Something good

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1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and desolate, and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep, and God’s active force was moving about over the surface of the waters.
3 And God said: “Let there be light.” Then there was light. 4 After that God saw that the light was good, and God began to divide the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, but the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.
6 Then God said: “Let there be an expanse between the waters, and let there be a division between the waters and the waters.” 7 Then God went on to make the expanse and divided the waters beneath the expanse from the waters above the expanse. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 Then God said: “Let the waters under the heavens be collected together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, but the collecting of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said: “Let the earth cause grass to sprout, seed-bearing plants and fruit trees according to their kinds, yielding fruit along with seed on the earth.” And it was so. 12 And the earth began to produce grass, seed-bearing plants and trees yielding fruit along with seed, according to their kinds. Then God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 Then God said: “Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to make a division between the day and the night, and they will serve as signs for seasons and for days and years. 15 They will serve as luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God went on to make the two great luminaries, the greater luminary for dominating the day and the lesser luminary for dominating the night, and also the stars. 17 Thus God put them in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth 18 and to dominate by day and by night and to make a division between the light and the darkness. Then God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 Then God said: “Let the waters swarm with living creatures, and let flying creatures fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created the great sea creatures and all living creatures that move and swarm in the waters according to their kinds and every winged flying creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 With that God blessed them, saying: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the waters of the sea, and let the flying creatures become many in the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 Then God said: “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds, domestic animals and creeping animals and wild animals of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God went on to make the wild animals of the earth according to their kinds and the domestic animals according to their kinds and all the creeping animals of the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the domestic animals and all the earth and every creeping animal that is moving on the earth.” 27 And God went on to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. 28 Further, God blessed them, and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many, fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving on the earth.”
29 Then God said: “Here I have given to you every seed-bearing plant that is on the entire earth and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. Let them serve as food for you. 30 And to every wild animal of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything moving on the earth in which there is life, I have given all green vegetation for food.” And it was so.
31 After that God saw everything he had made, and look! it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
2 Thus the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. 2 And by the seventh day, God had completed the work that he had been doing, and he began to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had been doing. 3 And God went on to bless the seventh day and to declare it sacred, for on it God has been resting from all the work that he has created, all that he purposed to make.
4 This is a history of the heavens and the earth in the time they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven.
5 No bush of the field was yet on the earth and no vegetation of the field had begun sprouting, because Jehovah God had not made it rain on the earth and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist would go up from the earth, and it watered the entire surface of the ground.
7 And Jehovah God went on to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person. 8 Further, Jehovah God planted a garden in Eʹden, toward the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Thus Jehovah God made to grow out of the ground every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food and also the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
10 Now there was a river flowing out of Eʹden to water the garden, and from there it divided into four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Piʹshon; it is the one encircling the entire land of Havʹi·lah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good. Bdellium gum and onyx stone are also there. 13 The name of the second river is Giʹhon; it is the one encircling the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hidʹde·kel; it is the one going to the east of As·syrʹi·a. And the fourth river is the Eu·phraʹtes.
15 Jehovah God took the man and settled him in the garden of Eʹden to cultivate it and to take care of it. 16 Jehovah God also gave this command to the man: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. 17 But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will certainly die.”
18 Then Jehovah God said: “It is not good for the man to continue to be alone. I am going to make a helper for him, as a complement of him.” 19 Now Jehovah God had been forming from the ground every wild animal of the field and every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call each living creature, that became its name. 20 So the man named all the domestic animals and the flying creatures of the heavens and every wild animal of the field, but for man there was no helper as a complement of him. 21 So Jehovah God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place. 22 And Jehovah God built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman, and he brought her to the man.
23 Then the man said:
“This is at last bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one will be called Woman,
Because from man she was taken.”
24 That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 And both of them continued to be naked, the man and his wife; yet they were not ashamed.
3 Now the serpent was the most cautious of all the wild animals of the field that Jehovah God had made. So it said to the woman: “Did God really say that you must not eat from every tree of the garden?” 2 At this the woman said to the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. 3 But God has said about the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden: ‘You must not eat from it, no, you must not touch it; otherwise you will die.’” 4 At this the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die. 5 For God knows that in the very day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.”
6 Consequently, the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was something desirable to the eyes, yes, the tree was pleasing to look at. So she began taking of its fruit and eating it. Afterward, she also gave some to her husband when he was with her, and he began eating it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves.
8 Later they heard the voice of Jehovah God as he was walking in the garden about the breezy part of the day, and the man and his wife hid from the face of Jehovah God among the trees of the garden. 9 And Jehovah God kept calling to the man and saying to him: “Where are you?” 10 Finally he said: “I heard your voice in the garden, but I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.” 11 At that he said: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said: “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate.” 13 Jehovah God then said to the woman: “What is this you have done?” The woman replied: “The serpent deceived me, so I ate.”
14 Then Jehovah God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are the cursed one out of all the domestic animals and out of all the wild animals of the field. On your belly you will go, and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head, and you will strike him in the heel.”
16 To the woman he said: “I will greatly increase the pain of your pregnancy; in pain you will give birth to children, and your longing will be for your husband, and he will dominate you.”
17 And to Adam he said: “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree concerning which I gave you this command, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground on your account. In pain you will eat its produce all the days of your life. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you must eat the vegetation of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.”
20 After this Adam named his wife Eve, because she was to become the mother of everyone living. 21 And Jehovah God made long garments from skins for Adam and for his wife, to clothe them. 22 Jehovah God then said: “Here the man has become like one of us in knowing good and bad. Now in order that he may not put his hand out and take fruit also from the tree of life and eat and live forever,—” 23 With that Jehovah God expelled him from the garden of Eʹden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 24 So he drove the man out, and he posted at the east of the garden of Eʹden the cherubs and the flaming blade of a sword that was turning continuously to guard the way to the tree of life.
4 Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said: “I have produced a male child with the help of Jehovah.” 2 Later she again gave birth, to his brother Abel.
Abel became a shepherd of the flock, but Cain became a cultivator of the ground. 3 After some time, Cain brought some fruits of the land as an offering to Jehovah. 4 But Abel brought some firstlings of his flock, including their fat. While Jehovah looked with favor on Abel and on his offering, 5 he did not look with any favor on Cain and on his offering. So Cain grew hot with anger and was dejected. 6 Then Jehovah said to Cain: “Why are you so angry and dejected? 7 If you turn to doing good, will you not be restored to favor? But if you do not turn to doing good, sin is crouching at the door, and its craving is to dominate you; but will you get the mastery over it?”
8 After that Cain said to his brother Abel: “Let us go over into the field.” So while they were in the field, Cain assaulted his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Later on, Jehovah said to Cain: “Where is your brother Abel?” and he said: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s guardian?” 10 At this He said: “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed in banishment from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you cultivate the ground, it will not give you back its produce. You will become a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth.” 13 At this Cain said to Jehovah: “The punishment for my error is too great to bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your face; and I will become a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth, and anyone who finds me will certainly kill me.” 15 So Jehovah said to him: “For that reason, anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times.”
So Jehovah set up a sign for Cain in order that no one finding him would strike him. 16 Then Cain went away from before Jehovah and took up residence in the land of Exile, to the east of Eʹden.
17 Afterward Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Eʹnoch. Then he engaged in building a city and named the city after his son Eʹnoch. 18 Later Iʹrad was born to Eʹnoch. And Iʹrad became father to Me·huʹja·el, and Me·huʹja·el became father to Me·thuʹsha·el, and Me·thuʹsha·el became father to Laʹmech.
19 Laʹmech took two wives for himself. The name of the first was Aʹdah, and the name of the second was Zilʹlah. 20 Aʹdah gave birth to Jaʹbal. He was the founder of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Juʹbal. He was the founder of all those who play the harp and the pipe. 22 Also, Zilʹlah gave birth to Tuʹbal-cain, who forged every sort of tool of copper and iron. And the sister of Tuʹbal-cain was Naʹa·mah. 23 Then Laʹmech composed these words for his wives Aʹdah and Zilʹlah:
“Hear my voice, you wives of Laʹmech;
Give ear to my saying:
A man I have killed for wounding me,
Yes, a young man for striking me.
24 If 7 times Cain is to be avenged,
Then Laʹmech 77 times.”
25 Adam again had sexual relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth because, as she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” 26 There was also born to Seth a son, and he named him Eʹnosh. At that time people began calling on the name of Jehovah.
5 This is the book of Adam’s history. In the day that God created Adam, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them. On the day they were created, he blessed them and named them Man.
3 Adam lived for 130 years and then became father to a son in his likeness, in his image, and he named him Seth. 4 After becoming father to Seth, Adam lived for 800 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 5 So all the days of Adam’s life amounted to 930 years, and then he died.
6 Seth lived for 105 years and then became father to Eʹnosh. 7 After becoming father to Eʹnosh, Seth lived for 807 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth amounted to 912 years, and then he died.
9 Eʹnosh lived for 90 years and then became father to Keʹnan. 10 After becoming father to Keʹnan, Eʹnosh lived for 815 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Eʹnosh amounted to 905 years, and then he died.
12 Keʹnan lived for 70 years and then became father to Ma·halʹa·lel. 13 After becoming father to Ma·halʹa·lel, Keʹnan lived for 840 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Keʹnan amounted to 910 years, and then he died.
15 Ma·halʹa·lel lived for 65 years and then became father to Jaʹred. 16 After becoming father to Jaʹred, Ma·halʹa·lel lived for 830 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Ma·halʹa·lel amounted to 895 years, and then he died.
18 Jaʹred lived for 162 years and then became father to Eʹnoch. 19 After becoming father to Eʹnoch, Jaʹred lived for 800 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jaʹred amounted to 962 years, and then he died.
21 Eʹnoch lived for 65 years and then became father to Me·thuʹse·lah. 22 After becoming father to Me·thuʹse·lah, Eʹnoch continued to walk with the true God for 300 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Eʹnoch amounted to 365 years. 24 Eʹnoch kept walking with the true God. Then he was no more, for God took him.
25 Me·thuʹse·lah lived for 187 years and then became father to Laʹmech. 26 After becoming father to Laʹmech, Me·thuʹse·lah lived for 782 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Me·thuʹse·lah amounted to 969 years, and then he died.
28 Laʹmech lived for 182 years and then became father to a son. 29 He named him Noah, saying: “This one will bring us comfort from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that Jehovah has cursed.” 30 After becoming father to Noah, Laʹmech lived for 595 years. And he became father to sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Laʹmech amounted to 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah reached 500 years of age, he became father to Shem, Ham, and Jaʹpheth.
6 Now when men started to grow in number on the surface of the ground and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of the true God began to notice that the daughters of men were beautiful. So they began taking as wives all whom they chose. 3 Then Jehovah said: “My spirit will not tolerate man indefinitely, because he is only flesh. Accordingly, his days will amount to 120 years.”
4 The Nephʹi·lim were on the earth in those days and afterward. During that time the sons of the true God continued to have relations with the daughters of men, and these bore sons to them. They were the mighty ones of old times, the men of fame.
5 Consequently, Jehovah saw that man’s wickedness was great on the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only bad all the time. 6 Jehovah regretted that he had made men on the earth, and his heart was saddened. 7 So Jehovah said: “I am going to wipe men whom I have created off the surface of the ground, man together with domestic animals, creeping animals, and flying creatures of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah.
9 This is the history of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man. He proved himself faultless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with the true God. 10 In time Noah became father to three sons, Shem, Ham, and Jaʹpheth. 11 But the earth had become ruined in the sight of the true God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 Yes, God looked upon the earth, and it was ruined; all flesh had ruined its way on the earth.
13 After that God said to Noah: “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, because the earth is full of violence on account of them, so I am bringing them to ruin together with the earth. 14 Make for yourself an ark from resinous wood. You will make compartments in the ark and cover it with tar inside and outside. 15 This is how you will make it: The ark should be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. 16 You will make a window for light for the ark, one cubit from the top. You should put the entrance of the ark in its side and make it with a lower deck, a second deck, and a third deck.
17 “As for me, I am going to bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy from under the heavens all flesh that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish. 18 And I am establishing my covenant with you, and you must go into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And bring into the ark two of every sort of living creature in order to preserve them alive with you, a male and a female; 20 of the flying creatures according to their kinds, the domestic animals according to their kinds, and all creeping animals of the ground according to their kinds, two of each will go in there to you to preserve them alive. 21 For your part, you are to collect and take with you every kind of food to eat, to serve as food for you and for the animals.”
22 And Noah did according to all that God had commanded him. He did just so.
7 After that Jehovah said to Noah: “Go into the ark, you and all your household, because you are the one I have found to be righteous before me among this generation. 2 You must take with you every kind of clean animal by sevens, the male and its mate; and of every animal that is not clean just two, the male and its mate; 3 also of the flying creatures of the sky by sevens, male and female, to preserve their offspring alive over all the earth. 4 For in just seven days, I will make it rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe from the surface of the ground every living thing that I have made.” 5 Then Noah did everything that Jehovah had commanded him.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth. 7 So Noah, along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark ahead of the floodwaters. 8 Of every clean animal and of every animal that is not clean and of the flying creatures and of everything that moves on the ground, 9 they went inside the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. 10 And seven days later the floodwaters came upon the earth.
11 In the 600th year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the 17th day of the month, on that day all the springs of the vast watery deep burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And the rain poured down on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. 13 On that very day, Noah went into the ark along with his sons, Shem, Ham, and Jaʹpheth, and his wife and the three wives of his sons. 14 They went in with every wild animal according to its kind, and every domestic animal according to its kind, and every creeping animal of the earth according to its kind, and every flying creature according to its kind, every bird, every winged creature. 15 They kept going to Noah inside the ark, two by two, of every sort of flesh that has the breath of life. 16 So they went in, male and female of every sort of flesh, just as God had commanded him. After that Jehovah shut the door behind him.
17 The flooding continued for 40 days on the earth, and the waters kept increasing and began carrying the ark, and it was floating high above the earth. 18 The waters became overwhelming and kept increasing greatly upon the earth, but the ark floated on the surface of the waters. 19 The waters overwhelmed the earth so greatly that all the tall mountains under the whole heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose up to 15 cubits above the mountains.
21 So all living creatures that were moving on the earth perished—the flying creatures, the domestic animals, the wild animals, the swarming creatures, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 So He wiped every living thing from the surface of the earth, including man, animals, creeping animals, and the flying creatures of the sky. They were all wiped off the earth; only Noah and those with him in the ark survived. 24 And the waters continued overwhelming the earth for 150 days.
8 But God gave attention to Noah and to all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark, and God caused a wind to blow over the earth, and the waters began to subside. 2 The springs of the watery deep and the floodgates of the heavens were stopped up, so the rain from the heavens stopped falling. 3 Then the waters began to recede progressively from the earth. By the end of 150 days, the waters had subsided. 4 In the seventh month, on the 17th day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Arʹa·rat. 5 And the waters were steadily decreasing until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.
6 So at the end of 40 days, Noah opened the window that he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven; it continued flying outside and returning, until the waters dried off the earth.
8 Later he sent out a dove to see whether the waters had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 The dove did not find any resting-place to perch, so it returned to him into the ark because the waters were still covering the surface of the whole earth. So he reached his hand out and brought it inside the ark. 10 He waited seven more days, and once again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11 When the dove came to him toward evening, he saw that there was a freshly plucked olive leaf in its bill! So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 He waited still another seven days. Then he sent out the dove, but it did not return to him anymore.
13 Now in the 601st year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters had drained from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. 14 In the second month, on the 27th day of the month, the earth had dried off.
15 God now said to Noah: 16 “Go out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives. 17 Bring out with you all the living creatures of every sort of flesh, of the flying creatures and of the animals and of all the creeping animals of the earth, that they may multiply on the earth and be fruitful and become many on the earth.”
18 So Noah went out, together with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 19 Every living creature, every creeping animal and every flying creature, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families. 20 Then Noah built an altar to Jehovah and took some of all the clean animals and of all the clean flying creatures and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And Jehovah began to smell a pleasing aroma. So Jehovah said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground on man’s account, for the inclination of the heart of man is bad from his youth up; and never again will I strike down every living thing as I have done. 22 From now on, the earth will never cease to have seed-sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night.”
9 God went on to bless Noah and his sons and to say to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth. 2 A fear of you and a terror of you will continue upon every living creature of the earth and upon every flying creature of the heavens, upon everything that moves on the ground and upon all the fish of the sea. They are now given into your hand. 3 Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. Just as I gave you the green vegetation, I give them all to you. 4 Only flesh with its life—its blood—you must not eat. 5 Besides that, I will demand an accounting for your lifeblood. I will demand an accounting from every living creature; and from each man I will demand an accounting for the life of his brother. 6 Anyone shedding man’s blood, by man will his own blood be shed, for in God’s image He made man. 7 As for you, be fruitful and become many, and increase abundantly on the earth and multiply.”
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I am now establishing my covenant with you and with your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the animals, and all the living creatures of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark—every living creature of the earth. 11 Yes, I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all flesh be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and never again will a flood bring the earth to ruin.”
12 And God added: “This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations. 13 I put my rainbow in the cloud, and it will serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring a cloud over the earth, then the rainbow will certainly appear in the cloud. 15 And I will certainly remember my covenant that I made between me and you and every living creature of every kind; and never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the rainbow will occur in the cloud, and I will certainly see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of every kind on the earth.”
17 God repeated to Noah: “This is the sign of the covenant that I establish between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
18 Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Jaʹpheth. Ham later became the father of Caʹnaan. 19 These three were Noah’s sons, and all the earth’s population came from them and spread abroad.
20 Now Noah started off as a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 When he drank of the wine, he became intoxicated, and he uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Caʹnaan, saw his father’s nakedness, and he told his two brothers outside. 23 So Shem and Jaʹpheth took a garment and put it upon both their shoulders and walked in backward. Thus they covered their father’s nakedness while their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
24 When Noah woke up from his wine and learned what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said:
“Cursed be Caʹnaan.
Let him become the lowest slave to his brothers.”
26 And he added:
“Praised be Jehovah, the God of Shem,
And let Caʹnaan become a slave to him.
27 Let God grant ample space to Jaʹpheth,
And let him reside in the tents of Shem.
Let Caʹnaan become a slave to him also.”
28 Noah continued to live for 350 years after the Flood. 29 So all the days of Noah amounted to 950 years, and he died.
10 This is the history of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Jaʹpheth.
Sons were born to them after the Flood. 2 The sons of Jaʹpheth were Goʹmer, Maʹgog, Maʹda·i, Jaʹvan, Tuʹbal, Meʹshech, and Tiʹras.
3 The sons of Goʹmer were Ashʹke·naz, Riʹphath, and To·garʹmah.
4 The sons of Jaʹvan were E·liʹshah, Tarʹshish, Kitʹtim, and Doʹda·nim.
5 From these the inhabitants of the islands spread into their lands, according to their languages and their families and by their nations.
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizʹra·im, Put, and Caʹnaan.
7 The sons of Cush were Seʹba, Havʹi·lah, Sabʹtah, Raʹa·mah, and Sabʹte·ca.
The sons of Raʹa·mah were Sheʹba and Deʹdan.
8 Cush became father to Nimʹrod. He was the first to become a mighty one on the earth. 9 He became a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah. That is why there is a saying: “Just like Nimʹrod, a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Baʹbel, Eʹrech, Acʹcad, and Calʹneh, in the land of Shiʹnar. 11 From that land he went into As·syrʹi·a and built Ninʹe·veh, Re·hoʹboth-Ir, Caʹlah, 12 and Reʹsen, between Ninʹe·veh and Caʹlah: This is the great city.
13 Mizʹra·im became father to Luʹdim, Anʹa·mim, Le·haʹbim, Naph·tuʹhim, 14 Path·ruʹsim, Cas·luʹhim (from whom the Phi·lisʹtines came), and Caphʹto·rim.
15 Caʹnaan became father to Siʹdon, his firstborn, and Heth, 16 as well as the Jebʹu·site, the Amʹor·ite, the Girʹga·shite, 17 the Hiʹvite, the Arkʹite, the Siʹnite, 18 the Arʹvad·ite, the Zemʹa·rite, and the Haʹmath·ite. Afterward, the families of the Caʹnaan·ites were scattered. 19 So the boundary of the Caʹnaan·ites was from Siʹdon as far as Geʹrar, near Gazʹa, as far as Sodʹom, Go·morʹrah, Adʹmah, and Ze·boiʹim, near Laʹsha. 20 These were the sons of Ham according to their families and their languages, by their lands and their nations.
21 Children were also born to Shem, the forefather of all the sons of Eʹber and the brother of Jaʹpheth the oldest. 22 The sons of Shem were Eʹlam, Asʹshur, Ar·pachʹshad, Lud, and Aʹram.
23 The sons of Aʹram were Uz, Hul, Geʹther, and Mash.
24 Ar·pachʹshad became father to Sheʹlah, and Sheʹlah became father to Eʹber.
25 Two sons were born to Eʹber. The name of the one was Peʹleg, because in his lifetime the earth was divided. The name of his brother was Jokʹtan.
26 Jokʹtan became father to Al·moʹdad, Sheʹleph, Ha·zar·maʹveth, Jeʹrah, 27 Ha·doʹram, Uʹzal, Dikʹlah, 28 Oʹbal, A·bimʹa·el, Sheʹba, 29 Oʹphir, Havʹi·lah, and Joʹbab; all of these were the sons of Jokʹtan.
30 Their place of dwelling extended from Meʹsha as far as Seʹphar, the mountainous region of the East.
31 These were the sons of Shem according to their families and their languages, by their lands and their nations.
32 These were the families of the sons of Noah according to their family lines and by their nations. From these the nations were spread abroad in the earth after the Flood.
11 Now all the earth continued to be of one language and of one set of words. 2 As they traveled eastward, they discovered a valley plain in the land of Shiʹnar, and they began dwelling there. 3 Then they said to one another: “Come! Let us make bricks and bake them with fire.” So they used bricks instead of stone, and bitumen as mortar. 4 They now said: “Come! Let us build a city for ourselves and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a celebrated name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered over the entire face of the earth.”
5 Then Jehovah went down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men had built. 6 Jehovah then said: “Look! They are one people with one language, and this is what they have started to do. Now there is nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be impossible for them. 7 Come! Let us go down there and confuse their language in order that they may not understand one another’s language.” 8 So Jehovah scattered them from there over the entire face of the earth, and they gradually left off building the city. 9 That is why it was named Baʹbel, because there Jehovah confused the language of all the earth, and Jehovah scattered them from there over the entire face of the earth.
10 This is the history of Shem.
Shem was 100 years old when he became father to Ar·pachʹshad two years after the Flood. 11 After becoming father to Ar·pachʹshad, Shem continued to live 500 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
12 Ar·pachʹshad lived for 35 years and then became father to Sheʹlah. 13 After becoming father to Sheʹlah, Ar·pachʹshad continued to live 403 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
14 Sheʹlah lived for 30 years and then became father to Eʹber. 15 After becoming father to Eʹber, Sheʹlah continued to live 403 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
16 Eʹber lived for 34 years and then became father to Peʹleg. 17 After becoming father to Peʹleg, Eʹber continued to live 430 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
18 Peʹleg lived for 30 years and then became father to Reʹu. 19 After becoming father to Reʹu, Peʹleg continued to live 209 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
20 Reʹu lived for 32 years and then became father to Seʹrug. 21 After becoming father to Seʹrug, Reʹu continued to live 207 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
22 Seʹrug lived for 30 years and then became father to Naʹhor. 23 After becoming father to Naʹhor, Seʹrug continued to live 200 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
24 Naʹhor lived for 29 years and then became father to Teʹrah. 25 After becoming father to Teʹrah, Naʹhor continued to live 119 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
26 Teʹrah lived for 70 years, after which he became father to Aʹbram, Naʹhor, and Haʹran.
27 This is the history of Teʹrah.
Teʹrah became father to Aʹbram, Naʹhor, and Haʹran; and Haʹran became father to Lot. 28 While his father Teʹrah was still alive, Haʹran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chal·deʹans. 29 Aʹbram and Naʹhor took wives for themselves. The name of Aʹbram’s wife was Sarʹai, and the name of Naʹhor’s wife was Milʹcah, the daughter of Haʹran, the father of Milʹcah and Isʹcah. 30 Now Sarʹai was barren; she had no child.
31 Teʹrah then took Aʹbram his son and Lot his grandson, the son of Haʹran, and Sarʹai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Aʹbram his son, and they went with him out of Ur of the Chal·deʹans to go to the land of Caʹnaan. In time they came to Haʹran and began dwelling there. 32 The days of Teʹrah were 205 years. Then Teʹrah died in Haʹran.
12 And Jehovah said to Aʹbram: “Go out from your land and away from your relatives and from the house of your father to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will become a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who calls down evil on you, and all the families of the ground will certainly be blessed by means of you.”
4 So Aʹbram went just as Jehovah had told him, and Lot went with him. Aʹbram was 75 years old when he left Haʹran. 5 Aʹbram took his wife Sarʹai and Lot the son of his brother and all the goods that they had accumulated and the people whom they had acquired in Haʹran, and they set out for the land of Caʹnaan. When they reached the land of Caʹnaan, 6 Aʹbram traveled through the land as far as the site of Sheʹchem, near the big trees of Moʹreh. At that time the Caʹnaan·ites were in the land. 7 Jehovah then appeared to Aʹbram and said: “To your offspring I am going to give this land.” So he built an altar there to Jehovah, who had appeared to him. 8 Later he moved from there to the mountainous region east of Bethʹel and pitched his tent with Bethʹel on the west and Aʹi on the east. There he built an altar to Jehovah and began to call on the name of Jehovah. 9 Afterward, Aʹbram broke camp and journeyed toward the Negʹeb, moving his camp from one place to another.
10 Now a famine arose in the land, and Aʹbram went down toward Egypt to reside there for a while, because the famine in the land was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarʹai: “Please listen! I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 So when the Egyptians see you, they will surely say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but keep you alive. 13 Please say you are my sister, so that it may go well with me because of you, and my life will be spared.”
14 As soon as Aʹbram entered Egypt, the Egyptians noticed that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And the princes of Pharʹaoh also saw her, and they began praising her to Pharʹaoh, so that the woman was taken to the house of Pharʹaoh. 16 He treated Aʹbram well because of her, and he acquired sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. 17 Then Jehovah struck Pharʹaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarʹai, Aʹbram’s wife. 18 So Pharʹaoh called Aʹbram and said: “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I was about to take her as my wife? Here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 So Pharʹaoh gave his men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
13 Aʹbram then went up out of Egypt to the Negʹeb, he and his wife and all that he had, together with Lot. 2 Aʹbram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3 He camped in one place after another as he traveled from the Negʹeb to Bethʹel, until he arrived at the place where his tent had been between Bethʹel and Aʹi, 4 to the place where he had previously built an altar. There Aʹbram called on the name of Jehovah.
5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Aʹbram, also owned sheep, cattle, and tents. 6 So the land did not allow for all of them to stay in the same place; their goods had become so many that they could no longer dwell together. 7 As a result, a quarrel arose between the herders of Aʹbram’s livestock and the herders of Lot’s livestock. (At that time the Caʹnaan·ites and the Perʹiz·zites were dwelling in the land.) 8 So Aʹbram said to Lot: “Please, there should be no quarreling between me and you and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land available to you? Please, separate from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right; but if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” 10 So Lot raised his eyes and saw that the whole district of the Jordan was a well-watered region (before Jehovah destroyed Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah), like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt, as far as Zoʹar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself the whole district of the Jordan, and Lot moved his camp to the east. So they separated from each other. 12 Aʹbram lived in the land of Caʹnaan, but Lot lived among the cities of the district. Finally he set up his tent near Sodʹom. 13 Now the men of Sodʹom were wicked, gross sinners against Jehovah.
14 Jehovah said to Aʹbram, after Lot had separated from him: “Raise your eyes, please, and look from the place where you are, to the north and south, east and west, 15 because all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring as a lasting possession. 16 And I will make your offspring like the dust particles of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust particles of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Get up, travel through the length and breadth of the land, for to you I am going to give it.” 18 So Aʹbram continued to live in tents. Later he came and dwelled among the big trees of Mamʹre, which are in Hebʹron, and there he built an altar to Jehovah.
14 Now in the days of Amʹra·phel king of Shiʹnar, Arʹi·och king of El·laʹsar, Ched·or·la·oʹmer king of Eʹlam, and Tiʹdal king of Goiʹim, 2 these made war with Beʹra king of Sodʹom, Birʹsha king of Go·morʹrah, Shiʹnab king of Adʹmah, Shem·eʹber king of Ze·boiʹim, and the king of Beʹla, that is, Zoʹar. 3 All of these joined forces at the Valley of Sidʹdim, that is, the Salt Sea.
4 They had served Ched·or·la·oʹmer for 12 years, but they rebelled in the 13th year. 5 So in the 14th year, Ched·or·la·oʹmer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephʹa·im in Ashʹte·roth-kar·naʹim, the Zuʹzim in Ham, the Eʹmim in Shaʹveh-kir·i·a·thaʹim, 6 and the Horʹites in their mountain of Seʹir down to El-paʹran, which is at the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishʹpat, that is, Kaʹdesh, and conquered the whole territory of the A·malʹek·ites and also the Amʹor·ites who were dwelling in Hazʹa·zon-taʹmar.
8 At this point, the king of Sodʹom went on the march, and also the king of Go·morʹrah, the king of Adʹmah, the king of Ze·boiʹim, and the king of Beʹla, that is, Zoʹar, and they drew up in battle formation against them in the Valley of Sidʹdim, 9 against Ched·or·la·oʹmer king of Eʹlam, Tiʹdal king of Goiʹim, Amʹra·phel king of Shiʹnar, and Arʹi·och king of El·laʹsar—four kings against the five. 10 Now the Valley of Sidʹdim was full of bitumen pits, and the kings of Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah tried to escape and fell into them, and those who remained fled to the mountainous region. 11 Then the victors took all the goods of Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah and all their food and went on their way. 12 They also took Lot, the son of Aʹbram’s brother who was dwelling in Sodʹom, as well as his goods, and they continued on their way.
13 After that a man who had escaped came and told Aʹbram the Hebrew. He was then dwelling among the big trees of Mamʹre the Amʹor·ite, the brother of Eshʹcol and Aʹner. These men were allies of Aʹbram. 14 Thus Aʹbram heard that his relative had been taken captive. With that he mobilized his trained men, 318 servants born in his household, and went in pursuit up to Dan. 15 During the night, he divided his forces, and he and his servants attacked and defeated them. And he pursued them up to Hoʹbah, which is north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods, and he also recovered Lot his relative, his goods, the women, and the other people.
17 After Aʹbram returned from defeating Ched·or·la·oʹmer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodʹom went out to meet Aʹbram at the Valley of Shaʹveh, that is, the Valley of the King. 18 And Mel·chizʹe·dek king of Saʹlem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of the Most High God.
19 Then he blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Aʹbram by the Most High God,
Maker of heaven and earth;
20 And praised be the Most High God,
Who has handed your oppressors over to you!”
And Aʹbram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 After that the king of Sodʹom said to Aʹbram: “Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Aʹbram said to the king of Sodʹom: “I raise my hand in an oath to Jehovah the Most High God, Maker of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take anything that is yours, from a thread to a sandal lace, so that you may not say, ‘I made Aʹbram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing except what the young men have already eaten. As for the share of the men who went with me, Aʹner, Eshʹcol, and Mamʹre—let them take their share.”
