# verses

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He is then to tear it open by its wings, but not dividing it completely into two parts. The priest is then to offer all of it on the wood over the fire as a burnt offering by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord ." 


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<n>{Grain Offerings}</n> d "When a person brings an offering that is, a grain offering to the Lord , his offering is to consist of fine flour. He is to pour olive oil mixed with frankincense over it. 


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Then he is to bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests. He is to take a handful of fine flour, the olive oil, and all of the frankincense. Then the priest is to offer a memorial offering by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord . 


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The remnants from the grain offering is for Aaron and his sons the holiest <n>{Or most holy}</n> of the offerings made by fire to the Lord ." 


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<n>{Burnt Offerings of Grain}</n> d "When you bring an offering that is, a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of fine flour baked into unleavened bread mixed with olive oil or of wafers made of unleavened bread and smeared with olive oil. 


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"If your grain offering has been prepared on <n>{The Heb. lacks has been prepared on}</n> a griddle, then it is to consist of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 


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"When your grain offering has been prepared in <n>{The Heb. lacks has been prepared in}</n> a stew pan, it is to consist of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 


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Bring the grain offering that you prepared from these ingredients to the Lord . Present it to the priest, who will bring it to the altar. 


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Then the priest will dedicate <n>{Lit. exalt}</n> some of the grain offering as a memorial offering and offer it in smoke on the altar, an offering by fire that will be a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 


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The remainder from the memorial offering is for Aaron and his sons the holiest <n>{Or most holy}</n> of the offerings made by fire to the Lord ." 


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<n>{Prohibitions Regarding Yeast}</n> d "Any grain offering that you bring to the Lord is not to be prepared with yeast, because anything with leaven and honey may not be offered in smoke as an offering by fire to the Lord . 


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You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of first fruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma." 


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<n>{Requirements for Salt}</n> d "Also, be sure to rub every offering from your grain offering with salt. You are not to ever remove the salt of the covenant of your God from your grain offering. Present all your offerings with salt." 


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<n>{First Fruit Offerings}</n> d "Whenever you bring a grain offering of first fruits to the Lord , bring fresh <n>{Lit. bring young ears of}</n> barley, roasted <n>{Or parched}</n> in fire, young kernels crushed into bits. Bring the grain offering with your first fruits 


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The priest is to offer the memorial offering in smoke its crushed bits, olive oil, and frankincense as an offering by fire to the Lord." 


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<n>{Peace Offerings}</n> d "If someone's <n>{Lit. his}</n> offering is a peace offering <n>{Or sacrifice of peace}</n> from the cattle, the presenter <n>{The Heb. lacks presenter , and so throughout the chapter}</n> is to offer it without defects, whether the animal <n>{Lit. whether it}</n> is male or female. They are to be brought to the Lord . 


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Then the presenter is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. After this, Aaron's sons, the priests, are to sprinkle the blood on and around the altar. 


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"The presenter is then to bring a gift from the peace offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord. He is to remove the fat that covers the internal organs, <n>{Or inward parts}</n> all of the fat that is inside the internal organs, 


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the two kidneys with the fat on them by the loins, and the fatty mass <n>{Or appendage}</n> that surrounds the liver and kidneys. 


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Then Aaron's sons are to burn them on the altar, over the burnt offering that has been placed on the wood, over the fire, as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord . 


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"If his offering to the Lord is a peace offering from the flock, whether male or female, he is to bring them without defect. 


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He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron's sons are to sprinkle the blood on and around the altar. 


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"The presenter is then to bring a gift from the peace offering as an offering made by fire to the Lord. He is to remove the fat, the entire fat tail near the spine, the fat that covers the internal organs, all of the fat that is inside the internal organs, 


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lay his hand over its head, then slaughter it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. After this, Aaron's sons are to sprinkle the blood on and around the altar. 


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"The presenter is then to present the gift as an offering made by fire to the Lord , that is, the fat that covers the internal organs, all the fat that is inside the internal organs, 


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The priest is to burn them on the altar, a food offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat belongs to the Lord. 


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"This is to be a lasting statute for all your generations, wherever you live. You are not to eat any fat or blood." 


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"Speak to the Israelis and tell them, «If a person inadvertently sins with respect to any of the Lord's commands that should not be violated, but nevertheless he disobeys one of them, 


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or if the anointed priest sins, thereby bringing guilt on the people, let him bring a young bull <n>{Lit. a bull, a son of a bull}</n> without defect as a sin offering to the Lord for his sin that he had committed. 


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«He is to bring the bull to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, into the Lord's presence, where he is to lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter it in the Lord's presence. 


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The anointed priest is to take <n>{The Heb. lacks the word takes . . . some , and so with vss. 5, 16, 30, 34}</n> blood from the bull to the Tent of Meeting. 


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The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times in the Lord's presence in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. 


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«The priest is then to put some blood on the horn of the altar that is near the Tent of Meeting as an incense of pleasing aroma in the Lord's presence. He is to pour the rest of the bull's blood <n>{Lit. all of the blood}</n> for a burnt offering at the base of the altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 


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Then he is to remove all the fat from the bull for a sin offering that is, the fat that covers the internal organs, <n>{Or inward parts}</n> all of the fat that is inside the internal organs, 


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the two kidneys with the fat on them by the loins, and the fatty mass <n>{Or appendage}</n> surrounding the liver and kidneys, 


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just as they are taken from the bull for a peace offering. Then the priest is to burn them on the altar for burnt offerings. 


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along with the rest of the bull, he is to bring it outside the camp to a clean place, where fat ashes are to be poured over it and then it is to be thoroughly burned over wood with fire. It is to be burned where the fat ashes are poured out.»" 


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<n>{National Sin Offerings}</n> d "If the whole congregation of Israel goes astray, and if the sin is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and if they will have gone astray from one of the Lord's commands that should not be violated, then they will stand guilty. 


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When the sin that they have committed becomes known, the entire congregation is to bring a young bull as a sin offering to the Tent of Meeting, 


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where the elders of the community are to lay their hands on the head of the bull in the Lord's presence and slaughter it. <n>{Lit. the bull in the Lord's presence}</n> 


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Then the priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times in front of the curtain in the Lord's presence. 


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"Then the priest is to put blood on the horn of the altar near the Tent of Meeting in the Lord's presence. He is to pour the rest of the blood as a burnt offering at the base of the altar that is at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 


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"He is to do to the bull what he did to the bull for sin offering. He is to do it this way so that the priest will make atonement for them and they will be forgiven. 


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Then he is to bring the rest of the bull outside the camp and burn it just as he had burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the congregation." 


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<n>{Sin Offerings for Rulers}</n> d "When a ruler inadvertently sins, disobeying any one of the commands of the Lord his God that should not be violated, he will be guilty. 


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When the sin that he had committed is disclosed to him, he is to bring his offering: a male goat without defect. 


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He is then to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered in the Lord's presence as a sin offering. 


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Then the priest is to take blood from the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horn of the altar that is used for burnt offerings. He is to pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar that is used for burnt offerings. 


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But he is to burn all the fat on the altar as is done for the fat for the sacrifice of a peace offering. This is how the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin. It will be forgiven him." 


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<n>{Sin Offerings for the People}</n> d "If any <n>{Lit. soul}</n> of the common people of the land inadvertently sins by disobeying one of the Lord's commands that should not be violated, he will be guilty. 


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When the sin that he committed is disclosed to him, he is to bring his offering for his sin that he had committed: a female goat without defect. 


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He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it <n>{Lit. the sin offering}</n> at the place for burnt offering. 


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Then the priest is to take blood with his finger, put it on the horn of the altar that is used for burnt offerings, and then pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 


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He is to remove all the fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice for peace offering. Then the priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord . This is how the priest will make atonement for him. It will be forgiven him. 


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He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 


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Then the priest is to take blood with his finger and put it on the horn of the altar for burnt offering. Then he is to pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 


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Then the presenter is to remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offering. The priest is to burn it on the altar over the offerings made by fire to the Lord . This is how the priest will make atonement for him concerning the sin that he had committed. It will be forgiven him." 


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<n>{Laws of Public Testimony}</n> d "If someone sins because he has failed to testify after receiving notice <n>{Lit. after having heard}</n> to testify as a witness regarding what he has observed or learned, he is to be held responsible." <n>{Lit. guilty}</n> 


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<n>{Offerings for Uncleanness}</n> d "When a person has touched a ceremonially unclean thing inadvertently, <n>{Lit. thing and it was hidden from him ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> such as the carcass of an unclean animal, or some unclean creeping thing, he will be unclean and guilty nevertheless. 


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"When he inadvertently touches the uncleanness of a human being, whatever his uncleanness that made him unclean may be, when he himself comes to know about it, he will be guilty. 


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When a person has sworn inadvertently by what he has said, whether for evil or good, whatever it was that the person spoke, when he comes to understand what he said, he will incur guilt by one of these things. 


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"When a person is guilty of one of these things, then he is to confess <n>{Or acknowledge}</n> whatever sin it was 


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and bring compensation to the Lord for the guilt that he committed: a female from the flock whether a lamb or goat for a sin offering. Then the priest is to make atonement for him." 


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<n>{Inexpensive Offering Alternatives}</n> d "If he can't afford a goat, then he is to bring for his sin offering two turtledoves or two young doves <n>{Lit. or offspring of a dove}</n> to the Lord : one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 


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He is to bring them to the priest, who will offer a sin offering first. He is to wring off its head without separating it. 


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Then he is to spatter some of the blood from the sin offering on the sidewall of the altar. Now as to the remainder of the blood, he is to pour it out at the base of the altar for a sin offering. 


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"Now as to the second, he is to prepare it as a burnt offering according to the approved procedure. <n>{Lit. judgment}</n> The priest is to make atonement for him on account of his sin that he had committed. Then it will be forgiven him. 


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"If he can't afford <n>{Lit. if his hands cannot reach}</n> two turtledoves or two young doves, then he is to bring as his offering a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering for what he has committed. He is to put no olive oil or frankincense on it, since it's a sin offering. 


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He is to bring it to the priest. The priest is to take a handful as a memorial and burn it on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord . It's a sin offering. 


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The priest will make atonement for him, on account of the sin that he had committed in any of these things and it will be forgiven him. As far as the priest is concerned, it will be a meal offering." 


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"When a person commits a truly treacherous act and sins inadvertently concerning the sacred things of the Lord , then he is to bring a trespass offering from the flock to the Lord as compensation for his guilt. It is to be a ram without defect, estimated as to its value in silver shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 


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He is to compensate for whatever sin he had committed concerning the sacred things of the Lord , add a fifth part to it, and give it to the priest. The priest is to make atonement for him with the ram as a sin offering and he'll be forgiven. 


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"If a person sins and does what the Lord commanded is not to be done, and if he didn't know that he had sinned, then he will be guilty nevertheless. <n>{Lit. he will bear his sin}</n> 


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He is to bring to the priest from the flock a ram without defect, estimated as to its value in silver shekels, as a guilt offering. Then the priest is to make atonement for him concerning his inadvertent act that he committed through ignorance, and it will be forgiven him. 


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<n>{Restitution Offerings}</n> d <n>{This vs. is 5:20 in MT, and so through vs. 7}</n> The Lord spoke to Moses: 


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"A person sins against the Lord by acting treacherously toward his neighbor regarding something entrusted to his care, security for a loan, robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor, 


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found something that had been lost and then lied about it, or if he makes a false oath about any of these things, thus committing a sin with respect to these things. 


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"If that person has sinned and has been found guilty, then he is to return the stolen thing that he took or obtained by oppression, or the security that had been entrusted to him, or the lost thing that he had found, 


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or the thing about which he had given a false oath. He is to restore it in full, add a fifth to it, then give to whom it belongs the very day he's found guilty. 


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"Now as to his guilt offering, he is to bring to the Lord a ram without defect from the flock, estimated as to its value, to the priest. 


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Then the priest is to make atonement for him in the Lord's presence, and it will be forgiven him regarding whatever he did." 


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"Deliver these orders to Aaron and his sons concerning the regulations for burnt offerings. The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar throughout the entire night until morning, and the fire on the altar is to be kept burning along with it. 


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"The priest is to clothe himself with linen robe and underclothes. <n>{Lit. underclothes over his body}</n> Then he is to take the ashes of the burnt offering on the altar that had been consumed by the fire and set them beside the altar. 


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Then he is to change his clothes, dressing himself with a different set of clothes, and take the ashes to a clean place outside the camp. 


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"The fire on the altar is to be kept burning continuously without being extinguished. The priest is to burn wood on it every morning, arrange burnt offerings over it, and then burn the fat contained in the peace offerings over it. 


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<n>{Grain Offerings}</n> d "This is the law concerning grain offerings. Aaron's sons are to offer it in the Lord's presence, in front of the altar. 


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He is to take a handful of fine flour for a grain offering, some olive oil, all of the frankincense on the grain offering, and make a sacrifice of smoke on the altar as a memorial portion, a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 


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"Aaron and his sons are to eat what remains of the unleavened offering at this sacred place: the court of the Tent of Meeting. 


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It is not to be baked with leaven. I've given it as their portion out of my offerings made by fire. It's a most holy thing, like the sin and guilt offerings. 


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Every male of Aaron's sons is to eat it as a portion continuously allotted for your generations from the offerings made by fire to the Lord. Anyone who touches them is to be holy." 


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"This is the offering that Aaron and his sons are to offer to the Lord the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of flour is to be offered throughout the day, half in the morning and half in the evening. 


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It is to be prepared with olive oil on a griddle. Once is has been mixed thoroughly, bake it, bring it in pieces, and offer it like a grain offering of broken pieces, a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 


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The anointed priest who succeeds him from among his sons is to offer <n>{Lit. do}</n> it. As a permanent statute, it is to be offered whole and made to smoke in the Lord's presence. 


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Every grain offering from a priest is to be burned <n>{The Heb. lacks burned}</n> whole. It is not to be eaten." 


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"Speak to Aaron and his sons. This is the regulation concerning sin offerings. Slaughter the sin offering in the same place where the whole burnt offering is slaughtered in the Lord's presence. It's a most holy thing. 


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The priest who offers it as a sin offering is to eat it at a sacred place in the court of the Tent of Meeting. 


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Whoever touches its meat will be holy. "If some of its blood spatters on a garment, wash where it was spattered in a sacred place. 


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The earthen vessel in which it was boiled is to be broken, unless it was boiled in a bronze vessel, in which case it is to be polished very well and rinsed in water. 


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Any sin offering from which its blood was brought to the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the sacred place is not to be eaten. Instead, it is to be incinerated." 


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The guilt offering is to be offered in the same place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. The priest <n>{Lit. he}</n> is to spatter some of its blood on the altar and around it. 


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As to all its fat, that is, the fat on the tail and the fat covering the internal organs, the one presenting the sacrifice <n>{Lit. he}</n> is to offer it. 


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But the two kidneys, the fat over them by the loins, and the appendage on the liver is to be taken away, along with the kidneys. 


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Then the priest is to offer them on the altar, incinerating them with fire as a guilt offering to the Lord . 


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Any male among the priests may eat it, provided that it is eaten at a sacred place as a most holy thing. 


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The law for the sin offering is the same as the guilt offering. It belongs to the priest who made atonement with it. 


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"The hide from the burnt offering brought by the offeror <n>{Lit. by a man}</n> is to belong to the priest. 


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Every grain offering that's baked on the oven and everything that's prepared <n>{Lit. made}</n> on a stew pan or on the frying pan belongs to the priest who offered it. 


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Furthermore, every grain offering that's mixed with olive oil or that's dry will be for Aaron's sons, each one like the other." <n>{Lit. a man like his brother}</n> 


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<n>{Peace Offerings}</n> d "This is the law concerning the sacrifice for peace offerings that are to be brought to the Lord . 


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If someone <n>{Lit. he}</n> brings it to demonstrate thanksgiving, then he is to present along with the thanksgiving offering unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers spread <n>{Lit. anointed}</n> with olive oil, and cakes of mixed fine flour with olive oil. 


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Along with the cakes of unleavened bread, he is to bring his thanksgiving offering with his peace offerings. 


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He is to present one from each grain offering, <n>{The Heb. lacks grain}</n> a separate offering to the Lord . It will belong to the priest who spatters the blood of the peace offering. 


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As to the meat <n>{Lit. flesh}</n> contained in his peace offerings, it is to be eaten on the day it is offered. <n>{Lit. of its offering}</n> Nothing of it is to remain until morning." 


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<n>{Voluntary Offerings}</n> d "If his sacrifice accompanies a fulfilled vow or is a voluntary offering, it is to be eaten on the day the offeror <n>{Lit. day he}</n> brings the sacrifice. Anything left over is to be eaten the next day, <n>{Lit. in the morrow}</n> 


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"If any of the meat of his sacrifice of peace offerings is eaten on the third day, it won't be accepted for the one who brought it. It is to be considered as refuse, and whoever eats it will bear the punishment of his iniquity." 


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<n>{Distinguishing the Clean and Unclean}</n> d "Meat that comes in contact with a ceremonially unclean thing is not to be eaten. Incinerate it instead. As for ceremonially clean <n>{The Heb. lacks ceremonially clean}</n> meat, anyone who is clean may eat it. <n>{Lit. eat the flesh}</n> 


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But the person who eats meat from the sacrifice that belongs to the Lord , while still affected by his uncleanness is to be eliminated from contact with <n>{The Heb. lacks contact with}</n> his people. 


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Any person who touches a ceremonially unclean thing whether the uncleanness pertains to human beings, animals, or to creeping things and then eats from the meat of peace offerings that belongs to the Lord is to be eliminated from contact with <n>{The Heb. lacks contact with}</n> his people." 


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"The carcass of an animal that died of its own and an animal torn by wild beast may be used for any purpose except for eating. 


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"Anyone who eats the fat of an animal that has been offered by fire to the Lord is to be eliminated from contact with <n>{The Heb. lacks contact with}</n> his people. 


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Any person who eats any form of blood is to be eliminated from contact with <n>{The Heb. lacks contact with}</n> his people." 


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"Tell the Israelis: «Whoever brings a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord is to bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 


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He is to bring the offering made by fire with his own hands to the Lord . He is to bring the fat with the breast, since the breast is to be waved as a raised offering to the Lord . 


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From the sacrifices of your peace offerings give the right thigh to the priest as a raised offering to the Lord . 


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«The descendant of Aaron's sons who brings the blood from the peace offering and the fat will have the right thigh for his own portion, 


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since I've taken the breast and the thigh as raised offerings from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the Israelis and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as their perpetual portion from the Israelis.»" 


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This is the consecrated portion for Aaron and his descendants from the offerings made by fire to the Lord , the day they were presented to be priests to the Lord. 


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This is what the Lord had commanded to give them the day he anointed them from among the Israelis a perpetual portion for their generations. 


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<n>{Summary of Gifts}</n> d This is the regulation concerning burnt, grain, sin, guilt, and installation offerings, along with the sacrifice for peace offerings. 


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This is what the Lord had commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day when he commanded the Israelis to bring their offerings to the Lord in the Sinai wilderness. 


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"Take Aaron, his sons with him, the clothing, the anointing oil, the bull for sin offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread 


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So Moses did just as the Lord had commanded him. He assembled the congregation at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 


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Then he clothed Aaron with the tunic, girded him with the band <n>{Or girdle}</n> for priests, clothed him with the robe, placed the ephod on him, girded him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and bound it on him. 


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He set the breastplate on him and placed the Urim and Thummim <n>{I.e. the jewel-encrusted breastplate worn by the high priest by which the will of God could be revealed; cf. Ezra 2:63, Neh 7:65}</n> on top of the breastplate. 


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Then he set the turban on his head, and on the turban at the front he set the golden plate, the sacred crown that the Lord had commanded. 


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After this, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tent, consecrating everything that was in it. 


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He spattered some on the altar seven times, then anointed the altar, all its vessels, the laver, and its base to consecrate them. 


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Then Moses brought Aaron's sons, clothed them with the tunic, girded them with the bands, and bound turbans on them just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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<n>{Moses'Sin and Whole Offerings}</n> d Next, he brought the bull for sin offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the bull's head for a sin offering. 


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So Moses slaughtered it, took the blood, and poured some of it at the horns of the altar and around it with his fingers, thus purifying the altar. Then he poured the blood at the base of the altar, thereby sanctifying it as a means to make atonement with it. 


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Moses burned on the altar all the fat on the internal organs, the appendage on the liver, the two kidneys, and the fat. 


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As to the bull and its fat, skin and offal, he incinerated them outside the camp, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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Next he brought the ram for whole burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 


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As to the ram, he cut it into parts at the joints. Moses burned the head, internal organs, and the fat. 


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Moses washed the internal organs and the thigh with water and then burned the entire ram on the altar as a whole burnt offering, a pleasing aroma of an offering made by fire to the Lord , just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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<n>{Moses'Consecration Offerings}</n> d Moses brought the ram, that is, the second of the rams for consecration. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 


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Moses then slaughtered it, took some of its blood, and put it on Aaron's right earlobe, right thumb, and on his right great toe. 


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Then Moses brought Aaron's sons, took some of its blood, and put it on their right earlobes, on their right thumbs, and on their right great toes. Moses poured the blood on the altar and all around it. 


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Then he took the fat from the tail, all the fat on the internal organs, the appendage of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat, and the right thigh. 


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From the basket of unleavened bread, which is in the Lord's presence, he took one piece of unleavened bread, one cake spread with olive oil, and one wafer, which he placed over the fat and the right thigh. 


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He put all of these things in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and they all waved them in a raised offering to the Lord . 


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After this, Moses took those things from their hands and burned them on the altar over the whole burnt offering for consecration. They served as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord . 


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Moses took the breast and waved it as a raised offering in the Lord's presence as the portion that belonged to Moses from the ram of consecration, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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<n>{Moses'Oil of Anointing}</n> d Moses took some anointing oil and blood that was on the altar and spattered it on Aaron, on his clothes, on his sons, and on their clothes, consecrating Aaron, his clothes, his sons, and their clothes. 


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Then he told Aaron and his sons, "Boil the meat at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. There you may eat it along with the bread that is in the basket for consecration, just as I've commanded when I told him, «Aaron and his sons may eat of it, 


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"Furthermore, you are not to go out past the entrance to the Tent of Meeting until the days of your ordination have been completed, since it will take seven days to ordain you. 


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What has been done today <n>{Lit. as has been done today}</n> has been commanded by the Lord to make atonement for you. 


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Stay seven days and nights at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and attend to the service of the Lord , so that you won't die, because this is what I've commanded." 


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So Aaron and his sons did everything that the Lord had commanded through <n>{Lit. commanded through the hand of}</n> Moses. 


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<n>{Aaron's Ministry Commences}</n> d Eight days later, Moses called Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel. 


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He told Aaron, "Take a young calf for a sin offering and a ram without defects for a whole burnt offering and bring them into the Lord's presence." 


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He also told the Israelis, "Bring a male goat for a sin offering, a calf, a year old lamb without defects for a whole burnt offering, 


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an ox, a ram for a peace offering to sacrifice in the Lord's presence, and a grain offering with olive oil, because on that day the Lord will appear to you." 


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So they brought what Moses had commanded to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The entire congregation drew near and stood in the Lord's presence. 


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Then Moses said, "This is what the Lord commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may be revealed to you." 


text:
Moses then told Aaron, "Approach the altar and bring your sin and whole burnt offerings. Make atonement for yourself and the people. Then bring the people's offering and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded." 


text:
Next, Aaron's sons brought the blood to him and he dipped his fingers in the blood and placed it on the horns of the altar. As to the rest of the <n>{The Heb. lacks rest of the}</n> blood, he poured it at the base of the altar. 


text:
He incinerated the fat, kidneys, and the appendage from the liver of the sin offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


text:
And so the burnt offering was slaughtered, and Aaron's sons secured for him the blood, which he poured on the altar and around it. 


text:
<n>{Aaron's Burnt Offering}</n> d As for the burnt offering, they delivered it to Aaron <n>{Lit. him}</n> piece by piece, but he burned the head on the altar. 


text:
He washed the internal organs and the thighs and incinerated them on the altar, along with the whole burnt offering. 


text:
He brought the people's offering, presenting a goat for a sin offering on behalf of the people. He slaughtered it and offered it as the first sin offering. 


text:
Next, he brought the grain offering, filled his hand with it, and burned it on the altar next to the burnt offering for that morning. 


text:
He slaughtered the ox and ram for the peace offering sacrifice on behalf of the people. Aaron's sons delivered the blood to him, which he poured on the altar and around it. 


text:
As to the fat from the ox, ram, and the tail, the fat covering the kidneys, and the appendage of the liver, 


text:
Aaron waved the breast and the right thigh as a raised offering in the Lord's presence, just as Moses had commanded. 


text:
Aaron raised his hand toward the people and blessed them. Then he came down from the altar after <n>{The Heb. lacks the altar after}</n> offering the sin, whole burnt, and peace offerings. 


text:
Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 


text:
A fire came down from the Lord's presence and consumed the burnt offering on the altar as well as the fat. When the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. 


text:
<n>{Nadab and Abihu}</n> <n>{ (Numbers 3:1-10)}</n> d Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own censer, placed fire in them, covered it with incense, and brought it into the Lord's presence as unauthorized fire that he had never prescribed for them. 


text:
So a fire came out from the Lord's presence, incinerated them, and they died while in the Lord's presence. 


text:
Moses spoke with Aaron about what the Lord had said: "Among those who are near me, I'll show myself holy so that I'll be glorified before all people." So Aaron remained silent. 


text:
<n>{After the Deaths of Nadab and Abihu}</n> d Then Moses called on Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle, and said: "Come here and carry your brothers away from the sanctuary, outside the camp." 


text:
Then Moses told Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: "You are not to loosen the hair of your head and you are not to rend your clothes. That way, you won't die and wrath won't come on the entire congregation. Your brothers and the assembly <n>{Lit. house}</n> of Israel will mourn because of the fire that the Lord kindled. 


text:
Also, you are not to leave the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Otherwise, you'll die, since the Lord's anointing oil remains on you." So they followed Moses'instructions. 


text:
"You and your sons with you are not to drink wine that is, any intoxicating drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting. That way, you won't die. This is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 


text:
<n>{Additional Orders for Offerings}</n> d Then Moses spoke to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: "Take the leftovers from the grain offering and the offerings made by fire and eat the unleavened bread beside the altar, because it is most holy to the Lord . 


text:
Eat at a sacred place, because it's your and your son's prescribed portions. It's from the offering made by fire to the Lord , since I've commanded it. 


text:
As to the breast and thigh raised offerings, you and your sons and daughters with you may eat them <n>{The Heb. lacks them}</n> at a clean place, because it belongs to you and is your sons'prescribed portions. They were taken from the sacrifices of peace offering of the Israelis. 


text:
They are to bring the thigh offering and the breast raised offering with the offerings made by fire from the fat to wave as a raised offering in the Lord's presence. It will be a perpetual portion for you and your sons with you, just as the Lord had commanded." 


text:
<n>{Confusion Occurs, but is Resolved}</n> d Now, Moses diligently sought for the goat that had been offered as a sin offering, but it had already been incinerated, so he was angry with Aaron's sons who remained. He asked Eleazar and Ithamar, 


text:
"Why didn't you eat the sin offering at the sacred place? It's most holy and he has given it to you so that you may bear the punishment for the iniquity of the entire congregation and make atonement for them in the Lord's presence. 


text:
Look! Its blood wasn't brought inside the sanctuary. You are to have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I've commanded." 


text:
But Aaron replied to Moses, "Today they've offered their sin and whole burnt offerings in the Lord's presence. Yet things such as these have happened to me. Had I eaten the sin offering today, would that be pleasing in the Lord's opinion?" <n>{Lit. sight}</n> 


text:
<n>{Clean and Unclean Animals}</n> <n>{ (Deuteronomy 14:3-21)}</n> d The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: <n>{Lit. to them}</n> 


text:
"Tell the Israelis, «These are the living creatures that you may eat among the animals of the earth. 


text:
except you are not to eat the following animals that have divided hooves or ruminate their cud: the camel (because it chews the cud but doesn't have divided hooves) is to be unclean for you; 


text:
the pig (because it has divided hooves and is therefore cloven footed, but it doesn't ruminate its cud), is to be unclean for you. 


text:
<n>{Clean and Unclean Sea Foods}</n> d "You may eat anything that's in the waters; that is, you may eat anything that has fins and scales either from the seas or from the rivers. 


text:
But anything that doesn't have fins or scales whether from the seas or the rivers any of the swarming creatures and living creatures in the waters are detestable for you. 


text:
They are to be detestable for you. You are not to eat of their meat and you are to detest their carcasses. 


text:
<n>{Clean and Unclean Winged Creatures}</n> d "These are detestable things for you among winged creatures that you are not to eat, because they are detestable for you: the eagle, vulture, osprey, 


text:
"However, you may eat winged creatures that crawl on four legs that extend over its head and by which it hops on the ground. 


text:
These creatures that you may eat include the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. 


text:
And anyone who carries their carcasses is to wash his clothes, since he will remain unclean until evening." 


text:
<n>{Summary of Clean and Unclean}</n> d "Any animal that has divided hooves and is cloven-footed but doesn't chew the cud is unclean for you. Anyone who touches them is unclean. 


text:
Among the animals, anything that walks on their paws and on four legs is unclean for you. Anyone who touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening. 


text:
Whoever carries their carcass is to wash their clothes, because they've become unclean until evening. They're unclean for you. 


text:
"These are unclean for you among the swarming creatures that crawl over the land: the rat, <n>{Or weasel}</n> mouse, lizards of every kind, 


text:
These are unclean for you among the swarming creatures, so anyone who touches them when they're dead becomes unclean until evening. 


text:
"Furthermore, anything on which they fall upon when they're dead becomes unclean, whether on an article of wood, clothing, skin, or a sack. And any vessel used for any work is to be washed in water, because it has become unclean until evening. 


text:
Any earthen vessel in which any of these things fall becomes unclean, along with everything in it. You are to destroy it, along with all its contents." 


text:
<n>{Clean and Unclean Vessels}</n> d "Any food that may be eaten, but which water has soaked in, becomes unclean. Any drink, which may be drunk in any of these vessels becomes unclean. 


text:
And anything in which their carcass falls on becomes unclean. An oven or stove is to be broken in pieces. They're unclean and therefore unclean for you. 


text:
"A spring or a cistern that holds water is clean, but whoever touches the carcass of an unclean animal will be unclean. 


text:
But if water is put on the seed and part of their carcass falls on it, then it has become unclean for you. 


text:
"If any of the animals that you may eat dies, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 


text:
The one who eats from its carcass is to wash his clothes, because he has become unclean until evening. Even the one who carries the carcass is to wash his clothes, because he has become unclean until evening." 


text:
<n>{Unclean Swarming Animals}</n> d "Every swarming thing that swarms the land is detestable for you. It is not to be eaten. 


text:
You are not to eat anything that crawls on its belly, anything that walks on four legs, anything that has many legs, and all the swarming creatures that swarm the land, because they're detestable. 


text:
"You are not to make yourselves detestable on account of any swarming creature that swarms the land. And you are not to defile yourselves and become unclean because of them, 


text:
because I, the Lord , am your God. "Set yourselves apart and be holy, because I am holy. You are not to defile yourselves with any of the swarming creatures that swarm the earth. 


text:
"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Be holy, because I am holy. 


text:
This is the law concerning animals, every living creature that moves on the waters or swarms <n>{Lit. every living creature}</n> on land. 


text:
You are to differentiate between the clean and unclean, between the living creature that can be eaten and the living creature that is not to be eaten." 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that a woman who conceives and bears a son is unclean for seven days. Just like the days of her menstruation, <n>{Lit. days of her impurity, she is ill}</n> she is unclean. 


text:
For 33 days, she is to remain in purification due to her blood loss. <n>{The Heb. lacks loss}</n> She is not to touch any sacred thing or enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification have been completed. 


text:
"If she gives birth to a female, then she is to remain unclean for two weeks, just like her menstruation. She is to remain in purification for 66 days due to her blood loss. <n>{The Heb. lacks loss}</n> 


text:
"When the days of her purification have been completed, whether for her son or daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting a one year old lamb for a whole burnt offering or a young dove for a sin offering. 


text:
"He is to offer it in the Lord's presence and make atonement for her so that she becomes clean from her blood loss. This is the law concerning the bearing of a male or female child. 


text:
If she cannot afford a goat, then two turtledoves or two young doves, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, will serve for him to make atonement for her, so that she becomes clean." 


text:
"When a person <n>{Lit. man}</n> has a swelling or a scab in the skin on his body <n>{Lit. flesh , and so throughout the chapter}</n> that turns white in appearance and appears to be more extensive than skin deep, he is to be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons among the priests. 


text:
The priest is to examine the skin rash on the body. If the hair on the skin rash has turned white and its appearance is deeper than the skin of his body, it's an infectious skin disease. When the priest has examined it, then he is to declare him unclean. 


text:
"If the light spot in the skin of his body is white but the appearance of the skin rash isn't deeper than the skin of his body and its hair has not become white, then the priest is to isolate <n>{I.e. in medical confinement}</n> the one who is infected for seven days. 


text:
On the seventh day, the priest is to examine him again. If in his opinion the skin rash remained the same and it <n>{Lit. and the skin rash in his skin}</n> had not spread, then he is to isolate <n>{I.e. in medical confinement}</n> him for another seven days. 


text:
"On the next <n>{Lit. the second}</n> seventh day, the priest is to examine him again. If the skin rash didn't become dull and it <n>{Lit. and the skin rash}</n> didn't spread in the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him clean: it's a scab. He is to wash his clothes and be clean. 


text:
But if the scab has spread in the skin after he presented himself to the priest for cleansing, then he is to show himself the second time to the priest. 


text:
When the priest examines him and determines that the scab has, in fact, spread in his skin, then the priest is to pronounce him unclean, since it's an infectious skin disease." 


text:
<n>{Infectious Skin Diseases}</n> d "When a person has a skin rash that's infectious, then he is to be brought to the priest. 


text:
The priest is to examine it. If it is, indeed, a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white, and yet sustains live flesh on the swelling, 


text:
it's a festering skin disease in his body. The priest is to declare him unclean. The man need not be confined, since he's already unclean. 


text:
If the infectious skin disease spreads in the skin so that it covers his entire body from head to foot, as the priest examines it, 


text:
and when the priest examines and indeed the infectious skin disease has covered his entire body, then he is to declare him clean, even though he still has the skin infection. He has turned entirely white, so he's clean. 


text:
The priest is to examine the infected flesh and declare him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; it's an infectious skin disease. 


text:
When the priest examines him and finds that the skin rash has indeed turned white, then the priest is to declare the one with the skin rash clean, and he will be clean." 


text:
in place of the boil there remains a white swelling or a bright, white-reddish spot, he is to present himself to the priest. 


text:
When the priest undertakes his examination and finds that it appears more extensive than skin deep, and that its hair has turned white, then the priest is to declare him unclean, since an infectious skin disease has flourished in the boil. 


text:
"If the priest examines and there's no white hair in it, and it's not more extensive than skin deep, but it's dull, then the priest is to isolate <n>{I.e. in medical confinement}</n> him for seven days. 


text:
But if the infection has spread in the skin, then the priest is to declare him unclean. It's a skin rash. 


text:
If the scab remains in place and doesn't spread, then it's the scab from the boil. The priest is to declare him clean." 


text:
<n>{Burn Scars}</n> d "When a person has a burn scar in the skin that turns bright, white-reddish, or white, 


text:
if the priest examines it and indeed the hair has turned white with a white spot appearing more extensive than skin deep, it's an infectious skin disease with a burn scar that has spread. The priest is to declare him unclean. It's an infectious skin disease. 


text:
"But if the priest examines it and discovers that there's no bright area or white hair, or if he discovers that <n>{The Heb. lacks if he discovers that}</n> it's not more extensive than skin deep, and it's dull, then the priest is to isolate <n>{I.e. in medical confinement}</n> him for seven days. 


text:
When the priest examines it on the seventh day and finds that it has indeed spread on the skin, then the priest is to declare him unclean. It's an infectious skin disease. 


text:
"But if the bright spot remains in place, doesn't spread in the skin, and it's dull, it's the swelling of the burned area. The priest is to declare him clean, since it's the scar from a burn." 


text:
and the priest examines the skin rash and indeed it appears more extensive than skin deep, and it's accompanied by fine, yellowish hair, the priest is to declare him unclean. The scales on the head or the beard are an infectious skin disease. 


text:
"But when the priest examines the scales of the skin rash and it doesn't appear more extensive than skin deep, and there's no black hair in it, then the priest is to isolate <n>{I.e. in medical confinement}</n> him for seven days. 


text:
When the priest examines the skin rash on the seventh day and finds that indeed the scab did not spread, there's no yellowish hair on it, and the scales don't appear more extensive than skin deep, 


text:
then he is to be shaven, but the scab is not to be shaved off. The priest is to isolate <n>{I.e. in medical confinement}</n> him a second time for seven days. 


text:
"The priest is to examine the scab on the seventh day. If, indeed, the scab hasn't spread on the skin, and it doesn't appear more extensive than skin deep, then the priest is to declare him clean. He is to wash his garments and be clean. 


text:
and the priest examines it and finds the scale to have spread on the skin, the priest need not look for yellowish hair, since he is clean. 


text:
If in his opinion, the scab remained the same and a black hair grew in it, then the scab has healed. He's clean. The priest is to declare him clean. 


text:
when the priest examines it and finds that there is a light or dull white patch of the skin on the body, it's a harmless skin eruption that has spread on the skin. The person is clean." 


text:
But when in the baldness of his head or his forehead there develops a skin rash that's white or reddish, it's an infectious skin disease that has spread to his bald head or forehead. 


