock] before them… the Water of Complaint at Cades in the Sin Desert.’

¹⁵ Then Moses said to Jehovah: ¹⁶ ‘May Jehovah, the God of all that is breath and all that is flesh, provide a man who will watch over this gathering. ¹⁷ Don’t leave the gathering of Jehovah as sheep without a shepherd, but [assign someone] to travel before them as their leader, who will lead them in and lead them out.’

¹⁸ And Jehovah said to Moses, ‘Choose and lay your hands on JoShua, the son of NaWeh, for he’s a man who has [God’s] Breath upon him. ¹⁹ Then take him before EliEzer the Priest and give him all his instructions before the entire gathering, ²⁰ and put all of your glory on him so that the children of Israel will listen to him. ²¹ Then he must stand alongside EliEzer the Priest, and whenever they come before Jehovah to ask for the judgments of the Revelation, they must do whatever he says… they must follow his instructions and the entire gathering of the children of Israel must unite behind him!’

²² So Moses did just as Jehovah commanded him… he took JoShua and stood him before EliEzer the Priest and the entire gathering. ²³ Then he laid his hands on him and gave him his appointment, just as Jehovah ordered Moses.

Chapter 28

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to be sure to offer their gifts and presents to Me… the burnt offerings that provide a sweet-smelling odor during My feasts. ³ Tell them that two perfect yearling lambs must be brought each day through the ages as whole-burnt offerings. ⁴ They must offer one lamb in the morning and the second in the evening.

⁵ ‘They must also offer three quarts of fine flour mixed with a quart of oil as a food offering. ⁶ This whole-burnt offering is to be sacrificed through the ages as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah, just as it was offered on Mount Sinai. ⁷ [They must also bring] a drink offering – a quart for each lamb – and pour it out in the holy place as an offering to Jehovah.

⁸ ‘As for the second lamb, the one that is to be [sacrificed] in the evening; it should also be presented along with a food offering and a drink offering, as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah.

⁹ ‘And on each Sabbath day, they must offer two perfect yearling lambs with two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a food offering, plus a drink offering. ¹⁰ So, a whole-burnt offering [must be sacrificed] on each Sabbath day, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings and drink offerings.

¹¹ ‘And on each New Moon they must bring a whole-burnt offering to Jehovah, consisting of two calves from the herd, one ram, seven perfect yearling lambs, ¹² plus three quarts of fine flour mixed with oil per calf, two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil per ram, ¹³ and a quart of fine flour mixed with oil for each lamb, as food offerings and as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah. ¹⁴ Their drink offerings must be a half gallon for each calf, a third of a gallon for each ram, and a quart of wine for each lamb. These whole-burnt offerings must be brought each month of the year. ¹⁵ Also, one goat kid must be brought to Jehovah as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings and drink offerings.

¹⁶ ‘Then on the fourteenth day of the first month [they must celebrate] the Passover to Jehovah. ¹⁷ And on the fifteenth day of the month, there is to be a feast during which they must eat fermentation-free bread for seven days. ¹⁸ That first day will be a holy day of rest, so they must not do any physical labor. ¹⁹ Thereafter, these whole-burnt offerings must be sacrificed to Jehovah: two calves from the herd, one ram, seven yearling lambs (which must all be perfect), ²⁰ a food offering of fine flour mixed with oil (three quarts per calf, two quarts per ram, ²¹ and a pint for each of the seven lambs), ²² plus a goat kid as a sin offering (to pay for their sins). ²³ This is in addition to the whole-burnt offering that must be brought each morning as a continuous whole-burnt sacrifice ²⁴ seven days a week, as a gift and a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah, along with a drink offering. ²⁵ Then the following seventh day must be a holy day of rest, during which they must do no hard labor.

²⁶ ‘Also, the day when the new grain is offered to Jehovah must be a holy day of rest, during which they may do no hard labor. ²⁷ And these whole-burnt offerings must be brought as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah: two calves from the herd, one ram, and seven perfect lambs, ²⁸ along with food offerings of fine flour mixed with oil, three quarts per calf, two quarts per ram, ²⁹ and a pint for each lamb (which is to be offered separately for each of the seven lambs). A goat kid must also be brought ³⁰ as a sin offering, to pay for your sins, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings and ³¹ the food offerings that you bring to Me. They must all be perfect and each must have its drink offering.’

Chapter 29

¹ ‘And first day of the seventh month must be a holy day of rest for you, during which you may do no manual labor, for that’s when the trumpets are to be blown. ² Then you must offer these whole burnt offerings as a sweet odor to Jehovah: one calf from the herd, one ram, and seven perfect yearling lambs. ³ As food offerings, you must bring fine flour mixed with oil, three quarts per calf, two quarts per ram, ⁴ and a quart for each of the seven lambs. ⁵ You must also bring a goat kid as a sin offering, to pay for your sins. ⁶ This is in addition to the whole-burnt offerings for the New Moon Festival and their food and drink offerings, and the regular whole-burnt offerings, with their food and drink offerings (according to their laws), which must be offered as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah.

⁷ ‘And the tenth of that month must also be a holy day of rest for you… you may do no work, for you must examine your lives. ⁸ Then you must bring these whole-burnt offerings as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah: one calf from the herd, one ram, and seven yearling lambs, each of which must be to perfect. ⁹ Their food offerings must be fine flour mixed with oil, three quarts for the calf, two quarts per ram, ¹⁰ and a quart for each of the seven lambs. ¹¹ You must also bring a goat kid as a sin offering, to pay for your sins. All of this is in addition to the other sin offerings, and the regular whole-burnt offerings, along with their food and drink offerings (according to their laws), which must be offered as a sweet odor and as a burnt sacrifice to Jehovah.

¹² ‘And the fifteenth day of the seventh month must also be a holy day of rest during which you must do no hard labor, for you are to hold a feast to Jehovah for the next seven days. ¹³ And you must bring these whole-burnt offerings as a sacrifice and as a sweet odor to Jehovah: On the first day you must bring thirteen calves from the herd, two rams, and fourteen yearling lambs, which must all be perfect. ¹⁴ The food offerings must be fine flour mixed with oil, three quarts for each of the thirteen calves, two quarts for each of the two rams, ¹⁵ and a quart for each of the fourteen lambs. ¹⁶ Also, one goat kid must be offered as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings.

¹⁷ ‘Then on the second day, bring twelve calves, two rams, and fourteen perfect yearling lambs. ¹⁸ The amount of food and drink offerings for the calves, rams, and lambs must be according to the Law. ¹⁹ And one goat kid must be brought as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings.

²⁰ ‘On the third day, bring eleven calves, two rams, and fourteen perfect yearling lambs. ²¹ The amount of food and drink offerings for the calves, rams, and lambs must be according to the Law. ²² And one goat kid must be brought as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings.

²³ ‘On the fourth day, bring ten calves, two rams, and fourteen perfect yearling lambs. ²⁴ The amount of food and drink offerings for the calves, rams, and lambs must be according to the Law. ²⁵ And one goat kid must be brought as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings.

²⁶ ‘On the fifth day, bring nine calves, two rams, and fourteen perfect yearling lambs. ²⁷ The amount of food and drink offerings for the calves, rams, and lambs must be according to the Law. ²⁸ And one goat kid must be brought as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings.

²⁹ ‘On the sixth day, bring eight calves, two rams, and fourteen perfect yearling lambs. ³⁰ The amount of food and drink offerings for the calves, rams, and lambs must be according to the Law. ³¹ And one goat kid must be brought as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings.

³² ‘On the seventh day, bring seven calves, two rams, and fourteen perfect, yearling lambs. ³³ The amount of food and drink offerings for the calves, rams, and lambs must be according to the Law. ³⁴ And one goat kid must be brought as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings.

³⁵ ‘Then the eighth day is the one when [slaves] are to be set free, so no manual labor may be done then. ³⁶ And you must bring one calf, one ram, and seven perfect yearling lambs as whole-burnt-offering sacrifices to Jehovah. ³⁷ The amount of food and drink offerings for the calves, rams, and lambs must be according to the Law. ³⁸ And one goat kid must be brought as a sin offering, in addition to the regular whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings.

³⁹ ‘These are the things that you must offer to Jehovah during your feasts, in addition to those that you offer in your vows as free-will offerings, and as your whole burnt offerings, food offerings, drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’

Chapter 30

¹ So Moses spoke to the children of Israel and told them everything that Jehovah had commanded.

² Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel and said, ‘This is what Jehovah has commanded: ³ Whenever a man makes a vow to Jehovah, or swears an oath, or accepts a responsibility, he must not break his word… he must do whatever he says!

⁴ ‘And the same is true of a woman. She must do whatever she vows to Jehovah. If she says that she will do something while she is young and still living in her father’s house, and her father hears her say it – as long as he doesn’t disagree with her making [such a vow] – then all her vows must be fulfilled, ⁵ and she is bound to any obligations that she has taken upon her life. ⁶ However, if her father forbids [her vow] (or any other obligation that she agrees to) on the same day that he hears it, then she isn’t bound to it, and Jehovah won’t hold her accountable, because it was forbidden by her father.

⁷ ‘And if she is married and speaks a vow to accept an obligation on her life, ⁸ and her husband hears it – as long as he doesn’t disagree with her making it – then all her vows must be fulfilled and she is bound to any obligations that she has taken upon her life. ⁹ However, if her husband forbids [her vow] (or any other obligation that she agrees to) on the same day that he hears it, then she isn’t bound to it and Jehovah won’t hold her accountable, because it was forbidden by her husband.