15 After this the word of Jehovah came to Aʹbram in a vision, saying: “Do not fear, Aʹbram. I am a shield for you. Your reward will be very great.” 2 Aʹbram replied: “Sovereign Lord Jehovah, what will you give me, seeing that I continue childless and the one who will inherit my house is a man of Damascus, E·li·eʹzer?” 3 Aʹbram added: “You have given me no offspring, and a member of my household is succeeding me as heir.” 4 But look! Jehovah’s word in reply to him was, “This man will not succeed you as heir, but your own son will succeed you as heir.”
5 He now brought him outside and said: “Look up, please, to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to do so.” Then he said to him: “So your offspring will become.” 6 And he put faith in Jehovah, and He counted it to him as righteousness. 7 Then he added: “I am Jehovah, who brought you out of Ur of the Chal·deʹans to give you this land as your possession.” 8 To this he said: “Sovereign Lord Jehovah, how will I know that I will take possession of it?” 9 He replied to him: “Take for me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 So he took all of these and cut them in two and put each part opposite the other, but he did not cut up the birds. 11 Then the birds of prey began to descend on the carcasses, but Aʹbram kept driving them away.
12 When the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Aʹbram and a great and frightening darkness descended on him. 13 Then He said to Aʹbram: “Know for certain that your offspring will be foreigners in a land not theirs and that the people there will enslave them and afflict them for 400 years. 14 But I will judge the nation they will serve, and after that they will go out with many goods. 15 As for you, you will go to your forefathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 But they will return here in the fourth generation, because the error of the Amʹor·ites has not yet reached its full measure.”
17 When the sun had set and it had become very dark, a smoking furnace appeared, and a fiery torch passed between the pieces. 18 On that day Jehovah made with Aʹbram a covenant, saying: “To your offspring I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Eu·phraʹtes: 19 the land of the Kenʹites, the Kenʹiz·zites, the Kadʹmon·ites, 20 the Hitʹtites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Rephʹa·im, 21 the Amʹor·ites, the Caʹnaan·ites, the Girʹga·shites, and the Jebʹu·sites.”
16 Now Aʹbram’s wife Sarʹai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian servant whose name was Haʹgar. 2 So Sarʹai said to Aʹbram: “Please now! Jehovah has prevented me from bearing children. Please, have relations with my servant. Perhaps I can have children by means of her.” So Aʹbram listened to what Sarʹai said. 3 After Aʹbram had lived for ten years in the land of Caʹnaan, Aʹbram’s wife Sarʹai took her Egyptian servant Haʹgar and gave her to her husband Aʹbram as his wife. 4 So he had relations with Haʹgar, and she became pregnant. When she realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
5 At this Sarʹai said to Aʹbram: “The injury done to me is your fault. I was the one who put my servant in your arms, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise me. May Jehovah judge between me and you.” 6 So Aʹbram said to Sarʹai: “Look! Your servant is under your authority. Do to her whatever you think is best.” Then Sarʹai humiliated her, and she ran away from her.
7 Later Jehovah’s angel found her at a spring of waters in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said: “Haʹgar, servant of Sarʹai, where have you come from and where are you going?” To this she said: “I am running away from my mistress Sarʹai.” 9 Jehovah’s angel then said to her: “Return to your mistress and humble yourself under her hand.” 10 Then Jehovah’s angel said: “I will greatly multiply your offspring, so that they will be too numerous to count.” 11 Jehovah’s angel added: “Here you are pregnant, and you will give birth to a son, and you must name him Ishʹma·el, for Jehovah has heard your affliction. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him, and he will dwell opposite all his brothers.”
13 Then she called on the name of Jehovah, who was speaking to her: “You are a God of sight,” for she said: “Have I here actually looked upon the one who sees me?” 14 That is why the well was called Beʹer-laʹhai-roi. (It is between Kaʹdesh and Beʹred.) 15 So Haʹgar bore to Aʹbram a son, and Aʹbram named his son, whom Haʹgar bore, Ishʹma·el. 16 Aʹbram was 86 years old when Haʹgar bore Ishʹma·el to him.
17 When Aʹbram was 99 years old, Jehovah appeared to Aʹbram and said to him: “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and prove yourself faultless. 2 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you very, very much.”
3 At this Aʹbram fell facedown, and God continued to speak with him, saying: 4 “As for me, look! my covenant is with you, and you will certainly become a father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Aʹbram; your name will become Abraham, for I will make you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very, very fruitful and will make you become nations, and kings will come from you.
7 “And I will keep my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land in which you lived as a foreigner—the entire land of Caʹnaan—for a lasting possession, and I will be their God.”
9 God said further to Abraham: “As for you, you are to keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant between me and you, that you and your offspring after you will keep: Every male among you must get circumcised. 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it will serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 Throughout your generations, every male among you eight days old must be circumcised, anyone who is born in the house and anyone who is not one of your offspring and who was purchased with money from a foreigner. 13 Every man born in your house and every man purchased with your money must be circumcised, and my covenant in your flesh must serve as a lasting covenant. 14 If any uncircumcised male will not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin, that person must be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham: “As for your wife Sarʹai, you must not call her Sarʹai, because Sarah will become her name. 16 I will bless her and also give you a son by her; I will bless her and she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” 17 At this Abraham fell facedown and began to laugh and to say in his heart: “Will a man 100 years old have a child born to him, and will Sarah, a woman 90 years old, give birth?”
18 So Abraham said to the true God: “O that Ishʹma·el might live before you!” 19 To this God said: “Your wife Sarah will definitely bear you a son, and you must name him Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him. 20 But as regards Ishʹma·el, I have heard you. Look! I will bless him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him very, very much. He will produce 12 chieftains, and I will make him become a great nation. 21 However, I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this appointed time next year.”
22 When God finished speaking with him, he went up from Abraham. 23 Abraham then took Ishʹma·el his son and all the men born in his house and everyone he had purchased with money, every male in the household of Abraham, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, just as God had spoken with him. 24 Abraham was 99 years old when he had the flesh of his foreskin circumcised. 25 And Ishʹma·el his son was 13 years old when he had the flesh of his foreskin circumcised. 26 On that very day, Abraham was circumcised and also his son Ishʹma·el. 27 All the men of his household, anyone born in the house and anyone purchased with money from a foreigner, were also circumcised with him.
18 Afterward, Jehovah appeared to him among the big trees of Mamʹre while he was sitting at the entrance of the tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing some distance from him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, and he bowed down to the ground. 3 Then he said: “Jehovah, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant. 4 Please, let a little water be brought and have your feet washed; then recline under the tree. 5 Seeing that you have come here to your servant, let me bring a piece of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. Then you may go on your way.” At this they said: “All right. You may do as you have spoken.”
6 So Abraham hurried to the tent to Sarah and said: “Quick! Get three measures of fine flour, knead the dough, and make loaves of bread.” 7 Next Abraham ran to the herd and chose a tender and good young bull. He gave it to the attendant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then took butter and milk and the young bull that he had prepared and set the food before them. Then he stood by them under the tree as they were eating.
9 They said to him: “Where is your wife Sarah?” He replied: “Here in the tent.” 10 So one of them continued: “I will surely return to you next year at this time, and look! your wife Sarah will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the tent entrance, which was behind the man. 11 Abraham and Sarah were old, being advanced in years. Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah began to laugh to herself, saying: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I really have this pleasure?” 13 Then Jehovah said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Am I really going to give birth even though I am old?’ 14 Is anything too extraordinary for Jehovah? I will return to you next year at this appointed time, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh!” for she was afraid. At this he said: “Yes! You did laugh.”
16 When the men got up to leave and looked down toward Sodʹom, Abraham was walking with them to escort them. 17 Jehovah said: “Am I keeping hidden from Abraham what I am going to do? 18 Why, Abraham is surely going to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by means of him. 19 For I have come to know him in order that he may command his sons and his household after him to keep Jehovah’s way by doing what is right and just, so that Jehovah may bring about what he has promised concerning Abraham.”
20 Then Jehovah said: “The outcry against Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah is indeed great, and their sin is very heavy. 21 I will go down to see whether they are acting according to the outcry that has reached me. And if not, I can get to know it.”
22 Then the men left from there and went toward Sodʹom, but Jehovah remained with Abraham. 23 Then Abraham approached and said: “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are 50 righteous men within the city. Will you, then, sweep them away and not pardon the place for the sake of the 50 righteous who are inside it? 25 It is unthinkable that you would act in this manner by putting the righteous man to death with the wicked one so that the outcome for the righteous man and the wicked is the same! It is unthinkable of you. Will the Judge of all the earth not do what is right?” 26 Then Jehovah said: “If I find in Sodʹom 50 righteous men in the city, I will pardon the whole place for their sake.” 27 But Abraham again responded: “Please, here I have presumed to speak to Jehovah, whereas I am dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the 50 righteous should lack five. Because of the five will you destroy the whole city?” To this he said: “I will not destroy it if I find there 45.”
29 But yet again he spoke to him and said: “Suppose 40 are found there.” He answered: “I will not do it for the sake of the 40.” 30 But he continued: “Jehovah, please, do not become hot with anger, but let me go on speaking: Suppose only 30 are found there.” He answered: “I will not do it if I find 30 there.” 31 But he continued: “Please, here I have presumed to speak to Jehovah: Suppose only 20 are found there.” He answered: “I will not destroy it for the sake of the 20.” 32 Finally he said: “Jehovah, please, do not become hot with anger, but let me speak just once more: Suppose only ten are found there.” He answered: “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” 33 When Jehovah finished speaking to Abraham, he went his way and Abraham returned to his place.
19 The two angels arrived at Sodʹom by evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodʹom. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the earth. 2 And he said: “Please, my lords, turn aside, please, into the house of your servant and stay overnight and have your feet washed. Then you may get up early and travel on your way.” To this they said: “No, we will stay overnight in the public square.” 3 But he was so insistent with them that they went with him to his house. Then he made a feast for them, and he baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 Before they could lie down to sleep, the men of the city—the men of Sodʹom from boy to old man, all of them—surrounded the house in one mob. 5 And they kept calling out to Lot and saying to him: “Where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may have sex with them.”
6 Then Lot went out to them to the doorway, and he shut the door behind him. 7 He said: “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8 Please, here I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with a man. Please, let me bring them out to you for you to do to them whatever seems good to you. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9 At this they said: “Stand back!” And they added: “This lone foreigner came to live here, and yet he dares to judge us! Now we are going to do worse to you than to them.” And they crowded in on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. 10 So the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and they shut the door. 11 But they struck the men who were at the entrance of the house with blindness, from the least to the greatest, so that they wore themselves out trying to find the doorway.
12 Then the men said to Lot: “Do you have anyone else here? Sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and all your people in the city, bring out of this place! 13 For we are going to destroy this place, because the outcry against them has indeed grown great before Jehovah, so that Jehovah sent us to destroy the city.” 14 So Lot went out and began to speak to his sons-in-law who were to marry his daughters, and he kept saying: “Get up! Get out of this place, because Jehovah will destroy the city!” But to his sons-in-law, he seemed to be joking.
15 As dawn was breaking, the angels became urgent with Lot, saying: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here with you, so that you will not be swept away in the error of the city!” 16 When he kept lingering, then because of Jehovah’s compassion for him, the men seized hold of his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, and they brought him out and stationed him outside the city. 17 As soon as they had brought them to the outskirts, he said: “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you and do not stand still in any part of the district! Escape to the mountainous region so that you may not be swept away!”
18 Then Lot said to them: “Not there, please, Jehovah! 19 Please, now, your servant has found favor in your eyes and you are showing great kindness to me by preserving me alive, but I am not able to flee to the mountainous region because I am afraid that disaster may overtake me and I will die. 20 Please, now, this town is nearby and I can flee there; it is only a small place. May I, please, escape there? It is only a small place. Then I will survive.” 21 So he said to him: “Very well, I will also show you consideration by not overthrowing the town you speak of. 22 Hurry! Escape there, because I cannot do anything until you arrive there!” That is why he named the town Zoʹar.
23 The sun had risen over the land when Lot arrived at Zoʹar. 24 Then Jehovah made it rain sulfur and fire on Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah—it came from Jehovah, from the heavens. 25 So he overthrew these cities, yes, the entire district, including all the inhabitants of the cities and the plants of the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife, who was behind him, began to look back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Now Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Jehovah. 28 When he looked down toward Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah and all the land of the district, he saw quite a sight. There was dense smoke rising from the land like the dense smoke of a kiln! 29 So when God destroyed the cities of the district, God kept Abraham in mind by sending Lot out from the cities he overthrew, the cities where Lot had been dwelling.
30 Later Lot went up from Zoʹar with his two daughters and began living in the mountainous region, because he was afraid to live in Zoʹar. So he began living in a cave with his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said to the younger: “Our father is old, and there is not a man in the land to have relations with us according to the custom of the whole earth. 32 Come, let us give our father wine to drink, and let us lie down with him and preserve offspring from our father.”
33 So that night they kept giving their father wine to drink; then the firstborn went in and lay down with her father, but he did not know when she lay down and when she got up. 34 Then on the next day, the firstborn said to the younger: “Here I lay down with my father last night. Let us give him wine to drink tonight also. Then you go in and lie down with him, and let us preserve offspring from our father.” 35 So that night also, they repeatedly gave their father wine to drink; then the younger went and lay down with him, but he did not know when she lay down and when she got up. 36 So both daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moʹab. He is the father of the Moʹab·ites of today. 38 The younger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-amʹmi. He is the father of the Amʹmon·ites of today.
20 Now Abraham moved his camp from there to the land of the Negʹeb and began dwelling between Kaʹdesh and Shur. While he was residing at Geʹrar, 2 Abraham repeated concerning his wife Sarah: “She is my sister.” So A·bimʹe·lech king of Geʹrar sent for Sarah and took her. 3 Afterward, God came by night to A·bimʹe·lech in a dream and said to him: “Here you are as good as dead because of the woman whom you have taken, since she is married and belongs to another man.” 4 However, A·bimʹe·lech had not gone near her. So he said: “Jehovah, will you kill a nation that is really innocent? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and did she too not say, ‘He is my brother’? I did this with an honest heart and innocent hands.” 6 Then the true God said to him in the dream: “I know that you did this with an honest heart, so I held you back from sinning against me. That is why I did not allow you to touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will make supplication for you and you will keep living. But if you are not returning her, know that you will surely die, you and all who are yours.”
8 A·bimʹe·lech got up early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things, and they became very frightened. 9 Then A·bimʹe·lech called Abraham and said to him: “What have you done to us? What sin have I committed against you that you would bring upon me and my kingdom such a great sin? What you have done to me was not right.” 10 And A·bimʹe·lech went on to say to Abraham: “What were your intentions when you did this thing?” 11 Abraham said: “It was because I said to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 And besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 So when God caused me to wander from the house of my father, I said to her: ‘Let this be how you show loyal love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
14 A·bimʹe·lech then took sheep and cattle and male and female servants and gave them to Abraham, and he returned his wife Sarah to him. 15 A·bimʹe·lech also said: “Here my land is available to you. Dwell wherever you please.” 16 And to Sarah he said: “Here I give 1,000 pieces of silver to your brother. It is a sign of your innocence to all who are with you and before everybody, and you are cleared of reproach.” 17 And Abraham began to make supplication to the true God, and God healed A·bimʹe·lech and his wife and his slave girls, and they began having children; 18 for Jehovah had made all the women of the house of A·bimʹe·lech barren because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21 Jehovah turned his attention to Sarah just as he had said, and Jehovah did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 So Sarah became pregnant and then bore a son to Abraham in his old age at the appointed time God had promised him. 3 Abraham named his newborn son, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, just as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Then Sarah said: “God has brought me laughter; everybody hearing of it will laugh with me.” 7 And she added: “Who would have said to Abraham, ‘Sarah will certainly nurse children’? Yet, I have given birth to a son for him in his old age.”
8 Now the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham prepared a big feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah kept noticing that the son of Haʹgar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, was mocking Isaac. 10 So she said to Abraham: “Drive out this slave girl and her son, for the son of this slave girl is not going to be an heir along with my son, with Isaac!” 11 But what she said about his son was very displeasing to Abraham. 12 Then God said to Abraham: “Do not be displeased by what Sarah is saying to you about the boy and about your slave girl. Listen to her, for what will be called your offspring will be through Isaac. 13 As for the son of the slave girl, I will also make a nation out of him, because he is your offspring.”
14 So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin bottle of water and gave it to Haʹgar. He set these on her shoulder and then sent her away along with the boy. So she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beʹer-sheʹba. 15 Finally the water in the skin bottle was used up, and she pushed the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went on and sat down by herself, about the distance of a bowshot away, because she said: “I do not want to watch the boy die.” So she sat down at a distance and began to cry aloud and to weep.
17 At that God heard the voice of the boy, and God’s angel called to Haʹgar from the heavens and said to her: “What is the matter with you, Haʹgar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy there where he is. 18 Get up, lift the boy and take hold of him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the skin bottle with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 He took up dwelling in the wilderness of Paʹran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
22 At that time A·bimʹe·lech together with Phiʹcol the chief of his army said to Abraham: “God is with you in everything you are doing. 23 So now swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me and with my offspring and with my descendants, and that you will deal with me and with the land where you have been residing with the same loyal love that I have shown you.” 24 So Abraham said: “I swear to this.”
25 However, Abraham complained to A·bimʹe·lech about the well of water that the servants of A·bimʹe·lech had violently seized. 26 A·bimʹe·lech replied: “I do not know who did this; you did not tell me about it, and I heard nothing about it until today.” 27 At that Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to A·bimʹe·lech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28 When Abraham set seven female lambs apart from the flock by themselves, 29 A·bimʹe·lech said to Abraham: “Why have you set these seven female lambs here by themselves?” 30 Then he said: “You are to accept the seven female lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.” 31 That is why he called that place Beʹer-sheʹba, because there both of them had taken an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beʹer-sheʹba, after which A·bimʹe·lech got up together with Phiʹcol the chief of his army, and they returned to the land of the Phi·lisʹtines. 33 After that he planted a tamarisk tree at Beʹer-sheʹba, and there he called on the name of Jehovah, the everlasting God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Phi·lisʹtines for a long time.
22 Now after this the true God put Abraham to the test, and he said to him: “Abraham!” to which he replied: “Here I am!” 2 Then he said: “Take, please, your son, your only son whom you so love, Isaac, and travel to the land of Mo·riʹah and offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will designate to you.”
3 So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his servants along with him and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and then he rose and traveled to the place that the true God indicated to him. 4 On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place from a distance. 5 Abraham now said to his servants: “You stay here with the donkey, but the boy and I will go over there and worship and return to you.”
6 So Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took in his hands the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together. 7 Then Isaac said to his father Abraham: “My father!” He replied: “Yes, my son!” So he continued: “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 To this Abraham said: “God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering, my son.” And both of them walked on together.
9 Finally they reached the place that the true God had indicated to him, and Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac hand and foot and put him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But Jehovah’s angel called to him from the heavens and said: “Abraham, Abraham!” to which he answered: “Here I am!” 12 Then he said: “Do not harm the boy, and do not do anything at all to him, for now I do know that you are God-fearing because you have not withheld your son, your only one, from me.” 13 At that Abraham looked up, and there just beyond him was a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place Je·hoʹvah-jiʹreh. This is why it is still said today: “In the mountain of Jehovah it will be provided.”
15 And Jehovah’s angel called to Abraham a second time from the heavens, 16 saying: “‘By myself I swear,’ declares Jehovah, ‘that because you have done this and you have not withheld your son, your only one, 17 I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens and like the grains of sand on the seashore, and your offspring will take possession of the gate of his enemies. 18 And by means of your offspring all nations of the earth will obtain a blessing for themselves because you have listened to my voice.’”
19 After that Abraham returned to his servants, and they got up and went back together to Beʹer-sheʹba; and Abraham continued to dwell at Beʹer-sheʹba.
20 After this it was reported to Abraham: “Here Milʹcah has also borne sons to Naʹhor your brother: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kem·uʹel the father of Aʹram, 22 Cheʹsed, Haʹzo, Pilʹdash, Jidʹlaph, and Be·thuʹel.” 23 Be·thuʹel became the father of Re·bekʹah. Milʹcah bore these eight to Naʹhor the brother of Abraham. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reuʹmah, also bore sons: Teʹbah, Gaʹham, Taʹhash, and Maʹa·cah.
23 And Sarah lived for 127 years; these were the years of Sarah’s life. 2 So Sarah died in Kirʹi·ath-arʹba, that is, Hebʹron, in the land of Caʹnaan, and Abraham began to mourn and to weep over Sarah. 3 Then Abraham got up from before his dead wife and he said to the sons of Heth: 4 “I am a foreigner and settler among you. Give me a property to serve as a burial place in your midst so that I may remove my dead for burial.” 5 At this the sons of Heth answered Abraham: 6 “Hear us, my lord. You are a chieftain of God among us. You may bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will hold back his burial place from you to prevent you from burying your dead.”
7 So Abraham got up and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth, 8 and said to them: “If you agree to let me remove my dead for burial, then listen to me and urge Eʹphron the son of Zoʹhar 9 to sell me the cave of Mach·peʹlah, which belongs to him; it is at the edge of his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence for the full amount of silver so that I may have a property for a burial place.”
10 Now Eʹphron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So Eʹphron the Hitʹtite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth, and before all who entered the gate of his city, saying: 11 “No, my lord! Listen to me. I give you both the field and the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people, I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 At that Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and spoke to Eʹphron in the hearing of the people, saying: “Listen to me, if you will! I will give you the full amount of silver for the field. Take it from me, in order that I may bury my dead there.”
14 Then Eʹphron answered Abraham: 15 “My lord, listen to me. This land is worth 400 silver shekels, but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Eʹphron, and Abraham weighed out to Eʹphron the amount of silver that he had mentioned in the hearing of the sons of Heth, 400 silver shekels according to the weight accepted by the merchants. 17 Thus the field of Eʹphron in Mach·peʹlah, which was in front of Mamʹre—the field and the cave in it and all the trees within the boundaries of the field—became confirmed as 18 Abraham’s purchased property in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all those entering the gate of his city. 19 After that Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Mach·peʹlah in front of Mamʹre, that is, Hebʹron, in the land of Caʹnaan. 20 Thus the field and the cave that was in it were transferred by the sons of Heth to Abraham as property for a burial place.
24 Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in everything. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest one of his household, who was managing all he had: “Please put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by Jehovah, the God of the heavens and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Caʹnaan·ites, among whom I am dwelling. 4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.”
5 However, the servant said to him: “What if the woman is not willing to come with me to this land? Must I then return your son to the land from which you came?” 6 At this Abraham said to him: “See that you do not take my son there. 7 Jehovah the God of the heavens, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my relatives and who spoke with me and swore to me: ‘To your offspring I am going to give this land,’ he will send his angel ahead of you, and you will certainly take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is unwilling to come with you, you will be free from this oath. But you must not take my son there.” 9 With that the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 So the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking along all sorts of good things from his master. Then he went on his way to Mes·o·po·taʹmi·a, to the city of Naʹhor. 11 He had the camels kneel down at a well of water outside the city. It was about evening, the time when the women would go out to draw water. 12 Then he said: “Jehovah the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success this day, and show your loyal love to my master Abraham. 13 Here I am standing at a spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 May it happen that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your water jar so that I may take a drink,’ and who replies, ‘Take a drink, and I will also water your camels,’ let this be the one you choose for your servant Isaac; and by this let me know that you have shown your loyal love to my master.”
15 Even before he finished speaking, Re·bekʹah, who was the daughter of Be·thuʹel the son of Milʹcah the wife of Naʹhor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 Now the young woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had had sexual relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her water jar, and then came back up. 17 At once the servant ran to meet her and said: “Please give me a little sip of water from your jar.” 18 In turn she said: “Drink, my lord.” With that she quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she finished giving him a drink, she said: “I will also draw water for your camels until they are done drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the drinking trough and ran again and again to the well to draw water, and she kept drawing water for all his camels. 21 The whole time the man silently stared at her in amazement, wondering whether Jehovah had made his trip successful or not.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out for her a gold nose ring weighing a half shekel and two bracelets of gold weighing ten shekels, 23 and he said: “Please tell me, whose daughter are you? Is there any room at your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 At that she said to him: “I am the daughter of Be·thuʹel the son of Milʹcah, whom she bore to Naʹhor.” 25 And she added: “We have both straw and much fodder and also a place to spend the night.” 26 Then the man bowed down and prostrated himself before Jehovah 27 and said: “May Jehovah be praised, the God of my master Abraham, for he has not abandoned his loyal love and his faithfulness toward my master. Jehovah has guided me to the house of the brothers of my master.”
28 And the young woman ran to tell her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Re·bekʹah had a brother whose name was Laʹban. So Laʹban ran to the man who was outside at the spring. 30 When he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the hands of his sister and heard the words of his sister Re·bekʹah, who was saying, “This is the way the man spoke to me,” he came to meet the man, who was still there standing by the camels at the spring. 31 At once he said: “Come, you who are blessed by Jehovah. Why do you keep standing out here? I have made the house ready and a place for the camels.” 32 With that the man came into the house, and he unharnessed the camels and gave straw and fodder to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 However, when something to eat was set before him, he said: “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.” So Laʹban said: “Speak!”
34 Then he said: “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 And Jehovah has blessed my master very much, and he has made him very wealthy by giving him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 Further, Sarah the wife of my master bore a son to my master after she grew old, and he will give him everything he has. 37 So my master made me swear, saying: ‘You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Caʹnaan·ites, in whose land I am dwelling. 38 No, but you will go to the house of my father and to my family, and you must take a wife for my son.’ 39 But I said to my master: ‘What if the woman is unwilling to come with me?’ 40 He said to me: ‘Jehovah, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and will certainly give success to your journey, and you must take a wife for my son from my family and from the house of my father. 41 You will be released from your oath to me if you go to my family and they will not give her to you. This will release you from your oath.’
42 “When I got to the spring today, I said: ‘Jehovah the God of my master Abraham, if you will make my journey successful, 43 here I am standing at a spring. What must take place is that when a young woman comes out to draw water, I will say, “Please, let me drink a little water from your jar,” 44 and she will say to me, “You take a drink, and I will also draw water for your camels.” Let that woman be the one whom Jehovah has chosen for the son of my master.’
45 “Before I was finished speaking in my heart, there was Re·bekʹah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she made her way down to the spring and began to draw water. Then I said to her: ‘Give me a drink, please.’ 46 So she quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said: ‘Take a drink, and I will also water your camels.’ Then I took a drink, and she also watered the camels. 47 After that I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ to which she replied, ‘The daughter of Be·thuʹel the son of Naʹhor, whom Milʹcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her hands. 48 And I bowed down and prostrated myself before Jehovah and praised Jehovah the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to take the daughter of the brother of my master for his son. 49 And now tell me if you wish to show loyal love and faithfulness toward my master; but if not, tell me, so that I may proceed one way or the other.”
50 Then Laʹban and Be·thuʹel answered: “This is from Jehovah. We are not able to say yes or no to you. 51 Here is Re·bekʹah before you. Take her and go, and let her become a wife to the son of your master, just as Jehovah has spoken.” 52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he at once bowed down on the ground before Jehovah. 53 And the servant began to bring out articles of silver and of gold and garments and to give them to Re·bekʹah, and he gave valuable things to her brother and to her mother. 54 After that he and the men with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there.
When he got up in the morning, he said: “Send me off to my master.” 55 To this her brother and her mother said: “Let the young woman stay with us at least ten days. Then she can go.” 56 But he said to them: “Do not detain me, seeing that Jehovah has made my journey successful. Send me off, in order that I may go to my master.” 57 So they said: “Let us call the young woman and inquire of her.” 58 They called Re·bekʹah and said to her: “Will you go with this man?” She replied: “I am willing to go.”
59 So they sent off their sister Re·bekʹah and her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Re·bekʹah and said to her: “Our sister, may you become thousands times ten thousand, and let your offspring take possession of the gate of those who hate them.” 61 Then Re·bekʹah and her female attendants rose, got on the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Re·bekʹah and went on his way.
62 Now Isaac had come from the direction of Beʹer-laʹhai-roi, for he was dwelling in the land of the Negʹeb. 63 And Isaac was out walking in the field about nightfall to meditate. When he looked up, why, he saw that camels were coming! 64 When Re·bekʹah looked up, she caught sight of Isaac, and she quickly got down from the camel. 65 Then she asked the servant: “Who is that man there walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said: “It is my master.” So she took her veil to cover herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things he had done. 67 After that Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother. Thus he took Re·bekʹah as his wife; and he fell in love with her, and Isaac found comfort after the loss of his mother.
25 Now Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Ke·tuʹrah. 2 In time she bore him Zimʹran, Jokʹshan, Meʹdan, Midʹi·an, Ishʹbak, and Shuʹah.
3 Jokʹshan became father to Sheʹba and Deʹdan.
The sons of Deʹdan were As·shuʹrim, Le·tuʹshim, and Le·umʹmim.
4 The sons of Midʹi·an were Eʹphah, Eʹpher, Haʹnoch, A·biʹda, and El·daʹah.
All of these were the sons of Ke·tuʹrah.
5 Later on Abraham gave everything he had to Isaac, 6 but Abraham gave gifts to his sons by his concubines. Then while he was still alive, he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the land of the East. 7 The years of Abraham’s life were 175 years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, old and satisfied, and was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishʹma·el buried him in the cave of Mach·peʹlah in the field of Eʹphron the son of Zoʹhar the Hitʹtite that is in front of Mamʹre, 10 the field that Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God continued to bless his son Isaac, and Isaac was dwelling near Beʹer-laʹhai-roi.
12 This is the history of Ishʹma·el the son of Abraham whom Haʹgar the Egyptian, the servant of Sarah, bore to Abraham.
13 Now these are the names of the sons of Ishʹma·el, by their names according to their family origins: Ishʹma·el’s firstborn Ne·baʹioth, then Keʹdar, Adʹbe·el, Mibʹsam, 14 Mishʹma, Duʹmah, Masʹsa, 15 Haʹdad, Teʹma, Jeʹtur, Naʹphish, and Kedʹe·mah. 16 These are the sons of Ishʹma·el, and these are their names by their settlements and by their encampments, 12 chieftains according to their clans. 17 And Ishʹma·el lived for 137 years. Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people. 18 And they took up dwelling from Havʹi·lah near Shur, which is close to Egypt, as far as As·syrʹi·a. He settled near all his brothers.
19 And this is the history of Isaac the son of Abraham.
Abraham became father to Isaac. 20 Isaac was 40 years old when he married Re·bekʹah, the daughter of Be·thuʹel the A·ra·maeʹan of Padʹdan-aʹram, the sister of Laʹban the A·ra·maeʹan. 21 And Isaac kept pleading with Jehovah regarding his wife, because she was barren; so Jehovah responded to his plea, and his wife Re·bekʹah became pregnant. 22 And the sons within her began to struggle with each other, so that she said: “If this is the way it is, why should I go on living?” So she inquired of Jehovah. 23 And Jehovah said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you; and the one nation will be stronger than the other nation, and the older will serve the younger.”
24 When the time came for her to give birth, look! twins were in her womb. 25 Then the first came out red all over and was like a garment of hair, so they named him Eʹsau. 26 After that his brother came out and his hand was holding onto the heel of Eʹsau, so he named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when she gave birth to them.
