It's the well that the leaders dug, the one carved out by the nobles of the people with their scepters and staffs.

Then they moved on in the wilderness from there to Mattanah, then from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

"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."

Instead of letting Israel pass through his territory, Sihon mustered his entire army and marched out to meet them in the wilderness. He arrived at Jahaz and attacked Israel.

But Israel defeated him in battle and took possession of all his lands from Arnon to Jabbok, including the Ammonites, even though the border of the Ammonites was strong.

So Israel captured all of those cities, occupied all the Amorite cities in Heshbon, and all its towns.

Therefore the ones who speak in proverbs say: Come to Heshbon and let it be built! Let the city of Sihon be established!

A fire has gone out from Heshbon, and a flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab and the lords of the high places who lived in Arnon.

So Israel lived in Amorite territory.

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."

The Israelis continued their travels, eventually encamping on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River opposite Jericho.

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."

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 the elders of Moab and Midian left to visit Balaam, bringing an honorarium with them, and communicated Balak's concerns to him.

In answer, Balaam told them, "Stay here for the night and I'll bring back a message to you, depending on what the LORD says to me." So the officers of Moab stayed with Balaam overnight.

In response, Balak sent more officers higher ranking ones, at that!

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.

Balaam responded to Balak's entourage by saying, "Even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I won't double-cross the command of the LORD my God in even the slightest way.

God came to visit Balaam that same night and told him, "If the men come to call on you, get up and go with them, but be sure to do only what I tell you to do."

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,

all of a sudden the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with an unsheathed sword in his hand! The donkey turned off the road and went into an open field. Balaam started beating the donkey in order to turn her back to the road,

but the angel of the LORD stood on a narrow path that crossed the vineyards. It had walls on both sides of the path.

When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she squeezed herself so close to the wall that Balaam's foot was pressed to the wall. So he beat her again!

Then the angel of the LORD went along a little further and stood in a much narrower space, where it was impossible to turn either right or left.

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.

That's when the LORD enabled the donkey to speak. She asked Balaam, "What did I do to you that you would beat me in the space of only three footsteps?"

"Because you're playing a dirty trick on me," Balaam answered the donkey. "If only I had a sword in my hand! I'd kill you right now!"

But in response, the donkey asked Balaam, "I'm your donkey that you've ridden on in the past without incident, am I not, and I'm the same donkey you're riding on right now, am I not? Am I in the habit of treating you like this?" "No," he admitted.

Then the LORD enabled Balaam to see, so he observed the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with an unsheathed sword in his hand. So he bowed down and prostrated himself on his face.

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.

The donkey saw me and turned in front of me in the space of those three footsteps.

If she hadn't turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and left her alive!" At this, Balaam replied to the angel of the LORD, "I've sinned! I didn't know that you were standing to meet me on the road. So now, since it displeases you, let me go back."

When Balak heard that Balaam had arrived, he went out to meet him in the city of Moab on the border of Arnon at the extreme end of his territory.

Balaam answered Balak, "Well, I'm here now. I've come to you, but I can't just say anything, can I? I'll speak only what God puts in my mouth to say."

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

And so he went to a high place, where the LORD met with Balaam, who told him, "I've prepared seven altars and offered bulls and rams on an altar."

But in response, Balaam asked, "Shouldn't I be careful to communicate only what the LORD puts in my mouth?"

"Come with me to another place where you can see them," Balak replied. "You'll only see a portion of them, because you won't be able to see them completely. Come and curse them from there for me."

So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, and from there to the top of Mount Pisgah, where he built seven altars and then offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

In response, Balaam uttered this prophetic statement: "Stand up, Balak, and pay attention! Listen to me, you son of Zippor!

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?

Look! I've received a blessing, and so I will bless. I won't withdraw it.

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?'

Balak did just what Balaam had instructed he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

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,

looked up, and saw Israel encamped in their respective tribal order. Just then, the spirit of God came upon him.

A declaration from one who hears what God has to say, who saw the vision that the Almighty revealed, who keeps stumbling with open eyes.

He will pour water from his buckets, and his descendants will stream forth like abundant water. His king will be more exalted than Agag when he exalts his own kingdom.

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.

"Even if Balak gives me his palace full of silver and gold, I won't double-cross the command of the LORD and do anything whether good or evil on my own initiative, because I'm going to say whatever the LORD says.'

Meanwhile, since I have to return to my people, come and listen while I tell you what this people will be doing to your people in the last days."

A declaration from one who hears what God has to say, who knows what the Most High knows, who saw the vision that the Almighty revealed, who keeps stumbling with open eyes.

He will rule over Jacob, annihilating those who survive in the city."

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.

Then Balaam got up, returned to his country, and Balak went on his way.

While Israel remained encamped in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with Moabite women,

so the LORD told Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight for the LORD, so the LORD's burning anger may be withdrawn from 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."

That very moment, one of the Israelis arrived, bringing to his brothers one of the Midianite women, right in front of Moses and the entire community of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting!

When Eleazar's son Phinehas, grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up from the middle of the community, grabbed a javelin in his hand,

"Eleazar's son Phinehas, grandson of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from Israel. Because his zealousness reflected my own zeal for them, I didn't consume Israel in my jealousy.

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.

because they've acted deceitfully, bringing trouble to you in this incident at Peor with Cozbi, daughter of a prince from Midian, who was killed during the plague that came about because of the incident at Peor."

"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."

Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to them in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River in Jericho.

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 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.

The more there are in number, you are to increase their inheritance, and the less there are in number, you are to decrease their inheritance. You are to provide an inheritance to each based on the size of their family,

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

Now Kohath had a son named Amram. Amram's wife was Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.

But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire in the LORD's presence.

So this has been a list of those who were registered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they numbered the Israelis in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

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,

because the LORD had said about them, "They'll certainly die in the wilderness. No man will survive from them except Jephunneh's son Caleb and Nun's son Joshua."

"Our father died in the wilderness, but he wasn't with the company of those who gathered against the LORD along with the company of Korah. He died in his own sin, and he had no sons.

"The daughters of Zelophehad are telling the truth. You are certainly to give to them a possession for an inheritance among their father's relatives. You are to pass on the inheritance of their father to them.

Tell the Israelis that when a man dies without a son, you are to pass his inheritance to his daughter.

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."

who will go in and out before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in so that the LORD'S community won't be like a flock without a shepherd."

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

and make him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. Then you are to set him in charge right before their eyes,

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."

So Moses did what the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, made him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the entire community,

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.

Offer the first lamb in the morning and the second toward the evening,

accompanied by one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for grain offering, mixed with one fourth of a hin of pure olive oil.

"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.

"Every Sabbath day, you are to offer two one year old lambs without any defects with two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for grain offering, mixed with olive oil, along with their corresponding drink offering.

"On the first day of each month, you are to offer a burnt offering to the LORD consisting of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one year old lambs, all of them without any defects,

along with three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, for each bull, two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, for the one ram,

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."