Amplified Bible (AMP)

On Defilement

1 The Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp every leper and everyone who has a discharge, and whoever is defiled [that is, ceremonially unclean] by [coming in contact with] the dead.

3 You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.”

4 The Israelites did so, and sent them outside the camp; just as the Lordhad said to Moses, so the Israelites did.

5 And the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

6 “Say to the Israelites, ‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind [against other people], thus breaking faith with the Lord, and that person is guilty,

7 then he shall confess the sin which he has committed, and he shall make restitution for his wrong in full, and add a fifth to it, and give it to [the person] whom he has wronged.

8 ~‘But if the man [who was wronged] has no redeemer (relative) to whom the restitution may be made, it is to be given to the Lordfor the priest, besides the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for the offender.

9 ~‘Also every contribution pertaining to all the holy gifts of the Israelites which they offer to the priest, shall be his.

10 ~‘And every man’s holy gifts shall be the priest’s; whatever any man gives the priest, it becomes his.’”

The Adultery Test

11 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

12 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray (deviates) and is unfaithful to him,

13 and a man is intimate with her, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and it is kept secret, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act,

14 and if a spirit (sense, attitude) of jealousy comes over him and he is jealousandangry at his wife who has defiled herself–or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has not defiled herself–

15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring as an offering for her, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it [the symbols of favor and joy], because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a memorial grain offering, a reminder of [the consequences of] wickedness.

16 ‘Then the priest shall have her approach and have her stand before the Lord,

17 and the priest shall take holy water [from the sacred basin] in an earthenware vessel; and he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.

18 ~‘The priest shall then have the woman stand before the Lord, and let the hair of the woman’s head hang loose, and put the memorial grain offering in her hands, which is the jealousy offering, and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse.

19 ~‘Then the priest shall have her take an oath and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness [while married], then be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;

20 but if you have gone astray [while married] and you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has been intimate with you”

21 (then the priest shall have the woman swear the oath of the curse, and say to the woman), “The Lordmake you a curse and an oath among your people when the Lordmakes your thighwaste away and your abdomen swell;

22 and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh waste away.” And the woman shall say, “Amen. Amen (so let it be).”

23 ‘The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll and shall wash them off into the water of bitterness;

24 and he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse will go into her andcausebitterness.

25 ~‘Then the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before the Lordand offer it on the altar.

26 ~‘Then the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as the memorial portion of it and offer it up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water.

27 ~‘When he has made her drink the water, then it shall come about, that if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, the curse water will go into her andcausebitterness and cause her abdomen to swell and her thigh to waste away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

28 ~‘But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she will be free and conceive children.

29 ‘This is the law of jealousy: when a wife goes astray [while married] and defiles herself,

30 or when a spirit (sense, attitude) of jealousyandsuspicion comes on a man and he is jealous of his wife; then he shall have the woman stand before the Lord, and the priest shall apply this law to her.

31 ~‘Further, the husband will be free from guilt, but that woman [if guilty] shall bear her guilt.’”

Law of the Nazirites

1 Again the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘When a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, that is, one separatedanddedicated to the Lord,

3 he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.

4 ~‘All the time of his separation he shall not eat anything produced from the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

5 ‘All the time of the vow of his separation no razor shall be used on his head. Until the time of his separation to the Lordis completed, he shall be holy, and shall let the hair of his head grow long.

6 ‘All the time that he separates himself to the Lordhe shall not go near a dead body.

7 ~‘He shall not make himself [ceremonially] unclean for his father, mother, brother, or sister, when they die, because [the responsibility for] his separation to God is on his head.

8 ~‘All the time of his separation he is holy to the Lord.

9 ‘If a man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his dedicated head, then he shall shave his head on the day that he becomes [ceremonially] clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day [the end of the purification period].

10 ~‘On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).

11 ~‘The priest shall offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering and make atonement for him concerning his sin because of the [dead] body. He shall consecrate his head the same day,

12 and he shall dedicate himself to the Lordfor the time of his separation and shall bring a male lamb a year old as a guilt offering; but the previous days will be voidandlost, because his separation was defiled.

13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the days of his separationanddedication are fulfilled: he shall bring the offering to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).

14 and he shall offer his gift to the Lord: one male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering, and one female lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering,

15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread spread with oil, along with their grain offering and their drink offering.