27 As the boys got bigger, Eʹsau became a skilled hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a blameless man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Eʹsau because it meant game in his mouth, whereas Re·bekʹah loved Jacob. 29 On one occasion Jacob was boiling some stew when Eʹsau returned from the field exhausted. 30 So Eʹsau said to Jacob: “Quick, please, give me some of the red stew that you have there, for I am exhausted!” That is why his name was Eʹdom. 31 To this Jacob said: “First sell me your right as firstborn!” 32 And Eʹsau continued: “Here I am about to die! What use is a birthright to me?” 33 And Jacob added: “Swear to me first!” So he swore to him and sold his right as firstborn to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Eʹsau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and he got up and went away. Thus Eʹsau despised the birthright.
26 Now there was a famine in the land, in addition to the first famine that occurred in the days of Abraham, so that Isaac went to A·bimʹe·lech king of the Phi·lisʹtines, in Geʹrar. 2 Then Jehovah appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt. Dwell in the land that I designate to you. 3 Reside as a foreigner in this land, and I will continue with you and bless you because to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will carry out the oath that I swore to your father Abraham: 4 ‘I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens; and I will give to your offspring all these lands; and by means of your offspring, all nations of the earth will obtain a blessing for themselves,’ 5 on account of the fact that Abraham listened to my voice and continued to keep my requirements, my commands, my statutes, and my laws.” 6 So Isaac continued to dwell in Geʹrar.
7 When the men of the place kept asking about his wife, he would say: “She is my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he said, “The men of the place might kill me because of Re·bekʹah,” for she was beautiful in appearance. 8 After some time had passed, A·bimʹe·lech king of the Phi·lisʹtines was looking out of the window, and he saw Isaac displaying affection for Re·bekʹah his wife. 9 At once A·bimʹe·lech called Isaac and said: “She is actually your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” At this Isaac said to him: “I said it for fear I should die because of her.” 10 But A·bimʹe·lech continued: “What have you done to us? One of the people could easily have lain down with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us!” 11 Then A·bimʹe·lech commanded all the people, saying: “Anybody touching this man and his wife will surely be put to death!”
12 And Isaac began to sow seed in that land, and in that year he reaped 100 times what he sowed, for Jehovah was blessing him. 13 The man became wealthy, and he continued to prosper until he became very wealthy. 14 He acquired flocks of sheep and herds of cattle and a large body of servants, and the Phi·lisʹtines began to envy him.
15 So the Phi·lisʹtines took soil and stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham. 16 A·bimʹe·lech then said to Isaac: “Move from our neighborhood, for you have grown far stronger than we are.” 17 So Isaac moved from there and encamped in the valley of Geʹrar and began dwelling there. 18 And Isaac again dug the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham but that the Phi·lisʹtines had stopped up after Abraham’s death, and he called them by the names that his father had given them.
19 When the servants of Isaac were digging in the valley, they found a well of fresh water. 20 And the shepherds of Geʹrar began quarreling with the shepherds of Isaac, saying: “The water is ours!” So he named the well Eʹsek, because they had quarreled with him. 21 And they started digging another well, and they began quarreling over it also. So he named it Sitʹnah. 22 Later he moved away from there and dug another well, but they did not quarrel over it. So he named it Re·hoʹboth and said: “It is because now Jehovah has given us ample room and has made us fruitful in the land.”
23 Then he went up from there to Beʹer-sheʹba. 24 That night Jehovah appeared to him and said: “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your offspring on account of Abraham my servant.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of Jehovah. And Isaac pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well there.
26 Later A·bimʹe·lech came to him from Geʹrar with A·huzʹzath his personal adviser and Phiʹcol the chief of his army. 27 At this Isaac said to them: “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hated me and sent me away from your neighborhood?” 28 To this they said: “We have clearly seen that Jehovah has been with you. So we said, ‘Let there, please, be an oath of obligation between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you 29 that you will do nothing bad to us just as we have not harmed you, seeing that we have done only good to you in that we sent you away in peace. You now are the blessed of Jehovah.’” 30 Then he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they got up early and swore an oath to each other. After that Isaac sent them away, and they went from him in peace.
32 On that day the servants of Isaac came and reported to him about the well that they had dug, and they told him: “We have found water!” 33 So he named it Shiʹbah. That is why the name of the city is Beʹer-sheʹba to this day.
34 When Eʹsau was 40 years old, he took as wife Juʹdith the daughter of Be·eʹri the Hitʹtite and also Basʹe·math the daughter of Eʹlon the Hitʹtite. 35 They were a source of great grief to Isaac and Re·bekʹah.
27 Now when Isaac was old and his eyes were too weak to see, he called Eʹsau his older son to him and said: “My son!” He replied: “Here I am!” 2 And he went on to say: “I have now grown old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 So at this time take, please, your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt some wild game for me. 4 Then make the kind of tasty dish that I am fond of and bring it to me. Then I will eat it so that I may bless you before I die.”
5 However, Re·bekʹah was listening while Isaac spoke to Eʹsau his son. And Eʹsau went out into the field to hunt game and to bring it in. 6 And Re·bekʹah said to Jacob her son: “I just heard your father speaking to your brother Eʹsau, saying, 7 ‘Bring me some game and make me a tasty dish. Then let me eat so that I may bless you before Jehovah before my death.’ 8 And now, my son, listen carefully and do what I am instructing you. 9 Go, please, to the herd and get me two of the best young goats from there so that I may prepare from them a tasty dish for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, in order that he may bless you before his death.”
11 Jacob said to his mother Re·bekʹah: “But Eʹsau my brother is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth. 12 What if my father feels me? Then I will certainly appear to be mocking him, and I will bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing.” 13 At this his mother said to him: “Upon me be the curse meant for you, my son. Just do as I say and go, get them for me.” 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made a tasty dish, just the way his father liked it. 15 After that Re·bekʹah took her older son Eʹsau’s finest garments, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the hairless part of his neck. 17 Then she handed the tasty dish and the bread that she had made to her son Jacob.
18 So he went in to his father and said: “My father!” to which he said: “Here I am! Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father: “I am Eʹsau your firstborn. I have done just as you told me. Sit up, please, and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.” 20 At that Isaac said to his son: “How were you so quick in finding it, my son?” He replied: “Because Jehovah your God brought it to me.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob: “Come near, please, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Eʹsau or not.” 22 So Jacob came near to his father Isaac, and he felt him, after which he said: “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Eʹsau.” 23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of his brother Eʹsau. So he blessed him.
24 After that he asked: “Are you really my son Eʹsau?” to which he replied: “I am.” 25 Then he said: “Bring me some of the wild game for me to eat, my son, then I will bless you.” With that he brought it to him and he ate, and he brought him wine and he drank. 26 Then Isaac his father said to him: “Come near, please, and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him, and he could smell the scent of his garments. Then he blessed him and said:
“See, the scent of my son is like the scent of the field that Jehovah has blessed. 28 May the true God give you the dews of the heavens and the fertile soils of the earth and an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, and let nations bow low to you. Be master over your brothers, and let the sons of your mother bow low to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you.”
30 Now Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had barely left the presence of his father Isaac when his brother Eʹsau came back from his hunting. 31 He too prepared a tasty dish and brought it to his father, and he said to his father: “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, in order that you may bless me.” 32 At this his father Isaac said to him: “Who are you?” to which he said: “I am your son, your firstborn, Eʹsau.” 33 And Isaac began to tremble violently, so he said: “Who was it, then, who hunted for game and brought it to me? I already ate it before you arrived, and I blessed him—and he will surely be blessed!”
34 On hearing his father’s words, Eʹsau began to cry out in an extremely loud and bitter manner and to say to his father: “Bless me, yes, me too, my father!” 35 But he said: “Your brother came deceitfully so that he might get the blessing meant for you.” 36 At this he said: “Is he not rightly named Jacob, that he might supplant me these two times? My birthright he has already taken, and now he has taken my blessing!” Then he added: “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 But Isaac answered Eʹsau: “Here I have appointed him master over you, and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and I have bestowed grain and new wine for his support. What is left that I can do for you, my son?”
38 Eʹsau said to his father: “Is there just one blessing that you have, my father? Bless me, yes, me too, my father!” With that Eʹsau cried loudly and burst into tears. 39 So his father Isaac answered him:
“See, away from the fertile soils of the earth your dwelling will be, and away from the dew of the heavens above. 40 And by your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will indeed break his yoke off your neck.”
41 However, Eʹsau harbored animosity against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him, and Eʹsau kept saying in his heart: “The days of mourning for my father are getting closer. After that I am going to kill Jacob my brother.” 42 When the words of her older son Eʹsau were told to Re·bekʹah, she at once sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him: “Look! Your brother Eʹsau is planning to take revenge by killing you. 43 Now, my son, do as I say. Get up and run away to my brother Laʹban at Haʹran. 44 Dwell with him for a while until your brother’s rage calms down, 45 until your brother’s anger toward you subsides and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 After that Re·bekʹah kept saying to Isaac: “I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob ever takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these daughters of the land, what good is my life?”
28 So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and commanded him, saying: “You must not take a wife from the daughters of Caʹnaan. 2 Go away to Padʹdan-aʹram to the house of Be·thuʹel, your mother’s father, and from there take for yourself a wife from the daughters of Laʹban, your mother’s brother. 3 God Almighty will bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and you will certainly become a congregation of peoples. 4 And he will give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you, so that you may take possession of the land where you have been living as a foreigner, which God has given to Abraham.”
5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he departed for Padʹdan-aʹram, to Laʹban the son of Be·thuʹel the A·ra·maeʹan, the brother of Re·bekʹah, the mother of Jacob and Eʹsau.
6 Eʹsau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him away to Padʹdan-aʹram to take a wife from there and that when he blessed him, he commanded him, “Do not take a wife from the daughters of Caʹnaan,” 7 and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and departed for Padʹdan-aʹram. 8 Eʹsau then realized that the daughters of Caʹnaan were displeasing to his father Isaac, 9 so Eʹsau went to Ishʹma·el and took as wife Maʹha·lath the daughter of Abraham’s son Ishʹma·el, the sister of Ne·baʹioth, in addition to the other wives he already had.
10 Jacob departed from Beʹer-sheʹba and kept going toward Haʹran. 11 In time he came to a place and prepared to spend the night there because the sun had set. So he took one of the stones of that place and set it to rest his head on and lay down there. 12 Then he had a dream, and look! there was a stairway set on the earth, and its top reached up to the heavens; and there were God’s angels ascending and descending on it. 13 And look! there was Jehovah stationed above it, and he said:
“I am Jehovah the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, to you I am going to give it and to your offspring. 14 And your offspring will certainly become like the dust particles of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and by means of you and by means of your offspring all the families of the ground will certainly be blessed. 15 I am with you, and I will safeguard you wherever you go, and I will return you to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said: “Truly Jehovah is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he grew fearful and added: “How awe-inspiring this place is! This can only be the house of God, and this is the gate of the heavens.” 18 So Jacob got up early in the morning and took the stone on which he had rested his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 So he named that place Bethʹel, but previously the city’s name was Luz.
20 Jacob then made a vow, saying: “If God will continue with me and will protect me on my journey and will give me bread to eat and garments to wear 21 and I return in peace to the house of my father, then Jehovah will certainly have proved to be my God. 22 And this stone that I have set up as a pillar will become a house of God, and without fail I will give you a tenth of everything you give to me.”
29 After that Jacob resumed his journey and traveled on to the land of the people of the East. 2 Now he saw a well in the field and three droves of sheep lying down next to it, because they usually watered the droves from that well. There was a large stone over the mouth of the well. 3 When all the droves had been gathered there, they rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, and they watered the flocks, after which they returned the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 So Jacob said to them: “My brothers, what place are you from?” to which they said: “We are from Haʹran.” 5 He said to them: “Do you know Laʹban the grandson of Naʹhor?” to which they said: “We know him.” 6 At this he said to them: “Is he well?” They replied: “He is well. And here is his daughter Rachel coming with the sheep!” 7 Then he said: “It is still the middle of the day. It is not the time for gathering the herds. Water the sheep, and then go feed them.” 8 To this they said: “We are not allowed to do so until all the droves are gathered and they roll the stone away from the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep.”
9 While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laʹban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laʹban, Jacob immediately approached and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of Laʹban his mother’s brother. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and raised his voice and burst into tears. 12 And Jacob began to tell Rachel that he was the relative of her father and that he was the son of Re·bekʹah. And she ran off and told her father.
13 As soon as Laʹban heard the report about Jacob the son of his sister, he ran to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him into his house. And he began to tell Laʹban all these things. 14 Laʹban said to him: “You are indeed my bone and my flesh.” So he stayed with him a full month.
15 Laʹban then said to Jacob: “Just because you are my relative, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what are your wages to be?” 16 Now Laʹban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leʹah, and the name of the younger, Rachel. 17 But the eyes of Leʹah had no luster, whereas Rachel had become a very attractive and beautiful woman. 18 Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, so he said: “I am willing to serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 To this Laʹban said: “It is better for me to give her to you than to give her to another man. Keep dwelling with me.” 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but in his eyes they were like just a few days because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laʹban: “Give over my wife because my days are up, and let me have relations with her.” 22 With that Laʹban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast. 23 But during the evening, he resorted to taking his daughter Leʹah and bringing her to him that he might have relations with her. 24 Laʹban also gave his female servant Zilʹpah to his daughter Leʹah as a servant. 25 In the morning Jacob saw that it was Leʹah! So he said to Laʹban: “What have you done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why have you tricked me?” 26 To this Laʹban said: “It is not our custom here to give the younger woman before the firstborn. 27 Celebrate the week of this woman. After that you will also be given this other woman in exchange for serving me seven more years.” 28 Jacob did so and celebrated the week of this woman, after which he gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29 Besides, Laʹban gave his female servant Bilʹhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant.
30 Then Jacob had relations also with Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leʹah, and he served him for another seven years. 31 When Jehovah saw that Leʹah was unloved, he then enabled her to become pregnant, but Rachel was barren. 32 So Leʹah became pregnant and gave birth to a son and named him Reuʹben, for she said: “It is because Jehovah has looked upon my affliction, for now my husband will begin to love me.” 33 And she again became pregnant and gave birth to a son and then said: “It is because Jehovah has listened, in that I was unloved, so he gave me this one also.” Then she named him Simʹe·on. 34 And she became pregnant yet again and gave birth to a son and then said: “Now this time my husband will join himself to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore, he was named Leʹvi. 35 And she became pregnant once more and gave birth to a son and then said: “This time I will praise Jehovah.” She therefore named him Judah. After that she stopped giving birth.
30 When Rachel saw that she had borne no children to Jacob, she became jealous of her sister and began to say to Jacob: “Give me children or else I will die.” 2 At this Jacob’s anger flared up against Rachel, and he said: “Am I in the place of God, who has prevented you from having children?” 3 So she said: “Here is my slave girl Bilʹhah. Have relations with her in order that she may bear children for me and that through her, I too may have children.” 4 With that she gave him her servant Bilʹhah as a wife, and Jacob had relations with her. 5 Bilʹhah became pregnant and in time bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said: “God has acted as my judge and has also listened to my voice, so that he gave me a son.” That is why she named him Dan. 7 Bilʹhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant once more and in time bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said: “With strenuous wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister. I have also come off the winner!” So she named him Naphʹta·li.
9 When Leʹah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilʹpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 And Leʹah’s servant Zilʹpah bore a son to Jacob. 11 Then Leʹah said: “With good fortune!” So she named him Gad. 12 After that Zilʹpah, Leʹah’s servant, bore a second son to Jacob. 13 Then Leʹah said: “With my happiness! For the daughters will certainly pronounce me happy.” So she named him Ashʹer.
14 Now Reuʹben was walking in the days of the wheat harvest, and he found mandrakes in the field. So he brought them to his mother Leʹah. Then Rachel said to Leʹah: “Give me, please, some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 At this she said to her: “Is it a small matter that you took my husband? Would you now take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said: “Very well. He will lie down with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
16 When Jacob was coming from the field in the evening, Leʹah went out to meet him and said: “It is with me you are going to have relations, because I have hired you outright with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay down with her that night. 17 And God heard and answered Leʹah, and she became pregnant and in time bore to Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leʹah said: “God has given me my wages because I have given my servant to my husband.” So she named him Isʹsa·char. 19 And Leʹah became pregnant once more and in time bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Then Leʹah said: “God has endowed me, yes, me, with a good endowment. At last, my husband will tolerate me, for I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebʹu·lun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Diʹnah.
22 Finally God remembered Rachel, and God heard and answered her by enabling her to become pregnant. 23 And she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said: “God has taken away my reproach!” 24 So she named him Joseph, saying: “Jehovah is adding another son to me.”
25 After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob immediately said to Laʹban: “Send me away so that I may go to my place and to my land. 26 Give over my wives and my children, for whom I have served with you, that I may go, for you well know how I have served you.” 27 Then Laʹban said to him: “If I have found favor in your eyes,—I have understood by the omens that Jehovah is blessing me because of you.” 28 And he added: “Stipulate your wages to me, and I will give them.” 29 So Jacob said to him: “You know how I have served you and how your herd has fared with me; 30 you had little before my coming, but your herd has increased and multiplied, and Jehovah has blessed you since I arrived. So when will I do something for my own house?”
31 Then he said: “What should I give you?” And Jacob said: “You will give me nothing whatsoever! If you will do this one thing for me, I will resume shepherding your flock and guarding it. 32 I will pass through your whole flock today. You set aside from there every sheep speckled and with color patches and every dark-brown sheep among the young rams and any color-patched and speckled one among the she-goats. From now on, these must become my wages. 33 And my righteousness must speak for me on a future day when you come to look over my wages; every one that is not speckled and color-patched among the she-goats and dark brown among the young rams will be considered stolen if it is with me.”
34 To this Laʹban said: “That is fine! Let it be according to your word.” 35 Then on that day, he set aside the he-goats striped and color-patched and all the she-goats speckled and color-patched, every one in which there was any white and every one dark brown among the young rams, and gave them into the care of his sons. 36 After that he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob was shepherding the flocks of Laʹban that remained over.
37 Jacob then took freshly cut staffs of the storax, almond, and plane trees, and he peeled white spots in them by exposing the white wood of the staffs. 38 Then he placed the staffs that he had peeled in front of the flock, in the gutters, in the drinking troughs, where the flocks would come to drink, that they might get into heat in front of them when they came to drink.
39 So the flocks would get into heat in front of the staffs, and the flocks would produce striped, speckled, and color-patched offspring. 40 Then Jacob separated the young rams and turned the flocks to face the striped ones and all the dark-brown ones among the flocks of Laʹban. Then he separated his own flocks and did not mix them with Laʹban’s flocks. 41 And whenever the robust animals would get into heat, Jacob would place the staffs in the gutters before the eyes of the flocks, that they might get into heat by the staffs. 42 But when the animals were weak, he would not place the staffs there. So the weak ones always came to be Laʹban’s, but the robust ones became Jacob’s.
43 And the man grew very prosperous, and he acquired great flocks and male and female servants and camels and donkeys.
31 In time he heard what the sons of Laʹban were saying: “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father, and from what belonged to our father, he has amassed all this wealth.” 2 When Jacob would look at the face of Laʹban, he saw that his attitude toward him was not what it used to be. 3 Finally Jehovah said to Jacob: “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will continue with you.” 4 Then Jacob sent a message to Rachel and Leʹah to come out to the field to his flock, 5 and he said to them:
“I have seen that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You yourselves certainly know that I have served your father with all my power. 7 And your father has tried to cheat me and has changed my wages ten times; but God has not allowed him to do me harm. 8 If on the one hand he would say, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced speckled ones; but if on the other hand he would say, ‘The striped ones will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped ones. 9 So God kept taking your father’s livestock away from him and giving it to me. 10 Once when the flock got into heat, I raised my eyes and saw in a dream that the he-goats mating with the flock were striped, speckled, and spotty. 11 Then the angel of the true God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob!’ to which I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he continued, ‘Raise your eyes, please, and see that all the he-goats mating with the flock are striped, speckled, and spotty, for I have seen all that Laʹban is doing to you. 13 I am the true God of Bethʹel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now get up, go out of this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”
14 At this Rachel and Leʹah answered him: “Is there any share left for us to inherit in our father’s house? 15 Does he not consider us as foreigners, since he has sold us and has been using up the money given for us? 16 All the riches that God has taken away from our father are ours and our children’s. So, then, do everything that God has told you to do.”
17 Then Jacob got up and lifted his children and his wives on the camels, 18 and he began driving all his herd and all the goods that he had accumulated, the livestock in his possession that he had accumulated in Padʹdan-aʹram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Caʹnaan.
19 Now Laʹban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole the teraphim statues that belonged to her father. 20 Moreover, Jacob outwitted Laʹban the A·ra·maeʹan, for he had not told him that he was running away. 21 And he ran away and crossed the River, he and all he had. Then he headed toward the mountainous region of Gilʹe·ad. 22 On the third day, Laʹban was told that Jacob had run away. 23 So he took his brothers with him and pursued him for a journey of seven days and caught up with him in the mountainous region of Gilʹe·ad. 24 Then God came to Laʹban the A·ra·maeʹan in a dream by night and said to him: “Be careful about what you say to Jacob, either good or bad.”
25 So Laʹban approached Jacob, as Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain and Laʹban had encamped with his brothers in the mountainous region of Gilʹe·ad. 26 Then Laʹban said to Jacob: “What have you done? Why have you resorted to outwitting me and carrying my daughters off like captives taken by the sword? 27 Why did you run away secretly and outwit me and not tell me? If you had told me, I could have sent you away with rejoicing and with songs, with tambourine and with harp. 28 But you did not give me a chance to kiss my grandchildren and my daughters. You have acted foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do harm to you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful about what you say to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 Now you have gone because you have been longing to return to the house of your father, but why have you stolen my gods?”
31 Jacob answered Laʹban: “It was because I was afraid, for I said to myself, ‘You might take your daughters away from me by force.’ 32 Anyone with whom you find your gods will not live. Before our brothers, examine what I have, and take what is yours.” But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. 33 So Laʹban went into the tent of Jacob and into the tent of Leʹah and into the tent of the two slave girls, but did not find them. Then he came out of Leʹah’s tent and went into Rachel’s tent. 34 Meanwhile, Rachel had taken the teraphim statues and put them in the woman’s saddle basket of the camel, and she was sitting on them. So Laʹban searched through the whole tent but did not find them. 35 Then she said to her father: “Do not be angry, my lord, because I am not able to get up before you, for the customary thing with women is upon me.” So he searched on carefully but did not find the teraphim statues.
36 At that Jacob became angry and began to criticize Laʹban. Jacob then said to Laʹban: “What is my offense, and for what sin are you hotly pursuing me? 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your house? Put it here in front of my brothers and your brothers, and let them decide between the two of us. 38 During these 20 years that I have been with you, your sheep and your goats never miscarried, and I never ate the rams of your flock. 39 I did not bring you any animal torn by wild beasts. I would stand the loss of it myself. Whether the animal was stolen by day or was stolen by night, you would demand compensation from me. 40 By day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and sleep would flee from my eyes. 41 This makes 20 years for me in your house. I have served you 14 years for your two daughters and 6 years for your flock, and you kept changing my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the One whom Isaac fears, had not been on my side, you would now have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and that is why he reproved you last night.”
43 Then Laʹban answered Jacob: “The daughters are my daughters and the children my children and the flock my flock, and everything you are looking at is mine and my daughters’. What can I do today against these or against their children whom they have borne? 44 Now come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and it will serve as a witness between us.” 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 Then Jacob said to his brothers: “Pick up stones!” And they took stones and made a pile. After that they ate there on the pile of stones. 47 And Laʹban began calling it Jeʹgar-sa·ha·duʹtha, but Jacob called it Galʹe·ed.
48 Laʹban then said: “This pile of stones is a witness between me and you today.” That is why he named it Galʹe·ed, 49 and the Watchtower, for he said: “Let Jehovah keep watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. 50 If you mistreat my daughters and if you start taking wives in addition to my daughters, though there is no man with us, remember that God will be a witness between you and me.” 51 Laʹban went on to say to Jacob: “Here is this pile of stones, and here is the pillar that I have erected between you and me. 52 This pile of stones is a witness, and the pillar is something that bears witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile of stones to bring harm to you and you will not pass beyond this pile of stones and this pillar to bring harm to me. 53 Let the God of Abraham and the God of Naʹhor, the God of their father, judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the One whom his father Isaac fears.
54 After that Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain and invited his brothers to eat bread. So they ate and spent the night in the mountain. 55 However, Laʹban got up early in the morning and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laʹban departed and returned home.
32 Jacob then went on his way, and the angels of God met up with him. 2 As soon as he saw them, Jacob said: “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Ma·ha·naʹim.
3 Then Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Eʹsau in the land of Seʹir, the territory of Eʹdom, 4 and he commanded them: “This is what you will say to my lord, to Eʹsau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says: “I have resided with Laʹban for a long time until now. 5 And I have acquired bulls, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants, and I send this message to inform my lord, in order to find favor in your eyes.”’”
6 In time the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: “We met your brother Eʹsau, and he is now on his way to meet you, and there are 400 men with him.” 7 And Jacob became very frightened and anxious. So he divided the people who were with him, as well as the flocks, the cattle, and the camels, into two camps. 8 He said: “If Eʹsau attacks the one camp, then the other camp will be able to escape.”
9 After that Jacob said: “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah, you who are saying to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives, and I will deal well with you,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the loyal love and of all the faithfulness that you have shown toward your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan and now I have become two camps. 11 Save me, I pray you, from the hand of my brother Eʹsau, for I am afraid of him that he may come and attack me, as well as the mothers and their children. 12 And you have said: ‘I will certainly deal well with you, and I will make your offspring like the grains of sand of the sea, which are too numerous to count.’”
13 And he spent the night there. Then he took some of his possessions as a gift for Eʹsau his brother: 14 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 female sheep, 20 rams, 15 30 camels nursing their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 full-grown male donkeys.
16 He handed them over to his servants, one drove after another, and he said to his servants: “Cross over ahead of me, and you are to set a space between one drove and the next.” 17 He also commanded the first one: “In case Eʹsau my brother should meet you and ask, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these ahead of you belong?’ 18 then you should say, ‘To your servant Jacob. It is a gift sent to my lord, to Eʹsau, and look! he himself is also behind us.’” 19 And he commanded also the second, the third, and all those following the droves: “According to this word, you are to speak to Eʹsau when you meet him. 20 And you should also say, ‘Here is your servant Jacob behind us.’” For he said to himself: ‘If I appease him by sending a gift ahead of me, then afterward when I see him, he may give me a kindly reception.’ 21 So the gift crossed over ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.
22 Later during that night, he rose and took his two wives and his two female servants and his 11 young sons and crossed over the ford of Jabʹbok. 23 So he took them and brought them across the stream, and he brought over everything else he had.
24 Finally Jacob was left by himself. Then a man began to wrestle with him until the dawn broke. 25 When he saw that he had not prevailed over him, he touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated during his wrestling with him. 26 After that he said: “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” To this he said: “I am not going to let you go until you bless me.” 27 So he said to him: “What is your name?” to which he said: “Jacob.” 28 Then he said: “Your name will no longer be Jacob but Israel, for you have contended with God and with men and you have at last prevailed.” 29 In turn Jacob inquired: “Tell me, please, your name.” However, he said: “Why is it that you ask my name?” With that he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named the place Pe·niʹel, for he said, “I have seen God face-to-face, yet my life was preserved.”
31 And the sun rose upon him as soon as he passed by Pe·nuʹel, but he was limping because of his hip. 32 That is why to this day the sons of Israel are not accustomed to eat the thigh sinew, which is on the socket of the hip joint, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip joint by the thigh sinew.
33 Now Jacob raised his eyes and saw Eʹsau coming, and 400 men were with him. So he divided the children among Leʹah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leʹah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. 3 Then he himself went ahead of them and bowed down to the earth seven times as he came near to his brother.
4 But Eʹsau ran to meet him, and he embraced him and kissed him, and they burst into tears. 5 When he raised his eyes and saw the women and the children, he said: “Who are these with you?” to which he said: “The children with whom God has favored your servant.” 6 At that the female servants came forward with their children and bowed down, 7 and Leʹah too came forward with her children, and they bowed down. Then Joseph came forward with Rachel, and they bowed down.
8 Eʹsau said: “What is the purpose of all this camp of travelers that I have met?” He replied: “In order to find favor in the eyes of my lord.” 9 Then Eʹsau said: “I have a great many possessions, my brother. Keep what is yours.” 10 However, Jacob said: “No, please. If I have found favor in your eyes, you must take my gift from my hand, because I brought it so that I could see your face. And I have seen your face as though seeing God’s face, in that you received me with pleasure. 11 Take, please, the gift conveying my blessing that was brought to you, for God has favored me and I have everything I need.” And he continued to urge him, so that he took it.
12 Later Eʹsau said: “Let us move out and go, and let me go in advance of you.” 13 But he said to him: “My lord is aware that the children are delicate and that in my care are sheep and cattle nursing their young. If they are driven too quickly for one day, then the whole flock will die. 14 Let my lord, please, go on ahead of his servant, but I will continue the journey more slowly at the pace of my livestock and of the children until I come to my lord at Seʹir.” 15 Then Eʹsau said: “Please, let me leave some of my people with you.” To this he said: “Why do this? Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.” 16 So that day Eʹsau went on his way back to Seʹir.
17 And Jacob journeyed to Sucʹcoth, and he built a house for himself and he made shelters for his herd. That was why he named the place Sucʹcoth.
18 After journeying from Padʹdan-aʹram, Jacob arrived safely at the city of Sheʹchem in the land of Caʹnaan, and he set up his camp near the city. 19 Then he acquired a portion of the field where he pitched his tent from the sons of Haʹmor, the father of Sheʹchem, for 100 pieces of money. 20 There he set up an altar and called it God, the God of Israel.
34 Now Diʹnah, Jacob’s daughter by Leʹah, used to go out to spend time with the young women of the land. 2 When Sheʹchem, the son of Haʹmor the Hiʹvite, a chieftain of the land, saw her, he took her and lay down with her and violated her. 3 And he became very attached to Diʹnah, the daughter of Jacob, and he fell in love with the young woman and spoke persuasively to her. 4 Finally Sheʹchem said to Haʹmor his father: “Get me this young woman to be my wife.”
5 When Jacob heard that he had defiled Diʹnah his daughter, his sons were with his herd in the field. So Jacob kept silent until they returned. 6 Later Haʹmor, Sheʹchem’s father, went out to speak with Jacob. 7 But the sons of Jacob heard about it and returned from the field right away. They were offended and very angry because he had disgraced Israel by lying down with Jacob’s daughter, something that should not be done.
8 Haʹmor spoke with them, saying: “My son Sheʹchem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife, 9 and form marriage alliances with us. Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You may dwell with us, and the land will become available for you. Dwell and carry on trade in it and settle in it.” 11 Then Sheʹchem said to her father and to her brothers: “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask me. 12 You can demand from me a very high bride price and gift. I am willing to give whatever you may say to me. Just give me the young woman as a wife.”
13 And Jacob’s sons answered Sheʹchem and Haʹmor his father deceitfully because he had defiled Diʹnah their sister. 14 They said to them: “We cannot possibly do such a thing, to give our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for that is a disgrace to us. 15 We can only consent on this condition: that you become like us and circumcise all your males. 16 Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. 17 But if you do not listen to us and get circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”
18 Their words pleased Haʹmor and Sheʹchem, Haʹmor’s son. 19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked, because he found delight in Jacob’s daughter, and he was the most honorable of the whole house of his father.
