So they traveled from the mountain of the LORD, a three-day trip, with the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD traveling in front of them a three day trip to explore a place for them to rest.

Eventually, the people began complaining about their distress, and the LORD heard them. When the LORD heard, his anger flared up and the LORD's fire incinerated some of them within the outskirts of the camp.

When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD and the fire stopped.

He then named that place Taberah, because the LORD's fire had incinerated some of them.

Meanwhile, certain riff-raff among the people had an insatiable appetite for food. As a result, they wept and turned back, and the Israelis cried out, "If only somebody would feed us some meat!

How we remember the fish that we used to eat in Egypt for free! And the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic!

I cannot carry this whole nation! The burden is too heavy for me!

Then the LORD told Moses, "Gather together for me 70 men who are elders of Israel, men whom you know to be elders of the people and officers over them. Then bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them stand there with you.

not only for a day, or for two days, or for five days, or for ten days, or for 20 days,

but for a whole month until it comes out your nostrils and makes you vomit. This is because you've despised the LORD, who is among you, and you cried out in his presence by complaining, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'"

Moses responded, "I'm with 600,000 people on foot and you're saying I am to give them enough meat to eat for a whole month?

What if we were to slaughter our entire inventory of flocks and herds for them? Would that be enough? What if we could gather all the fish in the sea in nets for them? Would that be enough, either?"

That's why the place was named Kibroth-hattaavah, because they buried the people there who had an insatiable appetite for meat.

Later, the people left Kibroth-hattaavah for Hazeroth and camped there.

But the LORD told Moses, "If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she be humiliated? She is to be placed in isolation for seven days. After that, she may be brought in."

So Miriam was isolated outside the camp for seven days and the people didn't travel until Miriam was brought in.

As it was, that time of year was the season for the first fruits of the grape harvest. So they went to explore the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, and as far as the outskirts of Hamath.

What's the point in the LORD bringing us to this land? To die by the sword so our wives and children would become war victims? Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"

they'll also proclaim to the inhabitants of this land that they've heard you're among this people, LORD, whom they've seen face to face, since your cloud stands guard over them. You've guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night.

You will certainly never enter the land about which I made an oath with my uplifted hand to settle you in it, except for Jephunneh's son Caleb and Nun's son Joshua.

"Now as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness

and your children will wander throughout the wilderness for 40 years. They'll bear the consequences of your idolatries until your bodies are entirely consumed in the wilderness.

Just as you explored the land for 40 days, you'll bear the consequences of your iniquities for 40 years one year for each day as you experience my hostility.

The Amalekites and Canaanites are there waiting for you. You'll die violently, since you've turned your back and have stopped following the LORD. The LORD won't be with you."

when you enter the land where you'll be living that I'm about to give you, you are to make an offering by fire to the LORD, either a burnt offering, a sacrificial offering to fulfill a vow, or a voluntary offering at the appointed time, to make a pleasing aroma to the LORD either from your cattle or from your flocks.

Also prepare one fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering or for the sacrifice of each lamb.

"For a ram, prepare a grain offering consisting of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one third of a hin of olive oil.

Now as for your drink offering, offer one third of a hin of wine as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

"When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering, or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or for peace offerings to the LORD,

"As for drink offerings, offer half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire is a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Do this for each bullock, ram, male lamb, or goat.

Depending on the number of offerings that you prepare, do for each one according to their number.

Every native born person is to do these things, bringing an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD."

"Now, if a resident alien lives with you, or whoever else is with you throughout your generations, let him make an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. Just as you do, so is he to do.

There is to be a single standard for your community, one statute for you and the resident alien who lives with you, a long lasting statute throughout your generations. Just as you do, so is the resident alien to do in the presence of the LORD.

There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the resident alien who lives with you."

When anything is done without the knowledge of the congregation, the entire community is to offer one young bull for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, along with its meal and drink offerings offered according to procedure, and one male goat for a sin offering.