16 ~‘Then the priest shall present them before the Lordand shall offer the person’s sin offering and his burnt offering.

17 ~‘He shall also offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, together with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering.

18 ~‘The Nazirite shall shave his dedicated head at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and take the dedicated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.

19 ~‘The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened [ring-shaped] loaf out of the basket, and one unleavened flat cake and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his dedicatedhair.

20 ~‘Then the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord; they are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered by lifting up; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.’

21 “This is the law for theNazirite who vows his offering to the Lordfor his separation, besides what elsehe is able to afford, according to the vow which he has vowed; so shall he do according to the law for his separationandabstinence [as a Nazirite].”

Aaron’s Benediction

22 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24 The Lordbless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you];

25 The Lordmake His face shine upon you [with favor],

And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness];

26 The Lordlift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval],

And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’

27 So Aaron and his sons shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Offerings of the Leaders

1 On the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it and all its furniture, and the altar and all its utensils; he also anointed them and consecrated them [for holy use].

2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ households, made offerings. (These were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ones whowere over the men who were numbered.)

3 They brought their offering before the Lord, six covered carts and twelve oxen; a cart for each two of the leaders and an ox for each one; and they presented them before the tabernacle.

4 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

5 “Acceptthese thingsfrom them, so that they may be used in the service of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.”

6 So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.

7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service [in transporting the tabernacle];

8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service [in transporting the tabernacle], under the supervision of Ithamar the son of Aaron, the [high] priest.

9 But to the sons of Kohath he gave nothing, because they were assigned the care of the holy things which they carried on their shoulders [when the tabernacle was moved].

10 The leaders offered the dedicationsacrificesfor the altar on the day that it was anointed; and they offered their sacrifice before the altar.

11 Then the Lordsaid to Moses, “Let them present their offerings, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

12 Now the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah;

13 and his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

14 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

15 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

16 one male goat as a sin offering;

17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab [from the tribe of Judah].

18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader [of the tribe] of Issachar, presented [his offering];

19 he presented as his offering one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

20 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

22 one male goat as a sin offering;

23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar [from the tribe of Issachar].

24 On the third day [it was] Eliab the son of Helon, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Zebulun [who presented his offering];

25 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

26 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

27 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

28 one male goat as a sin offering;

29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon [from the tribe of Zebulun].

30 On the fourth day [it was] Elizur the son of Shedeur, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Reuben [who presented his offering];

31 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

32 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

33 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

34 one male goat as a sin offering;

35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur [from the tribe of Reuben].

36 On the fifth day [it was] Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Simeon [who presented his offering];

37 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

38 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

39 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, for a burnt offering;

40 one male goat as a sin offering;

41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai [from the tribe of Simeon].

42 On the sixth day [it was] Eliasaph the son of Deuel, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Gad [who presented his offering];

43 his offering was one silver dish the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and a silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

44 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

45 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

46 one male goat as a sin offering;

47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel [from the tribe of Gad].

48 On the seventh day [it was] Elishama the son of Ammihud, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Ephraim [who presented his offering];

49 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

50 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

51 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

52 one male goat as a sin offering;

53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud [from the tribe of Ephraim].

54 On the eighth day [it was] Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Manasseh [who presented his offering];

55 his offering was one silver dish the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

56 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

57 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

58 one male goat as a sin offering;

59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur [from the tribe of Manasseh].

60 On the ninth day [it was] Abidan the son of Gideoni, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Benjamin [who presented his offering];

61 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

62 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

63 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

64 one male goat as a sin offering;

65 and as the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni [from the tribe of Benjamin].

66 On the tenth day [it was] Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Dan [who presented his offering];

67 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

68 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

69 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

70 one male goat as a sin offering;

71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai [from the tribe of Dan].

72 On the eleventh day [it was] Pagiel the son of Ochran, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Asher [who presented his offering];

73 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

74 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

76 one male goat as a sin offering;

77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran [from the tribe of Asher].

78 On the twelfth day [it was] Ahira the son of Enan, leader [of the tribe] of the sons of Naphtali [who presented his offering];

79 his offering was one silver dish, the weight of which was a hundred and thirtyshekels, and one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering;

80 one golden bowl of tenshekels, full of incense;

81 one young bull, one ram, one male lamb one year old, as a burnt offering;

82 one male goat as a sin offering;

83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs one year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan [from the tribe of Naphtali].