20 So Haʹmor and his son Sheʹchem went to the city gate and spoke to the men of their city, saying: 21 “These men wish to be at peace with us. Let them dwell in the land and carry on trade in it, for the land is large enough to accommodate them. We can take their daughters as wives, and our daughters we can give to them. 22 Only on this one condition will the men consent to dwell with us in order to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised just the way they are circumcised. 23 Then, will not their possessions, their wealth, and all their livestock be ours? So let us give them our consent that they may dwell with us.” 24 All those going out by the gate of his city listened to Haʹmor and to his son Sheʹchem, and all the males got circumcised, all those going out of the city gate.
25 However, on the third day, when they were still in pain, two sons of Jacob, Simʹe·on and Leʹvi, Diʹnah’s brothers, each took his sword and went into the unsuspecting city and killed every male. 26 They killed Haʹmor and his son Sheʹchem with the sword and then took Diʹnah from Sheʹchem’s house and left. 27 Jacob’s other sons came upon the slain men and plundered the city because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. 29 They also took all their possessions, captured all their little children and their wives, and plundered everything in the houses.
30 At this Jacob said to Simʹe·on and to Leʹvi: “You have brought great trouble on me in making me a stench to the inhabitants of the land, to the Caʹnaan·ites and the Perʹiz·zites. I am few in number, and they will certainly gather together to attack me and I will be annihilated, I and my house.” 31 But they said: “Should anyone treat our sister like a prostitute?”
35 After that God said to Jacob: “Rise, go up to Bethʹel and dwell there, and make an altar there to the true God, who appeared to you when you were running away from Eʹsau your brother.”
2 Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him: “Get rid of the foreign gods that are in your midst, and cleanse yourselves and change your garments, 3 and let us rise and go up to Bethʹel. There I will make an altar to the true God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the earrings that were in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the big tree that was close to Sheʹchem.
5 When they traveled on, the terror of God struck the cities around them, so they did not chase after the sons of Jacob. 6 Jacob eventually came to Luz, that is, Bethʹel, in the land of Caʹnaan, he and all the people with him. 7 There he built an altar and called the place El-bethʹel, because there the true God had revealed himself to him when he had run away from his brother. 8 Later Debʹo·rah, Re·bekʹah’s nurse, died and was buried at the foot of Bethʹel under an oak. So he named it Alʹlon-bacʹuth.
9 God appeared to Jacob once again while he was coming from Padʹdan-aʹram and blessed him. 10 God said to him: “Your name is Jacob. Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel will be your name.” And he began to call him Israel. 11 God further said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and become many. Nations and a congregation of nations will come from you, and kings will descend from you. 12 As for the land that I have given to Abraham and to Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your offspring after you I will give the land.” 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had spoken with him.
14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 And Jacob continued to call the place where God had spoken with him Bethʹel.
16 Then they pulled away from Bethʹel. And while they were still some distance from Ephʹrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was very difficult. 17 But while she was struggling to deliver the child, the midwife said to her: “Do not be afraid, for you will have this son also.” 18 Just as her life was slipping away (for she was dying), she named him Ben-oʹni, but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephʹrath, that is, Bethʹle·hem. 20 Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; it is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
21 After that Israel pulled away and pitched his tent a distance beyond the tower of Eʹder. 22 Once while Israel was dwelling in that land, Reuʹben went and lay down with Bilʹhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.
So there were 12 sons of Jacob. 23 The sons by Leʹah were Jacob’s firstborn Reuʹben, then Simʹe·on, Leʹvi, Judah, Isʹsa·char, and Zebʹu·lun. 24 The sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 And the sons by Bilʹhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphʹta·li. 26 And the sons by Zilʹpah, Leʹah’s servant, were Gad and Ashʹer. These are Jacob’s sons, who were born to him in Padʹdan-aʹram.
27 Jacob eventually came to where his father Isaac was at Mamʹre, to Kirʹi·ath-arʹba, that is, Hebʹron, where Abraham and also Isaac had resided as foreigners. 28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. 29 Then Isaac breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, after a long and satisfying life; and his sons Eʹsau and Jacob buried him.
36 This is the history of Eʹsau, that is, Eʹdom.
2 Eʹsau took his wives from the daughters of Caʹnaan: Aʹdah the daughter of Eʹlon the Hitʹtite; and O·hol·i·baʹmah the daughter of Aʹnah, the granddaughter of Zibʹe·on the Hiʹvite; 3 and Basʹe·math, Ishʹma·el’s daughter, the sister of Ne·baʹioth.
4 And Aʹdah bore Elʹi·phaz to Eʹsau, and Basʹe·math bore Reuʹel,
5 and O·hol·i·baʹmah bore Jeʹush, Jaʹlam, and Korʹah.
These are the sons of Eʹsau, who were born to him in the land of Caʹnaan. 6 After that Eʹsau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the members of his household, his herd and all his other beasts, and all the wealth he had accumulated in the land of Caʹnaan and he went to another land some distance away from Jacob his brother. 7 For their goods had become too many for them to dwell together, and the land where they were residing was not able to sustain them because of their herds. 8 So Eʹsau took up dwelling in the mountainous region of Seʹir. Eʹsau is Eʹdom.
9 And this is the history of Eʹsau the father of Eʹdom in the mountainous region of Seʹir.
10 These are the names of the sons of Eʹsau: Elʹi·phaz the son of Aʹdah, Eʹsau’s wife; Reuʹel the son of Basʹe·math, Eʹsau’s wife.
11 The sons of Elʹi·phaz were Teʹman, Oʹmar, Zeʹpho, Gaʹtam, and Keʹnaz. 12 Timʹna became the concubine of Elʹi·phaz, Eʹsau’s son. In time she bore to Elʹi·phaz, Amʹa·lek. These are the sons of Aʹdah, Eʹsau’s wife.
13 These are the sons of Reuʹel: Naʹhath, Zeʹrah, Shamʹmah, and Mizʹzah. These were the sons of Basʹe·math, Eʹsau’s wife.
14 These were the sons of O·hol·i·baʹmah the daughter of Aʹnah, the granddaughter of Zibʹe·on, Eʹsau’s wife, whom she bore to Eʹsau: Jeʹush, Jaʹlam, and Korʹah.
15 These are the sheikhs of the sons of Eʹsau: The sons of Elʹi·phaz, Eʹsau’s firstborn: Sheikh Teʹman, Sheikh Oʹmar, Sheikh Zeʹpho, Sheikh Keʹnaz, 16 Sheikh Korʹah, Sheikh Gaʹtam, and Sheikh Amʹa·lek. These are the sheikhs of Elʹi·phaz in the land of Eʹdom. These are the sons by Aʹdah.
17 These are the sons of Reuʹel, Eʹsau’s son: Sheikh Naʹhath, Sheikh Zeʹrah, Sheikh Shamʹmah, and Sheikh Mizʹzah. These are the sheikhs of Reuʹel in the land of Eʹdom. These are the sons by Basʹe·math, Eʹsau’s wife.
18 Finally these are the sons of O·hol·i·baʹmah, Eʹsau’s wife: Sheikh Jeʹush, Sheikh Jaʹlam, and Sheikh Korʹah. These are the sheikhs of O·hol·i·baʹmah the daughter of Aʹnah, Eʹsau’s wife.
19 These are the sons of Eʹsau, and these are their sheikhs. He is Eʹdom.
20 These are the sons of Seʹir the Horʹite, the inhabitants of the land: Loʹtan, Shoʹbal, Zibʹe·on, Aʹnah, 21 Diʹshon, Eʹzer, and Diʹshan. These are the sheikhs of the Horʹites, the sons of Seʹir, in the land of Eʹdom.
22 The sons of Loʹtan were Hoʹri and Heʹmam, and Loʹtan’s sister was Timʹna.
23 These are the sons of Shoʹbal: Alʹvan, Manʹa·hath, Eʹbal, Sheʹpho, and Oʹnam.
24 These are the sons of Zibʹe·on: Aʹiah and Aʹnah. This is the Aʹnah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while he was tending the donkeys for Zibʹe·on his father.
25 These are the children of Aʹnah: Diʹshon and O·hol·i·baʹmah the daughter of Aʹnah.
26 These are the sons of Diʹshon: Hemʹdan, Eshʹban, Ithʹran, and Cheʹran.
27 These are the sons of Eʹzer: Bilʹhan, Zaʹa·van, and Aʹkan.
28 These are the sons of Diʹshan: Uz and Aʹran.
29 These are the sheikhs of the Horʹites: Sheikh Loʹtan, Sheikh Shoʹbal, Sheikh Zibʹe·on, Sheikh Aʹnah, 30 Sheikh Diʹshon, Sheikh Eʹzer, and Sheikh Diʹshan. These are the sheikhs of the Horʹites according to their sheikhs in the land of Seʹir.
31 Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Eʹdom before any king reigned over the Israelites. 32 Beʹla son of Beʹor reigned in Eʹdom, and the name of his city was Dinʹha·bah. 33 When Beʹla died, Joʹbab son of Zeʹrah from Bozʹrah began to reign in his place. 34 When Joʹbab died, Huʹsham from the land of the Teʹman·ites began to reign in his place. 35 When Huʹsham died, Haʹdad son of Beʹdad, who defeated the Midʹi·an·ites in the territory of Moʹab, began to reign in his place, and the name of his city was Aʹvith. 36 When Haʹdad died, Samʹlah from Mas·reʹkah began to reign in his place. 37 When Samʹlah died, Shaʹul from Re·hoʹboth by the River began to reign in his place. 38 When Shaʹul died, Baʹal-haʹnan the son of Achʹbor began to reign in his place. 39 When Baʹal-haʹnan the son of Achʹbor died, Haʹdar began to reign in his place. The name of his city was Paʹu, and the name of his wife was Me·hetʹa·bel the daughter of Maʹtred the daughter of Meʹza·hab.
40 So these are the names of the sheikhs of Eʹsau according to their families, according to their places, by their names: Sheikh Timʹna, Sheikh Alʹvah, Sheikh Jeʹtheth, 41 Sheikh O·hol·i·baʹmah, Sheikh Eʹlah, Sheikh Piʹnon, 42 Sheikh Keʹnaz, Sheikh Teʹman, Sheikh Mibʹzar, 43 Sheikh Magʹdi·el, and Sheikh Iʹram. These are the sheikhs of Eʹdom according to their settlements in the land of their possession. This is Eʹsau the father of Eʹdom.
37 Jacob continued to dwell in the land of Caʹnaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.
2 This is the history of Jacob.
When Joseph was 17 years old, the young man was tending the flock with the sons of Bilʹhah and the sons of Zilʹpah, the wives of his father. And Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons because he was the son of his old age, and he had a special robe made for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they began to hate him, and they could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Later Joseph had a dream and told it to his brothers, and they found further reason to hate him. 6 He said to them: “Please listen to this dream that I had. 7 There we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field when my sheaf got up and stood erect and your sheaves encircled and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him: “Are you really going to make yourself king over us and dominate us?” So they found another reason to hate him, because of his dreams and what he said.
9 After that he had still another dream, and he related it to his brothers: “I have had another dream. This time the sun and the moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me.” 10 Then he related it to his father as well as his brothers, and his father rebuked him and said to him: “What is the meaning of this dream of yours? Am I as well as your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the earth to you?” 11 And his brothers grew jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
12 His brothers now went to pasture their father’s flock near Sheʹchem. 13 Israel later said to Joseph: “Your brothers are tending flocks near Sheʹchem, are they not? Come, and let me send you to them.” At this he said to him: “I am ready!” 14 So he said to him: “Go, please, and see whether your brothers are well. See how the flock is, and bring word back to me.” With that he sent him away from the valley of Hebʹron, and he went on toward Sheʹchem. 15 Later a man found him as he was wandering in a field. The man asked him: “What are you looking for?” 16 To this he said: “I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me, where are they tending flocks?” 17 The man continued: “They have pulled away from here, for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Doʹthan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Doʹthan.
18 Now they caught sight of him from a distance, and before he reached them, they began plotting against him to put him to death. 19 So they said to one another: “Look! Here comes that dreamer. 20 Come, now, let us kill him and pitch him into one of the waterpits, and we will say that a vicious wild animal devoured him. Then let us see what will become of his dreams.” 21 When Reuʹben heard this, he tried to rescue him from them. So he said: “Let us not take his life.” 22 Reuʹben said to them: “Do not shed blood. Throw him into this waterpit in the wilderness, but do not harm him.” His purpose was to rescue him from them in order to return him to his father.
23 So as soon as Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his robe, the special robe that he wore, 24 and they took him and threw him into the waterpit. At the time the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat. When they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishʹma·el·ites coming from Gilʹe·ad. Their camels were carrying labdanum gum, balsam, and resinous bark, and they were on their way down to Egypt. 26 At this Judah said to his brothers: “What profit would there be if we killed our brother and covered over his blood? 27 Come, now, let us sell him to the Ishʹma·el·ites, and do not let our hand be upon him. After all, he is our brother, our flesh.” So they listened to their brother. 28 And when the Midʹi·an·ite merchants were passing by, they lifted Joseph up out of the waterpit and sold him to the Ishʹma·el·ites for 20 pieces of silver. These men took Joseph into Egypt.
29 Later when Reuʹben returned to the waterpit and saw that Joseph was not in the waterpit, he ripped his garments apart. 30 When he returned to his brothers, he exclaimed: “The child is gone! And I—what am I going to do?”
31 So they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 After that they sent the special robe to their father and said: “This is what we found. Please examine whether this is your son’s robe or not.” 33 Then he examined it and exclaimed: “It is my son’s robe! A vicious wild animal must have devoured him! Joseph is surely torn to pieces!” 34 With that Jacob ripped his garments apart and put sackcloth around his waist and mourned his son for many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters kept trying to comfort him, but he kept refusing to take comfort, saying: “I will go down into the Grave mourning my son!” And his father continued weeping for him.
36 Now the Midʹi·an·ites sold him in Egypt to Potʹi·phar, a court official of Pharʹaoh and the chief of the guard.
38 About that time Judah left his brothers and pitched his tent near an A·dulʹlam·ite man named Hiʹrah. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Caʹnaan·ite named Shuʹa. So he took her and had relations with her, 3 and she became pregnant. Later she bore a son, and he named him Er. 4 Again she became pregnant and bore a son and named him Oʹnan. 5 Yet again she bore a son and named him Sheʹlah. He was in Achʹzib when she bore him.
6 In time Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Taʹmar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was displeasing to Jehovah; so Jehovah put him to death. 8 In view of that, Judah said to Oʹnan: “Have relations with your brother’s wife and perform brother-in-law marriage with her and raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Oʹnan knew that the offspring would not be considered his. So when he did have relations with his brother’s wife, he wasted his semen on the ground so as not to give offspring to his brother. 10 What he did was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, so he also put him to death. 11 Judah said to Taʹmar his daughter-in-law: “Dwell as a widow in the house of your father until my son Sheʹlah grows up,” for he said to himself: ‘He too may die like his brothers.’ So Taʹmar went and stayed in her own father’s house.
12 Some time passed, and Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shuʹa, died. Judah kept the mourning period, and then he went to his sheepshearers in Timʹnah with his companion Hiʹrah the A·dulʹlam·ite. 13 Taʹmar was told: “Here your father-in-law is going up to Timʹnah to shear his sheep.” 14 With that she removed her widow’s clothing and veiled herself and covered herself with a shawl and sat down at the entrance of E·naʹim, which is on the road to Timʹnah, for she saw that Sheʹlah had grown up and yet she had not been given to him as a wife.
15 When Judah caught sight of her, he at once took her for a prostitute, because she had covered her face. 16 So he turned aside to her by the road and said: “Allow me, please, to have relations with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. However, she said: “What will you give me that you may have relations with me?” 17 To this he said: “I will send a young goat from my herd.” But she said: “Will you give a security until you send it?” 18 He continued: “What security should I give you?” to which she said: “Your seal ring and your cord and your rod that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her and had relations with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 After that she got up and went away and removed her shawl and clothed herself with her widow’s clothing.
20 And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his companion the A·dulʹlam·ite, to get back the security from the hand of the woman, but he never found her. 21 He inquired of the men of her place, saying: “Where is that temple prostitute in E·naʹim along the road?” But they said: “No temple prostitute has ever been in this place.” 22 Finally he returned to Judah and said: “I never found her, and besides, the men of the place said, ‘No temple prostitute has ever been in this place.’” 23 So Judah said: “Let her take them for herself, in order that we may not fall into contempt. At any rate, I have sent this young goat, but you never found her.”
24 However, about three months later, Judah was told: “Taʹmar your daughter-in-law has acted as a prostitute, and she is also pregnant by her prostitution.” At that Judah said: “Bring her out and let her be burned.” 25 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” Then she added: “Please examine to whom these belong, the seal ring and the cord and the rod.” 26 Then Judah examined them and said: “She is more righteous than I am, because I did not give her to Sheʹlah my son.” And he had no further sexual relations with her after that.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one put out his hand, and the midwife immediately took a scarlet thread and tied it around his hand, saying: “This one came out first.” 29 But as soon as he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she exclaimed: “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Peʹrez. 30 Afterward his brother came out, around whose hand the scarlet thread was tied, and he was named Zeʹrah.
39 Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and an Egyptian named Potʹi·phar, a court official of Pharʹaoh and chief of the guard, bought him from the Ishʹma·el·ites who had taken him down there. 2 But Jehovah was with Joseph. As a result, he became successful and was put over the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that Jehovah was with him and that Jehovah was making everything that he did successful.
4 Joseph kept finding favor in his eyes, and he became his personal attendant. So he appointed him over his house, and he put him in charge of all that was his. 5 From the time he appointed him over his house and in charge of all that was his, Jehovah kept blessing the house of the Egyptian because of Joseph, and Jehovah’s blessing came to be on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 He eventually left everything that was his in Joseph’s care, and he gave no thought to anything except the food he was eating. Moreover, Joseph grew to be well-built and handsome.
7 Now after these things, the wife of his master began to cast her eyes on Joseph and say: “Lie down with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife: “Here my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has entrusted everything he has into my care. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I am, and he has not withheld from me anything at all except you, because you are his wife. So how could I commit this great badness and actually sin against God?”
10 So day after day she spoke to Joseph, but he never consented to lie with her or to remain with her. 11 But on one of the days when he went into the house to do his work, none of the household servants were in the house. 12 Then she grabbed hold of him by his garment and said: “Lie down with me!” But he left his garment in her hand and fled outside. 13 As soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14 she began to cry out to the men of her house and to say to them: “Look! He brought to us this Hebrew man to make us a laughingstock. He came to me to lie down with me, but I began to cry out at the top of my voice. 15 Then as soon as he heard me raising my voice and screaming, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” 16 After that she laid his garment beside her until his master came to his house.
17 Then she told him the same thing, saying: “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came to me to make me a laughingstock. 18 But as soon as I raised my voice and began to scream, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” 19 As soon as his master heard the words his wife spoke to him, saying: “These are the things your servant did to me,” his anger blazed. 20 So Joseph’s master took him and gave him over to the prison, the place where the prisoners of the king were kept under arrest, and he remained there in the prison.
21 But Jehovah continued with Joseph and kept showing loyal love to him and granting him favor in the eyes of the chief officer of the prison. 22 So the chief officer of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the prison, and everything that they were doing there, he was the one having it done. 23 The chief officer of the prison was looking after absolutely nothing that was in Joseph’s care, for Jehovah was with Joseph and Jehovah made whatever he did successful.
40 After these things, the chief cupbearer of the king of Egypt and the chief baker sinned against their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 So Pharʹaoh grew indignant at his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and he committed them to the jail of the house of the chief of the guard, to the place where Joseph was a prisoner. 4 Then the chief of the guard assigned Joseph to be with them and to take care of them, and they remained in jail for some time.
5 The cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own interpretation. 6 The next morning, when Joseph came in and saw them, they looked dejected. 7 So he asked the officers of Pharʹaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house: “Why are your faces gloomy today?” 8 At this they said to him: “We each had a dream, but there is no interpreter with us.” Joseph said to them: “Do not interpretations belong to God? Relate it to me, please.”
9 So the chief cupbearer related his dream to Joseph, saying to him: “In my dream, there was a vine before me. 10 And on the vine, there were three twigs, and as it was sprouting shoots, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 And Pharʹaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and squeezed them out into Pharʹaoh’s cup. After that I put the cup in Pharʹaoh’s hand.” 12 Then Joseph said to him: “This is its interpretation: The three twigs are three days. 13 Three days from now, Pharʹaoh will bring you out, restoring you to your office, and you will put Pharʹaoh’s cup into his hand as you did before when you were his cupbearer. 14 Nevertheless, you must remember me when things go well with you. Please show me loyal love and mention me to Pharʹaoh, in order to get me out of this place. 15 I was, in fact, kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and I have not done anything here for which they should put me in prison.”
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had interpreted something good, he said to him: “I too was in my dream, and there were three baskets of white bread on my head, 17 and in the top basket, there were all sorts of baked goods for Pharʹaoh, and there were birds eating them out of the basket on top of my head.” 18 Then Joseph answered, “This is its interpretation: The three baskets are three days. 19 Three days from now, Pharʹaoh will behead you and will hang you on a stake, and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
20 Now the third day was Pharʹaoh’s birthday, and he made a feast for all his servants, and he brought out both the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his servants. 21 And he returned the chief cupbearer to his post of cupbearer, and he continued to hand the cup to Pharʹaoh. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 However, the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he kept forgetting him.
41 At the end of two full years, Pharʹaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River. 2 And there, coming up from the river, were seven fine-looking, fat cows, and they were feeding on the Nile grass. 3 There were seven other cows that looked ugly and thin coming up after them from the Nile, and they stood alongside the fat cows by the bank of the Nile. 4 Then the ugly, thin cows began to eat up the seven fine-looking, fat cows. At this Pharʹaoh woke up.
5 Then he went back to sleep and had a second dream. There were seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, full and choice. 6 And growing up after them were seven ears of grain that were thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears of grain began to swallow up the seven full and choice ears of grain. At this Pharʹaoh woke up and realized that it was a dream.
8 But in the morning, his spirit became agitated. So he sent for all the magic-practicing priests of Egypt and all her wise men. Pharʹaoh related his dreams to them, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharʹaoh.
9 At that the chief cupbearer spoke with Pharʹaoh, saying: “I am confessing my sins today. 10 Pharʹaoh was indignant at his servants. So he committed me to the jail of the house of the chief of the guard, both me and the chief baker. 11 After that we each had a dream on the same night. He and I each had a dream with its own interpretation. 12 And there with us was a young Hebrew man, a servant of the chief of the guard. When we related them to him, he interpreted for us the meaning of each dream. 13 It happened exactly as he had interpreted to us. I was restored to my office, but the other man was hanged.”
14 So Pharʹaoh sent for Joseph, and they brought him quickly from the prison. He shaved and changed his clothes and went in to Pharʹaoh. 15 Then Pharʹaoh said to Joseph: “I had a dream, but there is no one to interpret it. Now I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it.” 16 At this Joseph answered Pharʹaoh: “I need not be considered! God will speak concerning Pharʹaoh’s welfare.”
17 Pharʹaoh went on to say to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 18 And there, coming up from the Nile, were seven fine-looking, fat cows, and they began to feed on the Nile grass. 19 And there were seven other cows coming up after them, poor and very bad-looking and thin. I have never seen such bad-looking cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the skinny, bad cows began to eat up the first seven fat cows. 21 But when they had consumed them, no one could have known that they had done so, since their appearance was just as bad as at the start. At that I woke up.
22 “After that I saw in my dream seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, full and choice. 23 Growing up after them were seven ears of shriveled grain, thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 Then the thin ears of grain began to swallow up the seven choice ears of grain. So I told it to the magic-practicing priests, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharʹaoh: “The dreams of Pharʹaoh are one and the same. The true God has told to Pharʹaoh what He will do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years. Likewise, the seven good ears of grain are seven years. The dreams are one and the same. 27 The seven skinny and bad cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, will prove to be seven years of famine. 28 This is just as I told to Pharʹaoh: The true God has caused Pharʹaoh to see what He will do.
29 “There are to be seven years of great abundance in all the land of Egypt. 30 But seven years of famine will certainly arise after them, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will certainly be forgotten, and the famine will exhaust the land. 31 And the previous abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine afterward, for it will be very severe. 32 The dream was given twice to Pharʹaoh because the matter has been firmly established by the true God, and the true God will soon carry it out.
33 “So now let Pharʹaoh look for a man who is discreet and wise and place him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharʹaoh take action and appoint overseers in the land, and he should collect one fifth of the produce of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 And let them collect all the food during these coming good years, and let them stockpile grain under Pharʹaoh’s authority as food to be stored in the cities and safeguarded there. 36 The food should serve as a supply for the land for the seven years of famine that will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish in the famine.”
37 This proposal seemed good to Pharʹaoh and all his servants. 38 So Pharʹaoh said to his servants: “Can another man be found like this one in whom there is the spirit of God?” 39 Pharʹaoh then said to Joseph: “Since God has caused you to know all of this, there is no one as discreet and wise as you. 40 You will personally be over my house, and all my people will obey you implicitly. Only in my role as king will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharʹaoh added to Joseph: “See, I am putting you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharʹaoh removed his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s hand and clothed him with garments of fine linen and placed a necklace of gold around his neck. 43 Moreover, he had him ride in the second chariot of honor that he had, and they would call out ahead of him, “A·vrékh!” Thus he put him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Pharʹaoh further said to Joseph: “I am Pharʹaoh, but without your authorization, no man may do a single thing in all the land of Egypt.” 45 After that Pharʹaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphʹe·nath-pa·neʹah and gave him Asʹe·nath the daughter of Pot·iʹphe·ra the priest of On as a wife. And Joseph began to oversee the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharʹaoh king of Egypt.
Then Joseph went out from before Pharʹaoh and traveled throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And during the seven years of abundance, the land went on producing plentifully. 48 And he kept collecting all the food of the seven years from the land of Egypt, and he would stockpile the food in the cities. In each city he would store the food from the fields around it. 49 Joseph continued stockpiling grain in very great quantity, like the sand of the sea, until finally they gave up measuring it because it could not be measured.
50 Before the year of the famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asʹe·nath the daughter of Pot·iʹphe·ra the priest of On bore to him. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Ma·nasʹseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all the house of my father.” 52 And he named the second one Eʹphra·im, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 Then the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt ended, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. The famine developed in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 Eventually, all the land of Egypt suffered from the famine, and the people began to cry to Pharʹaoh for bread. Then Pharʹaoh said to all the Egyptians: “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.” 56 The famine continued over all the surface of the earth. Then Joseph began to open up all the granaries that were among them and to sell to the Egyptians, as the famine had a strong grip on the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy from Joseph, because the famine had a strong grip on all the earth.
42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons: “Why do you just keep looking at one another?” 2 He added: “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may stay alive and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his other brothers, for he said: “Perhaps a fatal accident may befall him.”
5 So Israel’s sons came along with the others who were coming to buy, because the famine had extended to the land of Caʹnaan. 6 Joseph was the man in authority over the land, and he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the earth. So Joseph’s brothers came and bowed low to him with their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he immediately recognized them, but he concealed his identity from them. So he spoke harshly with them and said: “Where have you come from?” to which they said: “From the land of Caʹnaan to buy food.”
8 Thus Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph immediately remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them, and he said to them: “You are spies! You have come to see the vulnerable areas of the land!” 10 Then they said to him: “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of but one man. We are upright men. Your servants do not act as spies.” 12 But he said to them: “Not so! You have come to see the vulnerable areas of the land!” 13 At this they said: “Your servants are 12 brothers. We are the sons of but one man in the land of Caʹnaan, and the youngest is now with our father, whereas the other one is no more.”
14 However, Joseph said to them: “It is just as I said to you—‘You are spies!’ 15 By this you will be tested: As surely as Pharʹaoh lives, you will not leave this place until your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you to bring your brother while you remain in bondage. In this way, your words may be tested out to see if you are telling the truth. And if not, then, as surely as Pharʹaoh lives, you are spies.” 17 With that he put them together in custody for three days.
18 Joseph said to them on the third day: “Do this and live, for I fear God. 19 If you are upright, let one of your brothers remain in bondage in your house of custody, but the rest of you may go and take grain to alleviate the famine in your households. 20 Then bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words will be found trustworthy and you will not die.” And they did so.
21 And they said to one another: “We are surely being punished on account of our brother, because we saw his distress when he begged us to show compassion, but we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 Then Reuʹben answered them: “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not sin against the child,’ but you would not listen? Now his blood is certainly being asked back.” 23 But they did not know that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 So he turned away from them and began to weep. When he returned and spoke to them again, he took Simʹe·on from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 Joseph then gave the command to fill up their bags with grain and to return each man’s money to his own sack and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.
26 So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left from there. 27 When one of them opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodging place, he saw his money there in the mouth of his bag. 28 At that he said to his brothers: “My money has been returned, and now here it is in my bag!” Then their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said: “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Caʹnaan, they told him all the things that had befallen them, saying: 30 “The man who is the lord of the country spoke harshly with us and accused us of spying on the country. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are upright men. We are not spies. 32 We are 12 brothers, the sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Caʹnaan.’ 33 But the man who is the lord of the country said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are upright: Leave one of your brothers with me. Then take something to alleviate the famine in your households and go. 34 And bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may know that you are not spies but upright men. I will then give your brother back to you, and you may carry on trade in the land.’”
35 As they were emptying their sacks, here was each one’s bag of money in his sack. When they and their father saw their bags of money, they became afraid. 36 Jacob their father exclaimed to them: “It is I you have bereaved! Joseph is no more, and Simʹe·on is no more, and you are going to take Benjamin! It is upon me that all these things have come!” 37 But Reuʹben said to his father: “You may put to death my own two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Give him over to my care, and I will return him to you.” 38 However, he said: “My son will not go down with you, because his brother is dead and he alone is left. If a fatal accident should befall him on the journey you would make, then you would certainly bring down my gray hairs to the Grave in grief.”
43 Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 So when they had finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them: “Return and buy a little food for us.” 3 Then Judah said to him: “The man clearly warned us, ‘You must not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you do not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You must not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’” 6 And Israel asked: “Why did you have to bring this trouble on me by telling the man that you had another brother?” 7 They replied: “The man directly inquired concerning us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ and we told him these facts. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
8 Judah then urged Israel his father: “Send the boy with me, and let us go on our way so that we may live and not die—we and you and our children. 9 I will be a guarantee for his safety. You may hold me responsible. If I fail to return him to you and present him to you, I will have sinned against you for all time. 10 But if we had not delayed, we could have been there and back twice by now.”
11 So Israel their father said to them: “If it must be so, then do this: Take the finest products of the land in your bags and carry them down to the man as a gift: a little balsam, a little honey, labdanum, resinous bark, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double the money with you; and also take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your bags. Maybe it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother and go, return to the man. 14 May God Almighty grant you pity from the man, so that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. But as for me, if I must be bereaved, I will be bereaved!”
15 So the men took this gift, and they took double the money in their hand and Benjamin. Then they rose and went on their way down to Egypt and again stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he at once said to the man who was over his house: “Take the men to the house and slaughter animals and prepare the meal, for the men are to eat with me at noon.” 17 Immediately the man did just as Joseph had said, and he took them to Joseph’s house. 18 But the men became afraid when they were taken to Joseph’s house, and they began to say: “It is because of the money that was returned in our bags the last time that we are being brought here. Now they will attack us and make us slaves and take our donkeys!”