Then the priest is to make atonement for the entire community of the Israelis, and they will be forgiven for inadvertent sins. They are to bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the LORD, as well as their sin offering, into the LORD's presence on account of their error.

"Now when one person sins inadvertently, then he is to bring a one year old female goat for a sin offering.

Then, in the LORD's presence, the priest is to make atonement for the person who sinned inadvertently, that is, to make atonement on his behalf so he may be forgiven.

You are to have a single law for the one who does things inadvertently, whether for the native-born Israeli or for the resident alien who lives among you."

They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and told them, "You have appropriated too much for yourselves from the entire congregation, since all of them are holy, and the LORD is among them, too. Why do you exalt yourselves over the LORD's assembly?"

and put fire and incense in them in the LORD's presence tomorrow. It will be that the man whom the LORD chooses will be holy. You're taking too much for yourselves, you descendants of Levi."

So Moses sent for Eliab's sons Dathan and Abiram, but they responded, "We're not coming.

Each man is to take a censer, put incense on it, and bring it into the LORD's presence, each man with his censer, for a total of 250 censers. You and Aaron are each to bring his own censer."

So each man took his censer, put fire coals inside of it, placed incense in it, and then stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, accompanied by Moses and Aaron.

After this, fire came from the LORD and incinerated the 250 men who offered the incense.

"Tell Aaron's son Eleazar the priest to take out the censers out of the flames and scatter the coals far away, since they are holy.

As for the censers of those rebels who died, fasten them into beaten plates to line the altar. Since they brought them into the LORD's presence, they're holy. They are to become a reminder to the Israelis."

So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been burned and beat them into metal plates for the altar,

But they fell upon their faces. Then Moses told Aaron. "Take the censer, put fire on it from the altar, and burn some incense. Then walk quickly to the congregation and atone for them, because wrath has already come out from the LORD the plague has begun."

So Aaron took the censer, just as Moses had spoken, and ran out to the center of the assembly, where a plague had begun among the people. He set the incense on fire and atoned for the people.

"Tell the Israelis to take a rod one from each ancestral house, that is, one from every leader, for a total of twelve rods. Write each tribal name on his rod.

You are also to write Aaron's name on the tribe of Levi, since there is to be one rod for every leader of their ancestral tribes.

So Moses spoke to the Israelis, and each of the tribe leaders gave him a rod, one for each leader, according to their ancestral tribes, for a total of twelve rods. Aaron's rod was one of them.

Then the Lord instructed Moses, "Return Aaron's rod before the testimony to be kept for a reminder against the rebels so that you may put an end to their complaints against me and so that they won't die."

They are to join you to maintain services related to the Tent of Meeting, for all the responsibilities involved with the tent. But no unauthorized person is to approach you.

This is what is to belong to you from consecrated offerings spared from the fire: all of their offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings that they render to me. They're to be considered most sacred to you and your sons.

You may eat them as consecrated gifts. Every male may eat them. They're sacred for you.

Everything that opens the womb, any living thing that they bring to the LORD whether from human beings or animals are for you. Just be sure that you redeem the firstborn of people and the firstborn of unclean animals.

Those that can be redeemed, you are to redeem at the age of one month, based on your estimate for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, that is, for 20 gerahs.

But you are not to redeem the firstborn of a cow, sheep, or a female goat. They are holy. You are to sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat for an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

As to the descendants of Levi, certainly I've given all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for their services that they perform at the Tent of Meeting.

"Tell the descendants of Levi that when they receive tithes from the Israelis (the tithes that I've given you from them as an inheritance), you are to offer a tenth of it as a raised offering for the LORD.

Your raised offerings are to be accounted for you as though it were grain from threshing floors and full produce from wine vats.

Tell them that when they bring the best from it, as far as the descendants of Levi are concerned, it is to be considered like produce from the threshing floors and wine vats.

