# verses

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The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.


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and named the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." Evening came and then morning--that was the first day.


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God said, "I command the water under the sky to come together in one place, so there will be dry ground." And that's what happened.


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God named the dry ground "Land," and he named the water "Ocean." God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good.


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God said, "I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants, including fruit trees and grain." And that's what happened.


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God said, "I command lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night and to show the time for seasons, special days, and years.


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God made two powerful lights, the brighter one to rule the day and the other to rule the night. He also made the stars.


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to rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. God looked at what he had done, and it was good.


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God said, "I command the ocean to be full of living creatures, and I command birds to fly above the earth."


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So God made the giant sea monsters and all the living creatures that swim in the ocean. He also made every kind of bird. God looked at what he had done, and it was good.


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Then he gave the living creatures his blessing--he told the ocean creatures to live everywhere in the ocean and the birds to live everywhere on earth.


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God said, "I command the earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles." And that's what happened.


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God said, "Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures."


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God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.


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And I have given the green plants as food for everything else that breathes. These will be food for animals, both wild and tame, and for birds.


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God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came and then morning--that was the sixth day.


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no grass or plants were growing anywhere. God had not yet sent any rain, and there was no one to work the land.


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The LORD God took a handful of soil and made a man. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing.


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The LORD God placed all kinds of beautiful trees and fruit trees in the garden. Two other trees were in the middle of the garden. One of the trees gave life--the other gave the power to know the difference between right and wrong.


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except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!"


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The LORD God said, "It isn't good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him."


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So the LORD took some soil and made animals and birds. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give each of them. Then the man named the tame animals and the birds and the wild animals. That's how they got their names. None of these was the right kind of partner for the man.


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So the LORD God made him fall into a deep sleep, and he took out one of the man's ribs. Then after closing the man's side,


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and the man exclaimed, "Here is someone like me! She is part of my body, my own flesh and bones. She came from me, a man. So I will name her Woman!"


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That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.


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The snake was sneakier than any of the other wild animals that the LORD God had made. One day it came to the woman and asked, "Did God tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?"


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except the one in the middle. He told us not to eat fruit from that tree or even to touch it. If we do, we will die."


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"God understands what will happen on the day you eat fruit from that tree. You will see what you have done, and you will know the difference between right and wrong, just as God does."


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The woman stared at the fruit. It looked beautiful and tasty. She wanted the wisdom that it would give her, and she ate some of the fruit. Her husband was there with her, so she gave some to him, and he ate it too.


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Right away they saw what they had done, and they realized they were naked. Then they sewed fig leaves together to make something to cover themselves.


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Late in the afternoon a breeze began to blow, and the man and woman heard the LORD God walking in the garden. They were frightened and hid behind some trees.


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The man answered, "I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!"


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"How did you know you were naked?" God asked. "Did you eat any fruit from that tree in the middle of the garden?"


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"It was the woman you put here with me," the man said. "She gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it."


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The LORD God then asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The snake tricked me," she answered. "And I ate some of that fruit."


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So the LORD God said to the snake: "Because of what you have done, you will be the only animal to suffer this curse-- For as long as you live, you will crawl on your stomach and eat dirt.


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You and this woman will hate each other; your descendants and hers will always be enemies. One of hers will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel."


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Then the LORD said to the woman, "You will suffer terribly when you give birth. But you will still desire your husband, and he will rule over you."


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The LORD said to the man, "You listened to your wife and ate fruit from that tree. And so, the ground will be under a curse because of what you did. As long as you live, you will have to struggle to grow enough food.


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You will have to sweat to earn a living; you were made out of soil, and you will once again turn into soil."


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The LORD said, "These people now know the difference between right and wrong, just as we do. But they must not be allowed to eat fruit from the tree that lets them live forever."


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So the LORD God sent them out of the Garden of Eden, where they would have to work the ground from which the man had been made.


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Then God put winged creatures at the entrance to the garden and a flaming, flashing sword to guard the way to the life-giving tree.


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Adam and Eve had a son. Then Eve said, "I'll name him Cain because I got him with the help of the LORD."


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and Abel also gave an offering to the LORD. He killed the first-born lamb from one of his sheep and gave the LORD the best parts of it. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering,


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If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling. But you did the wrong thing, and now sin is waiting to attack you like a lion. Sin wants to destroy you, but don't let it!


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Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go for a walk." And when they were out in a field, Cain killed him.


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Afterwards the LORD asked Cain, "Where is Abel?" "How should I know?" he answered. "Am I supposed to look after my brother?"


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Then the LORD said: Why have you done this terrible thing? You killed your own brother, and his blood flowed onto the ground. Now his blood is calling out for me to punish you.


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And so, I'll put you under a curse. Because you killed Abel and made his blood run out on the ground, you will never be able to farm the land again.


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If you try to farm the land, it won't produce anything for you. From now on, you'll be without a home, and you'll spend the rest of your life wandering from place to place.


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"You're making me leave my home and live far from you. I will have to wander about without a home, and just anyone could kill me."


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"No!" the LORD answered. "Anyone who kills you will be punished seven times worse than I am punishing you." So the LORD put a mark on Cain to warn everyone not to kill him.


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Later, Cain and his wife had a son named Enoch. At the time Cain was building a town, and so he named it Enoch after his son.


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Then Enoch had a son named Irad, who had a son named Mehujael, who had a son named Methushael, who had a son named Lamech.


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Lamech and Adah had two sons, Jabal and Jubal. Their son Jabal was the first to live in tents and raise sheep and goats. Jubal was the first to play harps and flutes.


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Lamech and Zillah had a son named Tubal Cain who made tools out of bronze and iron. They also had a daughter, whose name was Naamah.


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Anyone who tries to get even with me will be punished ten times more than anyone who tries to get even with Cain."


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Adam and his wife had another son. They named him Seth, because they said, "God has given us a son to take the place of Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain."


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God created men and women to be like himself. He gave them his blessing and called them human beings. This is a list of the descendants of Adam, the first man:


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When Adam was one hundred thirty, he had a son who was just like him, and he named him Seth. Adam had more children


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Lamech said, "I'll name him Noah because he will give us comfort, as we struggle hard to make a living on this land that the LORD has put under a curse."


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More and more people were born, until finally they spread all over the earth. Some of their daughters were so beautiful that supernatural beings came down and married the ones they wanted.


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Then the LORD said, "I won't let my life-giving breath remain in anyone forever. No one will live for more than one hundred twenty years."


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The children of the supernatural beings who had married these women became famous heroes and warriors. They were called Nephilim and lived on the earth at that time and even later.


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The LORD saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil.


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and he said, "I'll destroy every living creature on earth! I'll wipe out people, animals, birds, and reptiles. I'm sorry I ever made them."


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So he told Noah: Cruelty and violence have spread everywhere. Now I'm going to destroy the whole earth and all its people.


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Build a roof on the boat and leave a space of about eighteen inches between the roof and the sides. Make the boat three stories high and put a door on one side.


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But I solemnly promise that you, your wife, your sons, and your daughters-in-law will be kept safe in the boat.


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Bring into the boat with you a male and a female of every kind of animal and bird, as well as a male and a female of every reptile. I don't want them to be destroyed.


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The LORD told Noah: Take your whole family with you into the boat, because you are the only one on this earth who pleases me.


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Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird with you. Do this so there will always be animals and birds on the earth.


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Seven days from now I will send rain that will last for forty days and nights, and I will destroy all other living creatures I have made.


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Noah was six hundred years old when he went into the boat to escape the flood, and he did everything the LORD had told him to do. His wife, his sons, and his daughters-in-law all went inside with him.


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Noah was six hundred years old when the water under the earth started gushing out everywhere. The sky opened like windows, and rain poured down for forty days and nights. All this began on the seventeenth day of the second month of the year.


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On that day Noah and his wife went into the boat with their three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives.


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For forty days the rain poured down without stopping. And the water became deeper and deeper, until the boat started floating high above the ground.


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Finally, the mighty flood was so deep that even the highest mountain peaks were almost twenty-five feet below the surface of the water.


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The LORD destroyed everything that breathed. Nothing was left alive except Noah and the others in the boat.


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God did not forget about Noah and the animals with him in the boat. So God made a wind blow, and the water started going down.


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God stopped up the places where the water had been gushing out from under the earth. He also closed up the sky, and the rain stopped.


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Then on the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the year, the boat came to rest somewhere in the Ararat mountains.


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Forty days later Noah opened a window to send out a raven, but it kept flying around until the water had dried up.


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Deep water was still everywhere, and the dove could not find a place to land. So it flew back to the boat. Noah held out his hand and helped it back in.


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It returned in the evening, holding in its beak a green leaf from an olive tree. Noah knew that the water was finally going down.


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Noah was now six hundred one years old. And by the first day of that year, almost all the water had gone away. Noah made an opening in the roof of the boat and saw that the ground was getting dry.


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Noah built an altar where he could offer sacrifices to the LORD. Then he offered on the altar one of each kind of animal and bird that could be used for a sacrifice.


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The smell of the burning offering pleased God, and he said: Never again will I punish the earth for the sinful things its people do. All of them have evil thoughts from the time they are young, but I will never destroy everything that breathes, as I did this time.


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As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat; winter and summer, day and night.


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God said to Noah and his sons: I am giving you my blessing. Have a lot of children and grandchildren, so people will live everywhere on this earth.


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All animals, birds, reptiles, and fish will be afraid of you. I have placed them under your control,


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and I have given them to you for food. From now on, you may eat them, as well as the green plants that you have always eaten.


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I created humans to be like me, and I will punish any animal or person that takes a human life. If an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And if a person takes the life of another, that person must be put to death.


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I promise every living creature that the earth and those living on it will never again be destroyed by a flood.


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The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever.


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I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life.


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When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature.


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Shem and Japheth put a robe over their shoulders and walked backwards into the tent. Without looking at their father, they placed it over his body.


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I pray that the LORD will give Japheth more and more land and let him take over the territory of Shem. May Canaan be his slave."


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Japheth's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. They were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Gomer was the ancestor of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. Javan was the ancestor of Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim, who settled along the coast.


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Ham's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. They were Ethiopia, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. Cush was the ancestor of Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah was the ancestor of Sheba and Dedan. Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, a mighty warrior whose strength came from the LORD. Nimrod is the reason for the saying, "You hunt like Nimrod with the strength of the LORD!" Nimrod first ruled in Babylon, Erech, and Accad, all of which were in Babylonia. From there Nimrod went to Assyria and built the great city of Nineveh. He also built Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, as well as Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah. Egypt was the ancestor of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, the ancestor of the Philistines. Canaan's sons were Sidon and Heth. He was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanites spread from the territory of Sidon and went as far as Gaza in the direction of Gerar. They also went as far as Lasha in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim.


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Shem's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. He was the older brother of Japheth and the ancestor of the tribes of Eber. Shem was the ancestor of Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. Aram was the ancestor of Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arpachshad was the father of Shelah and the grandfather of Eber, whose first son was named Peleg, because it was during his time that tribes divided up the earth. Eber's second son was Joktan. Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. Their land reached from Mesha in the direction of Sephar, the hill country in the east.


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This completes the list of Noah's descendants. After the flood their descendants became nations and spread all over the world.


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they said: Let's build a city with a tower that reaches to the sky! We'll use hard bricks and tar instead of stone and mortar. We'll become famous, and we won't be scattered all over the world.


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he said: These people are working together because they all speak the same language. This is just the beginning. Soon they will be able to do anything they want.


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Come on! Let's go down and confuse them by making them speak different languages--then they won't be able to understand each other.


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So the people had to stop building the city, because the LORD confused their language and scattered them all over the earth. That's how the city of Babel got its name.


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Two years after the flood, when Shem was one hundred, he had a son named Arpachshad. He had more children and died at the age of six hundred. This is a list of his descendants:


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After Terah was seventy years old, he had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran, who became the father of Lot. Terah's sons were born in the city of Ur in Chaldea, and Haran died there before the death of his father. The following is the story of Terah's descendants.


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Abram married Sarai, but she was not able to have any children. And Nahor married Milcah, who was the daughter of Haran and the sister of Iscah.


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Terah decided to move from Ur to the land of Canaan. He took along Abram and Sarai and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran. But when they came to the city of Haran, they decided to settle there instead.


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The LORD said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.


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I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others.


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I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.


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Abram was seventy-five years old when the LORD told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had gotten while in Haran. When they came to the land of Canaan,


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Abram went as far as the sacred tree of Moreh in a place called Shechem. The Canaanites were still living in the land at that time,


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but the LORD appeared to Abram and promised, "I will give this land to your family forever." Abram then built an altar there for the LORD.


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Abram traveled to the hill country east of Bethel and camped between Bethel and Ai, where he built another altar and worshiped the LORD.


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The crops failed, and there was no food anywhere in the land. So Abram and his wife Sarai went to live in Egypt for a while. But just before they got there, he said, "Sarai, you are really beautiful!


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When the Egyptians see how lovely you are, they will murder me because I am your husband. But they won't kill you.


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The king was good to Abram because of Sarai, and Abram was given sheep, cattle, donkeys, slaves, and camels.


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Finally, the king sent for Abram and said to him, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife?


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Why did you make me believe she was your sister? Now I've married her. Take her and go! She's your wife."


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Abram moved from place to place in the Southern Desert. And finally, he went north and set up his tents between Bethel and Ai,


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Lot, who was traveling with him, also had sheep, goats, and cattle, as well as his own family and slaves.


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At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the same area, and so there wasn't enough pastureland left for Abram and Lot with all of their animals. Besides this, the men who took care of Abram's animals and the ones who took care of Lot's animals started quarreling.


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Abram said to Lot, "We are close relatives. We shouldn't argue, and our men shouldn't be fighting one another.


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There is plenty of land for you to choose from. Let's separate. If you go north, I'll go south; if you go south, I'll go north."


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This happened before the LORD had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And when Lot looked around, he saw there was plenty of water in the Jordan Valley. All the way to Zoar the valley was as green as the garden of the LORD or the land of Egypt.


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So Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley for himself, and as he started toward the east, he and Abram separated.


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Abram stayed in the land of Canaan. But Lot settled near the cities of the valley and put up his tents not far from Sodom,


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After Abram and Lot had gone their separate ways, the LORD said to Abram: Look around to the north, south, east, and west.


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I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants.


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Abram took down his tents and went to live near the sacred trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar in honor of the LORD.


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About this time, King Amraphel of Babylonia, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim


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attacked King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, also known as the city of Zoar.


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King Chedorlaomer and his allies had ruled these last five kings for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year the kings rebelled and came together in Siddim Valley, which is now covered by the southern part of the Dead Sea.


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A year later King Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh-Kiriathaim.


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They went back to the city of Enmishpat, better known as Kadesh. Then they captured all the land that belonged to the Amalekites, and they defeated the Amorites who were living in Hazazon-Tamar.


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At Siddim Valley, the armies of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela fought the armies of King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar. The valley


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was full of tar pits, and when the troops from Sodom and Gomorrah started running away, some of them fell into the pits. Others escaped to the hill country.


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They also captured Abram's nephew Lot, who lived in Sodom. They took him and his possessions and then left.


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At this time Abram the Hebrew was living near the oaks that belonged to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his brothers Eshcol and Aner were Abram's friends. Someone who had escaped from the battle told Abram


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that his nephew Lot had been taken away. Three hundred eighteen of Abram's servants were fighting men, so he took them and followed the enemy as far north as the city of Dan.


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That night, Abram divided up his troops, attacked from all sides, and won a great victory. But some of the enemy escaped to the town of Hobah north of Damascus,


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and Abram went after them. He brought back his nephew Lot, together with Lot's possessions and the women and everyone else who had been captured.


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Abram returned after he had defeated King Chedorlaomer and the other kings. Then the king of Sodom went to meet Abram in Shaveh Valley, which is also known as King's Valley.


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All praise belongs to God Most High for helping you defeat your enemies." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.


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that I won't keep anything of yours, not even a sandal strap or a piece of thread. Then you can never say that you are the one who made me rich.


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Let my share be the food that my men have eaten. But Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre went with me, so give them their share of what we brought back.


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Later the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision, "Abram, don't be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly."


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But Abram answered, "LORD All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own.


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The LORD replied, "No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his."


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Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have."


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Then the LORD told him, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon."


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Abram obeyed the LORD. Then he cut the animals in half and laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground. But he did not cut the doves and pigeons in half.


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Then the LORD said: Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace. But I solemnly promise that your descendants will live as foreigners in a land that doesn't belong to them. They will be forced into slavery and abused for four hundred years. But I will terribly punish the nation that enslaves them, and they will leave with many possessions.


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Four generations later, your descendants will return here and take this land, because only then will the people who live here be so sinful that they deserve to be punished.


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Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot and a flaming fire went between the two halves of each animal.


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At that time the LORD made an agreement with Abram and told him: I will give your descendants the land east of the Shihor River on the border of Egypt as far as the Euphrates River.


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Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar,


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and Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine." Abram agreed,


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and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years.


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Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the LORD for this."


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Abram said, "All right! She's your slave, and you can do whatever you want with her." But Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.


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Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the LORD came to her


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and asked, "Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She answered, "I'm running away from Sarai, my owner."


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I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael, because I have heard your cry for help. And later I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all.


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But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him."


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Hagar thought, "Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?" So from then on she called him, "The God Who Sees Me."


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Abram was ninety-nine years old when the LORD appeared to him again and said, "I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right,


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I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That's why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham.


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I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings.


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I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God.


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I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God.


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As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family.


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From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last forever.


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I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.


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Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, "I am almost a hundred years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is ninety. How can she have a child?" So he started laughing.


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But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.


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I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation.


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But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever.


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On that same day Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Ishmael. Abraham was also circumcised, and so were all other men and boys in his household, including his servants and slaves. He was ninety-nine years old at the time, and his son Ishmael was thirteen.


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One hot summer afternoon Abraham was sitting by the entrance to his tent near the sacred trees of Mamre, when the LORD appeared to him.


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Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly ran to meet them, bowed with his face to the ground,


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Let me get you some food to give you strength before you leave. I would be honored to serve you." "Thank you very much," they answered. "We accept your offer."


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Abraham quickly went to his tent and said to Sarah, "Hurry! Get a large sack of flour and make some bread."


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After saying this, he rushed off to his herd of cattle and picked out one of the best calves, which his servant quickly prepared.


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He then served his guests some yogurt and milk together with the meat. While they were eating, he stood near them under the trees,


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One of the guests was the LORD, and he said, "I'll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son." Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent.


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So she laughed and said to herself, "Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?"


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The LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age?


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I am the LORD! There is nothing too difficult for me. I'll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son."


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When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.


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since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all other nations on earth.


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I have chosen him to teach his family to obey me forever and to do what is right and fair. Then I will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised."


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The LORD said, "Abraham, I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are doing all kinds of evil things.


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Now I am going down to see for myself if those people really are that bad. If they aren't, I want to know about it."


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who asked, "LORD, when you destroy the evil people, are you also going to destroy those who are good?


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You surely wouldn't let them be killed when you destroy the evil ones. You are the judge of all the earth, and you do what is right."


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The LORD replied, "If I find fifty good people in Sodom, I will save the city to keep them from being killed."


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Abraham answered, "I am nothing more than the dust of the earth. Please forgive me, LORD, for daring to speak to you like this.


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But suppose there are only forty-five good people in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?" "If I find forty-five good people," the LORD replied, "I won't destroy the city."


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"Suppose there are just forty good people?" Abraham asked. "Even for them," the LORD replied, "I won't destroy the city."


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Abraham said, "Please don't be angry, LORD, if I ask you what you will do if there are only thirty good people in the city." "If I find thirty," the LORD replied, "I still won't destroy it."


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Then Abraham said, "I don't have any right to ask you, LORD, but what would you do if you find only twenty?" "Because of them, I won't destroy the city," was the LORD's answer.


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Finally, Abraham said, "Please don't get angry, LORD, if I speak just once more. Suppose you find only ten good people there." "For the sake of ten good people," the LORD told him, "I still won't destroy the city."


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That evening the two angels arrived in Sodom, while Lot was sitting near the city gate. When Lot saw them, he got up, bowed down low,


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and said, "Gentlemen, I am your servant. Please come to my home. You can wash your feet, spend the night, and be on your way in the morning." They told him, "No, we'll spend the night in the city square."


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But Lot kept insisting, until they finally agreed and went home with him. He baked some bread, cooked a meal, and they ate.


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Before Lot and his guests could go to bed, every man in Sodom, young and old, came and stood outside his house


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I have two daughters who have never been married. I'll bring them out, and you can do what you want with them. But don't harm these men. They are guests in my home."


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"Don't get in our way," the crowd answered. "You're an outsider. What right do you have to order us around? We'll do worse things to you than we're going to do to them." The crowd kept arguing with Lot. Finally, they rushed toward the door to break it down.


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The two angels said to Lot, "The LORD has heard many terrible things about the people of Sodom, and he has sent us here to destroy the city. Take your family and leave. Take every relative you have in the city, as well as the men your daughters are going to marry."


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Lot went to the men who were engaged to his daughters and said, "Hurry and get out of here! The LORD is going to destroy this city." But they thought he was joking, and they laughed at him.


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Early the next morning the two angels tried to make Lot hurry and leave. They said, "Take your wife and your two daughters and get out of here as fast as you can! If you don't, every one of you will be killed when the LORD destroys the city."


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At first, Lot just stood there. But the LORD wanted to save him. So the angels took Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.


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When they were outside, one of the angels said, "Run for your lives! Don't even look back. And don't stop in the valley. Run to the hills, where you will be safe."


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Lot answered, "You have done us a great favor, sir. You have saved our lives, but please don't make us go to the hills. That's too far away. The city will be destroyed before we can get there, and we will be killed when it happens.


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There's a town near here. It's only a small place, but my family and I will be safe, if you let us go there."


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Hurry! Run! I can't do anything until you are safely there." The town was later called Zoar because Lot had said it was small.


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He destroyed those cities and everyone who lived in them, as well as their land and the trees and grass that grew there.


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He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and saw smoke rising from all over the land--it was like a flaming furnace.


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When God destroyed the cities of the valley where Lot lived, he remembered his promise to Abraham and saved Lot from the terrible destruction.


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Lot was afraid to stay on in Zoar. So he took his two daughters and moved to a cave in the hill country.


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One day his older daughter said to her sister, "Our father is old, and there are no men anywhere for us to marry.


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That night they got their father drunk, and the older daughter got in bed with him, but he was too drunk even to know she was there.


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The next day the older daughter said to her sister, "I slept with my father last night. We'll get him drunk again tonight, so you can go to bed with him, and we can each have a child."


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That night they got their father drunk, and this time the younger sister slept with him. But once again he was too drunk even to know she was there.


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Abraham moved to the Southern Desert, where he settled between Kadesh and Shur. Later he went to Gerar, and while there


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he told everyone that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.


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But God came to Abimelech in a dream and said, "You have taken a married woman, and for this you will die!"


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Abimelech said to the Lord, "Don't kill me! I haven't slept with Sarah. Didn't they say they were brother and sister? I am completely innocent."


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God spoke to Abimelech in another dream and said: I know you are innocent. That's why I kept you from sleeping with Sarah and doing anything wrong.


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Her husband is a prophet. Let her go back to him, and his prayers will save you from death. But if you don't return her, you and all your people will die.


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Early the next morning Abimelech sent for his officials, and when he told them what had happened, they were frightened.


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Abimelech then called in Abraham and said: Look what you've done to us! What have I ever done to you? Why did you make me and my nation guilty of such a terrible sin?


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Abraham answered: I did it because I didn't think any of you respected God, and I was sure that someone would kill me to get my wife.


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When God made us leave my father's home and start wandering, I told her, "If you really love me, you will tell everyone that I am your brother."


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Then he said to Sarah, "I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver as proof to everyone that you have done nothing wrong."


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Meanwhile, God had kept Abimelech's wife and slaves from having children. But Abraham prayed, and God let them start having children again.


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Who would have dared to tell Abraham that someday I would have a child? But in his old age, I have given him a son."


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One day, Sarah noticed Hagar's son Ishmael playing, and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that Egyptian slave woman and her son! I don't want him to inherit anything. It should all go to my son."


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But God said, "Abraham, don't worry about your slave woman and the boy. Just do what Sarah tells you. Isaac will inherit your family name,


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but the son of the slave woman is also your son, and I will make his descendants into a great nation."


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Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar an animal skin full of water and some bread. Then he put the boy on her shoulder and sent them away. They wandered around in the desert near Beersheba,


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Then she sat down a long way off, because she could not bear to watch him die. And she cried bitterly.


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When God heard the boy crying, the angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven and said, "Hagar, why are you worried? Don't be afraid. I have heard your son crying.


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Then God let her see a well. So she went to the well and filled the skin with water, then gave some to her son.


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God blessed Ishmael, and as the boy grew older, he became an expert with his bow and arrows. He lived in the Paran Desert, and his mother chose an Egyptian woman for him to marry.


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About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, "God blesses everything you do!


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Now I want you to promise in the name of God that you will always be loyal to me and my descendants, just as I have always been loyal to you in this land where you have lived as a foreigner."


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"This is the first I've heard about it," Abimelech replied. "Why haven't you said something before? I don't have any idea who did it."


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When the treaty was completed, Abimelech and his army commander Phicol went back to the land of the Philistines.


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Some years later God decided to test Abraham, so he spoke to him. Abraham answered, "Here I am, LORD."


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The LORD said, "Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar."


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So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and left with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go.


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He told his servants, "Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back."


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Abraham put the wood on Isaac's shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along,


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Isaac said, "Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" "My son," Abraham answered, "God will provide the lamb." The two of them walked on, and


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when they reached the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood on it. Next, he tied up his son and put him on the wood.


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"Don't hurt the boy or harm him in any way!" the angel said. "Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son."


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Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it in place of his son.


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Abraham named that place "The LORD Will Provide." And even now people say, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."


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"I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the beach. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live.


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Abraham and Isaac went back to the servants who had come with him, and they returned to Abraham's home in Beersheba.


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Abraham's brother Nahor had married Milcah, and Abraham was later told that they had eight sons. Uz was their first-born; Buz was next, and then there was Kemuel who became the father of Aram; their other five sons were: Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel, who became the father of Rebekah.


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Nahor also had another wife. Her name was Reumah, and she had four sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.


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When Sarah was one hundred twenty-seven years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her,


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"I live as a foreigner in your land, and I don't own any property where I can bury my wife. Please let me buy a piece of land."


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"Sir," they answered, "you are an important man. Choose the best place to bury your wife. None of us would refuse you a resting place for your dead."


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to sell me Machpelah Cave at the end of his field. I'll pay what it's worth, and all of you can be witnesses."


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"Sir, the whole field, including the cave, is yours. With my own people as witnesses, I freely give it to you as a burial place for your dead."


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and said to Ephron, "In front of these witnesses, I offer you the full price, so I can bury my wife. Please accept my offer."


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"But sir," the man replied, "the property is worth only four hundred pieces of silver. Why should we haggle over such a small amount? Take the land. It's yours."


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Abraham accepted Ephron's offer and paid him the four hundred pieces of silver in front of everyone at the city gate. That's how Abraham got Ephron's property east of Hebron, which included the field with all of its trees, as well as Machpelah Cave at the end of the field.


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Abraham was now a very old man. The LORD had made him rich, and he was successful in everything he did.


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in the name of the LORD, who rules heaven and earth, that you won't choose a wife for my son Isaac from the people here in the land of Canaan.


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But the servant asked, "What if the young woman I choose refuses to leave home and come here with me? Should I send Isaac there to look for a wife?"


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The LORD who rules heaven brought me here from the land where I was born and promised that he would give this land to my descendants forever. When you go back there, the LORD will send his angel ahead of you to help you find a wife for my son.


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If the woman refuses to come along, you don't have to keep this promise. But don't ever take my son back there."


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Soon after that, the servant loaded ten of Abraham's camels with valuable gifts. Then he set out for the city in northern Syria, where Abraham's brother Nahor lived.


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When he got there, he let the camels rest near the well outside the city. It was late afternoon, the time when the women came out for water.


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The servant prayed: You, LORD, are the God my master Abraham worships. Please keep your promise to him and let me find a wife for Isaac today.


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and I'll ask one of them for a drink. If she gives me a drink and then offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen and that you have kept your promise to my master.


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While he was still praying, a beautiful unmarried young woman came by with a water jar on her shoulder. She was Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife Milcah. Rebekah walked past Abraham's servant, then went over to the well, and filled her water jar. When she started back,


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"I'll be glad to," she answered. Then she quickly took the jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank.


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After he had finished, she said, "Now I'll give your camels all the water they want." She quickly poured out water for them, and she kept going back for more, until his camels had drunk all they wanted.


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Abraham's servant did not say a word, but he watched everything Rebekah did, because he wanted to know for certain if this was the woman the LORD had chosen.


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The servant had brought along an expensive gold ring and two large gold bracelets. When Rebekah had finished bringing the water, he gave her the ring for her nose and the bracelets for her arms.


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Then he said, "Please tell me who your father is. Does he have room in his house for me and my men to spend the night?"


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We have a place where you and your men can stay, and we also have enough straw and feed for your camels."


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"I thank you, LORD God of my master Abraham! You have led me to his relatives and kept your promise to him."


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Her brother Laban heard her tell what the servant had said, and he saw the ring and the bracelets she was wearing. So Laban ran out to Abraham's servant, who was standing by his camels at the well.


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Then Laban said, "The LORD has brought you safely here. Come home with me. There's no need for you to keep on standing outside. I have a room ready for you in our house, and there's also a place for your camels."


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Abraham's servant went home with Laban, where Laban's servants unloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed. Then they brought water into the house, so Abraham's servant and his men could wash their feet.


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After that, they brought in food. But the servant said, "Before I eat, I must tell you why I have come." "Go ahead and tell us," Laban answered.


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The LORD has been good to my master and has made him very rich. He has given him many sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of silver and gold, and many slaves.


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Sarah, my master's wife, didn't have any children until she was very old. Then she had a son, and my master has given him everything.


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I solemnly promised my master that I would do what he said. And he told me, "Don't choose a wife for my son from the women in this land of Canaan.


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My master answered, "I have always obeyed the LORD, and he will send his angel to help you find my son a wife from among my own relatives.


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When I came to the well today, I silently prayed, "You, LORD, are the God my master Abraham worships, so please lead me to a wife for his son


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while I am here at the well. When a young woman comes out to get water, I'll ask her to give me a drink.


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If she gives me a drink and offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen."


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Even before I had finished praying, Rebekah came by with a water jar on her shoulder. When she had filled the jar, I asked her for a drink.


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She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and said, "Have a drink. Then I'll get water for your camels." So I drank, and after that she got some water for my camels.


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I asked her who her father was, and she answered, "My father is Bethuel the son of Nahor and Milcah." Right away I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms.


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Then I bowed my head and gave thanks to the God my master Abraham worships. The LORD had led me straight to my master's relatives, and I had found a wife for his son.


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Now please tell me if you are willing to do the right thing for my master. Will you treat him fairly, or do I have to look for another young woman?


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Then he gave clothing, as well as silver and gold jewelry, to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and her mother.


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Abraham's servant and the men with him ate and drank, then spent the night there. The next morning they got up, and the servant told Rebekah's mother and brother, "I would like to go back to my master now."


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But he said, "Don't make me stay any longer. The LORD has already helped me find a wife for my master's son. Now let us return."


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So they agreed to let Rebekah and an old family servant woman leave immediately with Abraham's servant and his men.


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They gave Rebekah their blessing and said, "We pray that God will give you many children and grandchildren and that he will help them defeat their enemies."


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Afterwards, Rebekah and the young women who were to travel with her prepared to leave. Then they got on camels and left with Abraham's servant and his men.


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At that time Isaac was living in the southern part of Canaan near a place called "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me."


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One evening he was walking out in the fields, when suddenly he saw a group of people approaching on camels. So he started toward them. Rebekah saw him coming; she got down from her camel, and asked, "Who is that man?" "He is my master Isaac," the servant answered. Then Rebekah covered her face with her veil.


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Isaac took Rebekah into the tent where his mother had lived before she died, and Rebekah became his wife. He loved her and was comforted over the loss of his mother.


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Later, Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan, and when Dedan grew up, he had three sons: Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.


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While Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to the sons of Hagar and Keturah. He also sent their sons to live in the east far from his son Isaac, and when Abraham died, he left everything to Isaac.


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His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him east of Hebron in Machpelah Cave that was part of the field Abraham had bought from Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. Abraham was buried there beside his wife Sarah.


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God blessed Isaac after this, and Isaac moved to a place called "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me."


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Ishmael had settled in the land east of his brothers, and his sons settled everywhere from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt on the way to Asshur. Ishmael was one hundred thirty-seven when he died.


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and he was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel. She was also the sister of Laban, the Aramean from northern Syria. Almost twenty years later,


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Rebekah still had no children. So Isaac asked the LORD to let her have a child, and the LORD answered his prayer.


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Before Rebekah gave birth, she knew she was going to have twins, because she could feel them inside her, fighting each other. She thought, "Why is this happening to me?" Finally, she asked the LORD why her twins were fighting,


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and he told her: "Your two sons will become two separate nations. The younger of the two will be stronger, and the older son will be his servant."


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The second baby grabbed on to his brother's heel, so they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.


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As Jacob and Esau grew older, Esau liked the outdoors and became a good hunter, while Jacob settled down and became a shepherd.


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Esau would take the meat of wild animals to his father Isaac, and so Isaac loved him more, but Jacob was his mother's favorite son.


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and said, "I'm starving to death! Give me some of that red stew right now!" That's how Esau got the name "Edom."


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Jacob then gave Esau some bread and some of the bean stew, and when Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and left, showing how little he thought of his rights as the first-born.


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Once during Abraham's lifetime, the fields had not produced enough grain, and now the same thing happened. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines in the land of Gerar,


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because the LORD had appeared to Isaac and said: Isaac, stay away from Egypt! I will show you where I want you to go.


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You will live there as a foreigner, but I will be with you and bless you. I will keep my promise to your father Abraham by giving this land to you and your descendants.


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I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth,


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with his beautiful wife Rebekah. He was afraid that someone might kill him to get her, and so he told everyone that Rebekah was his sister.


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After Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech looked out a window and saw Isaac hugging and kissing Rebekah.


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Abimelech called him in and said, "Rebekah must be your wife! Why did you say she is your sister?" "Because I thought someone would kill me," Isaac answered.


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"Don't you know what you've done?" Abimelech exclaimed. "If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!"


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Then Abimelech warned his people that anyone who even touched Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death.