19 So they approached the man who was over Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the entrance of the house. 20 They said: “Pardon us, my lord! We did come down the first time to buy food. 21 But when we arrived at our lodging place and began opening our bags, why, here was the money of each one in the mouth of his bag, our money in full weight. So we would like to return it personally. 22 And we have brought more money to buy food. We do not know who placed our money in our bags.” 23 Then he said: “It is all right. Do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father put treasure in your bags. Your money came first to me.” After that he brought out Simʹe·on to them.
24 Then the man brought them into Joseph’s house and gave them water for washing their feet, and he gave fodder for their donkeys. 25 And they prepared the gift for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they had heard that they were going to eat a meal there. 26 When Joseph went into the house, they brought their gift to him into the house and prostrated themselves to him to the ground. 27 After this he inquired about their welfare and said: “How is your aged father of whom you have spoken? Is he still alive?” 28 To this they said: “Your servant our father is well. He is still alive.” Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves.
29 When he looked up and saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, he said: “Is this your brother, the youngest one of whom you have spoken to me?” He added: “May God show you his favor, my son.” 30 Joseph then hurried out, because he was overcome with emotion for his brother, and he looked for a place to weep. So he went into a private room and gave way to tears there. 31 After that he washed his face and went out, now in control of himself, and he said: “Serve the meal.” 32 They served him by himself and them by themselves, and the Egyptians with him ate by themselves, for the Egyptians could not eat a meal with the Hebrews, because that is a detestable thing to the Egyptians.
33 The brothers were seated before him, the firstborn according to his right as firstborn and the youngest according to his youth, and they kept looking at one another in amazement. 34 He kept sending portions of food from his table to theirs, but he increased Benjamin’s portion five times the size of the portions of all the others. So they continued banqueting and drinking with him to the full.
44 Later he commanded the man who was over his house: “Fill the bags of the men with as much food as they can carry, and place the money of each one in the mouth of his bag. 2 But you must place my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the bag of the youngest, along with the money for his grain.” So he did as Joseph had instructed.
3 In the morning when it had become light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to the man who was over his house: “Get up! Chase after the men! When you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid bad for good? 5 Is not this what my master drinks from and uses to read omens expertly? It is a wicked thing you have done.’”
6 So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7 But they said to him: “Why does my lord say such a thing? It is unthinkable that your servants would do anything like this. 8 Why, the money that we found in the mouth of our bags we brought back to you from the land of Caʹnaan. How, then, could we steal silver or gold from the house of your master? 9 If it is found with one of your slaves, let him die, and the rest of us will also become slaves to my master.” 10 So he said: “Let it be as you say: The one with whom it is found will become my slave, but the rest of you will be innocent.” 11 With that each one quickly lowered his bag to the ground and opened it. 12 He searched carefully, starting with the oldest and finishing with the youngest. Finally the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag.
13 Then they ripped their garments apart, and each of them lifted his load back onto his donkey and returned to the city. 14 When Judah and his brothers went into Joseph’s house, he was still there; and they fell to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them: “What is this deed that you have done? Did you not know that a man like me can expertly read omens?” 16 At this Judah replied: “What can we say to my master? What can we speak? And how can we prove ourselves righteous? The true God has found out the error of your slaves. We are now slaves to my master, both we and the one in whose hand the cup was found!” 17 However, he said: “It is unthinkable for me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found is the one who will become a slave to me. As for the rest of you, go up in peace to your father.”
18 Judah now approached him and said: “I beg you, my master, please let your slave speak a word in my master’s ears, and do not become angry with your slave, for you are like Pharʹaoh himself. 19 My master asked his slaves, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 So we said to my master, ‘We do have an aged father and a child of his old age, the youngest. But his brother is dead, so he is the only remaining son of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 After that you said to your slaves, ‘Bring him down to me so that I may see him.’ 22 But we said to my master, ‘The boy is not able to leave his father. If he did leave him, his father would certainly die.’ 23 Then you said to your slaves, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you may not see my face anymore.’
24 “So we went up to your slave my father and told him the words of my master. 25 Later our father said, ‘Return and buy a little food for us.’ 26 But we said, ‘We are not able to go down. If our youngest brother is with us we will go down, for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your slave my father said to us, ‘You well know that my wife bore but two sons to me. 28 But one of them left me and I said: “He must surely have been torn to pieces!” and I have not seen him until now. 29 If you were to take this one also out of my sight and a fatal accident were to befall him, you would certainly bring down my gray hairs to the Grave with calamity.’
30 “And now if I return to your slave my father without the boy along with us, since his own life is bound up with this one’s life, 31 then as soon as he sees that the boy is not there, he will die, and your slaves will indeed bring down the gray hairs of your slave our father to the Grave in grief. 32 Your slave gave a guarantee to my father for the boy, saying, ‘If I fail to bring him back to you, then I will have sinned against my father forever.’ 33 So now, please, let your slave stay instead of the boy as my master’s slave, in order that the boy may return with his brothers. 34 How can I return to my father without the boy along with me? I could not bear looking on when this calamity befalls my father!”
45 At this Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants. So he cried out: “Have everyone leave me!” No one else stayed with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 Then he began to weep so loudly that the Egyptians heard it and Pharʹaoh’s house heard it. 3 Finally Joseph said to his brothers: “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were unable to answer him at all, because they were astonished on account of him. 4 So Joseph said to his brothers: “Come close to me, please.” With that they came close to him.
Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But now do not be upset and do not reproach one another because you sold me here; because God has sent me ahead of you for the preservation of life. 6 This is the second year of the famine in the land, and there are yet five years in which there will be no plowing or harvest. 7 But God sent me ahead of you in order to preserve for you a remnant on the earth and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 So, then, it was not you who sent me here, but it was the true God, in order to appoint me as chief adviser to Pharʹaoh and lord for all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
9 “Return quickly to my father, and you must say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph has said: “God has appointed me lord over all Egypt. Come down to me. Do not delay. 10 You must dwell in the land of Goʹshen, where you will be near me—you, your sons, your grandsons, your flocks, your herds, and everything you have. 11 I will supply you with food there, for there are yet five years of famine. Otherwise, you and your house and everything you have will come to poverty.”’ 12 You and my brother Benjamin can now see with your own eyes that I am really the one speaking to you. 13 So you must tell my father about all my glory in Egypt and everything you have seen. Now hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 Then he embraced his brother Benjamin and gave way to weeping, and Benjamin wept with his arms around his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers spoke with him.
16 The news reached the house of Pharʹaoh: “Joseph’s brothers have come!” It was good in the eyes of Pharʹaoh and his servants. 17 So Pharʹaoh said to Joseph: “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your beasts of burden and go to the land of Caʹnaan, 18 and take your father and your households and come here to me. I will give you the good things of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the richest part of the land.’ 19 And you are commanded to tell them: ‘Do this: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your children and your wives, and you must bring your father on one of them and come here. 20 Do not worry about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 And the sons of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons according to Pharʹaoh’s orders, and he gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each of them he gave individual changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave 300 silver pieces and five changes of clothing. 23 And to his father he sent the following: ten donkeys carrying good things of Egypt and ten female donkeys carrying grain and bread and sustenance for his father for the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers off, and as they departed, he said to them: “Do not become upset with one another on the way.”
25 Then they went up from Egypt and came into the land of Caʹnaan to their father Jacob. 26 Then they reported to him: “Joseph is still alive, and he is the ruler over all the land of Egypt!” But his heart grew numb because he did not believe them. 27 When they went on telling him all the words that Joseph had spoken to them and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob began to revive. 28 Israel exclaimed: “It is enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I must go and see him before I die!”
46 So Israel took all that he had and departed. When he arrived at Beʹer-sheʹba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 Then God spoke to Israel in a vision by night and said: “Jacob, Jacob!” to which he said: “Here I am!” 3 He said: “I am the true God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I myself will also bring you back from there, and Joseph will lay his hand on your eyes.”
5 After that Jacob departed from Beʹer-sheʹba, and the sons of Israel transported Jacob their father and their children and their wives in the wagons that Pharʹaoh had sent to transport him. 6 They took along their herds and their goods, which they had accumulated in the land of Caʹnaan. And so they came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him. 7 He brought with him into Egypt his sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters—all his offspring.
8 Now these are the names of Israel’s sons who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Jacob’s firstborn was Reuʹben.
9 The sons of Reuʹben were Haʹnoch, Palʹlu, Hezʹron, and Carʹmi.
10 The sons of Simʹe·on were Jem·uʹel, Jaʹmin, Oʹhad, Jaʹchin, Zoʹhar, and Shaʹul the son of a Caʹnaan·ite woman.
11 The sons of Leʹvi were Gerʹshon, Koʹhath, and Me·rarʹi.
12 The sons of Judah were Er, Oʹnan, Sheʹlah, Peʹrez, and Zeʹrah. However, Er and Oʹnan died in the land of Caʹnaan.
The sons of Peʹrez came to be Hezʹron and Haʹmul.
13 The sons of Isʹsa·char were Toʹla, Puʹvah, Iob, and Shimʹron.
14 The sons of Zebʹu·lun were Seʹred, Eʹlon, and Jahʹle·el.
15 These are the sons of Leʹah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padʹdan-aʹram, together with his daughter Diʹnah. All his sons and his daughters numbered 33.
16 The sons of Gad were Ziphʹi·on, Hagʹgi, Shuʹni, Ezʹbon, Eʹri, Ar·oʹdi, and A·reʹli.
17 The sons of Ashʹer were Imʹnah, Ishʹvah, Ishʹvi, and Be·riʹah, and their sister was Seʹrah.
The sons of Be·riʹah were Heʹber and Malʹchi·el.
18 These are the sons of Zilʹpah, whom Laʹban gave to his daughter Leʹah. She bore these to Jacob: 16 persons in all.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 There were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt Ma·nasʹseh and Eʹphra·im, whom Asʹe·nath the daughter of Pot·iʹphe·ra the priest of On bore to him.
21 The sons of Benjamin were Beʹla, Beʹcher, Ashʹbel, Geʹra, Naʹa·man, Eʹhi, Rosh, Mupʹpim, Hupʹpim, and Ard.
22 These are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob: 14 persons in all.
23 The son of Dan was Huʹshim.
24 The sons of Naphʹta·li were Jahʹze·el, Guʹni, Jeʹzer, and Shilʹlem.
25 These are the sons of Bilʹhah, whom Laʹban gave to his daughter Rachel. She bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.
26 All those who descended from Jacob and went into Egypt with him, aside from the wives of Jacob’s sons, were 66. 27 Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt were two. All the people of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were 70.
28 Jacob sent Judah ahead to tell Joseph that he was on the way to Goʹshen. When they came into the land of Goʹshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot prepared and went up to meet Israel his father at Goʹshen. When he presented himself to him, he at once embraced him and wept for some time. 30 Then Israel said to Joseph: “Now I am ready to die; I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”
31 Joseph then said to his brothers and to his father’s household: “Let me go up and report to Pharʹaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Caʹnaan have come here to me. 32 The men are shepherds, and they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharʹaoh calls you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you must say, ‘Your servants have raised livestock from our youth until now, both we and our forefathers,’ so that you may dwell in the land of Goʹshen, for every herder of sheep is detestable to the Egyptians.”
47 So Joseph went and reported to Pharʹaoh: “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they possess have come from the land of Caʹnaan, and they are in the land of Goʹshen.” 2 He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharʹaoh.
3 Pharʹaoh said to his brothers: “What is your occupation?” They replied to Pharʹaoh: “Your servants are herders of sheep, both we and our forefathers.” 4 Then they said to Pharʹaoh: “We have come to reside as foreigners in the land because there are no pastures for the flock of your servants, for the famine is severe in the land of Caʹnaan. So please let your servants dwell in the land of Goʹshen.” 5 At that Pharʹaoh said to Joseph: “Your father and your brothers have come here to you. 6 The land of Egypt is at your disposal. Have your father and your brothers dwell in the very best part of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goʹshen, and if you know of any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and presented him to Pharʹaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharʹaoh. 8 Pharʹaoh asked Jacob: “How old are you?” 9 Jacob said to Pharʹaoh: “The years of my wanderings are 130. Few and distressing the years of my life have been, and they are not as long as the years of the lives of my forefathers during their wanderings.” 10 After that Jacob blessed Pharʹaoh and went out from before him.
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and he gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the very best part of the land, in the land of Ramʹe·ses, just as Pharʹaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph kept supplying his father and his brothers and the entire household of his father with food according to the number of their children.
13 Now there was no food in all the land, because the famine was very severe, and the land of Egypt and the land of Caʹnaan became exhausted as a result of the famine. 14 Joseph was collecting all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Caʹnaan for the grain that people were buying, and Joseph kept bringing the money into Pharʹaoh’s house. 15 In time the money from the land of Egypt and the land of Caʹnaan was spent, and all the Egyptians began coming to Joseph, saying: “Give us food! Why should we die before your very eyes because our money has run out?” 16 Then Joseph said: “If your money has run out, hand over your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” 17 So they began bringing their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph kept giving them food in exchange for their horses, the livestock of the flock and of the herd, and the donkeys, and he kept providing them with food in exchange for all their livestock during that year.
18 When that year came to its close, they began coming to him the next year and saying: “We will not hide from my lord that the money and the stock of domestic animals have already been given to my lord. We have nothing left for my lord but our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we together with our land will become slaves to Pharʹaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die and that our land may not become desolate.” 20 Joseph then bought all the land of the Egyptians for Pharʹaoh because every Egyptian sold his field, for the famine was very severe; and the land became Pharʹaoh’s.
21 Then he moved the people into cities, from one end of the territory of Egypt to its other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, because the rations for the priests were from Pharʹaoh and they lived on their rations that Pharʹaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. 23 Then Joseph said to the people: “See, I have today bought you and your land for Pharʹaoh. Here is seed for you, and you must sow the land with it. 24 When it produces, give a fifth to Pharʹaoh, but four parts will be yours as seed for the field and as food for you and for those in your houses and for your children to eat.” 25 So they said: “You have preserved our lives. Let us find favor in the eyes of my lord, and we will become slaves to Pharʹaoh.” 26 Then Joseph made it a decree, which is valid until today over the land of Egypt, that a fifth belongs to Pharʹaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharʹaoh’s.
27 Israel continued to dwell in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goʹshen, and they settled in it and were fruitful and increased greatly. 28 And Jacob lived on in the land of Egypt for 17 years, so that the days of Jacob’s life came to be 147 years.
29 The time was approaching for Israel to die, so he called his son Joseph and said: “If, now, I have found favor in your eyes, place your hand, please, under my thigh, and show loyal love and faithfulness to me. Please, do not bury me in Egypt. 30 When I die, you must carry me out of Egypt and bury me in the grave of my forefathers.” Accordingly, he said: “I will do just as you say.” 31 Then he said: “Swear to me.” So he swore to him. At that Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.
48 After these things, Joseph was told: “Look, your father is getting weak.” At that he took his two sons Ma·nasʹseh and Eʹphra·im with him. 2 Then Jacob was told: “Here your son Joseph has come to you.” So Israel gathered his strength and sat up on his bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph:
“God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Caʹnaan and blessed me. 4 And he said to me, ‘I am making you fruitful, and I will make you many, and I will transform you into a congregation of peoples, and I will give this land to your offspring after you as a lasting possession.’ 5 Now your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are mine. Eʹphra·im and Ma·nasʹseh will become mine just as Reuʹben and Simʹe·on are mine. 6 But the children born to you after them will become yours. They will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I was coming from Padʹdan, Rachel died alongside me in the land of Caʹnaan, while there was yet a good stretch of land before coming to Ephʹrath. So I buried her there on the way to Ephʹrath, that is, Bethʹle·hem.”
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons and asked: “Who are these?” 9 So Joseph said to his father: “They are my sons whom God has given me in this place.” At this he said: “Bring them to me, please, so that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were failing from age, and he was unable to see. So Joseph brought them close to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 Israel said to Joseph: “I never imagined I would see your face, but here God has also let me see your offspring.” 12 Joseph then removed them from Israel’s knees, and he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Joseph now took the two of them, Eʹphra·im with his right hand to Israel’s left and Ma·nasʹseh with his left hand to Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. 14 However, Israel put out his right hand and placed it on Eʹphra·im’s head, although he was the younger, and he placed his left hand on Ma·nasʹseh’s head. He purposely laid his hands this way, since Ma·nasʹseh was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said:
“The true God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The true God who has been shepherding me during all my life until this day,
16 The angel who has been recovering me from all calamity, bless the boys.
Let my name be called upon them and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac,
Let them increase to a multitude in the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father kept his right hand placed on Eʹphra·im’s head, it was displeasing to him, so he tried to take hold of his father’s hand to move it from Eʹphra·im’s head to Ma·nasʹseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to his father: “Not so, my father, because this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father kept refusing and said: “I know it, my son, I know it. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will become greater than he will, and his offspring will become the full equivalent of nations.” 20 So he continued to bless them on that day, saying:
“Let Israel mention you when they pronounce blessings, saying,
‘May God make you like Eʹphra·im and like Ma·nasʹseh.’”
Thus he kept putting Eʹphra·im before Ma·nasʹseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph: “Look, I am dying, but God will certainly continue with you and return you to the land of your forefathers. 22 As for me, I do give you one portion of land more than to your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amʹor·ites with my sword and my bow.”
49 And Jacob called his sons and said: “Gather yourselves together that I may tell you what will happen to you in the final part of the days. 2 Assemble yourselves and listen, you sons of Jacob, yes, listen to Israel your father.
3 “Reuʹben, you are my firstborn, my vigor and the beginning of my procreative power, the excellence of dignity and the excellence of strength. 4 With recklessness like turbulent waters, you will not excel, because you have gone up to your father’s bed. At that time you defiled my bed. He actually went on to it!
5 “Simʹe·on and Leʹvi are brothers. Instruments of violence are their slaughter weapons. 6 Into their company do not come, O my soul. With their assembly do not join, O my honor, because in their anger they killed men, and for their pleasure they hamstrung bulls. 7 Cursed be their anger, because it is cruel, and their fury, because it is harsh. Let me disperse them in Jacob, and let me scatter them in Israel.
8 “As for you, Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. The sons of your father will bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion cub. From the prey, my son, you will certainly go up. He has crouched down and stretched himself out like a lion, and like a lion, who dares rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, neither the commander’s staff from between his feet, until Shiʹloh comes, and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong. 11 Tying his donkey to a vine and his donkey’s colt to a choice vine, he will wash his clothing in wine and his garment in the blood of grapes. 12 Dark red are his eyes from wine, and his teeth are white from milk.
13 “Zebʹu·lun will reside by the seashore, by the shore where the ships lie anchored, and his remote border will be toward Siʹdon.
14 “Isʹsa·char is a strong-boned donkey, lying down between the two saddlebags. 15 And he will see that the resting-place is good and that the land is pleasant. He will bend his shoulder to bear the burden and will submit to forced labor.
16 “Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Let Dan be a serpent by the roadside, a horned snake beside the path, that bites the heels of the horse so that its rider falls backward. 18 I will wait for salvation from you, O Jehovah.
19 “As for Gad, a marauder band will raid him, but he will raid at their heels.
20 “Ashʹer’s bread will be abundant, and he will provide food fit for a king.
21 “Naphʹta·li is a slender doe. He is speaking words of elegance.
22 “Joseph is the offshoot of a fruitful tree, a fruitful tree by a spring, whose branches extend over the wall. 23 But the archers kept harassing him and shot at him and kept harboring animosity against him. 24 And yet his bow remained in place, and his hands stayed strong and agile. This was from the hands of the powerful one of Jacob, from the shepherd, the stone of Israel. 25 He is from the God of your father, and he will help you, and he is with the Almighty, and he will bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, with the blessings of the deep below, with the blessings of the breasts and womb. 26 The blessings of your father will be superior to the blessings of the eternal mountains, to the desirable things of the enduring hills. They will continue upon the head of Joseph, upon the crown of the head of the one singled out from his brothers.
27 “Benjamin will keep on tearing like a wolf. In the morning he will eat the prey, and in the evening he will divide spoil.”
28 All of these are the 12 tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he was blessing them. He gave each of them an appropriate blessing.
29 After that he gave these commands to them: “I am being gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Eʹphron the Hitʹtite, 30 the cave in the field of Mach·peʹlah in front of Mamʹre in the land of Caʹnaan, the field that Abraham purchased from Eʹphron the Hitʹtite as a property for a burial place. 31 There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and his wife Re·bekʹah, and there I buried Leʹah. 32 The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the sons of Heth.”
33 Thus Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons. Then he drew his feet up onto the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
50 Joseph then threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 After that Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel, 3 and they took the full 40 days for him, for this is the full period for the embalming, and the Egyptians continued to shed tears for him 70 days.
4 When the days of mourning for him passed, Joseph spoke to Pharʹaoh’s court, saying: “If I have found favor in your eyes, give this message to Pharʹaoh: 5 ‘My father made me swear, saying: “Look! I am dying. You are to bury me in my burial place, which I have excavated in the land of Caʹnaan.” Please, let me go up and bury my father, after which I will return.’” 6 Pharʹaoh replied: “Go and bury your father just as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father, and all of Pharʹaoh’s servants went with him, the elders of his court and all the elders of the land of Egypt 8 and all of Joseph’s household and his brothers and the household of his father. Only their little children and their flocks and their herds they left in the land of Goʹshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him, and the camp was very numerous. 10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Aʹtad, which is in the region of the Jordan, and there they carried on a very great and bitter mourning, and he kept mourning for his father seven days. 11 The inhabitants of the land, the Caʹnaan·ites, saw them mourning at the threshing floor of Aʹtad, and they exclaimed: “This is a great mourning for the Egyptians!” That is why it was named Aʹbel-mizʹra·im, which is in the region of the Jordan.
12 So his sons did for him exactly as he had instructed them. 13 His sons carried him into the land of Caʹnaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Mach·peʹlah, the field in front of Mamʹre that Abraham had purchased from Eʹphron the Hitʹtite as property for a burial place. 14 After he buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all those who had gone with him to bury his father.
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said: “It may be that Joseph is harboring animosity against us and that he will repay us for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph in these words: “Your father gave this command before his death: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: “I beg you, please pardon the transgression of your brothers and the sin they committed in bringing such harm to you.”’ Now, please, pardon the transgression of the servants of your father’s God.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said: “Here we are as slaves to you!” 19 Joseph said to them: “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 Although you meant to harm me, God intended it to turn out well and to preserve many people alive, as he is doing today. 21 So now do not be afraid. I will keep supplying you and your little children with food.” Thus he comforted them and spoke reassuringly to them.
22 And Joseph continued to dwell in Egypt, he and the household of his father, and Joseph lived for 110 years. 23 Joseph saw the third generation of Eʹphra·im’s sons, also the sons of Maʹchir, Ma·nasʹseh’s son. They were born upon Joseph’s knees. 24 At length Joseph said to his brothers: “I am dying, but God will without fail turn his attention to you, and he will certainly bring you up out of this land to the land about which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 So Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying: “God will without fail turn his attention to you. You must take my bones up out of here.” 26 And Joseph died at the age of 110, and they had him embalmed, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

LEVITICUS
1 And Jehovah called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘If any one of you would present an offering to Jehovah from the domestic animals, you should present your offering from the herd or from the flock.
3 “‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he should present a sound male animal. He should present it of his own free will before Jehovah at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted in his behalf to make atonement for him.
5 “‘Then the young bull must be slaughtered before Jehovah, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, will present the blood and sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 The burnt offering should be skinned and cut into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, will arrange the pieces of the offering with the head and the suet over the wood that is on the fire on the altar. 9 Its intestines and its shanks will be washed with water, and the priest is to make all of it smoke on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire of a pleasing aroma to Jehovah.
10 “‘If his offering for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the young rams or the goats, he should present a sound male. 11 It is to be slaughtered at the north side of the altar before Jehovah, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, will sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. 12 He will cut it up into pieces, and with its head and its suet, the priest will arrange them over the wood on the fire on the altar. 13 He will wash the intestines and the shanks with water, and the priest will present all of it and make it smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire of a pleasing aroma to Jehovah.
14 “‘However, if he offers birds as a burnt offering to Jehovah, he will present his offering from the turtledoves or the young pigeons. 15 The priest will present it at the altar and nip off its head and make it smoke on the altar, but its blood should be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He should remove its crop and its feathers and throw them beside the altar, to the east, to the place for the ashes. 17 He will split it at its wings without dividing it into two parts. Then the priest will make it smoke on the altar over the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire of a pleasing aroma to Jehovah.
2 “‘Now if someone presents a grain offering to Jehovah, his offering must be fine flour, and he should pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. 2 Then he will bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and the priest will take a handful of the fine flour and oil and all its frankincense, and he will make it smoke as a token offering on the altar, an offering made by fire of a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. 3 Whatever is left of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons as something most holy from Jehovah’s offerings made by fire.
4 “‘If you present a grain offering that has been baked in the oven, it should be of fine flour, unleavened ring-shaped loaves mixed with oil or unleavened wafers spread with oil.
5 “‘If your offering is a grain offering from the griddle, it should be of fine, unleavened flour mixed with oil. 6 It should be broken into pieces, and you are to pour oil on it. It is a grain offering.
7 “‘If your offering is a grain offering prepared in a pan, it should be made of fine flour with oil. 8 You should bring the grain offering that was made of these to Jehovah, and it will be presented to the priest, who will bring it near to the altar. 9 And the priest will lift off some of the grain offering as a token offering and make it smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire of a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. 10 What is left of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons as something most holy of Jehovah’s offerings by fire.
11 “‘No grain offering that you present to Jehovah should be leavened, for you must not make any sourdough or honey smoke as an offering made by fire to Jehovah.
12 “‘You may present them to Jehovah as an offering of the firstfruits, but they must not be brought to the altar as a pleasing aroma.
13 “‘Every grain offering you make is to be seasoned with salt; and you must not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be missing from your grain offering. Along with every offering of yours, you will present salt.
14 “‘If you present the grain offering of the first ripe fruits to Jehovah, you should present new grain roasted with fire, coarsely crushed new kernels, as the grain offering of your first ripe fruits. 15 You are to put oil on it and place frankincense on it. It is a grain offering. 16 The priest will make it smoke as a token offering, that is, some of the coarse grain and oil along with all its frankincense, as an offering made by fire to Jehovah.
3 “‘If his offering is a communion sacrifice and if he is presenting it from the herd, whether a male or a female, he should present a sound animal before Jehovah. 2 He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering, and it will be slaughtered at the entrance of the tent of meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar. 3 He will present part of the communion sacrifice as an offering made by fire to Jehovah: the fat that covers the intestines, all the fat that surrounds the intestines, 4 and the two kidneys with the fat on them that is near the loins. He will also remove the appendage of the liver along with the kidneys. 5 Aaron’s sons will make it smoke on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is placed on the wood that is over the fire; it is an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah.
6 “‘If his offering is from the flock for a communion sacrifice to Jehovah, he will present a sound male or a female animal. 7 If he is presenting a young ram as his offering, then he will present it before Jehovah. 8 He will lay his hand on the head of his offering, and it will be slaughtered in front of the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons will sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. 9 He will present the fat from the communion sacrifice as an offering made by fire to Jehovah. He will remove the entire fat tail near the backbone, the fat that covers the intestines, all the fat that surrounds the intestines, 10 and the two kidneys with the fat on them that is near the loins. He will also remove the appendage of the liver along with the kidneys. 11 And the priest will make it smoke on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to Jehovah.
12 “‘If his offering is a goat, then he will present it before Jehovah. 13 He will lay his hand on its head, and it will be slaughtered before the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons must sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. 14 The part he will present as his offering made by fire to Jehovah is the fat that covers the intestines, all the fat that surrounds the intestines, 15 and the two kidneys with the fat on them that is near the loins. He will also remove the appendage of the liver along with the kidneys. 16 The priest will make them smoke on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a pleasing aroma. All the fat belongs to Jehovah.
17 “‘It is a lasting statute for your generations, in all your dwelling places: You must not eat any fat or any blood at all.’”
4 Jehovah went on to say to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If someone sins unintentionally by doing any of the things that Jehovah commanded should not be done:
3 “‘If the anointed priest sins and brings guilt on the people, then he must present a sound young bull to Jehovah as a sin offering for the sin he committed. 4 He will bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before Jehovah and lay his hand on the bull’s head, and he is to slaughter the bull before Jehovah. 5 Then the anointed priest will take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the tent of meeting; 6 and the priest will dip his finger in the blood and spatter some of the blood seven times before Jehovah in front of the curtain of the holy place. 7 The priest will also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of perfumed incense, which is before Jehovah in the tent of meeting; and he will pour all the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
8 “‘He will then remove all the fat of the bull of the sin offering, including the fat that covers the intestines and the fat that surrounds the intestines, 9 and the two kidneys with the fat on them that is near the loins. And he will remove the appendage of the liver along with the kidneys. 10 It will be the same as what is removed from a bull of the communion sacrifice. And the priest will make them smoke on the altar of burnt offering.
11 “‘But as for the skin of the bull and all its flesh along with its head, its shanks, its intestines, and its dung— 12 all the rest of the bull—he will have it taken to the outskirts of the camp to a clean place where the ashes are discarded, and he will burn it on wood in the fire. It should be burned where the ashes are discarded.
13 “‘Now if the entire assembly of Israel has become guilty by committing a sin unintentionally, but the congregation was unaware that they had done something that Jehovah commanded them not to do, 14 and then the sin becomes known, the congregation must present a young bull for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. 15 The elders of the assembly will lay their hands on the bull’s head before Jehovah, and the bull will be slaughtered before Jehovah.
16 “‘Then the anointed priest will bring some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting. 17 The priest is to dip his finger into the blood and spatter some of it seven times before Jehovah in front of the curtain. 18 He will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before Jehovah, which is in the tent of meeting; and he will pour all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 19 He will remove all its fat and make it smoke on the altar. 20 He is to do to the bull just as he did to the other bull of the sin offering. That is how he will do it, and the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. 21 He will have the bull taken to the outskirts of the camp and will burn it, just as he burned the first bull. It is a sin offering for the congregation.
22 “‘When a chieftain unintentionally sins by doing one of all the things that Jehovah his God commands should not be done and has become guilty, 23 or if he becomes aware of a sin that he has committed against the commandment, then he must bring a sound young male goat as his offering. 24 He will lay his hand on the head of the young goat and slaughter it in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before Jehovah. It is a sin offering. 25 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he will pour the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 He will make all its fat smoke on the altar like the fat of the communion sacrifice; and the priest will make atonement for him for his sin, and it will be forgiven him.
27 “‘If any one of the people of the land sins unintentionally and becomes guilty by doing one of the things that Jehovah commands should not be done, 28 or if he becomes aware of a sin that he has committed, then he should bring a sound young female goat as his offering for the sin he has committed. 29 He will lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin offering in the same place as the burnt offering. 30 The priest will take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he will pour all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 31 He will remove all its fat, just as the fat is removed from the communion sacrifice, and the priest will make it smoke on the altar as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah; and the priest will make atonement for him, and it will be forgiven him.
32 “‘But if he offers a lamb as his sin offering, he should bring a sound female lamb. 33 He will lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 34 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he will pour all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 35 He will remove all its fat the same way that the fat of the young ram of the communion sacrifice is removed, and the priest will make them smoke on the altar on top of Jehovah’s offerings made by fire; and the priest will make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and it will be forgiven him.
5 “‘If someone sins because he has heard a public call to testify and he is a witness or has seen or learned about it and he does not report it, then he will answer for his error.