84 This was the dedication offering for the altar from the leaders of Israel on the day when it was anointed: twelve dishes of silver, twelve silver basins, twelve golden bowls;

85 each dish of silver weighing a hundred and thirtyshekels, each basin seventy [shekels]; all the silver vesselsweighed2,400 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary;

86 the twelve golden bowls, full of incense,weighingten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the gold of the bowls being a hundred and twentyshekels;

87 all the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs one year old twelve, together with their grain offering; and the male goats as a sin offering twelve;

88 and all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, the male lambs one year old sixty. This was the dedication for the altar [of burnt offering] after it was anointed.

89 Now when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat (the gold cover) that was on the ark of the Testimony from between the two cherubim; and He spoke [by special revelation] to him.

The Seven Lamps

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set upandlight the lamps, the seven lamps will shine in front of the lampstand.’”

3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lordhad commanded Moses.

4 Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand: hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the Lordhad shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing the Levites

5 Again the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them.

7 This is what you shall do to them to [ceremonially] cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean.

8 Then let them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering.

9 You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and you shall also assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel,

10 and present the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites shall lay their hands on the Levites.

11 Aaron shallpresent the Levites before the Lordas a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the service of the Lord.

12 Then the Levites shalllay their hands on the heads of the bulls, then you are to offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.

13 You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites shall be Mine [in a very special sense].

15 Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), but you shall cleanse them [first] and present them as a wave offering;

16 for they are wholly given to Me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for Myself instead ofall who are born first, the firstborn of all the Israelites.

17 For all the firstborn among the Israelites are Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctifiedandset the Israelites apart for Myself.

18 And I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the Israelites.

19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service of the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) and to make atonement for them, so that there will be no plague among the Israelites if they should approach the sanctuary.”

20 Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did [these things] to the Levites; in accordance with all that the Lordhad commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the Israelites did to them.

21 The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and they washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.

22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and his sons; just as the Lordhad commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement

23 Now the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

24 “This is whatappliesto the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the Tent of Meeting,

25 but at the age of fifty years, they shallretire from the service of the [tabernacle] work and serve no longer.

26 They may assist their brothers in the Tent of Meeting to keep an obligation, but they shall do no [heavy or difficult] work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations.”

The Passover

1 The Lordspoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

2 “The sons of Israel are to keep the Passover at its appointed time.

3 On the fourteenth day of this monthat twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and ordinances you shall keep it.”

4 So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover.

5 They observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight in the Wilderness of Sinai; in accordance with all that the Lordhad commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.

6 But there were certain men who were [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] the dead body of a man, so they could not observe the Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron that same day.

7 Those men said to Moses, “We are [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] a dead body. Why are we being restrained from presenting the Lord’soffering at its appointed time among the Israelites?”

8 Therefore, Moses said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what the Lordwill command concerning you.”

9 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

10 “Say to the Israelites, ‘If any one of you or of your descendants becomes [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] a dead body or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the Lord.

11 ~‘On the fourteenth day of the second month [thirty days later] at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

12 ~‘They shall leave none of it until morning nor break any of its bones; in accordance with all the statutes of the Passover they shall observe it.

13 ~‘But the man who is [ceremonially] clean and is not on a journey, and yet does not observe the Passover, that person shall be cut off from among his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them] because he did not bring the Lord’soffering at its appointed time; that man will bear [the penalty of] his sin.

14 ~‘If a stranger lives among you as a resident alien and observes the Passover to the Lord, in accordance with its statutes and its ordinances, so shall he do; you shall have one statute, both for the resident alien and for the native of the land.’”

The Cloud on the Tabernacle

15 Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected, the cloud [of God’s presence] covered the tabernacle, that is, the tent of the Testimony; and in the evening it was over the tabernacle, appearing like [a pillar of] fire until the morning.

16 So it was continuously; the cloud covered itby day, and the appearance of fire by night.

17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent (tabernacle), afterward the Israelites would set out; and in the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites would camp.

18 At the Lord’scommand the Israelites would journey on, and at His command they would camp. As long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle they remained camped.

19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites would keep their obligation to the Lordand not set out.

20 Sometimes the cloud remained only a few days over the tabernacle, and in accordance with the command of the Lordthey remained camped. Then at His command they set out.