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In fact, the Philistines were jealous of the large number of sheep, goats, and slaves that Isaac owned,


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Finally, Abimelech said, "Isaac, I want you to leave our country. You have become too powerful to stay here."


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where he cleaned out those wells that the Philistines had stopped up. Isaac also gave each of the wells the same name that Abraham had given to them.


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But the shepherds of Gerar Valley quarreled with Isaac's shepherds and claimed the water belonged to them. So the well was named "Quarrel," because they had quarreled with Isaac.


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Isaac's servants dug another well, and the shepherds also quarreled about it. So that well was named "Jealous."


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Finally, they dug one more well. There was no quarreling this time, and the well was named "Lots of Room," because the LORD had given them room and would make them very successful.


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where the LORD appeared to him that night and told him, "Don't be afraid! I am the God who was worshiped by your father Abraham, my servant. I will be with you and bless you, and because of Abraham I will give you many descendants."


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Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the LORD. Then he set up camp, and his servants started digging a well.


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Meanwhile, Abimelech had left Gerar and was taking his advisor Ahuzzath and his army commander Phicol to see Isaac.


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They answered, "We now know for certain that the LORD is with you, and we have decided there needs to be a peace treaty between you and us. So let's make a solemn agreement


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not to harm each other. Remember, we have never hurt you, and when we sent you away, we let you go in peace. The LORD has truly blessed you."


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When Esau was forty, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.


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After Isaac had become old and almost blind, he called in his first-born son Esau, who asked him, "Father, what can I do for you?"


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Cook some of that tasty food that I love so much and bring it to me. I want to eat it once more and give you my blessing before I die."


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to kill a wild animal and cook some tasty food for your father before he dies. Your father said this because he wants to bless your brother with the LORD as his witness.


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Go and kill two of your best young goats and bring them to me. I'll cook the tasty food that your father loves so much.


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If my father touches me and realizes I am trying to trick him, he will put a curse on me instead of giving me a blessing."


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Jacob went to his father and said, "Father, here I am." "Which one of my sons are you?" his father asked.


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Jacob replied, "I am Esau, your first-born, and I have done what you told me. Please sit up and eat the meat I have brought. Then you can give me your blessing."


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Isaac asked, "My son, how did you find an animal so quickly?" "The LORD your God was kind to me," Jacob answered.


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Jacob went closer. His father touched him and said, "You sound like Jacob, but your hands feel hairy like Esau's."


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So Isaac told him, "Serve me the wild meat, and I can give you my blessing." Jacob gave him some meat, and he ate it. He also gave him some wine, and he drank it.


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While Jacob was kissing him, Isaac caught the smell of his clothes and said: "The smell of my son is like a field the LORD has blessed.


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God will bless you, my son, with dew from heaven and with fertile fields, rich with grain and grapes.


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Nations will be your servants and bow down to you. You will rule over your brothers, and they will kneel at your feet. Anyone who curses you will be cursed; anyone who blesses you will be blessed."


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He cooked the tasty food, brought it to his father, and said, "Father, please sit up and eat the meat I have brought you, so you can give me your blessing."


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Isaac started trembling and said, "Then who brought me some wild meat right before you came in? I ate it and gave him a blessing that cannot be taken back."


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Esau replied, "My brother deserves the name Jacob, because he has already cheated me twice. The first time he cheated me out of my rights as the first-born son, and now he has cheated me out of my blessing." Then Esau asked his father, "Don't you still have any blessing left for me?"


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"My son," Isaac answered, "I have made Jacob the ruler over you and your brothers, and all of you will be his servants. I have also promised him all the grain and grapes that he needs. There's nothing left that I can do for you."


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"Father," Esau asked, "don't you have more than one blessing? You can surely give me a blessing too!" Then Esau started crying again.


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So his father said: "Your home will be far from that fertile land, where dew comes down from the heavens.


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You will live by the power of your sword and be your brother's slave. But when you decide to be free, you will break loose."


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Esau hated his brother Jacob because he had stolen the blessing that was supposed to be his. So he said to himself, "Just as soon as my father dies, I'll kill Jacob."


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When Rebekah found out what Esau planned to do, she sent for Jacob and told him, "Son, your brother Esau is just waiting for the time when he can kill you.


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and forgets what you have done to him, I'll send for you to come home. Why should I lose both of my sons on the same day?"


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Rebekah later told Isaac, "Those Hittite wives of Esau are making my life miserable! If Jacob marries a Hittite woman, I'd be better off dead."


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Isaac called in Jacob, then gave him a blessing, and said: Don't marry any of those Canaanite women.


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Go at once to your mother's father Bethuel in northern Syria and choose a wife from one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.


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I pray that God All-Powerful will bless you with many descendants and let you become a great nation.


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May he bless you with the land he gave Abraham, so that you will take over this land where we now live as foreigners.


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Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and had warned him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He also learned that Jacob had been sent to find a wife in northern Syria


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Esau already had several wives, but he realized at last how much his father hated the Canaanite women.


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So he married Ishmael's daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth and the granddaughter of Abraham.


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In a dream he saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven, and God's angels were going up and down on it.


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The LORD was standing beside the ladder and said: I am the LORD God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping.


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Your descendants will spread over the earth in all directions and will become as numerous as the specks of dust. Your family will be a blessing to all people.


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Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won't leave you--I will do all I have promised.


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Then Jacob became frightened and said, "This is a fearsome place! It must be the house of God and the ladder to heaven."


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When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the rock that he had used for a pillow and stood it up for a place of worship. Then he poured olive oil on the rock to dedicate it to God,


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Jacob solemnly promised God, "If you go with me and watch over me as I travel, and if you give me food and clothes


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he looked out in a field and saw a well where shepherds took their sheep for water. Three flocks of sheep were lying around the well, which was covered with a large rock.


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Shepherds would roll the rock away when all their sheep had gathered there. Then after the sheep had been watered, the shepherds would roll the rock back over the mouth of the well.


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"How is he?" Jacob asked. "He's fine," they answered. "And here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."


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Jacob told them, "Look, the sun is still high up in the sky, and it's too early to bring in the rest of the flocks. Water your sheep and take them back to the pasture."


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But they replied, "We can't do that until they all get here, and the rock has been rolled away from the well."


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As soon as Laban heard the news, he ran out to meet Jacob. He hugged and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him everything that had happened.


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Laban said, "You are my nephew, and you are like one of my own family." After Jacob had been there for a month,


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Laban said to him, "You shouldn't have to work without pay, just because you are a relative of mine. What do you want me to give you?"


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Laban had two daughters. Leah was older than Rachel, but her eyes didn't sparkle, while Rachel was beautiful and had a good figure.


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Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he answered, "If you will let me marry Rachel, I'll work seven years for you."


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Laban replied, "It's better for me to let you marry Rachel than for someone else to have her. So stay and work for me."


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Jacob worked seven years for Laban, but the time seemed like only a few days, because he loved Rachel so much.


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The next morning Jacob found out that he had married Leah, and he asked Laban, "Why did you do this to me? Didn't I work to get Rachel? Why did you trick me?"


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After you spend this week with Leah, you may also marry Rachel. But you will have to work for me another seven years."


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At the end of the week of celebration, Laban let Jacob marry Rachel, and he gave her his servant woman Bilhah. Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, but he had to work another seven years for Laban.


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The LORD knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, and so he gave children to Leah, but not to Rachel.


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Leah gave birth to a son and named him Reuben, because she said, "The LORD has taken away my sorrow. Now my husband will love me more than he does Rachel."


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She had a second son and named him Simeon, because she said, "The LORD has heard that my husband doesn't love me."


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When Leah's third son was born, she said, "Now my husband will hold me close." So this son was named Levi.


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Rachel was very jealous of Leah for having children, and she said to Jacob, "I'll die if you don't give me some children!"


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"Here, take my servant Bilhah," Rachel told him. "Have children by her, and I'll let them be born on my knees to show that they are mine."


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Rachel named him Dan, because she said, "God has answered my prayers. He has judged me and given me a son."


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During the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben found some love flowers and took them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some of them,


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but Leah said, "It's bad enough that you stole my husband! Now you want my son's love flowers too." "All right," Rachel answered. "Let me have the flowers, and you can sleep with Jacob tonight."


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That evening when Jacob came in from the fields, Leah told him, "You're sleeping with me tonight. I hired you with my son's love flowers." They slept together that night,


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Leah shouted, "God has rewarded me for letting Jacob marry my servant," and she named the boy Issachar.


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she exclaimed, "God has given me a wonderful gift, and my husband will praise me for giving him six sons." So she named the boy Zebulun.


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Finally, God remembered Rachel--he answered her prayer by giving her a son. "God has taken away my disgrace," she said.


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After Joseph was born, Jacob said to Laban, "Release me from our agreement and let me return to my own country.


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But Laban told him, "If you really are my friend, stay on, and I'll pay whatever you ask. I'm sure the LORD has blessed me because of you."


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Jacob answered: You've seen how hard I've worked for you, and you know how your flocks and herds have grown under my care.


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You didn't have much before I came, but the LORD has blessed everything I have ever done for you. Now it's time for me to start looking out for my own family.


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"How much do you want me to pay you?" Laban asked. Then Jacob told him: I don't want you to pay me anything. Just do one thing, and I'll take care of your sheep and goats.


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Let me go through your flocks and herds and take the sheep and goats that are either spotted or speckled and the black lambs. That's all you need to give me.


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In the future you can easily find out if I've been honest. Just look and see if my animals are either spotted or speckled, or if the lambs are black. If they aren't, they've been stolen from you.


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Before the end of the day, Laban had separated his spotted and speckled animals and the black lambs from the others and had put his sons in charge of them.


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Jacob cut branches from some poplar trees and from some almond and evergreen trees. He peeled off part of the bark and made the branches look spotted and speckled.


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Then he put the branches where the sheep and goats would see them while they were drinking from the water trough. The goats mated there


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Some of the sheep that Jacob was keeping for Laban were already spotted. And when the others were ready to mate, he made sure that they faced in the direction of the spotted and black ones. In this way, Jacob built up a flock of sheep for himself and did not put them with the other sheep.


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When the stronger sheep were mating near the drinking place, Jacob made sure that the spotted branches were there.


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But he would not put out the branches when the weaker animals were mating. So Jacob got all of the healthy animals, and Laban got what was left.


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Jacob soon became rich and successful. He owned many sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of slaves.


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Jacob heard that Laban's sons were complaining, "Jacob is now a rich man, and he got everything he owns from our father."


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One day the LORD said, "Jacob, go back to your relatives in the land of your ancestors, and I will bless you."


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and he told them: Your father isn't as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God my ancestors worshiped has been on my side.


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When your father said the speckled sheep would be my wages, all of them were speckled. And when he said the spotted ones would be mine, all of them were spotted.


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and he said, "Notice that all the rams are either spotted or speckled. I know everything Laban is doing to you,


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and I am the God you worshiped at Bethel, when you poured olive oil on a rock and made a promise to me. Leave here right away and return to the land where you were born."


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He treats us like foreigners and has even cheated us out of the bride price that should have been ours.


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Now do whatever God tells you to do. Even the property God took from our father and gave to you really belongs to us and our children.


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for the home of his father Isaac in Canaan. Jacob took all of the flocks, herds, and other property that he had gotten in northern Syria.


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When Jacob crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead, he took with him everything he owned.


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So he took some of his relatives along and chased after Jacob for seven days, before catching up with him in the hill country of Gilead.


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But God appeared to Laban in a dream that night and warned, "Don't say a word to Jacob. Don't make a threat or a promise."


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Jacob had set up camp in the hill country of Gilead, when Laban and his relatives came and set up camp in another part of the hill country. Laban went to Jacob


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Why did you sneak away without telling me? I would have given you a going-away party with singing and with music on tambourines and harps.


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You didn't even give me a chance to kiss my own grandchildren and daughters good-by. That was really foolish.


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I could easily hurt you, but the God your father worshiped has warned me not to make any threats or promises.


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I can understand why you were eager to return to your father, but why did you have to steal my idols?


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Jacob answered, "I left secretly because I was afraid you would take your daughters from me by force.


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If you find that any one of us has taken your idols, I'll have that person killed. Let your relatives be witnesses. Show me what belongs to you, and you can take it back." Jacob did not realize that Rachel had stolen the household idols.


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Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah, and the two servant women, but did not find the idols. Then he started for Rachel's tent.


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She had already hidden them in the cushion she used as a saddle and was sitting on it. Laban searched everywhere and did not find them.


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Rachel said, "Father, please don't be angry with me for not getting up; I am having my period." Laban kept on searching, but still did not find the idols.


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Jacob became very angry and said to Laban: What have I done wrong? Have I committed some crime? Is that why you hunted me down?


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After searching through everything I have, did you find anything of yours? If so, put it here, where your relatives and mine can see it. Then we can decide what to do.


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In all the twenty years that I've worked for you, not one of your sheep or goats has had a miscarriage, and I've never eaten even one of your rams.


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If a wild animal killed one of your sheep or goats, I paid for it myself. In fact, you demanded the full price, whether the animal was killed during the day or at night.


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I had to work fourteen of these twenty long years to earn your two daughters and another six years to buy your sheep and goats. During that time you kept changing my wages.


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If the fearsome God worshiped by Abraham and my father Isaac had not been on my side, you would have sent me away without a thing. But God saw my hard work, and he knew the trouble I was in, so he helped me. Then last night he told you how wrong you were.


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Laban said to Jacob, "Leah and Rachel are my daughters, and their children belong to me. All these sheep you are taking are really mine too. In fact, everything you have belongs to me. But there is nothing I can do to keep my daughters and their children.


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So I am ready to make an agreement with you, and we will pile up some large rocks here to remind us of the agreement."


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he told his men to get some more rocks and pile them up next to it. Then Jacob and Laban ate a meal together beside the rocks.


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Laban said to Jacob, "This pile of rocks will remind us of our agreement." That's why the place was named Galeed.


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Laban also said, "This pile of rocks means that the LORD will watch us both while we are apart from each other." So the place was also named Mizpah.


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Then Laban said: If you mistreat my daughters or marry other women, I may not know about it, but remember, God is watching us!


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Both this pile of rocks and this large rock have been set up between us as a reminder. I must never go beyond them to attack you, and you must never go beyond them to attack me.


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My father Nahor, your grandfather Abraham, and their ancestors all worshiped the same God, and he will make sure that we each keep the agreement. Then Jacob made a promise in the name of the fearsome God his father Isaac had worshiped.


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Jacob killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice there on the mountain, and he invited his men to eat with him. After the meal they spent the night on the mountain.


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Early the next morning, Laban kissed his daughters and his grandchildren good-by, then he left to go back home.


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and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me."


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When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with four hundred men."


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Then Jacob prayed: You, LORD, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful.


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I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals.


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Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well.


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But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.


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two hundred female goats and twenty males, two hundred female sheep and twenty males, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten males.


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Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, "Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd."


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Then he said to the servant in charge of the first herd, "When Esau meets you, he will ask whose servant you are. He will want to know where you are going and who owns those animals in front of you.


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So tell him, 'They belong to your servant Jacob, who is coming this way. He is sending them as a gift to his master Esau.' "


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Jacob also told the men in charge of the second and third herds and those who followed to say the same thing when they met Esau.


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And Jacob told them to be sure to say that he was right behind them. Jacob hoped the gifts would make Esau friendly, so Esau would be glad to see him when they met.


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Jacob got up in the middle of the night and took his wives, his eleven children, and everything he owned across to the other side of the Jabbok River for safety.


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Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone. A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak.


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They kept on wrestling until the man said, "Let go of me! It's almost daylight." "You can't go until you bless me," Jacob replied.


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The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That's why your name will be Israel."


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The sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel. He was limping because he had been struck on the hip,


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and the muscle on his hip joint had been injured. That's why even today the people of Israel don't eat the hip muscle of any animal.


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Later that day Jacob met Esau coming with his four hundred men. So Jacob had his children walk with their mothers.


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The two servant women, Zilpah and Bilhah, together with their children went first, followed by Leah and her children, then by Rachel and Joseph.


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Jacob himself walked in front of them all, bowing to the ground seven times as he came near his brother.


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When Esau noticed the women and children he asked, "Whose children are these?" Jacob answered, "These are the ones the LORD has been kind enough to give to me, your servant."


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Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down; finally, Joseph and Rachel also came and bowed down.


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Esau asked Jacob, "What did you mean by these herds I met along the road?" "Master," Jacob answered, "I sent them so that you would be friendly to me."


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"No!" Jacob said. "Please accept these gifts as a sign of your friendship for me. When you welcomed me and I saw your face, it was like seeing the face of God.


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Please accept these gifts I brought to you. God has been good to me, and I have everything I need." Jacob kept insisting until Esau accepted the gifts.


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But Jacob answered, "Master, you know traveling is hard on children, and I have to look after the sheep and goats that are nursing their young. If my animals travel too much in one day, they will all die.


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Why don't you go on ahead and let me travel along slowly with the children, the herds, and the flocks. We can meet again in the country of Edom."


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Esau replied, "Let me leave some of my men with you." "You don't have to do that," Jacob answered. "I am happy, simply knowing that you are friendly to me."


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But Jacob went to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and set up shelters for his animals. That's why the place is called Succoth.


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After leaving northern Syria, Jacob arrived safely at Shechem in Canaan and set up camp outside the city.


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The land where he camped was owned by the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem. So Jacob paid them one hundred pieces of silver for the property,


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Meanwhile, Jacob heard what had happened. But his sons were out in the fields with the cattle, so he did not do anything at the time.


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just as Jacob's sons were coming in from work. When they learned that their sister had been raped, they became furiously angry. Nothing is more disgraceful than rape, and it should not be tolerated in Israel.


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You can share this land with us. Move freely about until you find the property you want; then buy it and settle down here.


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Jacob's sons wanted to get even with Shechem and his father because of what had happened to their sister.


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So they tricked them by saying: You're not circumcised! It would be a disgrace for us to let you marry Dinah now.


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Then your families can marry into ours, and ours can marry into yours, and we can live together like one nation.


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Shechem was the most respected person in his family, and he was so in love with Dinah that he hurried off to get everything done.


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These people really are friendly. Why not let them move freely about until they find the property they want? There's enough land here for them and for us. Then our families can marry into theirs, and theirs can marry into ours.


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We have to do only one thing before they will agree to stay here and become one nation with us. Our men will have to be circumcised like their men.


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Just think! We'll get their property, as well as their flocks and herds. All we have to do is to agree, and they will live here with us.


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Three days later the men who had been circumcised were still weak from pain. So Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah's brothers, attacked with their swords and killed every man in town,


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Jacob's other sons came and took everything they wanted. All this was done because of the horrible thing that had happened to their sister.


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After taking everything of value from the houses, they dragged away the wives and children of their victims.


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Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "Look what you've done! Now I'm in real trouble with the Canaanites and Perizzites who live around here. There aren't many of us, and if they attack, they'll kill everyone in my household."


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God told Jacob, "Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me."


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Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him: Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes.


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Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.


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So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings, and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.


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While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them.


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Jacob built an altar there and called it "God of Bethel," because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau.


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While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it "Weeping Oak."


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After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying: I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings.


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I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever.


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Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God,


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Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born.


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Rachel was at the point of death, and right before dying, she said, "I'll name him Benoni." But Jacob called him Benjamin.


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During their time there, Jacob's oldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives. And Jacob found out about it.


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Jacob had twelve sons while living in northern Syria. His first-born Reuben was the son of Leah, who later gave birth to Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Leah's servant Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher. Jacob and his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's servant woman Bilhah had two more sons: Dan and Naphtali.


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Jacob went to his father Isaac at Hebron, also called Mamre or Kiriath-Arba, where Isaac's father Abraham had lived as a foreigner.


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He married three Canaanite women: The first was Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; the second was Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite;


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Esau and his three wives had five sons while in Canaan. Adah's son was Eliphaz; Basemath's son was Reuel; Oholibamah's three sons were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.


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Esau took his children and wives, his relatives and servants, his animals and possessions he had gotten while in Canaan, and moved far from Jacob.


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He did this because the land was too crowded and could not support him and his brother with their flocks and herds.


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Esau lived in the hill country of Seir and was the ancestor of the Edomites. Esau had three wives: Adah, Basemath, and Oholibamah. Here is a list of his descendants: Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz, whose sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. Timna was the other wife of Esau's son Eliphaz, and she had a son named Amalek. Esau and Basemath had a son named Reuel, whose sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. Esau and Oholibamah had three sons: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.


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Esau and Adah's oldest son was Eliphaz, and the clans that descended from him were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,


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The clans that descended from Esau and Basemath's son Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.


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The clans that descended from Esau and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.


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Seir was from the Horite tribe that had lived in Edom before the time of Esau. The clans that had descended from him were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,


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Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah--the same Anah who found an oasis in the desert while taking the donkeys of his father out to pasture.


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Before there were kings in Israel, the following kings ruled Edom one after another: Bela son of Beor from Dinhabah; Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah; Husham from the land of Teman; Hadad son of Bedad from Avith (Bedad had defeated the Midianites in Moab); Samlah from Masrekah; Shaul from the city of Rehoboth on the Euphrates River; Baalhanan son of Achbor; Hadar from the city of Pau (his wife Mehetabel was the daughter of Matred and the granddaughter of Mezahab).


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The clans that descended from Esau took their names from their families and the places where they lived. They are Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,


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Magdiel, and Iram. These clans descended from Esau, who was known as Edom, the father of the Edomites. They took their names from the places where they settled.


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and this is the story of his family. When Jacob's son Joseph was seventeen years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.


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Jacob loved Joseph more than he did any of his other sons, because Joseph was born after Jacob was very old. Jacob had given Joseph a fancy coat


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to show that he was his favorite son, and so Joseph's brothers hated him and would not be friendly to him.


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We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it."


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His brothers asked, "Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?" Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream.


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Joseph later had another dream, and he told his brothers, "Listen to what else I dreamed. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me."


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When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, "What's that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down in front of you?"


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his father Jacob said to him, "I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem." "Yes, sir," Joseph answered.


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His father said, "Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know." So he sent him from Hebron Valley. Joseph was near Shechem


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Joseph answered, "I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?"


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"They're not here anymore," the man replied. "I overheard them say they were going to Dothan." Joseph left and found his brothers in Dothan.


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Let's kill him and throw him into a pit and say that some wild animal ate him. Then we'll see what happens to those dreams."


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"Don't murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a dry well out here in the desert." Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.


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As Joseph's brothers sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with all kinds of spices that they were taking to Egypt.


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Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not harm him. After all, he is our brother." And the others agreed.


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When the Midianite merchants came by, Joseph's brothers took him out of the well, and for twenty pieces of silver they sold him to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt.


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After this, they took the coat to their father and said, "We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son."


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Jacob knew it was Joseph's coat and said, "It's my son's coat! Joseph has been torn to pieces and eaten by some wild animal."


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Jacob mourned for Joseph a long time, and to show his sorrow he tore his clothes and wore sackcloth.


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All of Jacob's children came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "I will go to my grave, mourning for my son." So Jacob kept on grieving.


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Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king's official in charge of the palace guard.


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About that time Judah left his brothers in the hill country and went to live near his friend Hirah in the town of Adullam.


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Onan knew the child would not be his, and when he had sex with Tamar, he made sure that she would not get pregnant.


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Judah did not want the same thing to happen to his son Shelah, and he told Tamar, "Go home to your father and live there as a widow until my son Shelah is grown." So Tamar went to live with her father.


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Some years later Judah's wife died, and he mourned for her. He then went with his friend Hirah to the town of Timnah, where his sheep were being sheared.


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She also realized that Shelah was now a grown man, but she had not been allowed to marry him. So she decided to dress in something other than her widow's clothes and to cover her face with a veil. After this, she sat outside the town of Enaim on the road to Timnah.


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When Judah came along, he did not recognize her because of the veil. He thought she was a prostitute


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"One of my young goats," he answered. "What will you give me to keep until you send the goat?" she asked.


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"What do you want?" he asked in return. "The ring on that cord around your neck," was her reply. "I also want the special walking stick you have with you." He gave them to her, they slept together, and she became pregnant.


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Judah had his friend Hirah take a goat to the woman, so he could get back the ring and walking stick, but she wasn't there.


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Hirah asked the people of Enaim, "Where is the prostitute who sat along the road outside your town?" "There's never been one here," they answered.


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Hirah went back and told Judah, "I couldn't find the woman, and the people of Enaim said no prostitute had ever been there."


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"If you couldn't find her, we'll just let her keep the things I gave her," Judah answered. "And we'd better forget about the goat, or else we'll look like fools."


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About three months later someone told Judah, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has behaved like a prostitute, and now she's pregnant!" "Drag her out of town and burn her to death!" Judah shouted.


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As Tamar was being dragged off, she sent someone to tell her father-in-law, "The man who gave me this ring, this cord, and this walking stick is the one who got me pregnant."


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"Those are mine!" Judah admitted. "She's a better person than I am, because I broke my promise to let her marry my son Shelah." After this, Judah never slept with her again.


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Tamar later gave birth to twins. But before either of them was born, one of them stuck a hand out of her womb. The woman who was helping tied a red thread around the baby's hand and explained, "This one came out first."


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Right away his hand went back in, and the other child was born first. The woman then said, "What an opening you've made for yourself!" So they named the baby Perez.


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The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the king's official in charge of the palace guard.


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So Joseph lived in the home of Potiphar, his Egyptian owner. Soon Potiphar realized that the LORD was helping Joseph to be successful in whatever he did.


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Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant, putting him in charge of his house and all of his property.


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Potiphar left everything up to Joseph, and with Joseph there, the only decision he had to make was what he wanted to eat. Joseph was well-built and handsome,


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but he refused and said, "My master isn't worried about anything in his house, because he has placed me in charge of everything he owns.


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No one in my master's house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn't given me is you, and that's because you are his wife. I won't sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this."


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Potiphar's wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, "Make love to me!" Joseph ran out of the house, leaving her hanging onto his coat.


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she called in her servants and said, "Look! This Hebrew has come just to make fools of us. He tried to rape me, but I screamed for help.


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and threw Joseph in the same prison where the king's prisoners were kept. While Joseph was in prison,


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The jailer did not worry about anything, because the LORD was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.


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While Joseph was in prison, both the king's personal servant and his chief cook made the king angry. So he had them thrown into the same prison with Joseph.


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They spent a long time in prison, and Potiphar, the official in charge of the palace guard, made Joseph their servant.


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"We each had a dream last night," they answered, "and there is no one to tell us what they mean." Joseph replied, "Doesn't God know the meaning of dreams? Now tell me what you dreamed."


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and in three days the king will pardon you. He will make you his personal servant again, and you will serve him his wine, just as you used to do.


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But when these good things happen, please don't forget to tell the king about me, so I can get out of this place.


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I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here in Egypt I haven't done anything to deserve being thrown in jail.


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When the chief cook saw that Joseph had given a good meaning to the dream, he told Joseph, "I also had a dream. In it I was carrying three breadbaskets stacked on top of my head.


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and in three days the king will cut off your head. He will hang your body on a pole, and birds will come and peck at it.


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Three days later, while the king was celebrating his birthday with a dinner for his officials, he sent for his personal servant and the chief cook.


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The king went back to sleep and had another dream. This time seven full heads of grain were growing on a single stalk.


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The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven full heads. Again the king woke up, and it had only been a dream.


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The next morning the king was upset. So he called in his magicians and wise men and told them what he had dreamed. None of them could tell him what the dreams meant.


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When you were angry with me and your chief cook, you threw us both in jail in the house of the captain of the guard.


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A young Hebrew, who was a servant of the captain of the guard, was there with us at the time. When we told him our dreams, he explained what each of them meant,


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The king sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of jail. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to the king.


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The king said to him, "I had a dream, yet no one can explain what it means. I am told that you can interpret dreams."


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"Your Majesty," Joseph answered, "I can't do it myself, but God can give a good meaning to your dreams."


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Next, seven skinny, bony cows came up out of the river. I have never seen such terrible looking cows anywhere in Egypt.


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But you couldn't tell it, because these skinny cows were just as skinny as they were before. Right away, I woke up.


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These heads of grain swallowed the full ones. I told my dreams to the magicians, but none of them could tell me the meaning of the dreams.


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Joseph replied: Your Majesty, both of your dreams mean the same thing, and in them God has shown what he is going to do.


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The seven skinny, ugly cows that came up later also stand for seven years, as do the seven bad heads of grain that were scorched by the east wind. The dreams mean there will be seven years when there won't be enough grain.


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but that will be followed by seven years when there won't be enough. The good years of plenty will be forgotten, and everywhere in Egypt people will be starving.


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God has given you two dreams to let you know that he has definitely decided to do this and that he will do it soon.


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Your Majesty, you should find someone who is wise and will know what to do, so that you can put him in charge of all Egypt.


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Then appoint some other officials to collect one-fifth of every crop harvested in Egypt during the seven years when there is plenty.


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It can be stored until it is needed during the seven years when there won't be enough grain in Egypt. This will keep the country from being destroyed because of the lack of food.


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So the king said to them, "No one could possibly handle this better than Joseph, since the Spirit of God is with him."


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The king told Joseph, "God is the one who has shown you these things. No one else is as wise as you are or knows as much as you do.


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I'm putting you in charge of my palace, and everybody will have to obey you. No one will be over you except me.


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Then the king took off his royal ring and put it on Joseph's finger. He gave him fine clothes to wear and placed a gold chain around his neck.


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He also let him ride in the chariot next to his own, and people shouted, "Make way for Joseph!" So Joseph was governor of Egypt.


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The king told Joseph, "Although I'm king, no one in Egypt is to do anything without your permission."


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He gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphenath Paneah. And he let him marry Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of Heliopolis. Joseph traveled all over Egypt.


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Joseph collected and stored up the extra grain in the cities of Egypt near the fields where it was harvested.


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In fact, there was so much grain that they stopped keeping record, because it was like counting the grains of sand along the beach.


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Their first son was named Manasseh, which means, "God has let me forget all my troubles and my family back home."


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His second son was named Ephraim, which means "God has made me a success in the land where I suffered."


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and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was not enough food in other countries, but all over Egypt there was plenty.


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When the famine finally struck Egypt, the people asked the king for food, but he said, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you to do."


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The famine became bad everywhere in Egypt, so Joseph opened the storehouses and sold the grain to the Egyptians.


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When Jacob found out there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why are you just sitting here, staring at one another?


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But Jacob did not send Joseph's younger brother Benjamin with them; he was afraid that something might happen to him.


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Since Joseph was governor of Egypt and in charge of selling grain, his brothers came to him and bowed with their faces to the ground.


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They did not recognize Joseph, but right away he knew who they were, though he pretended not to know. Instead, he spoke harshly and asked, "Where do you come from?" "From the land of Canaan," they answered. "We've come here to buy grain."


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Joseph remembered what he had dreamed about them and said, "You're spies! You've come here to find out where our country is weak."


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But they explained, "Sir, we come from a family of twelve brothers. The youngest is still with our father in Canaan, and one of our brothers is dead."


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and I'm going to find out who you really are. I swear by the life of the king that you won't leave this place until your youngest brother comes here.


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Choose one of you to go after your brother, while the rest of you stay here in jail. That will show whether you are telling the truth. But if you are lying, I swear by the life of the king that you are spies!


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If you are honest men, one of you must stay here in jail, and the rest of you can take the grain back to your starving families.


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But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then I'll know that you are telling the truth, and you won't be put to death. Joseph's brothers agreed


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and said to one another, "We're being punished because of Joseph. We saw the trouble he was in, but we refused to help him when he begged us. That's why these terrible things are happening."


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Reuben spoke up, "Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen, and now we have to pay the price for killing him."


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Joseph turned away from them and cried, but soon he turned back and spoke to them again. Then he had Simeon tied up and taken away while they watched.


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Joseph gave orders for his brothers' grain sacks to be filled with grain and for their money to be put in their sacks. He also gave orders for them to be given food for their journey home. After this was done,


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When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get some grain for his donkey, and right away he saw his moneybag.


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"Here's my money!" he told his brothers. "Right here in my sack." They were trembling with fear as they stared at one another and asked themselves, "What has God done to us?"


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When they returned to the land of Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened to them:


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We come from a family of twelve brothers. The youngest is still with our father in Canaan, and the other is dead."


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Then the governor of Egypt told us, "I'll find out if you really are honest. Leave one of your brothers here with me, while you take the grain to your starving families.


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But bring your youngest brother to me, so I can be certain that you are honest men and not spies. After that, I'll let your other brother go free, and you can stay here and trade."


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When the brothers started emptying their sacks of grain, they found their moneybags in them. They were frightened, and so was their father Jacob,


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who said, "You have already taken my sons Joseph and Simeon from me. And now you want to take away Benjamin! Everything is against me."


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Reuben spoke up, "Father, if I don't bring Benjamin back, you can kill both of my sons. Trust me with him, and I will bring him back."


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But Jacob said, "I won't let my son Benjamin go down to Egypt with the rest of you. His brother is already dead, and he is the only son I have left. I am an old man, and if anything happens to him on the way, I'll die from sorrow, and all of you will be to blame."


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until finally, Jacob's family had eaten all the grain they had bought in Egypt. So Jacob said to his sons, "Go back and buy some more grain."


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Judah replied, "The governor strictly warned us that we would not be allowed to see him unless we brought our youngest brother with us. If you let us take Benjamin along, we will go and buy grain. But we won't go without him!"


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Jacob asked, "Why did you cause me so much trouble by telling the governor you had another brother?"


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They answered, "He asked a lot of questions about us and our family. He wanted to know if you were still alive and if we had any more brothers. All we could do was answer his questions. How could we know he would tell us to bring along our brother?"


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Then Judah said to his father, "Let Benjamin go with me, and we will leave right away, so that none of us will starve to death.


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Their father said: If Benjamin must go with you, take the governor a gift of some of the best things from our own country, such as perfume, honey, spices, pistachio nuts, and almonds.


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Also take along twice the amount of money for the grain, because there must have been some mistake when the money was put back in your sacks.


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When you go in to see the governor, I pray that God All-Powerful will be good to you and that the governor will let your other brother and Benjamin come back home with you. If I must lose my children, I suppose I must.


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The brothers took the gifts, twice the amount of money, and Benjamin. Then they hurried off to Egypt. When they stood in front of Joseph,


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he saw Benjamin and told the servant in charge of his house, "Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and cook it, so they can eat with me at noon."


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But on the way they got worried and started thinking, "We are being taken there because of the money that was put back in our sacks last time. He will arrest us, make us his slaves, and take our donkeys."


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But when we stopped for the night, we each found in our grain sacks the exact amount we had paid. We have brought that money back,


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"It's all right," the servant replied. "Don't worry. The God you and your father worship must have put the money there, because I received your payment in full." Then he brought Simeon out to them.


