Thematic Bible: Return to the plains of moab


Thematic Bible



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."

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. 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.'"


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."

Your corpses will fall in this wilderness every single one of you who has been counted among you, according to your number from 20 years and above, who complained against me.


But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, the one who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.

While Israel remained encamped in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with Moabite women, who also invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods. So the people ate what they had sacrificed and then worshipped their gods. The people joined the Baal-peor cult. As a result, the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel,


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. read more.
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." So Moses brought the family into the LORD's presence, and the LORD told Moses, "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. If he doesn't have a daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he doesn't have brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 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."

The leaders of the ancestral families of the descendants of Gilead, who were descendants of Machir, and descendants of Manasseh, from Joseph's tribe, approached and spoke to Moses and the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelis. "The LORD commanded my master to apportion the land as an inheritance by lot to the Israelis," they said. "Now my master was ordered by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. But when they get married to one of the descendants of the tribes of Israel, their inheritances are to be withdrawn from our father's inheritance and added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they are to belong. Consequently, it is to be withdrawn from the portion of our inheritance. read more.
Then, when the Jubilee Year of the Israelis comes, their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they have come to belong. Their inheritance will thus be taken away from the inheritance of our father's tribe!" So Moses issued the Israelis these orders based on what the LORD said: "The tribe of the descendants of Joseph has spoken. This is what the LORD is commanding the daughters of Zelophehad: If they decide it's a good idea in their opinion to get married only within the family of their father's tribe, then let them get married so that the inheritance of the Israelis won't be turned over from one tribe to another. Each one has an inheritance from his own father's tribe that the Israelis are to maintain. Every daughter who is in possession of an inheritance from the Israelis is to marry someone from the families within her father's tribe so the Israelis can retain possession of their ancestral inheritance. That way, their inheritance won't be turned over from one tribe to another, because the Israelis are each to maintain their ancestral inheritances."


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.'" read more.
But God told Balaam, "Don't go with them. Don't curse the people, because they're blessed." 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." 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. 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. Meanwhile, stay here overnight so I may learn what the LORD might say to me." 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. 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." 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. Balak asked Balaam, "Didn't I repeatedly send for you to summon you? Why didn't you come to me? I can pay you well, can't I?" 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 accompanied by Balaam and Balak's officials, Balak traveled to Kiriath-huzoth, where he sacrificed oxen and sheep. The next day, Balak brought Balaam up to Bamoth-baal, where he could see part of the community of Israel.


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

They traveled from the mountains of Abarim, then rested in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River, across from Jericho. They rested by the Jordan River in the area from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.


"Attack the Midianites and execute them, 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."



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."


So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, just as the LORD had said. He was buried in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Moab, but no one knows to this day where his burial place is.


Moses ascended from the desert plain of Moab toward Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the entire land, from Gilgal as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh, and the entire territory of Judah all the way to out over the sea, including the Negev, the Arabah, the valley of Jericho, and the city of the palm trees as far as Zoar. read more.
Then the LORD told him: "This is the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by an oath when I said, "I'll give it to your descendants.' I'll let you see it with your eyes, but you won't cross over there."


Then Moses wrote down this Law and gave it to the Levitical priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and to all of Israel's leaders.


Moses responded to the LORD, "May the LORD God of the spirits of all living creatures appoint a man over the community 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." read more.
"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, turning over your authority to him so that the entire community of Israel knows to obey 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." 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.


On the first day of the eleventh month, in the fortieth year, Moses spoke to the Israelis about everything that the LORD had commanded him concerning 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. read more.
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 Reuben, Israel's firstborn, the descendants of Reuben included from Hanoch, the family of the descendants of Hanoch; from Pallu, the family of the descendants of Pallu; from Hezron, the family of the descendants of Hezron; and from Carmi, the family of the descendants of Carmi. These families of the descendants of Reuben numbered 43,730. Now Pallu's son was Eliab. 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, but Korah's direct descendants didn't die. The descendants of Simeon, listed according to their families, included: From Nemuel, the family of the descendants of Nemuel; from Jamin, the family of the descendants of Jamin; from Jachin, the family of the descendants of Jachin; from Zerah, the family of the descendants of Zerah; and from Shaul, the family of the descendants of Shaul. These families of the descendants of Simeon numbered 22,200. The descendants of Gad, listed according to their families, included: From Zephon, the family of the descendants of Zephon; from Haggi, the family of the descendants of Haggi; from Shuni, the family of the descendants of Shuni; from Ozni, the family of the descendants of Ozni; from Eri, the family of the descendants of Eri; from Arod, the family of the descendants of Arod; and from Areli, the family of the descendants of Areli. These families of the descendants of Gad numbered 40,500. 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. These families of Judah numbered 76,500. The tribe of Issachar, listed according to their families, included: From Tola, the family of the descendants of Tola; from Puvah, the family of the descendants of Puvah; from Jashub, the family of the descendants of Jashub; and from Shimron, the family of the descendants of Shimron. These families of Issachar numbered 64,300. 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. These families of the descendants of Zebulun numbered 60,500. The tribe of Joseph, listed according to their families, included Manasseh and Ephraim. The descendants of Manasseh included: From Machir, the family of the descendants of Machir. (Machir was the father of Gilead.) From Gilead, the family of the Gileadites included: From Iezer, the family of the descendants of Iezer; from Helek, the family of the descendants of Helek; from Asriel, the family of the descendants of Asriel; from Shechem, the family of the descendants of Shechem; 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. These families of Manasseh numbered 52,700. 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. The descendants of Shuthelah included from Eran, the family of the descendants of Eran. These families of Ephraim numbered 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph, listed according to their families. The tribe of Benjamin, listed according to their families, included: From Bela, the family of the descendants of Bela; from Ashbel, the family of the descendants of Ashbel; from Ahiram, the family of the descendants of Ahiram; 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. These descendants of Benjamin's families numbered 45,600. The tribe of Dan, listed according to their families, included the families of the descendants of Shuham. All the families of the Shuhamites numbered 64,400. 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. (The name of Asher's daughter was Serah.) These descendants of Asher numbered 53,400. The tribe of Naphtali, listed according to their families, included: From Jahzeel, the family of the descendants of Jahzeel; from Guni, the family of the descendants of Guni; from Jezer, the family of the descendants of Jezer; and from Shillem, the family of the descendants of Shillem. These families of Naphtali numbered 45,400. The total of those numbered among the Israelis was 601,730. Then the LORD told Moses, "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, 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." 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.


"My servant Moses is dead. Now get ready to cross the Jordan River you and all the people to the land that I'm giving the Israelis.


After this, Nun's son Joshua sent two men from the Acacia groves as undercover scouts. He told them, "Go and look over the land. Pay special attention to Jericho." So they went out, came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and lodged there.


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