¹⁰ ‘Also, whatever a widow or divorced woman vows to do with her life must be done. ¹¹ And if she made the vow when she was still [living] with her husband, ¹² and her husband heard it and didn’t object, then all her vows must be fulfilled and she is bound to any obligations that she has taken upon her life. ¹³ However, if her husband cancelled [her vow] (or any other obligation that she agreed to) on the same day that he hears it, then she isn’t bound to it and Jehovah won’t hold her accountable, because her husband forbade it.

¹⁴ ‘So, any vow [that a married woman] makes that will affect her life must be heard by her husband, and he must either agree to it or disallow it. ¹⁵ And if he chooses to say nothing, then she is bound to it, and he must agree to any obligations that she has accepted, because he didn’t disagree on the day that he heard it. ¹⁶ But if her husband should – for any reason – choose to cancel a vow after that, he is guilty of a sin.’

¹⁷ These were the laws that Jehovah gave to Moses regarding a man and his wife, and regarding a father and his young daughter who is still living in his home.

Chapter 31

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘I want you to avenge the wrongs that the Midianites have committed against the children of Israel. And after that, you will be added to your people.’

³ So, Moses spoke to the people and said, ‘Arm yourselves, then stand before Jehovah in battle lines and [prepare yourselves] to bring Jehovah’s vengeance upon Midian… ⁴ select a thousand from each of the tribes of the children of Israel to go to war.’

⁵ So they counted off the thousand from each tribe of Israel – twelve thousand – and armed them for war. ⁶ Then Moses sent them off, along with Phineas (the son of EliEzer the Priest and the grandson of Aaron), carrying the holy instruments and the signal trumpets.

⁷ Then they arranged themselves in battle lines against Midian just as Jehovah had commanded Moses, and they destroyed them. ⁸ Thereafter, they killed the five kings of Midian (Evi, Rocon, Sur, Ur, and Roboc)… and they even killed BalaAm (the son of Beor) along with the rest, with a sword. ⁹ Then they took the women of Midian as captives, along with their food, cattle, and all their possessions, and they destroyed their army. ¹⁰ Next, they burned all their cities, villages, and homes with fire… ¹¹ they plundered everything, including the people and their animals, ¹² and carried off all the captives, spoils, and plunder for Moses, EliEzer the Priest, and the children of Israel, to their camp at ArabOth in Moab, which is near the Jordan River and Jericho.

¹³ Then Moses, EliEzer (the Priest), and all the leaders of the gathering went to the camp to meet them. ¹⁴ Well, Moses was furious with the captains of the army (the leaders of thousands and of hundreds) who had returned from the battle, ¹⁵ and he asked them, ‘Why have you kept these women alive? ¹⁶ They were the ones [who listened to] BalaAm and misled the children of Israel by inciting their revolt and by teaching them to despise the word of Jehovah at Phogor; and that’s why Jehovah sent a plague on the gathering!

¹⁷ ‘Now, kill all the men, destroy all their food, and kill all the women who you know aren’t virgins. ¹⁸ You may spare any women who you suspect are virgins. ¹⁹ Then all who have killed or touched dead bodies must stay out of our camp for seven days, and thereafter, you and those who you have captured must be purified on the third day and on the seventh day. ²⁰ Then you must purify all your clothes, all you leather utensils, all your goatskin items, and all your wooden bowls.’

²¹ Then EliEzer (the Priest) told the men from the army who had just returned from battle, ‘This is what the Law that Jehovah gave to Moses says: ²² The items of gold, silver, brass, iron, lead, and tin ²³ must be passed through fire to be cleansed. And whatever can’t be passed through a fire must be sprinkled with the purifying water to be made clean. ²⁴ And on the seventh day, you must be cleansed and wash your clothes. Only then may you enter our camp.’

²⁵ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ²⁶ ‘I want you and EliEzer the Priest to take an inventory of the captured people and animals, ²⁷ then divide them among the soldiers who went out to battle, and with the rest of gathering. ²⁸ And as a tribute to Jehovah from the warriors that went out to battle, take one out of every five hundred of the people, oxen, sheep, and burros, and ²⁹ give them to EliEzer the Priest as the first fruits of Jehovah. ³⁰ Then from among those things that are given to the children of Israel, you should take one out of fifty of the people, oxen, sheep, and burros, and give them to the Levites who teach at the Tent of Jehovah.’

³¹ So, Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) did as Jehovah commanded Moses. ³² And the plunder that the soldiers took included six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, ³³ seventy-two thousand oxen, ³⁴ and sixty-one thousand burros. ³⁵ There were also thirty-two thousand women who were virgins. ³⁶ Half of all this was given to the soldiers who went to war. And of the three hundred-thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, they gave ³⁷ six hundred and seventy-five sheep as a tribute to Jehovah. ³⁸ And of their thirty-six thousand oxen, they gave seventy-two as a tribute to Jehovah; ³⁹ of their thirty thousand five hundred burros, they gave sixty-one as a tribute to Jehovah; ⁴⁰ and of the sixteen thousand people, they gave thirty-two of them as a tribute to Jehovah.

⁴¹ Then Moses presented all the tributes as a wave offering to Jehovah God, [and it was given] to EliEzer the Priest (just as Jehovah had commanded Moses) ⁴² from the half that belonged to the children of Israel who Moses had separated as the men of war. ⁴³ So, three hundred-thirty-seven thousand, five hundred sheep were given to the gathering as their half, ⁴⁴ plus thirty-six thousand oxen, ⁴⁵ thirty thousand, five hundred burros, ⁴⁶ and sixteen thousand people. ⁴⁷ And from their half, Moses took a fiftieth of the people and cattle, and gave them to the Levites who teach at the Tent of Jehovah, as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

⁴⁸ Then all those who had been appointed as officers over the army (the captains of thousands and of hundreds) approached Moses and said, ⁴⁹ ‘Your servants have counted the men of war among us, and none have been lost. ⁵⁰ And those of us who found things that were made of gold, such as armlets, chains, rings, bracelets, and hair clasps, have brought them as our gift to Jehovah, to pay for our sins.’

⁵¹ So, Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) took all the gold items from them, ⁵² and [they found that] the gold the captains of thousands and of hundreds offered to Jehovah was worth sixteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty silver coins. ⁵³ But the soldiers kept their plunder for themselves. ⁵⁴ Then Moses and EliEzer (the Priest) took all the gold items that the captains of thousands and hundreds contributed, and placed them in the Tent of Proofs, as a reminder to the children of Israel, there in front of Jehovah.

Chapter 32

¹ Now, the [tribes] of Reuben and Gad both had huge herds of cattle, and when they saw that the area of JaZer and GalaAd had good grazing land, ² they went to Moses, EliEzer the Priest, and to the leaders of the gathering, and said to them, ³ ‘The area of AtarOth, DaEbon, JaZer, Namra, Hesh-Eboneh, ElAle, Sebama, Nabau, and BaeAn, ⁴ which Jehovah has delivered into the hands of the children of Israel, is pasture land, and we (your servants) have many cattle. ⁵ So if it pleases you, may your servants be given this land as our inheritance. Don’t make us cross the Jordan River.’

⁶ But Moses asked, ‘Then, when your brothers go to war, are you just going to sit here? ⁷ Why are you twisting the minds of the children of Israel by encouraging them not to cross into the land that Jehovah is giving them? ⁸ Isn’t this the same thing that your fathers did when I sent them from Cades Barne to spy in the land? ⁹ For, after they went into the Valley of Grape Clusters as spies, they twisted the hearts of the children of Israel, so that they didn’t want to enter the land that Jehovah gave them. ¹⁰ And this made Jehovah very angry, so He swore and said, ¹¹ All these men who were twenty years old and older when they left Egypt, and who knew the difference between good and evil, will not see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have chosen not to follow Me. ¹² The only exceptions are Caleb (the son of JePhonNe) and JoShua (the son of NaWeh), for they followed Me closely.

¹³ ‘And because Jehovah was so angry with Israel, He made them wander in the desert for forty years, until the whole generation that did this evil thing before Him was gone. ¹⁴ Now {Look!} you’re following in the footsteps of your fathers and you have allied yourselves as sinful people to make Jehovah even angrier against Israel, ¹⁵ because you want to turn away from Him and stay in the desert again. And in doing this, you are sinning against this whole gathering!’

¹⁶ But they came to him and said, ‘If we can build pens for our cattle here and have these cities as our possession, ¹⁷ we will arm ourselves and march ahead of the children of Israel to lead them to their land. However, we will leave our possessions inside walled cities (because of the people who live in this land), ¹⁸ and we won’t return to our homes until the children of Israel have each been given their own inheritance and are settled in the land. ¹⁹ We won’t take any of the land on the other side of the Jordan as our inheritance, because we will take our full inheritance on its east side.’

²⁰ So Moses said to them, ‘If you do everything you’re saying… if you arm yourselves and march in battle before Jehovah, ²¹ and you cross the Jordan and stay there until our enemies are destroyed ²² and the land is settled before you return home, you will be free of guilt before Jehovah, and this land can be yours. ²³ But if you don’t do that, you will sin against Jehovah and you will see the results of your sin when bad things happen to you. ²⁴ Now, build the cities to store your things and the pens for your cattle, and do as you’ve proposed.’

²⁵ Then the [tribes] of Reuben and Gad replied, ‘Your servants will do as our lord commands. ²⁶ We will leave all our possessions, our wives, and our cattle in the cities of GalaAd. ²⁷ And after that, we will march ahead [of Israel], all armed and ready for battle before Jehovah, as you said.’