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The servant took them into Joseph's house and gave them water to wash their feet. He also tended their donkeys.


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The brothers got their gifts ready to give to Joseph at noon, since they had heard they were going to eat there.


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They answered, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And again they bowed down to Joseph.


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When Joseph looked around and saw his brother Benjamin, he said, "This must be your youngest brother, the one you told me about. God bless you, my son."


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Joseph was served at a table by himself, and his brothers were served at another. The Egyptians sat at yet another table, because Egyptians felt it was disgusting to eat with Hebrews.


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To the surprise of Joseph's brothers, they were seated in front of him according to their ages, from the oldest to the youngest.


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They were served food from Joseph's table, and Benjamin was given five times as much as each of the others. So Joseph's brothers drank with him and had a good time.


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Later, Joseph told the servant in charge of his house, "Fill the men's grain sacks with as much as they can hold and put their money in the sacks. Also put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother." The servant did as he was told.


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But they had not gone far from the city when Joseph told the servant, "Go after those men! When you catch them, say, 'My master has been good to you. So why have you stolen his silver cup?


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Not only does he drink from his cup, but he also uses it to learn about the future. You have done a terrible thing.' "


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We even returned the money we found in our grain sacks when we got back to Canaan. So why would we want to steal any silver or gold from your master's house?


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"Good!" the man replied, "I'll do what you have said. But only the one who has the cup will become my slave. The rest of you can go free."


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Joseph's servant started searching the sacks, beginning with the one that belonged to the oldest brother. When he came to Benjamin's sack, he found the cup.


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This upset the brothers so much that they began tearing their clothes in sorrow. Then they loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.


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"Sir, what can we say?" Judah replied. "How can we prove we are innocent? God has shown that we are guilty. And now all of us are your slaves, especially the one who had the cup."


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Joseph told them, "I would never punish all of you. Only the one who was caught with the cup will become my slave. The rest of you are free to go home to your father."


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Judah went over to Joseph and said: Sir, you have as much power as the king himself, and I am only your slave. Please don't get angry if I speak.


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So we told you, "Our father is a very old man. In fact, he was already old when Benjamin was born. Benjamin's brother is dead. Now Benjamin is the only one of the two brothers who is still alive, and our father loves him very much."


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But we answered, "We can't go back to Egypt without our youngest brother. We will never be let in to see the governor, unless he is with us."


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One of them was already missing and had not been seen for a long time. My father thinks the boy was torn to pieces by some wild animal,


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and he said, "I am an old man. If you take Benjamin from me, and something happens to him, I will die of a broken heart."


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I promised my father that I would bring him safely home. If I don't, I told my father he could blame me the rest of my life.


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Sir, I am your slave. Please let me stay here in place of Benjamin and let him return home with his brothers.


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How can I face my father if Benjamin isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see my father in such sorrow.


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Since Joseph could no longer control his feelings in front of his servants, he sent them out of the room. When he was alone with his brothers, he told them, "I am Joseph."


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Joseph told them to come closer to him, and when they did, he said: Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt.


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Don't worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives.


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There has already been a famine for two years, and for five more years no one will plow fields or harvest grain.


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After all, you weren't really the ones who sent me here--it was God. He made me the highest official in the king's court and placed me over all Egypt.


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Now hurry back and tell my father that his son Joseph says, "God has made me ruler of Egypt. Come here as quickly as you can.


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You will live near me in the region of Goshen with your children and grandchildren, as well as with your sheep, goats, cattle, and everything else you own.


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I will take care of you there during the next five years of famine. But if you don't come, you and your family and your animals will starve to death."


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Tell my father about my great power here in Egypt and about everything you have seen. Hurry and bring him here.


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Joseph was still crying as he kissed each of his other brothers. After this, they started talking with Joseph.


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When it was told in the palace that Joseph's brothers had come, the king and his officials were happy.


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Have them bring their father and their families here. I will give them the best land in Egypt, and they can eat and enjoy everything that grows on it.


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Also tell your brothers to take some wagons from Egypt for their wives and children to ride in. And be sure to have them bring their father.


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They can leave their possessions behind, because they will be given the best of everything in Egypt.


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Jacob's sons agreed to do what the king had said. And Joseph gave them wagons and food for their trip home, just as the king had ordered.


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Joseph gave some new clothes to each of his brothers, but to Benjamin he gave five new outfits and three hundred pieces of silver.


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To his father he sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things in Egypt, and ten other donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other food for the return trip.


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they told their father that Joseph was still alive and was the ruler of Egypt. But their father was so surprised that he could not believe them.


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Then they told him everything Joseph had said. When he saw the wagons Joseph had sent, he felt much better


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and said, "Now I can believe you! My son Joseph must really be alive, and I will get to see him before I die."


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Jacob packed up everything he owned and left for Egypt. On the way he stopped near the town of Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God his father Isaac had worshiped.


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God said, "I am God, the same God your father worshiped. Don't be afraid to go to Egypt. I will give you so many descendants that one day they will become a nation.


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I will go with you to Egypt, and later I will bring your descendants back here. Your son Joseph will be at your side when you die."


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Jacob and his family set out from Beersheba and headed for Egypt. His sons put him in the wagon that the king had sent for him, and they put their small children and their wives in the other wagons. Jacob's whole family went to Egypt, including his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters. They took along their animals and everything else they owned.


text:
When Jacob went to Egypt, his children who were born in northern Syria also went along with their families. Jacob and his wife Leah had a total of thirty-three children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but two of their grandchildren had died in Canaan. Their oldest son Reuben took his sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their son Simeon took his sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, whose mother was a Canaanite. Their son Levi took his sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Their son Judah took his sons Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan. Judah's son Perez took his sons Hezron and Hamul. Their son Issachar took his sons Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron. Their son Zebulun took his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. Their daughter Dinah also went.


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Jacob and Zilpah, the servant woman Laban had given his daughter Leah, had a total of sixteen children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Their son Gad took his sons Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. Their son Asher took his sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, who took his sons, Heber and Malchiel. Serah, the daughter of Asher, also went.


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Jacob and Rachel had fourteen children and grandchildren. Their son Joseph was already in Egypt, where he had married Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of Heliopolis. Joseph and Asenath had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Jacob and Rachel's son Benjamin took his sons Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.


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Jacob and Bilhah, the servant woman Laban had given his daughter Rachel, had seven children and grandchildren. Their son Dan took his son Hushim. Their son Naphtali took his sons Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.


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Jacob's two grandsons who were born there made it a total of seventy members of Jacob's family in Egypt.


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So Joseph got in his chariot and went to meet his father. When they met, Joseph hugged his father around the neck and cried for a long time.


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Then Joseph said to his brothers and to everyone who had come with them: I must go and tell the king that you have arrived from Canaan.


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I will tell him that you are shepherds and that you have brought your sheep, goats, cattle, and everything else you own.


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When he does, be sure to say, "We are shepherds. Our families have always raised sheep." If you tell him this, he will let you settle in the region of Goshen. Joseph wanted them to say this to the king, because the Egyptians did not like to be around anyone who raised sheep.


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Joseph took five of his brothers to the king and told him, "My father and my brothers have come from Canaan. They have brought their sheep, goats, cattle, and everything else they own to the region of Goshen." Then he introduced his brothers to the king,


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who asked them, "What do you do for a living?" "Sir, we are shepherds," was their answer. "Our families have always raised sheep.


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But in our country all the pastures are dried up, and our sheep have no grass to eat. So we, your servants, have come here. Please let us live in the region of Goshen."


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I will let them live anywhere they choose in the land of Egypt, but I suggest that they settle in Goshen, the best part of our land. I would also like for your finest shepherds to watch after my own sheep and goats."


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Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and introduced him to the king. Jacob gave the king his blessing,


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Jacob answered, "I have lived only a hundred thirty years, and I have had to move from place to place. My parents and my grandparents also had to move from place to place. But they lived much longer, and their life was not as hard as mine."


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Joseph obeyed the king's orders and gave his father and brothers some of the best land in Egypt near the city of Rameses.


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But when everyone had run out of money, the Egyptians came to Joseph and demanded, "Give us more grain! If you don't, we'll soon be dead, because our money's all gone."


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"If you don't have any money," Joseph answered, "give me your animals, and I'll let you have some grain."


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From then on, they brought him their horses and donkeys and their sheep and goats in exchange for grain. Within a year Joseph had collected every animal in Egypt.


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Then the people came to him and said: Sir, there's no way we can hide the truth from you. We are broke, and we don't have any more animals. We have nothing left except ourselves and our land.


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Don't let us starve and our land be ruined. If you'll give us grain to eat and seed to plant, we'll sell ourselves and our land to the king. We'll become his slaves.


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except the priests. The king gave the priests a regular food allowance, so they did not have to sell their land.


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Then Joseph said to the people, "You and your land now belong to the king. I'm giving you seed to plant,


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but one-fifth of your crops must go to the king. You can keep the rest as seed or as food for your families."


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Then Joseph made a law that one-fifth of the harvest would always belong to the king. Only the priests did not lose their land.


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The people of Israel made their home in the land of Goshen, where they became prosperous and had large families.


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When Jacob knew he did not have long to live, he called in Joseph and said, "If you really love me, you must make a solemn promise not to bury me in Egypt.


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Instead, bury me in the place where my ancestors are buried." "I will do what you have asked," Joseph answered.


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"Will you give me your word?" Jacob asked. "Yes, I will," Joseph promised. After this, Jacob bowed down and prayed at the head of his bed.


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Joseph was told that his father Jacob had become very sick. So Joseph went to see him and took along his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.


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When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to see you." Jacob sat up in bed, but it took almost all his strength.


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Jacob told Joseph: God All-Powerful appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, where he gave me his blessing


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and promised, "I will give you a large family with many descendants that will grow into a nation. And I am giving you this land that will belong to you and your family forever."


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Then Jacob went on to say: Joseph, your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh were born in Egypt, but I accept them as my own, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.


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Any children you have later will be considered yours, but their inheritance will come from Ephraim and Manasseh.


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Unfortunately, your mother Rachel died in Canaan after we had left northern Syria and before we reached Bethlehem. And I had to bury her along the way.


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Jacob was very old and almost blind. He did not recognize the two boys, and so he asked Joseph, "Who are these boys?" Joseph answered, "They are my sons. God has given them to me here in Egypt." "Bring them to me," Jacob said. "I want to give them my blessing." Joseph brought the boys to him, and he hugged and kissed them.


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Jacob turned to Joseph and told him, "For many years I thought you were dead and that I would never see you again. But now God has even let me live to see your children."


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Then Joseph made his sons move away from Jacob's knees, and Joseph bowed down in front of him with his face to the ground.


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After Joseph got up, he brought his two sons over to Jacob again. He led his younger son Ephraim to the left side of Jacob and his older son Manasseh to the right.


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But before Jacob gave them his blessing, he crossed his arms, putting his right hand on the head of Ephraim and his left hand on the head of Manasseh.


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Then he gave Joseph his blessing and said: My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac worshiped the LORD God. He has been with me all my life,


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and his angel has kept me safe. Now I pray that he will bless these boys and that my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac will live on because of them. I ask God to give them many children and many descendants as well.


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Joseph did not like it when he saw his father place his right hand on the head of the younger son. So he tried to move his father's right hand from Ephraim's head and place it on Manasseh.


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But his father said, "Son, I know what I am doing. It's true that Manasseh's family will someday become a great nation. But Ephraim will be even greater than Manasseh, because his descendants will become many great nations."


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Jacob told him that in the future the people of Israel would ask God's blessings on one another by saying, "I pray for God to bless you as much as he blessed Ephraim and Manasseh." Jacob put Ephraim's name first to show that he would be greater than Manasseh.


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After that, Jacob said, "Joseph, you can see that I won't live much longer. But God will be with you and will lead you back to the land he promised our family long ago.


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Uncontrollable as a flood, you slept with my wife and disgraced my bed. And so you no longer deserve the place of honor.


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I never want to take part in your plans or deeds. You slaughtered people in your anger, and you crippled cattle for no reason.


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Now I place a curse on you because of your fierce anger. Your descendants will be scattered among the tribes of Israel.


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But you stood your ground, swiftly shooting back with the help of Jacob's God, the All-Powerful One-- his name is the Shepherd, Israel's mighty rock.


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Your help came from the God your father worshiped, from God All-Powerful. God will bless you with rain and streams from the earth; he will bless you with many descendants.


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My son, the blessings I give are better than the promise of ancient mountains or eternal hills. Joseph, I pray these blessings will come to you, because you are the leader of your brothers.


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These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is how Jacob gave each of them their proper blessings.


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Jacob told his sons: Soon I will die, and I want you to bury me in Machpelah Cave. Abraham bought this cave as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, and it is near the town of Mamre in Canaan. Abraham and Sarah are buried there, and so are Isaac and Rebekah. I buried Leah there too.


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When the time of mourning was over, Joseph said to the Egyptian leaders, "If you consider me your friend, please speak to the king for me.


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Just before my father died, he made me promise to bury him in his burial cave in Canaan. If the king will give me permission to go, I will come back here."


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When Joseph left Goshen with his brothers, his relatives, and his father's relatives to bury Jacob, many of the king's highest officials and even his military chariots and cavalry went along. The Israelites left behind only their children, their cattle, and their sheep and goats.


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After crossing the Jordan River and reaching Atad's threshing place, Joseph had everyone mourn and weep seven days for his father.


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The Canaanites saw this and said, "The Egyptians are in great sorrow." Then they named the place "Egypt in Sorrow."


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They took him to Canaan and buried him in Machpelah Cave, the burial place Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite.


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After Jacob died, Joseph's brothers said to each other, "What if Joseph still hates us and wants to get even with us for all the cruel things we did to him?"


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he told us, "You did some cruel and terrible things to Joseph, but you must ask him to forgive you." Now we ask you to please forgive the terrible things we did. After all, we serve the same God that your father worshiped. When Joseph heard this, he started crying.


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Right then, Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to the ground in front of him and said, "We are your slaves."


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You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.


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Don't be afraid! I will take care of you and your children." After Joseph said this, his brothers felt much better.


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Joseph lived long enough to see Ephraim's children and grandchildren. He also lived to see the children of Manasseh's son Machir, and he welcomed them into his family.


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Before Joseph died, he told his brothers, "I won't live much longer. But God will take care of you and lead you out of Egypt to the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


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When Jacob went to Egypt, his son Joseph was already there. So Jacob took his eleven other sons and their families. They were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Altogether, Jacob had seventy children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who went with him.


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and he told the Egyptians: There are too many of those Israelites in our country, and they are becoming more powerful than we are.


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If we don't outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger. And if our country goes to war, they could easily fight on the side of our enemies and escape from Egypt.


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The Egyptians put slave bosses in charge of the people of Israel and tried to wear them down with hard work. Those bosses forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses, where the king could store his supplies.


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But even though the Israelites were mistreated, their families grew larger, and they took over more land. Because of this, the Egyptians hated them worse than before


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that their lives were miserable. The Egyptians were cruel to the people of Israel and forced them to make bricks and to mix mortar and to work in the fields.


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Finally, the king called in Shiphrah and Puah, the two women who helped the Hebrew mothers when they gave birth.


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He told them, "If a Hebrew woman gives birth to a girl, let the child live. If the baby is a boy, kill him!"


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But the two women were faithful to God and did not kill the boys, even though the king had told them to.


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They answered, "Hebrew women have their babies much quicker than Egyptian women. By the time we arrive, their babies are already born."


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God was good to the two women because they truly respected him, and he blessed them with children of their own. The Hebrews kept increasing


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until finally, the king gave a command to everyone in the nation, "As soon as a Hebrew boy is born, throw him into the Nile River! But you can let the girls live."


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But when she could no longer keep him hidden, she made a basket out of reeds and covered it with tar. She put him in the basket and placed it in the tall grass along the edge of the Nile River.


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About that time one of the king's daughters came down to take a bath in the river, while her servant women walked along the river bank. She saw the basket in the tall grass and sent one of the young women to pull it out of the water.


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When the king's daughter opened the basket, she saw the baby and felt sorry for him because he was crying. She said, "This must be one of the Hebrew babies."


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At once the baby's older sister came up and asked, "Do you want me to get a Hebrew woman to take care of the baby for you?"


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and the king's daughter told her, "Take care of this child, and I will pay you." The baby's mother carried him home and took care of him.


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And when he was old enough, she took him to the king's daughter, who adopted him. She named him Moses because she said, "I pulled him out of the water."


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After Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were hard at work, and he saw an Egyptian beating one of them.


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Moses looked around to see if anyone was watching, then he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.


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When Moses went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting. So he went to the man who had started the fight and asked, "Why are you beating up one of your own people?"


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The man answered, "Who put you in charge of us and made you our judge? Are you planning to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian?" This frightened Moses because he was sure that people must have found out what had happened.


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When the king heard what Moses had done, the king wanted to kill him. But Moses escaped and went to the land of Midian. One day, Moses was sitting there by a well,


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when the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, came up to water their father's sheep and goats.


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They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds, and he even watered our sheep and goats."


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And when she had a son, Moses said, "I will name him Gershom, since I am a foreigner in this country."


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After the death of the king of Egypt, the Israelites still complained because they were forced to be slaves. They cried out for help,


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and God heard their loud cries. He did not forget the promise he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,


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One day, Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and Moses decided to lead them across the desert to Sinai, the holy mountain.


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There an angel of the LORD appeared to him from a burning bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not burning up.


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When the LORD saw Moses coming near the bush, he called him by name, and Moses answered, "Here I am."


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God replied, "Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals--the ground where you are standing is holy.


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I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses was afraid to look at God, and so he hid his face.


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The LORD said: I have seen how my people are suffering as slaves in Egypt, and I have heard them beg for my help because of the way they are being mistreated. I feel sorry for them,


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and I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians. I will bring my people out of Egypt into a country where there is good land, rich with milk and honey. I will give them the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.


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God replied, "I will be with you. And you will know that I am the one who sent you, when you worship me on this mountain after you have led my people out of Egypt."


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Moses answered, "I will tell the people of Israel that the God their ancestors worshiped has sent me to them. But what should I say, if they ask me your name?"


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God said to Moses: I am the eternal God. So tell them that the LORD, whose name is "I Am," has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on.


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Call together the leaders of Israel and tell them that the God who was worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to you. Tell them I have seen how terribly they are being treated in Egypt,


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and I promise to lead them out of their troubles. I will give them a land rich with milk and honey, where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.


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The leaders of Israel will listen to you. Then you must take them to the king of Egypt and say, "The LORD God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Let us walk three days into the desert, where we can offer a sacrifice to him."


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So I will use my mighty power to perform all kinds of miracles and strike down the Egyptians. Then the king will send you away.


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After I punish the Egyptians, they will be so afraid of you that they will give you anything you want. You are my people, and I will let you take many things with you when you leave the land of Egypt.


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Every Israelite woman will go to her Egyptian neighbors or to any Egyptian woman living in her house. She will ask them for gold and silver jewelry and for their finest clothes. The Egyptians will give them to you, and you will put these fine things on your sons and daughters. You will carry all this away when you leave Egypt.


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Moses asked the LORD, "Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?"


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"Throw it down!" the LORD commanded. So Moses threw the stick on the ground. It immediately turned into a snake, and Moses jumped back.


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"Pick it up by the tail!" the LORD told him. And when Moses did this, the snake turned back into a walking stick.


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"Do this," the LORD said, "and the Israelites will believe that you have seen me, the God who was worshiped by their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."


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Next, the LORD commanded Moses, "Put your hand inside your shirt." Moses obeyed, and when he took it out, his hand had turned white as snow--like someone with leprosy.


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"Put your hand back inside your shirt," the LORD told him. Moses did so, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.


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Then the LORD said, "If no one believes either of these miracles, take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the ground. The water will immediately turn into blood."


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Moses replied, "I have never been a good speaker. I wasn't one before you spoke to me, and I'm not one now. I am slow at speaking, and I can never think of what to say."


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But the LORD answered, "Who makes people able to speak or makes them deaf or unable to speak? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Don't you know that I am the one who does these things?


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The LORD became irritated with Moses and said: What about your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know he is a good speaker. He is already on his way here to visit you, and he will be happy to see you again.


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Aaron will speak to the people for you, and you will be like me, telling Aaron what to say. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will tell each of you what to do.


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Moses went to his father-in-law Jethro and asked, "Please let me return to Egypt to see if any of my people are still alive." "All right," Jethro replied. "I hope all goes well."


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But even before this, the LORD had told Moses, "Leave the land of Midian and return to Egypt. Everyone who wanted to kill you is dead."


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So Moses put his wife and sons on donkeys and headed for Egypt, holding the walking stick that had the power of God.


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On the way the LORD said to Moses: When you get to Egypt, go to the king and work the miracles I have shown you. But I will make him so stubborn that he will refuse to let my people go.


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and I commanded you to release him, so he could worship me. But you refused, and now I will kill your first-born son."


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But Zipporah circumcised her son with a flint knife. She touched his legs with the skin she had cut off and said, "My dear son, this blood will protect you."


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So the LORD did not harm Moses. Then Zipporah said, "Yes, my dear, you are safe because of this circumcision."


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The LORD sent Aaron to meet Moses in the desert. So Aaron met Moses at Mount Sinai and greeted him with a kiss.


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Moses told Aaron what God had sent him to say; he also told him about the miracles God had given him the power to perform.


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and Aaron told them what the LORD had sent Moses to say. Then Moses worked the miracles for the people,


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and everyone believed. They bowed down and worshiped the LORD because they knew that he had seen their suffering and was going to help them.


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Moses and Aaron went to the king of Egypt and told him, "The LORD God says, 'Let my people go into the desert, so they can honor me with a celebration there.' "


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"Who is this LORD and why should I obey him?" the king replied. "I refuse to let you and your people go!"


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They answered, "The LORD God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Please let us walk three days into the desert where we can offer sacrifices to him. If you don't, he may strike us down with terrible troubles or with war."


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The king said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping these people from working? Look how many you are keeping from doing their work. Now everyone get back to work!"


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That same day the king gave orders to his slave bosses and to the men directly in charge of the Israelite slaves. He told them:


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Don't give the slaves any more straw to put in their bricks. Force them to find their own straw wherever they can,


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but they must make the same number of bricks as before. They are lazy, or else they would not beg me to let them go and sacrifice to their God.


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The slave bosses and the men in charge of the slaves went out and told them, "The king says he will not give you any more straw.


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But the slave bosses were hard on them and kept saying, "Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw."


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The bosses beat the men in charge of the slaves and said, "Why didn't you force the slaves to make as many bricks yesterday and today as they did before?"


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Finally, the men in charge of the slaves went to the king and said, "Why are you treating us like this?


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No one brings us any straw, but we are still ordered to make the same number of bricks. We are beaten with whips, and your own people are to blame."


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The king replied, "You are lazy--nothing but lazy! That's why you keep asking me to let you go and sacrifice to your LORD.


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The men knew they were in deep trouble when they were ordered to make the same number of bricks each day.


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Then the men said, "We hope the LORD will punish both of you for making the king and his officials hate us. Now they even have an excuse to kill us."


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Moses left them and prayed, "Our LORD, why have you brought so much trouble on your people? Is that why you sent me here?


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Ever since you told me to speak to the king, he has caused nothing but trouble for these people. And you haven't done a thing to help."


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The LORD God told Moses: Soon you will see what I will do to the king. Because of my mighty power, he will let my people go, and he will even chase them out of his country.


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But when I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I came as God All-Powerful and did not use my name.


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Now I have seen how the people of Israel are suffering because of the Egyptians, and I will keep my promise.


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Here is my message for Israel: "I am the LORD! And with my mighty power I will punish the Egyptians and free you from slavery.


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I will accept you as my people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I was the one who rescued you from the Egyptians.


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I will bring you into the land that I solemnly promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it will be yours. I am the LORD!"


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But Moses replied, "I'm not a powerful speaker. If the Israelites won't listen to me, why should the king of Egypt?"


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But the LORD sent Aaron and Moses with a message for the Israelites and for the king; he also ordered Aaron and Moses to free the people from Egypt.


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The following men were the heads of their ancestral clans: The sons of Reuben, Jacob's oldest son, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.


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The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.


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Amram lived to be one hundred thirty-seven. He married his father's sister Jochebed, and they had two sons, Aaron and Moses.


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Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon; they had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


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Aaron's son Eleazar married one of Putiel's daughters, and their son was Phinehas. This ends the list of those who were the heads of clans in the Levi tribe.


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The LORD said: I am going to let your brother Aaron speak for you. He will tell your message to the king, just as a prophet speaks my message to the people.


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But I will make the king so stubborn that he won't listen to you. He won't listen even when I do many terrible things to him and his nation. Then I will bring a final punishment on Egypt, and the king will let Israel's families and tribes go.


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The LORD said, "Moses, when the king asks you and Aaron to perform a miracle, command Aaron to throw his walking stick down in front of the king, and it will turn into a snake."


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Moses and Aaron went to the king and his officials and did exactly as the LORD had commanded--Aaron threw the stick down, and it turned into a snake.


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Then the king called in the wise men and the magicians, who used their secret powers to do the same thing--


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The LORD said to Moses: The Egyptian king stubbornly refuses to change his mind and let the people go.


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Tomorrow morning take the stick that turned into a snake, then wait beside the Nile River for the king.


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Tell him, "The LORD God of the Hebrews sent me to order you to release his people, so they can worship him in the desert. But until now, you have paid no attention.


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"The LORD is going to do something to show you that he really is the LORD. I will strike the Nile with this stick, and the water will turn into blood.


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The fish will die, the river will stink, and none of you Egyptians will be able to drink the water."


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Moses, then command Aaron to hold his stick over the water. And when he does, every drop of water in Egypt will turn into blood, including rivers, canals, ponds, and even the water in buckets and jars.


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Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD. Aaron held out his stick, then struck the Nile, as the king and his officials watched. The river turned into blood,


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the fish died, and the water smelled so bad that none of the Egyptians could drink it. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.


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But the Egyptian magicians used their secret powers to do the same thing. The king did just as the LORD had said--he stubbornly refused to listen.


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The Egyptians had to dig holes along the banks of the Nile for drinking water, because water from the river was unfit to drink.


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he said to Moses: Go to the palace and tell the king of Egypt that I order him to let my people go, so they can worship me.


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Warn the king that the Nile will be full of frogs, and from there they will spread into the royal palace, including the king's bedroom and even his bed. Frogs will enter the homes of his officials and will find their way into ovens and into the bowls of bread dough.


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Moses, now command Aaron to hold his stick over the water. Then frogs will come from all rivers, canals, and ponds in Egypt, and they will cover the land.


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The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, "If you ask the LORD to take these frogs away from me and my people, I will let your people go and offer sacrifices to him."


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"All right," Moses answered. "You choose the time when I am to pray for the frogs to stop bothering you, your officials, and your people, and for them to leave your houses and be found only in the river."


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"Do it tomorrow!" the king replied. "As you wish," Moses agreed. "Then everyone will discover that there is no god like the LORD,


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After Moses and Aaron left the palace, Moses begged the LORD to do something about the frogs he had sent as punishment for the king.


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But when the king saw that things were now better, he again did just as the LORD had said and stubbornly refused to listen to Moses and Aaron.


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The LORD said to Moses, "Command Aaron to strike the ground with his walking stick, and everywhere in Egypt the dust will turn into gnats."


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They obeyed, and when Aaron struck the ground with the stick, gnats started swarming on people and animals. In fact, every speck of dust in Egypt turned into a gnat.


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When the magicians tried to use their secret powers to do this, they failed, and gnats stayed on people and animals.


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The magicians told the king, "God has done this." But, as the LORD had said, the king was too stubborn to listen.


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The LORD said to Moses: Early tomorrow morning, while the king is on his way to the river, go and say to him, "The LORD commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him.


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If you don't, he will send swarms of flies to attack you, your officials, and every citizen of your country. Houses will be full of flies, and the ground will crawl with them.


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"The LORD's people in Goshen won't be bothered by flies, but your people in the rest of the country will be tormented by them. That's how you will know that the LORD is here in Egypt. This miracle will happen tomorrow."


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The LORD kept his promise--the palace and the homes of the royal officials swarmed with flies, and the rest of the country was infested with them as well.


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Then the king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, "Go sacrifice to your God, but stay here in Egypt."


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"That's impossible!" Moses replied. "Any sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God would disgust the Egyptians, and they would stone us to death.


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No indeed! The LORD has ordered us to walk three days into the desert before offering sacrifices to him, and that's what we have to do."


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Then the king told him, "I'll let you go into the desert to offer sacrifices, if you don't go very far. But in the meantime, pray for me."


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"Your Majesty," Moses replied, "I'll pray for you as soon as I leave, and by tomorrow the flies will stop bothering you, your officials, and the citizens of your country. Only make sure that you're telling the truth this time and that you really intend to let our people offer sacrifices to the LORD."


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and the LORD answered his prayer. Not a fly was left to pester the king, his officials, or anyone else in Egypt.


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The LORD sent Moses with this message for the king of Egypt: The LORD God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him.


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he will bring a terrible disease on your horses and donkeys, your camels and cattle, and your sheep and goats.


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But the LORD will protect the animals that belong to the people of Israel, and none of theirs will die.


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It happened the next day--all of the animals belonging to the Egyptians died, but the Israelites did not lose even one.


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The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: Take a few handfuls of ashes from a stove and have Moses throw them into the air. Be sure the king is watching.


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So they took a few handfuls of ashes and went to the king. Moses threw them into the air, and sores immediately broke out on the Egyptians and their animals.


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Everything happened just as the LORD had told Moses--he made the king too stubborn to listen to Moses and Aaron.


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The LORD told Moses to get up early the next morning and say to the king: The LORD God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him!


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If you don't, he will send his worst plagues to strike you, your officials, and everyone else in your country. Then you will find out that no one can oppose the LORD.


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But he has kept you alive, just to show you his power and to bring honor to himself everywhere in the world.


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You had better give orders for every person and every animal in Egypt to take shelter. If they don't, they will die.


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Some of the king's officials were frightened by what the LORD had said, and they hurried off to make sure their slaves and animals were safe.


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Then the LORD told Moses, "Stretch your arm toward the sky, so that hailstones will fall on people, animals, and crops in the land of Egypt."


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Moses pointed his walking stick toward the sky, and hailstones started falling everywhere. Thunder roared, and lightning flashed back and forth, striking the ground. This was the worst storm in the history of Egypt.


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The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, "Now I have really sinned! My people and I are guilty, and the LORD is right.


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We can't stand any more of this thunder and hail. Please ask the LORD to make it stop. Your people can go--you don't have to stay in Egypt any longer."


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Moses answered, "As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my arms in prayer. When the thunder and hail stop, you will know that the earth belongs to the LORD.


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Meanwhile, the flax and barley crops had been destroyed by the storm because they were ready to ripen.


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After Moses left the royal palace and the city, he lifted his arms in prayer to the LORD, and the thunder, hail, and drenching rain stopped.


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When the king realized that the storm was over, he disobeyed once more. He and his officials were so stubborn


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The LORD said to Moses: Go back to the king. I have made him and his officials stubborn, so that I could work these miracles.


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I did this because I want you to tell your children and your grandchildren about my miracles and about my harsh treatment of the Egyptians. Then all of you will know that I am the LORD.


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Moses and Aaron went to the king and told him that the LORD God of the Hebrews had said: How long will you stubbornly refuse to obey? Release my people so they can worship me.


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that you won't be able to see the ground. Most of your crops were ruined by the hailstones, but these locusts will destroy what little is left, including the trees.


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Your palace, the homes of your officials, and all other houses in Egypt will overflow with more locusts than have ever been seen in this country. After Moses left the palace,


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the king's officials asked, "Your Majesty, how much longer is this man going to be a troublemaker? Why don't you let the people leave, so they can worship the LORD their God? Don't you know that Egypt is a disaster?"


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The king had Moses and Aaron brought back, and he said, "All right, you may go and worship the LORD your God. But first tell me who will be going."


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"Everyone, young and old," Moses answered. "We will even take our sheep, goats, and cattle, because we want to hold a celebration in honor of the LORD."


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The king replied, "The LORD had better watch over you on the day I let you leave with your families! You're up to no good.


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Do you want to worship the LORD? All right, take only the men and go." Then Moses and Aaron were chased out of the palace.


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The LORD told Moses, "Stretch your arm toward Egypt. Swarms of locusts will come and eat everything left by the hail."


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Moses held out his walking stick, and the LORD sent an east wind that blew across Egypt the rest of the day and all that night. By morning, locusts


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were swarming everywhere. Never before had there been so many locusts in Egypt, and never again will there be so many.


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The ground was black with locusts, and they ate everything left on the trees and in the fields. Nothing green remained in Egypt--not a tree or a plant.


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At once the king sent for Moses and Aaron. He told them, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.


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Then the LORD sent a strong west wind that swept the locusts into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt,


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The LORD said to Moses, "Stretch your arm toward the sky, and everything will be covered with darkness thick enough to touch."


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During that time, the Egyptians could not see each other or leave their homes, but there was light where the Israelites lived.


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The king sent for Moses and told him, "Go worship the LORD! And take your families with you. Just leave your sheep, goats, and cattle."


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and we won't know which animals we will need until we get there. That's why we can't leave even one of them here."


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The LORD said to Moses: I am going to punish the king of Egypt and his people one more time. Then the king will gladly let you leave his land, so that I will stop punishing the Egyptians. He will even chase you out.


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So the LORD made the Egyptians greatly respect the Israelites, and everyone, including the king and his officials, considered Moses an important leader.


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Moses went to the king and said: I have come to let you know what the LORD is going to do. About midnight he will go through the land of Egypt,


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and wherever he goes, the first-born son in every family will die. Your own son will die, and so will the son of the lowest slave woman. Even the first-born males of cattle will die.


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Everywhere in Egypt there will be loud crying. Nothing like this has ever happened before or will ever happen again.


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But there won't be any need for the Israelites to cry. Things will be so quiet that not even a dog will be heard barking. Then you Egyptians will know that the LORD is good to the Israelites, even while he punishes you.


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Your leaders will come and bow down, begging me to take my people and leave your country. Then we will leave. Moses was very angry; he turned and left the king.


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What the LORD had earlier said to Moses came true. He had said, "The king of Egypt won't listen. Then I will perform even more miracles."


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So the king of Egypt saw Moses and Aaron work miracles, but the LORD made him stubbornly refuse to let the Israelites leave his country.


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Tell the people of Israel that on the tenth day of this month the head of each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for his family to eat.


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If any family is too small to eat the whole animal, they must share it with their next-door neighbors. Choose either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a one-year-old male that has nothing wrong with it. And it must be large enough for everyone to have some of the meat.


