Category: Numbers

The People Complain to Moses

1 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and theLordheard everything they said. Then theLord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp.

2 Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to theLord, the fire stopped.

3 After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from theLordhad burned among them there.

4 Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed.

5 “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted.

6 But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”

7 The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin.

8 The people would go out and gather it from the ground. They made flour by grinding it with hand mills or pounding it in mortars. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into flat cakes. These cakes tasted like pastries baked with olive oil.

9 The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night.

10 Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and theLordbecame extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated.

11 And Moses said to theLord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people?

12 Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors?

13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’

14 I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!

15 If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”

Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders

16 Then theLordsaid to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacleto stand there with you.

17 I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.

18 “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and theLordheard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now theLordwill give you meat, and you will have to eat it.

19 And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty.

20 You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected theLord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

21 But Moses responded to theLord, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’

22 Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”

23 Then theLordsaid to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”

24 So Moses went out and reported theLord’s words to the people. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the Tabernacle.

25 And theLordcame down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again.

26 Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp.

27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!”

29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all theLord’s people were prophets and that theLordwould put his Spirit upon them all!”

30 Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel.

The Lord Sends Quail

31 Now theLordsent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground.

32 So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry.

33 But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of theLordblazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.

34 So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt.

35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the Israelites traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed for some time.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/11-68e0e1570e180cf37d83f30bd04c90a6.mp3?version_id=116—

The Complaints of Miriam and Aaron

1 While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman.

2 They said, “Has theLordspoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But theLordheard them.

3 (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.)

4 So immediately theLordcalled to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle,all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle.

5 Then theLorddescended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle.“Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward.

6 And theLordsaid to them, “Now listen to what I say:

“If there were prophets among you,

I, theLord, would reveal myself in visions.

I would speak to them in dreams.

7 But not with my servant Moses.

Of all my house, he is the one I trust.

8 I speak to him face to face,

clearly, and not in riddles!

He sees theLordas he is.

So why were you not afraid

to criticize my servant Moses?”

9 TheLordwas very angry with them, and he departed.

10 As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow from leprosy.When Aaron saw what had happened to her,

11 he cried out to Moses, “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed.

12 Don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, already decayed at birth.”

13 So Moses cried out to theLord, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!”

14 But theLordsaid to Moses, “If her father had done nothing more than spit in her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? So keep her outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted back.”

15 So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back before they traveled again.

16 Then they left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/12-12cc20c95a4969946d2db982bf7b117e.mp3?version_id=116—

Twelve Scouts Explore Canaan

1 TheLordnow said to Moses,

2 “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.”

3 So Moses did as theLordcommanded him. He sent out twelve men, all tribal leaders of Israel, from their camp in the wilderness of Paran.

4 These were the tribes and the names of their leaders:

Reuben Shammua son of Zaccur
5 Simeon Shaphat son of Hori
6 Judah Caleb son of Jephunneh
7 Issachar Igal son of Joseph
8 Ephraim Hoshea son of Nun
9 Benjamin Palti son of Raphu
10 Zebulun Gaddiel son of Sodi
11 Manasseh son of Joseph Gaddi son of Susi
12 Dan Ammiel son of Gemalli
13 Asher Sethur son of Michael
14 Naphtali Nahbi son of Vophsi
15 Gad Geuel son of Maki

16 These are the names of the men Moses sent out to explore the land. (Moses called Hoshea son of Nun by the name Joshua.)

17 Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the land: “Go north through the Negev into the hill country.

18 See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many.

19 See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps?

20 Is the soil fertile or poor? Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see.” (It happened to be the season for harvesting the first ripe grapes.)

21 So they went up and explored the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near Lebo-hamath.

22 Going north, they passed through the Negev and arrived at Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai—all descendants of Anak—lived. (The ancient town of Hebron was founded seven years before the Egyptian city of Zoan.)

23 When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also brought back samples of the pomegranates and figs.

24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol (which means “cluster”), because of the cluster of grapes the Israelite men cut there.

The Scouting Report

25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned

26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land.

27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces.

28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!

29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Seaand along the Jordan Valley.”

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”

32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.