²⁸ Then Moses gave these instructions to EliEzer the Priest, JoShua (the son of NaWeh), and all the heads of the families and tribes of Israel. ²⁹ He said, ‘If the sons of Reuben and Gad cross the Jordan armed and ready for war before Jehovah and help conquer the land before you, then you must give them the land of GalaAd as theirs. ³⁰ But if they don’t cross [the Jordan] all armed and ready for war, then must you make them bring their possessions, wives, and cattle into the land of CanaAn, where they will receive their inheritance among you.’

³¹ And the sons of Reuben and Gad answered, ‘We will do whatever Jehovah tells his servants. ³² We will arm ourselves and march into the land of CanaAn before Jehovah, and you must give us our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.’

³³ So Moses gave the sons of Gad, the sons of Reuben, and half of the tribe of ManasSeh (one of the sons of Joseph) the land of the Amorite king (Seon), the land of the king of Bashan (Og), and all its cities and borders, and the cities and land around them.

³⁴ Then the sons of Gad built and fortified DaEbon, AtarOth, AroEr, ³⁵ Sophar, and JaZer, and they ³⁶ built and fortified NamRam, and BaethAran, where they made pens for their sheep.

³⁷ The sons of Reuben built Hesh-Eboneh, ElAle, KariathAm, ³⁸ and BeelMeon, which they surrounded with walls, and [the town of] Sebama. Then they named each of the cities after themselves.

³⁹ Also, the family of Machir (of the tribe of ManasSeh) went to GalaAd and captured it, destroying all the Amorites who lived there. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave GalaAd to Machir, and they started living there.

⁴¹ And JaIr (of the tribe of ManasSeh) captured many villages, which he called the villages of JaIr.

⁴² Then NabOth went and captured the villages of CaAth, and renamed them after himself (NabOth).

Chapter 33

¹ And these are the places where the children of Israel and their army stayed (under the direction of Moses and Aaron) after they left the land of Egypt. ² For, following the instructions of Jehovah, Moses wrote down the places that they moved to and where they stayed. So, here are the stages of their journey:

³ They left Ramses on the fifteenth day of the first month. Then after the Passover, the children of Israel proudly walked away from the Egyptians, ⁴ since the Egyptians were burying all the dead that Jehovah had struck down – all the firstborn in the land of Egypt – and He also brought vengeance on their gods.

⁵ The children of Israel left Ramses and camped in SocChoth, ⁶ then they left SocChoth and camped in BuThan, near the desert. ⁷ They left BuThan and camped at the mouth of the IrOth, which is across from Beel SepPhon and opposite MagDol. ⁸ Then, it was when they left IrOth that they crossed through the middle of the sea and into the desert. Thereafter, they traveled through the desert for three days and camped in PicriAe. ⁹ When they left PicriAe they went to AiLim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped next to the water. ¹⁰ When they left AiLim, they camped next to the Red Sea. ¹¹ And when they left the Red Sea, they camped in the Sin Desert.

¹² After they left the Sin Desert, they camped in Raphaca. ¹³ And when they left Raphaca, they camped in AiLus. ¹⁴ When they left AiLus, they camped in RaphiDin (where there was no water for the people to drink). ¹⁵ Then they left RaphiDin and camped in the Sinai Desert.

¹⁶ When they left the Sinai Desert, they camped at the Graves of Greed. ¹⁷ Then they left the Graves of Greed and camped in AsherOth, ¹⁸ and after AsherOth, they camped in RathAma.

¹⁹ When they left RathAma, they camped in Remmon Phares. ²⁰ And when they left Remmon Phares, they camped in Lebona. ²¹ After leaving Lebona, they camped in Ressan. ²² Then they left Ressan and camped in MakelLath. ²³ After MakelLath, they camped in Saphar. ²⁴ When they left Saphar, they camped in CharaDath. ²⁵ Then they left CharaDath and camped in MakelOth. ²⁶ And they left MakelOth, and camped in KataAth. ²⁷ Then they left KataAth and camped in TarAth. ²⁸ After leaving TarAth, they camped in MathecCa. ²⁹ Then they left MathecCa and camped in Selmona. ³⁰ After Selmona, they camped in MasurUth. ³¹ And from MasurUth they went to BanaYa. ³² And after leaving BanaYa, they camped at Mount GadGad.

³³ After leaving Mount GadGad, they camped in EteBatha. ³⁴ When they left EteBatha, they camped in Ebrona. ³⁵ After Ebrona, they camped in Gesion Gaber. ³⁶ Then they left Gesion Gaber and camped in the Sin Desert. Thereafter, they left the Sin Desert and camped in the Pharan Desert at Cades. ³⁷ And when they left Cades, they camped at Mount Or, near the land of Edom.

³⁸ It was there at Mount Or that Aaron the Priest climbed the mountain, following Jehovah’s instructions, and died there on the first day of the fifth month, forty years after they left the land of Egypt. ³⁹ Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Or.

⁴⁰ And after Arad (who was the CanaAnite king) heard that the children of Israel were in the land, ⁴¹ they left Mount Or and camped in Selmona. ⁴² From Selmona they went to Phino, ⁴³ and after leaving Phino, they camped in ObOth.

⁴⁴ When they left ObOth, they camped in Gai at the border of Moab. ⁴⁵ Then they left Gai and camped in DaEbon Gad. ⁴⁶ When they left DaEbon Gad, they camped in Gelmon Deblathaim. ⁴⁷ After leaving Gelmon Deblathaim, they camped on the Mountains of Abarim, which border Nabau. ⁴⁸ Then, when they left the Mountains of Abarim, they camped on the west side [of the land] of Moab, by the Jordan River near Jericho. ⁴⁹ So they stayed camped there by the Jordan from AiSimOth to Belsa, west of Moab.

⁵⁰ And it was there that Jehovah spoke to Moses (west of Moab by the Jordan River, close to Jericho) and said, ⁵¹ ‘Now tell the children of Israel that they are to cross the Jordan into the land of CanaAn, ⁵² and they must destroy everyone who lives in that land. They must tear down their altars, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their [sacred] columns. ⁵³ All the inhabitants of the land must be destroyed so they can live there; for I have given this land as their inheritance.

⁵⁴ ‘The land that each tribe inherits must be divided in a lottery. And the more people there are in each tribe, the larger their inheritance must be; and the smaller the tribe, the smaller its inheritance… the inheritance must be divided by their tribes and families.

⁵⁵ ‘Now, if you don’t destroy the people who live in that land; those who are left will eventually become thorns in your eyes and darts in your sides. They will always be your enemies in this land, ⁵⁶ and the things that I had planned to do to them I’ll do to you.’

Chapter 34

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ² ‘Tell the children of Israel that when they enter the land of CanaAn, which they are going to inherit, ³ their southern border will run southward from the Sin Desert along the borders of Edom, then east to the [Dead] Sea. ⁴ Then the border will run from the south to the base of AcraBin and on to EnNac, then south to Cades Barne. It will run to the village of Arad and on past Asemona. ⁵ Then it will run from Asemona to the [Nile] River, and end at the sea.

⁶ ‘The western border will run along the [Mediterranean] Sea.

⁷ ‘They will have to measure their northern border themselves, but it will run from the [Mediterranean] Sea along the edge of the mountains. ⁸ They will have to measure from the mountains at the entrance to Emath, to where they end along the border of Saradac. ⁹ Then the border must go on to Dephrona and end at ArseNain. So, that is their border to the north.

¹⁰ ‘The eastern border will run from ArseNain to SepPhamar, ¹¹ then over to the springs east of Bela, and down along the east side of the Sea [of Galilee]. ¹² From there, it will run down the Jordan River and end at the [Dead] Sea. This will be their land and their borders.’

¹³ Then Moses gave the children of Israel these instructions. He said: ‘This is the land that you’re going to inherit by lottery, as Jehovah commanded it to be given to the nine tribes and the half tribe of ManasSeh, ¹⁴ because the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of ManasSeh have received their inheritances. ¹⁵ The inheritance that these two-and-a-half tribes have received is on the other side of the Jordan, southeast of Jericho.’

¹⁶ And Jehovah told Moses, ¹⁷ ‘These are the men who will divide the inheritances of land: EliEzer the Priest, JoShua (the son of NaWeh), ¹⁸ and one ruler from each of the tribes. ¹⁹ From the tribe of Judah, Caleb (the son of JePhonNe). ²⁰ From the tribe of Symeon, SalamiEl (the son of SemiUd). ²¹ From the tribe of BenJamin, ElDad (the son of Chaslon). ²² From the tribe of Dan, BacChir (the son of Egli). ²³ From the sons of Joseph, the leader of the tribe of ManasSeh should be AniEl (the son of Suphi). ²⁴ And from the tribe of EphraIm, the leader must be CamuEl (the son of SabaThan). ²⁵ From the tribe of ZebuLon, EliSaphan (the son of Pharnac). ²⁶ From the tribe of IsSachar, PhaltiEl (the son of Oza). ²⁷ From the tribe of Asher, AchiOr (the son of Selemi). ²⁸ And from the tribe of NaphTali, PhadaEl (the son of JamiUd).’

²⁹ These were the ones that Jehovah command to do the distributing to the children of Israel in the land of CanaAn.

Chapter 35

¹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses by the Jordan River near Jericho (west of Moab) and said, ² ‘Now, give orders to the children of Israel and tell them that they must allot cities for the Levites to live in and own. They must provide them suburbs around their cities ³ to live in, which have pens for their cattle and all their animals. ⁴ These suburbs that they are to give to the Levites must run out and around their city walls for three thousand feet. ⁵ So, they must measure out three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand feet on the on the south side, three thousand feet on the on the west side, and three thousand feet on the north side, and their cities must be in the center.