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Each family must take care of its animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, when the animals are to be killed.


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Some of the blood must be put on the two doorposts and above the door of each house where the animals are to be eaten.


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That night the animals are to be roasted and eaten, together with bitter herbs and thin bread made without yeast.


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Don't eat the meat raw or boiled. The entire animal, including its head, legs, and insides, must be roasted.


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When you eat the meal, be dressed and ready to travel. Have your sandals on, carry your walking stick in your hand, and eat quickly. This is the Passover Festival in honor of me, your LORD.


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That same night I will pass through Egypt and kill the first-born son in every family and the first-born male of all animals. I am the LORD, and I will punish the gods of Egypt.


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The blood on the houses will show me where you live, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Then you won't be bothered by the terrible disasters I will bring on Egypt.


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For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. And on the first of these seven days, you must remove all yeast from your homes. If you eat anything made with yeast during this festival, you will no longer be part of Israel.


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Meet together for worship on the first and seventh days of the festival. The only work you are allowed to do on either of these two days is that of preparing the bread.


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Celebrate this Festival of Thin Bread as a way of remembering the day that I brought your families and tribes out of Egypt. And do this each year.


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Begin on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month by eating bread made without yeast. Then continue this celebration until the evening of the twenty-first day.


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During these seven days no yeast is allowed in anyone's home, whether they are native Israelites or not. If you are caught eating anything made with yeast, you will no longer be part of Israel.


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Moses called the leaders of Israel together and said: Each family is to pick out a sheep and kill it for Passover.


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Make a brush from a few small branches of a hyssop plant and dip the brush in the bowl that has the blood of the animal in it. Then brush some of the blood above the door and on the posts at each side of the door of your house. After this, everyone is to stay inside.


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During that night the LORD will go through the country of Egypt and kill the first-born son in every Egyptian family. He will see where you have put the blood, and he will not come into your house. His angel that brings death will pass over and not kill your first-born sons.


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After you have entered the country promised to you by the LORD, you and your children must continue to celebrate Passover each year.


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And you will answer, "The Passover animal is killed to honor the LORD. We do these things because on that night long ago the LORD passed over the homes of our people in Egypt. He killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians, but he saved our children from death." After Moses finished speaking, the people of Israel knelt down and worshiped the LORD.


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At midnight the LORD killed the first-born son of every Egyptian family, from the son of the king to the son of every prisoner in jail. He also killed the first-born male of every animal that belonged to the Egyptians.


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That night the king, his officials, and everyone else in Egypt got up and started crying bitterly. In every Egyptian home, someone was dead.


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During the night the king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, "Get your people out of my country and leave us alone! Go and worship the LORD, as you have asked.


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The Egyptians did everything they could to get the Israelites to leave their country fast. They said, "Please hurry and leave. If you don't, we will all be dead."


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So the Israelites quickly made some bread dough and put it in pans. But they did not mix any yeast in the dough to make it rise. They wrapped cloth around the pans and carried them on their shoulders.


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The Israelites had already done what Moses had told them to do. They had gone to their Egyptian neighbors and asked for gold and silver and for clothes.


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The LORD had made the Egyptians friendly toward the people of Israel, and they gave them whatever they asked for. In this way they carried away the wealth of the Egyptians when they left Egypt.


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The Israelites walked from the city of Rameses to the city of Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand of them, not counting women and children.


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They left Egypt in such a hurry that they did not have time to prepare any food except the bread dough made without yeast. So they baked it and made thin bread.


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On that night the LORD kept watch for them, and on this same night each year Israel will always keep watch in honor of the LORD.


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The LORD gave Moses and Aaron the following instructions for celebrating Passover: No one except Israelites may eat the Passover meal.


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The entire meal must be eaten inside, and no one may leave the house during the celebration. No bones of the Passover lamb may be broken.


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If anyone who isn't an Israelite wants to celebrate Passover with you, every man and boy in that family must first be circumcised. Then they may join in the meal, just like native Israelites. No uncircumcised man or boy may eat the Passover meal!


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"Dedicate to me the first-born son of every family and the first-born males of your flocks and herds. These belong to me."


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Moses said to the people: Remember this day in the month of Abib. It is the day when the LORD's mighty power rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. Do not eat anything made with yeast.


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The LORD promised your ancestors that he would bring you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. It is a land rich with milk and honey. Each year during the month of Abib, celebrate these events in the following way:


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For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day you are to celebrate a festival in honor of the LORD.


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During those seven days, you must not eat anything made with yeast or even have yeast anywhere near your homes.


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Then on the seventh day you must explain to your children that you do this because the LORD brought you out of Egypt.


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This celebration will be like wearing a sign on your hand or on your forehead, because then you will pass on to others the teaching of the LORD, whose mighty power brought you out of Egypt.


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From then on, you must give him every first-born son from your families and every first-born male from your animals, because these belong to him.


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You can save the life of a first-born donkey by sacrificing a lamb; if you don't, you must break the donkey's neck. You must save every first-born son.


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In the future your children will ask what this ceremony means. Explain it to them by saying, "The LORD used his mighty power to rescue us from slavery in Egypt.


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The king stubbornly refused to set us free, so the LORD killed the first-born male of every animal and the first-born son of every Egyptian family. This is why we sacrifice to the LORD every first-born male of every animal and save every first-born son."


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This ceremony will serve the same purpose as a sign on your hand or on your forehead to tell how the LORD's mighty power rescued us from Egypt.


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After the king had finally let the people go, the LORD did not lead them through Philistine territory, though that was the shortest way. God had said, "If they are attacked, they may decide to return to Egypt."


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So he led them around through the desert and toward the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt, prepared for battle.


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Moses had them take along the bones of Joseph, whose dying words had been, "God will come to your rescue, and when he does, be sure to take along my bones."


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During the day the LORD went ahead of his people in a thick cloud, and during the night he went ahead of them in a flaming fire. That way the LORD could lead them at all times, whether day or night.


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Tell the people of Israel to turn back and camp across from Pi-Hahiroth near Baal-Zephon, between Migdol and the Red Sea.


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The king will think they were afraid to cross the desert and that they are wandering around, trying to find another way to leave the country.


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I will make the king stubborn again, and he will try to catch you. Then I will destroy him and his army. People everywhere will praise me for my victory, and the Egyptians will know that I really am the LORD. The Israelites obeyed the LORD and camped where he told them.


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When the king of Egypt heard that the Israelites had finally left, he and his officials changed their minds and said, "Look what we have done! We let them get away, and they will no longer be our slaves."


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He commanded his officers in charge of his six hundred best chariots and all his other chariots to start after the Israelites.


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The LORD made the king so stubborn that he went after them, even though the Israelites proudly went on their way.


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But the king's horses and chariots and soldiers caught up with them while they were camping by the Red Sea near Pi-Hahiroth and Baal-Zephon.


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When the Israelites saw the king coming with his army, they were frightened and begged the LORD for help.


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They also complained to Moses, "Wasn't there enough room in Egypt to bury us? Is that why you brought us out here to die in the desert? Why did you bring us out of Egypt anyway?


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While we were there, didn't we tell you to leave us alone? We had rather be slaves in Egypt than die in this desert!"


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But Moses answered, "Don't be afraid! Be brave, and you will see the LORD save you today. These Egyptians will never bother you again.


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The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you keep calling out to me for help? Tell the Israelites to move forward.


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Then hold your walking stick over the sea. The water will open up and make a road where they can walk through on dry ground.


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I will make the Egyptians so stubborn that they will go after you. Then I will be praised because of what happens to the king and his chariots and cavalry.


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All this time God's angel had gone ahead of Israel's army, but now he moved behind them. A large cloud had also gone ahead of them,


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but now it moved between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The cloud gave light to the Israelites, but made it dark for the Egyptians, and during the night they could not come any closer.


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Moses stretched his arm over the sea, and the LORD sent a strong east wind that blew all night until there was dry land where the water had been. The sea opened up,


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But before daylight the LORD looked down at the Egyptian army from the fiery cloud and made them panic.


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Their chariot wheels got stuck, and it was hard for them to move. So the Egyptians said to one another, "Let's leave these people alone! The LORD is on their side and is fighting against us."


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The LORD told Moses, "Stretch your arm toward the sea--the water will cover the Egyptians and their cavalry and chariots."


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Moses stretched out his arm, and at daybreak the water rushed toward the Egyptians. They tried to run away, but the LORD drowned them in the sea.


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The water came and covered the chariots, the cavalry, and the whole Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them was left alive.


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But the sea had made a wall of water on each side of the Israelites; so they walked through on dry land.


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On that day, when the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the shore, they knew that the LORD had saved them.


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Because of the mighty power he had used against the Egyptians, the Israelites worshiped him and trusted him and his servant Moses.


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Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the LORD: I sing praises to the LORD for his great victory! He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.


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The LORD is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me. I praise and honor the LORD-- he is my God and the God of my ancestors.


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He threw the chariots and army of Egypt's king into the Red Sea, and he drowned the best of the king's officers.


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What a great victory was yours, as you defeated everyone who opposed you. Your fiery anger wiped them out, as though they were straw.


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Your enemies boasted that they would pursue and capture us, divide up our possessions, treat us as they wished, then take out their swords and kill us right there.


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Our LORD, no other gods compare with you-- Majestic and holy! Fearsome and glorious! Miracle worker!


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struck down by fear. Our LORD, your powerful arm kept them still as a rock until the people you rescued for your very own had marched by.


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The LORD covered the royal Egyptian cavalry and chariots with the sea, after the Israelites had walked safely through on dry ground.


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Miriam the sister of Aaron was a prophet. So she took her tambourine and led the other women out to play their tambourines and to dance.


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Then she sang to them: "Sing praises to the LORD for his great victory! He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea."


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After the Israelites left the Red Sea, Moses led them through the Shur Desert for three days, before finding water.


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Moses asked the LORD for help, and the LORD told him to throw a piece of wood into the water. Moses did so, and the water became fit to drink. At Marah the LORD tested his people and also gave them some laws and teachings.


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Then he said, "I am the LORD your God, and I cure your diseases. If you obey me by doing right and by following my laws and teachings, I won't punish you with the diseases I sent on the Egyptians."


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Later the Israelites came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees. So they camped there.


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On the fifteenth day of the second month after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, they left Elim and started through the western edge of the Sinai Desert in the direction of Mount Sinai.


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"We wish the LORD had killed us in Egypt. When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted. But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve."


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The LORD said to Moses, "I will send bread down from heaven like rain. Each day the people can go out and gather only enough for that day. That's how I will see if they obey me.


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Moses and Aaron told the people, "This evening you will know that the LORD was the one who rescued you from Egypt.


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And in the morning you will see his glorious power, because he has heard your complaints against him. Why should you grumble to us? Who are we?"


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Then Moses continued, "You will know it is the LORD when he gives you meat each evening and more than enough bread each morning. He is really the one you are complaining about, not us--we are nobodies--but the LORD has heard your complaints."


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Moses turned to Aaron and said, "Bring the people together, because the LORD has heard their complaints."


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Aaron was speaking to them, when everyone looked out toward the desert and saw the bright glory of the LORD in a cloud.


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"I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."


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That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground.


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The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, "What is it?" Moses answered, "This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.


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And he orders you to gather about two quarts for each person in your family--that should be more than enough."


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Some of them disobeyed, but the next morning what they kept was stinking and full of worms, and Moses was angry.


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However, on the sixth day of the week, everyone gathered enough to have four quarts, instead of two. When the leaders reported this to Moses,


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he told them that the LORD had said, "Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a sacred day of rest in honor of me. So gather all you want to bake or boil, and make sure you save enough for tomorrow."


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"You may eat the food," Moses said. "Today is the Sabbath in honor of the LORD, and there won't be any of this food on the ground today.


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Remember that I was the one who gave you the Sabbath. That's why on the sixth day I provide enough bread for two days. Everyone is to stay home and rest on the Sabbath."


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The Israelites called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and delicious as wafers made with honey.


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Moses told the people that the LORD had said, "Store up two quarts of this manna, because I want future generations to see the food I gave you during the time you were in the desert after I rescued you from Egypt."


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Then Moses told Aaron, "Put some manna in a jar and store it in the place of worship for future generations to see."


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Aaron followed the LORD's instructions and put the manna in front of the sacred chest for safekeeping.


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The Israelites ate manna for forty years, before they came to the border of Canaan that was a settled land.


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The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the LORD ordered them to. Once they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for them to drink.


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The people started complaining to Moses, "Give us some water!" Moses replied, "Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the LORD to the test?"


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But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, "Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?"


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Then Moses prayed to the LORD, "What am I going to do with these people? They are about to stone me to death!"


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The LORD answered, "Take some of the leaders with you and go ahead of the rest of the people. Also take along the walking stick you used to strike the Nile River,


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and when you get to the rock at Mount Sinai, I will be there with you. Strike the rock with the stick, and water will pour out for the people to drink." Moses did this while the leaders watched.


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The people had complained and tested the LORD by asking, "Is the LORD really with us?" So Moses named that place Massah, which means "testing" and Meribah, which means "complaining."


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So Moses told Joshua, "Have some men ready to attack the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on a hilltop, holding this walking stick that has the power of God."


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The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he had to lower them.


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Finally, Moses was so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset.


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Afterwards, the LORD said to Moses, "Write an account of this victory and read it to Joshua. I want the Amalekites to be forgotten forever."


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Then Moses explained, "This is because I depended on the LORD. But in future generations, the LORD will have to fight the Amalekites again."


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Jethro was the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses. And he heard what the LORD God had done for Moses and his people, after rescuing them from Egypt.


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In the meantime, Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and her two sons to stay with Jethro, and he had welcomed them. Moses was still a foreigner in Midian when his first son was born, and so Moses said, "I'll name him Gershom." When his second son was born, Moses said, "I'll name him Eliezer, because the God my father worshiped has saved me from the king of Egypt."


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While Israel was camped in the desert near Mount Sinai, Jethro sent Moses this message: "I am coming to visit you, and I am bringing your wife and two sons."


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When they arrived, Moses went out and bowed down in front of Jethro, then kissed him. After they had greeted each other, they went into the tent,


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where Moses told him everything the LORD had done to protect Israel against the Egyptians and their king. He also told him how the LORD had helped them in all of their troubles.


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that he shouted, "Praise the LORD! He rescued you and the Israelites from the Egyptians and their king.


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Now I know that the LORD is the greatest God, because he has rescued Israel from their arrogant enemies."


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Jethro offered sacrifices to God. Then Aaron and Israel's leaders came to eat with Jethro there at the place of worship.


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The next morning Moses sat down at the place where he decided legal cases for the people, and everyone crowded around him until evening.


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Jethro saw how much Moses had to do for the people, and he asked, "Why are you the only judge? Why do you let these people crowd around you from morning till evening?"


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You and the people who come to you will soon be worn out. The job is too much for one person; you can't do it alone.


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You will need to appoint some competent leaders who respect God and are trustworthy and honest. Then put them over groups of ten, fifty, a hundred, and a thousand.


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These judges can handle the ordinary cases and bring the more difficult ones to you. Having them to share the load will make your work easier.


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This is the way God wants it done. You won't be under nearly as much stress, and everyone else will return home feeling satisfied.


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He chose some competent leaders from every tribe in Israel and put them over groups of ten, fifty, a hundred, and a thousand.


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They served as judges, deciding the easy cases themselves, but bringing the more difficult ones to Moses.


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The Israelites left Rephidim. Then two months after leaving Egypt, they arrived at the desert near Mount Sinai, where they set up camp at the foot of the mountain.


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You saw what I did in Egypt, and you know how I brought you here to me, just as a mighty eagle carries its young.


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but you will be my holy nation and serve me as priests. Moses, that is what you must tell the Israelites.


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and they promised, "We will do everything the LORD has commanded." So Moses told the LORD about this.


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The LORD said to Moses, "I will come to you in a thick cloud and let the people hear me speak to you. Then they will always trust you." Again Moses reported to the people what the LORD had told him.


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Once more the LORD spoke to Moses: Go back and tell the people that today and tomorrow they must get themselves ready to meet me. They must wash their clothes


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and be ready by the day after tomorrow, when I will come down to Mount Sinai, where all of them can see me.


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Warn the people that they are forbidden to touch any part of the mountain. Anyone who does will be put to death,


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either with stones or arrows, and no one must touch the body of a person killed in this way. Even an animal that touches this mountain must be put to death. You may go up the mountain only after a signal is given on the trumpet.


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After Moses went down the mountain, he gave orders for the people to wash their clothes and make themselves acceptable to worship God.


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On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud covered the mountain, a loud trumpet blast was heard, and everyone in camp trembled with fear.


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Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had come down in a flaming fire. Smoke poured out of the mountain just like a furnace, and the whole mountain shook.


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Then he said, "Moses, go and warn the people not to cross the boundary that you set at the foot of the mountain. They must not cross it to come and look at me, because if they do, many of them will die.


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Only the priests may come near me, and they must obey strict rules before I let them. If they don't, they will be punished."


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Moses replied, "The people cannot come up the mountain. You warned us to stay away because it is holy."


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Then the LORD told Moses, "Go down and bring Aaron back here with you. But the priests and people must not try to push their way through, or I will rush at them like a flood!"


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Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the LORD your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations.


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but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day--not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns.


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In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.


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Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don't want anyone's house, wife or husband, slaves, oxen, donkeys or anything else.


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The people trembled with fear when they heard the thunder and the trumpet and saw the lightning and the smoke coming from the mountain. They stood a long way off


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and said to Moses, "If you speak to us, we will listen. But don't let God speak to us, or we will die!"


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"Don't be afraid!" Moses replied. "God has come only to test you, so that by obeying him you won't sin."


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The LORD told Moses to say to the people of Israel: With your own eyes, you saw me speak to you from heaven.


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Build an altar out of earth, and offer on it your sacrifices of sheep, goats, and cattle. Wherever I choose to be worshiped, I will come down to bless you.


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If you ever build an altar for me out of stones, do not use any tools to chisel the stones, because that would make the altar unfit.


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If you buy a Hebrew slave, he must remain your slave for six years. But in the seventh year you must set him free, without cost to him.


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If he was single at the time you bought him, he alone must be set free. But if he was married at the time, both he and his wife must be given their freedom.


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If you give him a wife, and they have children, only the man himself must be set free; his wife and children remain the property of his owner.


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Then he must stand beside either the door or the doorpost at the place of worship, while his owner punches a small hole through one of his ears with a sharp metal rod. This makes him a slave for life.


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If she doesn't please the man who bought her to be his wife, he must let her be bought back. He cannot sell her to foreigners; this would break the contract he made with her.


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If the man later marries another woman, he must continue to provide food and clothing for the one he bought and to treat her as a wife.


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But if you did not intend to kill someone, and I, the LORD, let it happen anyway, you may run for safety to a place that I have set aside.


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If you plan in advance to murder someone, there's no escape, not even by holding on to my altar. You will be dragged off and killed.


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Death is the punishment for kidnapping. If you sell the person you kidnapped, or if you are caught with that person, the penalty is death.


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Suppose two of you are arguing, and you hit the other with either a rock or your fist, without causing a fatal injury. If the victim has to stay in bed,


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and later has to use a stick when walking outside, you must pay for the loss of time and do what you can to help until the injury is completely healed. That's your only responsibility.


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However, if the slave lives a few days after the beating, you are not to be punished. After all, you have already lost the services of that slave who was your property.


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Suppose a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage as the result of an injury caused by someone who is fighting. If she isn't badly hurt, the one who injured her must pay whatever fine her husband demands and the judges approve.


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A bull that kills someone with its horns must be killed and its meat destroyed, but the owner of the bull isn't responsible for the death.


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Suppose you own a bull that has been in the habit of attacking people, but you have refused to keep it fenced in. If that bull kills someone, both you and the bull must be put to death by stoning.


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If the bull kills a slave, you must pay the slave owner thirty pieces of silver for the loss of the slave, and the bull must be killed by stoning.


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Suppose someone's ox or donkey is killed by falling into an open pit that you dug or left uncovered on your property.


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If your bull kills someone else's, yours must be sold. Then the money from your bull and the meat from the dead bull must be divided equally between you and the other owner.


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If you refuse to fence in a bull that is known to attack others, you must pay for any animal it kills, but the dead animal will belong to you.


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If you steal an ox and slaughter or sell it, you must replace it with five oxen; if you steal a sheep and slaughter it or sell it, you must replace it with four sheep.


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But if you cannot afford to replace the animals, you must be sold as a slave to pay for what you have stolen. If you steal an ox, donkey, or sheep, and are caught with it still alive, you must pay the owner double. If you happen to kill a burglar who breaks into your home after dark, you are not guilty. But if you kill someone who breaks in during the day, you are guilty of murder.


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If you allow any of your animals to stray from your property and graze in someone else's field or vineyard, you must repay the damage from the best part of your own harvest of grapes and grain.


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If you carelessly let a fire spread from your property to someone else's, you must pay the owner for any crops or fields destroyed by the fire.


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Suppose a neighbor asks you to keep some silver or other valuables, and they are stolen from your house. If the thief is caught, the thief must repay double.


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Suppose two people claim to own the same ox or donkey or sheep or piece of clothing. Then the judges must decide the case, and the guilty person will pay the owner double.


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Suppose a neighbor who is going to be away asks you to keep a donkey or an ox or a sheep or some other animal, and it dies or gets injured or is stolen while no one is looking.


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If you swear with me as your witness that you did not harm the animal, you do not have to replace it. Your word is enough.


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If the animal was attacked and killed by a wild animal, and you can show the remains of the dead animal to its owner, you do not have to replace it.


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Suppose you borrow an animal from a neighbor, and it gets injured or dies while the neighbor isn't around. Then you must replace it.


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But if something happens to the animal while the owner is present, you do not have to replace it. If you had leased the animal, the money you paid the owner will cover any harm done to it.


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Suppose a young woman has never been married and isn't engaged. If a man talks her into having sex, he must pay the bride price and marry her.


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In fact, I will get so angry that I will kill your men and make widows of their wives and orphans of their children.


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because that is the only cover the poor have when they sleep at night. I am a merciful God, and when they call out to me, I will come to help them.


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Don't fail to give me the offerings of grain and wine that belong to me. Dedicate to me your first-born sons


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and the first-born of your cattle and sheep. Let the animals stay with their mothers for seven days, then on the eighth day give them to me, your God.


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You are my chosen people, so don't eat the meat of any of your livestock that was killed by a wild animal. Instead, feed the meat to dogs.


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Always tell the truth in court, even if everyone else is dishonest and stands in the way of justice.


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If you find an ox or a donkey that has wandered off, take it back where it belongs, even if the owner is your enemy.


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If a donkey is overloaded and falls down, you must do what you can to help, even if it belongs to someone who doesn't like you.


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Don't bring false charges against anyone or sentence an innocent person to death. I won't forgive you if you do.


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but let the land rest during the seventh year. The poor are to eat what they want from your fields, vineyards, and olive trees during that year, and when they have all they want from your fields, leave the rest for wild animals.


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Work the first six days of the week, but rest and relax on the seventh day. This law is not only for you, but for your oxen, donkeys, and slaves, as well as for any foreigners among you.


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Make certain that you obey everything I have said. Don't pray to other gods or even mention their names.


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Celebrate the Festival of Thin Bread by eating bread made without yeast, just as I have commanded. Do this at the proper time during the month of Abib, because it is the month when you left Egypt. And make certain that everyone brings the proper offerings.


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Celebrate the Harvest Festival each spring when you start harvesting your wheat, and celebrate the Festival of Shelters each autumn when you pick your fruit.


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Do not offer bread made with yeast when you sacrifice an animal to me. And make sure that the fat of the animal is burned that same day.


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Each year bring the best part of your first harvest to the place of worship. Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.


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Carefully obey everything the angel says, because I am giving him complete authority, and he won't tolerate rebellion.


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My angel will lead you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.


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Don't worship their gods or follow their customs. Instead, destroy their idols and shatter their stone images.


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Worship only me, the LORD your God! I will bless you with plenty of food and water and keep you strong.


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But I won't do all this in the first year, because the land would become poor, and wild animals would be everywhere.


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Instead, I will force out your enemies little by little and give your nation time to grow strong enough to take over the land.


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I will see that your borders reach from the Red Sea to the Euphrates River and from the Mediterranean Sea to the desert. I will let you defeat the people who live there, and you will force them out of the land.


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Don't let them stay in your land. They will trap you into sinning against me and worshiping their gods.


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The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on this mountain. Bring along Aaron, as well as his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel's leaders. They must worship me at a distance,


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Moses gave the LORD's instructions to the people, and they promised, "We will do everything the LORD has commanded!"


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Then Moses wrote down what the LORD had said. The next morning Moses got up early. He built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up a large stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.


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He also sent some young men to burn offerings and to sacrifice bulls as special offerings to the LORD.


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Then he read aloud the LORD's commands and promises, and the people shouted, "We will obey the LORD and do everything he has commanded!"


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Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people. Next, he told them, "With this blood the LORD makes his agreement with you."


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and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something that looked like a pavement made out of sapphire, and it was as bright as the sky.


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The LORD said to Moses, "Come up on the mountain and stay here for a while. I will give you the two flat stones on which I have written the laws that my people must obey."


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Moses had told the leaders, "Wait here until we come back. Aaron and Hur will be with you, and they can settle any arguments while we are away."


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and the bright glory of the LORD came down and stayed there. The cloud covered the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day the LORD told Moses to come into the cloud.


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Moses did so and stayed there forty days and nights. To the people, the LORD's glory looked like a blazing fire on top of the mountain.


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olive oil for the lamp; sweet-smelling spices to mix with the oil for dedicating the tent and ordaining the priests;


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Tell the people to build a chest of acacia wood forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.


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Then hammer out two winged creatures of pure gold and fasten them to the lid at the ends of the chest.


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Inside it place the two flat stones with the Ten Commandments and put the gold lid on top of the chest.


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I will meet you there between the two creatures and tell you what my people must do and what they must not do.


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Make a table of acacia wood thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.


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near the edging. The poles for carrying the table are to be placed through these rings and are to be made of acacia wood covered with gold.


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The table is to be kept in the holy place, and the sacred loaves of bread must always be put on it. All bowls, plates, jars, and cups for wine offerings are to be made of pure gold and set on this table.


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Make a lampstand of pure gold. The whole lampstand, including its decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered gold


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The lampstand, including its branches and decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered pure gold.


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The lamp on the top and those at the end of each of its six branches must be made so as to shine toward the front of the lampstand.


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Furnish the sacred tent with curtains made from ten pieces of the finest linen. They must be woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with figures of winged creatures.


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Put fifty loops of blue cloth along one of the wider sides of each curtain, then fasten the two curtains at the loops with fifty gold hooks.


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As the material for the tent, use goat hair to weave eleven sections fifteen yards by two yards each.


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Sew five of the sections together to make one panel. Then sew the other six together to make a second panel, and fold the sixth section double over the front of the tent.


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The panel of goat hair will be a yard longer than the tent itself, so fold half a yard of the material behind the tent and on each side as a protective covering.


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Place two silver stands under each frame with sockets for the pegs, so the frames can be joined together. Twenty of these frames are to be used along the south side and twenty more along the north.


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with two more at the southwest and northwest corners. Make certain that these corner frames are joined from top to bottom.


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Cover the frames and the crossbars with gold and attach gold rings to the frames to run the crossbars through.


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Make a curtain to separate the holy place from the most holy place. Use fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with figures of winged creatures. Cover four acacia wood posts with gold and set them each on a silver stand. Then fasten gold hooks to the posts and hang the curtain there.


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Outside the curtain put the table for the sacred bread on the right side and the gold lampstand on the left.


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For the entrance to the tent, use a piece of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with fancy needlework.


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Cover five acacia wood posts with gold and set them each on a bronze stand. Then put gold hooks on the posts and hang the curtain there.


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and make each of the four top corners stick up like the horn of a bull. Then cover the whole altar with bronze, including the four horns.


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All the equipment for the altar must also be made of bronze--the pans for the hot ashes, the shovels, the sprinkling bowls, the meat forks, and the fire pans.


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Midway up the altar build a ledge around it, and cover the bottom half of the altar with a decorative bronze grating. Then attach a bronze ring beneath the ledge at the four corners of the altar.


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Surround the sacred tent with a courtyard one hundred fifty feet long on the south and north and seventy-five feet wide on the east and west. Use twenty bronze posts on bronze stands for the south and north and ten for the west. Then hang a curtain of fine linen on the posts along each of these three sides by using silver hooks and rods. Place three bronze posts on each side of the entrance at the east and hang a curtain seven and a half yards wide on each set of posts.


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Use four more of these posts for the entrance way, then hang on them an embroidered curtain of fine linen ten yards long and woven with blue, purple, and red wool.


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The curtains that surround the courtyard must be two and a half yards high and are to be hung from the bronze posts with silver hooks and rods.


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The rest of the equipment for the sacred tent must be made of bronze, including the pegs for the tent and for the curtain surrounding the courtyard.


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Command the people of Israel to supply you with the purest olive oil. Do this so the lamp will keep burning


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in front of the curtain that separates the holy place from the most holy place, where the sacred chest is kept. Aaron and his sons are responsible for keeping the lamp burning every night in the sacred tent. The Israelites must always obey this command.


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Send for your brother Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. They are the ones I have chosen from Israel to serve as my priests.


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Aaron is to be dedicated as my high priest, and his clothes must be made only by persons who possess skills that I have given them.


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Here are the items that need to be made: a breastpiece, a priestly vest, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. These sacred clothes are to be made for your brother Aaron and his sons who will be my priests.


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Only gold and fine linen, woven with blue, purple, and red wool, are to be used for making these clothes.


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The entire priestly vest must be made of fine linen skillfully woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and decorated with gold. It is to have two shoulder straps to support it and a sash that fastens around the waist.


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Put two onyx stones in gold settings, then attach one to each of the shoulder straps. On one of these stones engrave the names of Israel's first six sons in the order of their birth. And do the same with his remaining six sons on the other stone. In this way Aaron will always carry the names of the tribes of Israel when he enters the holy place, and I will never forget my people.


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Attach two gold settings to the shoulder straps and fasten them with two braided chains of pure gold.


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From the same costly material make a breastpiece for the high priest to use in learning what I want my people to do.


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with four rows of three precious stones: In the first row put a carnelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald;


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Attach two gold rings to the upper front corners of the breastpiece and fasten them with two braided gold chains to gold settings on the shoulder straps.


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Then take a blue cord and tie the two lower rings on the breastpiece to those on the vest. This will keep the breastpiece in place.


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In this way Aaron will have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on his heart each time he enters the holy place, and I will never forget my people.


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with an opening in the center for his head. Be sure to bind the material around the collar to keep it from raveling.


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Along the hem of the robe weave pomegranates of blue, purple, and red wool with a gold bell between each of them.


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If Aaron wears these clothes when he enters the holy place as my high priest, the sound of the bells will be heard, and his life will not be in danger.


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so he can wear it on his forehead. This will show that he will take on himself the guilt for any sins the people of Israel commit in offering their gifts to me, and I will forgive them.


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Since Aaron's sons are priests, they should also look dignified. So make robes, sashes, and special caps for them.


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Then dress Aaron and his sons in these clothes, pour olive oil on their heads, and ordain them as my priests.


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Make linen shorts for them that reach from the waist down to the thigh, so they won't expose themselves.


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Whenever they enter the sacred tent or serve at the altar or enter the holy place, they must wear these shorts, or else they will be guilty and die. This same rule applies to any of their descendants who serve as priests.


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When you ordain one of Aaron's sons as my priest, choose a young bull and two rams that have nothing wrong with them.


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Then from your finest flour make three batches of dough without yeast. Shape some of it into larger loaves, some into smaller loaves mixed with olive oil, and the rest into thin wafers brushed with oil.


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Dress Aaron in the priestly shirt, the robe that goes under the sacred vest, the vest itself, the breastpiece, and the sash.


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and caps and their sashes, then ordain them, because they and their descendants will always be priests.


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Lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent, where Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on its head.


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Use a finger to smear some of its blood on each of the four corners of the altar and pour out the rest of the blood on the ground next to the altar.


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Then take the fat from the animal's insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and send them up in smoke on the altar.


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But the meat, the skin, and the food still in the bull's stomach must be burned outside the camp as an offering to ask forgiveness for the sins of the priests.


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Cut up the ram, wash its insides and legs, and lay all of its parts on the altar, including the head.


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Kill the ram and place some of its blood on Aaron's right ear lobe, his right thumb, and the big toe of his right foot. Do the same for each of his sons and splatter the rest of the blood against the four sides of the altar.


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Then take some of the blood from the altar, mix it with the oil used for ordination, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes, and also on his sons and their clothes. This will show that they and their clothes have been dedicated to me.


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This ram is part of the ordination service. So remove its right hind leg, its fat tail, the fat on its insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat.


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and put this bread, together with the meat, into the hands of Aaron and his sons. Then they will lift it all up to show that it is dedicated to me.


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After this, the meat and bread are to be placed on the altar and sent up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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You may eat the choice ribs from this second ram, but you must first lift them up to show that this meat is dedicated to me.


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In the future, when anyone from Israel offers the ribs and a hind leg of a ram either to ordain a priest or to ask for my blessing, the meat belongs to me, but it may be eaten by the priests. This law will never change.


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After Aaron's death, his priestly clothes are to be handed down to each descendant who succeeds him as high priest, and these clothes must be worn during the seven-day ceremony of ordination.


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then have Aaron and his sons eat it together with the three kinds of bread at the entrance to the sacred tent.


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At their ordination, a ceremony of forgiveness was performed for them with this sacred food, and only they have the right to eat it.


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Repeat this ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons seven days in a row, just as I have instructed you.


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Each day you must offer a bull as a sacrifice for sin and as a way of purifying the altar. In addition, you must smear the altar with olive oil to make it completely holy.


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Do this for seven days, and the altar will become so holy that anyone who touches it will become holy.


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With each lamb offer two pounds of your finest flour mixed with a quart of pure olive oil, and also pour out a quart of wine as an offering. The smell of this sacrifice on the fires of the altar will be pleasing to me.


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You and your descendants must always offer this sacrifice on the altar at the entrance to the sacred tent. People of Israel, I will meet and speak with you there, and my shining glory will make the place holy.


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Because of who I am, the tent will become sacred, and Aaron and his sons will become worthy to serve as my priests.


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and you will know that I am the LORD your God, the one who rescued you from Egypt, so that I could live among you.


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Make it eighteen inches square and thirty-six inches high, and make each of its four corners stick up like the horn of a bull.


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Then below the edging on opposite sides attach two gold rings through which you can put the poles for carrying the altar.


