Then they turned toward Bashan. However, Og, the king of Bashan, mustered his army and went out to attack them at Edrei.

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."

So they attacked him, his sons, and his entire army, until there wasn't even a single survivor left. Then they took possession of his land.

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 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 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.

God visited Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men with you?"

Then Balaam told God, "Zippor's son Balak, king of Moab, sent them to me and said,

"Look! A group of people have escaped from Egypt. They cover the surface of the whole earth! So come right now and curse them for me. Perhaps I'll be able to fight against them and drive them out.'"

So Balaam got up the next morning and told Balak's officials, "Go back to your homeland, because the LORD has refused me permission to go with you."

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

I'm determined to reward you generously, and I'll do everything you tell me to do. So come right away and curse this people for 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."

The next morning, Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started to leave, accompanied by the Moabite officials.

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,

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.

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.

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."

But the angel of the LORD told Balaam, "Go with the men, but deliver only the message that I'm going to give you." So Balaam went with Balak's officials.

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.

So accompanied by Balaam and Balak's officials, Balak traveled to Kiriath-huzoth,

where he sacrificed oxen and sheep.

Balaam told Balak, "Build for me here seven altars and prepare here for me seven bulls and seven rams."

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

Then Balaam instructed Balak, "Stand by your offering and leave me alone by myself. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me. I'll tell you whatever he reveals to me."

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."

Then the LORD gave Balaam this message. "Return to Balak and speak to him."

Then Balaam uttered this prophetic statement: "King Balak of Moab brought me from Aram, from the eastern mountains, and told me, "Come and curse Jacob for me. Come and curse Israel.'

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.

Who can count the dust of Jacob? Who can number the dust of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may I end up like him."

"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.

Then the LORD met with Balaam and gave a message to him. "Now go back to Balak and speak to him."

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

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?'

Look! The people are like lions. Like the lion, he rises up! He does not lie down again until he has consumed his prey and drunk the blood of the slain."

Balaam told Balak, "Build seven altars for me right here. Then prepare seven bulls and seven rams."

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

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

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.

He crouches, laying low like a lion. Who would awaken him? Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed."

Balak flew into a rage and he started hitting his fists together. "I called you to curse my enemies," he yelled at Balaam. "But look here! You've blessed them three times!

"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."

Edom will be a conquered nation and Seir will be Israel's defeated foe, while Israel performs valiantly.

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

Ships under control of Kittim will devastate Asshur and Eber, until they are permanently destroyed."

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

who also invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods. So the people ate what they had sacrificed and then worshipped their gods.

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."

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!

followed the Israeli man inside his tent, and impaled the two of them the Israeli man and the woman right through both of them and into her abdomen. Then the plague infecting the Israelis was brought to a halt. Nevertheless,

for him and for his descendants after him, too, a covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelis."

"Attack the Midianites and execute them,

After the plague was over, the LORD told Moses and Aaron the priest's son Eleazar,

"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.

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.

from Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Carmi, the family of the descendants of Carmi.

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,

from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah; and from Shaul, the family of the descendants of Shaul.

from Arod, the family of the descendants of Arod; and from Areli, the family of the descendants of Areli.

The descendants of Judah originally included Er and Onan, though Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

The descendants of Judah, listed according to their families, included: From Shelah, the family of the descendants of Shelah; from Perez, the family of the descendants of Perez; and from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah.

The descendants of Perez included: From Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Hamul, the family of the descendants of Hamul.

from Jashub, the family of the descendants of Jashub; and from Shimron, the family of the descendants of Shimron.

The tribe of Zebulun, listed according to their families, included: From Sered, the family of the descendants of Sered; from Elon, the family of the descendants of Elon; and from Jahleel, the family of the descendants of Jahleel.

The tribe of Joseph, listed according to their families, included Manasseh and Ephraim.

from Shemida, the family of the descendants of Shemida; and from Hepher, the family of the descendants of Hepher.

Hepher's son Zelophehad had no sons, but the names of Zelophehad's daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

The descendants of Ephraim, listed according to their families, included: From Shuthelah, the family of the descendants of Shuthelah; from Becher, the family of the descendants of Becher; and from Tahan, the family of the descendants of Tahan.

from Shephupham, the family of the descendants of Shephupham; and from Hupham, the family of the descendants of Hupham.

The descendants of Bela were Ard and Naaman: From Ard, the family of the descendants of Ard; and from Naaman, the family of the descendants of Naaman.

The tribe of Asher, listed according to their families, included: From Imnah, the family of the descendants of Imnah; from Ishvi, the family of the descendants of Ishvi; and from Beriah, the family of the descendants of Beriah.

The descendants of Beriah included: From Heber, the family of the descendants of Heber; and from Malchiel, the family of the descendants of Malchiel.

from Jezer, the family of the descendants of Jezer; and from Shillem, the family of the descendants of Shillem.

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."

Those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi, listed according to their families, included: From Gershon, the family of the descendants of Gershon; from Kohath, the family of the descendants of Kohath; and from Merari, the family of the descendants of Merari.

These were the families of Levi: The family of the descendants of Libni, the family of the descendants of Hebron, the family of the descendants of Mahli, the family of the descendants of Musha, and the family of the descendants of Korah.

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.

To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

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

All of those individuals numbered 23,000. No male from the age of a month and above was numbered among the Israelis because no inheritance was to be assigned to them among the Israelis.

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."

Now the daughters of Hepher's son Zelophehad, Gilead's grandson, who had been fathered by Machir, who had been fathered by Manasseh, from the tribe of Manasseh, the direct son of Joseph, were named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached

Moses, Eleazar the priest, the elders, and the entire community at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before them, and said,

"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.

So Moses brought the family into the LORD's presence,

and the LORD told Moses,