⁶ ‘They must also give the Levites six refuge cities, which will become havens for those who kill someone [accidentally]. And in addition, they must provide them forty-two more cities. ⁷ So all together, they must give the Levites forty-eight cities, in addition to the suburbs. ⁸ [As to the size and location] of these cities that the children of Israel are to give them; those who have much must give much, and those who have less may give less. But all must give some of the cities that they are going to inherit to the Levites.’

⁹ Then Jehovah spoke to Moses and said, ¹⁰ ‘Speak to the children of Israel and tell them that when they cross the Jordan into the land of CanaAn, ¹¹ they must assign refuge cities where those who kill someone accidentally may run to. ¹² These cities must be havens of refuge from those who would avenge the blood [of the one who was killed]. And the killer may not be executed before he stands trial in a court.

¹³ ‘There must be six of these cities that you set aside as places of refuge; ¹⁴ three on the east side of the Jordan, and three in the land of CanaAn. ¹⁵ They must serve as places of refuge for the children of Israel, for aliens, and for those who are just visiting in your land. These cities must be places of refuge for everyone to run to who has killed a man unintentionally.

¹⁶ ‘However, if [such a man] hits [and kills a person] with something that is made of iron, the man should die… for he is a murderer, and all murderers must be put to death. ¹⁷ And if he throws a rock in an attempt to kill him and he dies, he’s a murderer, and the murderer must be put to death. ¹⁸ And if he hits him with a wooden instrument that he’s holding in his hands and kills him, he’s a murderer… all murderers must be put to death. ¹⁹ Those who would avenge the blood [of the one who was killed] must execute the murderer… when they catch him, they must kill him!

²⁰ ‘If someone is angry and stabs another, or throws something at him from ambush, ²¹ or if he beats him in anger and the man dies, the one who struck him must be put to death, for he is a murderer. The blood avenger must absolutely kill the murderer when he finds him.

²² ‘However, if someone is accidentally stabbed (where no anger is involved), or something hits him (other than from ambush), ²³ or he is accidentally hit with a rock and he dies when no enemy was looking to harm him; ²⁴ then the court must use these rules to judge between the one who did the striking and the blood avenger. ²⁵ And [if he is found innocent], the gathering must save the slayer from the blood avenger and allow him to stay in the refuge city that he ran to, and he must live there until the High Priest (who was anointed with the holy oil) dies.

²⁶ ‘But if the person who did the killing should ever leave the city that he ran to for refuge, ²⁷ and the blood avenger should find him outside the refuge-city limits, and the blood-avenger kills him, he has done no wrong. ²⁸ Because, the man should have stayed in the refuge city until the High Priest died. For, only after the death of the High Priest may the slayer return to his homeland.

²⁹ ‘These are the rules of judgment that are to be used throughout all your generations and wherever you live. ³⁰ You must execute [a man] as a murderer whenever there is enough evidence. But one piece of evidence against a person isn’t enough to have him put to death.

³¹ ‘Also, you may not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who has been condemned to death… he must absolutely be put to death. ³² And you may not accept a ransom to keep a man from having to stay in a refuge city and live there until the death of the High Priest.

³³ ‘So, you must not pollute the land you live in with murder, because blood pollutes the land, and the only way that the land may be purged of shed blood is with the blood of the one who shed it. ³⁴ You must not dirty the land where you are living and where I am living among you, for I am Jehovah, and I live in the midst of the children of Israel.’

Chapter 36

¹ Then the heads of the tribe of the sons of GalaAd (the son of Machir and the grandson of ManasSeh of the tribe of the sons of Joseph) spoke before Moses, EliEzer the Priest, and the heads of the houses and families of the children of Israel. ² They said, ‘Jehovah commanded our lord to assign the land that the children of Israel will inherit by lottery. Then Jehovah told our lord to give our brother SalpaAd’s inheritance to his daughters. ³ But if they marry into one of the other tribes of Israel, their inheritance must be taken away from that which belongs to our fathers, and they must inherit from the tribe that they marry into… so we won’t lose part of our inheritance. ⁴ For, during [the year of] Releasing of the children of Israel, their inheritance would be considered as among the tribe into which the women marry, and not returned from our family’s tribe.’

⁵ So, following Jehovah’s instructions, Moses told the children of Israel, ‘In accordance with [the request of] the tribe of the children of Joseph, ⁶ this is what Jehovah has said concerning the daughters of SalpaAd: They may marry wherever they please, but they may only marry among their father’s tribe, ⁷ so the inherited [lands] of the children of Israel aren’t moved from tribe to tribe. For, the inherited lands of the children of Israel must remain in each family’s tribe. ⁸ And whenever a daughter is heir to a property among the tribes of the children Israel, she must marry someone in her father’s tribe, so that the sons of Israel may each inherit property in his father’s tribe. ⁹ For, the inheritance must not be passed from one tribe to another. Rather, the children of Israel must each hold onto their own inheritances.’

¹⁰ So, the daughters of SalpaAd did just as Jehovah commanded Moses. ¹¹ Thersa, Egla, Melcha, Nua, and MalaA (SalpaAd’s daughters) married their cousins, ¹² who were from the tribe of ManasSeh (of the sons of Joseph), and their inheritance remained part their father’s family tribe.

¹³ These are the commandments, laws, and decisions that Jehovah gave to Moses west of Moab, by the Jordan River, near Jericho.

Notes

Soul

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the link Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus’ promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn’t used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as Ezekiel 18:4 says, ‘The person (gr. psyche or ‘soul’) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).’

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of ‘My Soul’ in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a ‘soul’ as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn’t talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life.

Then there are Jesus’ words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.’ Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn’t referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Age(s)

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos (pronounced ai-on-oss), which is used throughout the Bible and is often translated as forever and everlasting, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).

Where the plural form of the word (aionion) is used, it refers to a long time… at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (aionos), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: ‘Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?’ You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God’s Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or system of things), not aionos.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end, and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never expire.’

So, notice; The Bible shows that even our universe will eventually end and need to be ‘wrapped up and repaired,’ which agrees with the conclusions of modern science.

The problem with most Bible translations is that; when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular forms (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, for has crossed over from death to life.’

So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they in their current lifetime would be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12).

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever… it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that. What we find (from consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life) is that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that righteous people will receive ‘life in the age,’ or be considered worthy of (possibly everlasting) life by God during their current lifetimes… that their names would be written in ‘the scroll of life,’ and that they would not have to be judged, but will have already ‘crossed over from death to life,’ as Jesus said at John 5:24.

Yes, we know that this is a difficult concept to understand, but it’s what Jesus actually said.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Israel’s Sin Over Meat

It’s unfortunate that people in general seem to look for the worst in everything. As the result, they often take for granted that everything others complain about is true. A good example of this principle can be found in Numbers the Eleventh Chapter. For, if you were to ask people what the Israelites had to eat during the forty years that they trekked in the desert, most would answer ‘just manna.’ And for a fact, most tend to sympathize with the Israelites who complained, because they think that all God gave His people to eat at the time was just a prison ration of bread (manna) and water… NOT TRUE!

Notice their complaint. At Numbers 11:4-8 we read, ‘Who is going to give us meat to eat? We remember all the fish that we used to eat in Egypt, as well as the cucumbers, melons, leeks, garlic, and onions. But now our lives have become [empty], because all we can see is manna.’

Was that the true situation? Well, remember that the main occupation of these people (and the main source of their wealth) was huge flocks and herds of cattle (see Genesis 46:32 and Exodus 12:38). So they really had plenty of meat to eat. In fact, most of the meat of their holy sacrifices was returned to them for their own consumption. Also, we know that they had wheat, barley (possibly beer), wine, and many other food items, because all of these things were required in the sacrifices and at the festivals.

Then, what were they complaining about? Well, notice who really started the complaining. Verse four says, ‘It was the [Gentiles] who were mixed among them that started [complaining].’ So, the instigators were probably Egyptians and others who weren’t used to a shepherd’s diet. Rather, what they missed was the markets of Egypt, where a person could go every day and purchase meats of all sorts and a wide variety of vegetables (cucumbers, melons, leeks, garlic, and onions). However, they did have beef, lamb, other local vegetables, barley, wheat, and they could drink it all down with wine… in addition to all the miraculous manna that they cared to eat, which was in fact their primary staple; and it could be prepared in different ways

Of course, the ‘meat’ that the Gentiles among them seemed to be missing was the large variety of animals that they used to consume in Egypt prior to the restrictions that came with God’s Laws. So the complaint doesn’t really seem to be that they didn’t have meat, but rather, it was likely a complaint about the restrictions of God’s Laws as to what types of meat they could eat.

How did God solve this problem? By sending them the ‘meat’ that they asked for in such an abundance that they virtually became sick of eating it. Yet, the wild game that He provided (quail) was still allowed under His Law.

Another common misunderstanding about this matter, is the answer to the question: ‘Why did God then send a plague on the people for eating the quail?’

We have heard many answers to this in past years, such as, ‘They ate without giving thanks,’ or, ‘They didn’t take time to drain the blood.’ However, neither of these answers are supported by the verses, for actually, the Bible doesn’t give us an answer. All we know is that ‘greed’ was involved. You might notice, for example, the quantity of meat that was slaughtered… and possibly consumed. The account indicates that the slaughter of the birds was wanton, and this may have been followed by gluttony. Also, the plague may have come as the result of God’s anger over the entire situation, which included their dissatisfaction with God’s miraculous provisions, and with their ‘greed’ of wanting things that they weren’t entitled to.

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The ‘Chest of Proofs’ or ‘Ark of the Covenant?’