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Put the altar in front of the inside curtain of the sacred tent. The chest with the place of mercy is kept behind that curtain, and I will talk with you there.


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From now on, when Aaron tends the lamp each morning and evening, he must burn sweet-smelling incense to me on the altar.


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Burn only the proper incense on the altar and never use it for grain sacrifices or animal sacrifices or drink offerings.


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Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing on its four corners the blood of an animal sacrificed for sin, and this practice must always be followed. The altar is sacred because it is dedicated to me.


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Find out how many grown men there are in Israel and require each of them to pay me to keep him safe from danger while you are counting them.


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Each man over nineteen, whether rich or poor, must pay me the same amount of money, weighed according to the official standards.


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This money is to be used for the upkeep of the sacred tent, and because of it, I will never forget my people.


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Make a large bronze bowl and a bronze stand for it. Then put them between the altar for sacrifice and the sacred tent, so the priests can wash their hands and feet before entering the tent or offering a sacrifice on the altar. Each priest in every generation must wash himself in this way, or else he will die right there.


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Mix a gallon of olive oil with the following costly spices: twelve pounds of myrrh, six pounds of cinnamon, six pounds of cane, and twelve pounds of cassia. Measure these according to the official standards. Then use this sacred mixture


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the table with its equipment, the lampstand with its equipment, the incense altar with all its utensils,


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By dedicating them in this way, you will make them so holy that anyone who even touches them will become holy.


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and say to the people of Israel: "This oil must always be used in the ordination service of a priest. It is holy because it is dedicated to the LORD.


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Mix equal amounts of the costly spices stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, then add salt to make the mixture pure and holy.


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Pound some of it into powder and sprinkle it in front of the sacred chest, where I meet with you. Be sure to treat this incense as something very holy.


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Not only have I filled him with my Spirit, but I have given him wisdom and made him a skilled craftsman who can create objects of art with gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood.


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I have appointed Oholiab from the tribe of Dan to work with him, and I have also given skills to those who will help them make everything exactly as I have commanded you:


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the sacred tent with its furnishings, the sacred chest with its place of mercy, the table with all that is on it, the lamp with its equipment, the incense altar, the altar for sacrifices with its equipment, the bronze bowl with its stand, the beautiful priestly clothes for Aaron and his sons, the oil for dedication and ordination services, and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place.


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Moses told the Israelites that the LORD had said: The Sabbath belongs to me. Now I command you and your descendants to always obey the laws of the Sabbath. By doing this, you will know that I have chosen you as my own.


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Keep the Sabbath holy. You have six days to do your work, but the Sabbath is mine, and it must remain a day of rest. If you work on the Sabbath, you will no longer be part of my people, and you will be put to death.


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This day will always serve as a reminder, both to me and to the Israelites, that I made the heavens and the earth in six days, then on the seventh day I rested and relaxed.


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When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two flat stones on which he had written all of his laws with his own hand.


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After the people saw that Moses had been on the mountain for a long time, they went to Aaron and said, "Make us an image of a god who will lead and protect us. Moses brought us out of Egypt, but nobody knows what has happened to him."


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then he melted them and made an idol in the shape of a young bull. All the people said to one another, "This is the god who brought us out of Egypt!"


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When Aaron saw what was happening, he built an altar in front of the idol and said, "Tomorrow we will celebrate in honor of the LORD."


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The people got up early the next morning and killed some animals to be used for sacrifices and others to be eaten. Then everyone ate and drank so much that they began to carry on like wild people.


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They have already stopped obeying me and have made themselves an idol in the shape of a young bull. They have bowed down to it, offered sacrifices, and said that it is the god who brought them out of Egypt.


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and I'm angry enough to destroy them, so don't try to stop me. But I will make your descendants into a great nation.


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Moses tried to get the LORD God to change his mind: Our LORD, you used your mighty power to bring these people out of Egypt. Now don't become angry and destroy them.


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If you do, the Egyptians will say that you brought your people out here into the mountains just to get rid of them. Please don't be angry with your people. Don't destroy them!


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Remember the solemn promise you made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You promised that someday they would have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and that you would give them land.


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So even though the LORD had threatened to destroy the people, he changed his mind and let them live.


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Moses went back down the mountain with the two flat stones on which God had written all of his laws with his own hand, and he had used both sides of the stones.


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When Joshua heard the noisy shouts of the people, he said to Moses, "A battle must be going on down in the camp."


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But Moses replied, "It doesn't sound like they are shouting because they have won or lost a battle. They are singing wildly!"


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As Moses got closer to the camp, he saw the idol, and he also saw the people dancing around. This made him so angry that he threw down the stones and broke them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.


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He melted the idol the people had made, and he ground it into powder. He scattered it in their water and made them drink it.


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Moses asked Aaron, "What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way?"


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Aaron answered: Don't be angry with me. You know as well as I do that they are determined to do evil.


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They even told me, "That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we don't know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us."


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Then I asked them to bring me their gold earrings. They took them off and gave them to me. I threw the gold into a fire, and out came this bull.


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Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron's fault. And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies.


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So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, "Everyone who is on the LORD's side come over here!" Then the men of the Levi tribe gathered around Moses,


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and he said to them, "The LORD God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbors."


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Moses said to them, "You obeyed the LORD and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the LORD has blessed you and made you his priests today."


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The next day Moses told the people, "This is a terrible thing you have done. But I will go back to the LORD to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you."


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Moses returned to the LORD and said, "The people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a gold idol to be their god.


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Now take my people to the place I told you about, and my angel will lead you. But when the time comes, I will punish them for this sin."


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So the LORD punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.


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The LORD said to Moses: You led the people of Israel out of Egypt. Now get ready to lead them to the land I promised their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


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It is a land rich with milk and honey, and I will send an angel to force out those people who live there--the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I would go with my people, but they are so rebellious that I would destroy them before they get there.


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Even before the LORD said these harsh things, he had told Moses, "These people really are rebellious, and I would kill them at once, if I went with them. But tell them to take off their fancy jewelry, then I'll decide what to do with them." So the people started mourning,


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Moses used to set up a tent far from camp. He called it the "meeting tent," and whoever needed some message from the LORD would go there.


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Each time Moses went out to the tent, everyone would stand at the entrance to their own tents and watch him enter.


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Then they would bow down because a thick cloud would come down in front of the tent, and the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, just like a friend. Afterwards, Moses would return to camp, but his young assistant Joshua would stay at the tent.


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Moses said to the LORD, "I know that you have told me to lead these people to the land you promised them. But you have not told me who my assistant will be. You have said that you are my friend and that you are pleased with me.


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If this is true, let me know what your plans are, then I can obey and continue to please you. And don't forget that you have chosen this nation to be your own."


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But if you do go with us, everyone will know that you are pleased with your people and with me. That way, we will be different from the rest of the people on earth."


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So the LORD told him, "I will do what you have asked, because I am your friend and I am pleased with you."


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The LORD answered: All right. I am the LORD, and I show mercy and kindness to anyone I choose. I will let you see my glory and hear my holy name,


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and before I pass by in all of my shining glory, I will put you in a large crack in the rock. I will cover your eyes with my hand until I have passed by.


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One day the LORD said to Moses, "Cut two flat stones like the first ones I made, and I will write on them the same commandments that were on the two you broke.


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No one is to come with you or to be on the mountain at all. Don't even let the sheep and cattle graze at the foot of the mountain."


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So Moses cut two flat stones like the first ones, and early the next morning he carried them to the top of Mount Sinai, just as the LORD had commanded.


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The LORD God came down in a cloud and stood beside Moses there on the mountain. God spoke his holy name, "the LORD."


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Then he passed in front of Moses and called out, "I am the LORD God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love, and I can be trusted.


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I keep my promises to my people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins. When people sin, I punish them and their children, and also their grandchildren and great-grandchildren."


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He prayed, "LORD, if you really are pleased with me, I pray that you will go with us. It is true that these people are sinful and rebellious, but forgive our sin and let us be your people."


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The LORD said: I promise to perform miracles for you that have never been seen anywhere on earth. Neighboring nations will stand in fear and know that I was the one who did these marvelous things.


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I will force out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, but you must do what I command you today.


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Instead, you must destroy their altars and tear down the sacred poles they use in the worship of the goddess Asherah.


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Don't make treaties with the people there, or you will soon find yourselves worshiping their gods and taking part in their sacrificial meals.


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Don't fail to observe the Festival of Thin Bread in the month of Abib. Obey me and eat bread without yeast for seven days during Abib, because that is the month you left Egypt.


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You can save the life of a first-born donkey by sacrificing a lamb; if you don't, you must break the donkey's neck. You must save every first-born son. Bring an offering every time you come to worship.


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Do your work in six days and rest on the seventh day, even during the seasons for plowing and harvesting.


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I will force the nations out of your land and enlarge your borders. Then no one will try to take your property when you come to worship me these three times each year.


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When you sacrifice an animal on the altar, don't offer bread made with yeast. And don't save any part of the Passover meal for the next day.


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I am the LORD your God, and you must bring the first part of your harvest to the place of worship. Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.


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Moses stayed on the mountain with the LORD for forty days and nights, without eating or drinking. And he wrote down the Ten Commandments, the most important part of God's agreement with his people.


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Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the LORD had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining.


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When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him.


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Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.


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The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil.


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Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the LORD. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the LORD had told him to say.


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They could see that his face was still shining. So after he had spoken with them, he would put the veil back on and leave it on until the next time he went to speak with the LORD.


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You have six days in which to do your work. But the seventh day must be dedicated to me, your LORD, as a day of rest. Whoever works on the Sabbath will be put to death.


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I would welcome an offering from anyone who wants to give something. You may bring gold, silver, or bronze;


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the incense altar with its carrying poles and sweet-smelling incense; the ordination oil; the curtain for the entrance to the sacred tent;


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the altar for sacrifices with its bronze grating, its carrying poles, and its equipment; the large bronze bowl with its stand;


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Then those who wanted to bring gifts to the LORD, brought them to be used for the sacred tent, the worship services, and the priestly clothes.


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Men and women came willingly and gave all kinds of gold jewelry such as pins, earrings, rings, and necklaces.


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Everyone brought their blue, purple, and red wool, their fine linen, and their cloth made of goat hair, as well as their ram skins dyed red and their fine leather.


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The women who were good at weaving cloth brought the blue, purple, and red wool and the fine linen they had made.


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The leaders brought different kinds of jewels to be sewn on the special clothes and the breastpiece for the high priest.


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They also brought sweet-smelling spices to be mixed with the incense and olive oil that were for the lamps and for ordaining the priests.


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Moses had told the people what the LORD wanted them to do, and many of them decided to bring their gifts.


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Not only has the LORD filled him with his Spirit, but he has given him wisdom and made him a skilled craftsman who can create objects of art with gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood.


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And he has given them all kinds of artistic skills, including the ability to design and embroider with blue, purple, and red wool and to weave fine linen.


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The LORD has given to Bezalel, Oholiab, and others the skills needed for building a place of worship, and they will follow the LORD's instructions.


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and he gave them the money that the people of Israel had donated for building the place of worship. In fact, so much money was being given each morning,


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and said, "Moses, there is already more money than we need for what the LORD has assigned us to do."


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The skilled workers got together to make the sacred tent and its linen curtains woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with figures of winged creatures. Each of the ten panels was fourteen yards long and two yards wide,


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Then fifty loops of blue cloth were put along one of the wider sides of each curtain, and the two curtains were fastened together at the loops with fifty gold hooks.


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As the material for the tent, goat hair was used to weave eleven sections fifteen yards by two yards each.


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These eleven sections were joined to make two panels, one with five and the other with six sections.


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with two wooden pegs near the bottom. Then two silver stands were placed under each frame with sockets for the pegs, so they could be joined together. Twenty of these frames were used along the south side and twenty more along the north.


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with two more at the southwest and northwest corners. These corner frames were joined from top to bottom.


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Five crossbars were made for each of the wooden frames, with the center crossbar running the full length of the wall.


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The frames and crossbars were covered with gold, and gold rings were attached to the frames to run the crossbars through.


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They made the inside curtain of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with figures of winged creatures.


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They also made four acacia wood posts and covered them with gold. Then gold rings were fastened to the posts, which were set on silver stands.


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For the entrance to the tent, they used a curtain of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool and embroidered with fancy needlework.


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They made five posts, covered them completely with gold, and set them each on a gold-covered bronze stand. Finally, they attached hooks for the curtain.


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Bezalel built a chest of acacia wood forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.


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On each of the two ends of the chest he made a winged creature of hammered gold. They faced each other, and their wings covered the place of mercy.


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Bezalel built a table of acacia wood thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.


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Everything that was to be set on the table was made of pure gold--the bowls, plates, jars, and cups for wine offerings.


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Bezalel made a lampstand of pure gold. The whole lampstand, including its decorative flowers, was made from a single piece of hammered gold,


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The lampstand, including its branches and decorative flowers, was made from a single piece of hammered pure gold.


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The lamp and its equipment, including the tongs and trays, were made of about seventy-five pounds of pure gold.


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For burning incense, Bezalel made an altar of acacia wood. It was eighteen inches square and thirty-six inches high with each of its four corners sticking up like the horn of a bull.


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Then below the edging on opposite sides he attached two gold rings through which he put the poles for carrying the altar.


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Bezalel built an altar of acacia wood for offering sacrifices. It was seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet high


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with each of its four corners sticking up like the horn of a bull, and it was completely covered with bronze.


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The equipment for the altar was also made of bronze--the pans for the hot ashes, the shovels, the meat forks, and the fire pans.


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Midway up the altar he built a ledge around it and covered the bottom half of the altar with a decorative bronze grating.


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Bezalel made a large bowl and a stand out of bronze from the mirrors of the women who helped at the entrance to the sacred tent.


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Around the sacred tent Bezalel built a courtyard one hundred fifty feet long on the south and north and seventy-five feet wide on the east and west. He used twenty bronze posts on bronze stands for the south and north and ten for the west. Then he hung a curtain of fine linen on the posts along each of these three sides by using silver hooks and rods. He placed three bronze posts on each side of the entrance at the east and hung a curtain seven and a half yards wide on each set of posts.


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For the entrance to the courtyard, Bezalel made a curtain ten yards long, which he hung on four bronze posts that were set on bronze stands. This curtain was the same height as the one for the rest of the courtyard and was made of fine linen embroidered and woven with blue, purple, and red wool. He hung the curtain on the four posts, using silver hooks and rods.


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Bezalel had worked closely with Oholiab, who was an expert at designing and engraving, and at embroidering blue, purple, and red wool. The two of them completed the work that the LORD had commanded. Moses made Aaron's son Ithamar responsible for keeping record of the metals used for the sacred tent.


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According to the official weights, the amount of gold given was two thousand two hundred nine pounds,


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and the silver that was collected when the people were counted came to seven thousand five hundred fifty pounds.


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Everyone who was counted paid the required amount, and there was a total of 603,550 men who were twenty years old or older.


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Seventy-five pounds of the silver were used to make each of the one hundred stands for the sacred tent and the curtain.


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The remaining fifty pounds of silver were used for the hooks and rods and for covering the tops of the posts.


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And it was used to make the stands for the entrance to the tent, the altar and its grating, the equipment for the altar,


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the stands for the posts that surrounded the courtyard, including those at the entrance to the courtyard, and the pegs for the tent and the courtyard.


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Beautiful priestly clothes were made of blue, purple, and red wool for Aaron to wear when he performed his duties in the holy place. This was done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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The entire priestly vest was made of fine linen, woven with blue, purple, and red wool. Thin sheets of gold were hammered out and cut into threads that were skillfully woven into the vest.


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Onyx stones were placed in gold settings, and each one was engraved with the name of one of Israel's sons.


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Then these were attached to the shoulder straps of the vest, so the LORD would never forget his people. Everything was done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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with four rows of three precious stones: A carnelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald were in the first row;


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and a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper were in the fourth row. They were mounted in a delicate gold setting,


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Two gold rings were attached to the upper front corners of the breastpiece and fastened with two braided gold chains to gold settings on the shoulder straps.


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To keep the breastpiece in place, a blue cord was used to tie the two lower rings on the breastpiece to those on the vest. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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with an opening in the center for the head. The material around the collar was bound so as to keep it from raveling.


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Along the hem of the robe were woven pomegranates of blue, purple, and red wool with a bell of pure gold between each of them. This robe was to be worn by Aaron when he performed his duties.


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Everything that Aaron and his sons wore was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, including their robes and turbans, their fancy caps and underwear, and even their sashes that were embroidered with needlework.


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which was fastened to Aaron's turban. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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Then they brought it all to Moses: the sacred tent and its equipment, including the hooks, the framework and crossbars, and its posts and stands;


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the gold-covered incense altar; the ordination oil and the sweet-smelling incense; the curtain for the entrance to the tent;


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the bronze altar for sacrifices with its bronze grating, its carrying poles, and its equipment; the large bronze bowl with its stand;


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the curtain with its posts and cords, and its pegs and stands that go around the courtyard; everything needed for the sacred tent;


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When Moses saw that the people had done everything exactly as the LORD had commanded, he gave them his blessing.


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Bring in the table and set on it those things that are made for it. Also bring in the lampstand and attach the lamps to it.


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Then place the gold altar of incense in front of the sacred chest and hang a curtain at the entrance to the tent.


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Surround the tent and the altar with the wall of curtains and hang the curtain that was made for the entrance.


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Dress Aaron in the priestly clothes, then use the sacred olive oil to ordain him and dedicate him to me as my priest.


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The stones with the Ten Commandments written on them were stored in the sacred chest, the place of mercy was put on top of it, and the carrying poles were attached.


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The chest was brought into the tent and set behind the curtain in the most holy place. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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and sweet-smelling incense was burned on it. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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Then the altar for offering sacrifices was put in front of the tent, and animal sacrifices and gifts of grain were offered there.


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The large bronze bowl was placed between the altar and the entrance to the tent. It was filled with water,


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In fact, they washed each time before entering the tent or offering sacrifices at the altar. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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No matter where the people traveled, the LORD was with them. Each day his cloud was over the tent, and each night a fire could be seen in the cloud.


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The LORD spoke to Moses from the sacred tent and gave him instructions for the community of Israel to follow when they offered sacrifices. Sacrifices to please me must be completely burned on the bronze altar. Bulls or rams or goats are the animals to be used for these sacrifices. If the animal is a bull, it must not have anything wrong with it. Lead it to the entrance of the sacred tent, and I will let you know if it is acceptable to me.


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After the bull is killed in my presence, some priests from Aaron's family will offer its blood to me by splattering it against the four sides of the altar.


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Wash the bull's insides and hind legs, so the priests can lay them on the altar with the head, the fat, and the rest of the animal. A priest will then send all of it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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Lead the animal to the north side of the altar, where it is to be killed in my presence. Then some of the priests will splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.


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Cut up the animal and wash its insides and hind legs. A priest will put these parts on the altar with the head, the fat, and the rest of the animal. Then he will send all of it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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A priest will take the bird to the bronze altar, where he will wring its neck and put its head on the fire. Then he will drain out its blood on one side of the altar,


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remove the bird's craw with what is in it, and throw them on the ash heap at the east side of the altar.


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Finally, he will take the bird by its wings, tear it partially open, and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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When you offer sacrifices to give thanks to me, you must use only your finest flour. Put it in a dish, sprinkle olive oil and incense on the flour,


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and take it to the priests from Aaron's family. One of them will scoop up the incense together with a handful of the flour and oil. Then, to show that the whole offering belongs to me, the priest will lay this part on the bronze altar and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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If you bake bread in an oven for this sacrifice, use only your finest flour, but without any yeast. You may make the flour into a loaf mixed with olive oil, or you may make it into thin wafers and brush them with oil.


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If you cook bread in a shallow pan for this sacrifice, use only your finest flour. Mix it with olive oil, but do not use any yeast.


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If you cook your bread in a pan with a lid on it, you must also use the finest flour mixed with oil.


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You may prepare sacrifices to give thanks in any of these three ways. Bring your sacrifice to a priest, and he will take it to the bronze altar.


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Then, to show that the whole offering belongs to me, the priest will lay part of it on the altar and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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Yeast and honey must never be burned on the altar, so don't ever mix either of these in a grain sacrifice.


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You may offer either of them separately, when you present the first part of your harvest to me, but they must never be burned on the altar.


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Freshly cut grain, either roasted or coarsely ground, must be used when you offer the first part of your grain harvest.


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A priest will sprinkle all of the incense and some of the grain and oil on the altar and send them up in smoke to show that the whole offering belongs to me.


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When you offer sacrifices to ask my blessing, you may offer either a bull or a cow, but there must be nothing wrong with the animal.


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Lead it to the entrance of the sacred tent, lay your hand on its head, and have it killed there. A priest from Aaron's family will splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.


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Some of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke with a smell that pleases me, together with the sacrifice that is offered to please me.


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Lay your hand on its head and have it killed there. A priest will then splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.


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One of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke as a food offering for me.


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at the entrance to the sacred tent. Lay your hand on its head and have it killed there. A priest will then splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.


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One of the priests will put these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke as a food offering with a smell that pleases me. All fat belongs to me.


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So you and your descendants must never eat any fat or any blood, not even in the privacy of your own homes. This law will never change.


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to say to the community of Israel: Offer a sacrifice to ask forgiveness when you sin by accidentally doing something I have told you not to do.


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When the high priest sins, he makes everyone else guilty too. And so, he must sacrifice a young bull that has nothing wrong with it.


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The priest will lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent, lay his hand on its head, and kill it there.


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dip a finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred chest behind the curtain.


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Then, in my presence, he will smear some of the blood on each of the four corners of the incense altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the bronze altar near the entrance to the tent.


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The priest will remove the fat from the bull, just as he does when he sacrifices a bull to ask my blessing. This includes the fat on the insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. He will then send it all up in smoke.


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The skin and flesh of the bull, together with its legs, insides, and the food still in its stomach, are to be taken outside the camp and burned on a wood fire near the ash heap.


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Once you realize what has happened, you must sacrifice a young bull to ask my forgiveness. Lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent,


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Then, in my presence, he must smear some of the blood on each of the four corners of the incense altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the bronze altar near the entrance to the tent.


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After this, the priest will remove the fat from the bull and send it up in smoke on the altar. Finally, he will burn its remains outside the camp, just as he did with the other bull. By this sacrifice the sin of the whole nation will be forgiven.


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As soon as the leader realizes what has happened, he must sacrifice a goat that has nothing wrong with it.


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This is a sacrifice for sin. So he will lay his hand on the animal's head, before having it killed in my presence at the north side of the bronze altar.


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The priest will dip a finger in the blood, smear some of it on each of the four corners of the altar, and pour out the rest at the foot of the altar.


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Then he must send all of the fat up in smoke, just as he does when a sacrifice is offered to ask my blessing. By this sacrifice the leader's sin will be forgiven.


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As soon as you realize what you have done, you must sacrifice a female goat that has nothing wrong with it.


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Lead the goat to the north side of the bronze altar and lay your hand on its head, before having it killed.


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Then a priest will dip a finger in the blood; he will smear some of it on each of the four corners of the altar and pour out the rest at the foot of the altar.


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After this, the priest will remove all of the fat, just as he does when an animal is sacrificed to ask my blessing. The priest will then send the fat up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. This animal is sacrificed so that I will forgive you ordinary people when you sin.


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If you offer a lamb instead of a goat as a sacrifice for sin, it must be a female that has nothing wrong with it.


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After this, all of the fat must be removed, just as when an animal is sacrificed to ask my blessing. Then the priest will send it up in smoke to me, together with a food offering, and your sin will be forgiven.


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If you refuse to testify in court about something you saw or know has happened, you have sinned and can be punished.


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You are guilty and unfit to worship me, if you accidentally touch the dead body of any kind of unclean animal.


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You are guilty if you find out that you have accidentally touched any waste that comes from a human body.


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You are guilty the moment you realize that you have made a hasty promise to do something good or bad.


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As soon as you discover that you have committed any of these sins, you must confess what you have done.


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Then you must bring a female sheep or goat to me as the price for your sin. A priest will sacrifice the animal, and you will be forgiven.


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If you are poor and cannot afford to bring an animal, you may bring two doves or two pigeons. One of these will be a sacrifice to ask my forgiveness, and the other will be a sacrifice to please me.


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Give both birds to the priest, who will offer one as a sacrifice to ask my forgiveness. He will wring its neck without tearing off its head,


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splatter some of its blood on one side of the bronze altar, and drain out the rest at the foot of the altar.


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Then he will follow the proper rules for offering the other bird as a sacrifice to please me. You will be forgiven when the priest offers these sacrifices as the price for your sin.


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If you are so poor that you cannot afford doves or pigeons, you may bring two pounds of your finest flour. This is a sacrifice to ask my forgiveness, so don't sprinkle olive oil or sweet-smelling incense on it.


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Give the flour to a priest, who will scoop up a handful and send it up in smoke together with the other offerings. This is a reminder that all of the flour belongs to me.


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By offering this sacrifice, the priest pays the price for any of these sins you may have committed. The priest gets the rest of the flour, just as he does with grain sacrifices.


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The LORD told Moses what the people must do to make things right when they find out they have cheated the LORD without meaning to: If this happens, you must either sacrifice a ram that has nothing wrong with it or else pay the price of a ram with the official money used by the priests.


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In addition, you must pay what you owe plus a fine of twenty percent. Then the priest will offer the ram as a sacrifice to make things right, and you will be forgiven.


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If you break any of my commands without meaning to, you are still guilty, and you can be punished. When you realize what you have done, you must either bring to the priest a ram that has nothing wrong with it or else pay him for one. The priest will then offer it as a sacrifice to make things right, and you will be forgiven.


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The LORD told Moses what the people must do when they commit other sins against the LORD: You have sinned if you rob or cheat someone, if you keep back money or valuables left in your care, or if you find something and claim not to have it.


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In addition, you must either bring to the priest a ram that has nothing wrong with it or else pay him for one. The priest will then offer it as a sacrifice to make things right, and you will be forgiven for what you did wrong.


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The LORD told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons how to offer the daily sacrifices that are sent up in smoke to please the LORD: You must put the animal for the sacrifice on the altar in the evening and let it stay there all night. But make sure the fire keeps burning.


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The next morning you will dress in your priestly clothes, including your linen underwear. Then clean away the ashes left by the sacrifices and pile them beside the altar.


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Change into your everyday clothes, take the ashes outside the camp, and pile them in the special place.


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The fire must never go out, so put wood on it each morning. After this, you are to lay an animal on the altar next to the fat that you sacrifice to ask my blessing. Then send it all up in smoke to me.


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When someone offers a sacrifice to give thanks to me, the priests from Aaron's family must bring it to the front of the bronze altar,


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where one of them will scoop up a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense on it. Then, to show that the whole offering belongs to me, he will lay all of this on the altar and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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The rest of it is to be baked without yeast and eaten by the priests in the sacred courtyard of the sacred tent. This bread is very holy, just like the sacrifices for sin or for making things right, and I have given this part to the priests from what is offered to me on the altar.


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Only the men in Aaron's family are allowed to eat this bread, and they must go through a ceremony to be made holy before touching it. This law will never change.


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and told him what sacrifices the priests must offer on the morning and evening of the day they are ordained: It is the same as the regular morning and evening sacrifices--a pound of flour


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mixed with olive oil and cooked in a shallow pan. The bread must then be crumbled into small pieces and sent up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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Each of Aaron's descendants who is ordained as a priest must perform this ceremony and make sure that the bread is completely burned on the altar. None of it may be eaten!


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how the priests from Aaron's family were to offer the sacrifice for sin: This sacrifice is very sacred, and the animal must be killed in my presence at the north side of the bronze altar.


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and anyone or anything that touches the meat will be holy. If any of the animal's blood is splattered on the clothes of the priest, they must be washed in a holy place.


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If the meat was cooked in a clay pot, the pot must be destroyed, but if it was cooked in a bronze pot, the pot must be scrubbed and rinsed with water.


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None of the meat may be eaten from the sacrifices for sin that require blood to be brought into the sacred tent. These sacrifices must be completely burned.


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The animal must be killed in the same place where the sacrifice to please me is killed, and the animal's blood must be splattered against the four sides of the bronze altar.


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This sacrifice for making things right is very holy. Only the priests may eat it, and they must eat it in a holy place.


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The ceremony for this sacrifice and the one for sin are just alike, and the meat may be eaten only by the priest who performs this ceremony of forgiveness.


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All other grain sacrifices--with or without olive oil in them--are to be divided equally among the priests of Aaron's family.


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If you offer it to give thanks, you must offer some bread together with it. Use the finest flour to make three kinds of bread without yeast--two in the form of loaves mixed with olive oil and one in the form of thin wafers brushed with oil.


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Give me one loaf or wafer from each of these four kinds of bread, after which they will belong to the priest who splattered the blood against the bronze altar.


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When you offer an animal to ask a blessing from me or to thank me, the meat belongs to you, but it must be eaten the same day.


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It is different with the sacrifices you offer when you make me a promise or voluntarily give me something. The meat from those sacrifices may be kept and eaten the next day,


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but any that is left must be destroyed. If you eat any after the second day, your sacrifice will be useless and unacceptable, and you will be both disgusting and guilty.


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Don't eat any of the meat that touches something unclean. Instead, burn it. The rest of the meat may be eaten by anyone who is clean and acceptable to me.


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But don't eat any of this meat if you have become unclean by touching something unclean from a human or an animal or from any other creature. If you do, you will no longer belong to the community of Israel.


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If one of your animals dies or is killed by some wild animal, you may do anything with its fat except eat it.


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If you eat the fat of an animal that can be used as a sacrifice to me, you will no longer belong to the community of Israel.


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to say to the people of Israel: If you want to offer a sacrifice to ask my blessing, you must bring the part to be burned and lay it on the bronze altar. But you must first lift up the choice ribs with their fat to show that the offering is dedicated to me.


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A priest from Aaron's family will then send the fat up in smoke, but the ribs belong to the priests.


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The upper joint of the right hind leg is for the priest who offers the blood and the fat of the animal.


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I have decided that the people of Israel must always give the choice ribs and the upper joint of the right hind leg to Aaron's descendants


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These are the ceremonies for sacrifices to please the LORD, to give him thanks, and to ask his blessing or his forgiveness, as well as the ceremonies for those sacrifices that demand a payment and for the sacrifices that are offered when priests are ordained.


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While Moses and the people of Israel were in the desert at Mount Sinai, the LORD commanded them to start offering these sacrifices.


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Send for Aaron and his sons, as well as their priestly clothes, the oil for ordination, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and a basket of bread made without yeast.


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He put the priestly shirt and robe on Aaron and wrapped the sash around his waist. Then he put the sacred vest on Aaron and fastened it with the finely woven belt.


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Next, he put on Aaron the sacred breastpiece that was used in learning what the LORD wanted his people to do.


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He placed the turban on Aaron's head, and on the front of the turban was the narrow strip of thin gold as a sign of his dedication to the LORD.


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Moses then dedicated the sacred tent and everything in it to the LORD by sprinkling them with some of the oil for ordination.


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He sprinkled the bronze altar seven times, and he sprinkled its equipment, as well as the large bronze bowl and its base.


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At last, Moses dressed Aaron's sons in their shirts, then tied sashes around them and put special caps on them, just as the LORD had commanded.


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Moses led out the bull that was to be sacrificed for sin, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.


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After it was killed, Moses dipped a finger in the blood and smeared some of it on each of the four corners of the bronze altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the altar. This purified the altar and made it a fit place for offering the sacrifice for sin.


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Moses then took the fat on the bull's insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and sent them up in smoke on the altar fire.


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Finally, he took the skin and the flesh of the bull, together with the food still in its stomach, and burned them outside the camp, just as the LORD had commanded.


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Moses led out the ram for the sacrifice to please the LORD. After Aaron and his sons had laid their hands on its head,


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Moses had the animal cut up, and he washed its insides and hind legs. Then he laid the head, the fat, and the rest of the ram on the altar and sent them up in smoke with a smell that pleased the LORD. All this was done just as the LORD had commanded.


text:
Moses led out the ram for the ceremony of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head,


text:
and it was killed. Moses smeared some of its blood on Aaron's right earlobe, some on his right thumb, and some on the big toe of his right foot.


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Moses did the same thing for Aaron's sons, before splattering the rest of the blood against the four sides of the altar.


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He took the animal's fat tail, the fat on its insides, and the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and the right hind leg.


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Then he took from a basket some of each of the three kinds of bread that had been made without yeast and had been dedicated to the LORD.


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Moses placed the bread on top of the meat and gave it all to Aaron and his sons, who lifted it up to show that it was dedicated to the LORD.


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After this, Moses placed it on the fires of the altar and sent it up in smoke with a smell that pleased the LORD. This was part of the ordination ceremony.


text:
Moses lifted up the choice ribs of the ram to show that they were dedicated to the LORD. This was the part that the LORD had said Moses could have.


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Finally, Moses sprinkled the priestly clothes of Aaron and his sons with some of the oil for ordination and with some of the blood from the altar. So Aaron and his sons, together with their priestly clothes, were dedicated to the LORD.


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Moses said to Aaron and his sons: The LORD told me that you must boil this meat at the entrance to the sacred tent and eat it there with the bread.


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and stay near the entrance to the sacred tent until the ordination ceremony ends seven days from now.


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The LORD has told me that you must stay near the entrance to the tent for seven days and nights, or else you will die.


text:
Then he said to Aaron: Find a young bull and a ram that have nothing wrong with them. Offer the bull to the LORD as a sacrifice for sin and the ram as a sacrifice to please him.


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Tell the people of Israel that they must offer sacrifices as well. They must offer a goat as a sacrifice for sin, and a bull and a ram as a sacrifice to please the LORD. The bull and the ram must be a year old and have nothing wrong with them.


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Then the people must offer a bull and a ram as a sacrifice to ask the LORD's blessing and also a grain sacrifice mixed with oil. Do this, because the LORD will appear to you today.


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After the animals and the grain had been brought to the front of the sacred tent, and the people were standing there in the presence of the LORD,


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Aaron, step up to the altar and offer the sacrifice to please the LORD, then offer the sacrifices for the forgiveness of your sins and for the sins of the people, just as the LORD has commanded.


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His sons brought him the blood. He dipped a finger in it, smeared some on the four corners of the bronze altar, and poured out the rest at its foot.


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But he sent up in smoke the fat, the kidneys, and the lower part of the liver, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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After Aaron had killed the ram that was sacrificed to please the LORD, Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against all four sides of the altar.


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Next, Aaron sacrificed the goat for the sins of the people, as he had done with the sacrifice for his own sins.


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He also presented the grain sacrifice and burned a handful of the flour on the altar as part of the morning sacrifice.