2 “‘Or when a person touches anything unclean, whether the dead body of an unclean wild animal, an unclean domestic animal, or an unclean swarming creature, he is unclean and has become guilty even if he does not realize it. 3 Or in case someone without being aware of it touches human uncleanness—anything unclean that may make him unclean—and he comes to know it, then he becomes guilty.
4 “‘Or if someone rashly swears to do something—whether it is to do good or to do evil, no matter what it may be—and he was unaware of it, but then he realizes that he has sworn rashly, he becomes guilty.
5 “‘If he becomes guilty as respects one of these things, then he must confess in what way he has sinned. 6 He will also bring his guilt offering to Jehovah for the sin that he committed, namely, a female from the flock, either a female lamb or a young female goat, for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for him for his sin.
7 “‘If, though, he cannot afford a sheep, he must bring to Jehovah two turtledoves or two young pigeons as his guilt offering for the sin, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. 8 He is to bring them to the priest, who will present first the one for the sin offering and nip off its head at the front of its neck, without severing it. 9 He will spatter some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, but the remainder of the blood will be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 He will handle the other one as a burnt offering according to the regular procedure; and the priest will make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and it will be forgiven him.
11 “‘Now if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he must bring as his offering for his sin a tenth of an eʹphah of fine flour for a sin offering. He should not add oil to it or place frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12 He will bring it to the priest, and the priest will take from it his handful as a token offering and make it smoke on the altar on top of Jehovah’s offerings made by fire. It is a sin offering. 13 The priest will make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, any one of these sins, and it will be forgiven him. The remainder of the offering will become the priest’s, just like the grain offering.’”
14 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 15 “If someone behaves unfaithfully by unintentionally sinning against the holy things of Jehovah, he is to bring to Jehovah a sound ram from the flock as a guilt offering; its value in silver shekels is set according to the standard shekel of the holy place. 16 And he will make compensation for the sin he has committed against the holy place and he will also add a fifth of its value. He will give it to the priest, so that the priest may make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it will be forgiven him.
17 “If someone sins by doing any of the things that Jehovah commands should not be done, even if he is not aware of it, he is still guilty and will answer for his error. 18 He should bring to the priest a sound ram from the flock according to the estimated value, for a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement for him for the unintentional mistake that he unknowingly committed, and it will be forgiven him. 19 It is a guilt offering. He has certainly become guilty of sinning against Jehovah.”
6 Jehovah went on to say to Moses: 2 “If someone sins and behaves unfaithfully toward Jehovah by deceiving his neighbor in connection with something entrusted to him, or something deposited with him, or he robs or defrauds his neighbor, 3 or he finds something lost and is deceptive about it, and if he swears falsely over any such sin he may commit, this is what he should do: 4 If he has sinned and is guilty, he must return what he stole, what he extorted, what he took by fraud, what was entrusted to him, or the lost thing that he found, 5 or anything about which he swore falsely, and he must make full compensation for it, and he will add to it a fifth of its value. He will give it to the owner on the day his guilt is proved. 6 And he will bring to the priest as his guilt offering to Jehovah a sound ram from the flock according to the assessed value, for a guilt offering. 7 The priest will make atonement for him before Jehovah, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done resulting in his guilt.”
8 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 9 “Command Aaron and his sons and say, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering will remain on the hearth on the altar all night long until the morning, and the fire will be kept burning on the altar. 10 The priest will clothe himself with his official dress of linen, and he will put the linen shorts on over his flesh. Then he will remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire had consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he will take off his garments and put on other garments and take the ashes to a clean place outside the camp. 12 The fire will be kept burning on the altar. It must not go out. The priest must burn wood on it each morning and arrange the burnt offering over it, and he will make the fat of the communion sacrifices smoke over it. 13 Fire will be kept constantly burning on the altar. It must not go out.
14 “‘Now this is the law of the grain offering: You sons of Aaron are to present it before Jehovah in front of the altar. 15 One of them will take a handful from the fine flour of the grain offering and some of its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and he will make it smoke on the altar as a pleasing aroma for a token offering to Jehovah. 16 Aaron and his sons will eat what is left of it. It will be eaten as unleavened bread in a holy place. They will eat it in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. 17 It should not be baked with anything leavened. I have given it as their share out of my offerings made by fire. It is something most holy, like the sin offering and like the guilt offering. 18 Every male among the sons of Aaron will eat it. It is their permanent allowance throughout your generations from Jehovah’s offerings made by fire. Everything that touches them will become holy.’”
19 Jehovah spoke again to Moses: 20 “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons will present to Jehovah on the day he is anointed: the tenth of an eʹphah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 21 It will be made with oil on a griddle. You will bring it well-mixed with oil and present it in pieces as a baked product of the grain offering as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. 22 The anointed priest who succeeds him from among his sons will make it. It is a lasting regulation: As a whole offering it will be made to smoke to Jehovah. 23 Every grain offering of a priest should be a whole offering. It must not be eaten.”
24 Jehovah spoke again to Moses and said: 25 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering will also be slaughtered before Jehovah. It is a most holy thing. 26 The priest who offers it for sin will eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting.
27 “‘Everything that touches its flesh will become holy, and when anyone spatters some of its blood on his garment, you should wash what was spattered with blood in a holy place. 28 The earthenware vessel in which it was boiled is to be shattered. But if it was boiled in a copper vessel, then the vessel must be scoured and washed with water.
29 “‘Every male among the priests will eat it. It is something most holy. 30 However, no sin offering is to be eaten if some of its blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place. It is to be burned with fire.
7 “‘This is the law of the guilt offering: It is something most holy. 2 They will slaughter the guilt offering in the place where they slaughter the burnt offerings, and its blood should be sprinkled on all sides of the altar. 3 He will present all its fat, including the fat tail, the fat that covers the intestines, 4 and the two kidneys with their fat that is near the loins. He will also remove the appendage of the liver along with the kidneys. 5 The priest will make them smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire to Jehovah. It is a guilt offering. 6 Every male among the priests will eat it, and it should be eaten in a holy place. It is something most holy. 7 The law regarding the sin offering applies to the guilt offering; it belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.
8 “‘When the priest presents the burnt offering for someone, the skin of the burnt offering that was presented to the priest will become his.
9 “‘Every grain offering that is baked in the oven or prepared in the pan or on the griddle belongs to the priest who presents it. It will become his. 10 But every grain offering that is mixed with oil or that is dry will be for all of Aaron’s sons; each will have an equal share.
11 “‘Now this is the law of the communion sacrifice that one may present to Jehovah: 12 If he presents it as an expression of thanksgiving, he will present along with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened ring-shaped loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and ring-shaped loaves made with fine flour, well-mixed and blended with oil. 13 He will present his offering along with ring-shaped loaves of leavened bread and the thanksgiving sacrifice of his communion sacrifices. 14 He is to present from it one of each offering as a sacred portion to Jehovah; it will belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the communion sacrifices. 15 The flesh of the thanksgiving sacrifice of his communion sacrifices is to be eaten on the day he offers it. He must not save any of it until morning.
16 “‘If the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it is to be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, and what is left of it may also be eaten on the next day. 17 But whatever is left of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day is to be burned with fire. 18 However, if any of the flesh of his communion sacrifice is eaten on the third day, the one presenting it will not be accepted with approval. It will not be credited to him; it is an offensive thing, and the person who eats some of it will answer for his error. 19 Flesh that touches anything unclean is not to be eaten. It is to be burned with fire. Everyone who is clean may eat the clean flesh.
20 “‘But any person who is unclean and eats the flesh of the communion sacrifice, which is for Jehovah, that person must be cut off from his people. 21 If someone touches anything unclean, whether the uncleanness of a man or an unclean animal or any unclean disgusting thing, and eats some of the flesh of the communion sacrifice, which is for Jehovah, that person must be cut off from his people.’”
22 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 23 “Tell the Israelites, ‘You must not eat any fat of a bull or a young ram or a goat. 24 The fat of an animal found dead and the fat of an animal killed by another animal may be used for any other purpose, but you must never eat it. 25 For whoever eats fat from an animal that he presents as an offering made by fire to Jehovah must be cut off from his people.
26 “‘You must not eat any blood in any of your dwelling places, whether that of birds or that of animals. 27 Anyone who eats any blood must be cut off from his people.’”
28 Jehovah went on to speak to Moses, saying: 29 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Whoever presents his communion sacrifice to Jehovah will bring part of the offering from his communion sacrifice to Jehovah. 30 He will bring in his own hands the fat along with the breast as an offering made by fire to Jehovah, and he will wave it back and forth as a wave offering before Jehovah. 31 The priest will make the fat smoke on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons.
32 “‘You will give the right leg as a sacred portion to the priest from your communion sacrifices. 33 The son of Aaron who presents the blood of the communion sacrifices and the fat will have the right leg as his portion. 34 For I take the breast of the wave offering and the leg of the sacred portion from the communion sacrifices of the Israelites, and I give them to Aaron the priest and his sons as a lasting regulation for the Israelites.
35 “‘This was the portion from Jehovah’s offerings made by fire to be set aside for the priests, for Aaron and his sons, on the day he presented them to serve as priests to Jehovah. 36 Jehovah commanded to give them this portion from the Israelites on the day he anointed them. It is a permanent statute for their generations.’”
37 This is the law concerning the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the installation sacrifice, and the communion sacrifice, 38 just as Jehovah commanded Moses on Mount Siʹnai in the day he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to Jehovah in the wilderness of Siʹnai.
8 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, 3 and make all the assembly gather together at the entrance of the tent of meeting.”
4 Then Moses did just as Jehovah had commanded him, and the assembly gathered together at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 5 Moses now said to the assembly: “This is what Jehovah has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses brought Aaron and his sons near and washed them with water. 7 After that he put the robe on him, wrapped him with the sash, clothed him with the sleeveless coat, and put the ephʹod on him and tied it with the woven belt of the ephʹod, binding it securely on him. 8 Next he placed the breastpiece on him and put the Uʹrim and the Thumʹmim in the breastpiece. 9 Then he placed the turban on his head, and he put on the front of the turban the shining plate of gold, the holy sign of dedication, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
10 Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it and sanctified them. 11 After that he spattered some of it seven times on the altar and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand in order to sanctify them. 12 Finally he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him in order to sanctify him.
13 Moses then brought Aaron’s sons near and clothed them with robes and wrapped them with sashes and put headgear on them, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
14 Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. 15 Moses slaughtered it and took the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides, and he purified the altar from sin, but the rest of the blood he poured at the base of the altar, in order to sanctify it to make atonement on it. 16 After that he took all the fat that was on the intestines, the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses made them smoke on the altar. 17 Then he had the rest of the bull, its skin, its flesh, and its dung, burned with fire outside the camp, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
18 He now brought the ram of the burnt offering near, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19 Moses then slaughtered it and sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar. 20 He cut the ram into its pieces, and Moses made the head, the pieces, and the suet smoke. 21 He washed the intestines and the shanks with water, and Moses made the entire ram smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Jehovah, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
22 Then he brought the second ram, the ram of the installation, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram’s head. 23 Moses slaughtered it and took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Next Moses brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on their right earlobe and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot; but Moses sprinkled the rest of the blood on all sides of the altar.
25 Then he took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the intestines, the appendage of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right leg. 26 He took out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before Jehovah one unleavened ring-shaped loaf, one ring-shaped loaf of oiled bread, and one wafer. He then placed them on the pieces of fat and the right leg. 27 After that he put all of them on the palms of Aaron and the palms of his sons and began to wave them back and forth as a wave offering before Jehovah. 28 Then Moses took them from their hands and made them smoke on the altar on top of the burnt offering. They were an installation sacrifice as a pleasing aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Jehovah.
29 Moses then took the breast and waved it back and forth as a wave offering before Jehovah. From the installation ram it became the portion for Moses, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
30 And Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and spattered it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and the garments of his sons who were with him. Thus he sanctified Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments.
31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons: “Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and you will eat it there with the bread that is in the installation basket, just as I was commanded, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat it.’ 32 What is left over of the flesh and the bread you will burn with fire. 33 You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days for completing your installation are over, because it will take seven days to install you as priests. 34 Jehovah commanded that we do what we have done today in order to make atonement for you. 35 You will stay at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and carry out your obligation to Jehovah, so that you may not die; for so I have been commanded.”
36 And Aaron and his sons did all the things that Jehovah had commanded by means of Moses.
9 On the eighth day, Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2 He said to Aaron: “Take for yourself a young calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, sound ones, and present them before Jehovah. 3 But you will say to the Israelites, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a young ram, each a year old, sound ones, for a burnt offering, 4 and a bull and a ram for communion sacrifices, to sacrifice them before Jehovah, and a grain offering mixed with oil, for today Jehovah will appear to you.’”
5 So they took what Moses had commanded before the tent of meeting. Then the whole assembly came forward and stood before Jehovah. 6 And Moses said: “This is what Jehovah has commanded you to do, so that the glory of Jehovah may appear to you.” 7 Then Moses said to Aaron: “Approach the altar and present your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement in your own behalf and in behalf of your house; and present the offering of the people, and make atonement in their behalf, just as Jehovah has commanded.”
8 Aaron immediately approached the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering that was for him. 9 Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, and he poured the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 10 He made the fat and the kidneys and the appendage of the liver from the sin offering smoke on the altar, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 11 And he burned the flesh and the skin with fire outside the camp.
12 Then he slaughtered the burnt offering, and Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. 13 They handed him the pieces of the burnt offering along with the head, and he made them smoke on the altar. 14 Further, he washed the intestines and the shanks and made them smoke on the burnt offering on the altar.
15 He then presented the offering of the people and took the goat of the sin offering that was for the people and slaughtered it and made a sin offering with it like the first one. 16 And he presented the burnt offering and handled it according to the regular procedure.
17 He next presented the grain offering, filling his hand with some of it and making it smoke on the altar, in addition to the burnt offering of the morning.
18 After that he slaughtered the bull and the ram of the communion sacrifice that was for the people. Then Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it around on all sides of the altar. 19 As for the pieces of fat of the bull, the fat tail of the ram, the fat covering the internal organs, the kidneys, and the appendage of the liver, 20 they placed all those pieces of fat on the breasts, after which he made the pieces of fat smoke on the altar. 21 But the breasts and the right leg Aaron waved back and forth as a wave offering before Jehovah, just as Moses had commanded.
22 Then Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them and came down from making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the communion sacrifices. 23 Finally Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting and came out and blessed the people.
Jehovah’s glory now appeared to all the people, 24 and fire came out from Jehovah and began consuming the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they started shouting and they fell with their faces to the ground.
10 Later Aaron’s sons Naʹdab and A·biʹhu each took his fire holder and put fire in it and placed incense on it. Then they began offering before Jehovah unauthorized fire, which he had not commanded them to do. 2 At this a fire came out from before Jehovah and consumed them, so that they died before Jehovah. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘I will be made holy among those near to me, and I will be glorified before all the people.’” And Aaron kept silent.
4 So Moses called Mishʹa·el and El·zaʹphan, the sons of Uzʹzi·el, Aaron’s uncle, and said to them: “Come here, carry your brothers from in front of the holy place to a place outside the camp.” 5 So they came forward and carried the men away in their robes to a place outside the camp, just as Moses had told them.
6 Moses then said to Aaron and his other sons El·e·aʹzar and Ithʹa·mar: “Do not let your heads go ungroomed or tear your garments, so that you may not die and that God may not become indignant against all the assembly. Your brothers of the whole house of Israel will weep over those whom Jehovah has killed by the fire. 7 You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting or you will die, for Jehovah’s anointing oil is upon you.” So they did according to Moses’ word.
8 Then Jehovah said to Aaron: 9 “Do not drink wine or other alcoholic beverages, you and your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die. It is a permanent statute for your generations. 10 This is to distinguish between the holy thing and the profane and between the unclean thing and the clean, 11 and to teach the Israelites all the regulations that Jehovah has spoken to them through Moses.”
12 Then Moses spoke to Aaron and to El·e·aʹzar and Ithʹa·mar, his sons who were left: “Take what was left of the grain offering from Jehovah’s offerings made by fire and eat it as unleavened bread near the altar, because it is something most holy. 13 You must eat it in a holy place, because it is your allowance and the allowance of your sons from Jehovah’s offerings made by fire, for this is what I have been commanded. 14 You will also eat the breast of the wave offering and the leg of the sacred portion in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, because these things have been given as your allowance and the allowance of your sons from the communion sacrifices of the Israelites. 15 They will bring the leg of the sacred portion and the breast of the wave offering along with the offerings of fat made by fire, in order to wave the wave offering back and forth before Jehovah; and it will serve as a permanent allowance for you and your sons with you, just as Jehovah has commanded.”
16 And Moses diligently searched for the goat of the sin offering, and he discovered that it had been burned up. So he grew indignant at El·e·aʹzar and Ithʹa·mar, Aaron’s sons who were left, and he said: 17 “Why did you not eat the sin offering in the holy place, since it is something most holy and he has given it to you so that you may answer for the error of the assembly and make atonement for them before Jehovah? 18 Look! Its blood has not been brought inside the holy place. You certainly should have eaten it in the holy place, just as I was commanded.” 19 Aaron replied to Moses: “Look! Today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before Jehovah, and yet these things happened to me. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would that have been pleasing to Jehovah?” 20 When Moses heard that, he was satisfied.
11 Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘These are the living creatures of the earth that you may eat: 3 Every animal that has a split hoof and a cleft in its hooves and that chews the cud may be eaten.
4 “‘But you must not eat these animals that chew the cud or have a split hoof: the camel, which chews the cud but does not have a split hoof. It is unclean for you. 5 Also the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof. It is unclean for you. 6 Also the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof. It is unclean for you. 7 Also the pig, because it has a split hoof and a cleft in the hoof but does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat any of their flesh or touch their dead body. They are unclean for you.
9 “‘This is what you may eat of everything in the waters: Anything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, it you may eat. 10 But anything in the seas and in the rivers that has no fins and scales, among all the swarming creatures and of every other living creature that is in the waters, it is a loathsome thing for you. 11 Yes, they should be loathsome to you, and you must not eat any of their flesh and you must loathe their carcasses. 12 Everything in the waters that has no fins and scales is a loathsome thing to you.
13 “‘These are the flying creatures that you are to loathe; they should not be eaten, for they are loathsome: the eagle, the osprey, the black vulture, 14 the red kite and every kind of black kite, 15 every kind of raven, 16 the ostrich, the owl, the gull, every kind of falcon, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the long-eared owl, 18 the swan, the pelican, the vulture, 19 the stork, every kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. 20 Every winged swarming creature that goes on all fours is something loathsome to you.
21 “‘Of the winged swarming creatures that move on all fours, you may eat only those that have jointed legs above their feet for leaping on the ground. 22 Of these you may eat: various kinds of migratory locusts, other edible locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. 23 All other winged swarming creatures with four legs are something loathsome to you. 24 By these you would make yourselves unclean. Everyone touching their dead bodies will be unclean until the evening. 25 Anyone carrying any of their dead bodies should wash his garments; he will be unclean until the evening.
26 “‘Any animal that has a split hoof but does not have a cleft and does not chew its cud is unclean to you. Everyone touching them will be unclean. 27 Every living creature that walks on paws among the creatures that walk on all fours is unclean to you. Everyone touching their dead bodies will be unclean until the evening. 28 The one who carries their dead bodies should wash his garments, and he will be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.
29 “‘These are the swarming creatures of the earth that are unclean to you: the mole rat, the mouse, every kind of lizard, 30 the gecko, the large lizard, the newt, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. 31 These swarming creatures are unclean to you. Everyone touching their dead bodies will be unclean until the evening.
32 “‘Now anything they fall on when they die will be unclean, whether a wooden utensil, a garment, a skin, or a piece of sackcloth. Any utensil that is used should be immersed in water, and it will be unclean until the evening; then it will be clean. 33 If they fall into an earthenware vessel, you are to smash it, and anything that was in it will be unclean. 34 Any kind of food that comes in contact with water from such a vessel will be unclean, and any drinkable liquid in such a vessel will be unclean. 35 Anything their dead bodies fall on will be unclean. Whether oven or small stove, it should be broken into pieces. They are unclean, and they will remain unclean to you. 36 Only a spring and a cistern for storing water will continue clean, but anyone touching their dead bodies will be unclean. 37 If their dead bodies fall on a plant seed that is to be sown, it is clean. 38 But if water is put on a seed and part of their dead body falls on it, the seed is unclean to you.
39 “‘Now if an animal that you use for food dies, whoever touches its dead body will be unclean until the evening. 40 Whoever eats any of its dead body should wash his garments, and he will be unclean until the evening. Whoever carries off its dead body should wash his garments, and he will be unclean until the evening. 41 Every swarming creature of the earth is something loathsome. It must not be eaten. 42 You must not eat any creature that crawls on its belly, any creature that goes on all fours, or any of earth’s swarming creatures with a great number of legs, for they are something loathsome. 43 Do not make yourselves loathsome by means of any swarming creature, and do not defile yourselves and become unclean by them. 44 For I am Jehovah your God, and you must sanctify yourselves and become holy, because I am holy. So you must not make yourselves unclean by any swarming creature that moves on the earth. 45 For I am Jehovah, who is leading you up out of the land of Egypt to prove myself God to you, and you must be holy, because I am holy.
46 “‘This is the law about the animals, the flying creatures, every living creature that moves through the waters, and concerning every creature that swarms on the earth, 47 in order to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”
12 Jehovah went on to say to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a male, she will be unclean for seven days, just as she is in the days of the impurity when she is menstruating. 3 On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin will be circumcised. 4 She will continue cleansing herself from the blood for the next 33 days. She should not touch any holy thing, and she should not come into the holy place until she fulfills the days of her purification.
5 “‘If she should give birth to a female, she will then be unclean for 14 days, just as she would be during her menstruation. She will continue cleansing herself from the blood for the next 66 days. 6 When the days of her purification for a son or a daughter are completed, she will bring a young ram in its first year for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the priest. 7 He will present it before Jehovah and make atonement for her, and she will be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law about the woman who gives birth to either a male or a female. 8 But if she cannot afford a sheep, she must then take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
13 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “If a man develops on his skin a swelling, a scab, or a blotch and it could become the disease of leprosy on his skin, he must then be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests. 3 The priest will examine the infection on his skin. When the hair in the infection has turned white and the appearance of the infection is deeper than the skin, it is the disease of leprosy. The priest will examine it and declare him unclean. 4 But if the blotch on his skin is white and its appearance is not deeper than the skin and the hair has not turned white, the priest will then quarantine the infected person for seven days. 5 The priest will then examine him on the seventh day, and if it appears that the infection has stopped and has not spread on the skin, the priest will quarantine him for another seven days.
6 “The priest should examine him again on the seventh day, and if the infection has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest will declare him clean; it was only a scab. The man will then wash his garments and be clean. 7 But if the scab has definitely spread on the skin after he appears before the priest to establish his purification, he will then appear again before the priest. 8 The priest will examine it, and if the scab has spread in the skin, the priest will then declare him unclean. It is leprosy.
9 “If the disease of leprosy develops in a man, he must then be brought to the priest, 10 and the priest will examine him. If there is a white swelling on the skin and it has turned the hair white and there is an open sore in the swelling, 11 it is chronic leprosy on his skin, and the priest will declare him unclean. He should not quarantine him, for he is unclean. 12 Now if the leprosy breaks out all over the skin and the leprosy covers the person with the disease from head to foot, as far as the priest can see, 13 and the priest has examined him and sees that the leprosy has covered all his skin, he will then declare the infected person clean. All of it has turned white, and he is clean. 14 But whenever an open sore appears in it, he will be unclean. 15 When the priest sees the open sore, he will declare him unclean. The open sore is unclean. It is leprosy. 16 But if the open sore again turns white, he will then come to the priest. 17 The priest will examine him, and if the infection has turned white, the priest will then declare the infected person clean. He is clean.
18 “If a person develops a boil on his skin and it heals, 19 but in the place of the boil a white swelling or a reddish-white blotch has developed, he must then show himself to the priest. 20 The priest will examine it, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, the priest will then declare him unclean. It is the disease of leprosy that has broken out in the boil. 21 But if the priest examines it and sees that there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin and appears faded, the priest will then quarantine him for seven days. 22 And if it has clearly spread on the skin, the priest will then declare him unclean. It is a disease. 23 But if the blotch stays in one place and has not spread, it is only the inflammation from the boil, and the priest will declare him clean.
24 “Or if someone has a scar from the fire and the raw flesh of the scar becomes a reddish-white blotch or a white one, 25 the priest will then examine it. If the hair in the blotch has turned white and it appears to be deeper than the skin, it is leprosy that has broken out in the scar, and the priest will declare him unclean. It is the disease of leprosy. 26 But if the priest examines it and sees that there is no white hair in the blotch and it is not deeper than the skin and it is faded, the priest will then quarantine him for seven days. 27 The priest will examine him on the seventh day, and if it has clearly spread on the skin, the priest will then declare him unclean. It is the disease of leprosy. 28 But if the blotch stays in one place and has not spread over the skin and it is faded, it is only a swelling of the scar, and the priest will declare him clean, because it is an inflammation of the scar.
29 “When a man or a woman develops an infection on the head or on the chin, 30 the priest will then examine the infection. If it appears to be deeper than the skin and the hair is yellow and thin, the priest will then declare such one unclean; it is an infection of the scalp or the beard. It is leprosy of the head or of the chin. 31 But if the priest sees that the infection does not appear to be deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest should quarantine the infected person for seven days. 32 The priest will examine the infection on the seventh day, and if the infected area has not spread and no yellow hair has developed in it and the appearance of the infected area is not deeper than the skin, 33 the person should have himself shaved, but he will not have the infected area shaved. Then the priest will quarantine the infected person for seven days.
34 “The priest will again examine the infected area on the seventh day, and if the infection of the scalp and beard has not spread on the skin and it does not appear deeper than the skin, the priest must then declare him clean, and he should wash his garments and be clean. 35 But if the infection clearly spreads on the skin after his purification, 36 the priest will examine him, and if the infection has spread on the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; that person is unclean. 37 But if the examination shows that the infection has not spread and black hair has grown on it, the infection has been healed. He is clean, and the priest will declare him clean.
38 “If a man or a woman develops blotches on the skin and the blotches are white, 39 the priest will examine them. If the skin blotches are faded white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin. That person is clean.
40 “If a man loses the hair of his head and becomes bald, he is clean. 41 If he loses the hair on the front of his head and becomes bald there, he is clean. 42 But if a reddish-white sore develops on the bald part of his scalp or on his forehead, it is leprosy breaking out on his scalp or on his forehead. 43 The priest will examine him, and if the swelling from the infection is reddish-white on the bald spot on top of his head or on his forehead and it looks like leprosy on his skin, 44 he is a leper. He is unclean, and the priest should declare him unclean because of the disease on his head. 45 As for the leper who has the disease, his garments should be torn and his head should be left ungroomed and he should cover over his mustache and call out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ 46 He will be unclean the whole time that he has the disease. Since he is unclean, he should live in isolation. His dwelling place will be outside the camp.
47 “If the disease of leprosy contaminates a garment, whether a woolen or a linen garment, 48 either in the warp or in the woof of the linen or of the wool, or in a skin or in anything made of skin, 49 and the yellowish-green or reddish stain from the disease contaminates the garment, a skin, the warp, the woof, or any article of skin, it is a contamination from leprosy, and it should be shown to the priest. 50 The priest will examine the disease, and he must quarantine the disease for seven days. 51 When he examines the disease on the seventh day and sees that it has spread in the garment, in the warp, in the woof, or in the skin (regardless of what the skin is used for), the disease is malignant leprosy, and it is unclean. 52 He should burn the garment or the warp or the woof in the wool or in the linen or any article of skin in which the disease has developed, for it is malignant leprosy. It should be burned in the fire.
53 “But if the priest examines it and the disease has not spread in the garment or in the warp or in the woof or in any article of skin, 54 the priest will then command that they should wash the contaminated item, and he will quarantine it for another seven days. 55 The priest will then examine the contaminated item after it has been thoroughly washed. If the appearance of the contamination has not changed, even if the disease has not spread, it is unclean. You should burn it in the fire because it has been eaten away, either from its underside or from its outside.
56 “But if the priest has examined it and the contaminated part is faded after it has been thoroughly washed, he will then tear it out of the garment or the skin or the warp or the woof. 57 However, if it still appears in another part of the garment or in the warp or in the woof or in any article of skin, it is spreading, and you should burn any contaminated item in the fire. 58 But when the contamination disappears from the garment or the warp or the woof or any article of skin that you wash, it should then be washed a second time, and it will be clean.
59 “This is the law of the disease of leprosy in a garment of wool or of linen, or in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of skin, for declaring it clean or unclean.”
14 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 2 “This is to be the law of the leper on the day his purification is established, when he is to be brought to the priest. 3 The priest will go outside the camp and examine him. If the leper has been cured of the leprosy, 4 the priest will command him to bring two live clean birds, cedarwood, scarlet material, and hyssop for his cleansing. 5 The priest will command that the one bird be killed in an earthenware vessel over running water. 6 But he should take the living bird along with the cedarwood, the scarlet material, and the hyssop, and dip them together in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. 7 Then he will spatter it seven times on the one cleansing himself from the leprosy and declare him clean, and he will set the living bird free in the open field.
8 “The one cleansing himself must wash his garments and shave off all his hair and bathe in water, and he will be clean. Afterward, he may come into the camp, but he will dwell outside his tent for seven days. 9 On the seventh day, he should shave off all the hair on his head and his chin and his eyebrows. After he shaves off all his hair, he will wash his garments and bathe himself in water, and he will be clean.
10 “On the eighth day, he will take two sound young rams, one sound female lamb in its first year, three tenths of an eʹphah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log measure of oil; 11 and the priest who declares him clean will present the man who is cleansing himself, along with the offerings, before Jehovah at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 12 The priest will take the one young ram and offer it as a guilt offering together with the log measure of oil, and he will wave them back and forth as a wave offering before Jehovah. 13 Then he will slaughter the young ram in the place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are usually slaughtered, in a holy place, because, like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest. It is something most holy.
14 “Then the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest will put it on the right earlobe of the one cleansing himself and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 And the priest will take some of the log measure of oil and pour it into his own left palm. 16 The priest will then dip his right finger into the oil that is in his left palm and spatter some of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah. 17 Then the priest will put some of the remaining oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one cleansing himself and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot over the blood of the guilt offering. 18 The priest will put what is left over of the oil in his palm on the head of the one cleansing himself, and the priest will make atonement for him before Jehovah.
19 “The priest will sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one cleansing himself from his impurity, and afterward he will slaughter the burnt offering. 20 And the priest will offer up the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar, and the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be clean.
21 “However, if he is poor and does not have enough means, he will then take one young ram as a guilt offering for a wave offering, in order to make atonement for himself, along with one tenth of an eʹphah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, a log measure of oil, 22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, according to his means. The one will serve as a sin offering, and the other as a burnt offering. 23 On the eighth day, he will bring them for establishing his purification to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting before Jehovah.
24 “The priest will take the young ram of the guilt offering and the log measure of oil, and the priest will wave them back and forth as a wave offering before Jehovah. 25 He will then slaughter the young ram of the guilt offering, and the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one cleansing himself and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 The priest will pour some of the oil into his own left palm, 27 and he will then spatter with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left palm seven times before Jehovah. 28 And the priest will put some of the oil that is in his palm on the right earlobe of the one cleansing himself and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot on the same places that he put the blood of the guilt offering. 29 The priest will then put what is left over of the oil in his palm on the head of the one cleansing himself, in order to make atonement for him before Jehovah.