text:
"When the priest examines it and finds that the swelling of the skin rash is white or reddish on his bald head or forehead, similar in appearance to an infectious disease in the skin of the body, 


text:
he's a man with an infectious skin disease. He's unclean. The priest is to declare him unclean on account of the skin rash in his head. 


text:
The person with the infectious skin disease is to tear his garments and loosen his hair. <n>{Lit. head}</n> He is to cover his mustache and shout out, «Unclean! Unclean!'


text:
The whole time that the skin rash infects him, he will be unclean. He is to live by himself in a home outside the encampment." 


text:
<n>{Infected Clothing}</n> d "When clothing becomes infected with a contagion whether the clothing is wool or linen 


text:
if the contagion is greenish or reddish in the clothing, leather, woven material, knitted material, or with any article containing leather, it's a fungal infection and is to be shown to the priest. 


text:
"The priest is to examine the contagion and isolate <n>{I.e. in medical confinement}</n> the clothing <n>{Lit. isolate it}</n> for seven days. 


text:
The priest is to examine the contagion on the seventh day. If the infection has spread on the clothing, in the woven material, the knitted material, or in the leather, no matter the purpose for which the leather material had been manufactured, the contagion is a chronic fungal infection. It's unclean. 


text:
"Incinerate the clothing, the woven material, the knitted material (whether wool or linen), or any of the leather articles on which the contagion is found, because it's a chronic fungal infection. It is to be incinerated. 


text:
"But if the priest examines it and the infection did not spread on the clothing, either in the woven or knitted material, or on anything made of leather, 


text:
then the priest is to command that they wash whatever has the contagion and then isolate <n>{I.e. in medical confinement}</n> it for seven days a second time. 


text:
Then the priest is to examine it after the contagion has been washed. If the contagion hasn't changed in appearance, <n>{Lit. eye}</n> even though the contagion hasn't spread, it's unclean. Incinerate it. It's a fungal infection, especially if the infection is on its exposed side. 


text:
"If the priest examines the item and determines that the contagion has become dull after it has been washed, tear it away from the garment, leather, woven material, or knitted material. 


text:
But if it recurs on the clothing, whether woven or knitted material, or on any article made of leather, it's a break out, so incinerate it with fire, wherever the contagion is found. 


text:
Then the clothing, whether it is woven or knitted material, or any article made of leather that you've washed, if the contagion has been removed from them, and it's washed the second time, then it's clean. 


text:
"This is the law concerning fungal contagions on clothing of wool or linen, whether woven or knitted material, or in any of the articles made of leather, for determining whether it is clean or unclean." 


text:
"This is the law concerning those who have infectious skin diseases, after they have been cleansed. 


text:
"The priest is to go outside the camp and examine the infectious skin disease to confirm that the person has been healed. 


text:
If he has been healed, then the priest is to command that two live and clean birds, some cedar wood, some crimson thread, and hyssop be brought for the one cleansed. 


text:
Then the priest is to command that one bird be slaughtered on an earthen vessel over flowing water. 


text:
He is then to take the live bird, the cedar wood, the crimson thread, and the hyssop, dip them together with the bird in the blood of the bird that had been slaughtered over the flowing water. 


text:
He is to spatter the blood <n>{Lit. it}</n> seven times on the person with the infectious skin disease and then pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird into the open fields. 


text:
"The person who is clean is to wash his clothes, shave all his hair, bathe in water, and then he is to be declared clean. After this, he can be brought back to the camp, but he is to remain outside his tent for seven days. 


text:
On the seventh day, he is to shave the hair on his head, chin, back, and eyebrows. After he has shaved all his hair, washed his clothes, bathed himself with water, then he will be clean." 


text:
<n>{Reconsecration after Infections}</n> d "On the eighth day, he is to take two lambs without defect, a one year old ewe lamb without defect, one third of a measure of <n>{The unit of measurement is not specified in MT}</n> fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering, and one half of a liter of oil. 


text:
The priest who will pronounce him clean is to present the person to be cleansed and these offerings <n>{The Heb. lacks offerings}</n> in the Lord's presence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
The priest is to take one of the lambs and present it as a guilt-offering, along with one third of a liter <n>{Lit. one log ; i.e. about a half liter, and so throughout the chapter}</n> of olive oil, which he is to wave as a raised offering in the Lord's presence. 


text:
Then he is to slaughter the lamb in the place where he had slaughtered the sin and burnt offerings that is, at a place in the sanctuary. Just as the sin offering is for the priest, so also is the guilt offering. It's a most holy thing. 


text:
"Then the priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and place it on the right earlobe of the person to be cleansed, on his right thumb, and on his right great toe. 


text:
The priest is to dip his right finger in the olive oil that is in his left palm and spatter some of the olive oil with his finger seven times in the Lord's presence. 


text:
"As to the remainder of the olive oil in his palm, he is to place some on the right earlobe of the person to be cleansed, on his right thumb, on his right great toe, and on the blood of the guilt offering. 


text:
Then he is to place the rest of the oil in his palm on the head of the person to be cleansed, thus making atonement for him in the Lord's presence. 


text:
This is how <n>{Lit. If he}</n> the priest is to present the sin offering to make atonement for the person being cleansed of his impurity. After this, he is to slaughter the whole burnt offering. 


text:
The priest is to offer both the whole burnt and the grain offerings on the altar. After the priest makes atonement for him, he will be clean." 


text:
<n>{Alternate Offerings}</n> d "If the offeror <n>{The Heb. lacks person}</n> is poor and cannot afford the regular offering, <n>{Lit. and his hand can't reach ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> then he is to take one lamb for a guilt offering that will be presented in the form of a wave offering to atone for him, one tenth of a measure of <n>{The unit of measurement is not specified in MT, but cf. Lev. 5:11, 6:20.}</n> fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, one half of a measure of <n>{The unit of measurement is not specified in MT, but cf. Lev. 5:11, 6:20.}</n> olive oil, 


text:
and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford. One is for a sin offering and the other is for a whole burnt offering. 


text:
"On the eighth day, he is to bring them for cleansing to the priest in the Lord's presence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
The priest is to take the lamb for a guilt offering and the olive oil and wave them as a raised offering in the Lord's presence. 


text:
Then he <n>{Lit. the priest}</n> is to take the lamb for guilt offering, and place some blood from the guilt offering on the right earlobe of the person to be cleansed, on his right thumb, and on his right great toe. 


text:
The priest is to place oil from his palm to the right earlobe of the person being cleansed, on his right thumb, on his right great toe, and where the blood for the guilt offering is poured. 


text:
"As to the remainder of the oil in his palm, the priest is to use it to anoint the head of the person to be cleansed, in order to make atonement for him in the Lord's presence. 


text:
Based on what he can afford, one is for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering. Along with the grain offering, the priest is to make atonement for the person to be cleansed in the Lord's presence. 


text:
This is the regulation concerning one who has an infectious skin disease but who cannot afford his cleansing." 


text:
"When you enter the land of Canaan that I'm about to give you as your own possession, and if I put a contagion in a house in the land that you possess, 


text:
then the owner of the house is to approach the priest and tell him, «There appears to be a contagion in the house.'


text:
"The priest is to command that the house be cleared before he <n>{Lit. priest .}</n> comes to examine the contagion so that not everything in the house becomes unclean. After this, <n>{The Heb. lacks after this}</n> the priest is to enter the house and examine it. 


text:
He is to determine if the contagion is indeed on the walls of the house, with greenish or reddish streaks and to determine if it appears to be deeper than the surface of the wall. 


text:
He is to return after seven days to examine it. If the contagion has spread to the walls of the house, 


text:
then the priest is to command that they take out the contaminated stones and discard them in an unclean place outside the city. 


text:
"Now as for the house, they are to scrape off inside and outside the house and then discard the torn out plaster in an unclean place outside the city. 


text:
They are then to take other stones and bring them to replace those stones. Lastly, they are to replaster the house." 


text:
<n>{Destruction of Infected Dwellings}</n> d "If the contagion returns and spreads throughout the house after the stones have been removed, after the house has been scraped out, and after it had been re-coated, 


text:
and the priest comes, undertakes an examination, and determines that the contagion has spread in the house, it's a chronic fungal infection in the house. It's unclean. 


text:
He is to pull down the house, its stones, its lumber, and all the plaster on the house, and discard them in an unclean place outside the city. 


text:
Moreover, whoever enters the house during the time it was isolated is to be considered unclean until the evening. 


text:
"But if the priest comes in to conduct an examination and determines that the contagion has not spread throughout the house after the house has been repaired, then the priest may declare the house clean, because the contagion has been cleansed. 


text:
In order to cleanse the house, he is to take two birds, some cedar wood, two crimson threads, and some hyssop. 


text:
He is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the two crimson threads, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird over flowing water. Then he is to spatter the house seven times. 


text:
"He is to clean the house with the blood of the bird over flowing water, including cleansing <n>{The Heb. lacks including cleansing}</n> the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the crimson thread. 


text:
Then he is to send the bird away, outside the city, facing the fields, to make atonement for the house. Then it is to be considered clean. 


text:
to distinguish when <n>{Lit. in the day}</n> it's unclean and clean. This is the law for infectious skin diseases." 


text:
And this is the cause of his uncleanness his discharge. Whether his body is releasing the discharge or his body has stopped the discharge, he's unclean. 


text:
Every bed on which he lies down with the discharge is to be considered unclean, and every object on which he sits becomes unclean. 


text:
"Any person <n>{Lit. ma.}</n> who touches his bed is to wash his garments and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"Whoever sits on any object on which the one with the discharge had sat is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"Whoever touches the body of someone with a discharge is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"Whoever has a discharge and spits on someone who is clean, then he is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening. Whoever carries them is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"Anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
The earthen vessel that the person with the discharge touches is to be broken in pieces, and every wooden vessel is to be rinsed with water." 


text:
<n>{On Cleansing from Discharges}</n> d "When the one with the discharge is cleansed from his discharge, then he is to set aside for himself seven days for his cleansing. He is to wash his clothes and bathe with flowing water. Then he will be clean. 


text:
On the eighth day, he is to take for himself two turtledoves or two young doves and bring them to the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and give it to the priest. 


text:
Then the priest is to offer them, one for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering. That's how the priest will make atonement for him in the Lord's presence regarding his discharge." 


text:
<n>{On Seminal Emissions}</n> d "If a man has a seminal emission, he is to bathe his entire body with water and remain unclean until evening. 


text:
Every garment, including leather, on which the semen is found, is to be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"When a man has sexual relations with a woman and the man releases semen, both are to bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening." 


text:
<n>{On Menstrual Discharges}</n> d "When a woman has a discharge <n>{Or flow}</n> and the blood is her monthly menstrual discharge <n>{The Heb. lacks monthly menstrual}</n> from her body, then for seven days she is to remain in her menstrual uncleanness. Whoever touches her will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"Everything that she sleeps on during her uncleanness will be unclean. Moreover, everything that she sits on will become unclean. 


text:
Anyone who touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
Anyone who touches any of the objects on which she has sat is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"When a man has sexual relations with her and her menstrual uncleanness touches him, he will be unclean for seven days. Every bed where he sleeps will remain unclean. 


text:
"When a woman has a continuous discharge of blood many days beyond the time of her menstrual uncleanness, or if she has a discharge that lasts beyond the days of her menstrual uncleanness, her uncleanness is to be treated like the days of her menstruation: she's unclean. 


text:
"Every bed where she sleeps on the whole time she has the discharge will be her own unclean bed so that every object on which she sits becomes unclean like her menstrual uncleanness. 


text:
Whoever touches them will become unclean. He is to wash his clothes and bathe with water and he will remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"If she becomes clean with her discharge, then she is to count for herself seven days after which she becomes clean. 


text:
On the eighth day, she is to take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
Then the priest is to offer one for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering. This is how the priest will make atonement in the Lord's presence for her regarding her unclean discharge. 


text:
"So separate the Israelis from their uncleanness so that they won't die in their uncleanness if they defile my tent that is in their midst. 


text:
These are the regulations for one whose discharge of semen causes him to become unclean because of it, 


text:
and for her whose menstruation causes her to become ill, <n>{Lit. who is unwell due to menstrual uncleanness}</n> for anyone who has a discharge, whether male or female, and for the man who has sexual relations <n>{Lit. who sleeps ; or who lays down}</n> with one who is unclean." 


text:
<n>{The Day of Atonement}</n> d The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons when they had approached the Lord and died. 


text:
The Lord told Moses. "Remind <n>{Lit. Tell}</n> your brother Aaron that at no time is he to enter the sacred place from the room that contains the curtain into the presence of the Mercy Seat <n>{Lit. atonement place ; and so throughout the book}</n> on top of the ark. Otherwise, he'll die, because I will appear in a cloud at the Mercy Seat. 


text:
Aaron is to enter the sacred place with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering. 


text:
He is to wear a sacred linen tunic and linen breeches that will cover his genitals. He is to clothe himself with a sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. Because they are sacred garments, he is to wash himself with water before putting them on." 


text:
<n>{The Atonement and Scapegoat Lots}</n> d "He is to take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a whole burnt offering from the assembly of the Israelis. 


text:
Then Aaron is to bring the bull as a sin offering for himself and make atonement for himself and his household. 


text:
"Then he is to take the two male goats and present them in the Lord's presence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
Aaron is to cast lots over the two male goats one lot for the Lord and the other one for the scapegoat. <n>{So with LXX; MT reads for Azazel ; i.e. the goat that will be sent away}</n> 


text:
"Aaron then is to bring the male goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and offer it as a sin offering. 


text:
The male goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat is to be brought alive into the Lord's presence to make atonement for himself. Then he is to send it into the wilderness." 


text:
<n>{The Sin Offering}</n> d "Aaron is then to bring the bull for a sin offering for him, thus making atonement for himself and his household. He is to slaughter the ox for himself. 


text:
Then he is to take a censer, fill it with coals from the fire on the altar in the Lord's presence. With his hands full of spiced and refined incense, he is to bring it beyond the curtain. 


text:
"Then he is to place the incense over the fire in the Lord's presence, ensuring that the smoke <n>{Lit. cloud}</n> from the incense covers the atonement place, according to regulation, so he won't die. 


text:
He is to take blood from the ox and spatter it with his forefinger toward the surface of the atonement place. Then he is to spatter the blood on the surface of the atonement place with his forefinger seven times. 


text:
"He is to slaughter the male goat as a sin offering for the people and bring its blood beyond the curtain and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull: He is to spatter it on the atonement place over the surface of the atonement place. 


text:
Then he is to make atonement on the sacred <n>{Or holy}</n> place on account of the uncleanness of the Israelis, their transgressions, and all their sins. This is how he is to act in the Tent of Meeting, which will remain with them in the middle of their uncleanness. 


text:
"No person <n>{Lit. man}</n> is to be there when he enters the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the sacred place until he comes out and has made atonement on account of himself, his household, and the entire assembly of Israel. 


text:
When he goes to the altar in the Lord's presence to make atonement for himself, then he is to take some of the blood from the bull and the male goat, place it around the horns of the altar, 


text:
spattering it with the blood on his forefinger seven times, cleansing and sanctifying it from Israel's sins." 


text:
<n>{The Scapegoat Offering}</n> d "When he has completed making atonement at the sacred place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, then he is to present the live male goat. 


text:
Aaron is to lay his two hands upon the head of the male goat and confess over it the sins of Israel, all their transgressions, and all their sins, thus placing them on the head of the male goat that he'll then send out to the wilderness by the hand of a man capable of carrying out this task. <n>{The Heb. lacks of carrying out this task}</n> 


text:
The male goat will bear on itself all their sins to a solitary land, as Aaron sends the goat out to the wilderness. 


text:
"Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, taking off his white linen clothes that he had put on when he entered the sacred place and leaving them there. 


text:
He is to wash his body with water at the sacred place and put on his clothes. Then he is to go out, offer a whole burnt offering for himself and a whole burnt offering for the people, thereby making atonement on account of himself and on account of the people. 


text:
The one who sent away the male goat as a scapegoat <n>{So with LXX; MT reads for Azazel ; i.e. the goat that will be sent away}</n> is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water. After doing so, he may enter the camp. 


text:
"The bull for the sin offering and the male goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to the sacred place, are to be taken outside the camp. Their skin, meat, and offal are to be incinerated. 


text:
The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water. After doing so, he may enter the camp." 


text:
<n>{The Perpetual Statute}</n> d "This is to be a perpetual statute for you. On the tenth day of the seventh month, you (including both the native born and the resident alien) are to humble yourselves by not doing any work, 


text:
because on that day, atonement will be made <n>{Lit. day, he will make atonement}</n> for you to cleanse you from all your sins. You are to be clean in the Lord's presence. 


text:
"The priest who has been anointed and consecrated to be priest after his father is to make the atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen clothing 


text:
and make atonement for the sacred sanctuary, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar where atonement is carried out. He is also to make atonement for the priests and the people of the entire assembly. 


text:
This will be a perpetual statute for you as you make atonement once a year for the Israelis on account of all their sins." So Moses did just as the Lord had commanded him. 


text:
"Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelis and tell them that this is what the Lord has commanded. 


text:
When a person from the house of Israel slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat, whether in the camp or outside the camp, 


text:
but fails to bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting as an offering in the presence of the tent of the Lord , that person will incur blood guiltiness. Because he has shed blood, that person is to be eliminated from contact with <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with}</n> his people." 


text:
<n>{Centralized Sacrificial Slaughter}</n> d "This statute is required so that <n>{Lit. For the sake of}</n> the Israelis may bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, where they are to slaughter their peace offering to the Lord . 


text:
The priest is to spatter the blood on the Lord's altar at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and incinerate the fat, making a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 


text:
They are no longer to slaughter their sacrifices to the goat demons, with whom they have committed prostitution. This will be a perpetual statute for you throughout your generations." 


text:
"Tell them that if a person from the house of Israel or a resident alien who lives among you brings a whole burnt offering or a sacrifice 


text:
to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, but fails to bring it to offer <n>{Lit. to do}</n> it to the Lord , that person <n>{Lit. man}</n> is to be eliminated from contact with <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with}</n> his people." 


text:
<n>{Prohibitions against Eating Blood}</n> d "If anyone from the house of Israel or a resident alien who lives among them eats any form of blood, I'll oppose <n>{Lit. I'll set my face against}</n> that person who ate the blood and eliminate him from his people, 


text:
because the life of the flesh is in the blood itself, and I myself have given it to you all so that atonement may be made for your souls on the altar, since the blood itself makes atonement through the life that is in it. 


text:
This is why I've told the Israelis that no person <n>{Lit. soul}</n> among you is to eat blood. Even the resident alien who lives among you is not to eat blood. 


text:
"If a person from the house of Israel or a resident alien who lives among you has hunted live game or a bird that may be eaten, he is to extract its blood and cover it with soil, 


text:
because the life of any flesh is the blood itself. Therefore I'm saying to the Israelis that the blood of any flesh is not to be eaten, because the life of any flesh is in its blood. Anyone who eats of it is to be eliminated from contact with his people. <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with his people}</n> 


text:
"Any person who eats a carcass or an animal that was torn by beasts, whether that person is native born or a resident alien, is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will remain unclean until evening, and then he'll become clean. 


text:
You are not to do what you used to do in the land Egypt where you lived. You are not to do what Canaan does, where I'm about to bring you, so that you live according to their statutes. 


text:
Obey <n>{Lit. do}</n> my ordinances and keep my statutes by living by them. I am the Lord your God. 


text:
"Keep my statutes and my ordinances, which a person <n>{Lit. man}</n> is to obey in order to live in them. I am the Lord . 


text:
"A person is not to approach a near blood relative for sexual relations. <n>{Lit. relative to expose nakedness , and so throughout the chapter}</n> I am the Lord . 


text:
"Neither your father's nakedness nor your mother's nakedness is to be exposed. She's your mother, you are not to have sexual relations with her. 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with your sister, whether she's your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she's born in your home or outside your home. You are not to have sexual relations with them. 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter. You are not to have sexual relations with them, because their nakedness is your own nakedness. 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife. Born of your father, she's your sister, so you are not to have sexual relations with her. 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with your father's sister. She's your father's near blood relative. 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with your mother's sister. She's your mother's near blood relative. 


text:
"You are not to expose the nakedness of your father's brother by having sexual relations with his wife. She's your aunt. 


text:
"You are not to expose the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She's the wife of your son. You are not to have sexual relations with her. 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with your brother's wife. She's the nakedness of your brother. 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with a woman and her daughter. "You are not to have sexual relations with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They're near blood relatives. It's wickedness. 


text:
"You are not to marry a woman and then have sexual relations with her sister as a rival when your wife <n>{Lit. when she}</n> is still alive. 


text:
"You are not to approach a menstruating woman to have sexual relations with her. <n>{The Heb. lacks to have sexual relations with her}</n> 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and thereby become ceremonially unclean with her." 


text:
<n>{Prohibiting Child Sacrifice}</n> d "You are not to present any of your children to Molech as a sacrifice. <n>{Lit. to Molech to pass through}</n> That way, you won't defile the name of your God." <n>{Prohibiting Same Sex Unions}</n> d"I am the Lord . 


text:
You are not to have sexual relations <n>{Lit. to lie down , and so throughout the chapter}</n> with a male as you would with a woman. It's detestable." 


text:
<n>{Prohibited Sexual Relations with Animals}</n> d "You are not to present yourself to an animal in order to have sexual relations with it and by doing so to defile yourself. Even a woman is not to present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it. It's detestable. 


text:
"You are not to defile yourselves by doing any of these things, since all of these nations that I'm casting out before you have defiled themselves this way. 


text:
The land has been defiled, so I brought the punishment of its iniquity to it. As a result, the land is vomiting out its inhabitants. 


text:
"Therefore, keep my statutes and ordinances. You are not to do any of these detestable things this applies to the native born and the resident alien who lives among you 


text:
because the inhabitants <n>{Lit. men}</n> of the land did all of these detestable things and by doing so defiled the land before you. 


text:
So you are not to let the land vomit you up because of your uncleanness as it is vomiting the nations that were here before you. 


text:
Anyone who does any of these detestable things whoever the person <n>{Lit. souls}</n> may be is to be eliminated from contact with his people. <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with his people}</n> 


text:
Therefore keep my injunctions so that you won't practice these detestable things that have been done before you, and so that you won't be defiled in them. I am the Lord ." 


text:
"You are not to turn to their idols or cast gods out of melted metal for yourselves. I am the Lord your God. 


text:
Your sacrifice is to be eaten on that day and the next day. Any that remains to the third day is to be incinerated. 


text:
Anyone who eats it will bear the punishment of his sin, since he will have defiled himself regarding the Lord's holy things. That person <n>{Lit. soul}</n> is to be eliminated from contact with his people." <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with his people}</n> 


text:
<n>{Harvesting and Gleaning}</n> d "When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to completely finish harvesting the corners of the field, that is, you are not to pick what remains after you have reaped your harvest. 


text:
You are not to gather your vineyard or pick up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. Leave something for the poor and the resident alien who lives among you. I am the Lord your God." 


text:
"You are not to oppress your neighbor or rob him. <n>{The Heb. lacks him}</n> "The wages of a hired laborer are not to remain in your possession until morning. 


text:
"You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind. "You are to fear God. I am the Lord ." 


text:
"You are not to be unjust in deciding a case. You are not to show partiality to the poor or honor the great. Instead, decide the case of your neighbor with righteousness." 


text:
<n>{Social Responsibility}</n> d "You are not to go around slandering your people. "You are not to stand idle <n>{The Heb. lacks idle}</n> when your neighbor's life is at stake. <n>{Lit. stand on the blood of your neighbor}</n> I am the Lord. 


text:
"You are not to hate your relative in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor if you must, but you are not to incur guilt on account of him. 


text:
"You are not to seek vengeance or hold a grudge against the descendants of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord ." 


text:
<n>{On Preserving Distinctiveness}</n> d "Observe my statutes. "You are not to let your cattle breed with a different species. <n>{Lit. breed within two kinds}</n> "You are not to sow your fields with two different kinds of seeds. <n>{The Heb. lacks of seeds}</n> "You are not to wear clothing made from two different kinds of material. 


text:
"When a person has sexual relations <n>{Lit. a lying of seed}</n> with a woman servant who is engaged to another man, but she had not been completely redeemed nor had her freedom been granted to her, there is to be an inquiry, but they won't be put to death, since she had not been freed. 


text:
"The perpetrator <n>{Lit. He}</n> is to bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, along with a ram as guilt offering. 


text:
Then the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram as guilt offering in the Lord's presence on account of his sin which he had committed but which has been forgiven him." 


text:
<n>{Restrictions on Initial Harvests}</n> d "When you have entered the land and planted all sorts of trees for food, regard its fruit as uncircumcised for the first three years for you. It is not to be eaten. 


text:
<n>{Prohibited Practices}</n> d "You are not to eat anything containing blood, engage in occult practices, <n>{I.e. divination}</n> or practice fortune telling. <n>{Or practice witchcraft}</n> 


text:
"You are not to cut your hair in ritualistic patterns <n>{Lit. cut the sides of your hair ; i.e. as a sign of affiliation}</n> on your heads or deface the edges of your beard. 


text:
"You are not to make incisions in your flesh on account of the dead nor submit to cuts or tattoos. I am the Lord . 


text:
"You are not to defile your daughter by engaging her in prostitution so the land won't become filled with wickedness. 


text:
"You are to consult neither mediums nor familiar spirits. You are never to seek them you'll just be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. 


text:
"Rise in the presence of the aged <n>{Lit. of the grey head}</n> and honor the elderly face-to-face. "Fear your God. I am the Lord . 


text:
You are to treat the resident alien the same way you treat the native born among you love him like yourself, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 


text:
"You are not to act unjustly in deciding a case <n>{Lit. in judgment}</n> or when measuring weight and quantity. 


text:
You are to maintain just balances and reliable standards for weights, dry volumes, and liquid volumes. <n>{Lit. and honest weight, ephah, and hin}</n> I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that when an Israeli or a resident alien <n>{Or foreigner who lives with you}</n> who lives in Israel offers <n>{Or gives}</n> his child to Molech, he is certainly to be put to death. <n>{Lit. to die, he'll die}</n> The people who live in the land are to stone him with stones. 


text:
"As for me, I'll oppose that man. I'll eliminate him from contact with his people <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with his people}</n> for sacrificing his children to Molech, thereby defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name. 


text:
If the people avoid dealing <n>{Lit. people conceal their face from}</n> with that man when he offers his child to Molech that is, if they fail to execute him 


text:
then I'll oppose that man and his family and eliminate him from contact with his people, <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with his people}</n> along with all the prostitutes who accompany him and who have committed prostitution with Molech." 


text:
<n>{Consulting the Dead Prohibited}</n> d "I'll oppose and eliminate from contact with his people <n>{The Heb. lacks contact with his people}</n> whoever consults mediums or familiar spirits, thereby committing spiritual prostitution with them. 


text:
<n>{Honoring Parents}</n> d "Anyone who curses his father or mother is certainly to be put to death. <n>{Lit. to die, he'll die}</n> He has cursed his father or mother, so his guilt will remain his responsibility." 


text:
<n>{Honoring the Seventh Commandment}</n> d "If anyone commits adultery with another man's wife, including when someone commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress are to die. 


text:
"If a man has sexual relations with his father's wife, he has exposed his father's nakedness, so both of them are to be put to death. Their guilt will remain their responsibility. 


text:
"If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, the two are to be put to death. They've committed a repulsive act. Their guilt <n>{Lit. blood}</n> will remain their responsibility. 


text:
"If a man has sexual relations with another male, as he would with a woman, both have committed a repulsive act. They are certainly to be put to death. 


text:
"If a man takes a wife along with her mother, that's wickedness. They are to be burned with fire, him and them, so that there'll be no wickedness in your midst. 


text:
"If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you are also to kill the animal. 


text:
"If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual relations with her, the woman and the animal are to be put to death. Their guilt <n>{Lit. blood}</n> will remain their responsibility. 


text:
"If a man takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter so that he exposes her nakedness and she exposes his nakedness, it's a shameful thing. They are to be eliminated from contact with their people <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with their people}</n> in front of their people's children. He has exposed his sister's nakedness. He'll continue to bear responsibility for <n>{The Heb. lacks responsibility for}</n> his iniquity. 


text:
"If a man has sexual relations with a menstruating woman, he has exposed her nakedness, laying bare her fountain. He has exposed the source of her blood. Both are to be eliminated from contact with their people. <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with their people}</n> 


text:
"You are not to have sexual relations with your mother's sister or your father's sister, because that is laying bare the nakedness of his close relative. They'll continue to bear responsibility for <n>{The Heb. lacks responsibility for}</n> their iniquity. 


text:
"If a man has sexual relations with his uncle's wife, he will have exposed his uncle's nakedness. They are to bear responsibility for <n>{The Heb. lacks responsibility for}</n> punishment of their sin. They'll die childless. 


text:
"If a man takes his brother's wife, it's immoral. <n>{Lit. an impurity}</n> He has exposed his brother's nakedness. They'll be childless." 


text:
<n>{Living Distinctively in Holiness}</n> d "Be sure to keep all my statutes and observe all my ordinances so that the land where I'm about to bring you to live won't vomit you out. 


text:
You are not to live <n>{Lit. walk}</n> by the customs of the nations, whom I've cast away right in front of you. Because they did all of these things, I detested them. 


text:
"But I've promised <n>{Lit. said}</n> you that you'll inherit the land that I'm about to give you as your permanent possession <n>{Lit. you to inherit}</n> a land flowing with milk and honey. "I am your God. I've separated you from the people. 


text:
You are to differentiate between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean. You are not to make yourselves detestable on account of any animal, or bird, or any creeping creature of the ground that I've separated for you as unclean. 


text:
"You are to be holy toward me, because I the Lord am holy. I've separated you from among the people to be mine. 


text:
"Moreover, a man or a woman who has a ritual spirit or a familiar spirit is certainly to die. They are to be stoned to death with boulders. They will continue to bear responsibility for their guilt." <n>{Lit. blood}</n> 


text:
<n>{Priestly Holiness}</n> d The Lord told Moses, "Speak to the priests, Aaron's sons, and tell them that no priest is to defile himself on account of the dead among his people, 


text:
his virgin sister who is near him who doesn't have a husband, <n>{Lit. hasn't had a man}</n> he may defile himself for her. 


text:
"They are not to cut their hair in ritualistic patterns <n>{Lit. cut the sides of their hair ; i.e. as a sign of affiliation}</n> on their heads or deface the edges of their beards, or make incisions in their flesh. 


text:
They are to be holy to their God. They are not to defile the name of their God, because they're the ones who bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire the food of their God so they are to be holy. 


text:
"They are not to marry <n>{Or take}</n> a prostitute, a woman who has been dishonored, or who was divorced from her husband, because the priest <n>{Lit. he}</n> is holy to his God. 


text:
Consecrate him, because he's the one who offers the food of your God. He is to be holy for you, because I the Lord the one who sanctifies you am holy. 


text:
"Now if the daughter of any priest defiles herself by being a prostitute, she defiles her father. She is to be incinerated. 


text:
"The high priest among his relatives, whose head has been anointed with oil and who has been consecrated to put on the priestly clothing, is not to let his hair hang loose or to tear his clothes. 


text:
He is not to come near any dead body, whether the deceased <n>{The Heb. lacks the deceased}</n> is his father or his mother, so as not to defile himself. 


text:
He is not to go out of the sanctuary or defile the sanctuary of his God, because his God's consecrating oil of anointing rests on him. I am the Lord . 


text:
He is not to marry a widow, one who has been divorced, has been defiled, or who has been a prostitute. Instead, he is to take a virgin from among his people as his wife. 


text:
"He is not to defile his children <n>{Or offspring}</n> among his people, because I am the Lord, who sets him apart." 


text:
"Tell Aaron that whoever of your descendants throughout their generations has a bodily defect is not to approach to offer the food of his God. 


text:
Indeed, any person who has a defect is not to approach the Tent of Meeting: <n>{The Heb. lacks the Tent of Meeting}</n> the blind, the lame, one who is mutilated in the face, or who has a very long limb, 


text:
has scoliosis, <n>{Or has a crooked back}</n> is a dwarf, or who has an eye defect, an itching disease, scabs, or a crushed testicle. 


text:
"None of the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to approach to bring offerings of the Lord made by fire, since he has a defect. He is not to approach to offer the food of his God. 


text:
but he is not to enter through the curtain nor approach the altar, since he has a defect. That way, he won't defile my sanctuary, since I am the Lord who sets you apart." 


text:
Moses told all of this <n>{The Heb. lacks all of this}</n> to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the Israelis. 


text:
"Tell Aaron and his sons that they are to separate themselves for the sacred things of the Israelis and that they are not to defile my holy name. I am the Lord . 


text:
"Tell them that whoever among your descendants throughout your generations approaches the sacred things that the Israelis had consecrated to the Lord while still remaining unclean is to be eliminated from my presence. I am the Lord . 


text:
"If one of Aaron's descendants has an infectious skin disease or a discharge, he is not to eat anything sacred until he has been cleansed. Anyone who touches an unclean thing on account of the dead, or who has a seminal discharge, 


text:
or who becomes unclean by touching a creeping creature or another human being whatever the uncleanness may be 


text:
such a person <n>{Lit. soul}</n> who comes in contact with anything like this will become unclean until evening. As a result, he is not to eat the sacred things unless he has bathed himself <n>{Lit. his body}</n> with water. 


text:
When the sun has gone down and he has been cleansed, he may eat of the sacred things, since that's his food. 


text:
"He is not to eat a carcass and an animal that was torn by animals, <n>{The Heb. lacks by animals}</n> thereby defiling himself with it. I am the Lord . 


text:
"They are to keep my charge. By doing so, they won't bear the punishment of sin because of it and therefore die if they've been defiled by it. I am the Lord who sets them apart." 


text:
<n>{Other Prohibitions}</n> d "No resident alien is to eat anything sacred. Neither the visitor <n>{Lit. sojourner}</n> of the priest nor a hired laborer is to eat anything sacred. 


text:
If a priest acquires a slave as property with his own money, he may eat with him. Those who were born in his house may eat his food. 


text:
If the priest's daughter is a widow, or is divorced and childless, <n>{Lit. There's no offspring to her}</n> so that she has to return to her father's house as in her younger days, <n>{Lit. early life}</n> she may eat her father's food, but no resident alien may eat it. 


text:
"If a person eats anything sacred inadvertently; he is to add a fifth part to it and then give the sacred thing to the priest. 


text:
"They are not to defile the sacred things of the Israelis that they have offered <n>{Lit. to rise}</n> to the Lord, 


text:
thereby causing them to bear the punishment of their iniquity for wrong doing, when they eat their sacred things, because I am the Lord who sets them apart." 


text:
"Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelis that when a person from the house of Israel or from the resident aliens living in Israel brings his offering to the Lord as a whole burnt offering (whether votive or free will offerings), 


text:
so that you'll be sure to be accepted, <n>{Lit. for your acceptance}</n> he is to offer <n>{The Heb. lacks he is to offer}</n> a male without defect from the bulls, the lamb, and the goats. 


text:
"If a person brings a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord to fulfill a vow or a free will offering from the herd or the flock, it is to be sound in order to be accepted, without any defect in it. 


text:
"You are not to bring an offering that is blind, fractured, mutilated, or infected with ulcers, scurvy, or scales to the Lord . You are not to present as an offering made by fire any of them on the altar for the Lord . 


text:
"You may offer a bull or lamb that has one limb longer than the other or that is stunted as a free will offering, but it's not acceptable as a votive offering. 


text:
You are not to bring an animal <n>{The Heb. lacks animal}</n> that has been emasculated, crushed, torn, or cut apart to the Lord . You are not to practice this in your land. 


text:
A resident alien is not to offer as food to your God any of these items, because they are afflicted with ritual corruption due to their defects. They're not acceptable for you." 


text:
"Whenever a bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it is to remain for seven days under the care of its mother. But on the eighth day onwards, it may be accepted as an offering made by fire to the Lord . 


text:
When you offer <n>{Lit. sacrifice}</n> a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord , bring it so that it's acceptable for you. 


text:
"You are not to defile my sacred name, because I've been set apart in the midst of the Israelis. Furthermore, I am the Lord who sets you apart, 


text:
"Tell the Israelis, «These are my festival times appointed by the Lord <n>{Lit. appointed times for festivals, and so throughout the chapter}</n> that you are to declare as sacred assemblies. 


text:
Six days you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work. It's a Sabbath to the Lord wherever you live. <n>{Lit. Lord in all your dwelling places , and so throughout the chapter}</n> 


text:
These are the Lord's appointed festivals, sacred assemblies that you are to declare at their appointed time. 


text:
«The Lord's Passover is to begin on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight. <n>{Lit. between evenings}</n> 


text:
«On the fifteenth day of that month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord . For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread. 


text:
Instead, you are to bring an offering made by fire to the Lord daily for seven days. On the seventh day you are also to hold a sacred assembly during which you are to do no servile work.»" 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that when you enter the land that I'm about to give you and gather its produce, you are to bring a sheaf from the first portion of your harvest to the priest, 


text:
who will offer the sheaf in the Lord's presence for your acceptance. The priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 


text:
"On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a one year old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering in the Lord's presence. 


text:
Also present a meal offering of two tenths of a measure of <n>{The unit of measurement is not specified in MT, but cf. Lev. 5:11, 6:20.}</n> fine flour mixed with olive oil as an offering made by fire to the Lord , a pleasing aroma. "Now as to a drink offering, you are to present a fourth of a hin of wine. 


text:
You are not to eat bread, parched grain, or fresh grain until that day <n>{Lit. grain until the bone of this day}</n> when you've brought the offering of your God. This is to be <n>{The Heb. lacks This is to be}</n> an eternal ordinance throughout your generations, wherever you live." 