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At last, he killed the bull and the ram as a sacrifice to ask the LORD's blessing on the people. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against the four sides of the altar.


text:
Then Aaron burned the fat on the altar and lifted up the ribs and the right hind leg to show that these were dedicated to the LORD. This was done just as the LORD had instructed Moses.


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Aaron held out his hand and gave the people his blessing, before coming down from the bronze altar where he had offered the sacrifices.


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He and Moses went into the sacred tent, and when they came out, they gave the people their blessing. Then the LORD appeared to the people in all of his glory.


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The LORD sent fiery flames that burned up everything on the altar, and when everyone saw this, they shouted and fell to their knees to worship the LORD.


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Nadab and Abihu were two of Aaron's sons, but they disobeyed the LORD by burning incense to him on a fire pan, when they were not supposed to.


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Then Moses told Aaron that this was exactly what the LORD had meant when he said: "I demand respect from my priests, and I will be praised by everyone!" Aaron was speechless.


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Moses sent for Mishael and Elzaphan, the two sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel. Then he told them, "Take these two dead relatives of yours outside the camp far from the entrance to the sacred tent."


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Then Moses told Aaron and his other two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: Don't show your sorrow by messing up your hair and tearing your priestly clothes, or the LORD will get angry. He will kill the three of you and punish everyone else. It's all right for your relatives, the people of Israel, to mourn for those he destroyed by fire.


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But you are the LORD's chosen priests, and you must not leave the sacred tent, or you will die. Aaron and his two sons obeyed Moses.


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When you or your sons enter the sacred tent, you must never drink beer or wine. If you do, you will die right there! This law will never change.


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You must learn the difference between what is holy and what isn't holy and between the clean and the unclean.


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Moses told Aaron and his two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: The grain sacrifice that was offered to give thanks to the LORD is very holy. So make bread without yeast from the part that wasn't sent up in smoke and eat it beside the altar.


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The LORD has said that this belongs to you and your sons, and that it must be eaten in a holy place.


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But the choice ribs and the hind leg that were lifted up may be eaten by your entire family, as long as you do so in an acceptable place. These parts are yours from the sacrifices that the people offer to ask the LORD's blessing. This is what the LORD has commanded, and it will never change.


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When Moses asked around and learned that the ram for the sin sacrifice had already been burned on the altar, he became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar and said,


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"Why didn't you eat the meat from this sacrifice in an acceptable place? It is very holy, and the LORD has given you this sacrifice to remove Israel's sin and guilt.


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Whenever an animal's blood isn't brought into the sacred tent, I commanded you to eat its meat in an acceptable place, but you burned it instead."


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Their father Aaron replied, "Today two of my sons offered the sacrifice for sin and the sacrifice to please the LORD, and look what has happened to me! Would the LORD have approved if I had eaten the sacrifice for sin?"


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But you must not eat animals such as camels, rock badgers, and rabbits that chew the cud but don't have divided hoofs. And you must not eat pigs--they have divided hoofs, but don't chew the cud. All of these animals are unclean, and you are forbidden even to touch their dead bodies.


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You may eat anything that lives in water and has fins and scales. But it would be disgusting for you to eat anything else that lives in water, and you must not even touch their dead bodies.


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Eagles, vultures, buzzards, crows, ostriches, hawks, sea gulls, owls, pelicans, storks, herons, hoopoes, and bats are also disgusting, and you are forbidden to eat any of them.


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The only winged insects you may eat are locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets. All other winged insects that crawl are too disgusting for you to eat.


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Don't even touch the dead bodies of animals that have divided hoofs but don't chew the cud. And don't touch the dead bodies of animals that have paws. If you do, you must wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening.


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Anyone who touches their dead bodies or anything touched by their dead bodies becomes unclean until evening.


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If something made of wood, cloth, or leather touches one of their dead bodies, it must be washed, but it is still unclean until evening.


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If any of these animals is found dead in a clay pot, the pot must be broken to pieces, and everything in it becomes unclean.


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If you pour water from this pot on any food, that food becomes unclean, and anything drinkable in the pot becomes unclean.


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If the dead body of one of these animals touches anything else, including ovens and stoves, that thing becomes unclean and must be destroyed.


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A spring or a cistern where one of these dead animals is found is still clean, but anyone who touches the animal becomes unclean.


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If the dead body of one of these animals is found lying on seeds that have been set aside for planting, the seeds remain clean.


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If you eat any of its meat or carry its body away, you must wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening.


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I am the LORD your God, and you must dedicate yourselves to me and be holy, just as I am holy. Don't become disgusting by eating any of these unclean creatures.


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I brought you out of Egypt so that I could be your God. Now you must become holy, because I am holy!


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I have given these laws so that you will know what animals, birds, and fish are clean and may be eaten, and which ones are unclean and may not be eaten.


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to say to the community of Israel: If a woman gives birth to a son, she is unclean for seven days, just as she is during her monthly period.


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but her loss of blood keeps her from being completely clean for another thirty-three days. During this time she must not touch anything holy or go to the place of worship.


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Any woman who gives birth to a daughter is unclean for two weeks, just as she is during her period. And she won't be completely clean for another sixty-six days.


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When the mother has completed her time of cleansing, she must come to the front of the sacred tent and bring to the priest a year-old lamb as a sacrifice to please me and a dove or a pigeon as a sacrifice for sin.


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After the priest offers the sacrifices to me, the mother will become completely clean from her loss of blood, whether her child is a boy or a girl.


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If she cannot afford a lamb, she can offer two doves or two pigeons, one as a sacrifice to please me and the other as a sacrifice for sin.


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If sores or boils or a skin rash should break out and start spreading on your body, you must be brought to Aaron or to one of the other priests.


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If the priest discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, "This is leprosy --you are unclean."


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But if the infected area is white and only skin deep, and if the hair in it hasn't turned white, the priest will order you to stay away from everyone else for seven days.


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If the disease hasn't spread by that time, he will order you to stay away from everyone else for another seven days.


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Then if the disease hasn't gotten any worse or spread, the priest will say, "You are clean. It was only a sore. After you wash your clothes, you may go home."


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If it is discovered that the disease has started spreading, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean."


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If he discovers that the sore spot is white with pus and that the hair around it has also turned white,


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If you have a sore that either swells or turns reddish-white after it has healed, then you must show it to a priest.


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If he discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean."


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But if the white area is only on the surface of the skin and hasn't gotten any worse, and if the hair in it hasn't turned white, he will have you stay away from everyone else for seven days.


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If the sore begins spreading during this time, the priest will say, "You are unclean because you have a disease."


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a priest must examine it. Then if he discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, "The burn has turned into leprosy, and you are unclean."


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But if the priest finds that the hair in the infected area hasn't turned white and that the sore is only skin deep and it is healing, he will have you stay away from everyone else for seven days.


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On the seventh day the priest will examine you again, and if the infection is spreading, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean."


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However, if the infection hasn't spread and has begun to heal, and if only a scar remains, he will say, "Only a scar remains from the burn, and you are clean."


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it must be examined by a priest. If the infection seems more than skin deep, and the hair in it has thinned out and lost its color, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean."


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On the other hand, if he discovers that the itchy spot is only skin deep, but that the hair still isn't healthy, he will order you to stay away from everyone else for seven days.


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By that time, if the itch hasn't spread, if the hairs seem healthy, and if the itch is only skin deep,


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you must shave off the hairs around the infection, but not those on it. Then the priest will tell you to stay away from everyone else for another seven days.


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By that time, if the itch hasn't spread and seems no more than skin deep, he will say, "You are clean; now you must wash your clothes."


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Later, if the itch starts spreading, even though the hair is still healthy, the priest will say, "You are unclean."


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But if a priest discovers that a reddish-white sore has broken out on the bald spot and looks like leprosy, he will say,


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If you ever have leprosy, you must tear your clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and go around shouting, "I'm unclean! I'm unclean!"


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If a greenish or reddish spot appears anywhere on any of your clothing or on anything made of leather, you must let the priest examine the clothing or the leather. He will put it aside for seven days,


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after which he will examine it again. If the spot hasn't spread, but is still greenish or reddish, the clothing or leather is unclean and must be burned.


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Even if the spot completely disappears after being washed, it must be washed again before it is clean.


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After you think you are healed of leprosy, you must ask for a priest to come outside the camp and examine you. And if you are well,


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he will have someone bring out two live birds that are acceptable for sacrifice, together with a stick of cedar wood, a piece of red yarn, and a branch from a hyssop plant.


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Then he will dip the other bird, the cedar, the red yarn, and the hyssop in the blood of the dead bird.


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Next, he will sprinkle you seven times with the blood and say, "You are now clean." Finally, he will release the bird and let it fly away.


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After this you must wash your clothes, shave your entire body, and take a bath before you are completely clean. You may move back into camp, but you must not enter your tent for seven days.


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Then you must once again shave your head, face, and eyebrows, as well as the hair on the rest of your body. Finally, wash your clothes and take a bath, and you will be completely clean.


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On the eighth day you must bring to the priest two rams and a year-old female lamb that have nothing wrong with them; also bring a half pint of olive oil and six pounds of your finest flour mixed with oil.


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There he will offer one of the rams, together with the pint of oil, as a sacrifice to make things right. He will also lift them up to show that they are dedicated to me.


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This sacrifice is very holy. It belongs to the priest and must be killed in the same place where animals are killed as sacrifices for sins and as sacrifices to please me.


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The priest will smear some of the blood from this sacrifice on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot.


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dip a finger of his right hand into the oil, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred tent.


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Next, he will smear some of the oil on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot,


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and pour the rest of the oil from his palm on your head. Then he will offer the other two animals--one as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me, together with a grain sacrifice. After this you will be completely clean.


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If you are poor and cannot afford to offer this much, you may offer a ram as a sacrifice to make things right, together with a half pint of olive oil and two pounds of flour mixed with oil as a grain sacrifice. The priest will then lift these up to dedicate them to me.


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Depending on what you can afford, you must also offer either two doves or two pigeons, one as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me.


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The priest will kill this ram for the sacrifice to make things right, and he will lift it up with the olive oil in dedication to me. Then he will smear some of the blood on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot.


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then dip a finger of his right hand in the oil and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred tent.


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He will smear some of the oil on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot, just as he did with the blood of the sacrifice to make things right.


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And he will pour the rest of the oil from his palm on your head. Then, depending on what you can afford, he will offer either the doves or the pigeons together with the grain sacrifice. One of the birds is the sacrifice for sin, and the other is the sacrifice to please me. After this you will be completely clean.


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These are the things you must do if you have leprosy and cannot afford the usual sacrifices to make you clean.


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After I have given you the land of Canaan as your permanent possession, here is what you must do, if I ever put mildew on the walls of any of your homes.


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The priest will reply, "Empty the house before I inspect it, or else everything in it will be unclean."


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If so, he will have someone scrape the plaster from the walls, remove the filthy stones, then haul everything off and dump it in an unclean place outside the town.


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the priest will come and say, "This house is unclean. It's covered with mildew that can't be removed."


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Then he will have the house torn down and every bit of wood, stone, and plaster hauled off to an unclean place outside the town.


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On the other hand, if the priest discovers that mildew hasn't reappeared after the house was newly plastered, he will say, "This house is clean--the mildew has gone."


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Then, to show that the house is now clean, he will get two birds, a stick of cedar wood, a piece of red yarn, and a branch from a hyssop plant and bring them to the house.


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and let its blood drain into the pot. Then he will dip the cedar, the hyssop, the yarn, and the other bird into the mixture of blood and water. Next, he will sprinkle the house seven times with the mixture, then the house will be completely clean.


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These are the things you must do if you discover that you are unclean because of an itch or a sore, or that your clothing or house is unclean because of mildew.


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and if you touch either these or him, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.


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If you are spit on by the man, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.


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Any saddle or seat on which the man sits is unclean. And if you touch or carry either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.


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If the man touches you without first washing his hands, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.


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Seven days after the man gets well, he will be considered clean, if he washes his clothes and takes a bath in spring water.


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On the eighth day he must bring either two doves or two pigeons to the front of my sacred tent and give them to a priest.


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The priest will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me, then I will consider the man completely clean.


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If the semen touches anything made of cloth or leather, these must be washed, but they still remain unclean until evening.


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After having sex, both the man and the woman must take a bath, but they still remain unclean until evening.


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When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean for seven days, and if you touch her, you must take a bath, but you remain unclean until evening.


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Anything that she rests on or sits on is also unclean, and if you touch either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.


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Any man who has sex with her during this time becomes unclean for seven days, and anything he rests on is also unclean.


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Any woman who has a flow of blood outside her regular monthly period is unclean until it stops, just as she is during her monthly period.


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Anything that she rests on or sits on during this time is also unclean, just as it would be during her period.


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If you touch either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.


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On the eighth day, she must bring either two doves or two pigeons to the front of my sacred tent and give them to a priest.


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He will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me; then I will consider the woman completely clean.


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When any of you are unclean, you must stay away from the rest of the community of Israel. Otherwise, my sacred tent will become unclean, and the whole nation will die.


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These are the things you men must do if you become unclean because of an infected penis or if you have a flow of semen. And these are the things you women must do when you become unclean either because of your monthly period or an unusual flow of blood. This is also what you men must do if you have sex with a woman who is unclean.


text:
Two of Aaron's sons had already lost their lives for disobeying the LORD, so the LORD told Moses to say to Aaron: I, the LORD, appear in a cloud over the place of mercy on the sacred chest, which is behind the inside curtain of the sacred tent. And I warn you not to go there except at the proper time. Otherwise, you will die!


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Before entering this most holy place, you must offer a bull as a sacrifice for your sins and a ram as a sacrifice to please me.


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You will take a bath and put on the sacred linen clothes, including the underwear, the robe, the sash, and the turban.


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Then the community of Israel will bring you a ram and two goats, both of them males. The goats are to be used as sacrifices for sin, and the ram is to be used as a sacrifice to please me.


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Aaron, you must offer the bull as a sacrifice of forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family.


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where I will show you which goat will be sacrificed to me and which one will be sent into the desert to the demon Azazel.


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the other one must be presented to me alive, before you send it into the desert to take away the sins of the people.


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You must offer the bull as a sacrifice to ask forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family.


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Then you will take a fire pan of live coals from the bronze altar, together with two handfuls of finely ground incense, into the most holy place.


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There you will present them to me by placing the incense on the coals, so that the place of mercy will be covered with a cloud of smoke. Do this, or you will die right there!


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Next, use a finger to sprinkle some of the blood on the place of mercy, which is on the lid of the sacred chest; then sprinkle blood seven times in front of the chest.


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Aaron, you must next sacrifice the goat for the sins of the people, and you must sprinkle its blood inside the most holy place, just as you did with the blood of the bull.


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By doing this, you will take away the sins that make both the most holy place and the people of Israel unclean. Do the same for the sacred tent, which is here among the people.


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After leaving the tent, you will purify the bronze altar by smearing each of its four corners with some of the blood from the bull and from the goat.


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Use a finger to sprinkle the altar seven times with the blood, and it will be completely clean from the sins of the people.


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After you have purified the most holy place, the sacred tent, and the bronze altar, you must bring the live goat to the front of the tent.


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There you will lay your hands on its head, while confessing every sin the people have committed, and you will appoint someone to lead the goat into the desert, so that it can take away their sins.


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Finally, this goat that carries the heavy burden of Israel's sins must be released deep in the desert.


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Aaron, after this you must go inside the sacred tent, take a bath, put on your regular priestly clothes, and leave there the clothes you put on before entering the most holy place. Then you will come out and offer sacrifices to please me and sacrifices for your sins and for the sins of the people.


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The one who led the goat into the desert and sent it off to the demon Azazel must take a bath and wash his clothes before coming back into camp.


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The remains of the bull and the goat whose blood was taken into the most holy place must be taken outside the camp and burned.


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On the tenth day of the seventh month of each year, you must go without eating to show sorrow for your sins, and no one, including foreigners who live among you, is allowed to work.


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This is the day on which the sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins will be made in my presence,


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and from now on, it must be celebrated each year. Go without eating and make this a day of complete rest just like the Sabbath.


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The high priest must offer the sacrifices for cleansing from sin, while wearing the sacred linen clothes.


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He will offer these sacrifices for the most holy place, the sacred tent, the bronze altar, all the priests, and for the whole community.


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You must celebrate this day each year--it is the Great Day of Forgiveness for all the sins of the people of Israel. Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded.


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Whenever you kill any of your cattle, sheep, or goats as sacrifices to me, you must do it at the entrance to the sacred tent. If you don't, you will be guilty of pouring out blood, and you will no longer belong to the community of Israel.


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but in front of the sacred tent. Then a priest can splatter its blood against the bronze altar and send its fat up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.


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I will turn against any of my people who eat blood. This also includes any foreigners living among you.


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Even if you should hunt and kill a bird or an animal, you must drain out the blood and cover it with soil.


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The life of every living creature is in its blood. That's why I have forbidden you to eat blood and why I have warned you that anyone who does will no longer belong to my people.


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If you happen to find a dead animal and eat it, you must take a bath and wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening.


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So don't follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you.


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And don't have sex with the daughter or granddaughter of any woman that you have earlier had sex with. You may be having sex with a relative, and that would make you unclean.


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As long as your wife is alive, don't cause trouble for her by taking one of her sisters as a second wife.


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Don't sacrifice your children on the altar fires to the god Molech. I am the LORD your God, and that would disgrace me.


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Don't make yourselves unclean by any of these disgusting practices of those nations that I am forcing out of the land for you. They made themselves


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and the land so unclean, that I punished the land because of their sins, and I made it vomit them up.


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If any of you do these vulgar, disgusting things, you will be unclean and no longer belong to my people. I am the LORD your God, and I forbid you to follow their sickening way of life.


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Respect your father and your mother, honor the Sabbath, and don't make idols or images. I am the LORD your God.


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You may eat the meat either on the day of the sacrifice or on the next day, but you must burn anything left until the third day.


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If you eat any of it on the third day, the sacrifice will be disgusting to me, and I will reject it.


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In fact, you will be punished for not respecting what I say is holy, and you will no longer belong to the community of Israel.


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When you harvest your grain, always leave some of it standing along the edges of your fields and don't pick up what falls on the ground.


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Don't strip your grapevines clean or gather the grapes that fall off the vines. Leave them for the poor and for those foreigners who live among you. I am the LORD your God.


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I am the LORD your God, and I command you not to make fun of the deaf or to cause a blind person to stumble.


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Don't be a gossip, but never hesitate to speak up in court, especially if your testimony can save someone's life.


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Stop being angry and don't try to take revenge. I am the LORD, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself.


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Breed your livestock animals only with animals of the same kind, and don't plant two kinds of seed in the same field or wear clothes made of different kinds of material.


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If a man has sex with a slave woman who is promised in marriage to someone else, he must pay a fine, but they are not to be put to death. After all, she was still a slave at the time.


text:
The man must bring a ram to the entrance of the sacred tent and give it to a priest, who will then offer it as a sacrifice to me, so the man's sins will be forgiven.


text:
After you enter the land, you will plant fruit trees, but you are not to eat any of their fruit for the first three years.


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to me, the LORD God. Do this, and in the fifth year, those trees will produce an abundant harvest of fruit for you to eat.


text:
I forbid you to shave any part of your head or beard or to cut and tattoo yourself as a way of worshiping the dead.


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Don't let your daughters serve as temple prostitutes--this would bring disgrace both to them and the land.


text:
Instead, treat them as well as you treat citizens and love them as much as you love yourself. Remember, you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.


text:
Use honest scales and don't cheat when you weigh or measure anything. I am the LORD your God. I rescued you from Egypt,


text:
to say to the community of Israel: Death by stoning is the penalty for any citizens or foreigners in the country who sacrifice their children to the god Molech.


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They have disgraced both the place where I am worshiped and my holy name, and so I will turn against them and no longer let them belong to my people.


text:
but not me. If any of you worship Molech, I will turn against you and your entire family, and I will no longer let you belong to my people.


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I will be your enemy if you go to someone who claims to speak with the dead, and I will destroy you from among my people.


text:
Having sex with one of your father's wives disgraces him. So both you and the woman will be put to death, just as you deserve.


text:
It isn't natural to have sex with your daughter-in-law, and both of you will be put to death, just as you deserve.


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It's disgusting for men to have sex with one another, and those who do will be put to death, just as they deserve.


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It isn't natural for a man to marry both a mother and her daughter, and so all three of them will be burned to death.


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If any of you have sex with an animal, both you and the animal will be put to death, just as you deserve.


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If you marry one of your sisters, you will be punished, and the two of you will be disgraced by being openly forced out of the community.


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If you have sex with a woman during her monthly period, both you and the woman will be cut off from the people of Israel.


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The sisters of your father and mother are your own relatives, and you will be punished for having sex with any of them.


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Obey my laws and teachings. Or else the land I am giving you will become sick of you and throw you out.


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The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things, and I hated them for it, so don't follow their example.


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I am the LORD your God, and I have promised you their land that is rich with milk and honey. I have chosen you to be different from other people.


text:
That's why you must make a difference between animals and birds that I have said are clean and unclean --this will keep you from becoming disgusting to me.


text:
If you claim to receive messages from the dead, you will be put to death by stoning, just as you deserve.


text:
The LORD gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So don't go near a dead relative,


text:
I am the LORD your God, and I have chosen you alone to offer sacrifices of food to me on the altar. That's why you must keep yourselves holy.


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because I am holy. And so, you must be treated with proper respect, since you offer food sacrifices to me, the God of holiness.


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If any of you priests has a daughter who disgraces you by serving as a temple prostitute, she must be burned to death.


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If you are the high priest, you must not mess up your hair or tear your clothes in order to mourn for the dead.


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If you leave the sacred place to attend a funeral, both you and the sacred place become unclean, because you are the high priest.


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from your own tribe. Don't marry a divorced woman or any other woman who has already had sex, including a temple prostitute.


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In this way, your descendants will be qualified to serve me. Remember--I am the LORD, and I have chosen you.


text:
to say to Aaron: No descendant of yours can ever serve as my priest if he is blind or lame, if his face is disfigured, if one leg is shorter than the other,


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if he is a hunchback or a dwarf, if an eye or his skin is diseased, or if his testicles have been damaged.


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but they may not enter the sacred place or serve me at the altar. Remember--I am the LORD, the one who makes a priest holy.


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to say to Aaron and his sons: I am the LORD God, and I demand that you honor my holy name by showing proper respect for the offerings brought to me by the people of Israel.


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If any of you are unclean when you accept an offering for me, I will no longer let you serve as a priest.


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None of you may take part in the sacred meals while you have a skin disease or an infected penis, or after you have been near a dead body or have had a flow of semen,


text:
Once you are unclean, you must take a bath, but you still cannot eat any of the sacred food until evening.


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I command you not to eat anything that is killed by a wild animal or dies a natural death. This would make you unclean.


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Obey me, or you will die on duty for disgracing the place of worship. Remember--I am the LORD, the one who makes a priest holy.


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Only you priests and your families may eat the food offerings; these are too sacred for any of your servants.


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But if she returns to your home, either widowed or divorced, and has no children, she may join in the meal. Only members of a priestly family can eat this food,


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Don't let them become guilty of eating this sacred food. Remember--I am the LORD, the one who makes these offerings holy.


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to tell Aaron and his sons and everyone else the rules for offering sacrifices. He said: The animals that are to be completely burned on the altar


text:
must have nothing wrong with them, or else I won't accept them. Bulls or rams or goats are the animals to be used for these sacrifices.


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When you offer a sacrifice to ask my blessing, there must be nothing wrong with the animal. This is true, whether the sacrifice is part of a promise or something you do voluntarily.


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If one of your cattle or lambs has a leg that is longer or shorter than the others, you may offer it voluntarily, but not as part of a promise.


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And don't bring me animals you bought from a foreigner. I won't accept them, because they are no better than one that has something wrong with it.


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Newborn cattle, sheep, or goats must remain with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day, you may send them up in smoke to me, and I will accept the offering.


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I demand respect from the people of Israel, so don't disgrace my holy name. Remember--I am the one who chose you to be priests and rescued all of you from Egypt, so that I would be your LORD.


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to say to the community of Israel: I have chosen certain times for you to come together and worship me.


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You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week is holy because it belongs to me. No matter where you live, you must rest on the Sabbath and come together for worship. This law will never change.


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Passover is another time when you must come together to worship me, and it must be celebrated on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month of each year.


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The Festival of Thin Bread begins on the fifteenth day of that same month; it lasts seven days, and during this time you must honor me by eating bread made without yeast.


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Each day of this festival you must offer sacrifices. Then on the final day you must once again rest from your work and come together for worship.


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to say to the community of Israel: After you enter the land I am giving you, the first bundle of wheat from each crop must be given to me. So bring it to a priest


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You must also offer a sacrifice to please me. So bring the priest a one-year-old lamb that has nothing wrong with it


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and four pounds of your finest flour mixed with olive oil. Then he will place these on the bronze altar and send them up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. Together with these, you must bring a quart of wine as a drink offering.


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I am your God, and I forbid you to eat any new grain or anything made from it until you have brought these offerings. This law will never change.


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Seven weeks after you offer this bundle of grain, each family must bring another offering of new grain.


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Bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up in dedication to me. Each loaf is to be made with yeast and with four pounds of the finest flour from the first part of your harvest.


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At this same time, the entire community of Israel must bring seven lambs that are a year old, a young bull, and two rams. These animals must have nothing wrong with them, and they must be offered as a sacrifice to please me. You must also offer the proper grain and wine sacrifices with each animal.


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The priest will lift up the rams together with the bread in dedication to me. These offerings are holy and are my gift to the priest.


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This is a day of celebration and worship, a time of rest from your work. You and your descendants must obey this law.


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When you harvest your grain, always leave some of it standing around the edges of your fields and don't pick up what falls on the ground. Leave it for the poor and for those foreigners who live among you. I am the LORD your God!


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to say to the people of Israel: The first day of the seventh month must be a day of complete rest. Then at the sound of the trumpets, you will come together to worship and to offer sacrifices on the altar.


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The tenth day of the seventh month is the Great Day of Forgiveness. It is a solemn day of worship; everyone must go without eating to show sorrow for their sins, and sacrifices must be burned.


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No one is to work on that day--it is the Great Day of Forgiveness, when sacrifices will be offered to me, so that I will forgive your sins.


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None of my people are ever to do any work on that day--not now or in the future. And I will wipe out those who do!


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This is a time of complete rest just like the Sabbath, and everyone must go without eating from the evening of the ninth to the evening of the tenth.


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to say to the community of Israel: Beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and continuing for seven days, everyone must celebrate the Festival of Shelters in honor of me.


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No one is to do any work on the first day of the festival--it is a time when everyone must come together for worship.


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For seven days, sacrifices must be offered on the altar. The eighth day is also to be a day of complete rest, as well as a time of offering sacrifices on the altar and of coming together for worship.


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I have chosen these festivals as times when my people must come together for worship and when animals, grain, and wine are to be offered on the proper days.


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These festivals must be celebrated in addition to the Sabbaths and the times when you offer special gifts or sacrifices to keep a promise or as a voluntary offering.


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Remember to begin the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the seventh month after you have harvested your crops. Celebrate this festival for seven days in honor of me and don't do any work on the first day or on the day following the festival.


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Pick the best fruit from your trees and cut leafy branches to use during the time of this joyous celebration in my honor.


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I command you and all of your descendants to celebrate this festival during the seventh month of each year.


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so future generations will know that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.


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to say to the community of Israel: You must supply the purest olive oil for the lamps in the sacred tent, so they will keep burning.


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Aaron will set up the gold lampstand in the holy place of the sacred tent. Then he will light the seven lamps that must be kept burning there in my presence, every night from now on. This law will never change.


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Alongside each row put some pure incense that will be sent up by fire in place of the bread as an offering to me.


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Aaron must lay fresh loaves on the table each Sabbath, and priests in all generations must continue this practice as part of Israel's agreement with me.


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This bread will always belong to Aaron and his family; it is very holy because it was offered to me, and it must be eaten in a holy place.


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Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri from the tribe of Dan, had married an Egyptian, and they had a son. One day their son got into a fight with an Israelite man in camp and cursed the name of the LORD. So the young man was dragged off to Moses,


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This man has cursed me! Take him outside the camp and have the witnesses lay their hands on his head. Then command the whole community of Israel to stone him to death.


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And warn the others that everyone else who curses me will die in the same way, whether they are Israelites by birth or foreigners living among you.


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but the killing of an animal that belongs to someone else requires only that the animal be replaced.


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It's possible to pay the owner for an animal that has been killed, but death is the penalty for murder.


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I am the LORD your God, and I demand equal justice both for you Israelites and for those foreigners who live among you.


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When Moses finished speaking, the people did what the LORD had told Moses, and they stoned to death the man who had cursed the LORD.


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to say to the community of Israel: After you enter the land that I am giving you, it must be allowed to rest one year out of every seven.


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This is to be a time of complete rest for your fields and vineyards, so don't harvest anything they produce.


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However, you and your slaves and your hired workers, as well as any domestic or wild animals, may eat whatever grows on its own.


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on the tenth day of the seventh month, which is also the Great Day of Forgiveness, trumpets are to be blown everywhere in the land.


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This fiftieth year is sacred--it is a time of freedom and of celebration when everyone will receive back their original property, and slaves will return home to their families.


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This is a year of complete celebration, so don't plant any seed or harvest what your fields or vineyards produce.


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So when you buy or sell farmland, the price is to be determined by the number of crops it can produce before the next Year of Celebration. Don't try to cheat.


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If it is a long time before the next Year of Celebration, the price will be higher, because what is really being sold are the crops that the land can produce.


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Don't ever worry about what you will eat during the seventh year when you are forbidden to plant or harvest.


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In the eighth year you will live on what you harvested in the sixth year, but in the ninth year you will eat what you plant and harvest in the eighth year.


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No land may be permanently bought or sold. It all belongs to me--it isn't your land, and you only live there for a little while.


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If any of you Israelites become so poor that you are forced to sell your property, your closest relative must buy it back,


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you must pay enough to make up for what the present owner will lose on it before the next Year of Celebration, when the property would become yours again.


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But if you don't have the money to pay the present owner a fair price, you will have to wait until the Year of Celebration, when the property will once again become yours.


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If you don't buy it back before that year is up, it becomes the permanent property of the one who bought it, and it will not be returned to you in the Year of Celebration.


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But a house out in a village may be bought back at any time just like a field. And it must be returned to its original owner in the Year of Celebration.


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And any houses that they do not buy back will be returned to them in the Year of Celebration, because these homes are their permanent property among the people of Israel.


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If any of your people become poor and unable to support themselves, you must help them, just as you are supposed to help foreigners who live among you.


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Don't take advantage of them by charging any kind of interest or selling them food for profit. Instead, honor me by letting them stay where they now live.


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Remember--I am the LORD your God! I rescued you from Egypt and gave you the land of Canaan, so that I would be your God.


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Suppose some of your people become so poor that they have to sell themselves and become your slaves.


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Then you must treat them as servants, rather than as slaves. And in the Year of Celebration they are to be set free,


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You can own them, and even leave them to your children when you die, but do not make slaves of your own people or be cruel to them.


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Even if some of you Israelites become so much in debt that you must sell yourselves to foreigners in your country,


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or uncle or cousin, or some other family member. In fact, if you ever get enough money, you may buy your own freedom


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by paying your owner for the number of years you would still be a slave before the next Year of Celebration.


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And even while you are the slaves of foreigners in your own country, your people must make sure that you are not mistreated.


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If you cannot gain your freedom in any of these ways, both you and your children will still be set free in the Year of Celebration.


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Your harvest of grain and grapes will be so abundant, that you won't know what to do with it all. You will eat and be satisfied, and you will live in safety.


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I will bless your country with peace, and you will rest without fear. I will wipe out the dangerous animals and protect you from enemy attacks.


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even if there are only five of you and a hundred of them, or only a hundred of you and ten thousand of them.


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I will treat you with such kindness that your nation will grow strong, and I will also keep my promises to you.


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I am the LORD your God, and I rescued you from Egypt, so that you would never again be slaves. I have set you free; now walk with your heads held high.


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I will punish you terribly, and you will be ruined. You will be struck with incurable diseases and with fever that leads to blindness and depression. Your enemies will eat the crops you plant,


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and I will turn from you and let you be destroyed by your attackers. You will even run at the very rumor of attack.


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until your pride is completely crushed. I will hold back the rain, so the sky above you will be like iron, and the ground beneath your feet will be like copper.


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I'll send wild animals to attack you, and they will gobble down your children and livestock. So few of you will be left that your roads will be deserted.


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War will break out because you broke our agreement, and if you escape to your walled cities, I'll punish you with horrible diseases, and you will be captured by your enemies.


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You will have such a shortage of bread, that ten women will be able to bake their bread in the same oven. Each of you will get only a few crumbs, and you will go hungry.


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I'll destroy your shrines and tear down your incense altars, leaving your dead bodies piled on top of your idols. And you will be disgusting to me.


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I'll wipe out your towns and your places of worship and will no longer be pleased with the smell of your sacrifices.


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Your land will become so desolate that even your enemies who settle there will be shocked when they see it.


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While you are prisoners in foreign lands, your own land will enjoy years of rest and refreshment, as it should have done each seventh year when you lived there.


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In the land of your enemies, you will tremble at the rustle of a leaf, as though it were a sword. And you will become so weak that you will stumble and fall over each other, even when no one is chasing you.


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and others of you will waste away in sorrow as the result of your sins and the sins of your ancestors.


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Then suppose you realize that I turned against you and brought you to the land of your enemies because both you and your ancestors had stubbornly sinned against me. If you humbly confess what you have done and start living right,


text:
and let it rest during the time that you are in a foreign country, paying for your rebellion against me and my laws.


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No matter what you have done, I am still the LORD your God, and I will never completely reject you or become absolutely disgusted with you there in the land of your enemies.


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While nations watched, I rescued your ancestors from Egypt so that I would be their God. Yes, I am your LORD, and I will never forget our agreement.


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you may do so by paying the following amounts, weighed according to the official standards: fifty pieces of silver for men ages twenty to sixty, and thirty pieces for women; twenty pieces of silver for young men ages five to twenty, and ten pieces for young women; fifteen pieces of silver for men ages sixty and above and ten pieces for women; five pieces of silver for boys ages one month to five years, and three pieces for girls.


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If you have promised to give someone to me and can't afford to pay the full amount for that person's release, you will be taken to a priest, and he will decide how much you can afford.


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If you promise to sacrifice an animal to me, it becomes holy, and there is no way you can set it free.