We are sorry to use such an unfamiliar term, but Ark of the Covenant may not accurately describe the sacred box that eventually held the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the writings of Moses and Joshua, the manna, and the walking stick of Aaron. First, the meaning of the ancient English word ‘ark’ has been lost in history. And the second word, ‘covenant’ (meaning, sacred agreement) isn’t always used as part of the name in the Greek text. In some places it is called the kiboton marturion, which literally means Box [of] Testimony. So, although it may have been built to illustrate the Sacred Agreement (Covenant) between God and the Israelites, it was also built to hold the Proofs of the things that God did for Israel. So, wherever the words kiboton marturion appear in the text, we have called it the Chest of Proofs. But it was also referred to as the Chest of the Sacred Agreement (or, Ark of the Covenant) at Exodus 27:21, for example, so that term must also be correct. However, after the Israelites settled in the Promised Land it was always referred to as the kiboton marturion, or the Chest of Proofs.

Unfortunately (during the time of Samuel and the High-Priest Eli), the Philistines captured the Chest, emptied its contents, and then returned it to Israel empty, because, their having it brought a plague on them (see 1 Samuel 6:12). However, later, during the time of King Solomon, the sacred tablets containing the Ten Commandments were found to be still in the Chest, but nothing else (see 1 Kings 8:9); so we have to assume that they had been found and returned.

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Propitiatory

We have searched hard for a modern English synonym for this difficult and obscure word, and have found none. Sure, it was just a cover for the sacred Chest, but cover wouldn’t properly reflect the full meaning.

The Greek word that we are struggling with is ilasterion. Other Bibles have translated it as Propitiatory, Expiation, and Mercy Seat. Yet, the first two words are unfamiliar and Mercy Seat doesn’t accurately describe what it was, because nobody was to sit on it. It was actually an Altar where the Priests sprinkled the blood of Propitiation on the Day of Atonement. And what does Propitiation mean? It refers to something that is done to sooth God’s feelings and to improve relations with Him.

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Bible Measurements

The most common unit for measuring length, height, and depth in the Bible is a cubit, which is the length of a man’s forearm. And of course, the lengths of forearms vary depending on the size of the person, so a cubit may be anywhere between eighteen and twenty-two inches. However, to give you a better idea of the size and proportions of things in the Bible, we have converted the units of measure to more familiar terms, such as feet and inches. And we have roughly averaged the sizes or lengths.

Also, some units of measure, such as a cor (about 32 bushels), hin, or bath (about 6 gallons), have been roughly estimated, since such terms are obsolete.

We have also dropped the obscure names of coins, since most readers have no idea of their value, and simply inserted the type of coin they are (gold, silver, or copper), and sometimes their size, to provide you some frame of reference.

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Minister or Servant?

For centuries, the proper translation of this word has bothered people who wish to create levels of authority within the Christian Congregation. So, to add weight to this office, the Greek word diakonos has been translated into many words in attempts to blur what it really means in English, servant. Words such as ‘deacon’ (from diakonos), minister, and even the redundancy ‘ministerial servant’ have been employed. However, what they were called in the First-Century Congregation was just servants. These qualified men handled the work and odd jobs that were necessary in running the day-to-day affairs of the congregation.

A later position of responsibility that was spoken of by Paul was the appointment of ‘elders’ or ‘overseers’ in the emerging Christian congregations. Elders likely had to be males, and their job was to shepherd and teach the congregations. However, elders were also just servants – that is, servants with a small ‘s.’

The Scriptures show that; In order to qualify as servants in the congregation, men (and possibly women) had to meet high standards of conduct and reputation. And although Paul didn’t mention it specifically, they were expected to be able to make wise decisions and to show signs of having God’s Breath. Notice that these were the qualifications for all servants in the Christian Congregation, for Acts 6:3 says: ‘So, brothers, find seven qualified men among you who are filled with wisdom and the Breath [of God].’

For more information, see the linked document, Arrangement of the First Christian Churches.

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Anointing

At Exodus 29:29 we find that Aaron and his sons were to be ‘anointed’ as Priests to Jehovah, and that this action would make them ‘holy’ or clean. It also signified that they had been chosen to this office by God. And in Leviticus, when we read of the ‘anointed’ Priest, the reference seems to be to one of the Priests who has been chosen for the special office of what later became known as the High Priest.

The Greek word that we have translated as anointed here, is chriseis, which can also be translated as Christ (it’s just a conjugation of Christos), since christ and anointed both come from the same root, which is Greek for olive oil (it may also mean Judged, since the words are similar). So, Jesus wasn’t the first or the only one to be correctly referred to as a christ.

Why olive oil? Because, that substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those whom God chose to be Priests and kings over Israel. However, at least in the case of Aaron and his sons, fragrant herbs were added to the oil to give it a pleasing odor. This is implied at Exodus 25:7, where the Israelites were asked to donate ‘fragrances for anointing oil.’ And we find the exact formula for the anointing oil at Exodus 30:34, where we read that it was to be made from ‘sixteen pounds of choice myrrh flowers, eight pounds of sweet-smelling cinnamon, eight pounds of sweet-smelling calamus, sixteen pounds of cassia (for the Holy Place), and a gallon of olive oil.’

The physical anointing with oil also appears to have pictured their receiving of God’s Holy Breath, making them ‘holy,’ which was an appropriate description for Jesus years later. And remember that both the ‘anointed’ priests and the kings pictured Jesus. So, the term christ is apropos.

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Synagogue

We find the word synagogue (gr. synagoges) mentioned several times while the Israelites were in the desert. Just what type of building was this?

Well, it wasn’t a building at all. Actually, synagogue means a gathering, and the entire nation of Israel was usually referred to as a synagogue. It wasn’t until in later years, after they had entered the Promised Land, and possibly after their return from exile in Babylon, that they built buildings for worship (other than the Temple). Then later, they started referring to the buildings as synagogues. And while synagogues are mentioned several times in the Christian Era Scriptures, the only mention of one as a Christian meeting place can be found at James 2:2. In every other instance, it refers to Judaic houses of worship.

This referring to a building as a gathering is similar to what happened in Christendom. For, in older Bibles, Christian gatherings (gr. ekklesias) were called churches. But before long, members started referring to the buildings as churches. For more information see the linked document, Church, Synagogue, or Called Ones.

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Were Israel’s Priests Perfect?

At Leviticus 4:5 (for example), we find an interesting description of a Priest to Jehovah who carried out his duties of offering up the blood of a sacrificial animal. In Greek he is described there as ho teteliomenos, which can be translated as, the perfect. However, this term is missing in the Hebrew text at that location, so we are unsure of its validity. If the current Hebrew text is right, the Septuagint has added questionable words. But if the word was originally there, then we must assume that they have been deleted from the Hebrew text. Which is true? Our current leaning is to trust the Septuagint, since it predates the available Hebrew texts. And it does logically follow that God must have considered the Priest perfect in his duties on such occasions, because of the required action that followed (entering the Sacred Tent).

These words (Perfect Priest) seem to describe a specific Priest among the Priests. In fact, the descriptions found at Leviticus Chapter Sixteen indicates that it refers to the person that was later described in the Bible as the High Priest, or as the one who may have been chosen annually to offer the sacrifices on what came to be known as The Day of Atonement.

Other Bibles have translated teteliomenos as consecrated, which isn’t a bad choice, since it indicates that the Priest was chosen to his work by God, and that could be implied. However, consecrated is an unfamiliar term today, so we have chosen not to use it. And notice that the root portion of that Greek word telios, means perfect, end, or finish. So we have selected perfect as the most likely meaning of the term here.

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Unspotted, Sinless, or Perfect Lamb?

In many other Bibles, we read that the Israelites were to offer unspotted lambs in their sacrifices to God. Did this mean that the animals were to be perfectly white with no spots, or did it mean that they were to be perfectly healthy?

It is interesting that the Greek word often translated as unspotted is hamartias, which really means without sin. Obviously, the word sin can’t really be applied to animals, as we understand those terms, so hamartias must have meant that the lambs were to be physically perfect. And we don’t know if this means that they should have no literal spots (as indicated by other Bibles), but that could have been implied. Yet, other sacrificial animals that are naturally spotted (such as bulls and goats) are also described as having to be perfect, since hamartias, or a related Greek word, hamoma (which can’t be directly translated into English) is also used to describe them. So, those words should actually be translated as sinless; however, translating it that way might be confusing to readers who would think of sin as actions, not physical attributes; so we have decided to use the word perfect (although that term is better translated from the Greek word telios… which was used to describe the Anointed Priest).

In view of the fact that God often required just the undesirable portions of an animal for sacrifices (the fat, liver, and kidneys), one might wonder why He required the animals to be healthy (not sick, lame, or deformed). Well, we first have to understand the meanings of the sacrifices. They were required to show the need for the sacrifice of a perfect human to redeem mankind in general from the effects of the imperfection, sin, and death that we inherited from Adam (due to his sin in the Paradise). At 1 Peter 1:19, for example, we can clearly see that these perfect animals which were sacrificed, pictured God’s offering of His perfect son, Jesus. And at John 1:29 he was described as ‘The Lamb of God who lifts sin from the world!’

Unfortunately, many today (due to religious cynicism and wrong teachings) have lost sight of just who Jesus was, what type of person he had to be, and why he had to die as he did. But, the perfection (hamartias) of the lamb and the perfection (telios) of the Anointed (christos or Christ) Priests showed that both had to be sinless… like Jesus, the perfect son of God.