text:
<n>{New Meal Offerings}</n> d "Starting the day after the Sabbath, count for yourselves seven weeks from the day you brought the sheaf of wave offering. They are to be complete. 


text:
Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath, then bring a new meal offering to the Lord . 


text:
"Bring two loaves <n>{The Heb. lacks loaves}</n> of bread from home as wave offerings made from two tenths of fine flour, baked with leaven, as first fruits to the Lord . 


text:
"Along with the loaves of bread, bring seven lambs, a year old without defect, one young bull as an offering, and two rams as offering to the Lord , along with your gift and drink offerings, and present them as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 


text:
Then the priest is to wave them the two lambs with the bread of first fruits as raised offering in the Lord's presence. They'll be sacred to the Lord on account of the priest. 


text:
"On the same day proclaim a sacred assembly for yourselves. You are not to do any servile work and this is to be an eternal ordinance wherever you live throughout your generations. 


text:
Furthermore, when you harvest the produce of your land, you are not to harvest all the way to the corners of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and resident alien. I am the Lord your God." 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that on the first day of the seventh month you are to have a Sabbath of rest for you, a memorial announced by a loud blast of trumpets. It is to be a sacred assembly. 


text:
"However, on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It's a sacred assembly for you. Humble yourselves <n>{Lit. your souls}</n> and bring an offering made by fire to the Lord . 


text:
"You are not to do any work that same day. It's the Day of Atonement, because your atonement is made in the presence of the Lord your God. 


text:
Anyone who doesn't humble himself that same day is to be eliminated from contact with his people. <n>{The Heb. lacks from contact with his people}</n> 


text:
You are not to do any work. This is to be an eternal ordinance throughout your generations wherever you live. 


text:
It's a Sabbath of rest <n>{Lit. Sabbath of all Sabbath}</n> for you, on which you are to humble yourselves starting the evening of the ninth day of the month. You are to observe your Sabbath from evening to evening." 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that starting the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the week-long Festival of Tents to the Lord . 


text:
For seven days, bring offerings made by fire to the Lord . "The eighth day is also to be a sacred assembly for you. Bring offerings made by fire to the Lord . It's a sacred assembly. You are not to do any servile work. 


text:
"These are the Lord's appointed festivals that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. Bring offerings made by fire to the Lord a whole burnt offering, a meal offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings. Do this every day on its assigned date 


text:
in addition to the Lord's Sabbath, regarding your gifts, and your offerings in fulfillment of vows, and your freely given offerings that you will bring to the Lord . 


text:
"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you've harvested the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of the Lord for seven days. The first day is to be a Sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is to be a Sabbath rest. 


text:
"On the first day, take branches from impressive fruit trees, <n>{Lit. fruit from impressive trees}</n> branches from palm trees, boughs from thick trees, and poplars from the brooks. Then you are to rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God for seven days. 


text:
Observe it as a pilgrimage festival in the presence of the Lord for seven days in the year. This is to be an eternal ordinance throughout your generations. Observe the festival during the seventh month. 


text:
in order for your future <n>{The Heb. lacks future}</n> generations to know that the Israelis lived in tents when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that they are to bring to you pure oil made from beaten olives in order to keep the lamp burning continuously. 


text:
Outside the Canopy of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to arrange it continuously in the Lord's presence from evening until morning as an eternal ordinance throughout your generations. 


text:
He is to arrange the lamps so that they burn continuously on a ceremonially pure lamp stand in the Lord's presence. 


text:
"Take fine flour and bake twelve cakes using two tenths of a measure <n>{The unit of measurement is not specified in MT, but cf. Lev. 5:11, 6:20.}</n> for each cake. 


text:
Put pure frankincense on each row for a memorial offering. It will serve as an offering made by fire to the Lord . 


text:
Every Sabbath day <n>{Lit. in the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath}</n> they are to be arranged in the Lord's presence, as a gift <n>{The Heb. lacks as a gift}</n> from the Israelis, an eternal covenant. 


text:
This gift <n>{The Heb. lacks This gift}</n> will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they are to eat it in a sacred place, because it's the most holy thing for him of all the offerings made by fire to the Lord. This is to be an eternal ordinance." 


text:
<n>{A Case History of Blasphemy}</n> d Now a son of an Israeli woman and an Egyptian man <n>{Lit. woman the son of an Egyptian man}</n> went out among the Israelis. The Israeli woman's son got into a fight with an Israeli man in the camp. 


text:
Then the Israeli woman's son blasphemed the Name and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, from the clan of Dan. 


text:
They placed him in custody until a decision would be made <n>{The Heb. lacks would be made}</n> to them according to the word <n>{Lit. mouth}</n> of the Lord. 


text:
"Take the one who cursed outside the camp. Everyone who had heard him is to lay their hands on his head. Then the entire congregation is to stone him to death. 


text:
Moreover, tell the Israelis that anyone who curses his God will bear the consequences of his own sin, because the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord is certainly to be put to death. The entire congregation is to stone him to death. 


text:
As it is for the resident alien so it is to be with the native born: when he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death. 


text:
"If a man beats a human being <n>{Lit. soul of mankind}</n> to death, <n>{The Heb. lacks to death}</n> he is certainly to be executed, 


text:
Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, just as he had caused a disfigurement against another man, so it is to be done against him. 


text:
"Whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it, but whoever who beats a human being to death <n>{The Heb. lacks to death}</n> is to be put to death. 


text:
"You are to have for yourselves consistent <n>{Lit. one}</n> procedures in deciding a case. As it is for the resident alien, so it is for the native born. I am the Lord your God." 


text:
So Moses spoke to the Israelis and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him to death with boulders. The Israelis did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that when you enter the land that I'm about to give you, you are to let the land observe a Sabbath to the Lord . 


text:
For six years you may plant your fields, and for six years you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce. 


text:
"But the seventh year is to be a Sabbath of rest for the land a Sabbath for the Lord . You are not to plant your field or prune your vineyard. 


text:
You are not to gather what grows from the spilled kernels of your crops. You are not to pick the grapes of your untrimmed vines. Let it be a year of Sabbath for the land. 


text:
You may take the Sabbath produce <n>{The Heb. lacks produce}</n> of the land for your food you, your male and maid servants, your hired laborers, and the resident alien with you. 


text:
"Count for yourselves seven years of Sabbaths, seven times seven years. This set of seven weeks of years total forty nine years for you. 


text:
Sound a horn on the tenth day of the seventh month of this fiftieth year. <n>{The Heb. lacks of this fiftieth year}</n> Likewise on the Day of Atonement sound the horn throughout your land. 


text:
"Set aside and consecrate the fiftieth year to declare liberty throughout the land for all of its inhabitants. It is to be a jubilee for you. Every person <n>{Lit. man}</n> is to return to his own land that he has inherited. "Likewise, every person is to return to his clan. 


text:
The fiftieth year is to be a year of jubilee for you. You are not to sow or harvest the spilled kernels that grow of itself or pick grapes from the untrimmed vines 


text:
So if you had sold property <n>{Lit. sold a ware}</n> to a neighbor or had acquired land from your neighbor, you are not to cheat one another. 


text:
According to the number of years after the jubilee, you may buy from your neighbor. And according to the number of years with crops, he may sell to you. 


text:
If the number of years are more, increase the selling price. If the years be few, decrease its selling price, because he's selling to you according to the volume <n>{Lit. number}</n> of produce. 


text:
No one is to cheat his neighbor. Instead, you are to fear your God, because I am the Lord your God. 


text:
"Now if you ask, «What will we eat during the seventh year? After all, we may not plant or even gather our produce!'


text:
I'll command my blessing on you during the sixth year so that it will yield produce for three years! 


text:
That way, you are to sow in the eighth year, eating the produce from the old harvest. Until the ninth year when its produce comes in, you'll eat from the old harvest." 


text:
<n>{Land Redemption}</n> d "The land is not to be sold with any finality, because the land belongs to me. You're sojourners and travelers <n>{Lit. you are travelers with me}</n> with me. 


text:
So throughout all of your land inheritance, <n>{Or possession}</n> grant the right of redemption for the land. 


text:
"If your brother is poor so that he had to a sell portion of his inheritance, then his nearest kinsman redeemer is to come and redeem what his brother has sold. 


text:
If a person <n>{Lit. man}</n> doesn't have a kinsman redeemer but has become rich <n>{Lit. but his hands had overtaken with blessings}</n> and found sufficient means for his redemption, 


text:
then let him account for the years for which it was sold, return the excess to the person to whom it was sold, and then return to his property. 


text:
If he's not able to redeem it back for himself, <n>{Lit. If his hand can't acquire it back for himself}</n> then what he sold is to remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee, it is to be returned so he may return to his property. 


text:
"If a person sells a residential house in a walled city, then he is to redeem it within the year in which it was sold. He may have right to its redemption for a full year. 


text:
But if it's not redeemed by the end of a full year, then the house next to which is a wall is to belong to the one who bought it, in perpetuity throughout his generations. It is not to be returned in the jubilee. 


text:
"However, the houses in the villages that don't have walls around them are to be categorized along with the fields of the land. It may be redeemed, so it is to be returned in the jubilee. 


text:
"Nevertheless, the cities that belong to the descendants of Levi that is, the houses in the cities that belong to them are to belong to the descendants of Levi perpetually as part of their <n>{The Heb. lacks as part of their}</n> right of redemption. 


text:
If someone from the descendants of Levi redeems the houses in the cities that they own, they are to be returned in the jubilee, because the houses of the cities of the descendants of Levi are to remain their property among the Israelis. 


text:
Also, the open land of their cities is not to be sold, because it is to remain their perpetual inheritance." 


text:
<n>{Treatment of Poor Israelis}</n> d "If your relative becomes poor so that he is indebted to you, <n>{Lit. his hand fails with you}</n> then you are to support him. You are to let him live with you just like the resident alien and the traveler. 


text:
You are not to take interest or profit from him. Instead, you are to fear your God and let your relative live with you. 


text:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. 


text:
"If your brother with you becomes poor, so that he sells himself to you, you are not to make him serve like a bond slave. <n>{Lit. slave of slaves}</n> 


text:
Instead, he is to serve with you like a hired servant or traveler who lives with you until the year of jubilee. 


text:
Then he and his children with him may leave <n>{Lit. may go out from you}</n> to return to his family and his ancestor's inheritance. 


text:
Since they're my servants whom I've brought out from the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves. 


text:
<n>{Release of Slaves}</n> d "As for your male and maid slaves who will be with you, you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations. 


text:
You may also buy from resident aliens who live among you and their families who are with you, whom they fathered in your land. They may become your property. 


text:
"You may give them as inherited property to your children <n>{Lit. sons}</n> after you, to own as properties in perpetuity. You may make bond slaves of them, but no one is to rule over his fellow Israeli with harshness. 


text:
"If a resident alien or traveler becomes rich, <n>{Lit. his hand overtakes}</n> but your relative who lives next to him is so poor that he sells himself to that resident alien or traveler among you or to a member of the resident alien's family, 


text:
His uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him or any blood <n>{Lit. flesh}</n> relative from his clan may redeem him. If <n>{So LXX and Syriac}</n> he becomes rich, <n>{Lit. his hand overtakes}</n> then he may redeem himself. 


text:
"He is to bring an accounting to the one who bought him, starting from the year he had sold himself until the year of jubilee. The price of his sale is to correspond to the number of years comparable to the time a hired servant stays with him. 


text:
"If there are still many years left, he is to refund the cost <n>{Or price-money}</n> of his redemption. 


text:
But if only a few years are left until the year of jubilee, he is to bring an accounting of the years that he is to refund for his redemption. 


text:
Like a hired servant, he is to remain with him year after year, but he is not to rule over him with what you see as severity. 


text:
"If he isn't redeemed by these, then he is to be set free in the year of jubilee he and his children <n>{Lit. his sons}</n> with him 


text:
because the Israelis are my servants. They're my servants, since I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." 


text:
<n>{Rewards for Obedience}</n> d "You are not to make worthless idols, images, or pillars for yourselves, nor set up for yourselves carved images to bow down to them in the land, because I am the Lord your God. 


text:
then I'll send <n>{Lit. give}</n> your rain in its season so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will yield their fruit. 


text:
Threshing will extend to the time of vintage and the vintage will extend to the time of sowing so that you'll eat your bread to your satisfaction and live securely in your land. 


text:
"I'll give peace in the land so that you'll lie down without fear. I'll remove wild <n>{Lit. evil}</n> beasts from the land, not even war will come to <n>{Lit. sword won't pass through}</n> your land. 


text:
Five of you will chase a hundred, a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. 


text:
"I'll look after you, ensuring that you'll be fruitful. I'll increase your number <n>{Lit. multiply you}</n> and keep <n>{Lit. raise or establish}</n> my covenant with you. 


text:
When you have consumed what was stored of the old, then you'll take out the old and replace it with what's new. 


text:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you will no longer be their slaves, since I've broken their oppressive yoke upon you to make you walk upright." 


text:
and if you refuse my statutes, loathe my ordinances, fail to do all my commands, thereby breaching my covenant, 


text:
then I will certainly do this to you: I'll appoint sudden terror to infect you like tuberculosis and fever. Your eyes will fail and your life will waste away. You'll plant in vain, because your enemies will consume what you plant. 


text:
"I'll set my face against you so that you'll be defeated before your enemies. Those who hate you will have dominion over you and you'll keep fleeing even when no one is pursuing you. 


text:
"If despite all of this you still don't listen to me, then I'll punish you seven times more on account of your sins. 


text:
I'll break your mighty pride. <n>{Lit. pride of your strength}</n> I'll make the heavens to be like iron and the ground like bronze. 


text:
Your strength will be spent in vain, because your land won't yield its produce and the trees of the land won't yield their fruit. 


text:
"If you live life contrary to me and remain unwilling to listen to me, then I'll add to your wounds seven times more on account of your sins. 


text:
I'll send the wild beasts against you from the open country to deprive you of your children, destroy your cattle, and decrease your number <n>{The Heb. lacks your number}</n> so that your roads become desolate. 


text:
then I'll certainly oppose <n>{Lit. walk against}</n> you. I'll take vengeance against you seven fold on account of your sins. 


text:
I'll bring the sword against you to execute the vengeance of my covenant. When you gather in your cities, I'll send a pestilence. As a result, you'll be delivered into the control of your enemies. 


text:
"When I destroy the source of your bread, ten women will bake bread in one oven. Then they'll return back your bread by weight. You'll eat but won't be satisfied. 


text:
I'll oppose <n>{Lit. walk against}</n> you with vicious rage. Indeed, I myself will punish you seven fold on account of your sins. 


text:
"I'll destroy your high places and cut down your sun-pillars. Then I'll cast your dead bodies on top of the bodies of your idols. "I'll loathe you. 


text:
I'll lay your cities to waste and destroy your sanctuaries so I don't have to smell the scent of your soothing odors. 


text:
<n>{Captivity among the Nations}</n> d "I'll scatter you among the nations and draw the sword after you so that your land becomes desolate and your towns become ruins. 


text:
"Then the land will finally be pleased with its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will rest and take its Sabbaths. 


text:
As long as it lies desolate, it will have rest that it will not have had during your Sabbaths when you were living in it. 


text:
"As for the remnants among you, I'll bring despair in their hearts in the land of their enemies so that even the sound of a blown leaf will chase them and they flee as though pursued by the sword and fall when no one is pursuing. 


text:
They'll stumble over each other as though fleeing before the sword, even though no one is pursuing. "You won't have power to resist your enemies. 


text:
The remnants among you will waste away on account of their iniquity in the land of your enemies. Indeed, they'll also waste away on account of the iniquities of their ancestors with them." 


text:
<n>{Return from Captivity}</n> d "Nevertheless, when they confess their iniquity, the iniquity of their ancestors, and their unfaithfulness by which they acted unfaithfully against me by living life contrary to me, 


text:
causing me to oppose them and take them to the land of their enemies so that the uncircumcised foreskin of their hearts can be humbled and so that they accept the punishment of their iniquity, 


text:
then I'll remember my covenant with Jacob, my covenant with Isaac, and my covenant with Abraham. I'll also remember the land. 


text:
"They will leave the land so it can rest while it lies desolate without them. That's when they'll receive the punishment of their iniquity because indeed they will have rejected my ordinances and despised my statutes. 


text:
"Yet despite all of these things, when they're in the land of their enemies, I won't reject or despise them so as to completely destroy them and by doing so violate my covenant with them, because I am the Lord their God. 


text:
Instead, on account of them, I'll remember my covenant with their ancestors when I brought them out from the land of Egypt right before the eyes of the nations, so that I could be their God. I am the Lord ." 


text:
These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws that the Lord made between himself and the Israelis on Mount Sinai, as recorded by the hand of Moses. 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that when a person <n>{Lit. man , and so throughout the chapter}</n> makes a special vow based on the appropriate value of people who belong to the Lord , 


text:
if your valuation of the vow <n>{The Heb. lacks of the vow}</n> is for a male from 20 to 60 sixty years old, the valuation is to be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 


text:
"If she is a female from 20 to 60 years old, then your valuation is to be 30 shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 


text:
"If a person <n>{Lit. son of}</n> is from five to 20 years, then your valuation for a male is to be 20 shekels and for a female ten shekels. 


text:
"If a person is from one month to five years old, then your valuation for a male is to be five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation is to be three shekels of silver. 


text:
"If a person is 60 or more years old, then your valuation for a male is to be fifteen shekels and for a female ten shekels. 


text:
"But if he be too poor to be valuated, then cause him to stand before the priest and let the priest set a value on him according to the ability <n>{Lit. according to what the hand can reach}</n> of the one making the vow. 


text:
"If it's an animal from which they make an offering to the Lord , everything that he gives to the Lord from it will be holy. 


text:
He is not to substitute it or exchange it the good with the bad or the bad with the good. "If he ever makes an exchange of an animal for an animal, then it and what's being exchanged is holy. 


text:
"If any animal is unclean, which cannot be brought to the Lord as an offering, make the animal stand in the presence of the priest, 


text:
then the priest will evaluate it as to whether it is good or bad. According to your that is, the priest's valuation, so it is to be. 


text:
<n>{Gifts of Residences}</n> d "If a person consecrates his house to be holy to the Lord , then the priest is to set a value for it as to its worth, whether good or bad. As the priest sets value on it, so it will stand. 


text:
"And if he that consecrated it wishes to redeem his house, he is to add one fifth to your valuation, after which it is to belong to him. 


text:
"If a person consecrates a portion of the field from his inheritance to the Lord , then your valuation is to be based on its capacity for yielding a harvest. <n>{Lit. valuation according to seed for sowing}</n> Each homer of barley is to be valued at 50 shekels of silver. 


text:
"If he consecrates his field after the jubilee, then the priest is to account to him the silver according to the years that remain until the year of jubilee, with a deduction corresponding to your valuation. 


text:
"If the one who consecrated the field intends to redeem it, then he is to add one fifth of your valuation to it in silver, then it is to be established as his. 


text:
"But if he won't redeem the field, but instead sells it to another person, <n>{Lit. man}</n> then it is not to be redeemed anymore. 


text:
When the field is released in the jubilee, it will be holy to the Lord . As a field that's devoted, it is to belong to the priest as his inheritance. 


text:
then the priest is to account to him the evaluated worth until the year of jubilee. Then he is to give the amount of valuation on that day as a holy gift to the Lord . 


text:
"During the year of jubilee, the field is to be returned by the one who originally sold it, that is, to the owner of the land. 


text:
Every valuation is to be according to the shekel of the sanctuary, evaluated at 20 gerahs to the shekel. 


text:
"No person is to consecrate the firstborn, because the firstborn of the animals already belongs to the Lord. Whether ox or goat, it belongs to the Lord. 


text:
If it's an unclean animal, then he is to ransom it according to your valuation, adding a fifth to it. If it's not redeemed then it is to be sold according to your valuation. 


text:
"However, any devoted thing, that a person consecrates to the Lord from what he owns, whether man, animals, or inherited fields, is not to be sold or redeemed. Any devoted thing is most sacred. It belongs to the Lord . 


text:
But anyone who is completely devoted from among human beings is not to be ransomed. He is certainly to be put to death. 


text:
"Any tithes of the land from grain grown on the land or from fruit grown on the trees belong to the Lord . It's sacred to the Lord . 


text:
He is not to examine it to see if it's good or bad or even exchange it. If he does exchange it, what has been exchanged as well as its substitute <n>{The Heb. lacks substitute}</n> is sacred. It is not to be redeemed." 


text:
These are the commands that the Lord commanded Moses to deliver <n>{The Heb. lacks deliver}</n> to the Israelis on Mount Sinai. 


text:
<n>{ The Fourth Book of the Law}</n> <n>{ Numbers}</n> d <n>{A Census of Israel is Taken}</n> <n>{(2 Samuel 24:1-9; 1 Chronicles 21:1-6)}</n> d In the Sinai desert, the Lord spoke to Moses inside the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt. He said, 


text:
"Take a census of the entire <n>{Lit. census of the head of all the}</n> Israeli community, numbering them by their tribes <n>{Or families ; and so throughout the book}</n> and by ancestral houses. List the names of every male one-by-one, 


text:
from 20 years and upward. You and Aaron are to register everyone in Israel who is able to go to war, company by company. 


text:
"Here is a list of names of the men who are to assist <n>{Lit. to stand with}</n> you: "From Reuben: Shedeur's son Elizur. 


text:
"From Joseph's descendants through Ephraim: Ammihud's son Elishama. From Manasseh: Pedahzur's son Gamaliel. 


text:
These men were appointed from within their communities, since they were leaders of their ancestral houses and heads of the tribes of Israel. 


text:
They assembled the entire community together during the second month. Then they recorded their ancestries <n>{Or genealogies ; and so throughout the book}</n> according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as well as the names of the men <n>{Or sons of Israel ; and so throughout the book}</n> 20 years old and above individually, <n>{Lit. according to their heads; and so throughout the book}</n> 


text:
<n>{Numbering the Tribes}</n> d The genealogies of the descendants of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Simeon's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Gad's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Judah's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Issachar's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Zebulun's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Joseph's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Manasseh's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Benjamin's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Dan's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Asher's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
The genealogies of Naphtali's descendants were recorded individually according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. 


text:
These individuals were the ones whom Moses and Aaron registered from the twelve leaders of Israel, each person from his ancestral house. 


text:
Everyone was numbered from the descendants of Israel, from their ancestral houses, from all the men who were 20 years and above and who could serve in the army. 


text:
<n>{Exemption of the Tribe of Levi from the Census}</n> d The descendants of Levi were not counted according to their ancestral houses 


text:
Instead, appoint the descendants of Levi over the Tent of Meeting, all the vessels, and everything in it. They are to carry the tent and all the vessels in it. They are to attend to it and camp around it. 


text:
Whenever the tent is ready for travel, the descendants of Levi are to take it down. "When it's time to encamp, the descendants of Levi are to set it up. Any unauthorized person <n>{Lit. stranger}</n> who approaches it is to be executed. 


text:
Then the Israelis are to encamp around the tent, <n>{The Heb. lacks around the tent}</n> arranged according to their company and the standard of their army. 


text:
But the descendants of Levi are to encamp on all sides of the Tent of Meeting so that divine wrath won't fall on the congregation of Israel. <n>{Lit. sons of Israel}</n> The descendants of Levi are to take care of the Tent of Meeting." 


text:
The Israelis observed everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, doing exactly what they were told. 


text:
"Every single Israeli <n>{Lit. Each man of the Israelis}</n> is to encamp beneath his standard with the emblem of his ancestral house. The Israelis are to encamp from a distance, <n>{Or in front of}</n> but surrounding the Tent of Meeting." 


text:
<n>{Eastern Encampment Order}</n> d "The encampment of Judah is to settle east toward the sunrise <n>{Lit. east}</n> under their standard. The leader of Judah is to be Amminadab's son Nahshon. 


text:
"The tribe of Issachar is to encamp beside Judah. <n>{Lit. him}</n> The leader of Issachar is to be Zuar's son Nethanel. 


text:
"Next is to be <n>{Lit. Then}</n> the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of Zebulun is to be Helon's son Eliab. 


text:
All those numbered by division in the camp of Judah total 186,400. They are to be the first to travel." 


text:
<n>{Southern Encampment Order}</n> d "Toward the south is to be the division of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of Reuben is to be Shedeur's son Elizur. 


text:
"The tribe of Simeon is to camp beside Reuben. <n>{Lit. him}</n> The leader of Simeon is to be Zurishaddai's son Shelumiel. 


text:
"Next is to be <n>{Lit. Then}</n> the tribe of Gad. The leader of Gad is to be Deuel's son Eliasaph. 


text:
All those numbered by division in the camp of Reuben total 151,450. They are to be the second to travel." 


text:
<n>{Tribe at the Center}</n> d "Then the Tent of Meeting is to travel with the camp of the descendants of Levi in the middle of the camps. They are to travel just as they have camped, each as designated <n>{Lit. each upon his hand}</n> under his standard." 


text:
<n>{Western Encampment Order}</n> d "Toward the west <n>{Lit. the sea}</n> is to be the division of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of Ephraim is to be Ammihud's son Elishama. 


text:
"The tribe of Manasseh is to encamp beside them. <n>{Lit. him}</n> The leader of Manasseh is to be Pedahzur's son Gamaliel. 


text:
"Next is to be <n>{Lit. Then}</n> the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of Benjamin is to be Gideoni's son Abidan. 


text:
All those numbered by division in the camp Ephraim total 108,100. They are to be the third to travel." 


text:
<n>{Northern Encampment Order}</n> d "Toward the north is to be the division of the camp of Dan under their standard. The leader of Dan is to be Ammishaddai's son Ahiezer. 


text:
"The tribe of Asher is to encamp beside them. <n>{Lit. him}</n> The leader of Asher is to be Ochran's son Pagiel. 


text:
"Next is to be <n>{Lit. Then}</n> the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of Naphtali is to be Enan's son Ahira. 


text:
All those numbered by division in the camp of Dan total 157,600. They are to be the last to travel under their standards." 


text:
<n>{Summary of the Encampment}</n> d Here is a summary of the census of the Israelis according to the tribes of their ancestral houses: All the divisions in the camps numbered 603,550, 


text:
but the descendants of Levi were not numbered along with the other Israelis, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


text:
So the Israelis did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses; that is, they encamped under their standard as each person traveled with his own tribe and ancestral house. 


text:
<n>{Aaron's Descendants}</n> <n>{ (Leviticus 10:1-7)}</n> d This is a record of the genealogies <n>{Lit. generations}</n> of Aaron and Moses current as of <n>{The Heb. lacks current as of}</n> the day on which the Lord addressed Moses on Mount Sinai. 


text:
The <n>{Lit. These are the names of the}</n> sons of Aaron were Nadab the first-born, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar 


text:
who <n>{Lit. These are the names of the sons of Aaron who}</n> were anointed priests and whom he consecrated <n>{Lit. filled their hands}</n> as priests. 


text:
Nadab and Abihu died in the Lord's presence when they offered unauthorized <n>{Lit. strange}</n> fire before him <n>{Lit. the Lord}</n> in the Sinai wilderness. Since they didn't have their own children, Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priest under the authority of <n>{Lit. priest before}</n> Aaron their father. 


text:
They are to take care of his needs and the needs of the whole congregation at the Tent of Meeting by performing duties <n>{Or work}</n> at the tent. 


text:
They are to take charge of the utensils at the Tent of Meeting and meet the needs of the Israelis by performing duties on behalf of the tent. 


text:
Appoint Aaron and his sons so that they are to take responsibility for their priesthood. Any unauthorized <n>{Or undesignated}</n> person who approaches it is to be put to death." 


text:
"I'm taking the descendants of Levi for myself from among the Israelis in place of every first-born who opens the womb. <n>{Lit. womb from among the Israelis}</n> The descendants of Levi belong to me 


text:
because all the first-born belong to me. When <n>{Or the day}</n> I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated all the first-born in Israel for myself from human beings to livestock. They belong to me, since <n>{The Heb. lacks since}</n> I am the Lord ." 


text:
"Number the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral houses and tribes, numbering every male from a month old and above." 


text:
So Moses numbered them according to the instruction <n>{Lit. mouth}</n> of the Lord , as he had been commanded. 


text:
These are the names of Kohath's descendants according to their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 


text:
Merari's descendants according to their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the descendants of Levi according to their ancestral house. 


text:
<n>{The Descendants of Gershon}</n> d The families of Libni and Shimei were descendants of Gershon. As families of the descendants of Gershon, 


text:
The families of the descendants of Gershon encamped behind the tent toward the west. <n>{Lit. sea}</n> 


text:
The duties of the descendants of Gershon at the Tent of Meeting pertained to the tent, the tent covering, the curtain <n>{Or screen}</n> to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, 


text:
the hangings at the courtyard, the curtain to the entrance of the courtyard that surrounded the tent, the altar, and all of the tent cords in use. 


text:
<n>{The Descendants of Kohath and Their Duties}</n> d The families of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel were descendants of Kohath. As families of the descendants of Kohath, 


text:
all the males a month old and above numbered 8,600. <n>{So MT; LXX reads 8,300}</n> They were tasked to the care of the sanctuary. 


text:
Their duties pertained to the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, and all the curtains in use. 


text:
The chief of all the leaders of the descendants of Levi was Aaron the priest's son Eleazar. He was assigned to oversee those who were in charge of the services of the sanctuary. 


text:
<n>{The Descendants of Merari and Their Duties}</n> d The families of Mahli and Mushi were descendants of Merari. As families of Merari, 


text:
The leader of the tribe and family of Merari was Abihail's son Zuriel. The descendants of Merari encamped beside the tent toward the north. 


text:
The duties of the caretakers from the descendants of Merari included the boards of the tent, its bars, crossbars, sockets, all its utensils for their services, 


text:
<n>{The Encampment of Moses and Aaron}</n> d In front of the tent and east of the Tent of Meeting, Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's <n>{Lit his}</n> sons encamped facing the east. They were tasked to perform the duties of the sanctuary and care for the needs of the Israelis. Any unauthorized <n>{Or undesignated}</n> person who approached was to be executed. 


text:
As the Lord had instructed, everyone counted by Moses and Aaron from the descendants of Levi, according to their tribe, all males from a month old and above numbered 22,000. 


text:
<n>{Numbering Israel's First-born}</n> d Later the Lord instructed Moses: "Number all the first-born males of Israel from a month old and above and list their names. 


text:
Separate <n>{Lit. Take}</n> the descendants of Levi for me since <n>{The Heb. lacks since}</n> I am the Lord in place of all the first-born sons of Israel. Also separate <n>{The Heb. lacks separate}</n> the livestock of the descendants of Levi in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of Israel." 


text:
All the first-born males according to the list of their names from a month old and above numbered 22,273. 


text:
"Separate the descendants of Levi in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel and the livestock of the descendants of Levi in place of their livestock. The descendants of Levi belong to me, since <n>{The Heb. lacks since}</n> I am the Lord . 


text:
You are to pay a ransom of the 273 first-born sons of Israel who exceed the census number of the descendants of Levi, 


text:
so collect five shekels for each individual, <n>{Lit. head}</n> denominated in shekels of the sanctuary, that is, the shekel that weighs 20 gerahs. <n>{I.e., a unit of weight measurement equal to about 16 barley grains; about 0.025 ounces or 0.5 grams; cf. Exod 30:13; Num 18:16}</n> 


text:
So Moses took the ransom money to account for the difference in the total number <n>{Lit. the excess}</n> of those redeemed by the descendants of Levi. 


text:
From the firstborn of the Israelis, Moses took money amounting to 1,365 shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 


text:
Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and his sons according to the Lord's instructions, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


text:
"Take a census <n>{Lit. Lift the head}</n> of the descendants of Kohath from among the descendants of Levi according to their tribes and ancestral houses 


text:
from 30 years and older through the age of 50 years, from everyone who can enter the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
"Here's what the descendants of Kohath are to do regarding the Tent of Meeting and what's inside the Most Holy Place: 


text:
When the camp is about to travel, Aaron and his sons are to come and take down the veil of the curtain and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it. 


text:
They are to set a leather-dyed <n>{Or porpoise ; or fine leather}</n> skin covering over it, cover it with a pure blue cloth, and then insert its poles. 


text:
"They are to spread a blue cloth over the table of the bread of the Presence and on top of it the dishes, pans, bowls, pitchers for drink offerings, <n>{Or libation}</n> and the bread of presence are to be on it continuously. 


text:
They are to spread over them a scarlet cloth and a leather-dyed <n>{Or porpoise ; or fine leather}</n> skin covering and then insert its poles. 


text:
"They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lamp stand for the light with its lamp, lamp-snuffers, censer, and all the utensils for its oil with which they minister. 


text:
Then they are to put them with all the other <n>{The Heb. lacks other}</n> utensils on the leather-dyed <n>{Or porpoise ; or fine leather}</n> skin covering and set them on the beams for transport. <n>{Or poles for carrying stuff}</n> 


text:
"On the golden altar, they are to spread a blue cloth and cover it with a leather-dyed <n>{Or porpoise ; or fine leather}</n> skin covering and then insert its poles. 


text:
Then they are to take all the utensils for service with which they minister at the sanctuary; set them on the blue cloth; cover them with the leather-dyed <n>{Or porpoise ; or fine leather}</n> skin covering and then set them on the beams for transport. 


text:
Then they are to put all the instruments with which they minister there trays, forks, shovels, bowls, and all the utensils of the altar. They are to spread over it a leather-dyed <n>{Or porpoise ; or fine leather}</n> skin covering and then insert its poles. 


text:
"When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the utensils of the sanctuary, and the camp is about to travel, then the descendants of Kohath are to come and carry them, but they are not to touch the most sacred objects, so they won't die. These are the duties of the descendants of Kohath at the Tent of Meeting." 


text:
"Now the duty of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest is to maintain the oil for the light, the spiced incense, the daily offerings, the oil for anointing, and to carry out all the duties of the tent and the sanctuary, and to maintain <n>{The Heb. lacks to maintain}</n> its utensils." 


text:
"You are not to eliminate the tribe of the families of the descendants of Kohath from the descendants of Levi. 


text:
But do this for them so that they may live and not die when they approach the Most Holy Place: Aaron and his sons are to go in and set specific responsibilities for each of them to carry out. <n>{Lit. responsibilities according to his service and to his burden}</n> 


text:
But they are not to go in to see the sanctuary as it is being covered, <n>{I.e. in preparation for travel}</n> so they won't die." 


text:
Take a census <n>{Lit. Lift the head}</n> of the descendants of Gershon according to their ancestral house and tribes. 


text:
Count their number from between 30 to 50 years old, including everyone who can enter the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
<n>{Gershonite Responsibilities}</n> d "These are the responsibilities that the descendants of Gershon are to have: 


text:
They are to carry the curtain of the tent, the covering of the Tent of Meeting, the dyed leather covering that goes over it, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 


text:
the hangings for the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the gate of the courtyard that surrounds the tent, the altar, the ropes, all the service utensils, and everything made for them. This is to be their service area. 


text:
"The descendants of Gershon are to carry out the instructions of Aaron and his sons. You are to assign them their responsibilities to carry out. 


text:
This is the work of the tribes of Gershon at the Tent of Meeting their duties under the supervision of <n>{Lit. the hand of}</n> Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. 


text:
<n>{Merarite Responsibilities}</n> d "For the descendants of Merari, number them according to their tribes and ancestral houses 


text:
from 30 to 50 years old as you count them, including everyone who can enter service and perform work at the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
This is to be their area of responsibility to carry out with respect to their service at the Tent of Meeting: the board of the tent, its bars, its crossbars, its sockets, 


text:
the pillars around the courtyard, their sockets, their pegs, their ropes, and all the utensils for all their services. "Assign the utensils by name to each person whose responsibility it will be to carry them. 


text:
This is the work of the tribes of the descendants of Merari with reference to their service at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Aaron the priest's son Ithamar." 


text:
<n>{Responsibilities are Assigned}</n> d Moses and Aaron and the congregational leaders numbered the descendants of Kohath according to their tribes and ancestral houses 


text:
from 30 to 50 fifty years old; that is, everyone who entered the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
from the tribe of the descendants of Kohath, everyone who would be serving at the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to what the Lord had said, under the supervision of Moses. 


text:
from 30 to 50 years old; that is, everyone who entered the service to perform work at the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
from the tribes of the descendants of Gershon, everyone who would be serving at the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to what the Lord had said. 


text:
from the tribes of the descendants of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to what the Lord had said, under the supervision of Moses. 


text:
The total of those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi by Moses and Aaron; that is, from the leaders of Israel counted according to their tribes and ancestral houses 


text:
They were numbered under the supervision of Moses according to what the Lord had said. Each person was assigned a responsibility to carry out, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


text:
"Command the Israelis to send outside the encampment every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever is ritually defiled by contact with a corpse. <n>{Lit. soul}</n> 


text:
Whether male or female, send them outside the camp so that they won't defile their camp, because I live among them." 


text:
"Instruct the Israelis that whenever a man or woman does something contained in the list <n>{The Heb. lacks something contained in the list}</n> of the sins of man, thereby acting treacherously against the Lord , then that person stands guilty. 


text:
He <n>{Lit. they}</n> is to confess the sin that he had committed, pay its full compensation, add one fifth to it, and give the compensation to whomever he offended. 


text:
But if the person has no related redeemer to whom compensation may be made, the payment is to be brought to the Lord and given to the priest, in addition to a ram for atonement with which he is to be atoned. 


text:
Every offering from all the most sacred things of the Israelis that they bring to the priest is to belong to him. 


text:
Furthermore, everyone's sacred things belong to him, and as well as regarding whatever a person gives to the priest. 


text:
"Instruct the Israelis what to do if a man's wife turns astray so that she unfaithfully acts against him, 


text:
a man has sexual relations <n>{Lit. lies down with her}</n> with her and she conceals it from her husband, <n>{Or man}</n> keeping it secret although she has defiled herself with there being no witnesses against her, but she was caught anyway. 


text:
If an attitude of jealousy overcomes him so that he becomes jealous at his wife when she is defiled, or if an attitude of jealousy overcomes him and he becomes jealous of his wife even though she isn't defiled, 


text:
then that man is to bring his wife to the priest along with an offering for her consisting of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. "He is not to pour oil or set frankincense over it, because it's to be a jealousy offering, a memorial offering that will serve as a reminder of iniquity. 


text:
The priest is to put some holy water into an earthen vessel, take some dust from the floor of the tent, and put it into the water. 


text:
"The priest is to have the woman stand in the Lord's presence, uncover her head, <n>{Lit. head of the woman}</n> and put the grain offering as a memorial, a reminder of jealousy, into her hands. The priest is also to have in his hand the contaminated <n>{Lit. bitter , and so throughout the chapter}</n> water that carries a curse. 


text:
"The priest is to administer this oath to the woman: «If indeed another man didn't have sexual relations <n>{Or lie with a man}</n> with you and you didn't become unfaithful to your husband, <n>{Or man}</n> then may you be free from these waters that bring a curse. 


text:
But if you have become unfaithful to your husband and have become defiled because a man who isn't your husband has had sexual relations with you'


text:
then the priest is to have the woman commit to an oath by saying to the woman, «May the Lord make you a curse and a curse among your people. When the Lord makes your thigh waste away and your abdomen swell 


text:
and this water that brings a curse enters your abdomen, making it swell and your thigh waste away. '"Then the woman is to say «Amen.'


text:
"Then the priest is to write all of these words in a document and wipe it off with the contaminated water. 


text:
The woman is to drink the bitter water that brings a curse and the water that brings a curse is to be considered contaminated. 


text:
The priest is to take the offering of jealousy from the woman's hand, wave the offering in the Lord's presence, and have her approach the altar. 


text:
"The priest is to take a handful of grain from the memorial and offer a sacrifice on the altar, after which he is to have the woman drink the water. 


text:
When he has had her drink the water, if she was defiled and had acted unfaithfully toward her husband, then the contaminated water that brings a curse will enter her and infect her, causing her abdomen to swell and her thigh to waste away. Then she is to be a cursed woman among her people. 


text:
"But if the woman isn't defiled, then she is to be freed and will be able to bear children. <n>{Lit. and sow seed}</n> 


text:
This is the law in cases of jealousy when a woman defiles herself while under her husband's authority: 


text:
When a man becomes under the control of an attitude <n>{Lit. spirit}</n> of jealousy regarding his wife, he is to present her to the Lord, and the priest is to apply this entire statute to her. 


text:
The husband <n>{Or man}</n> will be free from guilt, but the wife is to bear the punishment of her iniquity." 