33 We even saw giantsthere, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/13-85141a26ad331358799d3ec3e5b46668.mp3?version_id=116—

The People Rebel

1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night.

2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained.

3 “Why is theLordtaking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”

4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel.

6 Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing.

7 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land!

8 And if theLordis pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey.

9 Do not rebel against theLord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but theLordis with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

10 But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of theLordappeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.

11 And theLordsaid to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?

12 I will disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!”

Moses Intercedes for the People

13 But Moses objected. “What will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?” he asked theLord. “They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people from Egypt.

14 Now if you destroy them, the Egyptians will send a report to the inhabitants of this land, who have already heard that you live among your people. They know,Lord, that you have appeared to your people face to face and that your pillar of cloud hovers over them. They know that you go before them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

15 Now if you slaughter all these people with a single blow, the nations that have heard of your fame will say,

16 ‘TheLordwas not able to bring them into the land he swore to give them, so he killed them in the wilderness.’

17 “Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said,

18 ‘TheLordis slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’

19 In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

20 Then theLordsaid, “I will pardon them as you have requested.

21 But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with theLord’s glory,

22 not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice.

23 They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it.

24 But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.

25 Now turn around, and don’t go on toward the land where the Amalekites and Canaanites live. Tomorrow you must set out for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.”

The Lord Punishes the Israelites

26 Then theLordsaid to Moses and Aaron,

27 “How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me.

28 Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares theLord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.

29 You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die.

30 You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

31 “‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised.

32 But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness.

33 And your children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness.

34 “‘Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have me for an enemy.’

35 I, theLord, have spoken! I will certainly do these things to every member of the community who has conspired against me. They will be destroyed here in this wilderness, and here they will die!”

36 The ten men Moses had sent to explore the land—the ones who incited rebellion against theLordwith their bad report—

37 were struck dead with a plague before theLord.

38 Of the twelve who had explored the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive.

39 When Moses reported theLord’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief.

40 Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. “Let’s go,” they said. “We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land theLordhas promised us.”

41 But Moses said, “Why are you now disobeying theLord’s orders to return to the wilderness? It won’t work.

42 Do not go up into the land now. You will only be crushed by your enemies because theLordis not with you.

43 When you face the Amalekites and Canaanites in battle, you will be slaughtered. TheLordwill abandon you because you have abandoned theLord.”

44 But the people defiantly pushed ahead toward the hill country, even though neither Moses nor the Ark of theLord’s Covenant left the camp.

45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in those hills came down and attacked them and chased them back as far as Hormah.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/14-f09dc17acae1368499a29acf0cdbf3b5.mp3?version_id=116—

Laws concerning Offerings

1 Then theLordtold Moses,

2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.

“When you finally settle in the land I am giving you,

3 you will offer special gifts as a pleasing aroma to theLord. These gifts may take the form of a burnt offering, a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, a voluntary offering, or an offering at any of your annual festivals, and they may be taken from your herds of cattle or your flocks of sheep and goats.

4 When you present these offerings, you must also give theLorda grain offering of two quartsof choice flour mixed with one quartof olive oil.

5 For each lamb offered as a burnt offering or a special sacrifice, you must also present one quart of wine as a liquid offering.

6 “If the sacrifice is a ram, give a grain offering of four quartsof choice flour mixed with a third of a gallonof olive oil,

7 and give a third of a gallon of wine as a liquid offering. This will be a pleasing aroma to theLord.

8 “When you present a young bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or as a peace offering to theLord,

9 you must also give a grain offering of six quartsof choice flour mixed with two quartsof olive oil,

10 and give two quarts of wine as a liquid offering. This will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to theLord.

11 “Each sacrifice of a bull, ram, lamb, or young goat should be prepared in this way.

12 Follow these instructions with each offering you present.

13 All of you native-born Israelites must follow these instructions when you offer a special gift as a pleasing aroma to theLord.

14 And if any foreigners visit you or live among you and want to present a special gift as a pleasing aroma to theLord, they must follow these same procedures.

15 Native-born Israelites and foreigners are equal before theLordand are subject to the same decrees. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation.