You and your household may eat it anywhere, because it's a reward to you in return for your services at the Tent of Meeting.

Then someone who is unclean is to gather the ashes of the heifer and lay them outside the camp in a clean place. This is to be done for the community of Israel to use for water of purification from sin.

Whoever gathers the ashes of the heifer is to wash his clothes and is to remain unclean until the evening. This ordinance is to remain for the benefit of both the Israelis and the resident aliens who live among them."

"Whoever comes in contact with the body of a dead person is to remain unclean for seven days.

"This is the procedure to follow when a man dies in his tent: Everyone who enters the tent and everyone in it is to remain unclean for seven days.

Whoever is out in an open field and touches the body of someone who was killed by a sword, or a dead body, or someone's bones, or a grave, he is to be considered unclean for seven days.

"Now as for the unclean, they are to take ashes from the burning sin offering, and pour running water on it inside a vessel.

But there was no water for the community, so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron.

Our ancestors went down to Egypt, where we lived for many years. But the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors viciously.

When the entire community saw that Aaron had died, they mourned in memory of Aaron for 30 days.

A fire has gone out from Heshbon, and a flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab and the lords of the high places who lived in Arnon.

We've fired at them. Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon. We've destroyed them as far as Nophah even as far as Medeba.

The LORD told Moses, "You are not to fear him, because I'm going to deliver him, his entire army, and his land into your control. Do to him just what you've done to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who used to live in Heshbon."

So come right now and curse this people for me, because there are too many of them for me to handle. Perhaps I'll be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land, since I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed."

In answer, Balaam told them, "Stay here for the night and I'll bring back a message to you, depending on what the LORD says to me." So the officers of Moab stayed with Balaam overnight.

"Look! A group of people have escaped from Egypt. They cover the surface of the whole earth! So come right now and curse them for me. Perhaps I'll be able to fight against them and drive them out.'"

I'm determined to reward you generously, and I'll do everything you tell me to do. So come right away and curse this people for me.'"

Balak asked Balaam, "Didn't I repeatedly send for you to summon you? Why didn't you come to me? I can pay you well, can't I?"

Balaam told Balak, "Build for me here seven altars and prepare here for me seven bulls and seven rams."

Then Balaam uttered this prophetic statement: "King Balak of Moab brought me from Aram, from the eastern mountains, and told me, "Come and curse Jacob for me. Come and curse Israel.'

"Come with me to another place where you can see them," Balak replied. "You'll only see a portion of them, because you won't be able to see them completely. Come and curse them from there for me."

So Balak exhorted Balaam, "Let's go right now! I'll take you to another place. Maybe God will agree to have you curse them for me from there."

Balaam told Balak, "Build seven altars for me right here. Then prepare seven bulls and seven rams."

so the LORD told Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight for the LORD, so the LORD's burning anger may be withdrawn from Israel."

"Eleazar's son Phinehas, grandson of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from Israel. Because his zealousness reflected my own zeal for them, I didn't consume Israel in my jealousy.

for him and for his descendants after him, too, a covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelis."

The ground had opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with Korah. Also, that group died when the fire devoured 250 men as a warning sign,

"The land is to be divided for an inheritance according to the total number of these names.

Depending on the lot, the portion of their inheritance is to be divided between those with more members and those with fewer members."

But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire in the LORD's presence.

"The daughters of Zelophehad are telling the truth. You are certainly to give to them a possession for an inheritance among their father's relatives. You are to pass on the inheritance of their father to them.

If his father doesn't have brothers, then give his inheritance to a relative who is nearest to him from the family and he'll take possession of it. This is to be a permanent ordinance for the Israelis, just as the LORD commanded Moses."

"You are to command the Israelis about my offerings that they are to be sure to bring edible offerings to me, presented by fire, and a pleasing aroma to me, at their appointed time.

Tell them that this is the offering, presented by fire, that you are to offer to the LORD: two one year old lambs, offered daily every day.