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"Tell the Israelis that a man or woman who commits to the vow of the Nazirite, is to be separated to the Lord , 


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then is to remain separate from wine and strong drink. He is not to drink vinegar or strong drink made from wine. He is not to drink grape juice or eat grapes, whether fresh or dried. 


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"During the entire time of his dedication, he is not to eat any product from the grapevine, from the seed to the skin. 


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"During the entire time of his dedication, he is not to allow a razor to pass over his head until the days of his holy consecration to the Lord have been fulfilled. He is to let the locks on his head grow long. 


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He is not to defile himself on account of his father, mother, brother, and sister when they die, because the crown of his consecration to God is on his head. 


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When someone suddenly dies beside him, so that his consecrated head is defiled, then he is to shave his head on the day of his purification. Seven days later he is to shave it again. 


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On the eighth day, he is to bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 


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"Then the priest is to offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to make atonement for him because of the guilt he incurred on account of his contact with the dead body. Then he is to consecrate his head on that day. 


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He is to dedicate to the Lord the days of his consecration by bringing a year old male lamb as his offering. The previous time will have failed because his consecration became defiled. 


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"This is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his consecration are completed, he is to come to the entrance at the Tent of Meeting. 


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He is to bring an offering to the Lord , a year old male lamb, and a year old ewe female lamb, both without blemish, for a sin offering and a ram without blemish for a peace offering, 


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a basket of unleavened bread made <n>{The Heb. lacks made}</n> from choice flour, cakes mixed with oil, a wafer of unleavened bread smeared with oil, along with grain and drink offerings. 


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He is to offer the ram, a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, along with the basket of unleavened bread. Then the priest is to present his grain and drink offerings. 


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"The Nazirite is then to shave his head of consecration at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. He is to take the lock of his head of consecration and set it over the fire where the peace offering for sacrifice is. 


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Then the priest is to take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one cake of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread. He is to place them in the hands of the Nazirite, after he himself has shaved his symbol of consecration. 


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The priest is to wave the offerings, that is, the breast and the thigh offering in the Lord's presence. Then the Nazirite may drink wine afterward. 


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"This is to be the law of the Nazirite when he commits his offering to the Lord on account of his consecration, over and beyond what he owns alone plus whatever he can provide, <n>{Lit. his hand can reach}</n> based on the vow from his own mouth that he vows to fulfill on account of the law of his consecration." 


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<n>{Offerings by Leaders}</n> d The same day that Moses finished setting up, anointing, and consecrating the tent and its utensils, he also anointed and consecrated the altar and its utensils. 


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Then the presiding leaders of Israel, as heads of the ancestral houses, brought an offering. They were the leaders of the tribes who supervised the census. 


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They brought their offering into the Lord's presence, consisting of <n>{The Heb. lacks consisting of}</n> six covered carts and twelve oxen one cart each from two leaders and an ox from each one. After they presented them in front of the tent, 


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"Take these gifts from them and use them in service at the Tent of Meeting. Present them to the descendants of Levi, distributing them to each person according to his work." 


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But he gave none of them to the descendants of Kohath, because their responsibility was to carry the holy things on their shoulders. 


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The leaders brought the offerings for the dedication of the altar the same day that it was anointed. After the leaders brought their offering to the altar, 


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the Lord told Moses, "They are to present their offerings, one leader per day, <n>{Lit. one leader for the day, one leader for the day}</n> for the dedication of the altar." 


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<n>{Day One: Nahshon's Offering}</n> d On the first day Amminadab's son Nahshon, from the tribe of Judah, presented 


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as his offering a silver dish weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing 70 shekels (calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary), both <n>{Lit. the two of them, and so throughout the chapter}</n> filled with choice flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 


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one gold pan weighing ten shekels, <n>{Lit. gold , and so throughout the chapter}</n> full of incense; 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of <n>{The Heb. lacks consisted of , and so throughout the chapter}</n> two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Amminadab's son Nahshon. 


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<n>{Day Two: Nathaniel's Offering}</n> d On the second day, Zuar's son Nethanel, leader of the descendants of Issachar, presented 


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as his offering a silver dish weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing 70 shekels (calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary), both filled with choice flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Zuar's son Nathaniel. 


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<n>{Day Three: Eliab's Offering}</n> d On the third day, Helon's son Eliab, leader of the descendants of Zebulun presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Helon's son Eliab. 


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<n>{Day Four: Elizur's Offering}</n> d On the fourth day, Shedeur's son Elizur, leader of the descendants of Reuben presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering, two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Shedeur's son Elizur. 


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<n>{Day Five: Shelumiel's Offering}</n> d On the fifth day, Zurishaddai's son Shelumiel, leader of the descendants of Simeon, presented 


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as his offering a silver dish weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing 70 shekels (calculated according to the shekel of the sanctuary), both filled with choice flour mixed with oil for grain offering; 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Zurishaddai's son Shelumiel. 


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<n>{Day Six: Eliasaph's Offering}</n> d On the sixth day, Deuel's son Eliasaph, leader of the descendants of Gad, presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Deuel's son Eliasaph. 


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<n>{Day Seven: Elishama's Offering}</n> d On the seventh day, Ammihud's son Elishama, leader of the descendants of Ephraim, presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Ammihud's son Elishama. 


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<n>{Day Eight: Gamaliel's Offering}</n> d On the eighth day, Pedahzur's son Gamaliel, leader of the descendants of Manasseh, presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Pedahzur's son Gamaliel. 


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<n>{Day Nine: Abidan's Offering}</n> d On the ninth day, Gideoni's son Abidan, leader of the descendants of Benjamin, presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Gideoni's son Abidian. 


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<n>{Day Ten: Ahiezer's Offering}</n> d On the tenth day, Ammishaddai's son Ahiezer, leader of the descendants of Dan, presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Ammishaddai's son Ahiezer. 


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<n>{Day Eleven: Pagiel's Offering}</n> d On the eleventh day, Ochran's son Pagiel, leader of the descendants of Asher, presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Ochran's son Pagiel. 


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<n>{Day Twelve: Ahira's Offering}</n> d On the twelfth day, Enan's son Ahira, leader of the descendants of Naphtali, presented 


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Their sacrifice for a peace offering consisted of two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one year old lambs. These were the offerings presented by Enan's son Ahira. 


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<n>{Summary of Offerings}</n> d This was what was presented at <n>{The Heb. lacks what was presented at}</n> the dedication of the altar from the leaders of Israel on the same day that it was anointed: twelve silver bowls, twelve silver basins, twelve gold ladles. 


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Each bowl weighed 130 silver shekels and each basin weighed 70 shekels. All the silver vessels weighed a total of 2,400 shekels, calculated according to the <n>{The Heb. lacks calculated according to the}</n> shekel of the sanctuary. 


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Also, twelve gold ladles filled with incense were presented, <n>{The Heb. lacks were presented}</n> each ladle weighing ten shekels (calculated according to the shekel <n>{The Heb. lacks calculated according to the shekel}</n> of the sanctuary). All of the gold of the ladles weighed 120 shekels. 


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All the livestock for burnt offerings totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve sheep in their first year with corresponding meal offerings, and twelve male goats for sin offerings. 


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All the livestock for peace offerings totaled 24 bulls, 60 rams, 60 male goats, and 60 one year old lambs all this was for the altar's dedication after it was anointed. 


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<n>{God Speaks above the Mercy Seat}</n> d When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord , <n>{Lit. with him}</n> he heard a voice speaking to him above the Mercy Seat <n>{Or atonement place , and so throughout the book}</n> over the Ark of the Testimony. He spoke to him from between the two cherubim. 


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"Tell Aaron, «When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps will illuminate the area in <n>{The Heb. lacks the area in}</n> front of the lamp stand.»" <n>{Or menorah}</n> 


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So Aaron did so, setting up the lamps to illuminate the area in <n>{The Heb. lacks the area in}</n> front of the lamp stand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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This was how the lamp stand was crafted from hammered gold: From its base to its flowers, it was made of hammered gold. Moses crafted the lamp stand just as the Lord had showed him. <n>{Lit. Moses}</n> 


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This is what you are to do for them in order to purify them: Sprinkle purifying water over them, have them shave their skin, and then have them wash their garments, and they will be purified. 


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They are to take a young bull along with its meal offering made of flour mixed with oil. "Then you are to take a second young bull as a sin offering. 


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Assemble the descendants of Levi in front of the appointed place of meeting, and assemble the whole congregation of Israel, too. 


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Bring the descendants of Levi into the Lord's presence and have the Israelis lay their hands on the descendants of Levi. 


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"Then Aaron is to present the descendants of Levi as a wave offering before the Lord from the Israelis, because they are to work in the service of the Lord . 


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The descendants of Levi are then to lay their hands on the head of the bulls, offering one for a sin offering and the other one for a burnt offering to the Lord to atone for the descendants of Levi. 


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"You are to make the descendants of Levi stand in the presence of Aaron and his sons. Then you are to wave them as wave offerings to the Lord . 


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This is how you are to separate the descendants of Levi from among the Israelis. The descendants of Levi belong to me. 


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"After this, the descendants of Levi are to come to serve at the appointed place of meeting, after you have purified them and presented them as wave offerings, 


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since they've been set apart for me from among the Israelis. "I've taken them for myself instead of the first to open the womb every firstborn of the Israelis, 


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since every firstborn of Israel belongs to me, from human beings to livestock. "On the same day that I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated them to myself, 


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I've set the descendants of Levi apart from the Israelis so that Aaron and his sons would work in service at the appointed place of meeting, making atonement on behalf of the Israelis so that there won't be a plague among the Israelis whenever they approach the sanctuary." 


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So Moses and Aaron and the Israelis did this on behalf of the descendants of Levi. The Israelis did everything that the Lord commanded concerning the descendants of Levi. 


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The descendants of Levi therefore purified themselves, washed their clothes, and then Aaron presented them as wave offerings to the Lord . Aaron provided atonement for them to purify them. 


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After this, the descendants of Levi entered into their work of service at the appointed place, in the presence of Aaron and his sons. They did everything that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the descendants of Levi. 


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"Now regarding a descendant of Levi who is 25 years and above, he is to enter work in the service at the appointed place of meeting, 


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He may minister to his brothers at the Tent of Meeting by keeping watch, but he is not to engage in service. This is how you are to act with respect to the obligations of the descendants of Levi." 


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<n>{The Passover at Sinai}</n> <n>{ (Exodus 12:1-20)}</n> d The Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai during the first month of the second year that they had left Egypt, 


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on the fourteenth day of this month. You are to observe it at this appointed time between the evenings. You are to observe it according to all its decrees and laws." 


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They observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai. The Israelis did everything that the Lord had commanded through Moses. 


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<n>{Special Passover Rules}</n> d But there were men who couldn't observe the Passover that day because they had come in contact with a corpse. That very day, they approached Moses and Aaron 


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and asked, "Why can't we bring an offering to the Lord at the appointed time among the Israelis, even though we are unclean because we came in contact with a corpse?" 


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"Instruct <n>{Or speak}</n> the Israelis that when any of you or your descendants becomes unclean due to contact with a corpse, or if he is on a long journey, he nevertheless is to observe the Lord's Passover. 


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On the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight, they are to eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 


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They are not to leave any of it to remain until morning nor are they to break any of its bones. They are to observe it according to all the statutes of the Passover. 


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"Now as to the person <n>{Lit. man}</n> who is clean and isn't traveling, but fails to observe the Passover, that person <n>{Or soul}</n> is to be eliminated from his people, because he didn't bring an offering to the Lord at its appointed time. That person is to bear his sin. 


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"If a resident alien lives with you and wants to observe the Lord's Passover, let him observe it according to the statutes and laws of the Passover. You are to maintain the same statute <n>{Lit. one decree shall be for you}</n> for the resident alien as you do for the native of the land." 


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<n>{The Fire Cloud over the Tent}</n> d On the same morning <n>{Lit. day}</n> that the tent was set up, a cloud covered the tent, that is, the Tent of Testimony, and in the evening fire appeared over the tent until morning. 


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Whenever the cloud above the tent ascended, the Israelis would travel and encamp in the place where the cloud settled. 


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According to whatever the Lord said, <n>{Lit. to the mouth of the Lord}</n> the Israelis would travel. According to whatever the Lord said, they would camp as long as the cloud remained over the Tent of Meeting. 


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When the cloud over the tent remained for a longer time, the Israelis did what the Lord had instructed and didn't travel. 


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There were times when the cloud remained over the tent for a number of days. They camped in accordance with the Lord's instructions and they traveled in accordance with Lord's instructions. 


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There were times when the cloud remained from evening until morning, but when the cloud ascended in the morning, they would journey. Whether by day or by night, they would travel whenever the cloud ascended. 


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Whether for two days, a month, or for longer periods, whenever the cloud would remain above the tent, the Israelis would remain in camp, not traveling. But whenever it ascended, then they would travel. 


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According to what the Lord said, they would remain in camp, and according to what the Lord said, they would travel. They kept the commands that the Lord had given through Moses. 


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"Make two trumpets, crafting them from beaten silver, for use in calling the congregation together and for notifying the camps to set out for travel. 


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Sound them when the whole assembly is to gather together at the entrance of the appointed place of meeting. 


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"When one trumpet is blown, the elders and the heads of the thousands of the Israelis are to gather to you. 


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"When you sound the alarm the second time, those encamped on the south are to begin to travel. Alarms are to be sounded for their travels. 


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"But when you blow the trumpet to assemble the whole congregation, don't use the same sound as you do for sounding an alarm. <n>{The Heb. lacks as you do for sounding an alarm}</n> 


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"The descendants of Aaron the priest are to blow the trumpets. Have them do this for you permanently throughout your generations to come." 


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<n>{Sounding the Trumpet in Battle}</n> d "When you wage war in your land against an enemy who is hostile to you, you are to sound an alarm with the trumpets. Then you will be remembered before the face of the Lord your God and you will be delivered from your enemies. 


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At the beginning of the month, during your time of rejoicing at the appointed place, sound the trumpet over your burnt offering, then sacrifice your peace offering, since they are to be your memorial before the Lord your God. I am the Lord your God." 


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<n>{Order of Travel in the Wilderness}</n> d On the twentieth day of the second month in the second year, the cloud was lifted up from the Tent of Meeting, 


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The standard of the camp of Judah was the first to travel, accompanied by its army with Amminadab's son Nahshon in charge. 


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Then the standard of the camp of Reuben set out, accompanied by its army with Shedeur's son Elizur in charge. 


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Then the descendants of Kohath, carrying the sanctuary, set out, since the tent was to be set up before they arrive. 


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After this, the standard of the camp of Ephraim set out, accompanied by its army with Ammihud's son Elishama in charge. 


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Then the standard of the camp of Dan set out, functioning as the rear guard for all the encampments, accompanied by its army with Ammishaddai's son Ahiezer. 


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<n>{Moses invites His Father-in-Law to Accompany Israel}</n> d Then Moses told Reuel's son Hobab, Moses'relative by marriage <n>{The Heb. word can connote any family relationship established through marriage, including father-in-law or brother-in-law ; cf. Judg 4:11; Exod 2:18 3:1, 18.}</n> from Midian, "We are traveling to the place about which the Lord said «I will give it to you.'So come with us and we'll be good to you, because the Lord has spoken good things about Israel." 


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Then Moses <n>{Lit. he}</n> responded, "Please don't leave us now, since you know where we can camp in the wilderness. You could be our guide. <n>{Lit. be eyes for us}</n> 


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And when you come with us, the good things that the Lord will grant us, we'll give you as well." <n>{Lit. we'll cause to be good to you}</n> 


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So they traveled from the mountain of the Lord , a three-day trip, with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord traveling in front of them a three day trip to explore a place for them to rest. 


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Whenever the ark was ready to travel, Moses would say: "Arise, Lord, to scatter your enemies, so that whoever hates you will flee from your presence." 


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Whenever the ark was being readied to rest, he would say: "Return, Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel." 


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<n>{Israel Complains}</n> d Eventually, the people began complaining about their distress, and the Lord heard them. When the Lord heard, his anger flared up and the Lord's fire incinerated some of them within the outskirts of the camp. 


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When the people cried out to Moses, he <n>{Lit. Moses}</n> prayed to the Lord and the fire stopped. 


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Meanwhile, certain riff-raff among the people <n>{Lit. among them}</n> had an insatiable appetite <n>{Lit. craved for a craving}</n> for food. As a result, they wept and turned back, and the Israelis cried out, "If only somebody would feed us some meat! 


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How we remember the fish that we used to eat in Egypt for free! And the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic! 


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But now we can't stand it anymore, <n>{Lit. now our strength is dried up}</n> because there's nothing in front of us except this manna." 


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Now manna was reminiscent of coriander seed, with an appearance similar to amber. <n>{Lit. bdellium ; i.e. a clear gum resin}</n> 


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People would go out to gather it, then they would grind it in mills or pound it in mortars, and then they would boil it in pots or make cakes out of it that tasted like butter cakes. 


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<n>{Moses Responds}</n> d Moses heard the people weeping throughout their entire families. Everyone gathered at the entrance of their tents so that the Lord was very angry. Moses thought the situation was bad, 


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so he <n>{Lit. Moses}</n> asked the Lord , "Why did you bring all this trouble to your servant? Why haven't I found favor in your eyes? After all, you're putting the burden of this entire people on me! 


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"Did I conceive this people or give birth to them, so that you would tell me to carry them near my heart like a wet nurse carries a suckling baby to the land that you promised to their forefathers? 


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Where am I going to get meat to give this people? After all, they're crying in front of me, «Give us meat to eat!'


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If this is how you treat me, please kill me right now, if I've found favor in your eyes, because I don't want to keep staring at all of this <n>{Lit. at my}</n> misery!" 


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<n>{The Appointment of 70 Elders}</n> d Then the Lord told Moses, "Gather together for me 70 men who are elders of Israel, men whom you know to be elders of the people and officers over them. Then bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them stand there with you. 


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Then I'll come down and speak with you. I'll take some of the spirit that rests on you and apportion it among them, so that they may help you bear the burden of the people. That way, you won't bear it by yourself." 


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<n>{God Threatens to Provide Meat}</n> d "But give this command to the people: «You are to consecrate yourselves, because tomorrow you're going to eat meat, since you've complained where the Lord can hear it, "Who can give us meat to eat? After all, life was better with us in Egypt."'Therefore, the Lord is going to give you meat and you'll eat 


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but for a whole month until it comes out your nostrils and makes you vomit. This is because you've despised the Lord, who is among you, and you cried out in his presence, complaining, «Why did we ever leave Egypt?»" 


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<n>{Moses Doubts God's Ability}</n> d Moses responded, "I'm with 600,000 people on foot and you're saying I am to give them enough <n>{The Heb. lacks enough}</n> meat to eat for a whole month? 


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What if we were to slaughter our entire inventory of <n>{The Heb. lacks our entire inventory}</n> flocks and herds for them? Would that be enough? What if we could gather all the fish in the sea in nets for them? Would that be enough, either?" 


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<n>{God Rebukes Moses}</n> d But the Lord responded to Moses, "Is the Lord short on power? <n>{Lit. hand}</n> You're now going to witness whether what I say will come to pass or not." 


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So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He gathered 70 men from the elders of the people and stationed them around the tent. 


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The Lord came down in a cloud, spoke to Moses, <n>{Lit. him}</n> and made an apportionment from the spirit who rested on him to the 70 elders. When the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but that was it. <n>{Lit. prophesied, and not again}</n> 


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Now two men had remained in camp. One was named Eldad and the other was named Medad. When the spirit rested on them, since they were among those who were listed but had not gone out to the tent, they stayed behind <n>{The Heb. lacks stayed behind and}</n> and prophesied in the camp. 


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In response, Nun's son Joshua, Moses'attendant and one of his choice men, exclaimed, "My master Moses! Stop them!" 


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"Are you jealous on account of me?" Moses asked in reply. "I wish all of the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!" 


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<n>{Quails Come to the Camp}</n> d Just then, a wind burst forth from the Lord , who brought quails from the sea and spread them all around the camp, about a day's journey in each direction, completely encircling the camp about three feet deep <n>{Lit. about two cubits}</n> on top of the ground! 


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The people stayed up all that day, all that night, and all through the next day, gathering quails. The one who gathered least gathered enough to fill ten 80-gallon drums, <n>{Lit. ten homers ; i.e. about 3,000 liters at about 300 liters/homer}</n> as they spread out all around the camp. 


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But even as they were chewing the meat and before they had swallowed it, the Lord became very angry with the people and struck them with a disastrous plague. 


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That's why the place was named Kibroth-hattaavah, <n>{Lit. The Graves of Desire}</n> because they buried the people there who had an insatiable appetite for meat. <n>{Lit. who had great cravings}</n> 


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<n>{Aaron and Miriam Rebel}</n> d Miriam and Aaron rebelled against Moses on account of the Cushite woman that he had married. 


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They asked, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he also spoken through us?" But the Lord heard it. 


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All of a sudden, the Lord told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam: "The three of you are to come out to the Tent of Meeting." So the three of them went out. 


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Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. So both of them went forward. 


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Then he told the two of them: "Pay attention to what I have to say! When there is a prophet among you, won't I, the Lord , reveal myself to him in a vision? Won't I speak with him in a dream? 


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"But that's not how it is with my servant Moses, since he has been entrusted with my entire household! 


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I speak to him audibly <n>{Lit. mouth to mouth}</n> and in visions, not in mysteries. <n>{Lit. dark speeches}</n> If he can gaze at the image of the Lord , why aren't you afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" 


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but when the cloud ascended from the tent, Miriam had become leprous, as white as snow! Aaron turned toward Miriam, and she had leprosy! 


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Aaron begged Moses, "I pray my lord, please don't hold this sin against us, since we've acted foolishly and sinned in doing so. 


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Please don't let her be like one of the living dead, who is born with a congenital skin disease." <n>{Lit. with half his skin consumed}</n> 


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But the Lord told Moses, "If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she be humiliated? She is to be placed in isolation for seven days. After that, she may be brought in." 


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So Miriam was isolated outside the camp for seven days and the people didn't travel until Miriam was brought in. 


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"Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I'm about to give to the Israelis. Send one man to represent each of his ancestor's tribes, every one of them a distinguished leader <n>{Lit. them one lifted up}</n> among them." 


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So that's just what Moses did, sending them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the Lord's instructions. All of the men were Israeli leaders. 


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These are the names of the men sent by Moses to explore the land. <n>{Moses Issues Orders to the Explorers}</n> d Moses renamed Nun's son Hoshea to Joshua. 


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Then he <n>{Lit. Moses}</n> sent them out to explore the land of Canaan. He instructed them, "Go up from here through the Negev, <n>{I.e. the southern regions of the Sinai peninsula; cf. Josh 10:40}</n> then ascend to the hill country. 


text:
See what the land is like. Observe whether the people who live there are strong or weak, or whether they're few or numerous. 


text:
Look to see whether the land where they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are merely tents or if they're fortified. 


text:
Examine the farmland, <n>{Lit. land}</n> whether it's fertile or barren, and see if there are fruit-bearing trees in it or not. Be very courageous, and bring back some samples of the fruit of the land." As it was, that time of year <n>{The Heb. lacks of year}</n> was the season for the first fruits of the grape harvest. 


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So they went to explore the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, and as far as the outskirts of Hamath. 


text:
They went through the Negev <n>{I.e. the southern regions of the Sinai peninsula; cf. Josh 10:40}</n> and reached Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (Hebron had been constructed seven years before Zoan in Egypt had been built). <n>{The Heb. lacks had been built}</n> 


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Soon they arrived in the valley of Eshcol, where they cut a single branch of grapes and carried it on a pole between two men, <n>{The Heb. lacks men}</n> along with some pomegranates and figs. 


text:
The entire place was called the Eshcol Valley on account of the cluster of grapes that the men of Israel had taken from there. 


text:
came in to Moses and Aaron, and delivered their report to the entire congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back their report to the entire congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. 


text:
"We arrived at the place where you've sent us," they reported, "and it certainly does flow with milk and honey. Furthermore, this is its fruit, 


text:
except that the people who have settled in the land are strong, and their cities are greatly fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak. 


text:
Amalek lives throughout the Negev, <n>{I.e. the southern regions of the Sinai peninsula; cf. Josh 10:40}</n> while the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and on the bank of the Jordan." 


text:
Caleb silenced the people on Moses'behalf and responded, "Let's go up and take control, because we can definitely conquer it." 


text:
"We can't attack those people," the men who were with him said, "because they're too strong compared to us." 


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So they put out this false report to the Israelis about the land that they had explored: "The land that we've explored is one <n>{Lit. is a land}</n> that devours its inhabitants. All the people whom we observed were giants. <n>{Lit. observed are men of measurements}</n> 


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We also saw the Nephilim, <n>{Cf. Gen 6:4}</n> the descendants of Anak. Compared to the Nephilim, as we see things, we're like grasshoppers, and that's their opinion of us!" 


text:
<n>{The People Rebel}</n> d At this, the entire assembly <n>{Or congregation}</n> complained, started to shout, and cried through the rest of that night. 


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All the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron. Then the entire assembly responded, "We wish that we had died in Egypt or <n>{Lit. that we have died}</n> in this wilderness. 


text:
What's the point in the Lord bringing us to this land? To die by the sword so our wives and children would become war victims? Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?" 


text:
Nun's son Joshua and Jephunneh's son Caleb, who had accompanied the others who also had explored the land, tore their clothes 


text:
and attempted to reason with the entire congregation of Israel. They told them, "The land that we went through and explored is very, very good. 


text:
If the Lord is pleased with us, he'll bring us into this land and give it to us. It flows with milk and honey. 


text:
However, don't rebel against the Lord or be afraid of the people who live in the land, because we'll gobble them right up. <n>{Lit. because they are bread for us}</n> Their defenses will collapse, because the Lord is with us. You are not to be afraid of them." 


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But the entire congregation was talking about stoning them to death. <n>{God Rebukes Unbelieving Israel}</n> d Suddenly, the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all of the Israelis. 


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"How long will this people keep on spurning me and refusing to trust me, despite all the miracles <n>{Or signs}</n> that I've done among them?" the Lord asked Moses. 


text:
"That's why I'm going to attack them with pestilence and disinherit them. Instead, I'll make you a great nation even mightier than they are!" 


text:
<n>{Moses Intercedes for Israel}</n> d But Moses responded to the Lord , "When Egypt hears that you've brought this people out from among them with a mighty demonstration of power, <n>{The Heb. lacks demonstration of}</n> 


text:
they'll also proclaim to the inhabitants of this land that they've heard you're among this people, Lord , whom they've seen face to face, <n>{Lit. seen eye to eye}</n> since your cloud stands guard over them. You've guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night. 


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"But if you slaughter this people all at the same time, <n>{Lit. as a man}</n> then the nations who heard about your fame <n>{Lit. report}</n> will say, 


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«The Lord slaughtered this people in the wilderness because he wasn't able to bring them to the land that he promised them.'


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«The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in faithful love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he won't acquit the guilty. He recalls the iniquity of fathers to the third and fourth generation.'<n>{The Heb. lacks generation}</n> 


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"Forgive, please, the iniquity of this people, according to your great, faithful love, in the same way that you've carried this people from Egypt to this place." 


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<n>{God Responds to Moses}</n> d The Lord responded, "I've forgiven them based on what you've said. 


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none of those men who saw my glory and watched my miracles that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness even though they've tested me these ten times and never listened to my voice 


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"Now as to my servant Caleb, because a different spirit is within him and he has remained true to me, I'm going to bring him into the land that he explored, <n>{Lit. entered}</n> and his descendants are to inherit it. 


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Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite live in the valley. Tomorrow, turn and then travel to the wilderness in the direction of the Reed <n>{So MT; LXX reads Red}</n> Sea." 


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"How long will this wicked assembly keep complaining about me? I've heard the complaints of the Israelis that they've been murmuring against me. 


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So tell them that as long as I live consider this to be an oracle from the Lord as certainly as you've spoken right into my ears, that's how I'm going to treat you. 


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


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"You will certainly never enter the land about which I made an oath with my uplifted hand to settle you in it, except for Jephunneh's son Caleb and Nun's son Joshua. 


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However, I'll bring your little ones the ones whom you claimed would become war victims into the land so that they'll know by experience the land that you've rejected. 


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and your children will wander throughout the wilderness for 40 years. They'll bear the consequences of your idolatries <n>{Lit. fornications}</n> until your bodies are entirely consumed in the wilderness. 


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Just as you explored the land for 40 days, you'll bear the consequences of your iniquities for 40 years one year for each day as you experience my hostility. 


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I, the Lord , have spoken. "I will indeed do this to this evil congregation, who gathered together against me. They'll be eliminated in this wilderness and will surely die." 


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<n>{God Kills the Unbelieving Explorers}</n> d After this, the men whom Moses sent out to explore the land, who returned and made the whole congregation complain against him by bringing an evil report concerning the land, 


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<n>{Rebellion against God's Punishment}</n> d After Moses had told all of this to the Israelis, the people deeply mourned. 


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So they got up early the next morning and traveled to the top of the mountain, telling themselves, "Look, we're here and we're going to go up to the place that the Lord had spoken about, even though we've sinned." 


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But Moses asked them, "Why do you continue to sin against what the Lord said? Don't you know that you can never succeed? 


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Don't go up, since you know that the Lord is no longer with you. <n>{Lit. longer in your midst}</n> You'll be attacked right in front of your own enemies. 


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The Amalekites and Canaanites are there waiting for you. You'll die <n>{Or fall}</n> violently, <n>{Lit. die by the sword}</n> since you've turned your back and have stopped following the Lord . The Lord won't be with you." 


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But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain, even though the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and Moses didn't leave the camp. 


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The Amalekites came down, accompanied by some Canaanites who lived in the mountains. They attacked and defeated them even while the Israelis were retreating <n>{The Heb. lacks even while the Israelis were retreating}</n> to Hormah. 


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when you enter the land where you'll be living that I'm about to give you, you are to make an offering by fire to the Lord, either a burnt offering, a sacrificial offering to fulfill a vow, or a voluntary offering at the appointed time, to make a pleasing aroma to the Lord either from your cattle or from your flocks. 


text:
"The offeror is to bring the oblation to the Lord, containing one tenth of an ephah <n>{The Heb. lacks of an ephah}</n> of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with one fourth of a hin of olive oil. 


text:
"For a ram, prepare a grain offering consisting of two tenths of an ephah <n>{The Heb. lacks of an ephah}</n> of fine flour mixed with one third of a hin of olive oil. 


text:
"Now as for your drink offering, offer one third of a hin of wine as a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 


text:
"When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering, or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or for peace offerings to the Lord, 


text:
then the bullock is to be presented accompanied by a meal offering of three tenths of an ephah <n>{The Heb. lacks of an ephah}</n> of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil. 


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"As for drink offerings, offer half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire is a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 


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Depending on the number of offerings <n>{The Heb. lacks of offerings}</n> that you prepare, do for each one according to their number. 


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"Every native born person is to do these things, bringing an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord ." 


text:
<n>{Offerings by Resident Aliens}</n> d "Now, if a resident alien <n>{Or foreigner}</n> lives <n>{Lit. sojourn}</n> with you, or whoever else is with you throughout your generations, let him make an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord . Just as you do, so is he to do. 


text:
There is to be a single standard for your community, one statute for you and the resident alien who lives with you, a long lasting statute throughout your generations. Just as you do, so is the resident alien to do in the presence of the Lord . 


text:
when you have eaten some of the bread that the land produces, you are to offer a raised offering to the Lord. 


text:
You are to offer a cake made from the first of your bread dough as a raised offering to the Lord . Offer it as a raised offering right off your threshing floor. 


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<n>{Offerings for Inadvertant National Sin}</n> d "Here's what you are to do <n>{The Heb. lacks Here's what you are to do}</n> when you all <n>{Lit. you (plural)}</n> go astray and fail to observe all these commands that the Lord had spoken to Moses, 


text:
including anything that the Lord commanded you by the authority <n>{Lit. by the hand}</n> of Moses, starting from the day the Lord commanded Moses and continuing through your generations. 


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When anything is done without the knowledge <n>{Lit. is hidden from the eyes}</n> of the congregation, the entire community is to offer one young bull for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, along with its meal and drink offerings offered according to procedure, and one male goat for a sin offering. 


text:
Then the priest is to make atonement for the entire community of the Israelis, and they will be forgiven <n>{Or it are to be forgiven them}</n> for inadvertent sins. They are to bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, as well as their sin offering, into the Lord's presence on account of their error. 


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Then the entire community of Israel will be forgiven, along with the resident alien who lives among them, since all the people will have sinned inadvertently." 


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<n>{Offerings for Inadvertant Personal Sin}</n> d "Now when one person <n>{Lit. soul}</n> sins inadvertently, then he is to bring a one-year old female goat for a sin offering. 


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Then, in the Lord's presence, the priest is to make atonement for the person who sinned inadvertently, that is, to make atonement on his behalf so he may be forgiven. 


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You are to have a single law for the one who does things inadvertently, whether for the native-born Israeli or for the resident alien who lives among you." 


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<n>{On Willful Sin}</n> d "But if some person acts with a high hand, whether a native-born or a resident alien, he blasphemes God, and that person is to be eliminated from among his people. 


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Because he has despised the law of the Lord and has broken his commands, that person is certainly to be eliminated. His iniquity will remain on him." 


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As it was when the Israelis were in the wilderness, they found a man who was gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 


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Then the Lord told Moses, "The man is certainly to die. The entire community is to stone him to death outside the camp." 


text:
So the whole community brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones so that he died, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


text:
"Tell the Israelis that they are to make tassels at the edges of their garments throughout their generations and that they are to put a violet cord on the tassels at the edges of their garments. 


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That way, when you see the tassel, you'll remember all the commands of the Lord and you'll observe them. Then you won't seek your own interests and desires <n>{Lit. heart and your own eyes}</n> that lead you to be unfaithful. 


text:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God." 


text:
<n>{The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram}</n> d Now Izhar's son Korah, the grandson of Kohath, a descendant of Levi, along with Eliab's sons Dathan and Abiram, and Peleth's son On, a descendant of Reuben, took charge 


text:
of a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 community leaders, Israelis who were famous men and representatives from the assembly. 


text:
They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and told them, "You have appropriated too much for yourselves from the entire congregation, since all of them are holy, and the Lord is among them, too. Why do you exalt yourselves over the Lord's assembly?" 


text:
Then he addressed Korah and his entire company, "In the morning, may the Lord reveal who belongs to him and who is holy. May he cause that person <n>{Lit. him}</n> to approach him. May he cause to approach him the one whom he has chosen. 


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and put fire and incense in them in the Lord's presence tomorrow. It will be that the man whom the Lord chooses will be holy. You're taking too much for yourselves, you descendants of Levi." 


text:
Is it such an insignificant thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelis to draw you to himself, appointing you to do the work of the tent of the Lord and to stand before the community to minister to them? 


text:
He brought you near, along with all of your relatives, the descendants of Levi. Are you also seeking the priesthood? 