21 If sometimes the cloud remained [over the tabernacle] from evening only until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would journey on; whether in the daytime or at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out.

22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud [of the Lord’spresence] lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the Israelites remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they set out.

23 At the command of the Lordthey camped, and at the command of the Lordthey journeyed on; they kept their obligation to the Lord, in accordance with the command of the Lordthrough Moses.

The Silver Trumpets

1 The Lordspoke further to Moses, saying,

2 “Make two trumpets of silver; you shall make them of hammered work. You shall use them to summon the congregation and to have the camps move out.

3 When both are blown, all the congregation [that is, all adult males] shall gather before you at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).

4 However, if a single trumpet is blown, then the leaders, heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you.

5 When you blow an alarm, the camps on the east side [of the tabernacle] shall set out.

6 When you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps on the south side [of the tabernacle] shall set out. They shall blow an alarm whenever they are to move out [on their journeys].

7 When the assembly is to be gathered, you shall blow [the trumpets in short, sharp tones], but without sounding an alarm.

8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and the trumpets shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations.

9 When you go to war in your land against the enemy that attacks you, then sound an alarm with the trumpets, so that you may be remembered before the Lordyour God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.

10 Also in the day of rejoicing, and in your appointed feasts, and at the beginnings of your months, you shall sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifice of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lordyour God.”

The Tribes Leave Sinai

11 On the twentieth day of the second month in the second year [since leaving Egypt], the cloud [of the Lord’s presence] was lifted from over the tabernacle of the Testimony,

12 and the Israelites set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud [of the Lord’sguiding presence] settled down in the Wilderness of Paran.

13 So they moved out for the first time in accordance with the command of the Lordthrough Moses.

14 Thestandard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, moved out first, Nahshon the son of Amminadab was [commander] over its army,

15 and Nethanel the son of Zuar was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar;

16 and Eliab the son of Helon was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.

17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, moved out.

18 Next thestandard of the camp of the sons of Reuben, according to their armies, moved out, with Elizur the son of Shedeur [commander] over its army,

19 and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon,

20 and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.

21 Then the Kohathites moved out, carrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before they arrived.

22 Next thestandard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim moved out, according to their armies, with Elishama the son of Ammihud [commander] over its army,

23 and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh,

24 and Abidan the son of Gideoni was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.

25 Then thestandard of the camp of the sons of Dan, according to their armies, which formed the rear guard for all the camps, moved out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai [commander] over its army,

26 and Pagiel the son of Ochran was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Asher,

27 and Ahira the son of Enan was [commander] over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali.

28 This was the order of march of the sons of Israel by their armies as they moved out.

29 Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are going to the place of which the Lordsaid, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will be good to you, for the Lordhas promised good [things] concerning Israel.”

30 But Hobab [Moses’ brother-in-law] said to him, “I will not go; I will return to my own land and to my family.”

31 Then Moses said, “Please do not leave us, for you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us [as we make our trek through the desert].

32 So if you will go with us, it shall be thatwhatever good the Lorddoes for us, we will dothe samefor you.”

33 So they set out from the mountain of the Lord(Sinai) three days’ journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lordwent in front of them during the three days’ journey to seek out a resting place for them.

34 The cloud of the Lordwas over them by day when they set out from the camp.

35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said,

“Rise up, O Lord!

Let Your enemies be scattered;

And let those who hate You flee before You.”

36 And when the ark rested, Moses said,

“Return, O Lord,

To the myriad (many) thousands of Israel.”

The People Complain

1 Now the people became like those who complainandwhine about their hardships, and the Lordheard it; and when the Lordheard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lordburned among them and devoured those in the outlying parts of the camp.

2 So the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire died out.

3 He named that place Taberah (the place of burning), because the fire of the Lordburned among them.

4 Therabble among them [who followed Israel from Egypt] had greedy desires [for familiar and delicious food], and the Israelites wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?

5 We remember the fish we ate freelyandwithout cost in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.

6 But now ourappetite is gone; there is nothing at all [in the way of food]to be seen but this manna.”

7 The manna was like coriander seed, and it looked likebdellium.

8 The people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes with it; and it tasted like cakes baked with fresh [olive] oil.

9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna fell with it.

The Complaint of Moses

10 Now Moses heard the people weeping [in self-pity] throughout their families, every man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the Lordblazed hotly, andMoses regarded their behavior as evil.