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Moses’ Wife

In harmony with the statement found at Numbers 12:3, Moses must truly have been ‘the humblest man on the earth,’ because we actually know very little about him and his personal life. We know that he was married to a Midianite woman named Zipporah (the daughter of Jethro), and that he had at least two sons by her, Gersam and EliEzer. So, it comes as no surprise that there is quite a bit of controversy about the exact reason why Miriam and Aaron were so upset over Moses’ wife, who the account at Numbers 12:1 describes as an ‘Ethiopian woman.’ Was this Zipporah, or did he take another wife? And if it was another wife, what happened to Zipporah?

Unfortunately, we don’t know for sure, because the Bible simply doesn’t tell us. However, at least one source claims that it was Zipporah and that the mention of her being an ‘Ethiopian’ wasn’t unusual, because people who lived in the Arabian Peninsula were often referred to as Ethiopians.

We question this conclusion and suspect that those writers were more interested in clearing any questions that might reflect poorly on Moses’ name than in looking at the matter objectively. Since Moses had been married to Zipporah for at least sixty years prior to this time, it seems unlikely that Miriam and Aaron would suddenly turn against Moses and start condemning him over this. Rather, the fact that they started questioning his right to represent God at that late date (after Zipporah was likely a great grandmother), indicates that the marriage in question was something that had happened more recently. Otherwise, the actions by Miriam and Aaron simply make no sense at all.

Also, the fact that Zipporah was one of the Midianites, who were descendants of Abraham (see Genesis 25:1) and close relatives of the Israelites, makes it very hard to believe that the Bible writer would refer to her as an Ethiopian, because they are an entirely different race that descended from Noah’s son Ham (see Genesis 10:7).

Actually, Ethiopian is a Greek word, so it stems from a time well after Moses (to about the Third Century C.E.), and it means The Land of the Blacks. Also notice that the Hebrew text doesn’t call her an Ethiopian but a Cushite (a descendant of Cush or a black person). And when the Bible speaks of Ethiopians it isn’t necessarily talking about people from the modern country of Ethiopia (though it could), it actually refers to people from any land inhabited by blacks, which was true (at the time) of lands from Persia to South Africa. So the term proves that his new wife was from a land of black people, not from the area of the olive-skinned descendants of Abraham.

Then why was Miriam particularly upset? Well, she was Moses’ older sister (likely the one who followed him as a baby and spoke to Pharaoh’s daughter), so she was probably very protective. Also, the woman he married wasn’t an Israelite, and her skin may have been much darker than that of others in the camp, so there could have been some racism involved.

Then what happened to Zipporah? The Bible just doesn’t tell us. Had Zipporah died; had she left Moses; or had he taken a second wife? Again, we just don’t know. However, just look at the mathematics: Moses married Zipporah when he was forty years old, so she was likely at least twenty years old (and likely older) at the time she was married. Then forty years later (when she was over 60), Moses went before Pharaoh and led the Israelites out of Egypt. Thereafter, Israel wandered in the desert for some forty years.

Now, we don’t know exactly when the problem arose over Moses wife, but let’s say it was ten years before Israel entered the promised land; so if Zipporah was still alive, she would have been more than ninety years old! And since Moses himself said that the average life span at the time was seventy or eighty, we would have to assume that she had died prior to this second marriage of Moses, which proved so objectionable to his brother and sister.

Since the Scriptures prove that Moses still had God’s approval, who are we to question his actions or to make assumptions based on so little evidence?

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Leprosy

It is interesting that the disease we call leprosy today doesn’t seem to be the same as what was called leprosy in the Bible. While modern leprosy may appear to be the same, since the skin turns white and it is extremely debilitating, there are some major differences. For example, ancient leprosy seemed to have been extremely contagious, so people who had it weren’t allowed to come near to those who were healthy, while modern leprosy is listed as only ‘mildly contagious.’

Another difference is that the white skin coloration for modern leprosy comes from external skin scaling, while the Bible’s description of leprosy back then, was of a whiteness (or redness) that was internal or deep into the skin, and that it caused hollow spots under the skin. Also, notice that; once a person’s skin was turned completely white from the disease, God’s Law no longer considered them contagious (Leviticus 13:12-17).

Medical descriptions of modern leprosy say that it comes as the result of a bacterial infection. And while this may also have been true of ancient leprosy (in fact, it could have come from a bacteria that people have become largely immune to today), the fact that it could be found in clothing and leather goods, and that it was so hard to kill by washing, suggests that Bible leprosy may have been caused by a mold or fungus.

It would seem unlikely in the dry climate of Palestine that clothing in particular, would develop bacterial infections, unless they were extremely dirty, which is doubtful, knowing God’s view of cleanliness. However, mold can grow almost anywhere, and it is extremely hard to destroy. The fact that it grew on walls in Bible times seems to indicate that it was a type of mold.

Of interest are the descriptions of where and how leprosy developed in Bible times. Notice that it often started in wounds, sores, or in the hairline. And the fact that it was found on clothing (which was usually damp due to sweating in the arid climate), indicates that the disease was spread by close and prolonged contact with skin or through abrasions. However, modern Bedouins no longer seem to be plagued by this malady.

The fact that the bacteria, mold, or fungus was carried and transmitted from clothing and hair seems to be quietly affirmed by the fact that there is no mention of the disease attacking the genitals, which would be normally expected today, due the common use of tight-fitting underwear. Why not? Well, the ancient Israelites apparently didn’t wear them. The fact that underpants had to be specifically made for those who served in Jehovah’s Temple, indicates that such things weren’t customary.

Another interesting fact about the leprosy of Bible times, is that people who suffered from it could eventually (or even spontaneously) get over it without a need for modern antibiotics or treatments. The fact that Leviticus Chapter Fourteen gives extensive rules for the cleansing and repatriating of those who became well, indicates that this may have been a common occurrence.

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Tent

The statement found at Leviticus 26:11 (‘I will pitch My tent among you’) may sound unusual to most people. For, why would God refer to Himself as living in a tent?

The Greek word that we have translated as tent is skene (pronounced skaynay). The word is used throughout the Bible and may also be translated as booth and as tabernacle. But really, none of these words (tent, booth, or tabernacle) is an accurate description of what skene means in the English language. It implies a temporary-type dwelling that can be made of cloths, skins, or sticks and branches. For example, God’s Sacred Tent in the desert was made of cloth and covered with skins, while the tents that the Israelites were to live in during what has become known as ‘the Festival of Booths,’ was made of sticks and branches.

The Greek word oikos (pronounce oy-koss), on the other hand, refers to a permanent dwelling, and it is usually translated as house. For example; When the Israelites were wandering in the desert, the Sacred Tent of Jehovah was to be temporary, but Solomon later built His Temple, which was referred to as a House. Yet, despite that description, God never really lived there. And that may be the reason why God refers to his coming to ‘tent’ with mankind (as at Revelation 21:3). The term likely refers to His temporary presence or representation, not to His coming to the earth to live among men.

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Why Were Israel’s Leaders Afraid of Dying?

The question that was asked by the leaders of Israel (at Numbers 17:12, 13) is often misunderstood. They asked, ‘Now, are we going to be cut off, destroyed, and consumed? Why, everyone who touches the Tent of Jehovah dies, so are we now going to be totally destroyed?’

Since this question was asked just after their walking sticks had been placed before the Chest of Proofs and Aaron’s walking stick was chosen by God, some have concluded that they considered themselves worthy of death for touching the sticks. However, this doesn’t appear to be the case, because; what the Law forbade was their touching the Sacred Tent.

It is easy, when reading the Bible, to forget that Chapter breaks were added long after the words were actually written. So, things that are spoken of in one Chapter may be closely related to things that are mentioned in later Chapters. And this is what appears to be the case here. For Numbers 16:42 tells us, ‘Then a mob gathered against Moses and Aaron, and they foolishly ran into the Tent of Proofs.’

So, although a plague came upon the camp as the result of their actions, these leaders must have recognized their guilt and worthiness of death, especially since they had been complaining about Aaron (specifically) and Jehovah had just shown them that He had chosen Aaron as His special servant.

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Moses’ Sin at the Rock

The story of how Moses sinned against Jehovah by not mentioning His Name when he struck the rock in the Sin Desert and caused it to gush water, has been told and retold over the centuries. However, it appears as though Moses’ reason for doing this is often overlooked. Notice the exact words of God to Moses (at Numbers 20:17), ‘Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, Because you didn’t believe Me enough to mention Me before the children of Israel, you won’t be allowed to lead this gathering into the land that I have given them.’

So, while many have concluded that Moses had sinned by taking the credit for this miracle himself, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Rather, God’s words indicate that Moses was unsure of whether this miracle would really happen, and that’s why he didn’t mention God’s Name before he struck the rock. So, it doesn’t appear to be a sin of presumptuousness, but one of a lack of faith.

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Messengers

Most Bible translations render the Greek word aggelos (pronounced ahn-gel-ose – with a hard g) as angel wherever it is found. However, aggelos is just the Greek word for messenger. True, in most cases where the Bible speaks of angels, it is referring to spirit messengers from God. However, this may not be the meaning in every instance, and always translating it as angel may distort what was said in certain instances.

For example, consider the words at Acts 12:15, where Peter had just been released from prison and had appeared at the door of some faithful Christians. In Greek, the latter part of this verse reads, ‘oi de elegon Ho aggelos estin autou’ and is often translated as, ‘They began to say, It is his angel.’

This rendering doesn’t sound reasonable, for it would have been unusual for Christians to assume that an angel from God (who looked like Peter) was standing and knocking at their door. Rather, the rendering we have used herein makes more sense, ‘So they said, It’s his messenger.’