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Therefore you and your group have conspired against the Lord and Aaron. What is it that causes you to complain against him?" 


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Is it such an insignificant thing that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness? Now you're trying to make yourself be a prince and rule over us, aren't you? 


text:
You still haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you really think that you can make these men look the other way? <n>{Lit. men blind}</n> We won't go up." 


text:
Moses was very angry, so he told the Lord, "Please don't accept their offering. I haven't taken even one donkey from them nor have I hurt even one of them." 


text:
Then Moses told Korah, "You and your entire company are to present yourselves in the Lord's presence tomorrow you, they, and Aaron. 


text:
Each man is to take a censer, put incense on it, and bring it into the Lord's presence, each man with his censer, for a total of 250 censers. You and Aaron are each to bring his own censer." 


text:
So each man took his censer, put fire coals inside of it, placed incense in it, and then stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, accompanied by Moses and Aaron. 


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When Korah had assembled the entire community in opposition to Moses and Aaron <n>{Lit. to them}</n> at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire community. 


text:
Then they fell on their faces and said, "God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, will you be angry at the entire congregation on account of one man's sin?" 


text:
Then he told the community, "Move away from the camps of these wicked men and don't touch anything that belongs to them. That way you won't be destroyed along with all their sins." 


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So they all moved away from the entire area where Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were living. Now Korah, Dathan, and Abiram stood at the entrance of their tents with their wives, sons, and little children. 


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Then Moses said, "This is how you'll know that the Lord has sent me to do all these awesome works they're not coming merely from me. <n>{Lit. not of my heart}</n> 


text:
If these people die a death similar to all other human beings, or if they are punished with a punishment common to other men, then the Lord didn't send me. 


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But if the Lord creates something new, <n>{Lit. creates a creation}</n> so that the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and everything that belongs to them and they all descend directly to Sheol <n>{I.e. the realm of the dead}</n> while still alive, then you'll know that these men have spurned the Lord ." 


text:
<n>{God Executes Korah's Families}</n> d Just as he finished saying all these things, the ground under them split open. 


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The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, all their households, everyone who was affiliated with Korah, and all of their property. 


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So they and all that belonged to them descended alive to Sheol. <n>{I.e. the realm of the dead}</n> Then the earth closed over them. That's how they were annihilated from the assembly. 


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Then all of the Israelis who were around them ran away when they heard them crying, "the ground won't swallow us up, too." 


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<n>{The Censers Used for the Altar}</n> d <n>{is 17:1 in MT, 16:37 is 17:2 , and so through 16:50 .}</n> Then the Lord instructed Moses, 


text:
"Tell Aaron's son Eleazar the priest to take out the censers out of the flames <n>{Lit. from between burning}</n> and scatter the coals far away, since they are holy. 


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As for the censers of those rebels who died, fasten them into beaten plates to line the altar. Since they brought them into the Lord's presence, they're holy. They are to become a reminder <n>{Lit. sign}</n> to the Israelis." 


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So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been burned and beat them into metal plates for the altar, 


text:
to serve as a memorial to the Israelis, a reminder that no unauthorized person, who isn't a descendant of Aaron, is to attempt <n>{Lit. to come near}</n> to burn <n>{Lit. to sacrifice}</n> incense in the Lord's presence, so that he may not become like Korah and his group, just as the Lord had spoken by the authority <n>{Lit. by the hand}</n> of Moses. 


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<n>{The Israelis Continue to Complain}</n> d Nevertheless, the very next day, the whole congregation of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, "You've killed the Lord's people!" 


text:
When the community gathered together against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tent of Meeting. All of a sudden, a cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. 


text:
Then Moses told Aaron. "Take the censer, put fire on it from the altar, and burn some incense. Then walk quickly to the congregation and atone for them, because wrath has already come out from the Lord the plague has begun." 


text:
So Aaron took the censer, <n>{The Heb. lacks the censer}</n> just as Moses had spoken, and ran out to the center of the assembly, where a plague had begun among the people. He set the incense on fire and atoned for the people. 


text:
Those who died due to the plague numbered 14,700, not counting those who died due to the matter with Korah. 


text:
Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting after the slaughter had been restrained. 


text:
"Tell the Israelis to take a rod one from each ancestral house, that is, one from every leader, for a total of twelve rods. Write each tribal name on his rod. 


text:
You are also to write Aaron's name on the tribe of Levi, since there is to be one rod for every leader of their ancestral tribes. 


text:
"Then lay them there in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Ark of the Covenant <n>{Lit. testimony}</n> where I'll meet with you. 


text:
The rod that belongs to the man whom I'll choose will burst into bloom. That's how I'll put a stop to the complaints of the Israelis, who are complaining against you." 


text:
So Moses spoke to the Israelis, and each of the tribe leaders gave him a rod, one for each leader, according to their ancestral tribes, for a total of twelve rods. Aaron's rod was one of them. 


text:
The next morning, Moses went to the Tent of Testimony and the rod of Aaron of the tribe of Levi had burst into bloom! It sprouted buds, bloomed blossoms, and produced fully ripe almonds! 


text:
Then Moses took out all the rods from the Lord» s presence to show <n>{The Heb. lacks show}</n> all the Israelis. Everybody looked, and then each man took his rod. 


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Then the Lord instructed Moses, "Return Aaron's rod before the testimony <n>{I.e. the Ark of the Covenant}</n> to be kept for a reminder <n>{Lit. sign}</n> against the rebels <n>{Or sons of rebellion}</n> so that you may put an end to their complaints against me and so that they won't die." 


text:
<n>{Responsibilities for Priests and Descendants of Levi}</n> d Later, the Lord told Aaron, "You, your sons, and your father's tribe with you are to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary. Also, you and your sons with you are to bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 


text:
"Moreover, bring your brothers from your father's tribe of Levi with you, so they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you stand in the presence of the Tent of Testimony. 


text:
They are to take care of your concerns and all the responsibilities involved with the tent. "But they're not to approach the holy vessels or the altar. That way, neither you nor they will die. 


text:
They are to join you to maintain services related to the Tent of Meeting, for all the responsibilities involved with the tent. But no unauthorized person <n>{Lit. stranger}</n> is to approach you. 


text:
"Take care of the sanctuary and the services of the altar so that there won't be any more wrath on the Israelis. 


text:
Notice that I've taken your brothers, the descendants of Levi, from among the Israelis, giving them to you as a gift from the Lord to perform the service of the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
Now you and your sons with you are to maintain your priestly duties and all matters that concern the altar and what is housed within the veil. You are to perform these services. I'm giving you the priesthood as a gift of service, but any unauthorized person <n>{Lit. stranger}</n> who approaches is to be put to death." 


text:
<n>{Ownership for Offerings}</n> d Then the Lord told Aaron, "Look! I am indeed placing you in charge of my raised offerings and the holy things concerning the Israelis. Because of your anointing, I'm giving you and your sons a prescribed portion forever. 


text:
"This is what is to belong to you from consecrated offerings spared <n>{The Heb. lacks spared}</n> from the fire: all of their offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings that they render to me. They're to be considered most sacred to you and your sons. 


text:
"The raised offering and wave offerings presented by the Israelis are yours, too. I've given them to you, to your sons, and to your daughters as a prescribed apportionment forever. Everyone who is clean in your household may eat it. 


text:
All the best <n>{Lit. fat}</n> oil, wine, grain, and first fruits that they give to the Lord are to belong to you. Everyone who is clean in your household may eat it. 


text:
"The first ripe fruits of everything that the land produces and that they bring to the Lord are yours, too. Everyone who is clean in your household may eat it. 


text:
Everything that opens the womb, any living thing that they bring to the Lord whether from human beings or animals are for you. Just be sure that you redeem the firstborn of people and the firstborn of unclean animals. 


text:
"Those that can be redeemed, you are to redeem at the age of one month, based on your estimate for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, that is, for 20 gerahs. 


text:
But you are not to redeem the firstborn of a cow, sheep, or a female goat. They are holy. You are to sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat for an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 


text:
I'm giving you, your sons, and your daughters as a prescribed portion forever all the raised offerings of the consecrated things that the Israelis offer to the Lord . It's a salt covenant forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you." 


text:
<n>{Land Prohibited to Descendants of Levi}</n> d Then the Lord instructed Aaron, "You are not to have any inheritance in the land, nor are you to have any portion among the people. <n>{Lit. among them}</n> I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelis. 


text:
As to the descendants of Levi, certainly I've given all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for their services that they perform at the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
Therefore, the Israelis need no longer come to the Tent of Meeting, so they won't suffer the consequences of their sin and die. 


text:
The descendants of Levi are to perform the service of the Tent of Meeting and they are to bear their iniquity. This is to be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that they are not to receive an inheritance among the Israelis, 


text:
because I've given to the descendants of Levi the tithes that the Israelis bring to the Lord as raised offering. Therefore I told them that, unlike the Israelis, they won't receive an inheritance." 


text:
"Tell the descendants of Levi that when they receive tithes from the Israelis (the tithes that I've given you from them as an inheritance), you are to offer a tenth of it <n>{The Heb. lacks a tenth of it}</n> as a raised offering for the Lord . 


text:
Your raised offerings are to be accounted for you as though it were grain from threshing floors and full produce from wine vats. 


text:
You are to offer a raised offering to the Lord from all your tithes that you receive from the Israelis. Give Aaron the priest the raised offering of the Lord 


text:
out of all the most consecrated offerings that you receive, that is, all the raised offerings of the Lord, with all its best and the most holy parts of it. 


text:
Tell them that when they bring the best from it, as far as the descendants of Levi are concerned, it is to be considered like produce from the threshing floors and wine vats. 


text:
You and your household may eat it anywhere, because it's a reward to you in return for your services at the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
You won't sin by offering the best of it, and you are not to profane the sacred things of the Israelis, so that you won't die." 


text:
"This is the ordinance of the law that the Lord commanded that the Israelis be told: They are to bring you a spotless red heifer, without physical defect, that has never been fitted with a yoke. 


text:
They are to deliver it to Eleazar the priest, and it is to be brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 


text:
"Then Eleazar the priest is to take blood from it with his finger and sprinkle the blood in front of the Tent of Meeting. 


text:
The entire heifer is to be incinerated in his presence, including its skin, its flesh, its blood, and its dung. 


text:
Then the priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet material and throw it into the middle of the burning heifer. 


text:
The priest is to wash his clothes and bathe himself <n>{Lit. bathe his flesh}</n> with water, after which he may enter the camp, but he is to remain unclean until evening. 


text:
"Whoever takes part in the burning is to wash his clothes and bathe himself <n>{Lit. bathe his flesh}</n> in water and is to remain unclean until the evening. 


text:
"Then someone <n>{Lit. man}</n> who is unclean is to gather the ashes of the heifer and lay them outside the camp in a clean place. This is to be done for the community of Israel to use for water of purification from sin. 


text:
"Whoever gathers the ashes of the heifer is to wash his clothes and is to remain unclean until the evening. "This ordinance is to remain for the benefit of both the Israelis and the resident aliens who live among them." 


text:
<n>{Purification for Contact with the Dead}</n> d "Whoever comes in contact with the body of a dead person is to remain unclean for seven days. 


text:
He is to purify himself on the third day and he will be clean on the seventh day. But if he can't purify himself on the third day then he can't be clean on the seventh day. 


text:
"Anyone who comes in contact with a dead person (that is, with the corpse <n>{Lit. soul}</n> of a human being <n>{Lit. a man}</n> who has died), but who does not purify himself, defiles the Lord's tent. That person is to be eliminated from Israel, because the water of impurity wasn't sprinkled on him. He remains unclean and his uncleanness will remain with him. 


text:
"This is the procedure to follow <n>{Lit. the law}</n> when a man dies in his tent: Everyone who enters the tent and everyone in it is to remain unclean for seven days. 


text:
"Whoever is out in an open field and touches the body of <n>{The Heb. lacks the body of}</n> someone who was killed by a sword, or a dead body, or someone's bones, or a grave, he is to be considered unclean for seven days. 


text:
Now as for the unclean, they are to take ashes from the burning sin offering, and pour running water on it inside a vessel. 


text:
A clean person is to take some hyssop, dip it in water, and then sprinkle it on the tent, on every vessel, and on whoever <n>{Lit. souls}</n> was there (that is, on whoever touched the bones, the killed person, or the dead body, including whoever dug the grave). 


text:
"And the clean person is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third day and seventh day and then he is to purify himself on the seventh day, wash his clothes, and bathe with water. He is to be considered clean at evening. 


text:
"The person <n>{Lit. man}</n> who is unclean but who doesn't purify himself is to be eliminated from contact with the assembly, since he has defiled the Lord's sanctuary and the water of impurity wasn't sprinkled on him. He is to be considered unclean 


text:
as a continuing <n>{Or eternal}</n> reminder to them. "Whoever sprinkles the water of impurity is to wash his clothes, and whoever comes in contact with the water of impurity is to remain unclean until evening. 


text:
Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches is to be considered unclean and the person who touches him is to be considered unclean until the evening." 


text:
<n>{The Meribah Springs}</n> <n>{ (Exodus 17:1-7)}</n> d The entire community of the Israelis entered the Zin wilderness during the first month. The people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. 


text:
As the people argued with Moses, they told him, "We wish that we had died when our relatives died in the Lord's presence! 


text:
Why did you bring the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness? So we and our cattle could die here? 


text:
Why did you take us out of Egypt and bring us to this terrible place? There's no place to plant seeds, fig trees, vines, or pomegranates! And there's no water to drink!" 


text:
Then Moses and Aaron went into the presence of the community at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 


text:
"Take the rod, gather the community together, and then you and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock right before their eyes. It will release water. As you bring water to them from the rock, the community and the cattle will be able to drink." 


text:
Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock. "Pay attention, you rebels!" Moses told them. "Are we to bring you water from this rock?" 


text:
Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Lots of water gushed out, and both the community and their cattle were able to drink. 


text:
<n>{The Lord Disciplines Moses}</n> d But the Lord rebuked Moses and Aaron, telling Moses: "Because you both <n>{Lit. you (plural)}</n> didn't believe me, because you didn't consecrate me as holy <n>{Lit. to set apart}</n> in the presence <n>{Lit. eyes}</n> of the Israelis, you won't be the ones to bring this congregation into the land that I'm about to give them." 


text:
Because the Israelis argued with the Lord and he was set apart among them, this place was called the Meribah Springs. <n>{The Heb. Name Meribah means Place of Strife}</n> 


text:
<n>{The Israelis Approach Edom}</n> d Later, Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom with this message: "This is what your relative Israel says: «You know all the hardships we've encountered. <n>{Lit. found us}</n> 


text:
Our ancestors went down to Egypt, where we lived for many years. <n>{Lit. years}</n> But the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors viciously. 


text:
Then we cried to the Lord and he heard our voice, sending us a messenger who brought us out of Egypt. Now look! We've arrived in Kadesh, a city at the extreme end of your territory. 


text:
Permit us now to pass through your land. We won't pass through your fields or vineyards, and we won't drink water <n>{Lit. waters}</n> from your wells. We'll keep to the King's Highway without turning either right or left until we have passed through your territory.»" 


text:
But Edom replied, "You are not to pass through my land. <n>{Lit. through me}</n> If you do, I'll come out and start a war with you." 


text:
Then the Israelis replied, "Permit us to travel on the highway. If we and our cattle drink your water, we'll pay the price you ask. Only please let us walk through, and nothing more." <n>{Lit. through without anything}</n> 


text:
But still he replied, "No. You're not to pass through." Then Edom went out to meet Moses with a vast army and a lot of military might. <n>{Lit. a mighty hand}</n> 


text:
That's how Edom refused Israel passage through their territory. So Israel turned away from there. <n>{Lit. him}</n> 


text:
<n>{The Death of Aaron}</n> d They traveled from Kadesh, and then the entire community of the Israelis arrived at Mount Hor. 


text:
"Aaron is to be gathered to his people, since he is not to enter the land that I'm about to give the Israelis. After all, you both rebelled against my command <n>{Lit. my mouth}</n> at the Meribah Springs. 


text:
Remove Aaron's vestments and place them on his son Eleazar, because Aaron is to be gathered to his people <n>{The Heb. lacks to his people}</n> and die there." 


text:
So Moses did just what the Lord had commanded. They ascended Mount Hor right in front of the entire community. 


text:
As Moses was stripping Aaron's garments from him and clothing Aaron's son Eleazar with them, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Afterwards, Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 


text:
<n>{The Destruction of Hormah}</n> d When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, <n>{I.e. the southern regions of the Sinai peninsula; cf. Josh 10:40}</n> heard that Israel was coming along the Atharim caravan route, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 


text:
Then Israel <n>{I.e. the Israelis personified as a nation}</n> made this vow in the Lord's presence: "If you give these people into our control, <n>{Lit. hand}</n> we intend to devote their cities to total destruction." 


text:
When the Lord heard what Israel had decided to do, <n>{Lit. heard the voice of Israel}</n> he delivered the Canaanites to them, and Israel <n>{Lit. he}</n> exterminated them and their cities. They named the place Hormah. 


text:
<n>{The Bronze Serpent}</n> d After this, they traveled from Mount Hor along the caravan route by way of the Sea of Reeds and went around the land of Edom. But when the people got impatient because it was a long route, 


text:
the people complained against the Lord and Moses. "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" they asked. "There's no food <n>{Lit. bread}</n> and water, and we're tired of this worthless bread." <n>{Or light bread ; i.e. the manna}</n> 


text:
In response, the Lord sent poisonous <n>{Lit. fiery}</n> serpents among the people to bite them. As a result, many people of Israel died. 


text:
Then the people approached Moses and admitted, "We've sinned by speaking against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord, that he'll remove <n>{Lit. turn away}</n> the serpents from us." So Moses prayed in behalf of the people. 


text:
Then the Lord instructed Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent out of brass and fasten it to a pole. Anyone who has been bitten and who looks at it will live." 


text:
So Moses made a bronze serpent and fastened it to a pole. If a person who had been bitten by a poisonous serpent looked to the serpent, <n>{Lit. to it}</n> he lived. 


text:
Then they traveled from Oboth and encamped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is in the vicinity of Moab's eastern border. 


text:
Then from there they traveled to the other side of Arnon and camped in the wilderness that borders the territory of the Amorites. (Arnon borders Moab between Moab and the Amorites, 


text:
which is why the book of the Wars of the Lord reads, "Waheb and Suphah and the wadis <n>{I.e. seasonal rivers that are dry in the summer}</n> of the Arnon, 


text:
and the slope of the valleys, that extends to the dwelling places of Ar and the borders of Moab." ) 


text:
From there they traveled <n>{The Heb. lacks they traveled}</n> to the Well of Beer, where the Lord had instructed Moses, "Gather the people together and I'll give you water." 


text:
It's the well that the leaders dug, the one carved out by the nobles of the people with their scepters and staffs. Then they moved on in the wilderness from there to Mattanah, 


text:
and from Bamoth to the valley of Moab where their fields are, and from there to the top of Mount Pisgah, that looks down toward the open desert. 


text:
<n>{Israel Conquers the Amorites}</n> d Later, Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who conveyed this request: <n>{The Heb. lacks who conveyed this request}</n> 


text:
"Permit us to pass through your land. We won't trespass in your fields or vineyards. We won't drink water from any well, and we'll only travel along the King's Highway until we've passed through your territory." 


text:
Instead of letting Israel pass through his territory, Sihon mustered his entire army and marched out to meet them in the wilderness. He arrived at Jahaz and attacked Israel. 


text:
But Israel defeated <n>{Lit. smote}</n> him in battle <n>{Lit. him with the edge of the sword}</n> and took possession of all his lands from Arnon to Jabbok, including the Ammonites, even though the border of the Ammonites was strong. 


text:
So Israel captured all of those cities, occupied <n>{Lit. lived}</n> all the Amorite cities in Heshbon, and all its towns. <n>{Lit. in all its daughters}</n> 


text:
Heshbon was the capital city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who fought against the previous king of Moab and captured all his land from his capital city <n>{Lit. his hand}</n> to Arnon. 


text:
Therefore the ones who speak in proverbs say: Come to Heshbon and let it be built! Let the city of Sihon be established! 


text:
A fire has gone out from Heshbon, and a flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab and the lords of the high places who lived in Arnon. 


text:
Woe to you, Moab! You are destroyed, you people of Chemosh! He has given up his sons as fugitives and his daughters have gone into captivity to Sihon, king of the Amorites. 


text:
We've fired at them. Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon. We've destroyed them as far as Nophah even as far as Medeba. 


text:
<n>{Israel Conquers Bashan}</n> d Then Moses sent out explorers to scout Jazer. They captured its towns <n>{Lit. daughters}</n> and drove out the Amorites who were there. 


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


text:
The Lord told Moses, "You are not to fear him, because I'm going to deliver him, his entire army, and his land into your control. Do to him just what you've done to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who used to live in Heshbon." 


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


text:
<n>{Balak Summons Balaam}</n> d The Israelis continued their travels, eventually <n>{22:1The Heb. lacks eventually}</n> encamping on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River <n>{22:1The Heb. lacks River}</n> opposite Jericho. 


text:
As a result, Moab greatly feared the people, because they were so numerous. Because a sense of impending doom was afflicting the Moabites as they faced the Israelis, 


text:
the Moabites told the elders of Midian, "This horde of people is about to lick up everything around us, like an ox licks up the green ground." At that time, Zippor's son Balak was the king of Moab. 


text:
He sent messengers to Beor's son Balaam in Pethor, near the Euphrates <n>{The Heb. lacks Euphrates}</n> River, the land where the descendants of his people originated, <n>{Or the river of the people of Amaw ; LXX reads the river of the land}</n> to summon his aid. He said, "Look! A group of <n>{The Heb. lacks group of}</n> people have escaped from Egypt. They cover the surface of the whole earth, and are sitting here right in front of me. 


text:
So come right now and curse this people for me, because there are too many of them for me to handle. <n>{The Heb. lacks to handle}</n> Perhaps I'll be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land, since I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed." 


text:
So the elders of Moab and Midian left to visit Balaam, bringing an honorarium with them, <n>{Lit. bringing divinations in their hand}</n> and communicated Balak's concerns to him. 


text:
In answer, Balaam <n>{Lit. he}</n> told them, "Stay here for the night and I'll bring back a message <n>{Lit. word}</n> to you, depending on what the Lord says to me." So the officers of Moab stayed with Balaam overnight. 


text:
<n>{God Forbids Balaam to Cooperate}</n> d God visited Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men with you?" 


text:
«Look! A group of <n>{The Heb. lacks group of}</n> people have escaped from Egypt. They cover the surface of the whole earth! So come right now and curse them for me. Perhaps I'll be able to fight against them and drive them out.»" 


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


text:
who approached Balaam with this message: "This is what Zippor's son Balak says: «Don't let anything get in the way of your coming to me. 


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


text:
Balaam responded to Balak's entourage by saying, "Even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I won't double-cross the command of the Lord my God in even the slightest way. <n>{Lit. God to do anything whether insignificant or great}</n> 


text:
God came to visit Balaam that same night and told him, "If the men come to call on you, get up and go with them, but be sure to do only what I tell you to do." 


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


text:
<n>{Balaam's Donkey Rebukes its Owner}</n> d At this, the anger of the Lord flared up against Balaam, because he was leaving. So the angel of the Lord stood in the way to oppose him. As Balaam <n>{Lit. he}</n> was riding his donkey, accompanied by two of his servants, 


text:
all of a sudden the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with an unsheathed sword in his hand! The donkey turned off the road and went into an open field. Balaam started beating the donkey in order to turn her back to the road, 


text:
but the angel of the Lord stood on a narrow path that crossed the vineyards. It had walls on both sides of the path. 


text:
When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she squeezed herself so close to the wall that Balaam's foot was pressed to the wall. So he beat her again! 


text:
Then the angel of the Lord went along a little further and stood in a much narrower space, where it was impossible <n>{Lit. there's no way}</n> to turn either right or left. 


text:
When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord , she crouched down under Balaam. As a result, Balaam got so angry that he started to whip <n>{Lit. struck}</n> the donkey with his staff. 


text:
That's when the Lord enabled the donkey to speak. <n>{Lit. Lord opened the donkey's mouth}</n> She asked Balaam, "What did I do to you that you would beat me in the space of only <n>{The Heb. lacks only}</n> three footsteps?" 


text:
"Because you're playing a dirty trick on me," Balaam answered the donkey. "If only I had a sword in my hand! I'd kill you right now!" 


text:
But in response, the donkey asked Balaam, "I'm your donkey that you've ridden on in the past without incident, <n>{The Heb. lacks without incident}</n> am I not, and I'm the same donkey you're riding on right now, am I not? Am I in the habit of treating you like this?" "No," he admitted. 


text:
Then the Lord enabled Balaam to see, so he observed the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with an unsheathed sword in his hand. So he bowed down and prostrated himself on his face. 


text:
Then the angel of the Lord asked him, "Why did you beat your donkey in the space of only <n>{The Heb. lacks only}</n> three footsteps? I've come to oppose you, because I say that what you're doing is perverted. 


text:
If she hadn't turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and left her alive!" At this, Balaam replied to the angel of the Lord , "I've sinned! I didn't know that you were standing to meet me on the road. So now, since it displeases you, let me go back." <n>{Lit. let me return to me}</n> 


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


text:
When Balak heard that Balaam had arrived, he went out to meet him in the city of Moab on the border of Arnon at the extreme end of his territory. 


text:
Balak asked Balaam, "Didn't I repeatedly send for you to summon you? Why didn't you come to me? I can pay you well, <n>{Lit. can honor you}</n> can't I?" 


text:
Balaam answered Balak, "Well, I'm here now. I've come to you, but I can't just say anything, can I? I'll speak only what God puts in my mouth to say." 


text:
The next day, Balak brought Balaam up to Bamoth-baal, where he could see part of the community of Israel. 


text:
<n>{Balaam's First Sacrifice}</n> d Balaam told Balak, "Build for me here seven altars and prepare here for me seven bulls and seven rams. 


text:
Then Balaam instructed Balak, "Stand by your offering and leave me alone by myself. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me. I'll tell you whatever he reveals to me." And so he went to a high place, 


text:
where the Lord met with Balaam, who told him, "I've prepared seven altars and offered bulls and rams on an altar." 


text:
So Balaam returned to where Balak had been standing, that is, next to his offerings, accompanied by all the Moabite officials. 


text:
<n>{Balaam's First Prophecy}</n> d Then Balaam uttered this prophetic statement: "King Balak of Moab brought me from Aram, from the eastern mountains, and told me, «Come and curse Jacob for me. Come and curse Israel.'


text:
But how can I curse those whom God hasn't cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? 


text:
I saw them from the top of the rocks. I watched them from the hills Truly this is a people that lives by itself and doesn't matter <n>{Lit. count}</n> among the nations. 


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


text:
"What are you doing to me?" Balak asked Balaam. "I brought you to curse my enemies, not pronounce a blessing!" 


text:
But in response, Balaam asked, "Shouldn't I be careful to communicate only what the Lord puts in my mouth?" 


text:
<n>{Balaam's Second Sacrifice}</n> d "Come with me to another place where you can see them," Balak replied. "You'll only see a portion of them, because you won't be able to see them completely. Come and curse them from there for me." 


text:
So Balak <n>{Lit. he}</n> took him to the field of Zophim, and from there to the top of Mount <n>{The Heb. lacks Mount}</n> Pisgah, where he built seven altars and then offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 


text:
Then he told Balak, "Stand by your offering while I go alone to meet the Lord ." <n>{The Heb. lacks with the Lord}</n> 


text:
So Balaam returned to where Balak had been standing, that is, next to his offerings, accompanied by the Moabite officials. "What did the Lord say?" Balak asked him. 


text:
<n>{Balaam's Second Prophecy}</n> d In response, Balaam uttered this prophetic statement: "Stand up, Balak, and pay attention! Listen to me, you son of Zippor! 


text:
God is not a human male he doesn't lie, nor is he a human being he never vacillates. Once he speaks up, He's going to act, isn't he? Once he makes a promise, He'll fulfill it, won't he? 


text:
He has not responded to iniquity in Jacob or gazed at mischief in Israel. The Lord his God is with them, And the triumphant cry of a king is among them. 


text:
No Satanic plan against Jacob nor divination against Israel can ever prevail. When the time is right, it is to be asked about Jacob and Israel, «What has God accomplished? '


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


text:
<n>{Balaam's Third Sacrifice}</n> d So Balak exhorted Balaam, "Let's go right now! I'll take you to another place. Maybe God will agree to have you curse them for me from there." 


text:
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount <n>{The Heb. lacks Mount}</n> Peor, which overlooks the open wilderness. <n>{Lit. the Jeshimon ; a desert wasteland not suitable for agriculture or human habitation}</n> 


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


text:
<n>{Balaam's Third Prophecy}</n> d When Balaam noticed that the Lord was pleased that Balaam was blessing Israel, he didn't behave as he had time after time before, that is, to practice divination. Instead, he turned with his face to the wilderness, 


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


text:
Balaam uttered this prophetic statement: "A declaration by Beor's son Balaam, a declaration by the strong, blind man. <n>{Lit. strong man with a closed eye}</n> 


text:
A declaration from one who hears what God has to say, who saw the vision that the Almighty revealed, who keeps stumbling, with open eyes. 


text:
They're spread out like valleys, like gardens along river banks, like aloe planted by the Lord , or like cedars beside water. 


text:
He will pour water from his buckets; and his descendants will stream forth like abundant water. His king will be more exalted than Agag when he exalts his own kingdom. 


text:
God is bringing them <n>{Lit. him ; i.e. national Israel personified as an individual}</n> out of Egypt, with the strength of an ox. He'll devour enemy nations, break their bones, and impale them with arrows. 


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


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


text:
Now get out of here! I had promised you that I would definitely honor you, but now the Lord has kept me from doing that!" 


text:
«Even if Balak gives me his palace <n>{Or house}</n> full of silver and gold, I won't double-cross the command of the Lord and do anything whether good or evil on my own initiative, because I'm going to say whatever the Lord says.'


text:
Meanwhile, since I have to return to my people, come and listen while I tell you what this people will be doing to your people in the last days." 


text:
<n>{Balaam's Final Prophecies}</n> d Then Balaam <n>{Lit. he}</n> uttered this prophetic statement: "The declaration by Beor's son Balaam, a declaration by the strong, blind man. 


text:
A declaration from one who hears what God has to say, who knows what the Most High knows, who saw the vision that the Almighty revealed, who keeps stumbling with open eyes. 


text:
I can see him, but not right now. I observe him, but from a distance. <n>{Lit. but not nearby}</n> A star streams forth from Jacob; a scepter arises from Israel. He will crush Moab's forehead, along with all of Seth's descendants. 


text:
Edom will be a conquered nation and Seir will be Israel's <n>{Lit. his}</n> defeated foe, while Israel performs valiantly. 


text:
Next, Balaam <n>{Lit. he}</n> looked directly at Amalek and then uttered this prophetic statement: Even though Amalek is an international leader, his future is permanent destruction. 


text:
Balaam also uttered this prophetic statement about the Kenites: <n>{I.e. gentile Midianites}</n> Your dwelling places are stable, because your nest is carved in solid rock. 


text:
Nevertheless, Kain will be incinerated. How long will it take until Asshur <n>{I.e. ancient Assyria}</n> takes you hostage? 


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


text:
<n>{Worship of Baal of Peor}</n> d While Israel remained encamped in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with Moabite women, 


text:
who also invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods. So the people ate what they had sacrificed <n>{The Heb. lacks what they had sacrificed}</n> and then worshipped their gods. 


text:
The people joined the Baal-peor cult. <n>{Lit. joined themselves to Baal-Peor ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> As a result, the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel, 


text:
so the Lord told Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute <n>{Or hang}</n> them in broad daylight for the Lord , so the Lord's burning anger may be withdrawn from Israel." 


text:
Then Moses ordered the judges of Israel, "Each one of you is to execute the men in his own tribe <n>{The Heb. lacks in his own tribe}</n> who joined the Baal-peor cult." 


text:
That very moment, one of the Israelis arrived, bringing to his brothers one of the Midianite women, right in front of Moses and the entire community of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting! 


text:
When Eleazar's son Phinehas, grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up from the middle of the community, grabbed a javelin in his hand, 


text:
followed the Israeli man inside his tent, <n>{Or inner part of the tent}</n> and impaled the two of them the Israeli man and the woman right through both of them and into her abdomen. Then the plague infecting the Israelis was brought to a halt. Nevertheless, 


text:
"Eleazar's son Phinehas, grandson of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from Israel. Because his zealousness reflected my own zeal for them, I didn't consume Israel in my jealousy. 


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


text:
Now the name of the Israeli man who was slain, along with the Midianite woman, was Salu's son Zimri, a leader from the tribe of Simeon. 


text:
The woman who was slain, that is, the Midianite woman, was named Cozbi. She was the daughter of Zur, a leader <n>{Lit. head}</n> of one of the ancestral houses of Midian. 


text:
because they've acted deceitfully, bringing trouble to you in this incident at Peor with Cozbi, daughter of a Midian prince, who was killed during the plague that came about because of the incident at Peor." 


text:
<n>{The Second Census of Israel}</n> d After the plague was over, the Lord told Moses and Aaron the priest's son Eleazar, 


text:
"Take a census <n>{Lit. Lift the head}</n> of the entire community of Israel from the age of 20 years and above, according to each ancestral tribe, counting everyone who is able to go out to war in Israel." 


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Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to them in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River <n>{The Heb. lacks River}</n> in Jericho. 


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They counted every male Israeli who had come out of Egypt and who was 20 years old and above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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From Reuben, Israel's firstborn, the descendants of Reuben included from Hanoch, the family of the descendants of Hanoch; from Pallu, the family of the descendants of Pallu; 


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


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The descendants of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were removed from the community because they joined the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, as did Korah's company when they rebelled against the Lord . 


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The ground had opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with Korah. Also, that group died when the fire devoured 250 men as a warning sign, 


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The descendants of Simeon, listed according to their families, included: From Nemuel, the family of the descendants of Nemuel; from Jamin, the family of the descendants of Jamin; from Jachin, the family of the descendants of Jachin; 


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


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The descendants of Gad, listed according to their families, included: From Zephon, the family of the descendants of Zephon; from Haggi, the family of the descendants of Haggi; from Shuni, the family of the descendants of Shuni; 


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


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


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


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


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The tribe of Issachar, listed according to their families, included: From Tola, the family of the descendants of Tola; from Puvah, the family of the descendants of Puvah; 


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


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


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The descendants of Manasseh included: From Machir, the family of the descendants of Machir. (Machir was the father of Gilead.) From Gilead, the family of the Gileadites 


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included: From Iezer, the family of the descendants of Iezer; from Helek, the family of the descendants of Helek; 


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from Asriel, the family of the descendants of Asriel; from Shechem, the family of the descendants of Shechem; 


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


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


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


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These families of Ephraim numbered 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph, listed according to their families. 


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The tribe of Benjamin, listed according to their families, included: From Bela, the family of the descendants of Bela; from Ashbel, the family of the descendants of Ashbel; from Ahiram, the family of the descendants of Ahiram; 


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


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


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The tribe of Dan, listed according to their families, included the families of the descendants of Shuham. 


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


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


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The tribe of Naphtali, listed according to their families, included: From Jahzeel, the family of the descendants of Jahzeel; from Guni, the family of the descendants of Guni; 


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


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The more there are in number, <n>{The Heb. lacks number}</n> you are to increase their inheritance, and the less there are in number, you are to decrease their inheritance. You are to provide an inheritance to each based on the size of their family, 


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Depending on the lot, the portion of their inheritance is to be divided between those with more members <n>{The Heb. lacks members}</n> and those with lesser members." <n>{The Heb. lacks members}</n> 


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<n>{Levitical Genealogies}</n> d Those who were numbered from the descendants of Levi, listed according to their families, included: From Gershon, the family of the descendants of Gershon; from Kohath, the family of the descendants of Kohath; and from Merari, the family of the descendants of Merari. 


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These were the families of Levi: The family of the descendants of Libni, the family of the descendants of Hebron, the family of the descendants of Mahli, the family of the descendants of Musha, and the family of the descendants of Korah. Now Kohath had a son Amram. 


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Amram's wife was Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born to Levi in Egypt. She gave birth to Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 


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


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So this has been a list of those who were registered <n>{Or numbered}</n> by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they numbered the Israelis in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 


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But none of these men among these numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the Israelis in the wilderness of Sinai, survived to enter the land, 


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because the Lord had said about them, "They'll certainly die in the wilderness. No man will survive from them except Jephunneh's son Caleb and Nun's son Joshua." 


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<n>{Zelophehad's Daughters}</n> <n>{ (Numbers 36:1-12)}</n> d Now the daughters of Hepher's son Zelophehad, Gilead's grandson, who had been fathered by Machir, who had been fathered by Manasseh, from the tribe of Manasseh, the direct son of Joseph, were named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached 


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


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"Our father died in the wilderness, but he wasn't with the company of those who gathered against the Lord along with the company of Korah. He died in his own sin, and he had no sons. 


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Why are you going to eliminate the name of our father from his family, just because he had no son? Give us a possession from among our father's relatives." 


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"The daughters of Zelophehad are telling the truth. You are certainly to give to them a possession for an inheritance among their father's relatives. You are to pass on the inheritance of their father to them. 


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Tell the Israelis that when a man dies without a son, you are to pass his inheritance to his daughter. 


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If his father doesn't have brothers, then give his inheritance to a relative who is nearest to him from the family and he'll take possession of it. This is to be a permanent ordinance <n>{Lit. a statute, an ordinance}</n> for the Israelis, just as the Lord commanded Moses." 