11 So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have placed the burden of all these people on me?

12 Was it I who conceived all these people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in yourarms as a nurse carries the nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’?

13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, so that we may eat.’

14 I am not able to carry all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.

15 So if this is the way You are going to deal with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”

Seventy Elders to Assist

16 Accordingly, the Lordsaid to Moses, “Gather for Meseventy men from among the elders of Israel whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers; bring them to the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) and let them stand there with you.

17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of the Spirit who is upon you, and will putHimupon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not have to bear it all alone.

18 Say to the people, ‘Consecrate (separate as holy) yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept [in self-pity] in the ears of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lordwill give you meat, and you shall eat.

19 ~‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,

20 but a whole month–until it comes out of your nostrils and is disgusting to you–because you have rejectedanddespised the Lordwho is among you, and have wept [in self-pity] before Him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”

21 But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 [fighting men] on foot [besides all the women and children]; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat it for a whole month!’

22 Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be collected for them to be sufficient for them?”

23 The Lordsaid to Moses, “Is the Lord’shand (ability, power) limited (short, inadequate)? You shall see now whether My word will come to pass for you or not.”

24 So Moses went out and spoke to the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered seventy men from among the elders of the people and stationed them around the Tent (tabernacle).

25 Then the Lordcame down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took some of the Spirit who was upon Moses and putHimupon the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied [praising God and declaring His will], but they did not do it again.

26 But two men had remained in the camp; one named Eldad and the other named Medad. The Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the Tent), and they prophesied in the camp.

27 So a young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying [extolling the praises of God and declaring His will] in the camp.”

28 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!”

29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’speople were prophets and that the Lordwould put His Spirit upon them!”

30 Then Moses went back into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

31 Now there went forth a wind from the Lordand it brought quails from the sea, and letthemfall [so they flew low] beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and on the other side, all around the camp, about two cubits (three feet)deepon the surface of the ground.

32 The people spent all that day and all night and all the next day and caughtandgathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves around the camp [to cure them by drying].

33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lordwas kindled against the people, and the Lordstruck them with a very severe plague.

34 So that place was named Kibroth-hattaavah (the graves of greediness), because there they buried the people who had been greedy [for more than the manna that God provided them].

35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

1 NowMiriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of theCushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman);

2 and they said, “Has the Lordreally spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken also through us?” And the Lordheard it.

3 (Now the man Moses was very humble (gentle, kind, devoid of self-righteousness), more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)

4 Suddenly the Lordsaid to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle).” And the three of them came out.

5 The Lordcame down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tabernacle, and He called Aaron and Miriam, and they came forward.

6 And He said,

“Hear now My words:

If there is a prophet among you,

I the Lordwill make Myself known to him in a vision

And I will speak to him in a dream.

7 “But it is not so with My servant Moses;

He is entrustedandfaithful in all My house.

8 “With him I speak mouth to mouth [directly],

Clearlyandopenly and not in riddles;

And he beholds the form of the Lord.

Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

9 And the anger of the Lordwas kindled against Miriam and Aaron, and He departed.

10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, aswhite assnow. And Aaron turnedandlooked at Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

11 Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I plead with you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned.

12 Oh, do not let her be like one dead, already half decomposed when he comes from his mother’s womb.”

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Heal her please, O God, I plead with You!”

14 But the Lordsaid to Moses, “If her father had butspit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may return.”

15 So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought in again [and declared ceremonially clean from her leprosy].

16 Afterward the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Spies View the Land

1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel. From each of their fathers’ tribes you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

3 So Moses sent spies from the Wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the Israelites.

4 These were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;

5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;

6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;

7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;

8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea [that is, Joshua] the son of Nun;

9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;

10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;

11 from the tribe of Joseph, that is, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;

12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;

13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;

14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;

15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua (the Lordis salvation).

17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the Negev (the South country); then go up into the hill country.

18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many,

19 and whether the land in which they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are [open] camps or fortifications,

20 and what the land is, whether it is fat (productive) or lean, whether there is timber on it or not. Make an effort to get some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.

21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob [a town in Lebanon], at Lebo-hamath [in the far north].

22 When they had gone up into the Negev (the South country), they came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai the descendants of Anak were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol (cluster of grapes), and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two of them, with some of pomegranates and the figs.

