In the Sinai desert, the LORD spoke to Moses inside the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt. He said,

because all the first-born belong to me. When I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated all the first-born in Israel for myself from human beings to livestock. They belong to me, since I am the LORD."

since every firstborn of Israel belongs to me, from human beings to livestock. On the same day that I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated them to myself,

If a resident alien lives with you and wants to observe the LORD's Passover, let him observe it according to the statutes and laws of the Passover. You are to maintain the same statute for the resident alien as you do for the native of the land."

"When you wage war in your land against an enemy who is hostile to you, you are to sound an alarm with the trumpets. Then you will be remembered before the face of the LORD your God and you will be delivered from your enemies.

But he said, "I won't go with you because I'm returning to my land and to my own family."

Did I conceive this people or give birth to them, so that you would tell me to carry them near my heart like a wet nurse carries a suckling baby to the land that you promised to their forefathers?

"Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I'm about to give to the Israelis. Send one man to represent each of his ancestor's tribes, every one of them a distinguished leader among them."

These are the names of the men sent by Moses to explore the land.

Moses renamed Nun's son Hoshea to Joshua. Then he sent them out to explore the land of Canaan. He instructed them, "Go up from here through the Negev, then ascend to the hill country.

See what the land is like. Observe whether the people who live there are strong or weak, or whether they're few or numerous.

Look to see whether the land where they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are merely tents or if they're fortified.

Examine the farmland, whether it's fertile or barren, and see if there are fruit-bearing trees in it or not. Be very courageous, and bring back some samples of the fruit of the land."

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.

At the end of 40 days, they all returned from exploring the land,

came in to Moses and Aaron, and delivered their report to the entire congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back their report to the entire congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.

except that the people who have settled in the land are strong, and their cities are greatly fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak.

So they put out this false report to the Israelis about the land that they had explored: "The land that we've explored is one that devours its inhabitants. All the people whom we observed were giants.

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?"

Nun's son Joshua and Jephunneh's son Caleb, who had accompanied the others who also had explored the land, tore their clothes

and attempted to reason with the entire congregation of Israel. They told them, "The land that we went through and explored is very, very good.

If the LORD is pleased with us, he'll bring us into this land and give it to us. It flows with milk and honey.

However, don't rebel against the LORD or be afraid of the people who live in the land, because we'll gobble them right up. Their defenses will collapse, because the LORD is with us. You are not to be afraid of them."

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.

"The LORD slaughtered this people in the wilderness because he wasn't able to bring them to the land that he promised them.'

will ever see the land that I promised to their ancestors. Those who spurned me won't see it.

Now as to my servant Caleb, because a different spirit is within him and he has remained true to me, I'm going to bring him into the land that he explored, and his descendants are to inherit it.

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.

However, I'll bring your little ones the ones whom you claimed would become war victims into the land so that they'll know by experience the land that you've rejected.

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.

After this, the men whom Moses sent out to explore the land, who returned and made the whole congregation complain against him by bringing an evil report concerning the land,

and who produced an evil report about the land, died of pestilence in the LORD's presence.

However, Nun's son Joshua and Jephunneh's son Caleb, who had explored the land, remained alive.

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.

"Tell the Israelis that when they enter the land that I'm about to bring you to,

when you have eaten some of the bread that the land produces, you are to offer a raised offering to the LORD.

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God."

Is it such an insignificant thing that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness? Now you're trying to make yourself be a prince and rule over us, aren't you?

You still haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you really think that you can make these men look the other way? We won't go up."

"The first ripe fruits of everything that the land produces and that they bring to the LORD are yours, too. Everyone who is clean in your household may eat it.

Then the LORD instructed Aaron, "You are not to have any inheritance in the land, nor are you to have any portion among the people. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelis.

But the LORD rebuked Moses and Aaron, telling Moses: "Because you both didn't believe me, because you didn't consecrate me as holy in the presence of the Israelis, you won't be the ones to bring this congregation into the land that I'm about to give them."

Permit us now to pass through your land. We won't pass through your fields or vineyards, and we won't drink water from your wells. We'll keep to the King's Highway without turning either right or left until we have passed through your territory.'"

But Edom replied, "You are not to pass through my land. If you do, I'll come out and start a war with you."

"Aaron is to be gathered to his people, since he is not to enter the land that I'm about to give the Israelis. After all, you both rebelled against my command at the Meribah Springs.