30 “He will offer up one of the turtledoves or one of the young pigeons, according to his means, 31 the one he can afford, as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering along with the grain offering; and the priest will make atonement for the one cleansing himself before Jehovah.
32 “This is the law for the one in whom the disease of leprosy was but who does not have the means when establishing his purification.”
33 Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron: 34 “When you come into the land of Caʹnaan, which I am giving you as a possession, and I contaminate a house in your land with the disease of leprosy, 35 the one to whom the house belongs should then come and tell the priest, ‘Some kind of contamination has appeared in my house.’ 36 The priest will give orders to clear out the house before he comes to examine the contamination, in order that he may not declare everything that is in the house unclean; and after that the priest will come in to inspect the house. 37 He will examine the affected area, and if the walls of the house are contaminated with yellowish-green or reddish depressions and they appear to be deeper than the wall surface, 38 the priest will then go out of the house to the entryway of the house and quarantine the house for seven days.
39 “Then the priest will return on the seventh day and make an inspection. If the contamination has spread in the walls of the house, 40 the priest will then give orders, and the contaminated stones must be torn out and thrown outside the city into an unclean place. 41 Then he is to have the inside of the house thoroughly scraped, and the plaster and mortar that is removed should be discarded outside the city in an unclean place. 42 They will then insert other stones in the place of the stones they removed, and he should use different mortar and have the house plastered.
43 “If, though, the contamination returns and breaks out in the house after the stones were torn out and the house was scraped and replastered, 44 the priest will then go in and inspect it. If the contamination has spread in the house, it is malignant leprosy in the house. The house is unclean. 45 He will then have the house pulled down—its stones, its timbers, and all the plaster and mortar of the house—and carried outside the city to an unclean place. 46 But whoever enters the house any of the days it is quarantined will be unclean until the evening; 47 and whoever lies down in the house should wash his garments, and whoever eats in the house should wash his garments.
48 “However, if the priest comes and sees that the contamination has not spread in the house after the house was replastered, the priest will then declare the house clean, because the contamination has been healed. 49 In order to purify the house from uncleanness, he will take two birds, cedarwood, scarlet material, and hyssop. 50 He is to kill the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water. 51 Then he will take the cedarwood, the hyssop, the scarlet material, and the live bird and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the running water, and he must spatter it toward the house seven times. 52 And he will purify the house from uncleanness with the blood of the bird, the running water, the live bird, the cedarwood, the hyssop, and the scarlet material. 53 He will then set the live bird free outside the city in the open field and make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.
54 “This is the law respecting any case of leprosy, infection of the scalp or the beard, 55 leprosy of the garment or the house, 56 and respecting swellings, scabs, and blotches, 57 in order to determine when something is unclean and when something is clean. This is the law about leprosy.”
15 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘If a man has a discharge from his genital organ, this discharge makes him unclean. 3 He is unclean from the discharge, whether the discharge continues to flow from his genitals or is obstructed, he is still unclean.
4 “‘Any bed that the one with the discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. 5 A man who touches his bed must wash his garments, and he should bathe in water and be unclean until the evening. 6 Anyone who sits on an article that the one having a discharge sat on should wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 7 Whoever touches the flesh of the one having a discharge should wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 8 If the one who has a discharge spits on someone clean, that person must wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 9 Any saddle that the one with the discharge rides on will be unclean. 10 Anyone touching anything that was under him will be unclean until the evening, and anyone who carries those items will wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 11 If the one with the discharge has not washed his hands in water and he touches someone, that person must then wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 12 An earthenware vessel that the one having a discharge touches should be smashed, and any wooden vessel should be washed with water.
13 “‘When the discharge stops and the person becomes clean from it, he will then count seven days for his purification, and he must wash his garments, bathe himself in running water, and he will be clean. 14 On the eighth day, he should take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before Jehovah at the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 15 And the priest will offer them, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest will make atonement for him before Jehovah concerning his discharge.
16 “‘Now if a man has an emission of semen, he should bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. 17 He must wash with water any garment and any skin with semen on it, and it will be unclean until the evening.
18 “‘When a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, they should bathe in water and be unclean until the evening.
19 “‘If a woman has a discharge of blood from her body, she will continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days. Anyone touching her will be unclean until the evening. 20 Anything she lies down on in her menstrual impurity will be unclean, and everything she sits on will be unclean. 21 Anyone touching her bed should wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 22 Anyone touching any article she sat on should wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 23 If she sat on the bed or on another article, his touching it will make him unclean until the evening. 24 And if a man lies down with her and her menstrual impurity comes on him, he will then be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies down will be unclean.
25 “‘When a woman’s discharge of blood flows for many days when it is not the regular time of her menstruation, or if she should have a flow longer than her usual menstruation, she will be unclean during all the days of her discharge, as in the days of her menstrual impurity. 26 Any bed she lies on during the days of her discharge will become like the bed of her menstrual impurity, and any article she sits on will become unclean like the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. 27 Anyone touching them will be unclean, and he must wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening.
28 “‘However, when she is clean from her discharge, she will count for herself seven days, and afterward she will be clean. 29 On the eighth day, she should take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and she will bring them to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 30 The priest will make the one a sin offering and the other a burnt offering, and the priest will make atonement for her before Jehovah concerning her unclean discharge.
31 “‘Thus you must keep the Israelites separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle, which is in their midst.
32 “‘This is the law about the man having a discharge, the man who is unclean because of an emission of semen, 33 the woman during her menstrual impurity, any male or female who has a discharge flowing from the body, and a man who lies down with an unclean woman.’”
16 Jehovah spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons who died for approaching Jehovah. 2 Jehovah said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he may not come at just any time into the holy place inside the curtain, in front of the cover on the Ark, so that he may not die, for I will appear over the cover in a cloud.
3 “This is what Aaron should bring when he comes into the holy place: a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He should put on the holy linen robe, and the linen shorts should cover his body, and he should wrap himself with the linen sash and his head with the linen turban. They are holy garments. He will bathe himself in water and put them on.
5 “He should take from the assembly of the Israelites two young male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
6 “Aaron must then present the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and he will make atonement in behalf of himself and his house.
7 “He will then take the two goats and make them stand before Jehovah at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 Aaron will draw lots over the two goats, the one lot for Jehovah and the other lot for A·zaʹzel. 9 Aaron will present the goat that was designated by lot for Jehovah and make it a sin offering. 10 But the goat designated by lot for A·zaʹzel should be brought alive to stand before Jehovah in order to perform the atonement upon it, so that it may be sent away for A·zaʹzel into the wilderness.
11 “Aaron will present the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement in behalf of himself and his house; afterward he will slaughter the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself.
12 “He will then take the fire holder full of burning coals from the altar before Jehovah and two handfuls of fine perfumed incense, and he will bring them inside the curtain. 13 He will also put the incense on the fire before Jehovah, and the cloud of the incense will envelop the Ark cover, which is on the Testimony, so that he may not die.
14 “He will take some of the bull’s blood and spatter it with his finger in front of the cover on the east side, and he will spatter some of the blood with his finger seven times before the cover.
15 “He will then slaughter the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the curtain and do with its blood the same as he did with the bull’s blood; he is to spatter it toward the cover and before the cover.
16 “He must make atonement for the holy place concerning the acts of uncleanness of the Israelites and concerning their transgressions and their sins, and that is what he should do for the tent of meeting, which is located among them in the midst of their acts of uncleanness.
17 “No other man should be in the tent of meeting from the time he goes in to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out. He will make atonement in behalf of himself and his house and in behalf of the entire congregation of Israel.
18 “He will then come out to the altar, which is before Jehovah, and make atonement for it, and he will take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. 19 He will also spatter some of the blood on it with his finger seven times and cleanse it and sanctify it from the acts of uncleanness of the Israelites.
20 “When he has finished making atonement for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he will also present the live goat. 21 Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the errors of the Israelites and all their transgressions and all their sins, and he will put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man designated to do this. 22 The goat will carry upon itself all their errors into a desert land, and he will send the goat away into the wilderness.
23 “Aaron will then enter into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the holy place, and he will lay them down there. 24 He must bathe himself in water in a holy place and put on his garments; then he will come out and offer up his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering and make atonement in his own behalf and in behalf of the people. 25 He will make the fat of the sin offering smoke on the altar.
26 “The man who sent away the goat for A·zaʹzel should wash his garments and bathe himself in water, and after that he may come into the camp.
27 “And the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the holy place to make atonement, will be taken outside the camp, and their skins and their flesh and their dung will be burned in the fire. 28 The one who burns them should wash his garments and bathe himself in water, and after that he may come into the camp.
29 “It will serve as a lasting statute for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you should afflict yourselves, and you must not do any work, whether a native or a foreigner who is residing among you. 30 On this day atonement will be made for you, to declare you clean. You will be clean from all your sins before Jehovah. 31 It is a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you should afflict yourselves. It is a lasting statute.
32 “The priest who is anointed and installed to serve as priest in place of his father will make atonement and put on the linen garments, the holy garments. 33 He will make atonement for the holy sanctuary, the tent of meeting, and the altar; and he will make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the congregation. 34 This will serve as a lasting statute for you, to make atonement for the Israelites concerning all their sins once each year.”
So he did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
17 Jehovah went on to say to Moses: 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah has commanded:
3 “‘“If any man of the house of Israel slaughters a bull or a young ram or a goat in the camp or if he slaughters it outside the camp, 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to Jehovah before the tabernacle of Jehovah, bloodguilt will be counted to that man. He has shed blood, and that man must be cut off from among his people. 5 This is so that the Israelites will bring the sacrifices, which they now sacrifice in the open field, to Jehovah, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the priest. They are to sacrifice these as communion sacrifices to Jehovah. 6 And the priest will sprinkle the blood on Jehovah’s altar at the entrance of the tent of meeting and make the fat smoke as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. 7 So they should no longer offer sacrifices to the goatlike demons, with which they are prostituting themselves. This will serve as a lasting statute for you throughout your generations.”’
8 “You should say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or any foreigner who is residing in your midst who offers up a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to Jehovah must be cut off from his people.
10 “‘If any man of the house of Israel or any foreigner who is residing in your midst eats any sort of blood, I will certainly set my face against the one who is eating the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I myself have given it on the altar for you to make atonement for yourselves, because it is the blood that makes atonement by means of the life in it. 12 That is why I have said to the Israelites: “None of you should eat blood, and no foreigner who is residing in your midst should eat blood.”
13 “‘If one of the Israelites or some foreigner who is residing in your midst is hunting and catches a wild animal or a bird that may be eaten, he must pour its blood out and cover it with dust. 14 For the life of every sort of flesh is its blood, because the life is in it. Consequently, I said to the Israelites: “You must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh because the life of every sort of flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it will be cut off.” 15 If anyone, whether a native or a foreigner, eats an animal found dead or one torn by a wild animal, he must then wash his garments and bathe in water and be unclean until the evening; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them and does not bathe himself, he will answer for his error.’”
18 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘I am Jehovah your God. 3 You must not behave as they do in the land of Egypt, where you were dwelling, and you must not do what they do in the land of Caʹnaan, where I am bringing you. And you must not walk in their statutes. 4 You should carry out my judicial decisions, and you should keep my statutes and walk in them. I am Jehovah your God. 5 You must keep my statutes and my judicial decisions; anyone who does so will live by means of them. I am Jehovah.
6 “‘No man among you should approach any of his close relatives to have sexual relations. I am Jehovah. 7 You must not have sexual relations with your father, and you must not have sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother, and you must not have sexual relations with her.
8 “‘You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife. It is exposing your father to shame.
9 “‘You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether she is born in the same household or born outside of it.
10 “‘You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your son or the daughter of your daughter, because they are your own nakedness.
11 “‘You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, the offspring of your father, because she is your sister.
12 “‘You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister. She is your father’s blood relative.
13 “‘You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s blood relative.
14 “‘You must not expose your father’s brother to shame by having sexual relations with his wife. She is your aunt.
15 “‘You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife, and you must not have relations with her.
16 “‘You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife, because it is exposing your brother to shame.
17 “‘You must not have sexual relations with a woman and her daughter. You must not take the daughter of her son and the daughter of her daughter in order to have relations. They are her close relatives; it is an obscene act.
18 “‘You must not take a woman in addition to her sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while her sister is alive.
19 “‘You must not approach a woman during her menstrual impurity to have sexual relations with her.
20 “‘You must not have sexual intercourse with the wife of your fellow man, making yourself unclean.
21 “‘You must not allow any of your offspring to be offered to Moʹlech. You must not profane the name of your God in that way. I am Jehovah.
22 “‘You must not lie down with a male in the same way that you lie down with a woman. It is a detestable act.
23 “‘A man must not have sexual intercourse with an animal to become unclean by it; nor should a woman offer herself to an animal to have intercourse with it. It is a violation of what is natural.
24 “‘Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for it is by all these things that the nations that I am driving out from before you have made themselves unclean. 25 Therefore, the land is unclean, and I will bring punishment on it for its error, and the land will vomit its inhabitants out. 26 But you yourselves must keep my statutes and my judicial decisions, and you must not do any of these detestable things, whether a native or a foreigner who is residing among you. 27 For all these detestable things were done by the men who lived in the land before you, and now the land is unclean. 28 Then the land will not have to vomit you out for defiling it in the same way that it will vomit out the nations that were before you. 29 If anyone does any of these detestable things, all those doing them must be cut off from among their people. 30 You must keep your obligation to me by not practicing any of the detestable customs that were carried on before you, so that you do not make yourselves unclean by them. I am Jehovah your God.’”
19 Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of the Israelites and tell them, ‘You should be holy, because I, Jehovah your God, am holy.
3 “‘Each of you should respect his mother and his father, and you should keep my sabbaths. I am Jehovah your God. 4 Do not turn to worthless gods or make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am Jehovah your God.
5 “‘Now if you offer a communion sacrifice to Jehovah, you should sacrifice it in such a way that you gain approval for yourselves. 6 It should be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and on the next day, but what is left over until the third day should be burned in the fire. 7 If, though, any of it is eaten on the third day, it is an offensive thing that will not be accepted with approval. 8 The one eating it will answer for his error because he has profaned a holy thing of Jehovah, and that person must be cut off from his people.
9 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not reap the edge of your field completely and you must not pick up the gleaning of your harvest. 10 Also, you must not gather the leftovers of your vineyard or pick up the scattered grapes of your vineyard. You should leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am Jehovah your God.
11 “‘You must not steal, you must not deceive, and you must not deal falsely with one another. 12 You must not swear to a lie in my name and thus profane the name of your God. I am Jehovah. 13 You must not defraud your fellow man, and you must not rob. You should not withhold the wages of a hired worker all night until morning.
14 “‘You must not curse a deaf man or put an obstacle before a blind man, and you must be in fear of your God. I am Jehovah.
15 “‘You must not be unjust in your judgment. You must not show partiality to the poor or show preference to the rich. With justice you should judge your fellow man.
16 “‘You must not go around spreading slander among your people. You must not stand up against the life of your fellow man. I am Jehovah.
17 “‘You must not hate your brother in your heart. You should by all means reprove your fellow man, so that you will not bear sin along with him.
18 “‘You must not take vengeance nor hold a grudge against the sons of your people, and you must love your fellow man as yourself. I am Jehovah.
19 “‘You should keep my statutes: You must not interbreed two sorts of your domestic animals. You must not sow your field with two sorts of seed, and you must not wear a garment made with two sorts of thread mixed together.
20 “‘Now if a man lies down with a woman and has intercourse with her and she is a servant who is designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there should be a punishment. However, they should not be put to death, for she was not yet set free. 21 He should bring his guilt offering to Jehovah to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram of guilt offering. 22 The priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before Jehovah for the sin that he committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin that he committed.
23 “‘When you come into the land and you plant any tree for food, you must consider its fruitage impure and forbidden. For three years it will be forbidden to you. It must not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year, all its fruit will be holy for rejoicing before Jehovah. 25 Then in the fifth year, you may eat its fruit in order to add its produce to your harvest. I am Jehovah your God.
26 “‘You must eat nothing containing blood.
“‘You must not look for omens or practice magic.
27 “‘You must not shave the hair on the side of your head or disfigure the edges of your beard.
28 “‘You must not make cuts in your flesh for a dead person, and you must not make tattoo markings on yourselves. I am Jehovah.
29 “‘Do not dishonor your daughter by making her a prostitute, so that the land may not commit prostitution and be filled with loose morals.
30 “‘You must keep my sabbaths, and you must show reverence for my sanctuary. I am Jehovah.
31 “‘Do not turn to the spirit mediums, and do not consult fortune-tellers so as to become unclean by them. I am Jehovah your God.
32 “‘Before gray hair you should rise up, and you must show honor to an older man, and you must be in fear of your God. I am Jehovah.
33 “‘If a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not mistreat him. 34 The foreigner who resides with you should become to you like a native among you; and you must love him as yourself, for you were foreign residents in the land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.
35 “‘You must not use dishonest standards in measuring length, weight, or volume. 36 You should use accurate scales, accurate weights, an accurate dry measure, and an accurate liquid measure. I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 So you must keep all my statutes and all my judicial decisions, and you must follow them. I am Jehovah.’”
20 Jehovah went on speaking to Moses, saying: 2 “You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man of Israel and any foreigner who resides in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Moʹlech should be put to death without fail. The people of the land should stone him to death. 3 I myself will set my face against that man, and I will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Moʹlech and has defiled my holy place and has profaned my holy name. 4 If the people of the land should deliberately close their eyes to what that man does when he gives his offspring to Moʹlech and they do not put him to death, 5 then I myself will certainly set my face against that man and his family. I will cut off that man from his people along with all who join him in prostituting themselves to Moʹlech.
6 “‘As for the person who turns to the spirit mediums and the fortune-tellers so as to commit spiritual prostitution with them, I will certainly turn against that person and cut him off from his people.
7 “‘You must sanctify yourselves and become holy, because I am Jehovah your God. 8 And you must keep my statutes and carry them out. I am Jehovah, who is sanctifying you.
9 “‘If there is any man who curses his father or his mother, he should be put to death without fail. Since he has cursed his father or his mother, his own blood is upon him.
10 “‘Now regarding a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife: The one who commits adultery with the wife of his fellow man should be put to death without fail, the adulterer and the adulteress. 11 A man who lies down with his father’s wife has exposed his father to shame. Both of them should be put to death without fail. Their own blood is upon them. 12 If a man lies down with his daughter-in-law, both of them should be put to death without fail. They have violated what is natural. Their own blood is upon them.
13 “‘If a man lies down with a male the same as one lies down with a woman, both of them have done a detestable thing. They should be put to death without fail. Their own blood is upon them.
14 “‘If a man takes a woman and her mother, it is an obscene act. They should burn him and them in the fire, so that obscene conduct may not continue among you.
15 “‘If a man has intercourse with a beast, he should be put to death without fail, and you should kill the beast. 16 If a woman approaches any beast to have intercourse with it, you must kill the woman and the beast. They should be put to death without fail. Their own blood is upon them.
17 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother, and he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of the sons of their people. He has exposed his sister to shame. He should answer for his error.
18 “‘If a man lies down with a menstruating woman and has sexual relations with her, both he and she have exposed her flow of blood. Both of them must be cut off from among their people.
19 “‘You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, because that would be exposing a blood relative to shame. They should answer for their error. 20 A man who lies down with his uncle’s wife has exposed his uncle to shame. They should answer for their sin. They should die childless. 21 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is something abhorrent. He has exposed his brother to shame. They should become childless.
22 “‘You must keep all my statutes and all my judicial decisions and carry them out, so that the land where I am bringing you to dwell will not vomit you out. 23 You must not walk in the statutes of the nations that I am driving out from before you; for they have done all these things and I abhor them. 24 That is why I said to you: “You will take possession of their land, and I will give it to you as your possession, a land flowing with milk and honey. Jehovah your God I am, who has set you apart from the peoples.” 25 You must make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean and between the unclean bird and the clean; you must not make yourselves loathsome by means of an animal or a bird or anything that creeps on the ground that I set apart for you to regard as unclean. 26 You must be holy to me, because I, Jehovah, am holy, and I am setting you apart from the peoples to become mine.
27 “‘Any man or woman who acts as a spirit medium or is a fortune-teller should be put to death without fail. The people should stone them to death. Their own blood is upon them.’”
21 Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “Talk to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and say to them, ‘No one should defile himself for a dead person among his people. 2 But he may do so for a close blood relative, for his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 and he may defile himself for his sister if she is a virgin who is near to him and has not yet married. 4 He may not defile himself and make himself profane for a woman who belongs to a husband of his people. 5 They should not make their heads bald or shave off the fringe of their beard or make cuts on their body. 6 They should be holy to their God, and they should not profane the name of their God, for they are presenting Jehovah’s offerings made by fire, the bread of their God, and they must be holy. 7 They should not marry a prostitute, a woman who has been defiled, or a woman divorced from her husband, because the priest is holy to his God. 8 You must sanctify him, because he is one presenting the bread of your God. He should be holy to you, because I, Jehovah, the one sanctifying you, am holy.
9 “‘Now if the daughter of a priest should profane herself by committing prostitution, she is profaning her father. She should be burned in the fire.
10 “‘The high priest of his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been installed to wear the priestly garments, should not let his head go ungroomed or tear his garments. 11 He should not approach any dead person; he may not defile himself even for his father or his mother. 12 He should not go out from the sanctuary and should not profane the sanctuary of his God, for the sign of dedication, the anointing oil of his God, is upon him. I am Jehovah.
13 “‘He must take as a wife a woman who is a virgin. 14 He may not marry a widow, a divorced woman, one who has been defiled, or a prostitute; but he should take a virgin from his people as a wife. 15 He should not profane his offspring among his people, for I am Jehovah, who is sanctifying him.’”
16 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 17 “Tell Aaron, ‘No man of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect may approach to present the bread of his God. 18 If there is any man who has a defect, he may not approach: a man who is blind or lame or has a disfigured face or one limb too long, 19 a man with a fractured foot or a fractured hand, 20 a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man with an eye defect or eczema or ringworm or damaged testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a defect may approach to present Jehovah’s offerings made by fire. Because he has a defect, he may not approach to present the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God from the most holy things and from the holy things. 23 However, he may not come near the curtain, and he may not approach the altar, because there is a defect in him; and he should not profane my sanctuary, for I am Jehovah, who is sanctifying them.’”
24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites.
22 Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons that they should be careful how they handle the holy things of the Israelites and not profane my holy name regarding the things they are sanctifying to me. I am Jehovah. 3 Say to them, ‘Throughout your generations, any of your offspring who, while he is unclean, comes near to the holy things that the Israelites sanctify to Jehovah, that person will be cut off from before me. I am Jehovah. 4 No man of Aaron’s offspring who has leprosy or a discharge may eat of the holy things until he becomes clean, neither the man who touches someone who became unclean by a dead person, nor a man who has a seminal emission, 5 nor a man who touches an unclean swarming creature or who touches a man who is unclean for any reason and who can make him unclean. 6 The person who touches any of these will be unclean until the evening and may not eat any of the holy things, but he should bathe himself in water. 7 When the sun has set, he will be clean, and afterward he may eat some of the holy things because it is his food. 8 Also, he should not eat any animal found dead or anything torn by wild animals and become unclean by it. I am Jehovah.
9 “‘They must keep their obligation to me, so that they may not incur sin because of it and have to die for it because they were profaning it. I am Jehovah, who is sanctifying them.
10 “‘No unauthorized person may eat anything holy. No foreign guest of a priest or hired worker may eat anything holy. 11 But if a priest should purchase someone with his own money, that person may share in eating it. Slaves born in his house may also share in eating his food. 12 If the daughter of a priest should marry someone who is not a priest, she may not eat of the contribution of the holy things. 13 But if the daughter of a priest should become a widow or is divorced and she has no offspring and she returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat some of her father’s food; but no unauthorized person may eat it.
14 “‘Now if a man eats a holy thing by mistake, he must add a fifth of its value and give the holy offering to the priest. 15 So they should not profane the holy things of the Israelites that they contribute to Jehovah 16 and cause them to incur punishment for their guilt because of eating their holy things; for I am Jehovah, who is sanctifying them.’”
17 Jehovah continued speaking to Moses, saying: 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and say to them, ‘When an Israelite man or a foreign resident in Israel presents a burnt offering to Jehovah to fulfill his vows or to make a voluntary offering, 19 he should present a sound male from the herd, the young rams, or the goats, in order to gain approval. 20 You must not present anything with a defect, for it will not serve to gain approval for you.
21 “‘If a man presents a communion sacrifice to Jehovah to pay a vow or as a voluntary offering, it should be a sound animal from the herd or the flock, in order to gain approval. No defect at all should be in it. 22 No offering should be blind, have a fracture, a cut, a wart, scabbiness, or ringworm; you must not present any of these to Jehovah or make such an offering on the altar for Jehovah. 23 You may present a bull or a sheep with a limb that is too long or too short as a voluntary offering, but it will not be accepted with approval as a vow offering. 24 You must not present to Jehovah one having the testicles damaged or crushed or pulled off or cut off, and you should not offer such animals in your land. 25 And you must not present any of these from the hand of a foreigner as the bread of your God, for they are corrupted and defective. They will not be accepted with approval for you.’”
26 Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 27 “When a bull or a young ram or a goat is born, it will continue with its mother for seven days, but from the eighth day forward it will be accepted with approval as an offering, an offering made by fire to Jehovah. 28 As for a bull or a sheep, you must not slaughter it and its young on the same day.
29 “If you sacrifice a thanksgiving sacrifice to Jehovah, you should sacrifice it to gain approval for yourselves. 30 It should be eaten on that day. You must not leave any of it until morning. I am Jehovah.
31 “You must keep my commandments and carry them out. I am Jehovah. 32 You must not profane my holy name, and I must be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites. I am Jehovah, who is sanctifying you, 33 the one bringing you out of the land of Egypt to prove myself God to you. I am Jehovah.”
23 Jehovah continued speaking to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The seasonal festivals of Jehovah that you should proclaim are holy conventions. These are my seasonal festivals:
3 “‘Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convention. You may not do any sort of work. It is to be a sabbath to Jehovah wherever you dwell.
4 “‘These are the seasonal festivals of Jehovah, holy conventions that you should proclaim at the times appointed for them: 5 In the first month, on the 14th day of the month, at twilight is the Passover to Jehovah.
6 “‘On the 15th day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to Jehovah. Seven days you should eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day, you will observe a holy convention. You should not do any hard work. 8 But you are to present an offering made by fire to Jehovah for seven days. There will be a holy convention on the seventh day. You should not do any hard work.’”
9 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you eventually come into the land that I am giving you and you have reaped its harvest, you must bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 And he will wave the sheaf back and forth before Jehovah to gain approval for you. The priest should wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you have the sheaf waved, you must offer a sound young ram in its first year, as a burnt offering to Jehovah. 13 Its grain offering will be two tenths of an eʹphah of fine flour mixed with oil, as an offering made by fire to Jehovah, a pleasing aroma. Its drink offering will be a fourth of a hin of wine. 14 You must not eat any bread, roasted grain, or new grain until this day, until you bring the offering of your God. It is a lasting statute for all your generations wherever you dwell.
15 “‘You are to count seven sabbaths from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you bring the sheaf of the wave offering. They should be complete weeks. 16 You will count off 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then you should present a new grain offering to Jehovah. 17 You should bring from your dwelling places two loaves as a wave offering. These should be made of two tenths of an eʹphah of fine flour. They should be baked with leaven, as first ripe fruits to Jehovah. 18 And you should present along with the loaves seven sound male lambs, each a year old, and one young bull and two rams. They will serve as a burnt offering to Jehovah along with the corresponding grain offering and drink offerings, as an offering made by fire, of a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. 19 And you must offer one young goat as a sin offering and two male lambs, each a year old, as a communion sacrifice. 20 The priest will wave them back and forth along with the loaves of the first ripe fruits, as a wave offering before Jehovah, together with the two male lambs. They should serve as something holy to Jehovah for the priest. 21 On this day you will make a proclamation for a holy convention for yourselves. You may not do any hard work. It is a lasting statute in all your dwelling places for all your generations.
22 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not reap the edge of your field completely and you should not pick up what is left from your harvest. You should leave it for the poor and for the foreign resident. I am Jehovah your God.’”
23 Jehovah went on speaking to Moses, saying: 24 “Tell the Israelites, ‘In the seventh month, on the first of the month, you should observe a complete rest, a memorial signaled by a trumpet blast, a holy convention. 25 You may not do any hard work, and you will present an offering made by fire to Jehovah.’”
26 Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 27 “However, on the tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You should observe a holy convention, and you must afflict yourselves and present an offering made by fire to Jehovah. 28 You are not to do any sort of work on this particular day because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God. 29 Anyone who will not afflict himself on this day will be cut off from his people. 30 And I will destroy from among his people every person who does any sort of work on this day. 31 You must not do any sort of work. It is a lasting statute for all your generations wherever you dwell. 32 It is a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you will afflict yourselves on the ninth of the month in the evening. You should observe your sabbath from evening to evening.”
33 Jehovah continued speaking to Moses, saying: 34 “Tell the Israelites, ‘On the 15th day of this seventh month is the Festival of Booths for seven days to Jehovah. 35 There is to be a holy convention on the first day, and you should not do any hard work. 36 Seven days you must present an offering made by fire to Jehovah. On the eighth day, you should observe a holy convention, and you should present an offering made by fire to Jehovah. It is a solemn assembly. You may not do any hard work.
37 “‘These are the seasonal festivals of Jehovah that you should proclaim as holy conventions for presenting an offering made by fire to Jehovah: the burnt offering and the grain offering of the sacrifice and the drink offerings according to the daily schedule. 38 These are in addition to what is offered on Jehovah’s sabbaths, and your gifts, your vow offerings, and your voluntary offerings, which you should give to Jehovah. 39 However, on the 15th day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the produce of the land, you should celebrate the festival of Jehovah for seven days. On the first day is a complete rest and on the eighth day is a complete rest. 40 On the first day, you will take the fruit of majestic trees, the fronds of palm trees, the branches of leafy trees and poplars of the valley, and you will rejoice before Jehovah your God for seven days. 41 You will celebrate it as a festival to Jehovah for seven days in the year. As a lasting statute during all your generations, you should celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You should dwell in the booths for seven days. All the natives in Israel should dwell in the booths, 43 so that your future generations may know that it was in the booths that I made the Israelites dwell when I was bringing them out of the land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.’”
44 So Moses spoke of the seasonal festivals of Jehovah to the Israelites.
24 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 2 “Command the Israelites to bring to you pure, beaten olive oil for the lights, to keep the lamps lit constantly. 3 Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron should arrange to keep the lamps lit from evening to morning before Jehovah constantly. It is a permanent statute for all your generations. 4 He should set the lamps in order on the lampstand of pure gold before Jehovah constantly.
5 “You will take fine flour and bake it into 12 ring-shaped loaves. Two tenths of an eʹphah should go into each loaf. 6 You will place them in two sets of layers, six to the layer set, on the table of pure gold before Jehovah. 7 You should put pure frankincense on each layer set, and it will serve as the bread for a token offering made by fire to Jehovah. 8 On each Sabbath day, he should regularly arrange it before Jehovah. It is a lasting covenant with the Israelites. 9 It will become Aaron’s and his sons’, and they will eat it in a holy place, because it is something most holy for him from Jehovah’s offerings made by fire, as a lasting regulation.”
