But the descendants of Levi are to encamp on all sides of the Tent of Meeting so that divine wrath won't fall on the congregation of Israel. The descendants of Levi are to take care of the Tent of Meeting."

The Israelis observed everything that the LORD had commanded Moses, doing exactly what they were told.

So the Israelis did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses; that is, they encamped under their standard as each person traveled with his own tribe and ancestral house.

Appoint Aaron and his sons so that they are to take responsibility for their priesthood. Any unauthorized person who approaches it is to be put to death."

the hangings at the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard that surrounded the tent, the altar, and all of the tent cords in use.

so collect five shekels for each individual, denominated in shekels of the sanctuary, that is, the shekel that weighs 20 gerahs.

But do this for them so that they may live and not die when they approach the Most Holy Place: Aaron and his sons are to go in and set specific responsibilities for each of them to carry out.

"These are the responsibilities that the descendants of Gershon are to have:

They are to carry the curtain of the tent, the covering of the Tent of Meeting, the dyed leather covering that goes over it, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

the hangings for the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the gate of the courtyard that surrounds the tent, the altar, the ropes, all the service utensils, and everything made for them. This is to be their service area.

from 30 to 50 years old that is, everyone who entered the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting.

from 30 to 50 years old; that is, everyone who entered the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting.

from 30 to 50 years old; that is, everyone who entered the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting.

The total of those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi by Moses and Aaron; that is, from the leaders of Israel counted according to their tribes and ancestral houses

Whether male or female, send them outside the camp so that they won't defile their camp, because I live among them."

"Instruct the Israelis that whenever a man or woman does something contained in the list of the sins of man, thereby acting treacherously against the LORD, then that person stands guilty.

He is to confess the sin that he had committed, pay its full compensation, add one fifth to it, and give the compensation to whomever he offended.

Every offering from all the most sacred things of the Israelis that they bring to the priest is to belong to him.

"Instruct the Israelis what to do if a man's wife turns astray so that she unfaithfully acts against him,

If an attitude of jealousy overcomes him so that he becomes jealous at his wife when she is defiled, or if an attitude of jealousy overcomes him and he becomes jealous of his wife even though she isn't defiled,

then that man is to bring his wife to the priest along with an offering for her consisting of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He is not to pour oil or set frankincense over it, because it's to be a jealousy offering, a memorial offering that will serve as a reminder of iniquity.

The priest is to have the woman stand in the LORD's presence, uncover her head, and put the grain offering as a memorial, a reminder of jealousy, into her hands. The priest is also to have in his hand the contaminated water that carries a curse.

"The priest is to administer this oath to the woman: "If indeed another man didn't have sexual relations with you and you didn't become unfaithful to your husband, then may you be free from these waters that bring a curse.

and this water that brings a curse enters your abdomen, making it swell and your thigh waste away.' "Then the woman is to say "Amen.'

The woman is to drink the bitter water that brings a curse and the water that brings a curse is to be considered contaminated.

When he has had her drink the water, if she was defiled and had acted unfaithfully toward her husband, then the contaminated water that brings a curse will enter her and infect her, causing her abdomen to swell and her thigh to waste away. Then she is to be a cursed woman among her people.

"Tell the Israelis that a man or woman who commits to the vow of the Nazirite, is to be separated to the LORD,

When someone suddenly dies beside him, so that his consecrated head is defiled, then he is to shave his head on the day of his purification. Seven days later he is to shave it again.

Then the priest is to offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to make atonement for him because of the guilt he incurred on account of his contact with the dead body. Then he is to consecrate his head on that day.

The priest is to wave the offerings, that is, the breast and the thigh offering in the LORD's presence. Then the Nazirite may drink wine afterward.

This is to be the law of the Nazirite when he commits his offering to the LORD on account of his consecration, over and beyond what he owns alone plus whatever he can provide, based on the vow from his own mouth that he vows to fulfill on account of the law of his consecration."

The same day that Moses finished setting up, anointing, and consecrating the tent and its utensils, he also anointed and consecrated the altar and its utensils.

The leaders brought the offerings for the dedication of the altar the same day that it was anointed. After the leaders brought their offering to the altar,

This was what was presented at the dedication of the altar from the leaders of Israel on the same day that it was anointed: twelve silver bowls, twelve silver basins, twelve gold ladles.

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,

I've set the descendants of Levi apart from the Israelis so that Aaron and his sons would work in service at the appointed place of meeting, making atonement on behalf of the Israelis so that there won't be a plague among the Israelis whenever they approach the sanctuary."

So Moses and Aaron and the Israelis did this on behalf of the descendants of Levi. The Israelis did everything that the LORD commanded concerning the descendants of Levi.

After this, the descendants of Levi entered into their work of service at the appointed place, in the presence of Aaron and his sons. They did everything that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the descendants of Levi.

The LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai during the first month of the second year that they had left Egypt,

They observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai. The Israelis did everything that the LORD had commanded through Moses.

But there were men who couldn't observe the Passover that day because they had come in contact with a corpse. That very day, they approached Moses and Aaron

"Instruct the Israelis that when any of you or your descendants becomes unclean due to contact with a corpse, or if he is on a long journey, he nevertheless is to observe the LORD's Passover.

Now as to the person who is clean and isn't traveling, but fails to observe the Passover, that person is to be eliminated from his people, because he didn't bring an offering to the LORD at its appointed time. That person is to bear his sin.

On the same morning that the tent was set up, a cloud covered the tent, that is, the Tent of Testimony, and in the evening fire appeared over the tent until morning.

According to what the LORD said, they would remain in camp, and according to what the LORD said, they would travel. They kept the commands that the LORD had given through Moses.

And when you come with us, the good things that the LORD will grant us, we'll give you as well."

Whenever the ark was ready to travel, Moses would say: "Arise, LORD, to scatter your enemies, so that whoever hates you will flee from your presence."

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

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

People would go out to gather it, then they would grind it in mills or pound it in mortars, and then they would boil it in pots or make cakes out of it that tasted like butter cakes.

Moses heard the people weeping throughout their entire families. Everyone gathered at the entrance to their tents so that the LORD was very angry. Moses thought the situation was bad,

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?

Then I'll come down and speak with you. I'll take some of the spirit that rests on you and apportion it among them, so that they may help you bear the burden of the people. That way, you won't bear it by yourself."

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?"

The LORD came down in a cloud, spoke to Moses, and made an apportionment from the spirit who rested on him to the 70 elders. When the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but that was it.

"Are you jealous on account of me?" Moses asked in reply. "I wish all of the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!"

Then Moses that is, he and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

The people stayed up all that day, all that night, and all through the next day, gathering quails. The one who gathered least gathered enough to fill ten omers, as they spread out all around the camp.

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

Miriam and Aaron rebelled against Moses on account of the Cushite woman that he had married.

But that's not how it is with my servant Moses, since he has been entrusted with my entire household!

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."

After that, the people traveled from Hazeroth and encamped in the Wilderness of Paran.

"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."

So that's just what Moses did, sending them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the LORD's instructions. All of the men were Israeli leaders.

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.

The entire place was called the Eshcol Valley on account of the cluster of grapes that the men of Israel had taken from there.

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.

We also saw the Nephilim, the descendants of Anak. Compared to the Nephilim, as we see things, we're like grasshoppers, and that's their opinion of us!"

At this, the entire assembly complained, started to shout, and cried through the rest of that night.

All the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron. Then the entire assembly responded, "We wish that we had died in Egypt or in this wilderness.

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.

Suddenly, the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all of the Israelis. "How long will this people keep on spurning me and refusing to trust me, despite all the miracles that I've done among them?" the LORD asked Moses.

"That's why I'm going to attack them with pestilence and disinherit them. Instead, I'll make you a great nation even mightier than they are!"

But Moses responded to the LORD, "When Egypt hears that you've brought this people out from among them with a mighty demonstration of power,

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.'

"Forgive, please, the iniquity of this people, according to your great, faithful love, in the same way that you've carried this people from Egypt to this place."

none of those men who saw my glory and watched my miracles that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness even though they've tested me these ten times and never listened to my voice

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.

"How long will this wicked assembly keep complaining about me? I've heard the complaints of the Israelis that they've been murmuring against me.

So tell them that as long as I live consider this to be an oracle from the LORD as certainly as you've spoken right into my ears, that's how I'm going to treat you.

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.

So they got up early the next morning and traveled to the top of the mountain, telling themselves, "Look, we're here and we're going to go up to the place that the LORD had spoken about, even though we've sinned."

But Moses asked them, "Why do you continue to sin against what the LORD said? Don't you know that you can never succeed?

Don't go up, since you know that the LORD is no longer with you. You'll be attacked right in front of your own enemies.

"Tell the Israelis that

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.

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

"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.

"Here's what you are to do when you all go astray and fail to observe all these commands that the LORD had spoken to Moses,

including anything that the LORD commanded you by the authority of Moses, starting from the day the LORD commanded Moses and continuing through your generations.

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.

"But if some person acts with a high hand, whether a native-born or a resident alien, he blasphemes God, and that person is to be eliminated from among his people.

Because he has despised the law of the LORD and has broken his commands, that person is certainly to be eliminated. His iniquity will remain on him."

So the whole community brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones so that he died, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

"Tell the Israelis that they are to make tassels at the edges of their garments throughout their generations and that they are to put a violet cord on the tassels at the edges of their garments.