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<n>{Preparations for a Sucessor to Moses}</n> d Then the Lord told Moses, "You are to climb these Abarim mountains and look over the land that I'm going to give the Israelis. 


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After you've seen it, you'll be taken to be with your people just as your brother Aaron was gathered to them, <n>{The Heb. lacks to them}</n> 


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because in the wilderness of Zin, when the community rebelled, you rebelled against my command to treat me as holy before their eyes in regards to the Meribah Springs in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin." 


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who will go in and out before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in so that the Lord's community won't be like a flock without a shepherd." 


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<n>{God Appoints Joshua}</n> d "Select Nun's son Joshua. The Spirit is in that man." the Lord answered Moses. "You are to lay your hand on him 


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and make him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. Then you are to set him in charge right before their eyes, 


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turning over your authority <n>{Or power}</n> to him so that the entire community of Israel knows to <n>{The Heb. lacks knows to}</n> obey him. 


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"You are to make him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest, who is to inquire on his behalf using the Urim <n>{I.e. a part of the priest's breast piece by which God provided revelation; cf. 1Sam 28:6}</n> in the presence of the Lord regarding a decision of judgment, because by his command <n>{Lit. mouth}</n> he and all the Israelis with him will go out or come in." 


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So Moses did what the Lord had commanded him. He took Joshua, made him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the entire community, 


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laid his hands on him, and charged him, just as the Lord had commanded, using Moses'authority. <n>{Lit. hand}</n> 


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"You are to command the Israelis about my offerings that they are to be sure to bring edible offerings to me, presented by fire and a pleasing aroma to me, at their appointed time. 


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"Tell them that this is the offering, presented by fire that you are to offer to the Lord : two one year old lambs, offered daily every day. 


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Offer the first lamb in the morning and the second toward the evening, <n>{Lit. between the evenings ; i.e. between the beginning of sunset and the sun's disappearance over the horizon; and so through chapter 29}</n> 


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accompanied by one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for grain offering, mixed with one fourth of a hin of pure olive oil. 


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This burnt offering, which was prescribed at Mount Sinai, is to be offered every day <n>{Lit. offered continuously}</n> as a pleasing aroma made by fire to the Lord . 


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"The drink offering is to be one fourth of a hin for each <n>{Lit. the one}</n> lamb. You are to pour out a drink offering of strong wine to the Lord in the Holy Place. 


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You are also to offer the second lamb toward the evening. Just like the morning sacrifice, <n>{The Heb. lacks sacrifice}</n> you are to present the grain offering, accompanied by its corresponding drink offering, as a presentation made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord ." 


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<n>{Sabbath Offerings}</n> d "Every Sabbath day, you are to offer two one year old lambs without any defects <n>{Or blemish}</n> with two tenths of an ephah <n>{The Heb. lacks ephah , but adopted throughout chapters 28 and 29}</n> of fine flour for grain offering, mixed with olive oil, along with their corresponding drink offering. 


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This burnt offering is to be presented every Sabbath, apart from the continuous burnt offering, along with its corresponding drink offering." 


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<n>{Monthly Offerings}</n> d "On the first day of each month, <n>{Lit. of your months}</n> you are to offer a burnt offering to the Lord consisting of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one year old lambs, all of them without any defects, 


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along with three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, for each bull, two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, for the one ram, 


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one tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb. This burnt offering will be a pleasing aroma, incinerated as an offering to the Lord . 


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Their drink offerings are to be half a hin of wine for each bull, one third of a hin for the ram, and one fourth of a hin for each lamb. This burnt offering is to be presented each and every month throughout the year. 


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One goat is to be offered at regular intervals as a sin offering to the Lord , accompanied by its corresponding drink offering." 


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<n>{Annual Offerings}</n> d "The Lord's Passover is to take place on the fourteenth day of the first month. 


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You are to hold a festival on the fifteenth day of this month for seven days, during which time unleavened bread is to be eaten." 


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<n>{A Week of Post-Passover Offerings}</n> d "On the first day, you are to hold a sacred assembly. No servile work is to be done. 


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Bring an offering that is to be incinerated in the Lord's presence, consisting of two young bulls, a ram, and seven one year old lambs, all without any defects, 


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along with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil. Offer three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the ram, 


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"Do this every day for seven days, as an edible sacrifice to the Lord made by fire, a pleasing aroma. It is to be offered apart from the continuous burnt offering and its corresponding drink offering. 


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On the seventh day you are to hold another sacred assembly for your benefit, on which no servile work is to be done." 


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<n>{First Fruit Offerings}</n> d "On the first day of your harvest season, you are to hold a sacred assembly when you present your first fruits during the Festival of <n>{The Heb. lacks Festival of}</n> Weeks. No servile work is to be done. 


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You are to offer this burnt-offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord : two young bulls, one ram, and seven one year old lambs, 


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along with their corresponding grain offerings of fine flour mixed with olive oil; specifically, three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths of an ephah for the one ram, 


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Offer them in addition to the regular burnt offering, accompanied by its grain offering and its corresponding drink offerings." 


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<n>{Offerings for the Festival of Trumpets}</n> <n>{ (Leviticus 23:23-25)}</n> d "You are to hold a sacred assembly on the first day of the seventh month of each year. No servile work is to be done. It's a day of blowing trumpets <n>{The Heb. lacks trumpets}</n> for you. 


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"You are to bring these burnt offerings as a pleasing aroma to the Lord : a one year old young bull, one ram, and seven one year old lambs, all without any defects, 


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along with their corresponding grain offering of fine flour, mixed with olive oil three tenths of an ephah for the young bull, two tenths of an ephah for the ram, 


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This is to be separate and apart from the burnt offering for the New Moon, with its corresponding grain offering, the continuous burnt offering with its corresponding grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their respective ordinances, as a pleasing aroma, an incinerated offering made to the Lord . 


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"You are to hold a sacred assembly on the tenth day of this same <n>{The Heb. lacks same}</n> seventh month. You are to humble yourselves, <n>{Lit. afflict your souls}</n> and no servile work is to be done. 


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You are to bring these burnt offerings to the Lord for a pleasing aroma: one young bull, one ram, seven one year old lambs, all without any defects, for you, 


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along with these corresponding grain offerings of fine flour mixed with olive oil: three tenths for the bull, two tenths for the one ram, 


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then one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering, to make atonement, along with the regular burnt offering, its corresponding grain and drink offerings." 


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<n>{Eight Days of Celebration: Day One}</n> d "You are to hold a sacred assembly on the fifteenth day of the same <n>{The Heb. lacks same}</n> seventh month. No servile work is to be done. You are to celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days by 


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bringing these burnt offerings made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord : Thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old lambs, all without any defects, 


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along with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil, three tenths for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, 


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and accompanied by one goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering, with its corresponding grain and drink offerings." 


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<n>{Eight Days of Celebration: Day Two}</n> d "On the second day, you are to present twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old lambs, all without defects, 


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along with their corresponding grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to their number, based on <n>{The Heb. lacks based on}</n> the ordinances, 


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<n>{Eight Days of Celebration: Day Three}</n> d "On the third day, you are to present eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen one year old lambs, all without defects, 


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along with their corresponding grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to their number, based on the ordinance, 


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<n>{Eight Days of Celebration: Day Four}</n> d "On the fourth day, you are to present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old lambs, all without defects, 


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along with their corresponding grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to their number based on their ordinance, 


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<n>{Eight Days of Celebration: Day Five}</n> d "On the fifth day, you are to present nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old lambs, all without defects, 


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with their corresponding grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to their number, based on the ordinance, 


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<n>{Eight Days of Celebration: Day Six}</n> d "On the sixth day, you are to present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old lambs, all without defects, 


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along with their grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to their number, based on the ordinance, 


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<n>{Eight Days of Celebration: Day Seven}</n> d "On the seventh day, you are to present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen one year old lambs, all without defects, 


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<n>{Eight Days of Celebration: Day Eight}</n> d "On the eighth day, you are to call a sacred assembly. No servile work is to be done. 


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You are to offer these burnt offerings by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord : one bull, one ram, and seven one year old lambs, all without defects, 


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along with their corresponding grain and drink offerings for the bull, ram, and lambs, according to their number, based on their ordinance, 


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and accompanied by one goat for a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering, with its corresponding grain and drink offerings. 


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"Present these to the Lord at your appointed festival, in addition to your offerings in fulfillment of vows, free will offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings." 


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<n>{is 30:1 in MT}</n> Moses instructed the Israelis regarding everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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<n>{Regulations Concerning Vows}</n> d <n>{is 30:2 in MT}</n> Later, Moses told the elders of the Israeli tribes, "This is what the Lord has commanded. 


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When a man makes a vow to the Lord , or swears an oath an obligation that is binding to himself he is not to break his word. Instead, he is to fulfill whatever promise <n>{Lit. words}</n> came out of his mouth." 


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<n>{Vows by Unmarried Women}</n> d "When a young woman makes a vow to the Lord or pledges <n>{Lit. binds ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> herself <n>{Lit. soul}</n> to an obligation while she still lives in her father's house, 


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and her father hears her vow and the obligations that she had pledged <n>{Or bonded ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> herself to fulfill, yet her father keeps silent about it, then all her vows and every obligation she pledged herself to are to stand. 


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"But if her father disallows her on the same day that he hears what she has said, then all her vows and every obligation she had pledged herself to fulfill are not to stand. The Lord will forgive her, because her father has forbidden her." 


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<n>{Vows by Married Women}</n> d "If she has a husband and she makes a vow that is binding on herself, or if she makes a hasty vow with her mouth that she pledges herself <n>{Lit. soul}</n> to fulfill, 


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and husband hears her vow, yet remains silent on the day that he hears it, then her vows are to stand and the obligation to which she had pledged herself is to stand. 


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But if, on the same day her husband hears, and he disallows her, then he has revoked her vows that she made for herself, along with any hasty vows that she spoke and to which she pledged herself to fulfill. The Lord will forgive her." 


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<n>{Vows by Widows or the Divorced}</n> d "Everything that a widow or a divorced woman pledges herself to fulfill are to be binding on her. <n>{Lit. are to stand against her}</n> 


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But if, while she had been living in her late or former <n>{The Heb. lacks late or former}</n> husband's house, she makes a vow or a promise that binds her with an oath, 


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and her husband hears it but remains silent, not disallowing it, then all her vows are to stand, along with every obligation that she has pledged herself to fulfill. 


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"But if her husband disallowed them the very day that he heard her, everything that she spoke relating to her vows and her obligation to herself are not to stand, because her husband had revoked them. The Lord will forgive her. 


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"Her husband may confirm <n>{Lit. make it stand}</n> or revoke every vow and binding obligation that afflicts her. 


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But if her husband remains silent about her from day to day, then he has affirmed all her vows or obligations that she has obligated herself to fulfill. <n>{The Heb. lacks that she has obligated herself to fulfill}</n> He has affirmed them because he remained silent from the day he heard her vows. <n>{The Heb. lacks her vows}</n> 


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But if he had nullified them after he had heard, then he will be responsible for any resulting iniquity." 


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These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses concerning a man and his wife and concerning a father and his young daughter while she still lives in her father's house. 


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"Be sure to exact vengeance on behalf of the Israelis from the Midianites, after which you'll be taken home <n>{Lit. be gathered}</n> to your people." 


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So Moses instructed the people, "Muster your men of war to attack the Midianites and deliver the Lord's vengeance against Midian. 


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So 1,000 men from every tribe 12,000 from the thousands of Israel were mustered and equipped for war. 


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Moses sent 1,000 men from every tribe to fight against them, along with Eleazar's son Phinehas, in whose hands were the articles of the sanctuary and trumpets to sound battle alarms. 


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They fought against the Midianites <n>{Lit. Midian}</n> just as the Lord had commanded Moses, killing every man. 


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They executed the five kings of Midian, including Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also executed Beor's son Balaam with a sword. 


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After this, the Israelis took captive the Midianite women and children <n>{Or little ones}</n> and confiscated as spoils of war all their cattle, livestock, and their goods. 


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Then they brought the captives, booty, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the entire community of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River in Jericho. 


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Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went out to meet them outside the camp. 


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<n>{Commands Concerning War Captives}</n> d But Moses became livid with anger at the officers of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds who had returned from servicing in the battle. 


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"Look! These women were the same ones who were counseled by Balaam to cause the Israelis to commit a grievous sin against the Lord at Peor. As a result, that plague infected the Lord's community. 


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You are to kill every male child <n>{Lit. every male among the little ones}</n> and every woman who has had sexual relations with a man. <n>{Lit. every woman who has known a man by lying with him}</n> 


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You are to allow the young women who haven't yet had sexual relations with a man <n>{Lit. little ones among the women, who had not known a man by lying with him}</n> to live for yourselves." 


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<n>{Purification after the Battle}</n> d "Now you are to stay outside the camp for seven days, after which anyone who has killed a person <n>{Lit. soul}</n> or touched someone who was killed may purify yourselves on the third day and you and your captives will be pure on the seventh day. 


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Furthermore, you are to purify every garment, that is, everything made of leather, goat's hair, or containing wood." 


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Eleazar the priest told soldiers who had gone to battle, "This is the ordinance of the law that the Lord commanded Moses 


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or anything that can survive a refiner's fire: You are to pass it through fire, after which it will be clean. Then it is to be purified with the water of impurity. Everything that cannot survive a refiner's fire is to be washed in water. 


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"Take an inventory of the booty that was taken in the battle, <n>{The Heb. lacks in the battle}</n> both of humans and of animals. You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the fathers of the community, 


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"After this, you are to exact a tribute for the Lord from the soldiers who went to war, consisting of the tribute earned by one person out of every 500, whether from people, cattle, donkeys, or flocks. 


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"You are to take half their share and give it to Eleazar the priest as a raised offering to the Lord . 


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"Then take half the share of the Israelis, one drawn out of every fifty people, cattle, donkeys, flocks, and from every animal, then give to the descendants of Levi who maintain the service of the Lord's tent." 


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Now, the goods confiscated, in excess of the war implements <n>{Lit. booty}</n> that the warriors had gathered was 675,000 sheep, 


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<n>{God's Portion of the War Booty}</n> d Now half of the share of those who went to war numbered 337,500 sheep, 


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Then Moses gave the tribute, a raised offering of the Lord , to Eleazar the priest, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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Moses took a portion drawn from every 50 Israelis, including from both human and animals, and gave them to the descendants of Levi who maintained the Lord's tent, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 


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Then the officers in charge of thousands of soldiers, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds approached Moses 


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and told him, <n>{Lit. Moses}</n> "Your servants took a count of the soldiers who were under our authority. We didn't miss a single man. 


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We've brought offerings to the Lord from whatever each man found jewel-encrusted gold, anklets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces to make atonement for ourselves <n>{Or our soul}</n> in the Lord's presence." 


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Then Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them and everything that was fashioned into jewels. 


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Moses and Eleazar took the gold from the captains of thousands and hundreds and brought it to the Tent of Meeting, to serve as a memorial to the Israelis in the Lord's presence. 


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<n>{Reuben and Gad Present a Proposal}</n> <n>{ (Deuteronomy 3:12-22)}</n> d Now, the descendants of Reuben and descendants of Gad happened to be joint owners of a very large herd of cattle. When they observed that Jazer and Gilead were good grazing lands <n>{The Heb. lacks grazing lands}</n> for cattle, 


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the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said, 


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the land that the Lord defeated in the sight of the community of Israel is perfect for cattle and your servants have cattle. 


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If we've found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as our possession instead of us crossing the Jordan River. <n>{The Heb. lacks River ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> 


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"Will your relatives have to go to war while you remain here?" Moses asked the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben in response. 


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"Why would you discourage <n>{Lit. discourage the heart}</n> the Israelis from crossing over to the land that the Lord has given them? 


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That's what <n>{Lit. thus}</n> your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore <n>{Or spy}</n> the land. 


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When they arrived in the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged <n>{Lit. discouraged the heart}</n> the Israelis from entering the land that the Lord had given them. 


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«Not one of the men who went up from Egypt from 20 years old and above will see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because none of them followed me whole heartedly, <n>{Lit. fully}</n> 


text:
except Jephunneh's son Caleb, the Kenizzite, and Nun's son Joshua. They've whole heartedly followed the Lord .'


text:
"The Lord's anger had flared up against Israel so that he made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that whole generation, who committed evil in the eyes of the Lord, had died. 


text:
And now, look! You're acting just like <n>{Lit. standing in place of}</n> your ancestors, like a brood <n>{Or an increase}</n> of sinful men, who are provoking the fierce anger of the Lord against the Israelis one step at a time. 


text:
If you stop following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness. You'll end up destroying this entire people." 


text:
<n>{A Compromise is Offered}</n> d Then they approached him and said, "Here's where we're going to build corrals for our cattle and cities for our families, <n>{Or little ones}</n> 


text:
but we will keep ourselves armed and stay ready to go with the Israelis until we've brought them to their own places. Our families intend to live in fortified cities in the presence of the inhabitants of the land, 


text:
but we won't return to our homes until every Israeli has taken possession of each of their inheritances, 


text:
since our inheritance will not be with them across the Jordan River and beyond. Instead, our inheritance is on this side of the Jordan River, facing eastward." 


text:
<n>{The Offer is Accepted}</n> d "If you do this," Moses replied to them, "that is, if you equip yourselves for war in the Lord's presence 


text:
and every one of your armed soldiers crosses over the Jordan River in the presence of the Lord until he has dispossessed his enemies ahead of him 


text:
and subjugated the land before him, <n>{Lit. before the Lord}</n> then afterwards when you return, you'll be able to stand blameless before the Lord and before Israel. This land will then be your possession before the Lord . 


text:
"But if you won't do so, look out! You will be sinning against the Lord . Be certain of this, that your sin will catch up to you! 


text:
So after you've built cities for your families and corrals for your cattle, be sure to keep your promises." 


text:
<n>{Moses Assigns the Territory}</n> d Then the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben spoke, "Your servants will do exactly what our master has commanded. 


text:
but every soldier that we've equipped for battle will cross the Jordan River <n>{The Heb. lacks the Jordan River}</n> in the presence of the Lord , as our master has spoken." 


text:
So Moses instructed Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua, and the officers of the ancestral tribes of the Israelis, 


text:
telling them, "If the descendants of Gad and descendants of Reuben cross over the Jordan River with you, that is, all of their soldiers who've been equipped for battle in the Lord's presence, so that the land is subjugated right before your eyes, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as their possession. 


text:
But if the armed men don't cross over with you, then they won't have any possession in the land of Canaan." 


text:
"We'll do just what the Lord told your servants," the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben responded. 


text:
"We are to cross over in battle array <n>{Lit. over as armed men}</n> in the Lord's presence into the land of Canaan, and afterwards the possession of our inheritance will be in this side of the Jordan River." 


text:
So Moses gave to the descendants of Gad, to the descendants of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the whole land with its cities, and even the territories surrounding it. 


text:
<n>{Gad and Rebuen Rebuilds Their Cities}</n> d The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 


text:
Nebo, Baal-meon, (after having changed their names) and Sibmah. The cities that they rebuilt were renamed. 


text:
The descendants of Manasseh's son Machir attacked Gilead and then captured and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 


text:
Manasseh's son Jair captured <n>{Lit. went and took}</n> their towns and renamed them Havvoth-jair. 


text:
<n>{Stages of Israel's Journey from Egypt}</n> d Here's the travel itinerary <n>{Lit. travel in stages}</n> for the Israelis after they left the land of Egypt in groups under the authority of Moses and Aaron. 


text:
Moses recorded their departures in their travels after being commanded <n>{Lit. mouth}</n> to do so by the Lord . Here's a list of their travels based on <n>{Lit. according to}</n> their departures: 


text:
They departed from Rameses on the first month, the fifteenth day of the first month. The day <n>{Lit. morrow}</n> after the Passover, the Israelis came out confidently, <n>{Lit. with a high hand}</n> and all the Egyptians watched them leave, 


text:
while they were burying their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them. The Lord also executed justice against their gods. 


text:
Then the Israelis traveled from Rameses and rested <n>{Or encamped and so throughout the chapter}</n> in Succoth. 


text:
They traveled from Etham but turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is outside of <n>{Lit. before ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> Baal-zephon. They rested outside of Migdol. 


text:
They traveled from Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness. They were on the road three days in the wilderness of Etham then rested in Marah. 


text:
They traveled from Marah and arrived at Elim. In Elim there were twelve wells <n>{Or springs}</n> of water and 70 palm trees, so they rested there. 


text:
They traveled from the Reed <n>{So MT; LXX reads Red}</n> Sea, then rested in the Wilderness of Sin. 


text:
They traveled from Alush, then rested in Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. 


text:
They traveled from Ezion-geber, then rested in the Wilderness of Zin, which is also known as Kadesh. 


text:
Then Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor in obedience to the Lord's command and died there, in the fortieth year after the Israelis had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 


text:
Meanwhile, the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev <n>{I.e. the southern regions of the Sinai peninsula; cf. Josh 10:40}</n> in the land of Canaan, heard of the approach of the Israelis, 


text:
They traveled from the mountains of Abarim, then rested in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 


text:
They rested by the Jordan River in the area from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab. 


text:
they are to drive out all the inhabitants of the land and destroy all their idols and their molten images. You are to demolish all their high places, 


text:
"You are to divide the land among yourselves by lot according to your families. The larger the families are in number, <n>{The Heb. lacks the families are in number}</n> the larger their inheritance is to be. The lesser the families are in number, <n>{The Heb. lacks the families are in number}</n> the lesser their inheritance is to be. To whomever the lot falls, that inheritance goes to him. Divide it according to your ancestral tribes. 


text:
"But if you fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, their survivors will become irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, to prick your sides and afflict you in the very land in which you'll be living. 


text:
"Issue these orders to the Israelis: «You're about to enter the land of Canaan. This territory has been apportioned to you as your inheritance: the entire land of Canaan, all the way to its borders." 


text:
<n>{The Southern Border of Israel}</n> d «To your south is the Wilderness of Zin, bordering Edom. Your southern border is to extend east toward the far end of the Dead <n>{Lit. Salt ; and so in 34:12}</n> Sea, 


text:
then it is to turn southward to the ascent of Akrabbim, cross Zin, and then run south of Kadesh-barnea and proceed from there to Hazar-addar and across to Azmon. 


text:
Then the border is to turn from Azmon toward the wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> of Egypt and from there to the Mediterranean <n>{The Heb. lacks Mediterranean}</n> Sea." 


text:
<n>{The Western Border of Israel}</n> d "The western <n>{Lit. sea}</n> border is to be the Mediterranean <n>{Lit. Great ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> Sea. This is to be the western border." 


text:
<n>{The Northern Border of Israel}</n> d "Your northern border is to extend from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor. 


text:
From Mount Hor, you are to mark out the entrance to Hammath, with the border running through Zedad, 


text:
<n>{The Eastern Border of Israel}</n> d "You are to mark the border on the east from Hazar-enan to Shepham. 


text:
The border is then to extend from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain, then to the Sea of Chinnereth <n>{I.e. the Sea of Galilee}</n> on the east. 


text:
The border is to continue along the Jordan River all the way to the Dead Sea. This is to be your land, as measured by its boundaries." 


text:
<n>{Assigning Tribal Responsibilities}</n> d Moses commanded the Israelis, "You are to inherit this land by lot, just as the Lord commanded to give it to the remaining <n>{The Heb. lacks remaining}</n> nine and a half tribes. 


text:
The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, as defined by their ancestral houses, have received their inheritance. 


text:
These two and a half tribes received their inheritance this side of the Jordan River, east of Jericho, facing the rising sun." 


text:
"These are the names of the men who are to divide the land for your inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Nun's son Joshua. 


text:
"From the tribe of Joseph, you are to appoint Ephod's son Hanniel to be leader of the half tribe of Manasseh; 


text:
These are the ones whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance of the Israelis in the land of Canaan. 


text:
<n>{Levitical Cities}</n> d The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Moab, beside the Jordan River near <n>{Lit. up against}</n> Jericho. He told him, 


text:
"Instruct the Israelis to set aside a portion of their inheritance for the descendants of Levi to live in, along with grazing land surrounding their towns. 


text:
The towns are to be reserved for their dwelling places and the grazing lands <n>{Or suburbs}</n> are to be reserved for their cattle, livestock, and all their animals. 


text:
"The grazing lands that you are to reserve for use by descendants of Levi are to extend 1,500 feet <n>{Lit. 1,000 cubits ; i.e. about 675 meters}</n> from the walls of the town. 


text:
You are to measure from outside the wall of the town on the east side 3,000 feet, <n>{Or two thousand cubits ; i.e. about 1,350 meters}</n> on the south side 3,000 feet, on the west side 3,000 feet, and on the north side 3,000 feet, with the town placed at the center. This reserved area is to serve as grazing <n>{Or open land}</n> land for their towns. 


text:
You are to set aside six towns of refuge from the towns that you will be giving to the descendants of Levi, where someone who kills a human being may run for shelter. In addition, give them 42 other towns. 


text:
"The total number of towns that you are to give to the descendants of Levi is to be 48 towns, including grazing lands surrounding these town. 


text:
You are to apportion the towns that you will be giving the Israelis according to the relative size of the tribe. Take a larger portion from those larger in numbers and a lesser portion from those lesser in number. Each is to set aside towns for the descendants of Levi proportional to the size of their inheritance that they receive." 


text:
they are to designate some towns of refuge so that anyone who kills someone inadvertently may flee there. 


text:
They are to serve as cities of refuge from a blood avenger <n>{Or related redeemer}</n> in order to keep the inadvertent killer from dying until he has stood trial in the presence of the community. 


text:
Appoint three towns this side of the Jordan River and three towns in the land of Canaan to serve as the towns of refuge, 


text:
that is, places <n>{The Heb. lacks places}</n> of refuge for the Israelis, the resident alien, <n>{Lit. the foreigner}</n> and any travelers among them. Anyone who kills a person inadvertently may flee there." 


text:
<n>{Exceptions to Eligibility}</n> d "Whoever uses an iron implement to kill someone is to be adjudged <n>{The Heb. lacks to be adjudged}</n> a murderer, and that murderer is certainly to be put to death. 


text:
"Furthermore, whoever uses a stone implement to kill someone is to be adjudged <n>{The Heb. lacks to be adjudged}</n> a murderer, and that murderer is certainly to be put to death. 


text:
"Also, whoever uses a wooden implement to kill someone with it is to be adjudged <n>{The Heb. lacks to be adjudged}</n> a murderer, and that murderer is certainly to be put to death. 


text:
"The blood avenger himself is to execute the murderer. When he meets him, the blood avenger <n>{Lit. him, he}</n> is to put him to death. 


text:
If the killer <n>{Lit. If he}</n> shoved his victim <n>{Lit. shoved him}</n> out of hatred, or hurled something <n>{The Heb. lacks something}</n> at him while waiting in ambush so that he died, 


text:
or if he struck him with his hand out of hatred so that he dies, then the killer is certainly to be put to death for murder. The avenger of blood is to put him to death when he meets him." 


text:
<n>{Case Examples for Eligibility}</n> d "But if he pushed him suddenly without hatred, or had he hurled something <n>{The Heb. lacks something}</n> in his direction without waiting in ambush, 


text:
or if he hit him <n>{The Heb. lacks or had he hit him}</n> with a stone carelessly <n>{Lit. stone without seeing it}</n> so that he was fatally injured, though he isn't his enemy and he wasn't seeking to commit evil against him, 


text:
then the community is to judge between the inadvertent killer and the blood avenger, following these ordinances. 


text:
The community is to release <n>{Lit. deliver}</n> the inadvertent killer from the blood avenger and return him to the town of refuge where he had fled. He is to live there until the High Priest dies, who will have anointed him with holy oil. 


text:
and the blood avenger finds him outside the town of refuge where he had fled and kills him, the blood avenger is not to be found guilty of murder. 


text:
The inadvertent killer <n>{Lit. He}</n> is to live in the town of refuge until the High Priest dies. After the death of the High Priest, the inadvertent killer is to return to the land of his inheritance. 


text:
These are to be the statutes and ordinance for you throughout all your generations, regardless of where you live." <n>{Or in all your dwelling places}</n> 


text:
<n>{Capital Cases Require Multiple Witnesses}</n> d "Every murderer of a human being <n>{Or soul}</n> is to be executed only according to testimony <n>{Lit. by the mouth}</n> given by multiple witnesses. A single witness is not to result in a death sentence. <n>{Or soul}</n> 


text:
"You are to receive no ransom for the life <n>{Or soul}</n> of a killer who is guilty of murder; instead, he is to die. 


text:
You are not to receive payment of a <n>{The Heb. lacks payment of a}</n> ransom for someone who had fled to a town of refuge but then left to live in his homeland before the death of the high priest. 


text:
"You are not to pollute the land where you live, because blood defiles the land, and the land cannot atone for blood that has been spilled on it, except through the blood of the one who spilled it. 


text:
You are not to defile the land where you will be living, because I'm living among you. I am the Lord , who lives in Israel." 


text:
<n>{The Daughters of Zelophehad}</n> <n>{ (Numbers 27:1-11)}</n> d The leaders of the ancestral families of the descendants of Gilead, who were descendants of Machir, and descendants of Manasseh, from Joseph's tribe, approached and spoke to Moses and the leaders of the ancestral houses <n>{Lit. the fathers}</n> of the Israelis. 


text:
"The Lord commanded my master <n>{Or lord}</n> to apportion the land as an inheritance by lot to the Israelis," they said. "Now my master was ordered by the Lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 


text:
"But when they get married to one of the descendants of the tribes of Israel, their inheritances are to be withdrawn from our father's inheritance and added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they are to belong. Consequently, it is to be withdrawn from the portion of our inheritance. 


text:
"But when the Jubilee Year of the Israelis comes, their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they have come to belong. Their inheritance will thus be taken away from the inheritance of our father's tribe!" 


text:
So Moses issued the Israelis these orders based on what the Lord said: "The tribe of the descendants of Joseph has spoken. 


text:
This is what the Lord is commanding the daughters of Zelophehad. If they decide it's a good idea in their opinion <n>{Lit. eyes}</n> to get married only within the family of their father's tribe, then let them get married 


text:
so that the inheritance of the Israelis won't be turned over <n>{Lit. turned aside}</n> from one tribe to another. "Each one has an inheritance from his own father's tribe that the Israelis are to maintain. 


text:
Every daughter who is in possession of an inheritance from the Israelis is to marry someone from the families within her father's tribe so the Israelis can retain possession of their ancestral inheritance. 


text:
That way, their inheritance won't be turned over from one tribe to another, because the Israelis are each to maintain their ancestral inheritances." 


text:
They married <n>{Lit. became wives}</n> into families of the descendants of Manasseh, that is, Joseph's descendants, so that their inheritance remained within the tribe of their ancestor's family. 


text:
These were the commands and the ordinances that the Lord issued to the Israelis through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River in Jericho. 


text:
<n>{ The Fifth Book of the Law}</n> <n>{ Deuteronomy}</n> d <n>{The Setting of the Covenant}</n> d These are the words that Moses spoke to the assembly of <n>{Lit. to all}</n> Israel east <n>{Lit. Israel on the other side ; and so throughout the book}</n> of the Jordan River, <n>{The Heb. lacks River ; and so throughout the book}</n> in the Arabah desert, opposite Suph between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. 


text:
It takes 11 days to travel <n>{The Heb. lacks to travel}</n> from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea via Mount Seir. <n>{This mountain, the modern Jebel esh-sher, is located in the mountain range that extends south of the Dead Sea toward the Gulf of Aqaba, and is bordered by the Arabah Valley to the west.}</n> 


text:
On the first day of the eleventh month, <n>{I.e. the month of Shebat in the Hebrew calendar}</n> in the fortieth year, Moses spoke to the Israelis about everything that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. 


text:
This took place <n>{The Heb. lacks This took place}</n> after he defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth at Edrei. 


text:
<n>{Moses Reviews God's Instructions}</n> d East of the Jordan River, in the land of Moab, Moses began to expound this Law: 


text:
Break camp, <n>{Lit. Turn}</n> get going, and proceed to the hill country of the Amorites and all the nearby places in the Arabah desert, the highlands, the foothills, the Negev, <n>{I.e. the southern regions of the Sinai peninsula; cf. Josh 10:40}</n> the coastal plains, all of the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 


text:
Look! I've given you the land that lies ahead. Go in and possess the land that I, the Lord , promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to their descendants.»" 


text:
<n>{Moses Reviews the Selected Officials}</n> d "I also told you at that time that I won't be able to sustain you on my own. 


text:
May the Lord , the God of your ancestors, increase your numbers a thousand times more, and may he bless you, as he promised you. 


text:
Choose for yourselves wise and discerning men, known to your tribes, and appoint them as your leaders. 


text:
So I chose leaders from your tribes, wise and respected men, and I appointed them over you commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 


text:
"I charged your judges at that time, «When you hold a hearing between brothers, judge fairly between a man and his brother or between foreigners. 


text:
When you hold a hearing, don't be partial <n>{Lit. don't recognize faces}</n> in judgment toward the least important or toward the great. Never fear men, because judgment belongs to God. If the matter is difficult for you, bring it to me for a hearing. 


text:
<n>{Moses Reviews the Sending of the Scouts}</n> <n>{ (Numbers 13:1-15)}</n> d "Then we set out from Horeb and walked through that vast and dreadful desert, where you observed the road to the Amorite hill country. Just as the Lord our God ordained for us, we finally arrived at Kadesh-barnea. 


text:
I told you at that time, «You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is about to give us. 


text:
Look! The Lord your God has given the land that lies <n>{The Heb. lacks that lies}</n> before you. Go and possess it, just as the Lord God of your ancestors commanded you. Don't be afraid or discouraged.'


text:
"Then all of you approached me and said: «Let's send out men in advance of us so they can survey the land and bring back a report to us on how we'll go up to their cities.'


text:
Because this suggestion <n>{Lit. word}</n> seemed good to me, I chose twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 


text:
"Then these men set out, <n>{Lit. Then they turned}</n> went up to the hill county, reached the Eshcol Valley, and surveyed it. 


text:
They hand-picked some of the fruit of the land, brought it down to us, and gave a report that said, «The land which the Lord is about to give us is good.»" 


text:
<n>{Israel Rebels}</n> d "However, your ancestors didn't go up. Instead, they rebelled against the command <n>{Lit. mouth}</n> of the Lord your God. 


text:
You murmured in your tents, «The Lord hates us. He brought us out of the land of Egypt in order to deliver us to <n>{Lit. to give us into the hands of}</n> the Amorites so he could destroy us. 


text:
Where can we go? Our brothers discouraged us when they said that the people are bigger and taller than we are. Their cities are tall and fortified to the sky, and we also saw the Anakim <n>{Or saw giants ; cf. Num 13:22, 33; Deut 9:2}</n> there.'


text:
The Lord your God is the One who will be going ahead of you. He'll fight for you just as he did in Egypt before your eyes. 


text:
In the desert you saw that the Lord carried you like a man carries his son, on every road you traveled until you reached this place.'


text:
who walked ahead of you along the way to scout a place for you to pitch camp by fire at night and cloud by day to lead you on the way you should go." 


text:
«I swear that not one man of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors, 


text:
except Jephunneh's son Caleb. He will see it and I will give to him and to his descendants the land on which he has walked because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord .'


text:
"The Lord was also furious with me because of you. He said: «You will not enter the land. <n>{Lit. land there}</n> 


text:
However, Nun's son Joshua, your assistant, will go there. Encourage him, for he will cause Israel to take possession of it. 


text:
Your little ones whom you said would be taken captive and your children who do not yet <n>{Lit. this day}</n> know right from wrong, will enter the land. <n>{Lit. land there}</n> I will give it to them and they themselves will possess it. 


text:
But as for you, prepare to set out for the desert on the way to the Reed <n>{So MT; LXX reads Red}</n> Sea.'


text:
"You responded to me and said, «We have sinned against the Lord . We will now go up and fight according to what the Lord our God commanded.'So each man put on his weapon for battle and recklessly started out for the hill country." 


text:
<n>{The Amorites Defeat Israel}</n> d "Then the Lord told me: «Tell them not to go up and fight because I will not be in their midst, or else you will be defeated before your enemies.'


text:
"I spoke to you but you didn't listen. Instead you rebelled against the command <n>{Lit. mouth}</n> of the Lord and went up to the hill country. 


text:
The Amorites who lived in the hill country came out to engage you in battle. They pursued you like bees do and crushed you from Seir to Hormah. 


text:
You returned and cried out in the Lord's presence, but the Lord didn't hear your voice or listen to you. 


text:
<n>{Israel Passes through Edomite Territory}</n> d "We turned and set out for the desert on the road to the Reed <n>{So MT; LXX reads Red}</n> Sea just as the Lord had directed me. We traveled around Mount Seir for many days. 


text:
and command this people, "You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau who live around Seir. They will be afraid of you so be very careful. 


text:
Don't fight them, because I won't give you any part of their land, not even the size of a footprint. <n>{Lit. the treading of the calf of your foot}</n> I have given Mount Seir to Esau as their property. 


text:
You may buy food to eat and water to drink from them, paying <n>{The Heb. lacks paying}</n> with cash."'


text:
Indeed, the Lord your God blessed all the works of your hands. He knows about your travels through this vast desert. The Lord your God was with you this past 40 years, so that you didn't lack anything. 


text:
So we bypassed our relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir. We turned through the Arabah desert from Elath, and from Ezion-geber we traveled the desert road to Moab." 


text:
<n>{Israel Passes through Moabite Territory}</n> d "Then the Lord told me, «Don't harass Moab or provoke them to war, because I won't give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their property. 


