Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites departed from the land of Egypt. He said:

The Lord had said to Moses,

Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites must take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be reassembled, the Levites must set it up. Any unauthorized person who approaches it must be killed.

because all the firstborn are mine. When I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They belong to me. I am the Lord."

The families of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle.

Now the leader of the clan of the families of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Number all the firstborn males of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.

For the Lord said to Moses, "They must present their offering, one leader for each day, for the dedication of the altar."

"Speak to Aaron and tell him, 'When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand.'"

And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses.

For all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and animals; when I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart for myself.

And those men said to him, "We are ceremonially defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back from offering the Lord's offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?"

So Moses said to them, "Remain here and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you."

On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle -- the tent of the testimony -- and from evening until morning there was a fiery appearance over the tabernacle.

Whether it was for two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud prolonged its stay over the tabernacle, the Israelites remained camped without traveling; but when it was taken up, they traveled on.

When you blow an alarm, then the camps that are located on the east side must begin to travel.

And when you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that are located on the south side must begin to travel. An alarm must be sounded for their journeys.

So the Israelites set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran.

This was the first time they set out on their journey according to the commandment of the Lord, by the authority of Moses.

The standard of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.

Then the tabernacle was dismantled, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle.

The standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their companies; over his company was Elizur son of Shedeur.

And the Kohathites set out, carrying the articles for the sanctuary; the tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.

And the standard of the camp of the Ephraimites set out according to their companies; over his company was Elishama son of Ammihud.

The standard of the camp of the Danites set out, which was the rear guard of all the camps by their companies; over his company was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel, the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are journeying to the place about which the Lord said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things for Israel."

But Hobab said to him, "I will not go, but I will go instead to my own land and to my kindred."

Moses said, "Do not leave us, because you know places for us to camp in the wilderness, and you could be our guide.

Now the mixed multitude who were among them craved more desirable foods, and so the Israelites wept again and said, "If only we had meat to eat!

(Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.

And Moses said to the Lord, "Why have you afflicted your servant? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of this entire people on me?

But if you are going to deal with me like this, then kill me immediately. If I have found favor in your sight then do not let me see my trouble."

The Lord said to Moses, "Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know are elders of the people and officials over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting; let them take their position there with you.

Moses said, "The people around me are 600,000 on foot; but you say, 'I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.'

And the Lord said to Moses, "Is the Lord's hand shortened? Now you will see whether my word to you will come true or not!"

Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his choice young men, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!"

Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for me? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!"

Now a wind went out from the Lord and brought quail from the sea, and let them fall near the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and about a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about three feet high on the surface of the ground.

They said, "Has the Lord only spoken through Moses? Has he not also spoken through us?" And the Lord heard it.

The Lord said, "Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a dream.

So Aaron said to Moses, "O my lord, please do not hold this sin against us, in which we have acted foolishly and have sinned!

The Lord said to Moses, "If her father had only spit in her face, would she not have been disgraced for seven days? Shut her out from the camp seven days, and afterward she can be brought back in again."

from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against these people, because they are stronger than we are!"

And all the Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had perished in this wilderness!

So they said to one another, "Let's appoint a leader and return to Egypt."

They said to the whole community of the Israelites, "The land we passed through to investigate is an exceedingly good land.

The Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me, and how long will they not believe in me, in spite of the signs that I have done among them?

Moses said to the Lord, "When the Egyptians hear it -- for you brought up this people by your power from among them --

So now, let the power of my Lord be great, just as you have said,

Then the Lord said, "I have forgiven them as you asked.

But I will bring in your little ones, whom you said would become victims of war, and they will enjoy the land that you have despised.

I, the Lord, have said, "I will surely do so to all this evil congregation that has gathered together against me. In this wilderness they will be finished, and there they will die!"'"

But Moses said, "Why are you now transgressing the commandment of the Lord? It will not succeed!

Then the Lord said to Moses, "The man must surely be put to death; the whole community must stone him with stones outside the camp."

Then he said to Korah and to all his company, "In the morning the Lord will make known who are his, and who is holy. He will cause that person to approach him; the person he has chosen he will cause to approach him.

put fire in them, and set incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses will be holy. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!"

Moses said to Korah, "Listen now, you sons of Levi!

Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come up.

Moses was very angry, and he said to the Lord, "Have no respect for their offering! I have not taken so much as one donkey from them, nor have I harmed any one of them!"

Then Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company present yourselves before the Lord -- you and they, and Aaron -- tomorrow.

So everyone took his censer, put fire in it, and set incense on it, and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, "O God, the God of the spirits of all people, will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?"

And he said to the community, "Move away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because of all their sins."

So they got away from the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side, and Dathan and Abiram came out and stationed themselves in the entrances of their tents with their wives, their children, and their toddlers.

Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will.

All the Israelites who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, "What if the earth swallows us too?"

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take the censer, put burning coals from the altar in it, place incense on it, and go quickly into the assembly and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord -- the plague has begun!"

The Lord said to Moses, "Bring Aaron's staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end before me, that they will not die."

The Israelites said to Moses, "We are bound to die! We perish, we all perish!

The Lord said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your tribe with you must bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you must bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

But I have given to the Levites for an inheritance the tithes of the Israelites that are offered to the Lord as a raised offering. That is why I said to them that among the Israelites they are to have no inheritance."

Then the heifer must be burned in his sight -- its skin, its flesh, its blood, and its offal is to be burned.

Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?"

But Edom said to him, "You will not pass through me, or I will come out against you with the sword."

Then the Israelites said to him, "We will go along the highway, and if we or our cattle drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We will only pass through on our feet, without doing anything else."

But he said, "You may not pass through." Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful force.

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom. He said:

So Moses did as the Lord commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community.

So Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, "If you will indeed deliver this people into our hand, then we will utterly destroy their cities."

Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he would take away the snakes from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, "Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live."

Then they traveled on from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab, on the eastern side.

From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends from the regions of the Amorites, for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

This is why it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, "Waheb in Suphah and the wadis, the Arnon

And the Lord said to Moses, "Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand. You will do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.

The Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River across from Jericho.

So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "Now this mass of people will lick up everything around us, as the bull devours the grass of the field. Now Balak son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at this time.

He replied to them, "Stay here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me." So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

And God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?"

Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message to me, saying,

But God said to Balaam, "You must not go with them; you must not curse the people, for they are blessed."

So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, "Go to your land, for the Lord has refused to permit me to go with you."

So the princes of Moab departed and went back to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us."

And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak son of Zippor: 'Please do not let anything hinder you from coming to me.

Now therefore, please stay the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me."

God came to Balaam that night, and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but the word that I will say to you, that you must do."

Then the angel of the Lord stood in a path among the vineyards, where there was a wall on either side.

Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?"