16 The same instructions and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigners living among you.”

17 Then theLordsaid to Moses,

18 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.

“When you arrive in the land where I am taking you,

19 and you eat the crops that grow there, you must set some aside as a sacred offering to theLord.

20 Present a cake from the first of the flour you grind, and set it aside as a sacred offering, as you do with the first grain from the threshing floor.

21 Throughout the generations to come, you are to present a sacred offering to theLordeach year from the first of your ground flour.

22 “But suppose you unintentionally fail to carry out all these commands that theLordhas given you through Moses.

23 And suppose your descendants in the future fail to do everything theLordhas commanded through Moses.

24 If the mistake was made unintentionally, and the community was unaware of it, the whole community must present a young bull for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to theLord. It must be offered along with its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering and with one male goat for a sin offering.

25 With it the priest will purify the whole community of Israel, making them right with theLord,and they will be forgiven. For it was an unintentional sin, and they have corrected it with their offerings to theLord—the special gift and the sin offering.

26 The whole community of Israel will be forgiven, including the foreigners living among you, for all the people were involved in the sin.

27 “If one individual commits an unintentional sin, the guilty person must bring a one-year-old female goat for a sin offering.

28 The priest will sacrifice it to purifythe guilty person before theLord, and that person will be forgiven.

29 These same instructions apply both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you.

30 “But those who brazenly violate theLord’s will, whether native-born Israelites or foreigners, have blasphemed theLord, and they must be cut off from the community.

31 Since they have treated theLord’s word with contempt and deliberately disobeyed his command, they must be completely cut off and suffer the punishment for their guilt.”

Penalty for Breaking the Sabbath

32 One day while the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they discovered a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.

33 The people who found him doing this took him before Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the community.

34 They held him in custody because they did not know what to do with him.

35 Then theLordsaid to Moses, “The man must be put to death! The whole community must stone him outside the camp.”

36 So the whole community took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as theLordhad commanded Moses.

Tassels on Clothing

37 Then theLordsaid to Moses,

38 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord.

39 When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of theLordinstead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do.

40 The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God.

41 I am theLordyour God who brought you out of the land of Egypt that I might be your God. I am theLordyour God!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/15-22e4cce6385d0cb77fc7b6c8ea31f34d.mp3?version_id=116—

Korah’s Rebellion

1 One day Korah son of Izhar, a descendant of Kohath son of Levi, conspired with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, from the tribe of Reuben.

2 They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly.

3 They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by theLord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of theLord’s people?”

4 When Moses heard what they were saying, he fell face down on the ground.

5 Then he said to Korah and his followers, “Tomorrow morning theLordwill show us who belongs to himand who is holy. TheLordwill allow only those whom he selects to enter his own presence.

6 Korah, you and all your followers must prepare your incense burners.

7 Light fires in them tomorrow, and burn incense before theLord. Then we will see whom theLordchooses as his holy one. You Levites are the ones who have gone too far!”

8 Then Moses spoke again to Korah: “Now listen, you Levites!

9 Does it seem insignificant to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the community of Israel to be near him so you can serve in theLord’s Tabernacle and stand before the people to minister to them?

10 Korah, he has already given this special ministry to you and your fellow Levites. Are you now demanding the priesthood as well?

11 TheLordis the one you and your followers are really revolting against! For who is Aaron that you are complaining about him?”

12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they replied, “We refuse to come before you!

13 Isn’t it enough that you brought us out of Egypt, a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us here in this wilderness, and that you now treat us like your subjects?

14 What’s more, you haven’t brought us into another land flowing with milk and honey. You haven’t given us a new homeland with fields and vineyards. Are you trying to fool these men?We will not come.”

15 Then Moses became very angry and said to theLord, “Do not accept their grain offerings! I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, and I have never hurt a single one of them.”

16 And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers must come here tomorrow and present yourselves before theLord. Aaron will also be here.

17 You and each of your 250 followers must prepare an incense burner and put incense on it, so you can all present them before theLord. Aaron will also bring his incense burner.”

18 So each of these men prepared an incense burner, lit the fire, and placed incense on it. Then they all stood at the entrance of the Tabernaclewith Moses and Aaron.

