They set out from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border, because the Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites.

Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Lord’s Wars:

Waheb in Suphah
and the ravines of the Arnon,

from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of Moab near the Pisgah highlands that overlook the wasteland.

“Let us travel through your land. We won’t go into the fields or vineyards. We won’t drink any well water. We will travel the King’s Highway until we have traveled through your territory.”

But Sihon would not let Israel travel through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.

Israel took all the cities and lived in all these Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its villages.

So Israel lived in the Amorites’ land.

But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”

So they struck him, his sons, and his whole army until no one was left, and they took possession of his land.

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

So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us like an ox eats up the green plants in the field.”

Since Balak son of Zippor was Moab’s king at that time,

he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. Balak said to him: “Look, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the surface of the land and are living right across from me.

Please come and put a curse on these people for me because they are more powerful than I am. I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are cursed.”

The elders of Moab and Midian departed with fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and reported Balak’s words to him.

‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.’”

Balak sent officials again who were more numerous and higher in rank than the others.

for I will greatly honor you and do whatever you ask me. So please come and put a curse on these people for me!’”

When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab.

But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing on the path with a drawn sword in His hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path.

Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a stone wall on either side.

The Angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left.

When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. So he became furious and beat the donkey with his stick.

Balaam answered the donkey, “You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now!”

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword in His hand. Balaam knelt and bowed with his face to the ground.

The Angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because what you are doing is evil in My sight.

Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that You were standing in the path to confront me. And now, if it is evil in Your sight, I will go back.”

When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border at the edge of his territory.

Balak asked Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”

Balaam said to him, “Look, I have come to you, but can I say anything I want? I must speak only the message God puts in my mouth.”

In the morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him to Bamoth-baal. From there he saw the outskirts of the people’s camp.

So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

God met with him and Balaam said to Him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.”

Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”

Balaam proclaimed his poem:

Balak brought me from Aram;
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel!”

He answered, “Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.”

So Balak took him to Lookout Field on top of Pisgah, built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then He said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”

Again Balak said to Balaam, “Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.”

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

Since Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go to seek omens as on previous occasions, but turned toward the wilderness.

When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him,

the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:

God brought him out of Egypt;
He is like the horns of a wild ox for them.
He will feed on enemy nations
and gnaw their bones;
he will strike them with his arrows.

Then Balak became furious with Balaam, struck his hands together, and said to him, “I summoned you to put a curse on my enemies, but instead, you have blessed them these three times.

If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the Lord’s command, to do anything good or bad of my own will? I will say whatever the Lord says.

Now I am going back to my people, but first, let me warn you what these people will do to your people in the future.”

the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God
and has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:

One who comes from Jacob will rule;
he will destroy the city’s survivors.

Next he saw the Kenites and proclaimed his poem:

Your dwelling place is enduring;
your nest is set in the cliffs.

Kain will be destroyed
when Asshur takes you captive.

Once more he proclaimed his poem:

Ah, who can live when God does this?

While Israel was staying in the Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab.

The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods.

The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord so that His burning anger may turn away from Israel.”

An Israelite man came bringing a Midianite woman to his relatives in the sight of Moses and the whole Israelite community while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,

followed the Israelite man into the tent, and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman—through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped,

but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

“Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with My zeal, so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal.

The name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal head of an ancestral house in Midian.

For they attacked you with the treachery that they used against you in the Peor incident. They did the same in the case involving their sister Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite leader who was killed the day the plague came at Peor.”

“Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their ancestral houses of those 20 years old or more who can serve in Israel’s army.”

So Moses and Eleazar the priest said to them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho,

The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, when his followers died and the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign.

Judah’s sons included Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan.

“The land is to be divided among them as an inheritance based on the number of names.

Increase the inheritance for a large tribe and decrease it for a small one. Each is to be given its inheritance according to those who were registered in it.

The land must be divided by lot; they will receive an inheritance according to the names of their ancestral tribes.

The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Amram: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.

but Nadab and Abihu died when they presented unauthorized fire before the Lord.

Those registered were 23,000, every male one month old or more; they were not registered among the other Israelites, because no inheritance was given to them among the Israelites.

These were the ones registered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they registered the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

But among them there was not one of those who had been registered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they registered the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai.

For the Lord had said to them that they would all die in the wilderness. None of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

“Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among Korah’s followers, who gathered together against the Lord. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons.

Tell the Israelites: When a man dies without having a son, transfer his inheritance to his daughter.

When the community quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight at the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.

who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.”

The Lord replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.

Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole community, and commission him in their sight.

Confer some of your authority on him so that the entire Israelite community will obey him.

He will stand before Eleazar who will consult the Lord for him with the decision of the Urim. He and all the Israelites with him, even the entire community, will go out and come back in at his command.”

laid his hands on him, and commissioned him, as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

Offer one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at twilight,

The drink offering is to be a quart with each lamb. Pour out the offering of beer to the Lord in the sanctuary area.

Offer the second lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

“On the Sabbath day present two unblemished year-old male lambs, four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering.

It is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

“At the beginning of each of your months present a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old—all unblemished—

Their drink offerings are to be two quarts of wine with each bull, one and a third quarts with the ram, and one quart with each male lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering for all the months of the year.

And one male goat is to be offered as a sin offering to the Lord, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its drink offering.

“The Passover to the Lord comes in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month.

On the fifteenth day of this month there will be a festival; unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days.

On the first day there is to be a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work.

Present a fire offering, a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. Your animals are to be unblemished.

and one male goat for a sin offering to make atonement for yourselves.

On the seventh day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work.

“On the day of firstfruits, you are to hold a sacred assembly when you present an offering of new grain to the Lord at your Festival of Weeks; you are not to do any daily work.