text:
The Horites used to live in Seir before the descendants of Esau dispossessed them, exterminated them, and settled there instead, just as Israel will do in the land of its possession, which the Lord gave them.) 


text:
Now get going and cross the Wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> Zered.'And so we crossed the Wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> Zered. 


text:
"Now from the time we left Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> Zered was 38 years. All of that generation, the soldiers in the camp, were destroyed just as the Lord swore they would be. 


text:
Indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them to root them out from the camp until they were utterly destroyed." 


text:
<n>{Israel Passes through Ammonite Territory}</n> d "And so all the soldiers among the people died. 


text:
When you come to the Ammonites, don't harass or provoke them to war, for I won't give any part of Ammonite land to you, since I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their property.'


text:
«(Indeed, it was considered Rephaim territory, since the Rephaim used to lived there. The Ammonites called them Zamzummites, 


text:
a great people, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaim, so that the Ammonites dispossessed them and settled there instead. 


text:
This is what he did for the descendants of Esau who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them. So they dispossessed them and settled there in their place, where they live <n>{The Heb. lacks where they live}</n> to this day. 


text:
It was the same for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza. The Caphtorites, who came from Crete, <n>{Lit. Caphtor}</n> destroyed them and settled there in their place.) 


text:
«Get ready and set out for the Wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> Arnon. Look! I've given into your control Sihon king of Heshbon, the Amorite, along with his land. Prepare to take possession by provoking him to war. 


text:
Starting today I will begin to instill fear and terror of you on the part of every nation under heaven who hears reports about you. They'll tremble in anguish before you.»" 


text:
<n>{Israel Defeats Sihon, King of Heshbon}</n> d "I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, with this message of peace: 


text:
«Let me pass through your territory. I'll stay on the main road. I won't turn to the right or left. 


text:
Sell me food for cash <n>{Lit. silver}</n> so I can eat and give me water for cash, <n>{Lit. silver}</n> so I can drink. Just let me pass through on foot 


text:
as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir did for me, as did the Moabites who live in Ar. I'll pass through, <n>{The Heb. lacks I'll pass through}</n> until I will have crossed the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is about to give us.'


text:
But Sihon king of Heshbon did not allow us to pass through, because the Lord your God had hardened his spirit and made him arrogant, <n>{Lit. and emboldened his heart}</n> in order to deliver him into your control today. 


text:
"Then the Lord told me, «See, I've begun to deliver Sihon and his territory over to you. Prepare to take possession of his land.'


text:
We captured all his towns at that time. We utterly destroyed every town the men, the women, and the children, leaving no survivors. 


text:
We only appropriated the livestock for our use, along with plunder from the cities that we captured. 


text:
From Aroer on the edge of Arnon Valley and from the town all the way to Gilead, there was no city that was too strong for us the Lord our God delivered them all to us. 


text:
You did not encroach onto Ammonite land, the banks of the Wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> Jabbok, the towns in the hill country, and all the other places that were forbidden <n>{Lit. commanded}</n> by the Lord our God." 


text:
<n>{Israel Defeats the King of Bashan}</n> d "We set out and went up along the road to Bashan. Then Og the king of Bashan came out to meet us he and his whole army for a battle at Edrei. 


text:
"Then the Lord told me, «Don't fear him, because I've delivered him, his army, and his territory into your control. Do to him just as you have done to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.'


text:
"So the Lord our God also delivered into our control Og king of Bashan, along with his whole army. We attacked him until there were no survivors. <n>{Lit. survivors left to him}</n> 


text:
Then we captured all his cities at that time. There was not a city left that we didn't capture from them sixty cities in all from the region of Argob, which is part of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 


text:
All of these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars. Furthermore, there were very many unwalled regions. 


text:
We utterly destroyed them, just as we did Sihon king of Heshbon, attacking them in every city the men, women, and children. 


text:
"So at that time we took control from the two Amorite kings the territory east of the Jordan from Wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> Arnon to Mount Hermon. 


text:
We took control of <n>{The Heb. lacks We took control of}</n> all the cities of the plain, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 


text:
Only Og the king of Bashan remained from the remnants of the Rephaim. In fact, his bed was made of iron. It's in Rabbah of the Ammonites, isn't it? It's about thirteen and a half feet long <n>{Lit. nine cubits; i.e. about 4.1 meters}</n> and six feet wide." <n>{Lit. four cubits; i.e. about 1.8 meters}</n> 


text:
<n>{Moses Allots Land East of the Jordan}</n> <n>{ (Numbers 32:1-15)}</n> d "Of the land that we captured at that time, I've given its towns to the descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad from Aroer near the Wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> Arnon to half of the hill country of Gilead. 


text:
The remainder of Gilead and Bashan of the kingdom of Og, I've given to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The whole region of Argob that is, all of Bashan is called the land of the Rephaim.) 


text:
Manasseh's son Jair captured all the Argob region as far as the territory of the descendants of Geshur and the descendants of Maacath. Bashan was named after him; that's why it is called Havvoth-jair to this day. 


text:
And I've given Gilead to the descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad as far as the Arnon Valley, designating the middle of the valley as its boundary, including up to the Jabbok River as a boundary with the Ammonites. 


text:
The Arabah and the Jordan River are also a boundary from Chinnereth <n>{I.e. the Sea of Galilee}</n> to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Salt Sea), <n>{I.e. the Dead Sea}</n> below the slopes of Pisgah on the east." 


text:
<n>{Moses Instructs the Men of War}</n> d "Then I commanded you at that time, «The Lord your God gave you this land as a possession. Those equipped for battle every man a warrior will cross before your fellow Israelis. 


text:
However, your women, children, and livestock and I know you have many may reside in your towns that I gave you 


text:
until the Lord grants rest to your fellow Israelis like you. When they take possession of the territory that the Lord your God is about to give them on the other side of the Jordan River, then each of you may return to the territory that I've allotted for you.'


text:
"I also charged Joshua at that time, «You witnessed everything that the Lord your God did to the two kings. Indeed, the Lord will do this to all the kingdoms which you are about to enter. 


text:
«Lord God, you've begun to show your greatness and your strong power to your servant. For what god in heaven or on earth can equal your works and mighty deeds? 


text:
Let me cross over that I may see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River, the good hill country, as well as Lebanon.'


text:
"However, the Lord was furious with me because of you. He did not listen to me. Instead, the Lord said, «You are not to speak to me about this matter again! 


text:
Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift your eyes toward the west, north, south, and east. Look with your own eyes, since you won't be able to cross this Jordan River. 


text:
Therefore charge Joshua to be doubly strong, for he will lead this people <n>{Lit. He will cross over before this people .}</n> and cause them to inherit the land that you'll see.'


text:
<n>{Moses Presents the Privileges of the Covenant}</n> d "Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the ordinances that I'm teaching you to observe so you may live and go in to take possession of the land that the Lord , the God of your ancestors, is about to give you. 


text:
Do not add or subtract a thing to what I'm commanding you. Observe the commands of the Lord your God. <n>{Lit. God that I'm commanding you}</n> 


text:
"You saw with your own eyes what he did in Baal Peor. The Lord your God exterminated from among you every man who followed Baal of Peor. 


text:
See! I taught you the statutes and the ordinances, just as the Lord God commanded. Therefore, observe them <n>{The Heb. lacks them}</n> when you enter the land you are about to possess. 


text:
Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and discernment in the eyes of people who'll listen to all these decrees. Then they'll say: «Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people.'


text:
And what great nation has all the decrees and righteous ordinances like all this teaching that I'm giving you today? 


text:
Only guard yourselves carefully so you won't forget the things that you saw and let them slip from your mind for the rest of your life. Tell them to your children and to your grandchildren. 


text:
The day you stood in the presence of the Lord your God in Horeb, the Lord told me, «Gather the people before me so they may hear my words, learn to revere me the whole time that they live in the land, and teach them <n>{The Heb. lacks them}</n> to their children.»" 


text:
<n>{Moses Warns against Idolatry}</n> d "When you approached and stood at the foot of the mountain a mountain that was blazing with fire at its core <n>{Lit. heart}</n> while the sky was covered with thick, dark clouds 


text:
the Lord your God spoke from the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but you saw no form; there was only a voice. 


text:
He declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to observe the Ten Commandments that he wrote on two stone tablets. 


text:
The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you to observe the statutes and ordinances in the land after you cross over to take possession of it. 


text:
"Therefore, for your own sake, be very careful, since you did not see any form on the day that the Lord your God spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the fire. 


text:
Be careful! <n>{The Heb. lacks be careful}</n> Otherwise, you will be destroyed when you make carved images for yourself all sorts of images in the form of man, woman, 


text:
Do not gaze toward the heavens and observe the sun, the moon, the stars the entire array of the sky with the intent <n>{The Heb. lacks with the intent}</n> to worship and serve what the Lord your God gave every nation. <n>{I.e. as lights in the night sky; cf. Gen 1:14-18}</n> 


text:
For the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace out of Egypt to be the people of his inheritance, as you are today. 


text:
"But the Lord was angry with me because of you. So he swore that I'll never cross the Jordan River to enter the good land that the Lord your God is about to give you as an inheritance. 


text:
For I'm going to die in this land and I won't cross the Jordan River, but you're about to cross over to possess that good land. 


text:
Be careful! Otherwise, you will forget the covenant of the Lord your God, who established that covenant with you. Don't make carved images of any likeness in violation of everything that you were commanded by the Lord your God. 


text:
Indeed, the Lord your God is a consuming <n>{So MT; LXX reads is an all-consuming}</n> fire. He is a jealous God." 


text:
<n>{Warnings against Angering God}</n> d "After you've borne children and grandchildren, have been there for a long time in the land, have become so corrupted that you make images of any form, and have done evil in the eyes of the Lord your God, you will provoke him to anger. 


text:
Heaven and earth will testify against what has occurred <n>{Lit. I invoke heaven and earth against you}</n> today: you'll surely and swiftly be destroyed from the land that you are about to possess by crossing the Jordan River. You won't live long in it, because you'll certainly be exterminated. 


text:
Moreover, the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you'll be fewer in number in the nations where the Lord your God will drive you. 


text:
There you'll serve gods made by human hands, serving <n>{The Heb. lacks serving}</n> trees and stones that cannot see, hear, eat, nor smell. 


text:
"If from there you will seek the Lord your God, then you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and soul. 


text:
"In your distress, when all these things happen to you in days to come and you return to the Lord your God, then you will hear his voice. 


text:
For God is compassionate. The Lord your God won't fail you. He won't destroy you or forget the covenant that he confirmed with your ancestors." 


text:
<n>{Who is Like the Lord ?}</n> d "Indeed, ask from one end of the heavens to the other about days of old, before your time when God created mankind on the earth. Did we ever have anything as great as this, or ever hear of anything like it? 


text:
Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of a fire just as you did, <n>{4:33Lit. heard}</n> and survived it? 


text:
Or has any god ever taken for himself one nation out from another nation with testings, signs, wonders, wars, awesome power, <n>{Lit. wars, a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,}</n> and magnificent, terrifying deeds <n>{The Heb. lacks deeds}</n> as the Lord your God did in Egypt before your eyes? 


text:
You have been made to hear his voice from heaven so you may be instructed. <n>{Or disciplined}</n> And he showed you his great fire here on earth, and you heard his voice from the middle of that fire. 


text:
Moreover, he loved your ancestors, chose their descendants after them, and brought you out of Egypt, accompanied by his presence and great power, 


text:
in order to drive out nations that are stronger and more powerful than you, to bring you into this land, <n>{The Heb. lacks this land}</n> and to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is today. 


text:
"May you acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in the heavens above and over the earth below there is no other God. <n>{The Heb. lacks God}</n> 


text:
May you observe his statutes and keep his commands that I'm giving you today, so that life may go well for you and for your descendants after you. That way, you'll live a long life in the land that the Lord your God is about to give you permanently." <n>{Lit. all the days}</n> 


text:
where a person who accidentally killed someone could flee, if he killed his neighbor without having enmity toward him in the past. He may flee to one of these cities and live: 


text:
Bezer in the desert plain for the descendants of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead for the descendants of Gad, and Golan in Bashan for the descendants of Manasseh. 


text:
<n>{Moses Reviews the Law}</n> d This is the Law that Moses reviewed in the presence of the Israelis. 


text:
These are the instructions, decrees, and ordinances that Moses declared to the Israelis when they came out of Egypt. 


text:
He did this <n>{The Heb. lacks He did this}</n> east of the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and whom Moses and the Israelis defeated after leaving Egypt. 


text:
So they took possession of his land, as well as the land of Og king of Bashan. Both Amorite kings lived east of the Jordan 


text:
from Aroer on the edge of the Wadi <n>{I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times}</n> Arnon as far as Mount Sirion, <n>{MT reads Sion ; cf. Deut 3:9}</n> which is also called Hermon, 


text:
and all the Arabah east of the Jordan as far as the Dead Sea <n>{Lit. the Sea of the Arabah}</n> below the slopes of Pisgah. 


text:
<n>{The Ten Commandments}</n> <n>{ (Exodus 20:1-17)}</n> d Moses called all of Israel together and told them: "Listen, Israel! Today I'm going to announce God's laws and regulations so that you will learn them and take care to obey them. 


text:
it was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us we who are here today all of us who are now living. 


text:
I stood at that time as mediator <n>{The Heb. lacks as mediator}</n> between the Lord and you to declare his <n>{Lit. the Lord's}</n> message to you, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. He said: 


text:
<n>{5:6-21 The Heb. letters to the left denote numbers 1-10}</n> "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery. <n>{Lit. slaves}</n> 


text:
"You are not to make for yourselves a carved image resembling any form in the heavens above, on earth below, or in the waters under the earth. 


text:
You are not to bow down to them in worship or serve them; because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children <n>{Or sons}</n> for the iniquity of their parents, <n>{Or fathers}</n> to the third and fourth generations <n>{So LXX. The Heb. lacks generations}</n> of those who hate me, 


text:
but showing gracious love to the thousandth <n>{Lit. to the thousands}</n> generation <n>{The Heb. lacks generation}</n> of those who love me and keep my <n>{So LXX. Lit. his ; cf. Exod 20:6}</n> commandments. 


text:
but the seventh day is a Sabbath for the Lord your God. You are not to do any work: neither you, your children, <n>{Lit. your sons and your daughters}</n> your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys, all your livestock, as well as the foreigners who live among you, <n>{Lit. live within your gates}</n> so that your male and female servants may rest as you do. 


text:
Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out from there with great power and a show of force. <n>{Lit. with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.}</n> Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. 


text:
"Honor your father and your mother, just as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your life <n>{Lit. days}</n> will be long and things will go well for you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 


text:
"You are not to desire <n>{Or not take pleasure in}</n> your neighbor's wife, or covet your neighbor's house, fields, his male and female servants, his ox, his donkey, or anything that concerns your neighbor." 


text:
<n>{Moses Recalls God's Warnings}</n> d "These commands the Lord declared in a loud voice to your entire assembly on the mountain from out of the fire <n>{LXX Sam Pentateuch read dark ; cf. Deut 4:11}</n> and dark clouds, <n>{Lit. cloud and thick darkness}</n> and nothing more was added. He inscribed them on two tablets of stones and gave them to me. 


text:
"When you heard the voice from the darkness while the mountain was blazing, all the leaders and elders of your tribes came to me and said: 


text:
«The Lord our God truly has displayed his glory and power, for we heard him <n>{The Heb. lacks him}</n> from out of the fire today. We have witnessed how God spoke to human beings, yet they lived. 


text:
Now therefore, why should we die? This great fire will consume us. If we continue to listen to the voice of the Lord our God any longer, we'll die. 


text:
For what mortal man <n>{Lit. For who among all flesh}</n> has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire like we did, and lived? 


text:
As for you, go near and listen to everything that the Lord our God will say to you. Then repeat it <n>{Lit. Then tell everything that the Lord our God will speak}</n> to us, then we will listen and obey.'


text:
"The Lord heard what you said. He told me: «I've heard what this people said. Everything they said was good. 


text:
If only they would commit <n>{Lit. only their heart would incline}</n> to fear me and keep all my commands, then it will go well with them and their children forever. 


text:
but you stand here with me and I'll speak to you all the commands, decrees, and laws that you must teach them to observe in the land that I'm giving you to possess. 


text:
You must be careful to do what the Lord your God commanded you, turning neither to the left nor to the right. 


text:
Walk in every way that the Lord your God commanded you, so that life <n>{Lit. it}</n> may go well for you, and so that you will prolong your days in the land that you will possess.»" 


text:
<n>{The Covenant of Love}</n> d "Now these are the commands, decrees, and ordinances that the Lord commanded me <n>{The Heb. lacks me}</n> to teach you. Obey them in the land you are entering to possess, 


text:
so that you, your children, and your grandchildren may fear the Lord your God. Keep all his decrees and commandments that I'm giving you every day of your life, so you may live a long time. 


text:
"Listen, Israel! Be careful to obey, so that life <n>{Lit. it}</n> may go well for you and that you may increase greatly. Just as the Lord God of your ancestors told you, you'll have a land flowing with milk and honey. 


text:
"Listen, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. <n>{Or The Lord our God, the Lord is one.}</n> 


text:
"Let these words that I'm commanding you today be always <n>{The Heb. lacks always}</n> on your heart. 


text:
Teach them repeatedly to your children. Talk about them while sitting in your house or walking on the road, and as you lie down or get up. 


text:
Tie them as reminders <n>{Lit. signs}</n> on your forearm, bind them on your forehead, <n>{Lit. them as frontlets between your eyes}</n> 


text:
<n>{Serve the Lord Only}</n> d "When the Lord your God brings you to the land that he promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he will give you large and beautiful cities that you didn't build, 


text:
houses filled with every good thing that you didn't supply, wells that you didn't dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you didn't plant. When you eat and are satisfied, 


text:
be careful not to forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and slavery. <n>{Lit. Egypt, out of the house of slavery}</n> 


text:
For the Lord your God who is among you is a jealous God. He will turn his anger against you and destroy you from the surface of the land." 


text:
Be sure to observe the commands of the Lord your God, his testimonies and his decrees that he gave you. 


text:
Do what is good and right in the Lord's sight so it may go well with you. Then you'll enter and possess the good land that the Lord your God promised to your ancestors, 


text:
<n>{Remember what the Lord has Done}</n> d "When your son asks you in the future, «What is the meaning of the instructions, decrees, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you? '


text:
tell him, «We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power. 


text:
Before our very eyes, the Lord did great and terrible signs and wonders in Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to his entire household. 


text:
But as for us, he brought us out from there to bring us into the land and it to us, as he promised our ancestors. 


text:
Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God for our own good, so that he may keep us alive as we are today. 


text:
It will be credited as <n>{The Heb. lacks credited as}</n> righteousness for us, if we're careful to obey the entire Law in the presence of the Lord our God, as he commanded.»" 


text:
<n>{Instructions Regarding the Tribal Nations}</n> d "When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, he will drive out many nations before you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations who are more numerous and stronger than you. 


text:
So when the Lord your God delivers them to you and you have defeated them, then utterly destroy them. You are not to make any covenant with them nor be gracious to them. 


text:
You are not to intermarry with them. You are not to give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters for your sons, 


text:
because they will turn your children from me to serve other gods so that the Lord's anger blazes against you and swiftly destroys you by fire. 


text:
This is what you will do to them: tear down their altars, break their pillars, cut down their ritual pillars, and burn their carved idols in fire, 


text:
because you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God chose you to be his people, his treasured possession from all the peoples on the face of the earth." 


text:
<n>{The Lord Keeps His Covenant}</n> d "It was not because you were more numerous than other people of the earth that the Lord committed himself to you and chose you. In fact, you were the least numerous of all the peoples. 


text:
But the Lord loved you and kept his oath that he made to your ancestors. The Lord brought you out with great power from slavery, <n>{Lit. from the house of slaveries}</n> from the control of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 


text:
"Know that the Lord your God is God, the trusted God who faithfully keeps his covenant to the thousandth generation of those who love him and obey his commands. 


text:
But for the one who hates him, he will repay him by destroying him. He will not delay dealing with someone who hates him. 


text:
<n>{The Lord Blesses Obedience}</n> d "If you pay attention to these laws and obey them, then the Lord your God will continue with you his covenant of gracious love that he promised with an oath to your ancestors. 


text:
He will love you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your land (the grain, new wine, and oil), the offspring of your herds, and the lambs of your flock, in the land that the Lord promised your ancestors he would give you. 


text:
You will be blessed among all the nations. There will be no infertility among you, not even <n>{Lit. you, neither infertility}</n> among your herds. 


text:
The Lord will turn aside every disease from you. He will not inflict on you the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but will inflict them instead on all who hate you. 


text:
You are to utterly destroy everyone whom the Lord your God will deliver to you. Do not have pity on them nor serve their gods. Otherwise, they will become a snare for you." 


text:
<n>{The Lord will Fight For You}</n> d "You may say to yourselves, «These nations are more numerous than we are. How can we dispossess them? '


text:
But you must not fear them. Be sure to remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt. 


text:
Your eyes saw the great trials, the signs and wonders, the awesome power with which <n>{Lit. wonders, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm}</n> the Lord your God brought you out. "The Lord your God will do the same to all the people whom you fear. 


text:
He'll <n>{Lit. The Lord your God will}</n> send plagues against them until the survivors who hide from you have perished. 


text:
He <n>{Lit. The Lord your God}</n> slowly will dislodge these nations before you, but he will not destroy them quickly, so the wild animals <n>{Lit. the beasts of the field}</n> won't multiply around you. 


text:
But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 


text:
He will deliver kings into your control, and you will wipe out the memory of them <n>{Lit. will cause their names to perish}</n> from under heaven. No one will be able to stand before you. You are to utterly destroy them. 


text:
Burn the images of their gods in the fire. Desire neither the silver nor the gold that adorns them, nor take them for yourselves, so you won't be ensnared by them, because the gold and silver <n>{Lit. because it}</n> is detestable to the Lord your God. 


text:
Do not bring any detestable thing to your house, because you yourself will be utterly destroyed along with these detestable things. You must absolutely abhor and detest all of <n>{The Heb. lacks all of}</n> it, because it has been devoted to destruction." 


text:
<n>{Remember the Lord's Provisions}</n> d "Be careful to observe every command that I'm instructing you today, in order that you may live, increase, and enter and take possession of the land that the Lord promised by an oath to your ancestors. 


text:
"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the desert, to humble <n>{Or afflict}</n> and test you in order to make known what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 


text:
He humbled <n>{Or afflicted}</n> you, causing you to be hungry, yet he fed you with manna that neither you nor your ancestors had known, in order to teach you that human beings are not to live by food alone instead human beings are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord . 


text:
"The clothes you wore <n>{Lit. clothes from on you}</n> did not wear out, nor did your feet blister during these 40 years. 


text:
Be convinced in your heart that as a father disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. 


text:
Observe the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing <n>{Or revering}</n> him, 


text:
because the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land a land with rivers and deep springs flowing to the valleys and hills. 


text:
It's a land filled <n>{The Heb. lacks filled}</n> with wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates. It's a land filled <n>{The Heb. lacks filled}</n> with olive oil and honey 


text:
a land without scarcity. You'll eat food in it and lack nothing. It's a land where its rocks are iron and you can dig copper from its mountains." 


text:
<n>{Remember the Source of Blessings}</n> d "When you have eaten and are satisfied, bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you. 


text:
Be careful! Otherwise, you will forget the Lord your God by failing to keep his commands, ordinances, and statutes that I'm commanding you this day. 


text:
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and who led you through the vast and dangerous desert, that parched land without water, with its poisonous snakes and scorpions. He brought water out of solid rock for you, 


text:
and fed you in the desert with manna that neither you nor your ancestors had known, to humble and test you so that things go well with you later. 


text:
"You may say to yourselves, «I have become wealthy by my own strength and by my own ability.'<n>{Lit. by the power of my hand}</n> 


text:
But remember the Lord your God, because he is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth, in order to confirm his covenant that he promised by an oath to your ancestors, as is the case today. 


text:
If you neglect the Lord your God, follow other gods, and serve and worship them, I testify to you today that you will certainly be destroyed. 


text:
Just like the nations whom the Lord destroyed before you, so will you be destroyed, because you did not listen to the voice of the Lord your God." 


text:
<n>{When the Lord Fulfills His Promise}</n> d "Listen, Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and dispossess greater and mightier nations than you, who live in <n>{The Heb. lacks who live in}</n> large cities that are fortified to the sky. 


text:
The Anakim are strong and tall, and you know them. You've heard it said, «Who can stand up against the Anakim? '


text:
But know today that the Lord your God is going ahead of you as a consuming fire. He will destroy and subdue them before you. He will dispossess and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord told you. 


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After the Lord has expelled them before you, you are not to say to yourselves, «The Lord caused me to enter and possess this land because of my righteousness.'


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On the contrary, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you to confirm what the Lord promised by an oath to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 


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Know that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving to you this good land to inherit, for you are a stubborn people." 


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<n>{Israel Broke the Covenant}</n> d "Remember and don't ever forget how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert. From the day that you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place you have been rebelling against the Lord . 


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At Horeb you continuously rebelled against the Lord, so that he <n>{Lit. the Lord}</n> was angry enough to destroy you. 


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"Then I went up to the mountain to receive the two stone Tablets of the Covenant that the Lord had established with you. I stayed on the mountain for 40 days and nights without eating food or drinking water. 


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Then the Lord gave me the two stone tablets on which God inscribed with his own finger all the words that the Lord spoke to you on the mountain from the middle of the fire that day when you were all assembled together. 


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"Then the Lord told me, «Get going! Go down from here at once! Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned quickly from the way that I commanded them, and have cast an idol for their use.'


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"Then the Lord told me, «I have examined this people, and they <n>{Lit. and the people}</n> are stubborn indeed. 


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Let me alone! I will destroy them and blot out their name under heaven. Then I'll make you into a nation that will be mighty and more numerous than they are.'


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"So I turned and went down from the mountain while the mountain was on fire. The two Tablets of the Covenant were in both of my hands. 


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Then I saw how you had really sinned against the Lord your God! You had made for yourselves a calf, a cast idol. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord your God had commanded. 


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I fell down in the Lord's presence, just as I had the first 40 days and nights. I did not eat food or drink water because of your sin. You had sinned by committing this evil in the sight of the Lord , thereby provoking him to anger. 


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I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord against you, because he was irate enough to destroy you. But the Lord also listened to me at that time. 


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It was as had been the case with Aaron, the Lord was very angry and about to destroy him, but I prayed for Aaron at that time. 


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Now, when you made the calf that made you sin, I grabbed it, burned it with fire, crushed it, and ground it thoroughly until it was pulverized to powder. Then I threw the powder into the river that was flowing from the mountain." 


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<n>{Moses Interceded for Israel}</n> d "You provoked the Lord again at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-hattaavah. 


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When the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea and told you, «Go possess the land that I gave you,'instead you disobeyed what the Lord your God said. You didn't trust him or listen to his voice. 


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I fell down in the Lord's presence for 40 days and nights, because the Lord said he was ready to destroy you. 


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So I prayed to the Lord and said, «Oh Lord my God, don't destroy your people and your inheritance whom you redeemed by your power. <n>{Lit. redeemed in your greatness}</n> You brought them out from Egypt in a powerful way. 


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Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don't pay attention to the stubbornness, wickedness, and sinfulness of this people. 


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Otherwise, the people of the land from which you brought us will say, "The Lord wasn't able to bring them out of the land that he had promised them. So he brought them out to kill them in the desert because he hated them." 


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But they are your people and inheritance, whom you brought out by your mighty strength <n>{Lit. arm}</n> and awesome power.»" 


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<n>{A Copy of the Ten Commandments}</n> d "At that time, the Lord told me, «Chisel two tablets of stone for yourself just like the first ones, and then come up to me on the mountain. Also make for yourself a wooden chest. 


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I'll write on the tablets what was <n>{Lit. tablets of words that were}</n> on the first tablets that you broke. Then place them in the wooden chest.'


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So I made a chest out of acacia wood and chiseled two tablets of stones just like the first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 


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Then the Lord <n>{Lit. he}</n> inscribed on the tablets what he wrote before, that is, the Ten Commandments that the Lord declared to you on the mountain from the middle of the fire during the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. 


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Then I turned and went down the mountain and placed the tablets in the chest that I had made. They are there now, just as the Lord commanded me." 


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<n>{Aaron Dies and the Descendants of Levi are Appointed}</n> d "The Israelis traveled from the wells of the descendants of Jaakan to Moserah. Aaron died, and he was buried there. His son Eleazar succeeded him as priest. 


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At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord , to stand in the Lord's presence, to serve, and to bless his name until this day. 


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That is why the descendants of Levi do not have a portion and an inheritance among their relatives. As for <n>{The Heb. lacks As for}</n> the Lord , he is their inheritance, just as the Lord your God told them. 


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When I stood on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights as I did the first time, the Lord listened to me once again. The Lord was not willing to destroy you. 


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So the Lord told me, «Get up and proceed to lead <n>{Lit. to a journey before}</n> the people, so they may enter and take possession of the land that I promised to give their ancestors by an oath.»" 


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<n>{Love the Lord}</n> d "Now Israel, what does the Lord your God desire from you? Only this: fear him, <n>{Lit. the Lord your God}</n> walk in all his ways, love him, serve him <n>{Lit. the Lord your God}</n> with all your heart and in all your life, <n>{Or soul}</n> 


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and observe his <n>{Lit. observe the Lord's}</n> commands and statutes that I'm commanding you today for your own good. 


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You see, heaven even the highest heavens belongs to the Lord , along with the earth and all that is in it, 


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yet the Lord committed himself to love your ancestors and did so! He chose you their descendants after them from all the nations, as it is <n>{The Heb. lacks it is}</n> today. 


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For the Lord your God is the God of all gods, the Lord of all lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who does not show favoritism or take bribes. 


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He executes justice for the orphan and the widows, loves the foreigner, and gives them food and clothing." 


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<n>{Love Others}</n> d "You are to love the foreigner, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 


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He is the one you are to praise, because he is, <n>{Lit. He is your praise}</n> your God who carried out those great and awesome things for you that you witnessed. 


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Your ancestors went down to Egypt with seventy people, but the Lord your God has now made you as numerous as the stars in the sky." 


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<n>{Remember God's Power}</n> d "Therefore love the Lord your God and be very careful to keep his injunctions, statutes, ordinances, and commands all the time. <n>{Lit. days}</n> 


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Keep in mind today that I am not speaking to your children, who neither were aware of nor did they witness the discipline of the Lord your God, that is, his great and far-reaching power, 


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including: the signs and works that he did within Egypt to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to all his land; 


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what he did to the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots, when he caused the waters of the Reed <n>{So MT; LXX reads Red}</n> Sea to engulf them as they pursued you; how the Lord destroyed them, even to this day; 


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and what he did to Eliab's sons Dathan and Abiram, descendants of Reuben, when the ground opened up and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing belonging to them in the full sight <n>{Lit. the middle}</n> of Israel. 


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<n>{Possessing a Fertile Land}</n> d "Keep all the commands that I'm giving <n>{Lit. commanding}</n> you today, so you can be strong enough to enter and possess the land that you are crossing over to inherit 


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and so you'll live long in the land that the Lord your God promised by an oath to give your ancestors and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 


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For the land that you are about to enter to inherit isn't like the land of Egypt that you just left, where you plant a seed and irrigate it with your feet like a vegetable garden. 


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Instead, the land that you are crossing over to inherit is a land of hills and valleys that drinks water supplied by rain from heaven, 


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a land about which the Lord your God is continually concerned, because the eyes of the Lord rest continually on it throughout the entire year. <n>{Lit. it from the beginning of the year until the end of the year}</n> 


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<n>{Delights of a Bountiful Land}</n> d "If you carefully observe the commands that I'm giving you today, to love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, 


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then he <n>{So with LXX, SP, V; MT reads I}</n> will send rain on the land in its season the early and latter rains <n>{I.e. winter and spring rains}</n> then you'll gather grain, new wine, and oil. 


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He <n>{11:14 So with LXX, SP, V; MT reads I}</n> will provide grass on the fields for your livestock, and you'll eat and be satisfied. 


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Be careful! Otherwise, your hearts will deceive you and you will turn away to serve other gods and worship them. 


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The wrath of God will burn against you so that he will restrain the heavens and it won't rain. The ground won't yield its produce and you'll be swiftly destroyed from the good land that the Lord is about to give you. 


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"Take these commands to heart and keep them in mind, tying them as reminders on your arm and as bands on your forehead. 


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Teach them to your children, talking about them while sitting in your house, walking on the road, or when you are about to lie down or get up. 


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so that you and your children may live long on the land that the Lord promised to give your ancestors as long as the sky remains above the earth." 


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<n>{Boundaries of the Land}</n> d "If you carefully observe all of these commands that I'm giving you to do to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cling to him, 


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then the Lord will dispossess all these nations before you and you'll dispossess nations that are even greater and stronger than you. 


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Every place upon which the soles of your feet tread will be yours as boundaries from the desert to Lebanon and from the River (that is, the Euphrates) to the Mediterranean <n>{Lit. Western}</n> Sea. 


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No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will instill terror and fear of you throughout the entire land wherever you go, just as he promised you. 


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or a curse if you don't obey the commands of the Lord your God, by turning from the way that I'm commanding you today and following other gods whom you have not known." 


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<n>{Declaration of the Blessings and Curses}</n> d "When the Lord brings you to the land that you are about to enter to inherit, repeat the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal. 


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They're across the Jordan River to the west, aren't they, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh? 


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For you are about to cross the Jordan River to go in and possess the land that the Lord your God is about to give you to inherit and live in. 


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<n>{Destroying Altars to False Gods}</n> d "These are the statutes and ordinances that you must carefully observe in the land that the Lord God of your ancestors has given you to possess every day that you live on the earth. 


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Be sure you destroy there all the places where the nations that you're going to dispossess serve their gods upon the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. 


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Tear down their altars, cut down their sacred poles, <n>{Lit. their Ashram ; i.e. cultic pillars}</n> and burn them. Cut down the carved images of their gods to erase their memory <n>{Lit. to destroy their names}</n> from that place." 


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<n>{Sacrifice at the Central Sanctuary}</n> d "You must not act like this with respect to the Lord your God. 


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Instead, you must seek to enter only the place that the Lord your God will choose among your tribes. There he will establish his name and live. 


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Bring your burnt offerings there, along with your sacrifices, your tithes, your hand-carried gifts, your offerings in fulfillment of promises, your freely given offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 


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Then you and your household will eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with all the works of your hand with which he <n>{Lit. the Lord}</n> blessed you. 


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for you haven't arrived yet to your allotted place <n>{Lit. allotted resting place and inheritance}</n> that the Lord your God is about to give you. 


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But after you have crossed the Jordan River and settled in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and after you have received relief from the enemies around you and are living securely, 


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then bring to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling place where he will establish his name everything that I'm commanding you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your hand-carried gifts, and all your best offerings in fulfillment of promises that you pledged to the Lord . 


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"Rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your city for there is no territorial allotment <n>{Lit. no portion and possession}</n> for him as you have. 


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instead of at the place the Lord will choose in one of the tribal areas. There you may offer burnt offerings, and there you may do everything that I'm commanding you." 


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<n>{Instructions Pertaining to Food}</n> d "You may slaughter and eat as much meat as you desire, <n>{Lit. with all the desire of your soul}</n> according to the blessing of the Lord your God, when he provides for you in all your cities. <n>{Lit. gates}</n> Both ritually unqualified and qualified people <n>{Lit. unclean and clean ; and so throughout the book}</n> may eat it as they would gazelle and deer. 


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Only, you must not consume the blood; <n>{Cf. Acts 15:20, 29}</n> instead, pour it out on the ground as you would water. 


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"You won't be allowed to eat your tithe of grain, new wine, oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, your votive offerings that you pledged, your free-will offerings, and the works of your hands in your own cities. 


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You'll eat only in the presence of the Lord your God at the place that he <n>{Lit. that the Lord your God}</n> will choose you, your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your cities. <n>{Lit. gates}</n> Rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God in everything you undertake. <n>{Lit. in every work of your hand}</n> 


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Be careful not to forget the descendant of Levi while you live <n>{Lit. all your days in the land}</n> in the land. 


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When the Lord your God enlarges your territory just as he told you and you say «I want to eat meat'since you desire to eat it, <n>{Lit. meat}</n> you may do so as much as you please. <n>{Lit. may eat flesh with all the desire of your soul}</n> 


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"If the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish his name is distant from you, then you may slaughter from your herd and your flock what the Lord has provided for you, as he instructed you. You may consume them in your cities <n>{Lit. gates}</n> as much as you please. 


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You may eat them, just as you would gazelle and deer. Ritually unqualified and qualified people may eat them. 


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Only be sure to refrain from eating blood, because blood is the source of <n>{The Heb. lacks source of}</n> life and you must not consume blood with the meat. 


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You must not eat it, so that life will go well for you and for your children after you. Then you'll do what is right in the eyes of the Lord . 


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"You may carry and bring only your consecrated gifts and offerings in fulfillment of promises to the place that the Lord will choose. 


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You must offer your burnt offerings, both the meat and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God. You must offer the blood by pouring it on the altar of the Lord your God while you consume the meat. 


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Be sure to observe all these words that I'm commanding you, in order that life may go well for you and your children after you forever, for this is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God." 


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<n>{Don't Become Ensnared}</n> d "When the Lord your God eliminates the nations that you are about to dispossess so you can live in their land, 


text:
after they have been destroyed in your sight, be careful not to be ensnared as they were. Otherwise, you will seek their gods and ask yourselves, «How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.'


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You must not do the same to the Lord your God, because they practiced in the presence of their gods every sort of abomination that the Lord hates. Moreover, they sacrificed <n>{Lit. they burned in fire}</n> their sons and daughters to their gods. 