19 Meanwhile, Korah had stirred up the entire community against Moses and Aaron, and they all gathered at the Tabernacle entrance. Then the glorious presence of theLordappeared to the whole community,

20 and theLordsaid to Moses and Aaron,

21 “Get away from all these people so that I may instantly destroy them!”

22 But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground. “O God,” they pleaded, “you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Must you be angry with all the people when only one man sins?”

23 And theLordsaid to Moses,

24 “Then tell all the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

25 So Moses got up and rushed over to the tents of Dathan and Abiram, followed by the elders of Israel.

26 “Quick!” he told the people. “Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and don’t touch anything that belongs to them. If you do, you will be destroyed for their sins.”

27 So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances of their tents, together with their wives and children and little ones.

28 And Moses said, “This is how you will know that theLordhas sent me to do all these things that I have done—for I have not done them on my own.

29 If these men die a natural death, or if nothing unusual happens, then theLordhas not sent me.

30 But if theLorddoes something entirely new and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and all their belongings, and they go down alive into the grave,then you will know that these men have shown contempt for theLord.”

31 He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them.

32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned.

33 So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel.

34 All the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “The earth will swallow us, too!” they cried.

35 Then fire blazed forth from theLordand burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.

36 And theLordsaid to Moses,

37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pull all the incense burners from the fire, for they are holy. Also tell him to scatter the burning coals.

38 Take the incense burners of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and hammer the metal into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. Since these burners were used in theLord’s presence, they have become holy. Let them serve as a warning to the people of Israel.”

39 So Eleazar the priest collected the 250 bronze incense burners that had been used by the men who died in the fire, and the bronze was hammered into a thin sheet to overlay the altar.

40 This would warn the Israelites that no unauthorized person—no one who was not a descendant of Aaron—should ever enter theLord’s presence to burn incense. If anyone did, the same thing would happen to him as happened to Korah and his followers. So theLord’s instructions to Moses were carried out.

41 But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed theLord’s people!”

42 As the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the glorious presence of theLordappeared.

43 Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle,

44 and theLordsaid to Moses,

45 “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.

46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with theLord.TheLord’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun.”

47 Aaron did as Moses told him and ran out among the people. The plague had already begun to strike down the people, but Aaron burned the incense and purifiedthe people.

48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped.

49 But 14,700 people died in that plague, in addition to those who had died in the affair involving Korah.

50 Then because the plague had stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/16-bfddc056cdf587aa5e0726ba3740c4a7.mp3?version_id=116—

The Budding of Aaron’s Staff

1 Then theLordsaid to Moses,

2 “Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff.

3 Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe.

4 Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant,where I meet with you.

5 Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you.”

6 So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff.

7 Moses placed the staffs in theLord’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant.

8 When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!

9 When Moses brought all the staffs out from theLord’s presence, he showed them to the people. Each man claimed his own staff.

10 And theLordsaid to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenantto serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.”

11 So Moses did as theLordcommanded him.

12 Then the people of Israel said to Moses, “Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined!

13 Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of theLorddies. Are we all doomed to die?”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/17-24d216ae249c728b25ba1fef228acebc.mp3?version_id=116—

Duties of Priests and Levites

1 Then theLordsaid to Aaron: “You, your sons, and your relatives from the tribe of Levi will be held responsible for any offenses related to the sanctuary. But you and your sons alone will be held responsible for violations connected with the priesthood.

2 “Bring your relatives of the tribe of Levi—your ancestral tribe—to assist you and your sons as you perform the sacred duties in front of the Tabernacle of the Covenant.

3 But as the Levites go about all their assigned duties at the Tabernacle, they must be careful not to go near any of the sacred objects or the altar. If they do, both you and they will die.

4 The Levites must join you in fulfilling their responsibilities for the care and maintenance of the Tabernacle,but no unauthorized person may assist you.

5 “You yourselves must perform the sacred duties inside the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, theLord’s anger will never again blaze against the people of Israel.

6 I myself have chosen your fellow Levites from among the Israelites to be your special assistants. They are a gift to you, dedicated to theLordfor service in the Tabernacle.