24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol (cluster of grapes) because of the cluster of grapes which the sons of Israel cut down there.

The Spies’ Reports

25 When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days,

26 they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, and brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the land’s fruit.

27 They reported to Moses and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly doesflow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

28 But the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities arefortified (walled) and very large; moreover, we saw there the descendants of Anak [people of great stature and courage].

29 [The people descended from] Amalek live in the land of the Negev (South country); the Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the [Dead] Sea and along the side of the Jordan.”

30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession of it; for we will certainly conquer it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people [of Canaan], for they are too strong for us.”

32 So they gave the Israelites a bad report about the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we went, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.

33 There we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

The People Rebel

1 Then all the congregation [of Israel] raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept that night.

2 All the Israelites murmured [in discontent] against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Oh that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or that we had died in this wilderness!

3 Why is the Lordbringing us to this land [of Canaan], to fall by the sword? Our wives andchildren will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

4 So they said one to another, “Let us appoint a [new] leader and return to Egypt.”

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the Israelites.

6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes [as a sign of grief],

7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we passed as spies is an exceedingly good land.

8 If the Lorddelights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land whichflows with milk and honey.

9 Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lordis with us. Do not fear them.”

10 But all the congregation said to stone Joshua and Caleb with stones. But the gloryandbrilliance of the Lordappeared at the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) before all the sons of Israel.

Moses Pleads for the People

11 The Lordsaid to Moses, “How long will these people treat me disrespectfullyandreject Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the [miraculous] signs which I have performed among them?

12 I will strike them with the pestilence (plague) and dispossess them, and will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

13 But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up these people from among them,

14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people [of Israel], that You, Lord, are seen face to face, while Your cloud stands over them; and that You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations (Gentiles) that have heard of Your fame will say,

16 ‘Because the Lordwas not able to bring these people into the land which He promised to give them, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’

17 But now, please, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, saying,

18 ‘The Lordis slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving wickedness and transgression; but He will by no means clearthe guilty, visiting (avenging) the wickednessandguilt of the fathers on the children, to the third and fourthgenerations[that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers].’

19 Please pardon the wickednessandguilt of these people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You have forgiven these people, from Egypt even until now.”

The Lord Pardons and Rebukes

20 So the Lordsaid, “I have pardonedthemaccording to your word;

21 but indeed as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

22 Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My [miraculous] signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice,

23 will by no means see the land which I swore to [give to] their fathers; nor will any who treated me disrespectfullyandrejected Me see it.

24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.

25 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valley; tomorrow turn and set out for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea.”

26 The Lordspoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

27 “How longshall I put up withthis evil congregation who murmur [in discontent] against Me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites, which they are making against Me.

28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just what you have spoken in My hearing I will most certainly do to you;

29 your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, even all who were numbered of you, your entire number from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against Me.

30 ~‘Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, not one of you shall enter the land in which I swore [an oath] to settle you.

31 ~‘But your children whom you said would become plunder, I will bring in, and they will know the land which you have despisedandrejected.

32 ~‘But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness.

33 ~‘Your sons shall be wanderersandshepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness (spiritual infidelity), until your corpses are consumed in the wilderness.

34 ~‘According to the number of days in which you spied out the land [of Canaan], forty days, for each day, you shall bearandsuffer a year for your sinsandguilt, for forty years, and you shall know My displeasure [the revoking of My promise and My estrangement because of your sin].

35 ~‘I, the Lord, have spoken. I will most certainly do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed [by war, disease, and plagues], and here they shall die.’”

36 As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who returned and made all the congregation murmurandcomplain against him by bringing back a bad report concerning the land,

37 even those [ten] men who brought back the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the Lord.

38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land.

Israel Repulsed

39 Moses spoke the Lord’s words to all the Israelites, and the people mourned greatly.

40 They got up early in the morning and went up to the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Look, here we are; we have indeed sinned, but we will go up to the place which the Lordhas promised.”

41 But Moses said, “Why then are you transgressing the commandment of the Lord, when it will not succeed?

42 Do not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the Lordis not among you.

43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you, and you will fall by the sword, because you have turned away from following the Lord; therefore the Lordwill not be with you.”

44 But [in their arrogance] they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country; however, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lordnor Moses left the camp.

45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and struck the Israelites and scattered them as far as Hormah.