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If you try to substitute any other animal, no matter how good, for the one you promised, they will both become holy and must be sacrificed.


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If you promise part of your family's land to me, its value must be determined by the bushels of seed needed to plant the land, and the rate will be ten pieces of silver for every bushel of seed.


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But any time after that, the price will be figured according to the number of years before the next Year of Celebration.


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When the Year of Celebration comes, the land becomes holy because it belongs to me, and it will be given to the priests.


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its value will be decided by a priest, according to the number of years before the next Year of Celebration, and the money you pay will be mine.


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However, on the next Year of Celebration, the land will go back to the family of its original owner.


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All first-born animals of your flocks and herds are already mine, and so you cannot promise any of them to me.


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If you promise me a donkey, you may buy it back by adding an additional twenty percent to its value. If you don't buy it back, it can be sold to someone else for whatever a priest has said it is worth.


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Anything that you completely dedicate to me must be completely destroyed. It cannot be bought back or sold. Every person, animal, and piece of property that you dedicate completely is only for me.


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Ten percent of everything you harvest is holy and belongs to me, whether it grows in your fields or on your fruit trees.


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If you want to buy back this part of your harvest, you may do so by paying what it is worth plus an additional twenty percent.


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When you count your flocks and herds, one out of ten of every newborn animal is holy and belongs to me,


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no matter how good or bad it is. If you substitute one animal for another, both of them become holy, and neither can be bought back.


text:
The people of Israel had left Egypt and were living in the Sinai Desert. Then on the first day of the second month of the second year, Moses was in the sacred tent when the LORD said:


text:
I want you and Aaron to find out how many people are in each of Israel's clans and families. And make a list of all the men twenty years and older who are able to fight in battle.


text:
The following twelve family leaders, one from each tribe, will help you: Elizur son of Shedeur from Reuben, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai from Simeon, Nahshon son of Amminadab from Judah, Nethanel son of Zuar from Issachar, Eliab son of Helon from Zebulun, Elishama son of Ammihud from Ephraim, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur from Manasseh, Abidan son of Gideoni from Benjamin, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai from Dan, Pagiel son of Ochran from Asher, Eliasaph son of Deuel from Gad, and Ahira son of Enan from Naphtali.


text:
called together the people that same day. They were counted according to their clans and families. Then Moses and the others listed the names of the men twenty years and older,


text:
The number of men from each tribe who were at least twenty years old and strong enough to fight in Israel's army was as follows: 46,500 from Reuben, the oldest son of Jacob, 59,300 from Simeon, 45,650 from Gad, 74,600 from Judah, 54,400 from Issachar, 57,400 from Zebulun, 40,500 from Ephraim, 32,200 from Manasseh, 35,400 from Benjamin, 62,700 from Dan, 41,500 from Asher, 53,400 from Naphtali. The total number of men registered by Moses, Aaron, and the twelve leaders was 603,550.


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Instead, give them the job of caring for the sacred tent, its furnishings, and the objects used for worship. They will camp around the tent, and whenever you move, they will take it down, carry it to the new camp, and set it up again. Anyone else who tries to go near it must be put to death.


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But the Levites will camp around the sacred tent to make sure that no one goes near it and makes me furious with the Israelites.


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how the Israelites should arrange their camp: Each tribe must set up camp under its own banner and under the flags of its ancestral families. These camps will be arranged around the sacred tent, but not close to it.


text:
Judah and the tribes that march with it must set up camp on the east side of the sacred tent, under their own banner. The 74,600 troops of the tribe of Judah will be arranged by divisions and led by Nahshon son of Amminadab.


text:
On one side of Judah will be the tribe of Issachar, with Nethanel son of Zuar as the leader of its 54,400 troops.


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On the other side will be the tribe of Zebulun, with Eliab son of Helon as the leader of its 57,400 troops.


text:
Reuben and the tribes that march with it must set up camp on the south side of the sacred tent, under their own banner. The 46,500 troops of the tribe of Reuben will be arranged by divisions and led by Elizur son of Shedeur.


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On one side of Reuben will be the tribe of Simeon, with Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai as the leader of its 59,300 troops.


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On the other side will be the tribe of Gad, with Eliasaph son of Deuel as the leader of its 45,650 troops.


text:
Marching behind Reuben will be the Levites, arranged in groups, just as they are camped. They will carry the sacred tent and their own banners.


text:
Ephraim and the tribes that march with it must set up camp on the west side of the sacred tent, under their own banner. The 40,500 troops of the tribe of Ephraim will be arranged by divisions and led by Elishama son of Ammihud.


text:
On one side of Ephraim will be the tribe of Manasseh, with Gamaliel son of Pedahzur as the leader of its 32,200 troops.


text:
On the other side will be the tribe of Benjamin, with Abidan son of Gideoni as the leader of its 35,400 troops.


text:
Dan and the tribes that march with it must set up camp on the north side of the sacred tent, under their own banner. The 62,700 troops of the tribe of Dan will be arranged by divisions and led by Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.


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On one side of Dan will be the tribe of Asher, with Pagiel son of Ochran as the leader of its 41,500 troops.


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On the other side will be the tribe of Naphtali with Ahira son of Enan as the leader of its 53,400 troops.


text:
So all the Israelites in the camp were counted according to their ancestral families. The troops were arranged by divisions and totaled 603,550.


text:
Israel did everything the LORD had told Moses. They arranged their camp according to clans and families, with each tribe under its own banner. And that was the order by which they marched into battle.


text:
But the LORD killed Nadab and Abihu in the Sinai Desert when they used fire that was unacceptable in their offering to the LORD. And because Nadab and Abihu had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with their father Aaron.


text:
who have been appointed to be priests. Anyone else who tries to perform the duties of a priest must be put to death.


text:
Moses, I have chosen these Levites from all Israel, and they will belong to me in a special way. When I killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the first-born sons in every Israelite family and the first-born males of their flocks and herds would be mine. But now I accept these Levites in place of the first-born sons of the Israelites.


text:
"Now I want you to count the men and boys in the Levi tribe by families and by clans. Include every one at least a month old."


text:
And Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. These were the sons and grandsons of Levi, and they had become the leaders of the Levite clans.


text:
Their duties at the tent included taking care of the tent itself, along with its outer covering, the curtain for the entrance,


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the curtains hanging inside the courtyard around the tent, as well as the curtain and ropes for the entrance to the courtyard and its altar. The Gershonites were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.


text:
Their duties at the tent included taking care of the sacred chest, the table for the sacred bread, the lampstand, the altars, the objects used for worship, and the curtain in front of the most holy place. The Kohathites were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.


text:
Eleazar son of Aaron was the head of the Levite leaders, and he made sure that the work at the sacred tent was done.


text:
The Merarites were to camp on the north side of the sacred tent, under the leadership of Zuriel son of Abihail.


text:
Their duties included taking care of the tent frames and the pieces that held the tent up: the bars, the posts, the stands, and its other equipment. They were also in charge of the posts that supported the courtyard, as well as their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merari clans were responsible for setting these things up and taking them down.


text:
Moses, Aaron, and his sons were to camp in front of the sacred tent, on the east side, and to make sure that the Israelites worshiped in the proper way. Anyone else who tried to do the work of Moses and Aaron was to be put to death.


text:
So Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD and counted the Levites by their clans. The total number of Levites at least one month old was twenty-two thousand.


text:
The LORD said to Moses, "Make a list and count the first-born sons at least one month old in each of the Israelite families.


text:
They belong to me, but I will accept the Levites as substitutes for them, and I will accept the Levites' livestock as substitutes for the Israelites' first-born livestock."


text:
"The Levites will belong to me and will take the place of the first-born sons; their livestock will take the place of the Israelites' first-born livestock.


text:
But since there are more first-born sons than Levites, the extra two hundred seventy-three men and boys must be bought back from me.


text:
For each one, you are to collect five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards.


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and it amounted to one thousand three hundred sixty-five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards.


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Find out how many men between the ages of thirty and fifty are in the four Levite clans of Kohath. Count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.


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The Kohathites will be responsible for carrying the sacred objects used in worship at the sacred tent.


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When the Israelites are ready to move their camp, Aaron and his sons will enter the tent and take down the curtain that separates the sacred chest from the rest of the tent. They will cover the chest with this curtain,


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and then with a piece of fine leather, and cover it all with a solid blue cloth. After this they will put the carrying poles in place.


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Next, Aaron and his sons will use another blue cloth to cover the table for the sacred bread. On the cloth they will place the dishes, the bowls for incense, the cups, the jugs for wine, as well as the bread itself.


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They are to cover all of this with a bright red cloth, and then with a piece of fine leather, before putting the carrying poles in place.


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With another blue cloth they will cover the lampstand, along with the lamps, the lamp snuffers, the fire pans, and the jars of oil for the lamps.


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The gold incense altar is to be covered with a blue cloth, and then with a piece of fine leather, before its carrying poles are put in place.


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Next, Aaron and his sons will take blue cloth and wrap all the objects used in worship at the sacred tent. These will need to be covered with a piece of fine leather, then placed on a carrying frame.


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On that cloth will be placed the utensils used at the altar, including the fire pans, the meat forks, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls. All of this will then be covered with a piece of fine leather, before the carrying poles are put in place.


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When the camp is ready to be moved, the Kohathites will be responsible for carrying the sacred objects and the furnishings of the sacred tent. But Aaron and his sons must have already covered those things so the Kohathites won't touch them and die.


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Eleazar son of Aaron the priest will be in charge of the oil for the lamps, the sweet-smelling incense, the grain for the sacrifices, and the olive oil used for dedications and ordinations. Eleazar is responsible for seeing that the sacred tent, its furnishings, and the sacred objects are taken care of.


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The Kohathites must not go near or even look at the sacred objects until Aaron and his sons have covered those objects. If they do, their entire clan will be wiped out. So make sure that Aaron and his sons go into the tent with them and tell them what to carry.


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Find out how many men between the ages of thirty and fifty are in the two Levite clans of Gershon. Count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.


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for carrying the curtains of the sacred tent, its two outer coverings, the curtain for the entrance to the tent,


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the curtains hanging around the courtyard of the tent, and the curtain and ropes for the entrance to the courtyard. The Gershonites are to do whatever needs to be done to take care of these things,


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These are the duties of the Gershonites at the sacred tent, and Ithamar son of Aaron will make sure they do their work.


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The LORD said: Moses, find out how many men between thirty and fifty are in the two Levite clans of Merari, but count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.


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The Merarites will be responsible for carrying the frames of the tent and its other pieces, including the bars, the posts, the stands,


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as well as the posts that support the courtyard, together with their stands, tent pegs, and ropes. The Merarites are to be told exactly what objects they are to carry,


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Moses, Aaron, and the other Israelite leaders obeyed the LORD and counted the Levi tribe by families and clans, to find out how many men there were between the ages of thirty and fifty who could work at the sacred tent. There were two thousand seven hundred fifty Kohathites, two thousand six hundred thirty Gershonites, and three thousand two hundred Merarites, making a total of eight thousand five hundred eighty. Then they were all assigned their duties.


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to say to the people of Israel, "Put out of the camp everyone who has leprosy or a bodily discharge or who has touched a dead body. Now that I live among my people, their camp must be kept clean."


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to say to the community of Israel: If any of you commit a crime against someone, you have sinned against me.


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You must confess your guilt and pay the victim in full for whatever damage has been done, plus a fine of twenty percent.


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If the victim has no relative who can accept this money, it belongs to me and will be paid to the priest. In addition to that payment, you must take a ram for the priest to sacrifice so your sin will be forgiven.


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When you make a donation to the sacred tent, that money belongs only to the priest, and each priest will keep what is given to him.


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to say to the people of Israel: Suppose a man becomes jealous and suspects that his wife has been unfaithful, but he has no proof.


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He must take his wife to the priest, together with two pounds of ground barley as an offering to find out if she is guilty. No olive oil or incense is to be put on that offering.


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where he will pour sacred water into a clay jar and stir in some dust from the floor of the sacred tent.


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Next, he will remove her veil, then hand her the barley offering, and say, "If you have been faithful to your husband, this water won't harm you. But if you have been unfaithful, it will bring down the LORD's curse--you will never be able to give birth to a child, and everyone will curse your name." Then the woman will answer, "If I am guilty, let it happen just as you say."


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He will take the barley offering from her and lift it up in dedication to me, the LORD. Then he will place it on my altar


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If the woman has been unfaithful, the water will immediately make her unable to have children, and she will be a curse among her people.


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This is the ceremony that must take place at my altar when a husband suspects that his wife has been unfaithful. The priest must have the woman stand in my presence and carefully follow these instructions.


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to say to the people of Israel: If any of you want to dedicate yourself to me by vowing to become a Nazirite,


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you must no longer drink any wine or beer or use any kind of vinegar. Don't drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins--


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Even the hair of a Nazirite is sacred to me, and as long as you are a Nazirite, you must never cut your hair.


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not even that of your father, mother, brother, or sister. That would make you unclean. Your hair is the sign that you are dedicated to me, so remain holy.


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If someone suddenly dies near you, your hair is no longer sacred, and you must shave it seven days later during the ceremony to make you clean.


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He will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me. You will then be forgiven for being too near a dead body, and your hair will again become sacred.


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But the dead body made you unacceptable, so you must make another vow to become a Nazirite and be dedicated once more. Finally, a year-old ram must be offered as the sacrifice to make things right.


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and offer three animals that have nothing wrong with them: a year-old ram as a sacrifice to please me, a year-old female lamb as a sacrifice for sin, and a full-grown ram as a sacrifice to ask my blessing.


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Wine offerings and grain sacrifices must also be brought with these animals. Finally, you are to bring a basket of bread made with your finest flour and olive oil, but without yeast. Also bring some thin wafers brushed with oil.


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The priest will take these gifts to my altar and offer them, so that I will be pleased and will forgive you.


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After that, you will stand at the entrance to the sacred tent, shave your head, and put the hair in the fire where the priest has offered the sacrifice to ask my blessing.


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Once the meat from the ram's shoulder has been boiled, the priest will take it, along with one loaf of bread and one wafer brushed with oil, and give them to you.


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You will hand them back to the priest, who will lift them up in dedication to me. Then he can eat the meat from the ram's shoulder, its choice ribs, and its hind leg, because this is his share of the sacrifice. After this, you will no longer be a Nazirite and will be free to drink wine.


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Then the LORD said, "If Aaron and his sons ask me to bless the Israelites, I will give them my blessing."


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When Moses had finished setting up the sacred tent, he dedicated it to the LORD, together with its furnishings, the altar, and its equipment.


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Then the twelve tribal leaders of Israel, the same men who had been in charge of counting the people, came to the tent


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with gifts for the LORD. They brought six strong carts and twelve oxen--one ox from each leader and a cart from every two.


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"Accept these gifts, so the Levites can use them here at the sacred tent for carrying the sacred things."


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who were under the leadership of Ithamar son of Aaron. Moses gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites for their work, and four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites for their work.


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But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were in charge of the sacred objects that had to be carried on their shoulders.


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So each leader brought the following gifts: a silver bowl that weighed over three pounds and a silver sprinkling bowl weighing almost two pounds, both of them filled with flour and olive oil as grain sacrifices and weighed according to the official standards; a small gold dish filled with incense; a young bull, a full-grown ram, and a year-old ram as sacrifices to please the LORD; a goat as a sacrifice for sin; and two bulls, five full-grown rams, five goats, and five rams a year old as sacrifices to ask the LORD's blessing. The tribal leaders brought their gifts and offerings in the following order: On the first day Nahshon from Judah, on the second day Nethanel from Issachar, on the third day Eliab from Zebulun, on the fourth day Elizur from Reuben, on the fifth day Shelumiel from Simeon, on the sixth day Eliasaph from Gad, on the seventh day Elishama from Ephraim, on the eighth day Gamaliel from Manasseh, on the ninth day Abidan from Benjamin, on the tenth day Ahiezer from Dan, on the eleventh day Pagiel from Asher, on the twelfth day Ahira from Naphtali.


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And so when the altar was dedicated to the LORD, these twelve leaders brought the following gifts: twelve silver bowls and twelve silver sprinkling bowls, weighing a total of about sixty pounds, according to the official standards; twelve gold dishes filled with incense and weighing about three pounds; twelve bulls, twelve full-grown rams, and twelve rams a year old as sacrifices to please the LORD, along with the proper grain sacrifices; twelve goats as sacrifices for sin; and twenty-four bulls, sixty full-grown rams, sixty goats, and sixty rams a year old as sacrifices to ask the LORD's blessing.


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Whenever Moses needed to talk with the LORD, he went into the sacred tent, where he heard the LORD's voice coming from between the two winged creatures above the lid of the sacred chest.


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The lampstand was made of hammered gold from its base to the decorative flowers on top, exactly like the pattern the LORD had described to Moses.


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The Levites must be acceptable to me before they begin working at the sacred tent. So separate them from the rest of the Israelites


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and sprinkle them with the water that washes away their sins. Then have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes.


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They are to bring a bull and its proper grain sacrifice of flour mixed with olive oil. And they must bring a second bull as a sacrifice for sin.


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Then you, Moses, will call together all the people of Israel and have the Levites go to my sacred tent,


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Aaron will present the Levites to me as a gift from the people, so that the Levites will do my work.


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After this, the Levites are to place their hands on the heads of the bulls. Then one of the bulls will be sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin, and the other to make sure that I am pleased.


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The Levites will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will then dedicate the Levites to me.


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This ceremony will show that the Levites are different from the other Israelites and belong to me in a special way.


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After they have been made acceptable and have been dedicated, they will be allowed to work at my sacred tent.


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When I killed the oldest sons of the Egyptians, I decided that the first-born sons in each Israelite family would be mine, as well as every first-born male from their flocks and herds.


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and I have given them as gifts to Aaron and his sons to serve at the sacred tent. I will hold them responsible for what happens to anyone who gets too close to the sacred tent.


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Moses, Aaron, and the other Israelites made sure that the Levites did everything the LORD had commanded.


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The Levites sprinkled themselves with the water of forgiveness and washed their clothes. Then Aaron brought them to the altar and offered sacrifices to forgive their sins and make them acceptable to the LORD.


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After this, the Levites worked at the sacred tent as assistants to Aaron and his sons, just as the LORD had commanded.


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"Levites who are between the ages of twenty-five and fifty can work at my sacred tent. But once they turn fifty, they must retire.


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They may help the other Levites in their duties, but they must no longer be responsible for any work themselves. Remember this when you assign their duties."


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Moses told the people what the LORD had said, and they celebrated Passover there in the desert in the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month.


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Some people in Israel's camp had touched a dead body and had become unfit to worship the LORD, and they could not celebrate Passover. But they asked Moses and Aaron,


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"Even though we have touched a dead body, why can't we celebrate Passover and offer sacrifices to the LORD at the same time as everyone else?"


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to say to the community of Israel: If any of you or your descendants touch a dead body and become unfit to worship me, or if you are away on a long journey, you may still celebrate Passover.


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But it must be done in the second month, in the evening of the fourteenth day. Eat the Passover lamb with thin bread and bitter herbs,


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and don't leave any of it until morning or break any of the animal's bones. Be sure to follow these regulations.


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But if any of you refuse to celebrate Passover when you are not away on a journey, you will no longer belong to my people. You will be punished because you did not offer sacrifices to me at the proper time.


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Anyone, including foreigners who live among you, can celebrate Passover, if they follow all the regulations.


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As soon as the sacred tent was set up, a thick cloud appeared and covered it. The cloud was there each day, and during the night, a fire could be seen in it.


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The LORD used this cloud to tell the Israelites when to move their camp and where to set it up again. As long as the cloud covered the tent, the Israelites did not break camp. But when the cloud moved, they followed it, and wherever it stopped, they camped and stayed there,


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whether it was only one night, a few days, a month, or even a year. As long as the cloud remained over the tent, the Israelites stayed where they were. But when the cloud moved, so did the Israelites.


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Have someone make two trumpets out of hammered silver. These will be used to call the people together and to give the signal for moving your camp.


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Give a signal on a trumpet when it is time to break camp. The first blast will be the signal for the tribes camped on the east side, and the second blast will be the signal for those on the south.


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The priests of Aaron's family will be the ones to blow the trumpets, and this law will never change.


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Whenever you go into battle against an enemy attacking your land, give a warning signal on the trumpets. Then I, the LORD, will hear it and rescue you.


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During the celebration of the New Moon Festival and other religious festivals, sound the trumpets while you offer sacrifices. This will be a reminder that I am the LORD your God.


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On the twentieth day of the second month of that same year, the cloud over the sacred tent moved on.


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So the Israelites broke camp and left the Sinai Desert. And some time later, the cloud stopped in the Paran Desert.


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Judah and the tribes that camped alongside it marched out first, carrying their banner. Nahshon son of Amminadab was the leader of the Judah tribe,


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The sacred tent had been taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites carried it, marching behind the Judah camp.


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Reuben and the tribes that camped alongside it marched out second, carrying their banner. Elizur son of Shedeur was the leader of the Reuben tribe,


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Next were the Kohathites, carrying the objects for the sacred tent, which was to be set up before they arrived at the new camp.


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Ephraim and the tribes that camped alongside it marched next, carrying their banner. Elishama son of Ammihud was the leader of the Ephraim tribe,


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Dan and the tribes that camped alongside it were to protect the Israelites against an attack from behind, and so they marched last, carrying their banner. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was the leader of the tribe of Dan,


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Hobab the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses, was there. And Moses said to him, "We're leaving for the place the LORD has promised us. He has said that all will go well for us. So come along, and we will make sure that all goes well for you."


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"Please go with us!" Moses said. "You can be our guide because you know the places to camp in the desert.


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The people of Israel began their journey from Mount Sinai. They traveled three days, and the Levites who carried the sacred chest led the way, so the LORD could show them where to camp.


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Each day as the Israelites began their journey, Moses would pray, "Our LORD, defeat your enemies and make them run!"


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And when they stopped to set up camp, he would pray, "Our LORD, stay close to Israel's thousands and thousands of people."


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One day the Israelites started complaining about their troubles. The LORD heard them and became so angry that he destroyed the outer edges of their camp with fire.


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One day some worthless foreigners among the Israelites became greedy for food, and even the Israelites themselves began moaning, "We don't have any meat!


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and tasted like something baked with sweet olive oil. It appeared at night with the dew. In the morning the people would collect the manna, grind or crush it into flour, then boil it and make it into thin wafers.


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The Israelites stood around their tents complaining. Moses heard them and was upset that they had made the LORD angry.


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He prayed: I am your servant, LORD, so why are you doing this to me? What have I done to deserve this? You've made me responsible for all these people,


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but they're not my children. You told me to nurse them along and to carry them to the land you promised their ancestors.


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The LORD said to Moses: Choose seventy of Israel's respected leaders and go with them to the sacred tent.


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While I am talking with you there, I will give them some of your authority, so they can share responsibility for my people. You will no longer have to care for them by yourself.


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As for the Israelites, I have heard them complaining about not having meat and about being better off in Egypt. So tell them to make themselves acceptable to me, because tomorrow they will have meat.


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In fact, they will have meat day after day for a whole month--not just a few days, or even ten or twenty. They turned against me and wanted to return to Egypt. Now they will eat meat until they get sick of it.


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Moses replied, "At least six hundred thousand grown men are here with me. How can you say there will be enough meat to feed them and their families for a whole month?


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Even if we butchered all of our sheep and cattle, or caught every fish in the sea, we wouldn't have enough to feed them."


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Moses told the people what the LORD had said. Then he chose seventy respected leaders and went with them to the sacred tent. While the leaders stood in a circle around the tent, Moses went inside,


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and the LORD spoke with him. Then the LORD took some authority from Moses and gave it to the seventy leaders. And when the LORD's Spirit took control of them, they started shouting like prophets. But they did it only this one time.


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Eldad and Medad were two leaders who had not gone to the tent. But when the Spirit took control of them, they began shouting like prophets right there in camp.


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Joshua was there helping Moses, as he had done since he was young. And he said to Moses, "Sir, you must stop them!"


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But Moses replied, "Are you concerned what this might do to me? I wish the LORD would give his Spirit to all his people so everyone could be a prophet."


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Some time later the LORD sent a strong wind that blew quails in from the sea until Israel's camp was completely surrounded with birds, piled up about three feet high for miles in every direction.


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The people picked up quails for two days--each person filled at least fifty bushels. Then they spread them out to dry.


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After they had buried the people who had been so greedy for meat, they called the place "Graves for the Greedy."


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Although Moses was the most humble person in all the world, Miriam and Aaron started complaining, "Moses had no right to marry that woman from Ethiopia! Who does he think he is? The LORD has spoken to us, not just to him." The LORD heard their complaint


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Then after commanding them to listen carefully, he said: "I, the LORD, speak to prophets in visions and dreams.


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He sees me face to face, and everything I say to him is perfectly clear. You have no right to criticize my servant Moses."


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and the cloud disappeared from over the sacred tent, Miriam's skin turned white with leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened to her,


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But the LORD replied, "Miriam would be disgraced for seven days if her father had punished her by spitting in her face. So make her stay outside the camp for seven days, before coming back."


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with orders to explore the land of Canaan. And here are their names: Shammua son of Zaccur from Reuben, Shaphat son of Hori from Simeon, Caleb son of Jephunneh from Judah, Igal son of Joseph from Issachar, Joshua son of Nun from Ephraim, Palti son of Raphu from Benjamin, Gaddiel son of Sodi from Zebulun, Gaddi son of Susi from Manasseh, Ammiel son of Gemalli from Dan, Sethur son of Michael from Asher, Nahbi son of Vophsi from Naphtali, and Geuel son of Machi from Gad.


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Before Moses sent them into Canaan, he said: After you go through the Southern Desert of Canaan, continue north into the hill country


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and find out what those regions are like. Be sure to remember how many people live there, how strong they are,


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and if they live in open towns or walled cities. See if the land is good for growing crops and find out what kinds of trees grow there. It's time for grapes to ripen, so try to bring back some of the fruit that grows there.


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The twelve men left to explore Canaan from the Zin Desert in the south all the way to the town of Rehob near Lebo-Hamath in the north.


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As they went through the Southern Desert, they came to the town of Hebron, which was seven years older than the Egyptian town of Zoan. In Hebron, they saw the three Anakim clans of Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai.


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When they got to Bunch Valley, they cut off a branch with such a huge bunch of grapes, that it took two men to carry it on a pole. That's why the place was called Bunch Valley. Along with the grapes, they also took back pomegranates and figs.


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the twelve men returned to Kadesh in the Paran Desert and told Moses, Aaron, and the people what they had seen. They showed them the fruit


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But the people who live there are strong, and their cities are large and walled. We even saw the three Anakim clans.


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Besides that, the Amalekites live in the Southern Desert; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are in the hill country; and the Canaanites live along the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.


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Then they started spreading rumors and saying, "We won't be able to grow anything in that soil. And the people are like giants.


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In fact, we saw the Nephilim who are the ancestors of the Anakim. They were so big that we felt as small as grasshoppers."


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After the Israelites heard the report from the twelve men who had explored Canaan, the people cried all night


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and complained to Moses and Aaron, "We wish we had died in Egypt or somewhere out here in the desert!


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Is the LORD leading us into Canaan, just to have us killed and our women and children captured? We'd be better off in Egypt."


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So don't rebel. We have no reason to be afraid of the people who live there. The LORD is on our side, and they won't stand a chance against us!


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The crowd threatened to stone Moses and Aaron to death. But just then, the LORD appeared in a cloud at the sacred tent.


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The LORD said to Moses, "I have done great things for these people, and they still reject me by refusing to believe in my power.


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So they will no longer be my people. I will destroy them, but I will make you the ancestor of a nation even stronger than theirs."


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Moses replied: With your mighty power you rescued your people from Egypt, so please don't destroy us here in the desert. If you do, the Egyptians will hear about it and tell the people of Canaan. Those Canaanites already know that we are your people, and that we see you face to face. And they have heard how you lead us with a thick cloud during the day and flaming fire at night. But if you kill us, they will claim it was because you weren't powerful enough to lead us into Canaan as you promised.


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that you love to show mercy and kindness. And you said that you are very patient, but that you will punish everyone guilty of doing wrong--not only them but their children and grandchildren as well.


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You are merciful, and you treat people better than they deserve. So please forgive these people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.


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I swear that not one of these Israelites will enter the land I promised to give their ancestors. These people have seen my power in Egypt and in the desert, but they will never see Canaan. They have disobeyed and tested me too many times.


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But my servant Caleb isn't like the others. So because he has faith in me, I will allow him to cross into Canaan, and his descendants will settle there.


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Now listen, Moses! The Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys of Canaan. And tomorrow morning, you'll need to turn around and head back into the desert toward the Red Sea.


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to give this message to the people of Israel: You sinful people have complained against me too many times! Now I swear by my own life that I will give you exactly what you wanted.


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You will die right here in the desert, and your dead bodies will cover the ground. You have insulted me, and none of you men who are over twenty years old


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will enter the land that I solemnly promised to give you as your own--only Caleb and Joshua will go in.


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You were worried that your own children would be captured. But I, the LORD, will let them enter the land you have rejected.


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Your children will wander around in this desert forty years, suffering because of your sins, until all of you are dead.


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I will cruelly punish you every day for the next forty years--one year for each day that the land was explored.


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Ten of the men sent to explore the land had brought back bad news and had made the people complain against the LORD.


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So they got up early the next morning and got ready to head toward the hill country of Canaan. They said, "We were wrong to complain about the LORD. Let's go into the land that he promised us."


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so don't even try it. The LORD refuses to help you, because you turned your backs on him. The Amalekites and the Canaanites are your enemies, and they will attack and defeat you."


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But the Israelites ignored Moses and marched toward the hill country, even though the sacred chest and Moses did not go with them.


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The Amalekites and the Canaanites came down from the hill country, defeated the Israelites, and chased them as far as the town of Hormah.


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Bulls or rams or goats are the animals that you may burn on the altar as sacrifices to please me. You may also offer sacrifices voluntarily or because you made a promise, or because they are part of your regular religious ceremonies. The smell of the smoke from these sacrifices is pleasing to me.


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If you sacrifice a young ram or goat, you must also offer two pounds of your finest flour mixed with a quart of olive oil as a grain sacrifice. A quart of wine must also be poured on the altar.


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And if the animal is a full-grown ram, you must offer four pounds of flour mixed with one and a half quarts of olive oil. One and a half quarts of wine must also be poured on the altar. The smell of this smoke is pleasing to me.


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If you are a native Israelite, you must obey these rules each time you offer a bull, a ram, or a goat as a sacrifice.


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This law will never change. I am the LORD, and I consider all people the same, whether they are Israelites or foreigners living among you.


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When you eat food in the land that I am giving you, remember to set aside some of it as an offering to me.


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From the first batch of bread dough that you make after each new grain harvest, make a loaf of bread and offer it to me, just as you offer grain.


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If all of you disobey one of my laws without meaning to, you must offer a bull as a sacrifice to please me, together with a grain sacrifice, a wine offering, and a goat as a sacrifice for sin.


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Then the priest will pray and ask me to forgive you. And since you did not mean to do wrong, and you offered sacrifices,


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But if one of you does wrong without meaning to, you must sacrifice a year-old female goat as a sacrifice for sin.


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The law will be the same for anyone who does wrong without meaning to, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you.


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But if one of you does wrong on purpose, whether Israelite or foreigner, you have sinned against me by disobeying my laws. You will be sent away and will no longer live among the people of Israel.


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Once, while the Israelites were traveling through the desert, a man was caught gathering firewood on the Sabbath.


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Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the people to take that man outside the camp and stone him to death!"


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to say to the people of Israel, "Sew tassels onto the bottom edge of your clothes and tie a purple string to each tassel.


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These will remind you that you must obey my laws and teachings. And when you do, you will be dedicated to me and won't follow your own sinful desires.


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Korah son of Izhar was a Levite from the Kohathite clan. One day he called together Dathan, Abiram, and On from the Reuben tribe, and the four of them decided to rebel against Moses. So they asked two hundred fifty respected Israelite leaders for their support, and together they went to Moses


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and Aaron and said, "Why do you think you're so much better than anyone else? We're part of the LORD's holy people, and he's with all of us. What makes you think you're the only ones in charge?"


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Then he said to Korah and his followers: Tomorrow morning the LORD will show us the person he has chosen to be his priest, and that man will faithfully serve him.


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Korah, now here is what you and your followers must do: Get some fire pans, fill them with coals and incense, and place them near the sacred tent. And the man the LORD chooses will be his priest. Korah, this time you Levites have gone too far!


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You know that the God of Israel has chosen you Levites from all Israel to serve him by being in charge of the sacred tent and by helping the community to worship in the proper way. What more do you want?


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The LORD has given you a special responsibility, and now, Korah, you think you should also be his priest.


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It's bad enough that you took us from our rich farmland in Egypt to let us die here in the desert. Now you also want to boss us around!


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You keep promising us rich farmlands with fertile fields and vineyards--but where are they? Stop trying to trick these people. No, we won't come to see you."


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Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, "Don't listen to these men! I haven't done anything wrong to them. I haven't taken as much as a donkey."


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Then he said to Korah, "Tomorrow you and your followers must go with Aaron to the LORD's sacred tent.


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The next day the men placed incense and coals in their fire pans and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the sacred tent.


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Meanwhile, Korah had convinced the rest of the Israelites to rebel against their two leaders. When that happened, the LORD appeared in all his glory


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But the two men bowed down and prayed, "Our God, you gave these people life. Why would you punish everyone here when only one man has sinned?"


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Then Moses warned the people, "Get away from the tents of these sinful men! Don't touch anything that belongs to them or you'll be wiped out."


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Moses said to the crowd, "The LORD has chosen me and told me to do these things--it wasn't my idea. And here's how you will know:


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But suppose the LORD does something that has never been done before. For example, what if a huge crack appears in the ground, and these men and their families fall into it and are buried alive, together with everything they own? Then you will know they have turned their backs on the LORD!"


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and swallowed them alive, together with their families and everything they owned. Then the ground closed back up, and they were gone.


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The rest of the Israelites heard their screams, so they ran off, shouting, "We don't want that to happen to us!"


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Suddenly the LORD sent a fire that burned up the two hundred fifty men who had offered incense to him.


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"Tell Aaron's son Eleazar to take the fire pans from the smoldering fire and scatter the coals. The pans are now sacred,


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because they were used for offering incense to me. Have them hammered into a thin layer of bronze as a covering for the altar. Those men died because of their sin, and now their fire pans will become a warning for the rest of the community."


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Eleazar collected the pans and had them hammered into a thin layer of bronze as a covering for the altar,


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just as the LORD had told Moses. The pans were a warning to the Israelites that only Aaron's descendants would be allowed to offer incense to the LORD. Anyone else who tried would be punished like Korah and his followers.