7 But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.”

Support for the Priests and Levites

8 TheLordgave these further instructions to Aaron: “I myself have put you in charge of all the holy offerings that are brought to me by the people of Israel. I have given all these consecrated offerings to you and your sons as your permanent share.

9 You are allotted the portion of the most holy offerings that is not burned on the fire. This portion of all the most holy offerings—including the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings—will be most holy, and it belongs to you and your sons.

10 You must eat it as a most holy offering. All the males may eat of it, and you must treat it as most holy.

11 “All the sacred offerings and special offerings presented to me when the Israelites lift them up before the altar also belong to you. I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters as your permanent share. Any member of your family who is ceremonially clean may eat of these offerings.

12 “I also give you the harvest gifts brought by the people as offerings to theLord—the best of the olive oil, new wine, and grain.

13 All the first crops of their land that the people present to theLordbelong to you. Any member of your family who is ceremonially clean may eat this food.

14 “Everything in Israel that is specially set apart for theLordalso belongs to you.

15 “The firstborn of every mother, whether human or animal, that is offered to theLordwill be yours. But you must always redeem your firstborn sons and the firstborn of ceremonially unclean animals.

16 Redeem them when they are one month old. The redemption price is five pieces of silver(as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs).

17 “However, you may not redeem the firstborn of cattle, sheep, or goats. They are holy and have been set apart for theLord. Sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to theLord.

18 The meat of these animals will be yours, just like the breast and right thigh that are presented by lifting them up as a special offering before the altar.

19 Yes, I am giving you all these holy offerings that the people of Israel bring to theLord. They are for you and your sons and daughters, to be eaten as your permanent share. This is an eternal and unbreakable covenantbetween theLordand you, and it also applies to your descendants.”

20 And theLordsaid to Aaron, “You priests will receive no allotment of land or share of property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment.

21 As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.

22 “From now on, no Israelites except priests or Levites may approach the Tabernacle. If they come too near, they will be judged guilty and will die.

23 Only the Levites may serve at the Tabernacle, and they will be held responsible for any offenses against it. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. The Levites will receive no allotment of land among the Israelites,

24 because I have given them the Israelites’ tithes, which have been presented as sacred offerings to theLord. This will be the Levites’ share. That is why I said they would receive no allotment of land among the Israelites.”

25 TheLordalso told Moses,

26 “Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to theLordas a sacred offering.

27 TheLordwill consider this offering to be your harvest offering, as though it were the first grain from your own threshing floor or wine from your own winepress.

28 You must present one-tenth of the tithe received from the Israelites as a sacred offering to theLord. This is theLord’s sacred portion, and you must present it to Aaron the priest.

29 Be sure to give to theLordthe best portions of the gifts given to you.

30 “Also, give these instructions to the Levites: When you present the best part as your offering, it will be considered as though it came from your own threshing floor or winepress.

31 You Levites and your families may eat this food anywhere you wish, for it is your compensation for serving in the Tabernacle.

32 You will not be considered guilty for accepting theLord’s tithes if you give the best portion to the priests. But be careful not to treat the holy gifts of the people of Israel as though they were common. If you do, you will die.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/18-d146bf70e248d554a0b3062ef44c4766.mp3?version_id=116—

The Water of Purification

1 TheLordsaid to Moses and Aaron,

2 “Here is another legal requirement commanded by theLord: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer, a perfect animal that has no defects and has never been yoked to a plow.

3 Give it to Eleazar the priest, and it will be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.

4 Eleazar will take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle.

5 As Eleazar watches, the heifer must be burned—its hide, meat, blood, and dung.

6 Eleazar the priest must then take a stick of cedar,a hyssop branch, and some scarlet yarn and throw them into the fire where the heifer is burning.

7 “Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. Afterward he may return to the camp, though he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.

8 The man who burns the animal must also wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he, too, will remain unclean until evening.

9 Then someone who is ceremonially clean will gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them in a purified place outside the camp. They will be kept there for the community of Israel to use in the water for the purification ceremony. This ceremony is performed for the removal of sin.

10 The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel and any foreigners who live among them.

11 “All those who touch a dead human body will be ceremonially unclean for seven days.

