Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches is to be considered unclean and the person who touches him is to be considered unclean until the evening."

As the people argued with Moses, they told him, "We wish that we had died when our relatives died in the LORD's presence!

Why did you take us out of Egypt and bring us to this terrible place? There's no place to plant seeds, fig trees, vines, or pomegranates! And there's no water to drink!"

"Take the rod, gather the community together, and then you and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock right before their eyes. It will release water. As you bring water to them from the rock, the community and the cattle will be able to drink."

So Moses took the rod in the LORD's presence, just as he had commanded.

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."

Later, Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom with this message: "This is what your relative Israel says: "You know all the hardships we've encountered.

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

Then we cried to the LORD and he heard our voice, sending us a messenger who brought us out of Egypt. Now look! We've arrived in Kadesh, a city at the extreme end of your territory.

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.'"

Then the Israelis replied, "Permit us to travel on the highway. If we and our cattle drink your water, we'll pay the price you ask. Only please let us walk through, and nothing more."

"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.

Remove Aaron's vestments and place them on his son Eleazar, because Aaron is to be gathered to his people and die there."

As Moses was stripping Aaron's garments from him and clothing Aaron's son Eleazar with them, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Afterwards, Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

the people complained against the LORD and Moses. "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" they asked. "There's no food and water, and we're tired of this worthless bread."

In response, the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people to bite them. As a result, many people of Israel died.

Then the people approached Moses and admitted, "We've sinned by speaking against the LORD and you. Pray to the LORD, that he'll remove the serpents from us." So Moses prayed in behalf of the people.

Then they traveled from Oboth and encamped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is in the vicinity of Moab's eastern border.

which is why the Book of the Wars of the LORD reads, "Waheb and Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon,

"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."

Woe to you, Moab! You are destroyed, you people of Chemosh! He has given up his sons as fugitives and his daughters have gone into captivity to Sihon, king of the Amorites.

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.

As a result, Moab greatly feared the people, because they were so numerous. Because a sense of impending doom was afflicting the Moabites as they faced the Israelis,

the Moabites told the elders of Midian, "This horde of people is about to lick up everything around us, like an ox licks up the green ground."

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."

So Balak's officials got up, returned to Balak and reported, "Balaam refused to come with us."

who approached Balaam with this message: "This is what Zippor's son Balak says: "Don't let anything get in the way of your coming to me.

At this, the anger of the LORD flared up against Balaam, because he was leaving. So the angel of the LORD stood in the way to oppose him. As Balaam was riding his donkey, accompanied by two of his servants,

When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she crouched down under Balaam. As a result, Balaam got so angry that he started to whip the donkey with his staff.

Then the angel of the LORD asked him, "Why did you beat your donkey in the space of only three footsteps? I've come to oppose you, because I say that what you're doing is perverted.

So Balak did just as Balaam instructed. Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

So Balaam returned to where Balak had been standing, that is, next to his offerings, accompanied by all the Moabite officials.

I saw them from the top of the rocks. I watched them from the hills. Truly this is a people that lives by itself and doesn't matter among the nations.

So Balaam returned to where Balak had been standing, that is, next to his offerings, accompanied by the Moabite officials. "What did the LORD say?" Balak asked him.

God is not a human male he doesn't lie, nor is he a human being he never vacillates. Once he speaks up, he's going to act, isn't he? Once he makes a promise, he'll fulfill it, won't he?

He has not responded to iniquity in Jacob or gazed at mischief in Israel. The LORD his God is with them, and the triumphant cry of a king is among them.

No Satanic plan against Jacob nor divination against Israel can ever prevail. When the time is right, it is to be asked about Jacob and Israel, "What has God accomplished?'

When Balaam noticed that the LORD was pleased that Balaam was blessing Israel, he didn't behave as he had time after time before, that is, to practice divination. Instead, he turned with his face to the wilderness,

Jacob, your tents are so fine, as well as your dwelling places, O Israel!

God is bringing them out of Egypt with the strength of an ox. He'll devour enemy nations, break their bones, and impale them with arrows.

Next, Balaam looked directly at Amalek and then uttered this prophetic statement: "Even though Amalek is an international leader, his future is permanent destruction."

Balaam also uttered this prophetic statement about the Kenites: "Your dwelling places are stable, because your nest is carved in solid rock.

The people joined the Baal-peor cult. As a result, the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel,

Then Moses ordered the judges of Israel, "Each one of you is to execute the men in his own tribe who joined the Baal-peor cult."

The woman who was slain, that is, the Midianite woman, was named Cozbi. She was the daughter of Zur, a leader of one of the ancestral houses of Midian.

"Take a census of the entire community of Israel from the age of 20 years and above, according to each ancestral tribe, counting everyone who is able to go out to war in Israel."

They counted every male Israeli who had come out of Egypt and who was 20 years old and above, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The descendants of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were removed from the community because they joined the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, as did Korah's company when they rebelled against the LORD.

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.

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

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

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,

Why are you going to eliminate the name of our father from his family, just because he had no son? Give us a possession from among our father's relatives."

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."