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The next day the people of Israel again complained against Moses and Aaron, "The two of you killed some of the LORD's people!"


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As the people crowded around them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the sacred tent, and the LORD appeared in his glory in the cloud covering the tent.


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"Stand back! I am going to wipe out these Israelites once and for all." They immediately bowed down and prayed.


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Then Moses told Aaron, "Grab your fire pan and fill it with hot coals from the altar. Put incense in it, then quickly take it to where the people are and offer it to the LORD, so they can be forgiven. The LORD is very angry, and people have already started dying!"


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Aaron did exactly what he had been told. He ran over to the crowd of people and stood between the dead bodies and the people who were still alive. He placed the incense on the pan, then offered it to the LORD and asked him to forgive the people's sin. The disease immediately stopped spreading, and no one else died from it.


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But fourteen thousand seven hundred Israelites were dead, not counting those who had died with Korah and his followers.


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Call together the twelve tribes of Israel and tell the leader of each tribe to write his name on the walking stick he carries as a symbol of his authority. Make sure Aaron's name is written on the one from the Levi tribe, then collect all the sticks.


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I will then choose a man to be my priest, and his stick will sprout. After that happens, I won't have to listen to any more complaints about you.


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Moses told the people what the LORD had commanded, and they gave him the walking sticks from the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron's from the Levi tribe.


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The next day when Moses went into the tent, flowers and almonds were already growing on Aaron's stick.


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Moses brought the twelve sticks out of the tent and showed them to the people. Each of the leaders found his own and took it.


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But the LORD told Moses, "Put Aaron's stick back! Let it stay near the sacred chest as a warning to anyone who might think about rebelling. If these people don't stop their grumbling about me, I will wipe them out."


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The LORD said to Aaron: You, your sons, and the other Levites of the Kohath clan, are responsible for what happens at the sacred tent. And you and your sons will be responsible for what the priests do.


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You must see that they perform their duties. But if they go near any of the sacred objects or the altar, all of you will die.


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I alone chose the Levites from all the other tribes to belong to me, and I have given them to you as your helpers.


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But only you and your sons can serve as priests at the altar and in the most holy place. Your work as priests is a gift from me, and anyone else who tries to do that work must be put to death.


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The LORD said to Aaron: I have put you in charge of the sacred gifts and sacrifices that the Israelites bring to me. And from now on, you, your sons, and your descendants will receive part of the sacrifices for sin, as well as part of the grain sacrifices, and the sacrifices to make things right. Your share of these sacrifices will be the parts not burned on the altar.


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Since these things are sacred, they must be eaten near the sacred tent, but only men are allowed to eat them.


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You will also receive part of the special gifts and offerings that the Israelites bring to me. Any member of your family who is clean and acceptable for worship can eat these things.


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For example, when the Israelites bring me the first batches of oil, wine, and grain, you can have the best parts of those gifts.


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And the first part of the crops from their fields and vineyards also belongs to you. The people will offer this to me, then anyone in your family who is clean may have some of it.


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The first-born son in every Israelite family, as well as the first-born males of their flocks and herds, belong to me. But a first-born son and every first-born donkey must be bought back from me.


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The price for a first-born son who is at least one month old will be five pieces of silver, weighed according to the official standards.


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However, all first-born cattle, sheep, and goats belong to me and cannot be bought back. Splatter their blood on the altar and send their fat up in smoke, so I can smell it and be pleased.


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You are allowed to eat the meat of those animals, just as you can eat the choice ribs and the right hind leg of the special sacrifices.


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From now on, the sacred offerings that the Israelites give to me will belong to you, your sons, and your daughters. This is my promise to you and your descendants, and it will never change.


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You will not receive any land in Israel as your own. I am the LORD, and I will give you whatever you need.


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Ten percent of the Israelites' crops and one out of every ten of their newborn animals belong to me. But I am giving all this to the Levites as their pay for the work they do at the sacred tent.


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They are the only ones allowed to work at the tent, and they must not let anyone else come near it. Those who do must be put to death, and the Levites will also be punished. This law will never change. Since the Levites won't be given any land in Israel as their own,


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to say to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel ten percent of their crops and newborn animals, you must offer a tenth of that to me.


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Just as the Israelites give me part of their grain and wine, you must set aside part of what you receive


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After you have dedicated the best parts to me, you can eat the rest, just as the Israelites eat part of their grain and wine after offering them to me.


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Your share may be eaten anywhere by anyone in your family, because it is your pay for working at the sacred tent.


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You won't be punished for eating it, as long as you have already offered the best parts to me. The gifts and sacrifices brought by the people must remain sacred, and if you eat any part of them before they are offered to me, you will be put to death.


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The LORD gave Moses and Aaron the following law: The people of Israel must bring Moses a reddish-brown cow that has nothing wrong with it and that has never been used for plowing.


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Moses will give it to Eleazar the priest, then it will be led outside the camp and killed while Eleazar watches.


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He will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times in the direction of the sacred tent.


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After the ceremony, the priest is to take a bath and wash his clothes. Only then can he go back into the camp, but he remains unclean and unfit for worship until evening.


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The man who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and take a bath, but he is also unclean until evening.


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A man who isn't unclean must collect the ashes of the burnt cow and store them outside the camp in a clean place. The people of Israel can mix these ashes with the water used in the ceremony to wash away sin.


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The man who collects the ashes must wash his clothes, but will remain unclean until evening. This law must always be obeyed by the people of Israel and the foreigners living among them.


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But if you wash with the water mixed with the cow's ashes on the third day and again on the seventh day, you will be clean and acceptable for worship. You must wash yourself on those days; if you don't, you will remain unclean.


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Suppose you touch a dead body, but refuse to be made clean by washing with the water mixed with ashes. You will be guilty of making my sacred tent unclean and will no longer belong to the people of Israel.


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If someone dies in a tent while you are there, you will be unclean for seven days. And anyone who later enters the tent will also be unclean.


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If you touch the body of someone who was killed or who died of old age, or if you touch a human bone or a grave, you will be unclean for seven days.


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Before you can be made clean, someone who is clean must take some of the ashes from the burnt cow and stir them into a pot of spring water. That same person must dip a hyssop branch in the water and ashes, then sprinkle it on the tent and everything in it, including everyone who was inside. If you have touched a human bone, a grave, or a dead body, you must be sprinkled with that water.


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If this is done on the third day and on the seventh day, you will be clean. Then after you take a bath and wash your clothes, you can worship that evening.


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If you are unclean and refuse to be made clean by washing with the water mixed with ashes, you will be guilty of making my sacred tent unclean, and you will no longer belong to the people of Israel.


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These laws will never change. The man who sprinkled the water and the ashes on you when you were unclean must also wash his clothes. And whoever touches this water is unclean until evening.


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When you are unclean, everything you touch becomes unclean, and anyone who touches you will be unclean until evening.


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The people of Israel arrived at the Zin Desert during the first month and set up camp near the town of Kadesh. It was there that Miriam died and was buried.


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and complained, "Moses, we'd be better off if we had died along with the others in front of the LORD's sacred tent.


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Egypt was better than this horrible place. At least there we had grain and figs and grapevines and pomegranates. But now we don't even have any water."


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Moses and Aaron went to the entrance to the sacred tent, where they bowed down. The LORD appeared to them in all of his glory


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and said, "Moses, get your walking stick. Then you and Aaron call the people together and command that rock to give you water. That's how you will provide water for the people of Israel and their livestock."


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After he and Aaron had gathered the people around the rock, he said, "Look, you rebellious people, and you will see water flow from this rock!"


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He raised his stick in the air and struck the rock two times. At once, water gushed from the rock, and the people and their livestock had water to drink.


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But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you refused to believe in my power, these people did not respect me. And so, you will not be the ones to lead them into the land I have promised."


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The Israelites had complained against the LORD, and he had shown them his holy power by giving them water to drink. So they named the place Meribah, which means "Complaining."


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Moses sent messengers from Israel's camp near Kadesh with this message for the king of Edom: We are Israelites, your own relatives, and we're sure you have heard the terrible things that have happened to us.


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Our ancestors settled in Egypt and lived there a long time. But later the Egyptians were cruel to us,


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and when we begged our LORD for help, he answered our prayer and brought us out of that land. Now we are camped at the border of your territory, near the town of Kadesh.


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Please let us go through your country. We won't go near your fields and vineyards, and we won't drink any water from your wells. We will stay on the main road until we leave your territory.


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But the Edomite king answered, "No, I won't let you go through our country! And if you try, we will attack you."


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Moses sent back this message: "We promise to stay on the main road, and if any of us or our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. We just want to pass through."


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But the Edomite king insisted, "You can't go through our land!" Then Edom sent out its strongest troops


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to keep Israel from passing through its territory. So the Israelites had to go in another direction.


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"Aaron, this is where you will die. You and Moses disobeyed me at Meribah, and so you will not enter the land I promised the Israelites.


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Moses then took the priestly robe from Aaron and placed it on Eleazar. Aaron died there. When Moses and Eleazar came down,


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The Canaanite king of Arad lived in the Southern Desert of Canaan, and when he heard that the Israelites were on their way to the village of Atharim, he attacked and took some of them hostage.


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The Israelites prayed, "Our LORD, if you will help us defeat these Canaanites, we will completely destroy their towns and everything in them, to show that they belong to you."


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The LORD answered their prayer and helped them wipe out the Canaanite army and completely destroy their towns. That's why one of the towns is named Hormah, which means "Destroyed Place."


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The Israelites had to go around the territory of Edom, so when they left Mount Hor, they headed south toward the Red Sea. But along the way, the people became so impatient


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that they complained against God and said to Moses, "Did you bring us out of Egypt, just to let us die in the desert? There's no water out here, and we can't stand this awful food!"


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Some of the people went to Moses and admitted, "It was wrong of us to insult you and the LORD. Now please ask him to make these snakes go away." Moses prayed,


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and the LORD answered, "Make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and won't die."


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Moses obeyed the LORD. And all of those who looked at the bronze snake lived, even though they had been bitten by the poisonous snakes.


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After that, they crossed the Arnon River gorge and camped in the Moabite desert bordering Amorite territory. The Arnon was the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.


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A song in The Book of the LORD's Battles mentions the town of Waheb with its creeks in the territory of Suphah. It also mentions the Arnon River,


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From the Arnon, the Israelites went to the well near the town of Beer, where the LORD had said to Moses, "Call the people together, and I will give them water to drink."


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That's also the same well the Israelites sang about in this song: Let's celebrate! The well has given us water.


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With their royal scepters, our leaders pointed out where to dig the well. The Israelites left the desert and camped near the town of Mattanah,


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Finally, they reached Moabite territory, where they camped near Mount Pisgah in a valley overlooking the desert north of the Dead Sea.


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Please let us pass through your territory. We promise to stay away from your fields and vineyards, and we won't drink any water from your wells. As long as we're in your land, we won't get off the main road.


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But Sihon refused to let Israel travel through his land. Instead, he called together his entire army and marched into the desert to attack Israel near the town of Jahaz.


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Israel defeated them and took over the Amorite territory from the Arnon River gorge in the south to the Jabbok River gorge in the north. Beyond the Jabbok was the territory of the Ammonites, who were much stronger than Israel.


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The Israelites settled in the Amorite towns, including the capital city of Heshbon with its surrounding villages.


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King Sihon had ruled from Heshbon, after defeating the Moabites and taking over their land north of the Arnon River gorge.


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That's why the Amorites had written this poem about Heshbon: Come and rebuild Heshbon, King Sihon's capital city!


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His armies marched out like fiery flames, burning down the town of Ar and destroying the hills along the Arnon River.


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You Moabites are done for! Your god Chemosh deserted your people; they were captured, taken away by King Sihon the Amorite.


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We completely defeated Moab. The towns of Heshbon and Dibon, of Nophah and Medeba are ruined and gone.


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Moses sent some men to explore the town of Jazer. Later, the Israelites captured the villages surrounding it and forced out the Amorites who lived there.


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The Israelites headed toward the region of Bashan, where King Og ruled, and he led his entire army to Edrei to meet Israel in battle.


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The LORD said to Moses, "Don't be afraid of Og. I will help you defeat him and his army, just as you did King Sihon who ruled in Heshbon. Og's territory will be yours."


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So the Israelites wiped out Og, his family, and his entire army--there were no survivors. Then Israel took over the land of Bashan.


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Israel moved from there to the hills of Moab, where they camped across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho.


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When King Balak of Moab and his people heard how many Israelites there were and what they had done to the Amorites, he and the Moabites were terrified and panicked.


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They said to the Midianite leaders, "That bunch of Israelites will wipe out everything in sight, like a bull eating grass in a field." So King Balak


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sent a message to Balaam son of Beor who lived among his relatives in the town of Pethor near the Euphrates River. It said: I need your help. A huge group of people has come here from Egypt and settled near my territory.


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They are too powerful for us to defeat, so would you come and place a curse on them? Maybe then we can run them off. I know that anyone you bless will be successful, but anyone you curse will fail.


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The leaders of Moab and Midian left and took along money to pay Balaam for his work. When they got to his house, they gave him Balak's message.


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"Spend the night here," Balaam replied, "and tomorrow I will tell you the LORD's answer." So the officials stayed at his house.


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to ask me to go to Moab and place a curse on the people who have come there from Egypt. They have settled everywhere around him, and he wants to run them off."


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But God replied, "Don't go with Balak's messengers. I have blessed those people who have come from Egypt, so don't curse them."


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The next morning, Balaam said to Balak's officials, "Go on back home. The LORD says I cannot go with you."


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Balaam answered, "Even if Balak offered me a palace full of silver or gold, I wouldn't do anything to disobey the LORD my God.


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You are welcome to spend the night here, just as the others did. I will find out if the LORD has something else to say about this."


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That night, God said, "Balaam, I'll let you go to Moab with Balak's messengers, but do only what I say."


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Balaam was riding his donkey to Moab, and two of his servants were with him. But God was angry that Balaam had gone, so one of the LORD's angels stood in the road to stop him.


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When Balaam's donkey saw the angel standing there with a sword, it walked off the road and into an open field. Balaam had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road.


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When the donkey saw the angel, it walked so close to one of the walls that Balaam's foot scraped against the wall. Balaam beat the donkey again.


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The angel moved once more and stood in a spot so narrow that there was no room for the donkey to go around.


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When that happened, the LORD told the donkey to speak, and it asked Balaam, "What have I done to you that made you beat me three times?"


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"But you're my owner," replied the donkey, "and you've ridden me many times. Have I ever done anything like this before?" "No," Balaam admitted.


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Just then, the LORD let Balaam see the angel standing in the road, holding a sword, and Balaam bowed down.


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The angel said, "You had no right to treat your donkey like that! I was the one who blocked your way, because I don't think you should go to Moab.


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If your donkey had not seen me and stopped those three times, I would have killed you and let the donkey live."


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Balaam replied, "I was wrong. I didn't know you were trying to stop me. If you don't think I should go, I'll return home right now."


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"It's all right for you to go," the LORD's angel answered. "But you must say only what I tell you." So Balaam went on with Balak's officials.


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When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at the town of Ir, which is on the northern border of Moab.


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Balak asked, "Why didn't you come when I invited you the first time? Did you think I wasn't going to pay you?"


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where Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him.


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The next morning, Balak took Balaam to the town of Bamoth-Baal. From there, Balaam could see some of the Israelites.


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Then Balaam said, "Wait here beside your offerings, and I'll go somewhere to be alone. Maybe the LORD will appear to me. If he does, I will tell you everything he says." And he left.


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When God appeared to him, Balaam said, "I have built seven altars and have sacrificed a bull and a ram on each one."


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Balaam said: "King Balak of Moab brought me from the hills of Syria to curse Israel and announce its doom.


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They are living alone in peace. And though they are many, they don't bother the other nations. "I hope to obey God for as long as I live and to die in such peace."


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Balak said, "What are you doing? I asked you to come and place a curse on my enemies. But you have blessed them instead!"


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Balak said to Balaam, "Let's go somewhere else. Maybe if you see a smaller part of the Israelites, you will be able to curse them for me."


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So he took Balaam to a field on top of Mount Pisgah where lookouts were stationed. Then he built seven altars there and sacrificed a bull and a ram on each one.


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Balaam went back and saw him and his officials standing beside the offerings. Balak asked, "What did the LORD say?"


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"My command from God was to bless these people, and there's nothing I can do to change what he has done.


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Balak said to Balaam, "Come on, let's try another place. Maybe God will let you curse Israel from there."


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Balaam was sure that the LORD would tell him to bless Israel again. So he did not use any magic to find out what the LORD wanted him to do, as he had the first two times. Instead, he looked out toward the desert


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It's like a grove of palm trees or a garden beside a river. You are like tall aloe trees that the LORD has planted, or like cedars growing near water.


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You and your descendants will prosper like an orchard beside a stream. Your king will rule with power and be a greater king than Agag the Amalekite.


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With the strength of a wild ox, God led you out of Egypt. You will defeat your enemies, shooting them with arrows and crushing their bones.


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Like a lion you lie down, resting after an attack. Who would dare disturb you? "Anyone who blesses you will be blessed; anyone who curses you will be cursed."


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When Balak heard this, he was so furious that he pounded his fist against his hand and said, "I called you here to place a curse on my enemies, and you've blessed them three times.


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Leave now and go home! I told you I would pay you well, but since the LORD didn't let you do what I asked, you won't be paid."


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that even if you offered me a palace full of silver or gold, I would still obey the LORD. And I explained that I would say only what he told me.


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So I'm going back home, but I'm leaving you with a warning about what the Israelites will someday do to your nation."


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My knowledge comes from God Most High, the LORD All-Powerful. I bowed down to him and saw a vision of Israel.


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"What I saw in my vision hasn't happened yet. But someday, a king of Israel will appear like a star. He will wipe out you Moabites and destroy those tribes who live in the desert.


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"And I saw this vision about the Amalekites: Their nation is now great, but it will someday disappear forever.


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Ships will come from Cyprus, bringing people who will invade the lands of Assyria and Eber. But finally, Cyprus itself will be ruined."


text:
These women then invited the men to ceremonies where sacrifices were offered to their gods. The men ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped the Moabite gods.


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So he said to Moses, "Take the Israelite leaders who are responsible for this and have them killed in front of my sacred tent where everyone can see. Maybe then I will stop being angry with the Israelites."


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Later, Moses and the people were at the sacred tent, crying, when one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman to meet his family.


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and followed the man into his tent, where he ran the spear through the man and into the woman's stomach. The LORD immediately stopped punishing Israel with a deadly disease,


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But instead of punishing them, I forgave them. So because of the loyalty that Phinehas showed, I solemnly promise that he and his descendants will always be my priests."


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The Israelite man that was killed was Zimri son of Salu, who was one of the leaders of the Simeon tribe.


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And the Midianite woman killed with him was Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite clan leader named Zur.


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"The Midianites are now enemies of Israel, so attack and defeat them! They tricked the people of Israel into worshiping their god at Peor, and they are responsible for the death of Cozbi, the daughter of one of their own leaders."


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After the LORD had stopped the deadly disease from killing the Israelites, he said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron,


text:
"I want you to find out how many Israelites are in each family. And list every man twenty years and older who is able to serve in Israel's army."


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Israel was now camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho. Moses and Eleazar told them


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what the LORD had said about counting the men twenty years and older, just as Moses and their ancestors had done when they left Egypt.


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There were 43,730 men from the tribe of Reuben, the oldest son of Jacob. These men were from the clans of Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.


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and the grandfather of Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the same Dathan and Abiram who had been chosen by the people, but who followed Korah and rebelled against Moses, Aaron, and the LORD.


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That's when the LORD made the earth open up and swallow Dathan, Abiram, and Korah. At the same time, fire destroyed two hundred fifty men as a warning to the other Israelites.


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There were 22,200 men from the tribe of Simeon; they were from the clans of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin, Zerah, and Shaul.


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There were 40,500 men from the tribe of Gad; they were from the clans of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod, and Areli.


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There were 76,500 men from the tribe of Judah; they were from the clans of Shelah, Perez, Zerah, Hezron, and Hamul. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan.


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There were 64,300 men from the tribe of Issachar; they were from the clans of Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron.


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There were 60,500 men from the tribe of Zebulun; they were from the clans of Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.


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There were 52,700 men from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; they were from the clan of Machir, the clan of Gilead his son, and the clans of his six grandsons: Iezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher. Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but he had five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


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There were 32,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; they were from the clans of Shuthelah, Becher, Tahan, and Eran the son of Shuthelah.


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There were 45,600 men from the tribe of Benjamin; they were from the clans of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shephupham, Hupham, as well as from Ard and Naaman, the two sons of Bela.


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There were 53,400 men from the tribe of Asher; they were from the clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and from the two clans of Heber and Malchiel, the sons of Beriah. Asher's daughter was Serah.


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There were 45,400 men from the tribe of Naphtali; they were from the clans of Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.


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I will show you what land to give each tribe, and they will receive as much land as they need, according to the number of people in it."


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as well as the clans of Libni, Hebron, Mahli, Mushi, and Korah. Kohath the Levite was the father of Amram,


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the husband of Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed's three children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.


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In the tribe of Levi there were 23,000 men and boys at least a month old. They were not listed with the other tribes, because they would not receive any land in Canaan.


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Moses and Eleazar counted the Israelites while they were camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho.


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except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. The LORD had said that everyone else would die there in the desert.


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Zelophehad was from the Manasseh tribe, and he had five daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


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One day his daughters went to the sacred tent, where they met with Moses, Eleazar, and some other leaders of Israel, as well as a large crowd of Israelites. The young women said:


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You know that our father died in the desert. But it was for something he did wrong, not for joining with Korah in rebelling against the LORD. Our father left no sons


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to carry on his family name. But why should his name die out for that reason? Give us some land like the rest of his relatives in our clan, so our father's name can live on.


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Zelophehad's daughters are right. They should each be given part of the land their father would have received.


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And if his father has no brothers, the land must be given to his nearest relative in the clan. This is my law, and the Israelites must obey it.


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The LORD said to Moses, "One day you will go up into the Abarim Mountains, and from there you will see the land I am giving the Israelites.


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because both of you disobeyed me at Meribah near the town of Kadesh in the Zin Desert. When the Israelites insulted me there, you didn't believe in my holy power."


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"You are the LORD God, and you know what is in everyone's heart. So I ask you to appoint a leader for Israel.


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Your people need someone to lead them into battle, or else they will be like sheep wandering around without a shepherd."


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The LORD answered, "Joshua son of Nun can do the job. Place your hands on him to show that he is the one to take your place.


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Then go with him and have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the Israelites. Appoint Joshua as their new leader


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But Joshua must depend on Eleazar to find out from me what I want him to do as he leads Israel into battle."


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to say to the people of Israel: Offer sacrifices to me at the appointed times of worship, so that I will smell the smoke and be pleased.


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Each day offer two rams a year old as sacrifices to please me. The animals must have nothing wrong with them;


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Along with each of them, two pounds of your finest flour mixed with a quart of olive oil must be offered as a grain sacrifice.


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Finally, along with each of these two sacrifices, a quart of wine must be poured on the altar as a drink offering.


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The second ram will be sacrificed that evening, along with the other offerings, just like the one sacrificed that morning. The smell of the smoke from these sacrifices will please me.


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On the Sabbath, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices, you must sacrifice two rams a year old to please me. These rams must have nothing wrong with them, and they will be sacrificed with a drink offering and four pounds of your finest flour mixed with olive oil.


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On the first day of each month, bring to the altar two bulls, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. Then offer these as sacrifices to please me.


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Six pounds of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with each bull as a grain sacrifice. Four pounds of flour mixed with oil must be offered with the ram,


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and two pounds of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the young rams. The smell of the smoke from these sacrifices will please me.


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Offer two quarts of wine as a drink offering with each bull, one and a half quarts with the ram, and one quart with each of the young rams. Finally, you must offer a goat as a sacrifice for sin. These sacrifices are to be offered on the first day of each month, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.


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The following day will begin the Festival of Thin Bread, which will last for a week. During this time you must honor me by eating bread made without yeast.


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Bring to the altar two bulls, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. And then offer these as sacrifices to please me.


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All of these are to be offered in addition to the regular daily sacrifices, and the smoke from them will please me.


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Then on the last day of the festival, you must once again rest from work and come together for worship.


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On the first day of the Harvest Festival, you must rest from your work, come together for worship, and bring a sacrifice of new grain.


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The animals must have nothing wrong with them and are to be sacrificed along with the regular daily sacrifices.


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On the first day of the seventh month, you must rest from your work and come together to celebrate at the sound of the trumpets.


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Bring to the altar one bull, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. And then offer these as sacrifices to please me.


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Six pounds of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with the bull as a grain sacrifice. Four pounds of flour mixed with oil must be offered with the ram,


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These sacrifices will be made in addition to the regular daily sacrifices and the sacrifices for the first day of the month. The smoke from these sacrifices will please me.


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The tenth day of the seventh month is the Great Day of Forgiveness. On that day you must rest from all work and come together for worship. Show sorrow for your sins by going without food,


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and bring to the altar one young bull, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. Then offer these as sacrifices to please me.


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A goat must also be sacrificed for the sins of the people. You will offer these sacrifices in addition to the sacrifice to ask forgiveness and the regular daily sacrifices.


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Beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and continuing for seven days, everyone must celebrate the Festival of Shelters in honor of me.


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On the first day, you must rest from your work and come together for worship. Bring to the altar thirteen bulls, two full-grown rams, and fourteen rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. Then offer these as sacrifices to please me.


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Six pounds of your finest flour mixed with olive oil must be offered with each bull as a grain sacrifice. Four pounds of flour mixed with oil must be offered with each of the rams,


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You must also offer a goat as a sacrifice for sin. These are to be offered in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.


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For the next six days of the festival, you will sacrifice one less bull than the day before, so that on the seventh day, seven bulls will be sacrificed. The other sacrifices and offerings must remain the same for each of these days.


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Bring to the altar one bull, one full-grown ram, and seven rams a year old that have nothing wrong with them. Then offer these as sacrifices to please me.


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And offer a goat as the sacrifice to ask forgiveness for the people. These sacrifices are made in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.


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You must offer all these sacrifices to me at the appointed times of worship, together with any offerings that are voluntarily given or given because of a promise.


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But if he hears about it and objects, then she no longer has to keep her promise. The LORD will forgive her, because her father did not agree with the promise.


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Suppose a woman makes a promise to the LORD and then gets married. If her husband later hears about the promise but says nothing, she must do what she said, whether she meant it or not.


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But if her husband hears about the promise and objects, she no longer has to keep it, and the LORD will forgive her.


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But if he hears about the promise and does object, she no longer has to keep it. The LORD will forgive her, because her husband would not allow her to keep the promise.


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If her husband hears about a promise and says nothing about it for a whole day, she must do what she said--since he did not object, the promise must be kept.


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But if he waits until the next day to stop her from keeping her promise, he is the one who must be punished.


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These are the laws that the LORD gave Moses about husbands and wives, and about young daughters who still live at home.


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Then Moses told the people, "The LORD wants to punish the Midianites. So have our men prepare for battle.


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Moses sent them off to war. Phinehas the son of Eleazar went with them and took along some things from the sacred tent and the trumpets for sounding the battle signal.


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The Israelites fought against the Midianites, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. They killed all the men,


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The Israelites captured every woman and child, then led away the Midianites' cattle and sheep, and took everything else that belonged to them.


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Israel's soldiers gathered together everything they had taken from the Midianites, including the captives and the animals.


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Then they returned to their own camp in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, where Moses, Eleazar, and the other Israelite leaders met the troops outside camp.


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They are the ones who followed Balaam's advice and invited our people to worship the god Baal Peor. That's why the LORD punished us by killing so many of our people.


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Then Moses said to the soldiers, "If you killed anyone or touched a dead body, you are unclean and have to stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days, you must go through a ceremony to make yourselves and your captives clean.


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Eleazar then explained, "If you need to purify something that won't burn, such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead, you must first place it in a hot fire. After you take it out, sprinkle it with the water that purifies. Everything else should only be sprinkled with the water. Do all of this, just as the LORD commanded Moses.


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Wash your clothes on the seventh day, and after that, you will be clean and may return to the camp."


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Make a list of everything taken from the Midianites, including the captives and the animals. Then divide them between the soldiers and the rest of the people. Eleazar the priest and the family leaders will help you.


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From the half that belongs to the soldiers, set aside for the LORD one out of every five hundred people or animals and give these to Eleazar.


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From the half that belongs to the people, set aside one out of every fifty and give these to the Levites in charge of the sacred tent.


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and listed everything that had been taken from the Midianites. The list included 675,000 sheep and goats, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 young women who had never had sex.


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Each half included 337,500 sheep and goats, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 young women. From the half that belonged to the soldiers, Moses counted out 675 sheep and goats, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 women and gave them to Eleazar to be dedicated to the LORD. Then from the half that belonged to the people, Moses set aside one out of every fifty animals and women, as the LORD had said, and gave them to the Levites.


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So we want to give the LORD all the gold jewelry we took from the Midianites. It's our gift to him for watching over us and our troops."


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So Moses and Eleazar placed the gold in the LORD's sacred tent to remind Israel of what had happened.


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The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned a lot of cattle and sheep, and they saw that the regions of Jazer and Gilead had good pastureland.


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"The LORD has helped us capture the land around the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. That's good pastureland, and since we own cattle and sheep,


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If you did that, it would discourage the others from crossing over into the land the LORD promised them.


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And he said that no one who was twenty years or older when they left Egypt would enter the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not one of those people believed in the LORD's power,


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but he was so angry with the others that he forced them to wander around in the desert forty years. By that time everyone who had sinned against him had died.


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If you reject the LORD, he will once again abandon his people and leave them here in the desert. And you will be to blame!


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The men from Reuben and Gad replied: Let us build places to keep our sheep and goats, and towns for our wives and children,


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The land on this side of the Jordan River will be ours, so we won't expect to receive any on the other side.


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You also agreed to cross the Jordan and stay with the rest of the Israelites, until the LORD forces our enemies out of the land. If you do these things,


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then after the LORD helps Israel capture the land, you can return to your own land. You will no longer have to stay with the others.


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Go ahead and build towns for your wives and children, and places for your sheep and goats. Just be sure to do what you have promised.


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"Make sure that the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you. If they do, then after the land is in your control, give them the region of Gilead as their tribal land.


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But if they break their promise, they will receive land on the other side of the Jordan, like the rest of the tribes."


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The tribes of Gad and Reuben replied, "We are your servants and will do whatever the LORD has commanded.


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We will cross the Jordan River, ready to fight for the LORD in Canaan. But the land we will inherit as our own will be on this side of the river."


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So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh the territory and towns that King Sihon the Amorite had ruled, as well as the territory and towns that King Og of Bashan had ruled.


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Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran. They built walls around them and also built places to keep their sheep and goats.


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Sibmah, as well as the towns that used to be known as Nebo and Baal-Meon. They renamed all those places.


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The clan of Machir from the tribe of East Manasseh went to the region of Gilead, captured its towns, and forced out the Amorites.


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Moses kept a list of the places they camped, just as the LORD had instructed. Here is the record of their journey:


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Israel left the Egyptian city of Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month. This was the day after the LORD had punished Egypt's gods by killing the first-born sons in every Egyptian family. So while the Egyptians were burying the bodies, they watched the Israelites proudly leave their country.


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They left Pi-Hahiroth, crossed the Red Sea, then walked three days into the Etham Desert and camped at Marah.


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As Israel traveled from the Sinai Desert to Kadesh in the Zin Desert, they camped at Kibroth-Hattaavah, Hazeroth, Rithmah, Rimmon-Perez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, Mount Shepher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Terah, Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene-Jaakan, Hor-Haggidgad, Jotbathah, Abronah, Ezion-Geber, and finally Kadesh.


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That's where the LORD commanded Aaron the priest to go to the top of the mountain. Aaron died there on the first day of the fifth month, forty years after the Israelites left Egypt.


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It was then that the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Southern Desert of Canaan, heard that Israel was headed that way.


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The Israelites left Mount Hor and headed toward Moab. Along the way, they camped at Zalmonah, Punon, Oboth, Iye-Abarim in the territory of Moab, Dibon-Gad, Almon-Diblathaim, at a place near Mount Nebo in the Abarim Mountains,


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While Israel was camped in the lowlands of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, the LORD told Moses


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I will show you how to divide the land among the tribes, according to the number of clans in each one, so that the larger tribes will have more land than the smaller ones.


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If you don't force out all the people there, they will be like pointed sticks in your eyes and thorns in your back. They will always be trouble for you,


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The southern border will be the Zin Desert and the northwest part of Edom. This border will begin at the south end of the Dead Sea.


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It will go west from there, but will turn southward to include Scorpion Pass, the village of Zin, and the town of Kadesh-Barnea. From there, the border will continue to Hazar-Addar and on to Azmon.


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After that, it will run to Lebo-Hamath and across to Zedad, which is the northern edge of your land.


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and on down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there, it will go south to the eastern hills of Lake Galilee,


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then follow the Jordan River down to the north end of the Dead Sea. The land within those four borders will belong to you.


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Then Moses told the people, "You will receive the land inside these borders. It will be yours, but the LORD has commanded you to divide it among the nine and a half tribes.


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and here is the list of their names: Caleb son of Jephunneh from Judah, Shemuel son of Ammihud from Simeon, Elidad son of Chislon from Benjamin, Bukki son of Jogli from Dan, Hanniel son of Ephod from Manasseh, Kemuel son of Shiphtan from Ephraim, Elizaphan son of Parnach from Zebulun, Paltiel son of Azzan from Issachar, Ahihud son of Shelomi from Asher, and Pedahel son of Ammihud from Naphtali."


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While the people of Israel were still camped in the lowlands of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, the LORD told Moses


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to say to them: When you receive your tribal lands, you must give towns and pastures to the Levi tribe.


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The pasture around each of these towns must be in the shape of a square, with the town itself in the center. The pasture is to measure three thousand feet on each side, with fifteen hundred feet of land outside each of the town walls. This will be the Levites' pastureland.


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Six of the towns you give them will be Safe Towns where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run for protection. But you will also give the Levites forty-two other towns,


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Since the towns for the Levites must come from Israel's own tribal lands, the larger tribes will give more towns than the smaller ones.


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If the victim's relatives think it was murder, they might try to take revenge. Anyone accused of murder can run to one of these Safe Towns for protection and not be killed before a trial is held.


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Suppose you hit someone with a piece of iron or a large stone or a dangerous wooden tool. If that person dies, then you are a murderer and must be put to death