12 They must purify themselves on the third and seventh days with the water of purification; then they will be purified. But if they do not do this on the third and seventh days, they will continue to be unclean even after the seventh day.

13 All those who touch a dead body and do not purify themselves in the proper way defile theLord’s Tabernacle, and they will be cut off from the community of Israel. Since the water of purification was not sprinkled on them, their defilement continues.

14 “This is the ritual law that applies when someone dies inside a tent: All those who enter that tent and those who were inside when the death occurred will be ceremonially unclean for seven days.

15 Any open container in the tent that was not covered with a lid is also defiled.

16 And if someone in an open field touches the corpse of someone who was killed with a sword or who died a natural death, or if someone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be defiled for seven days.

17 “To remove the defilement, put some of the ashes from the burnt purification offering in a jar, and pour fresh water over them.

18 Then someone who is ceremonially clean must take a hyssop branch and dip it into the water. That person must sprinkle the water on the tent, on all the furnishings in the tent, and on the people who were in the tent; also on the person who touched a human bone, or touched someone who was killed or who died naturally, or touched a grave.

19 On the third and seventh days the person who is ceremonially clean must sprinkle the water on those who are defiled. Then on the seventh day the people being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe themselves, and that evening they will be cleansed of their defilement.

20 “But those who become defiled and do not purify themselves will be cut off from the community, for they have defiled the sanctuary of theLord. Since the water of purification has not been sprinkled on them, they remain defiled.

21 This is a permanent law for the people. Those who sprinkle the water of purification must afterward wash their clothes, and anyone who then touches the water used for purification will remain defiled until evening.

22 Anything and anyone that a defiled person touches will be ceremonially unclean until evening.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/19-167fa2a6e49f97c903b85b41886244d7.mp3?version_id=116—

Moses Strikes the Rock

1 In the first month of the year,the whole community of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried.

2 There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.

3 The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in theLord’s presence with our brothers!

4 Why have you brought the congregation of theLord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock?

5 Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!”

6 Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle,where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of theLordappeared to them,

7 and theLordsaid to Moses,

8 “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”

9 So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before theLord.

10 Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?”

11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.

12 But theLordsaid to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

13 This place was known as the waters of Meribah (which means “arguing”) because there the people of Israel argued with theLord, and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.

Edom Refuses Israel Passage

14 While Moses was at Kadesh, he sent ambassadors to the king of Edom with this message:

“This is what your relatives, the people of Israel, say: You know all the hardships we have been through.

15 Our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we lived there a long time, and we and our ancestors were brutally mistreated by the Egyptians.

16 But when we cried out to theLord, he heard us and sent an angel who brought us out of Egypt. Now we are camped at Kadesh, a town on the border of your land.

17 Please let us travel through your land. We will be careful not to go through your fields and vineyards. We won’t even drink water from your wells. We will stay on the king’s road and never leave it until we have passed through your territory.”

18 But the king of Edom said, “Stay out of my land, or I will meet you with an army!”

19 The Israelites answered, “We will stay on the main road. If our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. Just let us pass through your country. That’s all we ask.”

20 But the king of Edom replied, “Stay out! You may not pass through our land.” With that he mobilized his army and marched out against them with an imposing force.

21 Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their country, Israel was forced to turn around.

The Death of Aaron

22 The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and arrived at Mount Hor.

23 There, on the border of the land of Edom, theLordsaid to Moses and Aaron,

24 “The time has come for Aaron to join his ancestors in death. He will not enter the land I am giving the people of Israel, because the two of you rebelled against my instructions concerning the water at Meribah.

25 Now take Aaron and his son Eleazar up Mount Hor.

26 There you will remove Aaron’s priestly garments and put them on Eleazar, his son. Aaron will die there and join his ancestors.”

27 So Moses did as theLordcommanded. The three of them went up Mount Hor together as the whole community watched.

28 At the summit, Moses removed the priestly garments from Aaron and put them on Eleazar, Aaron’s son. Then Aaron died there on top of the mountain, and Moses and Eleazar went back down.

29 When the people realized that Aaron had died, all Israel mourned for him thirty days.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/NUM/20-387cd3a361795a71efbcf094c6241b07.mp3?version_id=116—