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<n>{This v. is 13:1 in MT}</n> Now as to everything I'm commanding you, you must be careful to observe it. Don't add to or subtract from it." 


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<n>{Dealing with False Prophets}</n> d <n>{This v. is 13:2 in MT}</n> "A prophet or a diviner of dreams may arise among you, give you an omen or a miracle 


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that takes place, and then he may tell you, «Let's follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let's serve them.'Even though the sign or portent comes to pass, 


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you must not listen to the words of that prophet or that diviner of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to make known whether or not you'll continue to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. 


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You must follow the Lord your God, fear him, observe his commandments, listen to his voice, serve him, and cling to him. 


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That prophet or diviner of dreams must be executed, because he advocated rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and because he lured you from the way in which the Lord your God instructed you to live. Purge the evil from among you." 


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<n>{Dealing with Idolaters}</n> d "Your own blood brother, <n>{Lit. your brother, the son of your mother}</n> your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your friend who is like your soul mate quietly may entice you. He may tell you, «Let's go and serve other gods,'(whom neither you nor your ancestors have known 


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from the gods of the people that surround you whether near or far from you from one end of the earth to the other). 


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You must not yield to him, listen to him, look with pity on him, show compassion to him, or even cover up for him. 


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But you must surely execute him. You must be the first to put him to death with your own hand, and then the hands of the whole community. 


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Stone him to death, because he sought to lure you from the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the land of slavery. 


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that worthless men <n>{Lit. that men, sons of Belial}</n> have come from among you to entice those who live in the towns. They may say, «Let's go and serve other gods that you haven't known.'


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You must thoroughly investigate and inquire if it is true that this detestable thing exists among you. If it is so, <n>{The Heb. lacks if it is so}</n> 


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then put the inhabitants of the town to death by the sword. Devote everything in it to divine destruction even its livestock by the sword. 


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Gather whatever you've taken as spoils at the public square of the town, then burn the town, along with whatever you've taken, as an offering to the Lord your God. It will remain a permanent mound of ruins, never to be rebuilt again. 


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Moreover, you must never take any item from those condemned things, so the Lord may yet relent from his burning anger and extend compassion, have mercy, and cause you to increase in number as he promised by an oath to your ancestors 


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if you obey the voice of the Lord your God by observing all his commands that I'm commanding you today. Do what is right in the sight of the Lord your God." 


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<n>{Refrain from Cutting Yourselves}</n> d "You are children of the Lord your God. You must not lacerate yourselves or shave your foreheads on account of the dead, 


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because you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord chose to make you his precious possession from among all the peoples of the earth. 


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However, you must not eat these animals that chew the cud or have a divided hoof: the camel, hare, and rock badger. Even though they chew the cud, their hooves are not divided. Therefore they are unclean for you. 


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And also the pig, because even though its hoof is divided, it does not chew the cud. It is therefore unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or even touch their carcasses. 


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"You must not eat any carcass. But you may give it to the alien in your cities <n>{Lit. in your gates}</n> so he may eat it or sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." 


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<n>{Remember to Tithe}</n> d "Be sure to tithe annually from everything you plant that yields a harvest in the field. 


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Then in the presence of the Lord your God, in the place where he'll choose to establish his name, you may consume the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your livestock and flock, so that you'll learn to revere the Lord your God all your life. 


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Now the way may be distant from you, so that you are unable to transport your tithe because you have been blessed by the Lord your God and the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish his name may be distant from you. 


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In that case, convert it into cash, secure the money, <n>{Lit. bind the money with your hand}</n> and then bring it to the place where the Lord will choose. 


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You may spend the money to your heart's content to buy livestock, flocks, wine, strong drink, and whatever you desire. You and your household may eat there and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God." 


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<n>{The Levitical Tithe}</n> d "But you must not forget the descendant of Levi in your town <n>{Lit. gates}</n> because there is no tribal allotment <n>{Lit. a portion and inheritance}</n> for him as there is for you. 


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so the descendants of Levi who have no tribal allotment as you do foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come, eat, and be satisfied. That way, the Lord your God shall bless you in everything you do." <n>{14:29. Lit. in the work of your hand that you do}</n> 


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This is the way to conduct remission: every creditor must cancel the loan that his friend borrowed, and he must not pressure his friend or brother to repay it, <n>{The Heb. lacks to repay it}</n> because remission to the Lord will be proclaimed. 


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"Moreover, there will be no poor person among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land that he <n>{Lit. the Lord}</n> is about to give you to possess. 


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Only be certain to obey the voice of the Lord your God. Carefully observe all of these commands that I'm commanding to you today. 


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For the Lord your God will bless you just as he promised. You are to lend to many nations but not borrow. Also, you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you." 


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<n>{Care for the Poor}</n> d "If there should be a poor man among your relatives <n>{Lit. brothers}</n> in one of the cities of the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, don't be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor relative. <n>{Lit. brother}</n> 


text:
"Be careful not to think this wicked thought to yourselves: «The seventh year, the year of remission, is drawing near,'and you show ill will <n>{Lit. and your eyes are evil}</n> toward your poor relative <n>{Lit. brother}</n> and not give to him. He may then call to the Lord on account of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 


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You must certainly give to him and not feel regret for doing so. <n>{Lit. for giving to him}</n> Because of this, the Lord your God will bless all your works and everything you do. 


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Since poor people won't cease to exist in the land, therefore I'm commanding you: Be sure to be generous <n>{Lit. to open your hand}</n> to your poor and needy relatives in your land." 


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<n>{Releasing Slaves}</n> d "When a fellow Hebrew male or female slave is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you are to set them <n>{Lit. him ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> free. 


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Provide for them liberally from your flock, threshing floor, and wine vat. As the Lord your God has blessed you, so give to them. 


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Don't ever forget that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, yet the Lord your God redeemed you. Therefore, I'm giving you these commands today. 


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"Should that slave <n>{Lit. he}</n> say to you, «I won't leave you,'because he loves you and your household, and it was good for him to be with you, 


text:
then take an awl and pierce through his earlobe into the door. Then he will be your slave forever. You are to do the same for your female slaves. 


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Don't view this as a hardship for yourself when you set him free, for he will have served you for six years twice the time of a paid worker. Then the Lord will bless you in all that you do." 


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<n>{Offering the Firstborn Male Animals}</n> d "Set apart for the Lord your God every firstborn male among your herd and flock. You must not put the firstborn of your ox to work or shear the firstborn of your flock. 


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Then in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your household must eat them every year at the place the Lord will choose. 


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If it has a blemish lameness, blindness, or any kind of defect you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 


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In your cities <n>{Lit. gates}</n> both the unclean and the clean together are to eat together, <n>{Or eat it completely}</n> as the gazelle and the deer. 


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<n>{Celebrate the Passover}</n> d "Observe the month of Abib, keeping the Passover to the Lord your God, because the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt during the night in the month of Abib. 


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Then sacrifice sheep and cattle for the Passover to the Lord your God at the place where the Lord your God will choose to establish his name. 


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You must not eat any yeast with it. Instead, for seven days eat bread without yeast the bread of affliction because you left the land of Egypt in haste. Remember the day you went out of the land of Egypt for the rest of your lives. 


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Yeast is not to be seen in any of your territories for seven days. The meat is not to remain from the evening of the first day until morning. 


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"You must not sacrifice the Passover in just any of your cities <n>{Lit. gates}</n> that the Lord your God is about to give you. 


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But at the place where your God will choose to establish his name, you are to sacrifice the Passover in the evening at dusk, at the time of day you left Egypt. 


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Boil and eat the Passover meal <n>{The Heb. lacks the Passover meal}</n> at the place that the Lord your God will choose. In the morning you may go back to your tents. 


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Eat bread without yeast for six days. Then on the seventh day, hold an assembly to the Lord your God. Don't do any work." 


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<n>{Celebrate the Festival of Weeks}</n> d "Count off seven weeks from when the sickle is first put to standing grain. 


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Then observe the Festival of Weeks in the presence of the Lord your God by giving your tribute and the freewill offering of your hands in proportion to the manner in which the Lord your God blessed you. 


text:
Rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God with your son, daughter, male and female slaves, the descendant of Levi who is in your city, <n>{Lit. gate}</n> the stranger, the orphan, and the widow among you, at the place where the Lord your God will choose to establish his name. 


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<n>{Celebrate the Festival of Tents}</n> d "Celebrate the Festival of Tents <n>{Or Tents}</n> for seven days after you harvest from your threshing floor and your wine press. 


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Rejoice in your festival you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the descendants of Levi, foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities. <n>{Lit. gates}</n> 


text:
For seven days you are to celebrate in the presence of the Lord your God at the place where the Lord will choose; for the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in everything you do, and your joy will be complete. 


text:
"Every male must appear in the presence of the Lord your God three times a year at the place where he will choose: for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Seven Weeks, and the Festival of Tents. <n>{Or Tents}</n> He must not appear in the Lord's presence empty-handed, 


text:
but each one must appear <n>{The Heb. lacks must appear}</n> with his own gift, proportional to the blessing that the Lord your God has given you." 


text:
<n>{Pursue Justice}</n> d "Appoint judges and civil servants according to your tribes in all your cities <n>{Lit. gates}</n> that the Lord your God is about to give you, so they may judge the people impartially. <n>{Lit. people with righteous judgment}</n> 


text:
You must not twist justice, show favoritism, or take bribes, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the speech of the righteous. 


text:
You are to pursue justice and only justice so you may live and possess the land that the Lord your God is about to give you. 


text:
<n>{Prohibited Practices}</n> d "You are not to set up a sacred pole <n>{Lit. Asherah ; i.e. a cultic pillar}</n> beside the altar of the Lord your God that you will build. 


text:
Furthermore, you are not to erect for yourselves a sacred stone pillar, because the Lord your God detests these things. 


text:
You are not to sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has a defect or any flaw in it, because that is detestable to the Lord your God." 


text:
<n>{Death to the Idolater}</n> d "You may discover that a man or woman living in one of your cities that the Lord your God is about to give you has done evil in the eyes of the Lord your God by transgressing his covenant. 


text:
He may be following and serving other gods by bowing down to them that is, to the sun, the moon, or to any of the heavenly host (something I did not command). 


text:
When it is reported to you or you hear of it, then investigate it thoroughly. When the truth has been established that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 


text:
summon the man or the woman who did this evil thing to your city gates. Then stone the man or the woman to death. 


text:
Based on the testimony <n>{Lit. mouth}</n> of two or three witnesses, they must surely die. But they are not to die based on the testimony of one person. 


text:
Let the witnesses <n>{Lit. the hands of the witnesses}</n> be the first to begin executing them, then the rest of <n>{Lit. the hand of all}</n> the people shall follow. By doing this you will purge evil from among you." 


text:
<n>{Deciding Difficult Cases}</n> d "If a case is too difficult for you to decide with respect to bloodshed, <n>{Lit. blood versus blood}</n> civil claims, <n>{Lit. justice versus justice}</n> assault and battery, <n>{Lit. wound versus wound}</n> or other matters of dispute within your courts, <n>{Lit. gates}</n> bring <n>{Lit. stand and go up}</n> it to the place that the Lord your God will choose. 


text:
Present the case <n>{The Heb. lacks Present the case}</n> to the Levitical priest or the judge at that time. When you have inquired and they have announced the verdict, 


text:
carry out the verdict that was declared to you at the place that the Lord will choose. Carefully observe all of their instructions to you 


text:
in accordance with what the Law says, and in accordance with the verdict that will be handed to you. You must not deviate from the verdict that they declare to you either to the right or to the left. 


text:
"If a man presumptuously disregards the priest who is serving the Lord your God there or the judge, that person must die so you will purge evil from Israel. 


text:
<n>{Duties of the Future King}</n> d "When you have come to the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, and you have taken possession of it, and have settled in it, then you will say, «I will appoint a king over me like all the nations around me.'


text:
You will certainly set a king over you, whom the Lord your God will choose from among your relatives, but you must not place a foreign king over you who is not from your relatives. 


text:
Only he must not amass horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt to obtain more horses. For the Lord said you must never return that way again. 


text:
Also, he must not accumulate wives for himself (otherwise, his affection will become diverted), nor accumulate for himself excessive quantities of <n>{The Heb. lacks quantities of}</n> silver and gold. 


text:
When he occupies his royal throne, he must make a copy of this Law for himself from a scroll used by the Levitical priests. 


text:
It is to remain with him the rest of his life so he may learn to fear the Lord his God and observe all the words of this Law and these statutes, in order to fulfill them. 


text:
He is not to exalt himself over his relatives, nor turn aside from the commandment neither to the right nor to the left so that he and his sons may reign long in Israel." 


text:
<n>{Provision for the Descendants of Levi}</n> d "The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, will not have a portion or an inheritance within Israel. Instead, they will eat the burnt offerings of the Lord, because that is their inheritance. 


text:
But they will not have an inheritance among their relatives, because the Lord alone is their inheritance as he promised them." 


text:
<n>{Provision for the Priests}</n> d "A portion of what the people offer in sacrifice, whether cattle or sheep, is to be due the priests. They must set aside the shoulder, jowls, and stomach for the priest. 


text:
For the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants <n>{Lit. sons}</n> from among your tribes to stand and serve in the name of the Lord all their lives." <n>{Lit. days}</n> 


text:
<n>{Provision for the Itinerant Levite}</n> d "Any descendant of Levi who wishes to do so may come from any city or part of Israel where he resides to the place that the Lord will choose. 


text:
There he may serve in the name of the Lord his God. Like his fellow descendants of Levi who stand there in the Lord's presence, 


text:
<n>{Detestable Practices}</n> d "When you enter the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, don't learn the detestable practices of those nations there. 


text:
There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices <n>{Lit. passes}</n> his son or daughter in fire, practices divination, interprets omens, practices sorcery, 


text:
Whoever practices these things is detestable to the Lord , and the Lord your God will expel them before you because of these things. 


text:
because those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to those who practice witchcraft and divination. But the Lord does not allow you to act this way." 


text:
<n>{Discerning the True Prophet}</n> d "The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me for you from among your relatives. You must listen to him. 


text:
For this is what you asked from the Lord your God at Horeb when you were assembled together: «Don't let us <n>{Lit. me}</n> hear the voice of the Lord our God again, or even see this great fire otherwise, we <n>{Lit. I}</n> will die.'


text:
I will raise up a prophet like you from among their relatives, and I will place my words in his mouth so that he may expound everything that I have commanded to them. 


text:
But if someone will not listen to those words that the prophet <n>{Lit. he}</n> speaks in my name, I will hold him accountable. 


text:
Even then, if the prophet speaks presumptuously in my name, which I didn't authorize him to speak, or if he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.'


text:
Whenever a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, and the oracle does not come about or the word is not fulfilled, then the Lord has not spoken it. The prophet will have spoken presumptuously, so you need not fear him." 


text:
<n>{Cities of Refuge}</n> d "When the Lord your God destroys those nations whose lands he <n>{Lit. the Lord your God}</n> is about to give you, you must dispossess them and live in their cities and houses. 


text:
You must reserve <n>{Or set apart}</n> three cities within the land that the Lord your God is about to give you to possess. 


text:
Build roads throughout the land that the Lord your God is providing as an inheritance, and then divide it into three districts so that any killer may flee there. 


text:
"Now this is the situation for any killer who flees there to live: suppose he strikes his friend unwittingly, not having hated him previously. 


text:
For instance, <n>{The Heb. lacks for instance}</n> he may have accompanied his friend to go to a forest to cut trees. Then he swung his axe to cut some wood, but the ax head flew off the handle <n>{Lit. tree}</n> and hit <n>{Lit. found}</n> his friend, so that he died. The killer <n>{The Heb. lacks the killer}</n> may flee to one of these cities to live. 


text:
While the distance may be great and the angry avenger pursues the killer, he may overtake him and kill him, in which case there will be no justice in his death, because he did not hate his friend <n>{Lit. hate him}</n> previously. 


text:
<n>{Increase the Cities of Refuge}</n> d "Now if the Lord enlarges your territories just as he promised your ancestors and gives you all the land that he promised, <n>{Lit. promised to give your ancestors}</n> 


text:
and if you are careful to observe all these commands that I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God and to walk daily in his ways then add three more cities in addition to these three cities. 


text:
You must not shed innocent blood on your land that the Lord your God is about to give you as an inheritance. Otherwise, you'll be guilty of murder." 


text:
<n>{Refuse Cold-Blooded Murderers}</n> d "However, if a person hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and attacks him so that he dies, and then he flees to one of those cities, 


text:
then the elders of his own city shall send for him, remove him from there, and deliver him to the related avenger for execution. 


text:
Have no pity on him, but totally purge the shedding of innocent blood from Israel so that life may go well with you. 


text:
<n>{Boundary Markers}</n> d "When you inherit the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, don't move your neighbor's boundary marker from where it was placed long ago." 


text:
<n>{Laws about Witnesses}</n> d "The testimony of one person alone is not to suffice to convict anyone of any iniquity, sin, or guilt. But the matter will stand on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 


text:
When a malicious witness takes the stand <n>{Lit. witness stands}</n> against a man and accuses him, 


text:
then both must stand with their dispute in the Lord's presence, the priests, and the judges at that time. 


text:
The judges will investigate thoroughly. If the false witness lies in testifying against his relative, 


text:
do to him just as he intended to do to his relative. By doing this you will purge evil from your midst. 


text:
When others hear of this, they will be afraid and will not do such an evil deed again in your midst. 


text:
Your eyes must not show pity life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot." 


text:
<n>{Rules of War}</n> d "When you go to war against your enemies and observe more horses, chariots, and soldiers <n>{Lit. people}</n> than you have, don't be afraid of them, for the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt is with you. 


text:
"As you draw near for battle, let the priest approach and speak to the army. <n>{Lit. people ; and so throughout the chapter}</n> 


text:
He will say to them, «Listen, Israel! You're about to go into battle today against your enemies. Don't be faint-hearted. Don't be afraid, don't panic, and don't be terrified to face them. 


text:
For the Lord your God will be with you, fighting on your behalf against your enemies in order to grant you victory.'


text:
"Furthermore, let the officials ask the army, «Is there a man here <n>{The Heb. lacks here}</n> who has built a new house but has not yet dedicated it? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man dedicate it. 


text:
«And is there a man here <n>{The Heb. lacks here}</n> who has planted a vineyard and not yet benefited from it? Let him go home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man use it. 


text:
«And is there a man here <n>{The Heb. lacks here}</n> who is engaged to a woman and has not yet married her? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man marry her.'


text:
"Let the officials also speak to the army, «Is there a man here <n>{The Heb. lacks here}</n> who is afraid and faint-hearted? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may demoralize his fellow soldier.'<n>{Lit. his brother}</n> 


text:
"When the officials have finished speaking to the army, they must appoint officers to lead the troops." 


text:
If it agrees to peace and welcomes you, then all the people found in it will serve you as forced laborers. 


text:
The women, children, all the livestock in the city, and all of the spoil and plunder will belong to you. Appropriate the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God will give you. 


text:
Do this to all the cities that are distant from you that is, to those cities that are not in neighboring nations." 


text:
<n>{Destruction of the Canaanites}</n> d "You are not to leave even one person alive in the cities of these nations that the Lord your God is about to give you as an inheritance. 


text:
You must completely destroy the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, just as the Lord your God commanded you, 


text:
so they won't teach you to do all the detestable things that they do for their gods. If you do what they teach you, you will sin against the Lord your God." 


text:
<n>{Preservation of Fruit Trees}</n> d "When you attack a city and have to fight against it for many days, don't destroy its trees by cutting them down with an ax. You may eat from them, but you must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human beings, that you would come and attack them? 


text:
However, you may cut down the trees whose fruit <n>{The Heb. lacks whose fruit}</n> you know isn't edible, in order to build siege works against the city that waged war with you, until it falls." 


text:
<n>{Atonement for Unsolved Murder}</n> d "If a murder victim is found fallen in the open country of the land that the Lord your God is about to give you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, 


text:
then let your elders and judges go out and measure the distance from the dead body to the neighboring cities. 


text:
Then the elders of the city nearest the body are to take a heifer that hasn't been put to work or hasn't pulled a yoke 


text:
and <n>{Lit. The elders of the city}</n> shall lead the heifer to a flowing stream in a valley that has never been tilled or planted. They shall break the heifer's neck there. 


text:
"Then the priests of the sons of Levi will step forward, because the Lord your God chose them to serve and pronounce blessings in his name. <n>{Lit. in the name of the Lord your God}</n> Every case of dispute and assault is to be subject to their ruling. 


text:
All the elders of the city nearest the dead body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 


text:
and they are to make this declaration: «Our hands didn't shed this blood, nor were we witnesses to the crime. 


text:
Make atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord , and don't charge the blood of an innocent man against them.'<n>{Lit. against your people Israel}</n> Then the blood shed will be atoned for. 


text:
This is how you will remove the guilt of innocent blood from among you, for you must do what is right in the sight of the Lord ." 


text:
<n>{Marriage to a War Captive}</n> d "If you go to battle against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your control, you may take some prisoners captive. 


text:
If you see among the prisoners a beautiful woman and you desire her, then you may take her as your wife. 


text:
Remove her prisoner's clothing and let her remain for a month in your house, mourning her parents. After that, you may <n>{Lit. may go in to her,}</n> become her husband and she is to become your wife. 


text:
If you aren't pleased with her and you send her away, you must not sell her for money or mistreat her, since you have dishonored her." 


text:
<n>{Preferential Treatment Prohibited}</n> d "If a man has two wives where one is loved but the other is unloved, and both <n>{Lit. the one who is loved and who is not loved}</n> of them bear him sons, but the firstborn is the son of the unloved wife, 


text:
then when he bequeaths his possessions to his sons, he must not give preference to the firstborn of the beloved wife over the firstborn of the unloved wife. 


text:
Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn of the unloved wife by giving him double of everything he owns, because he is really the first fruit of his father's <n>{The Heb. lacks father's}</n> strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him." 


text:
<n>{Death to a Rebellious Son}</n> d "If a man has a stubborn son who does not obey his parents, <n>{Lit. obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother}</n> and although they try to discipline him, he still refuses to pay attention to them, 


text:
then his parents <n>{Lit. his father and his mother}</n> shall seize him and bring him before the elders at the gate of his city. 


text:
Then they are to declare to the elders of their city: «Our son is stubborn and rebellious. He does not obey us. He lives wildly and is a drunkard.'


text:
Then all the men of his city shall stone him with stones so that he dies. This is how you will remove this evil from among you. Then all Israel will hear of it and will be afraid." 


text:
<n>{Burial of the Executed}</n> d "If a man is guilty of a capital offense, is executed, and then is impaled on a tree, 


text:
his body must not remain overnight on the tree. You must bury him that same day, because cursed of God is the one who has been hanged on a tree. Don't defile your land that the Lord is about to give you as your inheritance." 


text:
<n>{Hospitality to Neighbors}</n> d "When you see the ox or sheep of your fellow countryman <n>{Lit. brother's and so throughout the chapter}</n> straying, don't go away and leave them. Instead, be sure to return them to him. <n>{Lit. brother and so throughout the chapter}</n> 


text:
If your fellow countryman doesn't live near you or you don't know who he is, bring the animal <n>{Lit. bring it}</n> to your house and let it remain with you until he <n>{Lit. brother}</n> claims it. Then return it to him. 


text:
Do the same for his donkey, his garment, and for anything lost that belongs to your fellow countryman. When you find it, you must not ignore it. 


text:
When you see the donkey or the ox of your fellow countryman fallen on the road, don't ignore them. Instead be sure to help them get up." 


text:
<n>{Miscellaneous Laws}</n> d "A woman must not wear what is appropriate to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, because anyone who does this is detestable to the Lord your God. 


text:
"When you encounter a bird's nest along the road, whether in a tree or on the ground, and the mother bird is sitting on its chicks <n>{Lit. on the young}</n> or eggs, don't take the mother along with its young. <n>{Lit. sons}</n> 


text:
You may take the young but be sure to release the mother, so that life will go well for you and that you may have a long life. 


text:
"When you build a new house, install a parapet along your roof so that if someone falls from the roof, you won't bring guilt of bloodshed on your house." 


text:
<n>{Principles of Distinction}</n> d "Don't plant two kinds of seeds in your vineyard. Otherwise, the entire crop will have to be forfeited, both the seed that you have sown and the produce from it. 


text:
<n>{Integrity in Marriage}</n> d "Suppose a man marries a wife but after having sexual relations with her, he despises her, 


text:
invents charges against her, and defames her by saying, «I have married this woman, but when I had sexual relations with her I found that she wasn't a virgin.'


text:
"Then the father of the young lady, along with her mother, is to bring evidence of the young lady's virginity to the elders at the gate. 


text:
The father of the young lady is to then say to the elders: «I have given my daughter to this man as a wife, but he despises her. 


text:
Now look, he has invented charges against her by saying, "I haven't found your daughter to be a virgin." But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity.'Then they are to spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 


text:
fine him 100 shekels of silver, and then give them to the young lady's father, because he had defamed a virgin of Israel. She is to remain his wife and he can't divorce her as long as he lives. 


text:
they are to bring her to the door of her father's house. Then the men of the city shall stone her with boulders until she dies for doing a detestable thing in Israel acting like a prostitute while in her father's house. By doing this, you will remove this evil from among you. 


text:
"If a man is caught having sexual relations with a married woman, then both of them must die the man who had sex with the woman and the woman herself so that this evil will be removed from Israel. 


text:
"If a man meets a young virgin lady engaged to be married in the city and has sexual relations with her, 


text:
then the two must be brought to the city gate and there they must be stoned to death the girl because she was in a city but did not cry out for help, and the man who abused a woman who was engaged to another man. By doing this you are to remove this evil from among you. 


text:
"If a man meets a girl in the country who is engaged to be married and then rapes <n>{Lit. overwhelms}</n> her, the man alone the one who had sexual relations with her must die. 


text:
As for the young lady, don't do anything to her. The young lady did nothing worthy of death. This case is similar to when a man attacks his countryman and kills him. 


text:
Since he found her in the country, the engaged girl may have cried out, but there was no one to rescue her. 


text:
"However, if a man meets a girl who isn't engaged to be married, and he seizes her, rapes her, and is later found out, 


text:
then the man who raped her must give 50 shekels of silver to the girl's father. Furthermore, he must marry her. Because he had violated her, he is to not divorce her as long as he lives. 


text:
<n>{This v. is 23:1 in MT}</n> "A man must not marry his father's wife, so that he will not dishonor his father's memory." <n>{Lit. wing ; or skirt}</n> 


text:
<n>{Qualifications for Assembling}</n> d <n>{This v. is 2 in MT, and so throughout the chapter.}</n> "No man whose testicles have been crushed <n>{Or wounded}</n> or whose penis has been cut off may participate in the assembly of the Lord . 


text:
Furthermore, no one born due to an illicit sexual relationship may participate in the assembly of the Lord , including his descendants to the tenth generation. 


text:
"No Ammonite or Moabite may participate in the assembly of the Lord , and none of their descendants shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord , to the tenth generation, 


text:
because they didn't come to meet you with food and water along the way as you were coming out of Egypt. Instead, they hired Beor's son Balaam from Pethor in Aram-naharaim <n>{I.e. Mesopotamia}</n> to curse you. 


text:
However, the Lord your God didn't listen to Balaam. The Lord your God turned Balaam's <n>{Lit. his}</n> curse into a blessing, because the Lord your God loves you. 


text:
"Don't detest Edomites, since they are related to you. Don't detest Egyptians, either, because you were strangers in their land. 


text:
Their grandchildren <n>{Lit. Children born in the third generation}</n> may participate in the assembly of the Lord ." 


text:
<n>{Community Sanitation}</n> d "When you are encamped for battle against your enemies, be on guard against every form of impropriety. 


text:
If someone among you becomes unclean due to nocturnal emissions, he must leave the camp and stay outside. 


text:
Include a spade among your equipment so that when you squat to relieve yourself, you can dig a hole and then cover your excrement. 


text:
For the Lord your God is on the move within your camp to deliver you and to hand your enemies over to you. Therefore your camp must be holy so that he will not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you." 


text:
<n>{Treatment of Slaves}</n> d "Don't hand over a slave who escaped from his master when he runs to you. 


text:
Let him live among you wherever he chooses in any of your cities that he likes. Don't mistreat him." 


text:
<n>{Cultic Prostitution Prohibited}</n> d "There is to be no cultic prostitutes from among the daughters or the sons of Israel. 


text:
Don't bring the earnings of a female prostitute nor the income of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God as payment for any vow. Both of these are detestable to the Lord your God." 


text:
<n>{Fair Dealings}</n> d "Don't charge interest to your relatives, whether for money, food, or for anything that has been loaned at interest. 


text:
You may charge interest to a foreigner, but don't charge interest to your relatives, so the Lord your God may bless you in everything you undertake in the land that you are about to enter and possess. 


text:
"When you make a vow to the Lord your God, don't delay paying it, because the Lord your God will certainly demand payment from you, and then you will be guilty of sin. 


text:
Be sure you do whatever you promise, because you have given your word voluntarily to the Lord your God. 


text:
"When you enter your countrymen's vineyard, you may eat the grapes to your satisfaction, but don't take any in a basket. 


text:
When you enter your countrymen's grain fields, you may pluck the grain with your hand, but don't put a sickle to his standing grain." 


text:
<n>{Various Laws}</n> d "If a man chooses to enter into marriage with a woman, but she finds herself displeasing to him because he has found something objectionable <n>{Lit. naked ; i.e. indecent}</n> about her, he must draw up divorce papers, hand them to her, and then send her out of his house. 


text:
and this second husband <n>{Lit. this other man}</n> dislikes her, he, also, must draw up divorce papers, hand them to her, and then send her away from his house. Should the second husband die, 


text:
her first husband who married her and divorced her earlier must not remarry her, <n>{Lit. not take her to live with him as wife}</n> because she was defiled, since this is detestable to the Lord . Don't defile the land that the Lord your God is about to give you as a possession. 


text:
"When a man is newly married, he must not be sent out to war or have a related duty placed on him. Let him stay home for one year and be happy with his wife whom he has married. 


text:
"Don't take a pair of millstones, especially the upper millstone, as collateral for a loan, because this means taking a man's <n>{Lit. taking his}</n> livelihood. 


text:
"If a man is found kidnapping his relative, a fellow Israeli, and mistreats or sells him, that kidnapper must die. By doing this, you will remove this evil from among you. 


text:
"In cases of leprosy, be very careful to observe exactly what the Levitical priests instructed you. Carefully follow what I have commanded them. 


text:
<n>{Respecting the Poor}</n> d "When you loan something to your neighbor, don't enter his house to seize what he offered as collateral. 


text:
Stay outside and let the man to whom you made the loan bring it <n>{Lit. the collateral}</n> out to you. 


text:
If he is a poor man, don't go to sleep with his collateral in your possession. <n>{The Heb. lacks in your possession}</n> 


text:
Be sure to return his garment <n>{Lit. collateral}</n> to him at sunset so that he may sleep with it, and he will bless you. It will be a righteous deed in the presence of the Lord your God. 


text:
"Don't take advantage of a hired person who is poor and needy, whether he's your fellow citizen or a foreigner who lives in your city. 


text:
Pay his wages that same day before the sun sets, because he is poor and his livelihood <n>{Lit. life}</n> depends on it. Otherwise, he may cry out to the Lord against you, and you will incur guilt." 


text:
<n>{Practicing Justice}</n> d "Fathers must not be put to death on account of their children's sin; nor shall children die on account of their fathers'sin. Each person is to be put to death for his own sin. 


text:
"Don't deny justice to a foreigner or to an orphan, nor take a widow's garment as collateral for a loan. 


text:
Remember to observe this because you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I am commanding you to do this. 


text:
"When you are reaping in the field, and you overlook a sheaf, don't return to get it. Let it remain for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless everything you undertake. 


text:
"When you harvest the olives from your trees, don't go back to the branches a second time. What remains is for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow. 


text:
"When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, don't go back a second time. What remains are for the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow. 


text:
Remember to do this because you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I'm commanding you to do this." 


text:
<n>{Limitations on Punishment}</n> d "When there is a conflict between individuals, let them come to court to judge the case, decide who is innocent, and condemn the guilty person. 


text:
If the guilty person deserves a beating, the judge will make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of lashes fit for his crime. 


text:
But he must not be beaten more than 40 lashes, because if he receives more than 40 lashes, your brother will be humiliated in your eyes. 


text:
<n>{Levirate Marriage}</n> d "When two brothers are living together and one of them dies without leaving a son, his widow must not be married outside the family to a foreigner. Instead, the brother-in-law must go to her, take her as his wife, and by doing so perform the duty of a brother-in-law. 


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The firstborn whom she will bear will continue the name of the dead brother, so his name will not be erased from Israel. 


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But if the man does not want to marry his brother's widow, then she <n>{Lit. the brother's wife}</n> must go to the elders at the city gate and declare, «My husband's brother refuses to perform the duty of a brother-in-law in order to preserve the name of his brother in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law.'


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Then the elders of the city are to summon him and speak with him. If he insists on saying, «I don't want to marry her,'


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then she is to approach her brother-in-law in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and say in response, «May this be done to the man who does not preserve the lineage <n>{Lit. house}</n> of his brother.'


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<n>{Limiting a Wife's Defense}</n> d "If two men are fighting together, and the wife of one comes to rescue her husband from the grasp of his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes his genitals, 


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You must have honest weights and measuring devices, <n>{Lit. and an honest and fair device}</n> so you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, 


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<n>{Annihilation of the Amalekites}</n> d "Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the road while you were coming out of Egypt, 


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how when you were very tired and weary, they lay in wait for you on the road and eliminated everyone who was lagging behind. They had no fear of God. 


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Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies who surround you in the land that he <n>{Lit. that the Lord your God}</n> is about to give you to possess as an inheritance, you must completely erase the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven. Don't forget!" 


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<n>{Gift of the First Produce}</n> d "When you arrive in the land that the Lord your God is about to give you as an inheritance, take possession of it and settle in it. 


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Gather all the first produce of the ground that you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is about to give you, place it in a basket, and bring it to the place where the Lord your God will choose to establish his name. 


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Approach the priest who is in charge at that time and say to him, «I acknowledge today to the Lord your God that I've arrived in the land that the Lord promised our ancestors to give us.'


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"Then the priest will take the basket from you <n>{Lit. your hand}</n> and place it in front of the altar of the Lord your God. 


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Then you are to affirm and declare in the presence of the Lord your God: A wandering Aramean was my ancestor, who went down to Egypt and traveled there with very few family members, <n>{The Heb. lacks family members}</n> yet there he became a great, powerful, and populous nation. 


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So we cried out to the Lord God of our ancestors, and he <n>{Lit. the Lord}</n> heard our cries and observed our affliction, trouble, and oppression. 


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The Lord brought us out of Egypt with his awesome power, <n>{Lit. his mighty hand and outstretched arm}</n> with great terror, signs, and wonders. 


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Now, look I brought the first produce of the land that you, Lord , have given me. Then set it in the presence of the Lord your God and worship him. <n>{Lit. worship before the Lord your God}</n> 


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Rejoice with the descendants of Levi and the foreigner among you at all the good things that the Lord your God has given you and your family." 


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<n>{Levitical Tithes}</n> d "When you have finished your harvest, reserve the tithe in the third year (the year of the tithe), and give the entire tithe to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, to the orphans, and to the widows, so they may eat and be satisfied in your cities. 


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Then declare in the presence of the Lord your God: «I've removed the holy offering from my house and given it to the descendants of Levi, to the foreigners, to the orphans, and to the widows just as you have commanded me. I haven't violated or forgotten your commands. 


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I haven't eaten any part of it while mourning, nor removed any part of it while unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I've obeyed the voice of the Lord my God and did all that he commanded me. 


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Look down from your holy habitation in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land that you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors a land flowing with milk and honey.»" 


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<n>{Living for the Glory of God}</n> d "The Lord your God is commanding you this very day to observe these statutes and judgments. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and soul. 


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You have declared this very day that the Lord will be your God. You are to walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commands, and judgments, and obey his voice. 


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so he may elevate you far above all the nations that he has made. Then you will live to the praise, fame, and glory of God, <n>{The Heb. lacks of God}</n> and so be a nation that is holy to the Lord your God, as he has promised." 


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<n>{Stone Memorials}</n> d Moses and the elders of Israel gave these orders to the people: "Observe all of the commandments <n>{So LXX. MT reads commandment}</n> that I'm giving <n>{Lit. commanding}</n> you today. 


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On the day you cross over the Jordan River to the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster. 


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Then inscribe on them all the words of this law when you've crossed over into the land that the Lord your God is about to give you a land flowing with milk and honey just as the Lord God of your ancestors promised you. 


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"When you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these stones about which I'm commanding you today on Mount Ebal, and coat them with plaster. 


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Then build an altar there to the Lord your God, an altar of stones that hasn't been worked with iron tools. 


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Build the altar to the Lord your God with uncut stones, then offer a burnt offering to him. <n>{Lit. the Lord your God}</n> 


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Inscribe on the stones plainly and distinctly <n>{Lit. and make good}</n> all the words of this Law." 


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Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to Israel. They said, "Be quiet and listen, Israel! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. 


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Listen to his voice <n>{Lit. voice of the Lord your God}</n> and carry out his commands and statutes that I'm giving <n>{Lit. commanding}</n> you today." 


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"When you cross the Jordan River, these tribes <n>{The Heb. lacks tribes}</n> are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 


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The tribes of <n>{The Heb. lacks the tribes of}</n> Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali are to stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curse. 


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"Cursed is the one <n>{Lit. man ; and so through v. 26}</n> who makes a sculptured or cast image a detestable thing to the Lord , the work of a craftsman and sets it up secretly. '"Then all the people are to respond by saying, «Amen!'