After this, they traveled from Mount Hor along the caravan route by way of the Sea of Reeds and went around the land of Edom. But when the people got impatient because it was a long route,

"Permit us to pass through your land. We won't trespass in your fields or vineyards. We won't drink water from any well, and we'll only travel along the King's Highway until we've passed through your territory."

Heshbon was the capital city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who fought against the previous king of Moab and captured all his land from his capital city to Arnon.

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 they attacked him, his sons, and his entire army, until there wasn't even a single survivor left. Then they took possession of his land.

At that time, Zippor's son Balak was the king of Moab. He sent messengers to Beor's son Balaam in Pethor, near the Euphrates River, the land where the descendants of his people originated, to summon his aid. He said, "Look! A group of people have escaped from Egypt. They cover the surface of the whole earth, and are sitting here right in front of me.

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."

The descendants of Judah originally included Er and Onan, though Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

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

but the land is to be divided by lot, inheriting according to the names of their ancestor's tribe.

But none of these men among these numbered by Moses and by Aaron the priest (that is, when they numbered the Israelis in the wilderness of Sinai) survived to enter the land,

Then the LORD told Moses, "You are to climb these Abarim mountains and look over the land that I'm going to give the Israelis.

the land that the LORD defeated in the sight of the community of Israel is perfect for cattle and your servants have cattle.

If we've found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River."

"Why would you discourage the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the LORD has given them?

That's what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land.

When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelis from entering the land that the LORD had given them.

"Not one of the men who went up from Egypt, from 20 years old and above, will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me wholeheartedly,

but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land,

and subjugated the land before him, then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the LORD and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the LORD.

telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the LORD's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession.

But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan."

"We are to cross over in battle array in the LORD's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan River."

So Moses gave to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities, and even the territories surrounding it.

Here's the travel itinerary for the Israelis after they left the land of Egypt in groups under the authority of Moses and Aaron.

They traveled from Kadesh, then rested in Mount Hor at the outskirts of the land of Edom.

Then Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor in obedience to the LORD's command and died there, in the fortieth year after the Israelis had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month.

Meanwhile, the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard of the approach of the Israelis,

"Tell the Israelis that when they have crossed the Jordan River to the land of Canaan,

they are to drive out all the inhabitants of the land and destroy all their idols and their molten images. You are to demolish all their high places,

take possession of the land, and live in it, because I've given you the land to inherit.

You are to divide the land among yourselves by lot according to your families. The larger the families are in number, the larger their inheritance is to be. The fewer the families are in number, the lesser their inheritance is to be. To whomever the lot falls, that inheritance goes to him. Divide it according to your ancestral tribes.

But if you fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, their survivors will become irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, to prick your sides and afflict you in the very land in which you'll be living.

"Issue these orders to the Israelis: "You're about to enter the land of Canaan. This territory has been apportioned to you as your inheritance: the entire land of Canaan, all the way to its borders.'"

The border is to continue along the Jordan River all the way to the Dead Sea. This is to be your land, as measured by its boundaries.'"

Moses commanded the Israelis, "You are to inherit this land by lot, just as the LORD commanded to give it to the remaining nine and a half tribes.

"These are the names of the men who are to divide the land for your inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua.

You are to appoint a leader from each tribe to divide the land for inheritance.

These are the ones whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance of the Israelis in the land of Canaan.

"Instruct the Israelis to set aside a portion of their inheritance for the descendants of Levi to live in, along with grazing land surrounding their towns.

You are to measure from outside the wall of the town on the east side 2,000 cubits, on the south side 2,000 cubits, on the west side 2,000 cubits, and on the north side 2,000 cubits, with the town placed at the center. This reserved area is to serve as grazing land for their towns.

"Tell the Israelis that when they have crossed the Jordan River into the land of Canaan,

Appoint three towns this side of the Jordan River and three towns in the land of Canaan to serve as the towns of refuge,

The inadvertent killer is to live in the town of refuge until the High Priest dies. After the death of the High Priest, the inadvertent killer is to return to the land of his inheritance.

You are not to pollute the land where you live, because blood defiles the land, and the land cannot atone for blood that has been spilled on it, except through the blood of the one who spilled it.

You are not to defile the land where you will be living, because I'm living among you. I am the LORD, who lives in Israel."

"The LORD commanded my master to apportion the land as an inheritance by lot to the Israelis," they said. "Now my master was ordered by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.