Another good example of why aggelos shouldn’t always be translated as angel can be found at Genesis 32:3, which reads in Greek, ‘Apasteile de Iakob aggelous emprosthen autou pros Hesau ton adelphon autou’ or, ‘Sent of Jacob angels ahead of him toward Esau the brother of him.’ Here Jacob was obviously sending human messengers to his brother, not heavenly ones (angels).

And consider the words at Numbers 20:14, where we read that Moses sent messengers (gr. aggelous – messengers, plural) from Cades to the king of Edom.’ Then in verse 16, it says that ‘Jehovah … heard our voice and sent His messenger (gr. aggelon – messenger, singular) who brought us out of Egypt.’

Obviously, although the same word (with only conjugated variations) is used to speak of two different types of messengers here… those who are human and those who were sent from heaven by God. As the result, most Bibles translate the first instance as messengers, but the second as angel. We have not chosen to make this distinction, and we have rendered the word as messenger or messengers in each instance, because this proper translation of the word provides readers a better look at what position these heavenly sons of God held. For, angel isn’t a heavenly rank, it’s a duty.

Also, consider the words of Haggai 1:13, where we read: ‘Then the Messenger (or angel) of Jehovah, Haggai, one of the messengers (or angels) of Jehovah, said to the people: Jehovah says, I am with you!’

Yet, Haggai was just a man, not a spirit.

Translating aggelos as messenger (when it truly means an ‘angel’) helps to provide readers a better, deeper understanding of the actual role that such spiritual sons of God play in His dealings with mankind. And it helps us to understand why the Bible never speaks of female or baby angels.

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Dedicated to Destruction

The instruction that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, as found at Leviticus 27:28, 29, has long confused Bible scholars. These verses appear to imply that any human who was dedicated to God should be put to death as some sort of a human sacrifice. For earlier (in verses one through seven), we read of people offering themselves and their families to Him. Was this indicating that they were the ones to be put to death?

No, for the verses are talking about two different sets of circumstances. However, much has been written about these verses, and there still seems to be some confusion.

The specific words found at Leviticus 27:29 read (in Greek), ‘Kai pan ho ean anathete opo ton anthropon ou lytrothesetai alla thanato thanatothesetai,’ or, ‘And all those who/are cursed of the men not ransomed but die the/death.’

So, as you can see, these verses refer to those who have been cursed (anathema), and it implies a vow to dedicate vile persons or nations to death. There is no indication (or record of) people being offered for sacrifice at Jehovah’s Temple. So the verse implies a vow to destroy those whom God deems worthy of destruction.

An example of the outworking of such an oath can be found at Numbers 21:2, 3, where the Israelites swore an oath to God to dedicate a particular group of Canaanites to Him if He would give them the victory over these enemies. The account says, ‘That was when Israel swore a vow to Jehovah, saying, If you will hand them over to us, we will dedicate them and their cities to You.’ So, Jehovah heard the voices of [the people of] Israel and gave the Canaanites into their hands, then they [totally destroyed] them and their cities. And they started calling that place The Cursed.

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Spirit or Breath?

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine ‘Trinity.’ This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath’ are spoken of together) is found at Matthew 28:19, which appears to be spurious (See the Note in Matthew). All other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. And the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is also spurious (something that was added to the Bible). So, there are no actual Bible references that mention God’s Holy Breath along with the Father and the Son.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as ‘spirits.’ Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God’s Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God’s] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, ‘Breath of Life.’ This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It’s the unseen force of life for all creatures… it’s what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the ‘pneuma’ as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) ‘return to God’ at death,’ because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God’s Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, ‘Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?’ As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God’s Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3 God says, ‘I won’t allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.’ In Greek that reads, ‘Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,’ or, ‘Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.’

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God’s Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though; what God was saying here is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as ‘My Breath,’ there may be a link implied between God’s Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, ‘The Powers of God’s Holy Spirit.’

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), ‘he hung his head and gave up the breath’ (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to ‘the breath of life,’ or that force which gave him life as a human.

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Rhinoceros, Wild Ox, or Unicorn?

The Greek word monokerotos (found at Numbers 23:22 and 24:8) has been translated as unicorn and as wild ox in other Bibles. However, we believe that our choice of English words (rhinoceros) has the same probability of being accurate, as do the other options.

Notice that the Greek words mono (one) and kerotos (horn) literally means unicorn, a mythical beast that was thought of as a horse with a single horn between its eyes. And it is our opinion that the myth developed from the fanciful ideas of people during the Dark and Middle Ages who read these particular scriptures.

However, other Bibles also translate the word as wild ox. Why? According to one reference (the World Book Dictionary), monokerotos is a ‘two-horned animal, possibly a wild ox or aurochs,’ and it was ‘mistranslated from the Hebrew word re’em.’

And while that conclusion could be true, we would have to assume that this mistranslation is found in both the Hebrew and Greek Septuagint texts, which we don’t believe is likely… and we wonder what may be found ‘glorious’ about a wild ox. So, we have chosen a wild animal that meets the description of having one horn, the rhinoceros, which comes from the continent southwest of the Promised Land, but may have roamed there (as did lions) in ancient times.

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Revelation and Truth

How did JoShua learn of God’s decisions? The text at Numbers 27:21 tells us, ‘Then he must stand alongside EliEzer the Priest, and whenever they come before Jehovah to ask for the judgments of the Revelation, they must do whatever he says.’

The Greek word that we have translated as Revelation is delon. And while other Bibles have translated it with the Hebrew word urim, or urim and thumim, the Greek word from the Septuagint just means revelation.

Delon is a conjugation of the word delosin, which is found at Exodus 28:26, where God told Moses (when He was describing the High Priest’s official clothes), ‘You are to put the Revelation and the Truth (gr. ten delosin kai ten aletheian) on the Expression of Judgment, and Aaron will wear it on his chest when he enters the Holy Place before Jehovah.’

Unfortunately, this description is only found in the Greek Septuagint, where exactly what the Revelation and the Truth is, isn’t identified. However, tradition has it that this item, which was referred to in the Hebrew text as the Urim and Thumim, was used in some way to indicate God’s decisions. And according to the wording, JoShua was to stand next to the High Priest who wore this item on his chest, to determine God’s will.

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Animal Sacrifices

Many religious teachers have tried to draw a line between Jehovah, who they refer to as the vengeful, warring ‘God of the Old Testament,’ and the ‘God of the New Testament,’ as represented by the loving, kind actions and words of Jesus. However, if you pay close attention to the details, you’ll find the same kind, loving God in both portions of the Bible. And part of this can be seen in His requirement for animal sacrifices.

Now, for confirmed vegetarians, the thought of offering the lives of animals to God may sound repulsive. However, these sacrifices pictured something much more important; the need to bring an end to all human (and perhaps most animal) suffering and death.

Notice that the first animal sacrifice mentioned in the Bible is the one offered by Adam’s second son Abel. And although he and his brother Cain both offered sacrifices, Abel’s was the one that God found to be satisfactory. Was this because God liked Abel better than He liked Cain? That doesn’t appear to be the case. Apparently, Abel’s sacrifice was more pleasing to God because he offered a living thing, which better represented the sacrifice that God Himself would make when He offered His son’s life for mankind.

Of interest though, are God’s kind instructions about how such sacrifices were to be offered. For example, to show that they were being offered to God, some type of Altar had to be constructed. What kind? Notice that God said (at Exodus 20:24) ‘You must make an Altar to Me from the dirt…’ So nothing fancy or expensive was required. Then, notice what He said after that (Exodus 20:25): ‘Now, if you build a stone Altar to Me, don’t use cut stones…’ And at Exodus 20:26 we read, ‘Nor should you build any steps to My Altar…’ So, the Altar wasn’t to be too high, and simple rock (or dirt) construction was fine.

Of course, shortly thereafter, God gave the instruction to build the Sacred Tent, and it was to have an Altar. And while the Tent must have been beautiful in all its gold, the Altar was short and quite small, and made of wood and brass… because it was to be portable. So, the fires were kept small, and only animal fat and small organs, plus bread and wine, and tiny amounts of animal blood, were offered there.

Then a ‘clean’ and ‘perfect’ animal was to be slaughtered, and the rest of its flesh was usually to be roasted or boiled nearby – except where it was a ‘whole burnt offering.’ ‘Clean’ of course, meant that it was to be an edible animal, such as a calf, sheep, pigeon, or dove. And what was to happen to the meat? It was to be eaten by those who offered it, and by the priests. In other words, this was just a community barbecue with one’s neighbors and God. And what portion would God take on his Altar? The fat, the liver, the kidneys, etc. They were mostly offered as a form of incense or pleasing odor to Him. No angry and vengeful (or hungry) God here.

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Baal, Beel, and Bel

Throughout the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT), you will read of Gods, people, and places with names that start with Baal, Beel, and Bel. These terms mean the Lord, the Master, or the Owner, and they refer to various gods of nations, not necessarily to a particular god. The word was just a title for a god, and the God’s name (or the place that he/it represented) follows the title, such as Beel Phegor (as found at Numbers 25:3). And where people called their god just Baal (or Beel), they were referring to their particular lord or god of that city or land. Also, where a person’s name includes one of these terms (such as BelShazzar), it usually means that they were named after a local god (in this case, Shazzar).

Of course, having the title Baal or Beel in a name doesn’t necessarily imply that a person is a worshiper of a pagan god, for several faithful worshipers of Jehovah also had that title as part of their names. For example, the faithful Judge Gideon came to be known as JeroBaal (meaning ‘May Baal Defend Himself’), because of his action in cutting down an altar to Baal. Also, one of King Saul’s grandsons (through faithful JoNathan) was named MeriBaal (meaning ‘Opposer of Baal’); one of King David’s faithful warriors was named BaalJah (meaning ‘Lord Jehovah’); and David named one of his sons BaalJada (meaning ‘Lord Knows’).

