“Speak to the Levites and tell them: When you receive from the Israelites the tenth that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the Lord—a tenth of the tenth.

Your offering will be credited to you as if it were your grain from the threshing floor or the full harvest from the winepress.

You are to present an offering to the Lord from every tenth you receive from the Israelites. Give some of it to Aaron the priest as an offering to the Lord.

You must present the entire offering due the Lord from all your gifts. The best part of the tenth is to be consecrated.

Anyone who touches a body of a person who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person will be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean because the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, and his uncleanness is still on him.

But a person who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from the assembly because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.

Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!”

Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell down with their faces to the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

“Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.”

So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence just as He had commanded him.

Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel says, ‘You know all the hardships that have overtaken us.

Edom refused to allow Israel to travel through their territory, and Israel turned away from them.

After they set out from Kadesh, the entire Israelite community came to Mount Hor.

After Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey.

The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”

The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that He will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.

They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness that borders Moab on the east.

From there they went and camped at Zered Valley.

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.

From there they went to Beer, the well the Lord told Moses about, “Gather the people so I may give them water.”

The princes dug the well;
the nobles of the people hollowed it out
with a scepter and with their staffs.

They went from the wilderness to Mattanah,

from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

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

Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only up to the Ammonite border, because it was fortified.

For fire came out of Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon.
It consumed Ar of Moab,
the lords of Arnon’s heights.

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

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.

They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Let nothing keep you from coming to me,

The donkey saw Me and turned away from Me these three times. If she had not turned away from Me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.”

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

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!”

I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
There is a people living alone;
it does not consider itself among the nations.

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.”

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:

Water will flow from his buckets,
and his seed will be by abundant water.
His king will be greater than Agag,
and his kingdom will be exalted.

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:

I see him, but not now;
I perceive him, but not near.
A star will come from Jacob,
and a scepter will arise from Israel.
He will smash the forehead of Moab
and strike down all the Shethites.

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

Ships will come from the coast of Kittim;
they will afflict Asshur and Eber,
but they too will come to destruction.

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.”

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

“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.

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

Reuben was the firstborn of Israel.
Reuben’s descendants:
the Hanochite clan from Hanoch;
the Palluite clan from Pallu;

the Hezronite clan from Hezron;
the Carmite clan from Carmi.

Simeon’s descendants by their clans:
the Nemuelite clan from Nemuel;
the Jaminite clan from Jamin;
the Jachinite clan from Jachin;

the Zerahite clan from Zerah;
the Shaulite clan from Shaul.

Gad’s descendants by their clans:
the Zephonite clan from Zephon;
the Haggite clan from Haggi;
the Shunite clan from Shuni;

the Oznite clan from Ozni;
the Erite clan from Eri;

the Arodite clan from Arod;
the Arelite clan from Areli.

Judah’s descendants by their clans:
the Shelanite clan from Shelah;
the Perezite clan from Perez;
the Zerahite clan from Zerah.

The descendants of Perez:
the Hezronite clan from Hezron;
the Hamulite clan from Hamul.

Issachar’s descendants by their clans:
the Tolaite clan from Tola;
the Punite clan from Puvah;

the Jashubite clan from Jashub;
the Shimronite clan from Shimron.

Zebulun’s descendants by their clans:
the Seredite clan from Sered;
the Elonite clan from Elon;
the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel.

Joseph’s descendants by their clans from Manasseh and Ephraim:

Manasseh’s descendants:
the Machirite clan from Machir.
Machir fathered Gilead;
the Gileadite clan from Gilead.

These were Gilead’s descendants:
the Iezerite clan from Iezer;
the Helekite clan from Helek;

the Asrielite clan from Asriel;
the Shechemite clan from Shechem;

the Shemidaite clan from Shemida;
the Hepherite clan from Hepher;

These were Ephraim’s descendants by their clans:
the Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah;
the Becherite clan from Becher;
the Tahanite clan from Tahan.

These were Shuthelah’s descendants:
the Eranite clan from Eran.

Benjamin’s descendants by their clans:
the Belaite clan from Bela;
the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel;
the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram;

the Shuphamite clan from Shupham;
the Huphamite clan from Hupham.

Bela’s descendants from Ard and Naaman:
the Ardite clan from Ard;
the Naamite clan from Naaman.

These were Dan’s descendants by their clans:
the Shuhamite clan from Shuham.
These were the clans of Dan by their clans.

Asher’s descendants by their clans:
the Imnite clan from Imnah;
the Ishvite clan from Ishvi;
the Beriite clan from Beriah.

From Beriah’s descendants:
the Heberite clan from Heber;
the Malchielite clan from Malchiel.

Naphtali’s descendants by their clans:
the Jahzeelite clan from Jahzeel;
the Gunite clan from Guni;

the Jezerite clan from Jezer;
the Shillemite clan from Shillem.

These were the Levites registered by their clans:
the Gershonite clan from Gershon;
the Kohathite clan from Kohath;
the Merarite clan from Merari.

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.

The daughters of Zelophehad approached; Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh from the clans of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan? Since he had no son, give us property among our father’s brothers.”

But if her husband cancels them on the day he hears about it, nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or her obligation, is binding. Her husband has canceled them, and the Lord will absolve her.

If her husband says nothing at all to her from day to day, he confirms all her vows and obligations, which are binding. He has confirmed them because he said nothing to her when he heard about them.

Send 1,000 men to war from each Israelite tribe.”

So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands in Israel—12,000 equipped for war.

Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.

They brought the prisoners, animals, and spoils of war to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite community at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

But Moses became furious with the officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign.

Set aside a tribute for the Lord from what belongs to the fighting men who went out to war: one out of every 500 humans, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

Take the tribute from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord.

From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every 50 from the people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats, all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle.”

The captives remaining from the plunder the army had taken totaled:

675,000 sheep and goats,

and the tribute to the Lord was 675
from the sheep and goats;

from the 36,000 cattle,
the tribute to the Lord was 72;

from the 30,500 donkeys,
the tribute to the Lord was 61;

and from the 16,000 people,
the tribute to the Lord was 32 people.

From the Israelites’ half, which Moses separated from the men who fought,

Moses took one out of every 50, selected from the people and the livestock of the Israelites’ half. He gave them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded him.

Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.

All the gold of the contribution they offered to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, was 420 pounds.

Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.

Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land the Lord has given them?

That’s what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

After they went up as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them.

‘Because they did not follow Me completely, none of the men 20 years old or more who came up from Egypt will see the land I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—

If you turn back from following Him, He will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will destroy all of them.”