After you've seen it, you'll be taken to be with your people just as your brother Aaron was gathered to them,

because in the wilderness of Zin, when the community rebelled, you rebelled against my command to treat me as holy before their eyes in regards to the Meribah Springs in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin."

"Select Nun's son Joshua. The Spirit is in that man," the LORD answered Moses. "You are to lay your hand on him

You are to make him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest, who is to inquire on his behalf using the Urim in the presence of the LORD regarding a decision of judgment, because by his command he and all the Israelis with him will go out or come in."

laid his hands on him, and charged him, just as the LORD had commanded, using Moses' authority.

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.

This burnt offering, which was prescribed at Mount Sinai, is to be offered every day as a pleasing aroma made by fire to the LORD.

"The drink offering is to be one fourth of a hin for each lamb. You are to pour out a drink offering of strong wine to the LORD in the Holy Place.

You are also to offer the second lamb toward the evening. Just like the morning sacrifice, you are to present the grain offering, accompanied by its corresponding drink offering, as a presentation made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD."

This burnt offering is to be presented every Sabbath, as well as the regular burnt offering, along with its corresponding drink offering."

and one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb. This burnt offering will be a pleasing aroma, incinerated as an offering to the LORD.

Their drink offerings are to be half a hin of wine for each bull, one third of a hin for the ram, and one fourth of a hin for each lamb. This burnt offering is to be presented each and every month throughout the year.

One goat is to be offered at regular intervals as a sin offering to the LORD, accompanied by its corresponding drink offering."

"The LORD's Passover is to take place on the fourteenth day of the first month.

You are to hold a festival on the fifteenth day of this month for seven days, during which time unleavened bread is to be eaten."

"On the first day, you are to hold a sacred assembly. No servile work is to be done.

Bring an offering that is to be incinerated in the LORD's presence, consisting of two young bulls, a ram, and seven one year old lambs, all without any defects,

Do this every day for seven days, as an edible sacrifice to the LORD made by fire, a pleasing aroma. It is to be offered apart from the regular burnt offering and its corresponding drink offering.

On the seventh day you are to hold another sacred assembly for your benefit, on which no servile work is to be done."

"On the first day of your harvest season, you are to hold a sacred assembly when you present your first fruits during the Festival of Weeks. No servile work is to be done.

You are to offer this burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one year old lambs,

"You are to hold a sacred assembly on the first day of the seventh month of each year. No servile work is to be done. It's a day of blowing trumpets for you.

"You are to bring these burnt offerings as a pleasing aroma to the LORD: a one year old young bull, one ram, and seven one year old lambs, all without any defects,

This is to be separate and apart from the burnt offering for the New Moon, with its corresponding grain offering, the regular burnt offering with its corresponding grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their respective ordinances, as a pleasing aroma, an incinerated offering made to the LORD.

"You are to hold a sacred assembly on the tenth day of this same seventh month. You are to humble yourselves, and no servile work is to be done.

"You are to hold a sacred assembly on the fifteenth day of the same seventh month. No servile work is to be done. You are to celebrate a festival to the LORD for seven days by

bringing these burnt offerings made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD: Thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old lambs, all without any defects,

"On the eighth day, you are to call a sacred assembly. No servile work is to be done.

Later, Moses told the elders of the Israeli tribes, "This is what the LORD has commanded:

"When a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath an obligation that is binding to himself he is not to break his word. Instead, he is to fulfill whatever promise came out of his mouth.'"

"If she has a husband and she makes a vow that is binding on herself, or if she makes a hasty vow with her mouth that she pledges herself to fulfill,

and her husband hears her vow, yet remains silent on the day that he hears it, then her vows are to stand and the obligation to which she had pledged herself is to stand.

Moses sent 1,000 men from every tribe to fight against them, along with Eleazar's son Phinehas, in whose hands were the articles of the sanctuary and trumpets to sound battle alarms.

They fought against the Midianites just as the LORD had commanded Moses, killing every man.

After this, the Israelis took captive the Midianite women and children and confiscated as spoils of war all their cattle, livestock, and their goods.

"Look! These women were the same ones who were counseled by Balaam to cause the Israelis to commit a grievous sin against the LORD at Peor. As a result, that plague infected the LORD's community.

Furthermore, you are to purify every garment that is, everything made of leather, goat's hair, or containing wood."

Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had gone to battle, "This is the ordinance of the law that the LORD commanded Moses

or anything else that can survive a refiner's fire: You are to pass it through fire, after which it will be clean. Then it is to be purified with the water of impurity. Everything that cannot survive a refiner's fire is to be washed in water.

You are to take half their share and give it to Eleazar the priest as a raised offering to the LORD.

Then Moses gave the tribute, a raised offering to the LORD, to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Moses took a portion drawn from every 50 Israelis, including from both human and animals, and gave them to the descendants of Levi who maintained the LORD's tent, just as the LORD had commanded him.

because every soldier had confiscated war booty for his own use.

Moses and Eleazar took the gold from the captains of thousands and hundreds and brought it to the Tent of Meeting, to serve as a memorial to the Israelis in the LORD's presence.

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