By the way, Baal is pronounced Bah-ahl and Beel is pronounced beh-el, not Bayel or Beel.

Also, in places where we find the letters El in a name or place, this is usually just a shortened version of the Hebrew word Elohim, meaning God. So, whereas many Bibles translate the Greek word ‘Baithelbereth’ (found at Judges 9:46) as ‘Bethel Bereth,’ or, ‘the temple of god ElBereth,’ or, ‘the vault of the house of El-Berith;’ recognize that ‘Beth (or Baith)’ means ‘the house (or temple) of,’ ‘El’ means ‘God,’ and ‘Bereth’ is that God’s name. So, we have translated it there as ‘the temple of God Bereth.’

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Signal of Release

As we have pointed out, some favorite expressions have been changed in this Bible translation to provide you a better, more accurate description of things, places, and events. And we have had to change the wonderful, joyful term ‘Jubilee Year,’ to reflect the actual words as they appear in the Greek text of the Bible. At Leviticus 25:11, notice that the Greek words found there (which are usually translated as Jubilee of release) are apheseos semassia, or release signal. So, no Jubilee is actually mentioned in the text.

Also, notice that the rule of releasing Israelite slaves seems to have been revised in the later book of Deuteronomy, for we read at Deuteronomy 15:12-14, ‘And if your brother (a Hebrew man or woman) should be sold to you, he may serve you for six years, but in the seventh year you should set him free. And when you set them free, don’t send them away empty-handed! You must give them provisions from your flock, your grain, and your wine… as Jehovah your God has blest you, that’s how you must treat them.’

Also, all debts were to be forgiven every seven years, for Deuteronomy 15:1-4 tells us: ‘Every seven years you must cancel debts, and these are the rules: You must cancel any debts that your neighbors owe you personally, and you must not ask them to pay them back, because this is a cancellation [of debts] to Jehovah your God. You may ask strangers to pay whatever they owe you, but not your brothers… you must cancel their debts. That way, there won’t be any poor people among you and Jehovah your God will surely bless you in the land that He’s giving you as your inheritance.’

So, apparently the only difference between the seventh years and the Release Years, had to do with the return of inherited land.

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Hebrew Songs and Poetry

While we as translators claim no in-depth knowledge of the Hebrew language (this is a GREEK Bible translation), we do find its poetry, blessings, and songs interesting and beautiful. For, rather than putting the words together in a rime (as we do in English, where ending words must sound alike), the sentences fit together where the thoughts follow each other, so that they could be easily remembered and sung. Therefore, the actual words didn’t have to be memorized, for, as long as a person understands the thought, the poetry can be correctly repeated using slightly different words.

You’ll notice that each song seemed to have about four verses, for the verses followed in a logical order. However, in our translation we sometimes find only three verses… or sometimes two or six. And this may be due to our misunderstanding of their methods, or due to problems with translation (both ancient and ours).

However, as you go along in the Bible, you will also find entire books written in poetry (such as Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.), and most prophecies (such as those of Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.) were spoken and written in a form that is similar to songs, especially where God and His messengers are speaking. It was probably done this way to be remembered and repeated… perhaps even as songs, for that was an ancient Hebrew means of mass communication.

Why, many of Jesus’ parables were spoken and recorded as poetry, such as that portion called the beatitudes (Matthew 5).

Notice that; where we find the natural poetic rhythm in our translating, we have tried to restore the cadence for your benefit. This requires some rearranging and the addition or removal of extraneous words, but we have zealously worked to maintain the true meaning of the texts. Why is this necessary? Well, not only does it provide pleasant reading, but in places where the lyrics can’t be resolved, this provides a clear indication that something has been lost through the years. Proverbs 25 and 26, for example, by their lack of natural cadence and harmony, indicate questionable inspiration or a corruption of the original text. Also, God must consider the beauty of the text important, because that was the way He inspired it to be written.

You might notice the two verses of a song that the Israelite women were singing when Saul and David returned from a battle (1 Samuel 18:7): ‘Saul has cut down thousands,
And David his ten thousands.’
Although these were just a few words of a much longer victory song, those particular words offended Saul, for he felt that David was being considered more important than he was. Yet, if you understand Hebrew poetry, you would see that the words were part of a natural progression of words and they weren’t actually chosen to elevate David or to offend Saul. Rather, Saul was being petty.

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Zeal

At Psalm 37:8 we read, ‘Stop being angry and abandon your rage. Don’t allow zeal to make you act wicked’ (yes, we know, the word should be wickedly, but this is poetic license). However, those words could also be translated as, ‘Do not allow jealously to cause you to act wickedly,’ because the Greek word zelos can either be translated as zealous or as jealous, depending on the circumstances, for both words mean the same thing. Yet, the two words imply different things in English.

Zeal is usually thought of as something good… something that all Christians should have, as in zeal for God and righteousness. And jealously is thought of as something bad… as wanting something that belongs to someone else. Yet, God may be spoken of as being jealous over His Name and His position as God, so jealously isn’t always a bad thing. And we can have zeal for things that are ours and we are proud of (which is not bad), and be jealous of things that belong to others (which is bad). So, the same Greek word (zelos) may be correctly translated as zeal in one place, and as jealously in another, depending on the context.

Then, is it proper for a man to be jealous of his wife, or for a wife to be jealous of her husband? No, we should never be jealous of each other, but for each other. We shouldn’t want what the other has, but we should have a burning zeal for each other. So, if one has good reason to worry about losing the love of the other, that is zeal. However, if such concern is baseless, that is wicked suspicion, not jealously.

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Tent of Proofs

We are sure that many will object to our calling God’s place of worship in the desert a ‘tent’ rather than a ‘tabernacle.’ However, tabernacle is just an obsolete word, the true meaning of which most people misunderstand, so for clarification, we have opted to use the modern word, tent. Because, it was for a fact, a portable building made of cloth.

Actually, this tent is often referred to in Greek as the skenes tou marturion, or, Tent (or Temporary Dwelling) of Testimony. And the reason why they called it that, was because it housed the kiboton martyrion (Box [of] Witness), which is also referred to in other Bibles as the Ark of the Covenant. So, we have translated it as the Tent of Proofs wherever these Greek words are found.

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Lottery or Lot

To many, the thought of choosing by lot (possibly by rolling dice) or using some other form of lottery sounds immoral and quite like gambling. However, in the Bible, that was the correct way to select the person who would receive a particular position or reward. In fact, the word for inherit (kleronomesousi), means to receive by lot or lottery.

The reason why this method was used by the ancient faithful was to allow God a hand in the decision, rather than trusting in the viewpoints of men. And the indication is that this method of choosing did in fact result in the manifestation of God’s hand. For example, consider how John the Baptist’s father (ZechariJah) was chosen by lot to serve in the Holy Place at the exact time for him to be told by a messenger of God about the upcoming birth of his son and of his son’s responsibility concerning the Messiah (Luke 1:8, 9).

Also, consider the fact that Matthias was chosen by lottery to replace unfaithful Judas as one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

The good sense of letting things be decided by apparent chance can be found in the wise words of Solomon at Proverbs 18:18, where he said, ‘Choosing by lottery ends a dispute, and it defines the boundaries of rulers.’

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The Star of David or the Star of Raiphan?

We have often wondered about the origin of the star of David that holds such a prominent place in the nation of Israel, for it seems unusual that a nation that was to have no images would select a star as its symbol. But when we came across the words of Amos 5:26 while translating that book from the Septuagint, something became very clear.

Now, the origination of the star of David is said to have come from the prophecy found at Numbers 24:17, which says, ‘A star must rise from Jacob, and a man must spring from Israel. He will crush the leaders of Moab and plunder all the sons of Seth.’ And since it was thought that this prophecy was fulfilled in King David, the star of David was apparently born.

However, notice the mention of another star that was worshiped by Israel at Amos 5:26, where we read, ‘But then you chose the tent of Molech, and the star of Raiphan as your god, and images of them you made for yourselves.’

So, there seems to have been a star of a false god that was worshiped and worn as a sign (possibly around the neck) by apostate Israelites.

Yet, it could be argued that the Bible never mentioned anything like the star of Raiphan, for the Hebrew texts actually reads (NW), ‘And will actually carry Sukkuth your king, and Kaiwan, your images, the star of your god, whom you made for yourselves.’ So, the meaning of this text is quite unclear. Which rendering is right?

Notice that it was the Greek text of Amos, which Stephen quoted just before he was killed. For he said at Acts 7:43, ‘Rather, you took the images that you made for worship to the tent of Moloch and to the star of the god Rephan.’

So, although the spelling is a bit different, Stephen obviously spoke of the star of Rephan (or Raiphan).

What was this star? According to A Student’s Guide to New Testament Textual Variants, ‘Other spellings found in manuscripts (of Acts) are Repha, Rempha, and Rephphan. The Greek Old Testament spells the name Raiphan. All of these are variations of the Egyptian name Repa for the god Saturn.’

So, a conclusion might be made that the star of David actually came from a worship of the star god Saturn, since: there is no Bible record of the star being used as a symbol of either David or Israel. And since: God specifically banned the use of such images.

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Why Capitals in Bible Names?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done. Realize that several other Hebrew consonants are commonly mispronounced in English, which no one objects to, so this minor deviation should not be objectionable to the thinking.

Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago, a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’

Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it as iJah, because the I would typically be pronounced as a long E, followed by a Y in Hebrew, and writing it without the I (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So, we have rendered it as JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is ‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be pronounced El-ee-eh-zer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the prefixes ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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