10 Now among the Israelites was a son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man, and a fight broke out between him and an Israelite man in the camp. 11 The son of the Israelite woman began to abuse the Name and to curse it. So they brought him to Moses. Incidentally, his mother was She·loʹmith, the daughter of Dibʹri of the tribe of Dan. 12 They placed him in custody until Jehovah’s decision was made clear to them.
13 Then Jehovah said to Moses: 14 “Bring the one who cursed to the outside of the camp, and all those who heard him must lay their hands on his head, and then the entire assembly must stone him. 15 And you should tell the Israelites, ‘If any man curses his God, he will answer for his sin. 16 So the abuser of Jehovah’s name should be put to death without fail. The entire assembly should stone him without fail. The foreign resident should be put to death the same as the native for his abusing the Name.
17 “‘If a man takes a human life, he should be put to death without fail. 18 Anyone who strikes and kills a domestic animal should make compensation for it, life for life. 19 If a man injures his fellow man, then what he has done should be done to him. 20 Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, the same sort of injury he inflicted should be inflicted on him. 21 The man who strikes and kills an animal should make compensation for it, but the one who strikes and kills a man should be put to death.
22 “‘One judicial decision will apply for you, whether a foreign resident or a native, because I am Jehovah your God.’”
23 Moses then spoke to the Israelites, and they brought the one who uttered the curse to the outside of the camp, and they stoned him. Thus the Israelites did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
25 Jehovah spoke further to Moses on Mount Siʹnai, saying: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you eventually come into the land that I am giving you, then the land will observe a sabbath to Jehovah. 3 Six years you should sow your field with seed, and six years you should prune your vineyard, and you will gather the land’s produce. 4 But in the seventh year, there should be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath to Jehovah. You should not sow your field with seed or prune your vineyard. 5 You must not reap what grows on its own from the grain left after the harvest, and the grapes of your unpruned vine you must not gather. There should be a year of complete rest for the land. 6 However, you may eat the food that grows in the land during its sabbath; you, your male and female slaves, your hired worker, and the foreign settlers who are residing with you may eat it, 7 as well as the domestic and the wild animals in your land. Everything the land produces may be eaten.
8 “‘You will count off seven sabbath years, seven times seven years, and the days of the seven sabbath years will amount to 49 years. 9 You will then sound the horn loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month; on the Day of Atonement, you should cause the sound of the horn to be heard in all your land. 10 You must sanctify the 50th year and proclaim liberty in the land to all its inhabitants. It will become a Jubilee for you, and each of you will return to his property and each of you should return to his family. 11 A Jubilee is what that 50th year will become for you. You will not sow seed or reap what grew on its own from leftover grain nor gather the grapes of unpruned vines. 12 For it is a Jubilee. It is to be holy to you. You may eat only what the land produces by itself.
13 “‘In this year of the Jubilee, each of you should return to his property. 14 If you sell anything to your fellow man or if you buy from him, do not exploit one another. 15 You should buy from your fellow man, taking into account the number of the years after the Jubilee, and he should sell to you according to the remaining years for crops. 16 If there are many years remaining, he may increase its purchase price, and when there are few years left, he should reduce its purchase price, because he is selling you the number of crops to be produced. 17 No one among you should exploit his fellow man, and you must be in fear of your God, for I am Jehovah your God. 18 By your carrying out my statutes and keeping my judicial decisions, you will dwell in security in the land. 19 The land will give its fruitage, and you will eat to satisfaction and dwell there in security.
20 “‘But if you should say: “What will we eat in the seventh year if we may not sow seed or gather our crops?” 21 I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year, and the land will yield a crop sufficient for three years. 22 Then you will sow seed in the eighth year and eat from the old crop until the ninth year. Until its crop arrives, you will eat from the old.
23 “‘The land should not be sold on a permanent basis, because the land is mine. For you are foreign residents and settlers from my standpoint. 24 Throughout the land of your possession, you should grant the right of buying back the land.
25 “‘If your brother becomes poor and has to sell some of his property, a repurchaser who is closely related to him must come and buy back what his brother sold. 26 If anyone has no repurchaser but he becomes prosperous and finds the means to repurchase it, 27 he should calculate its value for the years since he sold it and refund the difference to the man whom he sold it to. Then he may return to his property.
28 “‘But if he does not find the means to get it back from him, what he sold will remain with the purchaser until the Jubilee year; and it will revert to him in the Jubilee, and he will return to his property.
29 “‘Now if a man should sell a home in a walled city, his right of repurchase will also continue until the end of the year from the time of his completing the sale; his right of repurchase will be valid a whole year. 30 But if it is not bought back by the end of one full year, the house within the walled city will become the permanent property of its purchaser throughout his generations. It should not be released in the Jubilee. 31 However, the houses of settlements with no surrounding wall should be considered to be part of the field of the countryside. The right of repurchase should continue for it, and it should be released in the Jubilee.
32 “‘As for the houses of the Levites within their cities, the Levites will have the permanent right to repurchase them. 33 When the property of the Levites is not bought back, the house sold in the city belonging to them will also be released in the Jubilee, because the houses of the cities of the Levites are their property among the Israelites. 34 Moreover, the field of pasture ground surrounding their cities may not be sold, for it is their permanent possession.
35 “‘If your brother who is nearby becomes poor and cannot support himself, you must sustain him as you would a foreign resident and a settler, so that he may keep alive with you. 36 Do not take interest or make a profit from him. You must be in fear of your God, and your brother will keep alive with you. 37 You must not lend him your money on interest or give out your food for profit. 38 I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Caʹnaan, to prove myself your God.
39 “‘If your brother who lives nearby becomes poor and he has to sell himself to you, you must not force him to do slave labor. 40 He should be treated like a hired worker, like a settler. He should serve with you until the Jubilee year. 41 Then he will leave you, he and his children with him, and return to his family. He should return to the property of his forefathers. 42 For they are my slaves whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They should not sell themselves the way a slave is sold. 43 You must not treat him cruelly, and you must be in fear of your God. 44 Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you, from them you may buy a male or a female slave. 45 Also from the sons of the foreign settlers who are residing with you, from them and from their families that are born to them in your land you may buy slaves, and they will become your possession. 46 You may pass them on as an inheritance to your sons after you to inherit as a permanent possession. You may use them as workers, but you must not subject your Israelite brothers to cruel treatment.
47 “‘But if a foreign resident or a settler among you becomes wealthy and your brother has become poor alongside him and must sell himself to the foreign resident or the settler who lives among you, or to a member of the family of the foreign resident, 48 he will continue to have the right of repurchase after he has sold himself. One of his brothers may buy him back, 49 or his uncle or the son of his uncle may buy him back, or any close relative, one of his family, may buy him back.
“‘Or if he himself has become wealthy, he may also buy himself back. 50 He should calculate with his purchaser the time from the year he sold himself to him until the Jubilee year, and the money of his sale will correspond to the number of years. His workdays during that time will be assessed at the rate of a hired worker. 51 If there are many years remaining, he should pay his repurchase price in proportion to the years that are left. 52 But if only a few years remain until the Jubilee year, he should then calculate for himself and pay his repurchase price in proportion to the years remaining. 53 He should continue to serve him year by year as a hired worker; and you should see to it that he does not treat him cruelly. 54 However, if he cannot buy himself back on these terms, he will then go free in the year of Jubilee, he and his children with him.
55 “‘For the Israelites are my own slaves. They are my slaves whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.
26 “‘You must not make worthless gods for yourselves, and you must not set up a carved image or a sacred pillar for yourselves, and you must not put a stone figure in your land in order to bow down toward it; for I am Jehovah your God. 2 You should keep my sabbaths and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am Jehovah.
3 “‘If you continue walking in my statutes and keeping my commandments and you carry them out, 4 I will give you showers of rain at their proper time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will give their fruit. 5 Your threshing season will extend until your grape harvest, and the grape harvest will extend until the sowing season; and you will eat your bread to satisfaction and dwell in security in your land. 6 I will put peace in the land, and you will lie down with no one making you afraid; and I will rid the land of vicious wild animals, and a sword of war will not pass through your land. 7 You will certainly pursue your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you will pursue 100, and 100 of you will pursue 10,000, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.
9 “‘I will direct my favor to you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 While you are still eating the old produce of the preceding year, you will need to clear out the old to make way for the new. 11 And I will place my tabernacle in your midst, and I will not reject you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you for your part will be my people. 13 I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be their slaves no longer, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk with heads held high.
14 “‘However, if you will not listen to me or keep all these commandments, 15 and if you reject my statutes, and if you abhor my judicial decisions so that you do not keep all my commandments, and you violate my covenant, 16 I, for my part, will do the following to you: I will punish you with distress, with tuberculosis and burning fever, making your eyes fail and your life waste away. You will sow your seed simply for nothing, for your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you will be defeated by your enemies; and those who hate you will tread on you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you.
18 “‘If even this does not make you listen to me, I will have to chastise you seven times as much for your sins. 19 I will break your stubborn pride and make your heavens like iron and your earth like copper. 20 You will exhaust your strength for nothing, as your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not produce fruit.
21 “‘But if you keep walking in opposition to me and refuse to listen to me, I will then have to strike you seven times as much, according to your sins. 22 I will send the wild animals of the field among you, and they will bereave you of children and annihilate your domestic animals and reduce your numbers, and your roads will be deserted.
23 “‘If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction and you insist on walking in opposition to me, 24 then I too will walk in opposition to you, and I myself will strike you seven times for your sins. 25 I will bring an avenging sword upon you for breaking the covenant. If you gather yourselves into your cities, I will send disease into your midst, and you will be given into the hand of an enemy. 26 When I destroy your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in only one oven and then ration your bread by weight; and you will eat but you will not be satisfied.
27 “‘If in spite of this you will not listen to me and you insist on walking in opposition to me, 28 I will intensify my opposition to you, and I myself will have to chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 So you will have to eat the flesh of your sons, and you will eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will annihilate your sacred high places and cut down your incense stands and pile your carcasses on the carcasses of your disgusting idols, and I will turn away from you in disgust. 31 I will give your cities to the sword and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell the pleasing aromas of your sacrifices. 32 I myself will make the land desolate, and your enemies who are dwelling in it will stare in amazement over it. 33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe a sword after you; and your land will be made desolate, and your cities will be devastated.
34 “‘At that time the land will pay off its sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will rest, as it must repay its sabbaths. 35 All the days it lies desolate it will rest, because it did not rest during your sabbaths when you were dwelling on it.
36 “‘As for those who survive, I will fill their hearts with despair in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a blowing leaf will cause them to flee, and they will flee like someone running from the sword and fall without anyone pursuing them. 37 They will stumble over one another like those running from a sword, though no one is pursuing them. You will not be able to resist your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies will consume you. 39 Those of you who remain will be left to rot in the lands of your enemies because of your error. Yes, they will rot away because of the errors of their fathers. 40 Then they will confess their own error and the error and unfaithfulness of their fathers and admit that they behaved unfaithfully by walking in opposition to me. 41 Then I also walked in opposition to them by bringing them into the land of their enemies.
“‘Perhaps then their uncircumcised heart will be humbled, and then they will pay off their error. 42 And I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and my covenant with Isaac, and I will remember my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 While the land was abandoned by them, it was paying off its sabbaths and lying desolate without them, and they were paying for their error, because they rejected my judicial decisions and they abhorred my statutes. 44 But despite all of this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will never completely reject them nor cast them away to the point of exterminating them, which would violate my covenant with them, for I am Jehovah their God. 45 For their sakes I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt under the eyes of the nations, in order to prove myself their God. I am Jehovah.’”
46 These are the regulations, the judicial decisions, and the laws that Jehovah established between himself and the Israelites on Mount Siʹnai through Moses.
27 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘If a man makes a special vow to offer the estimated value of a person to Jehovah, 3 the estimated value of a male from 20 to 60 years old will be 50 shekels of silver by the standard shekel of the holy place. 4 But if it is a female, the estimated value will be 30 shekels. 5 If the age is from 5 to 20 years old, the estimated value of the male will be 20 shekels and 10 shekels for the female. 6 If the age is from one month up to five years old, the estimated value of the male will be five shekels of silver and three shekels of silver for the female.
7 “‘If the age is 60 years and over, the estimated value will be 15 shekels for the male and 10 shekels for the female. 8 But if he is too poor to pay the estimated value, the person will stand before the priest, and the priest will set a value on him. The priest will make the valuation according to what the one making the vow can afford.
9 “‘If the vow involves an animal that is suitable for offering to Jehovah, whatever may be given to Jehovah will become something holy. 10 He may not replace it or exchange it with good for bad or with bad for good. But if he should exchange it with one animal for another animal, the original and what is exchanged for it will both become holy. 11 If it is an unclean animal that may not be presented as an offering to Jehovah, he will then stand the animal before the priest. 12 The priest will then set its value, as to whether it is good or bad. The value estimated by the priest will stand. 13 But if he ever wants to buy it back, he must then give a fifth of it in addition to the estimated value.
14 “‘Now if a man should sanctify his house as something holy to Jehovah, the priest will then set its value, whether it is good or bad. According to the value that the priest sets, that is what it will cost. 15 But if the one who sanctifies his house wants to buy it back, he must then give a fifth of the money of the estimated value in addition to it, and it will become his.
16 “‘If a man sanctifies to Jehovah some of the field that he possesses, the value will be estimated in proportion to the seed needed to sow it: a hoʹmer of barley seed will be 50 shekels of silver. 17 If he sanctifies his field from the year of Jubilee, the estimated value stands. 18 If he sanctifies his field after the Jubilee, the priest will calculate for him the price in proportion to the years that are left until the next year of Jubilee, and a deduction should be made from the estimated value. 19 But if the one who sanctified it should ever buy the field back, he must then give a fifth of the money of the estimated value in addition to it, and it will remain his. 20 Now if he should not buy the field back and the field is sold to another man, it may not be bought back again. 21 When the field is released in the Jubilee, it will become something holy to Jehovah, as a field that is devoted to him. It will become the property of the priests.
22 “‘If a man sanctifies to Jehovah a field he purchased that is not part of his hereditary property, 23 the priest will calculate for him the amount of the valuation up until the year of Jubilee, and he will give the estimated value on that day. It is something holy to Jehovah. 24 In the year of Jubilee, the field will return to the one he bought it from, to the one the land belongs to.
25 “‘Every value should be estimated by the standard shekel of the holy place. The shekel should amount to 20 geʹrahs.
26 “‘However, no one should sanctify the firstborn of the animals, since it is born as the firstborn for Jehovah. Whether bull or sheep, it already belongs to Jehovah. 27 If it is among the unclean animals and he redeems it according to the estimated value, he should give a fifth of it in addition to it. But if it is not bought back, it will be sold according to the estimated value.
28 “‘But no devoted thing that a man devotes unconditionally to Jehovah from his belongings may be sold or bought back, whether from mankind or animals or the field he possesses. Every devoted thing is something most holy to Jehovah. 29 Furthermore, no condemned person who is set apart for destruction may be redeemed. He should be put to death without fail.
30 “‘Every tenth part of the land, whether from the produce of the field or the fruit of the trees, belongs to Jehovah. It is something holy to Jehovah. 31 If a man ever wants to buy any of his tenth part back, he should give a fifth of it in addition to it. 32 As for every tenth part of the herd and flock, everything that passes under the shepherd’s staff, the tenth animal should become something holy to Jehovah. 33 He should not examine whether it is good or bad, neither should he exchange it. But if he would ever try to exchange it, both the original and what is exchanged for it should become something holy. It may not be bought back.’”
34 These are the commandments that Jehovah gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Siʹnai.

NUMBERS
1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Siʹnai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year of their coming out of the land of Egypt. He said: 2 “Take a census of the whole assembly of the Israelites individually according to their families, according to their paternal houses, according to the count of the names of all the males. 3 You and Aaron are to register by their companies all those from 20 years old and up who can serve in the army in Israel.
4 “Take with you one man from each tribe; each one is to be a head of his paternal house. 5 These are the names of the men who will stand with you: of Reuʹben, E·liʹzur the son of Shedʹe·ur; 6 of Simʹe·on, She·luʹmi·el the son of Zu·ri·shadʹdai; 7 of Judah, Nahʹshon the son of Am·minʹa·dab; 8 of Isʹsa·char, Ne·thanʹel the son of Zuʹar; 9 of Zebʹu·lun, E·liʹab the son of Heʹlon; 10 of the sons of Joseph: from Eʹphra·im, E·lishʹa·ma the son of Am·miʹhud; from Ma·nasʹseh, Ga·maʹli·el the son of Pe·dahʹzur; 11 of Benjamin, Abʹi·dan the son of Gid·e·oʹni; 12 of Dan, A·hi·eʹzer the son of Am·mi·shadʹdai; 13 of Ashʹer, Paʹgi·el the son of Ochʹran; 14 of Gad, E·liʹa·saph the son of Deuʹel; 15 of Naphʹta·li, A·hiʹra the son of Eʹnan. 16 These are the ones summoned from the assembly. They are the chieftains of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the thousands of Israel.”
17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name. 18 They gathered all the assembly on the first day of the second month, so that they might be registered individually by name, by family, and by their paternal houses, from 20 years old and up, 19 just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. So he registered them in the wilderness of Siʹnai.
20 The sons of Reuʹben, the descendants of Israel’s firstborn, were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted individually, 21 and the number registered of the tribe of Reuʹben was 46,500.
22 The descendants of Simʹe·on were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted individually, 23 and the number registered of the tribe of Simʹe·on was 59,300.
24 The descendants of Gad were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 25 and the number registered of the tribe of Gad was 45,650.
26 The descendants of Judah were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 27 and the number registered of the tribe of Judah was 74,600.
28 The descendants of Isʹsa·char were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 29 and the number registered of the tribe of Isʹsa·char was 54,400.
30 The descendants of Zebʹu·lun were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 31 and the number registered of the tribe of Zebʹu·lun was 57,400.
32 The descendants of Joseph through Eʹphra·im were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 33 and the number registered of the tribe of Eʹphra·im was 40,500.
34 The descendants of Ma·nasʹseh were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 35 and the number registered of the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh was 32,200.
36 The descendants of Benjamin were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 37 and the number registered of the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.
38 The descendants of Dan were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 39 and the number registered of the tribe of Dan was 62,700.
40 The descendants of Ashʹer were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 41 and the number registered of the tribe of Ashʹer was 41,500.
42 The descendants of Naphʹta·li were listed by name, by family, and by their paternal houses. All the males from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army were counted, 43 and the number registered of the tribe of Naphʹta·li was 53,400.
44 These were registered by Moses together with Aaron and the 12 chieftains of Israel, each representing his paternal house. 45 All the Israelites from 20 years old and up who could serve in the army in Israel were registered by their paternal house, 46 and the total number registered was 603,550.
47 But the Levites were not registered in among them by the tribe of their fathers. 48 So Jehovah told Moses: 49 “Only the tribe of Leʹvi you are not to register, and you should not include the number of them along with the other Israelites. 50 You should appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony and over all its utensils and over everything that belongs to it. They will carry the tabernacle and all its utensils, and they will minister at it, and they are to camp around the tabernacle. 51 Whenever the tabernacle is to be moved, the Levites should take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be reassembled, the Levites should set it up; and any unauthorized person who comes near should be put to death.
52 “Each Israelite should set up his tent in his assigned camp, each man according to his three-tribe division by their companies. 53 And the Levites should encamp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, so that no indignation may arise against the assembly of the Israelites; and the Levites must be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”
54 The people of Israel did all that Jehovah had commanded Moses. They did just so.
2 Jehovah now spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “The Israelites should encamp where their three-tribe division is assigned, each man near the banner of his paternal house. They should camp facing the tent of meeting, all around it.
3 “Those camping on the east side, toward the sunrise, will be the three-tribe division of the encampment of Judah by their companies; the chieftain for the sons of Judah is Nahʹshon the son of Am·minʹa·dab. 4 Those registered in his army are 74,600. 5 Camping alongside him will be the tribe of Isʹsa·char; the chieftain for the sons of Isʹsa·char is Ne·thanʹel the son of Zuʹar. 6 Those registered in his army are 54,400. 7 Next is the tribe of Zebʹu·lun; the chieftain for the sons of Zebʹu·lun is E·liʹab the son of Heʹlon. 8 Those registered in his army are 57,400.
9 “All those registered in the armies of the camp of Judah are 186,400. They should break camp first.
10 “The three-tribe division of the encampment of Reuʹben by their companies will be toward the south; the chieftain for the sons of Reuʹben is E·liʹzur the son of Shedʹe·ur. 11 Those registered in his army are 46,500. 12 Camping alongside him will be the tribe of Simʹe·on; the chieftain for the sons of Simʹe·on is She·luʹmi·el the son of Zu·ri·shadʹdai. 13 Those registered in his army are 59,300. 14 Next is the tribe of Gad; the chieftain for the sons of Gad is E·liʹa·saph the son of Reuʹel. 15 Those registered in his army are 45,650.
16 “All those registered in the armies of the camp of Reuʹben are 151,450, and they should break camp second.
17 “When the tent of meeting is moved, the camp of the Levites should be in the middle of the other camps.
“They should travel in the same order as they encamp, with each in his place, according to their three-tribe divisions.
18 “The three-tribe division of the encampment of Eʹphra·im by their companies will be toward the west; the chieftain for the sons of Eʹphra·im is E·lishʹa·ma the son of Am·miʹhud. 19 Those registered in his army are 40,500. 20 Next to him will be the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh; the chieftain for the sons of Ma·nasʹseh is Ga·maʹli·el the son of Pe·dahʹzur. 21 Those registered in his army are 32,200. 22 Next is the tribe of Benjamin; the chieftain for the sons of Benjamin is Abʹi·dan the son of Gid·e·oʹni. 23 Those registered in his army are 35,400.
24 “All those registered in the armies of the camp of Eʹphra·im are 108,100, and they should break camp third.
25 “The three-tribe division of the encampment of Dan by their companies will be toward the north; the chieftain for the sons of Dan is A·hi·eʹzer the son of Am·mi·shadʹdai. 26 Those registered in his army are 62,700. 27 Camping alongside him will be the tribe of Ashʹer; the chieftain for the sons of Ashʹer is Paʹgi·el the son of Ochʹran. 28 Those registered in his army are 41,500. 29 Next is the tribe of Naphʹta·li; the chieftain for the sons of Naphʹta·li is A·hiʹra the son of Eʹnan. 30 Those registered in his army are 53,400.
31 “All those registered in the camp of Dan are 157,600. They should break camp last, according to their three-tribe divisions.”
32 These were the Israelites who were registered according to their paternal houses; the total of those in the camps registered for the army was 603,550. 33 But the Levites did not get registered along with the other Israelites, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 34 The Israelites did everything that Jehovah had commanded Moses. This is how they encamped by their three-tribe divisions and how they broke camp, each by family and according to their paternal houses.
3 Now these were the family lines of Aaron and Moses in the day that Jehovah spoke with Moses on Mount Siʹnai. 2 These were the names of Aaron’s sons: the firstborn Naʹdab, and A·biʹhu, El·e·aʹzar, and Ithʹa·mar. 3 These were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests who had been installed to serve as priests. 4 However, Naʹdab and A·biʹhu died before Jehovah when they offered unauthorized fire before Jehovah in the wilderness of Siʹnai, and they did not have any sons. But El·e·aʹzar and Ithʹa·mar continued to serve as priests along with Aaron their father.
5 Jehovah then said to Moses: 6 “Bring the tribe of Leʹvi forward, and stand them before Aaron the priest, and they will minister to him. 7 They are to fulfill their responsibilities toward him and toward all the assembly before the tent of meeting by carrying out their service in connection with the tabernacle. 8 They are to take care of all the equipment of the tent of meeting and to carry out their responsibilities toward the Israelites by taking care of the services related to the tabernacle. 9 You are to give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are given ones, given to him from the Israelites. 10 You should appoint Aaron and his sons, and they are to carry out their priestly duties, and any unauthorized person who comes near should be put to death.”
11 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 12 “As for me, look! I take the Levites from among the Israelites in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the Levites will become mine. 13 For every firstborn is mine. In the day that I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to myself every firstborn in Israel from man to beast. They are to become mine. I am Jehovah.”
14 Jehovah spoke further to Moses in the wilderness of Siʹnai, saying: 15 “Register the sons of Leʹvi by their paternal houses and by their families. You should register every male from a month old and up.” 16 So Moses registered them at the order of Jehovah, just as he had been commanded. 17 These were the names of the sons of Leʹvi: Gerʹshon, Koʹhath, and Me·rarʹi.
18 Now these were the names of the sons of Gerʹshon by their families: Libʹni and Shimʹe·i.
19 The sons of Koʹhath by their families were Amʹram, Izʹhar, Hebʹron, and Uzʹzi·el.
20 The sons of Me·rarʹi by their families were Mahʹli and Muʹshi.
These were the families of the Levites by their paternal houses.
21 From Gerʹshon came the family of the Libʹnites and the family of the Shimʹe·ites. These were the families of the Gerʹshon·ites. 22 The number of all their males a month old and up who were registered was 7,500. 23 The families of the Gerʹshon·ites were encamped behind the tabernacle toward the west. 24 The chieftain of the paternal house of the Gerʹshon·ites was E·liʹa·saph the son of Laʹel. 25 The responsibility of the sons of Gerʹshon in the tent of meeting was to care for the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, the screen of the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26 the hanging curtains of the courtyard, the screen of the entrance of the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, its tent cords, and all the service connected with these.
27 From Koʹhath came the family of the Amʹram·ites, the family of the Izʹhar·ites, the family of the Hebʹron·ites, and the family of the Uz·ziʹel·ites. These were the families of the Koʹhath·ites. 28 The number of all the males from a month old and up was 8,600; they were responsible for taking care of the holy place. 29 The families of the sons of Koʹhath camped on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 The chieftain of the paternal house of the families of the Koʹhath·ites was E·li·zaʹphan the son of Uzʹzi·el. 31 Their responsibility was to care for the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils used to minister in the holy place, the screen, and all the service connected with these.
32 The head chieftain of the Levites was El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron the priest, who had the oversight of those taking care of the responsibilities of the holy place.
33 From Me·rarʹi came the family of the Mahʹlites and the family of the Muʹshites. These were the families of Me·rarʹi. 34 The number of all the males from a month old and up who were registered was 6,200. 35 The chieftain of the paternal house of the families of Me·rarʹi was Zuʹri·el the son of Abʹi·ha·il. They were encamped on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 The sons of Me·rarʹi were responsible for overseeing the panel frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its socket pedestals, all its utensils, and all the service connected with these, 37 as well as the pillars that were all around the courtyard and their socket pedestals, their tent pins, and their tent cords.
38 Those camping in front of the tabernacle toward the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons. They were responsible for taking care of the sanctuary as their obligation in behalf of the Israelites. Any unauthorized person coming near would be put to death.
39 All the Levite males from a month old and up, whom Moses and Aaron registered by their families at the order of Jehovah, were 22,000.
40 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Register all the firstborn males of the Israelites from a month old and up, count them, and make a list of their names. 41 You must take the Levites for me—I am Jehovah—in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and take the domestic animals of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the domestic animals of the Israelites.” 42 Moses then registered all the firstborn among the Israelites, just as Jehovah had commanded him. 43 The number of all the firstborn males who were registered by name from a month old and up was 22,273.
44 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 45 “Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites, and take the domestic animals of the Levites in place of their domestic animals, and the Levites must become mine. I am Jehovah. 46 As the ransom price of the 273 of the firstborn of the Israelites who are in excess of the Levites, 47 you are to take five shekels for each individual, according to the standard shekel of the holy place. A shekel is 20 geʹrahs. 48 You are to give the money to Aaron and his sons as the ransom price of those who are in excess of them.” 49 So Moses took the money of the redemption price from those who were in excess of the ransom price of the Levites. 50 He took the money from the firstborn of the Israelites, 1,365 shekels, according to the standard shekel of the holy place. 51 Then Moses gave the money of the ransom price to Aaron and his sons according to the word of Jehovah, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
4 Jehovah now spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “A census should be taken of the sons of Koʹhath from among the sons of Leʹvi, by their families and by their paternal houses, 3 all those from 30 to 50 years old who are in the group assigned to work in the tent of meeting.
4 “This is the service of the sons of Koʹhath in the tent of meeting. It is something most holy: 5 Aaron and his sons will come in when the camp is departing and take down the screening curtain and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. 6 They will put a sealskin covering over it and spread out a solid blue cloth over it and put its carrying poles in place.
7 “They will also spread out a blue cloth over the table of showbread, and they will put on it the dishes, the cups, the bowls, and the pitchers of the drink offering; the regular offering of bread should remain on it. 8 They will spread out a scarlet cloth over them and cover it with a sealskin covering and put its carrying poles in place. 9 Then they will take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps, its snuffers, its fire holders, and all its containers for oil that are used to maintain it. 10 They will wrap it and all its utensils in a sealskin covering and put it on a carrying bar. 11 And they will spread out a blue cloth over the golden altar, cover it with a sealskin covering, and put its carrying poles in place. 12 They will then take all the utensils of the ministry with which they regularly minister in the holy place and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a sealskin covering and put them on a carrying bar.
13 “They should remove the ashes from the altar and spread out a cloth of purple wool over it. 14 They will put on it all its utensils that are used when they minister at the altar: the fire holders, the forks, the shovels, and the bowls, all the utensils of the altar; and they are to spread a sealskin covering over it and put its carrying poles in place.
15 “Aaron and his sons must finish covering the holy place and all the equipment of the holy place when the camp is departing. Then the sons of Koʹhath will come in to carry them, but they must not touch the holy place or they will die. These things are the responsibility of the sons of Koʹhath in connection with the tent of meeting.
16 “El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron the priest is responsible for overseeing the oil of the lighting, the perfumed incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil. He has oversight of the entire tabernacle and all that is in it, including the holy place and its utensils.”
17 Jehovah spoke further to Moses and Aaron, saying: 18 “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Koʹhath·ites be cut off from among the Levites. 19 But do this for them that they may remain alive and not die because of approaching the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go in and assign each of them to his service and what he is to carry. 20 They must not come in and see the holy things even for an instant, or they will die.”
21 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying: 22 “A census should be taken of the sons of Gerʹshon by their paternal houses and their families. 23 You are to register all those from 30 to 50 years old who are in the group assigned to serve in the tent of meeting. 24 This is what the families of the Gerʹshon·ites are assigned to care for and to carry: 25 They will carry the tent cloths of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, its covering and the sealskin covering that is on top over it, the screen of the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26 the hanging curtains of the courtyard, the screen of the entrance of the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, their tent cords and all their utensils and everything used in its service. This is their assignment. 27 All the service and the loads of the Gerʹshon·ites should be overseen by Aaron and his sons; you will assign all these loads as their responsibility. 28 This is the service that the families of the Gerʹshon·ites are to carry out in the tent of meeting, and their responsibilities are under the direction of Ithʹa·mar the son of Aaron the priest.
29 “As for the sons of Me·rarʹi, you will register them by family and by their paternal house. 30 From 30 to 50 years old you will register them, all who are in the group assigned to the service of the tent of meeting. 31 This is what they are responsible for carrying in connection with their service at the tent of meeting: the panel frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its socket pedestals; 32 the pillars of the surrounding courtyard, their socket pedestals, their tent pins, and their tent cords together with all their equipment and all the service connected with these. You will assign to them by name the equipment they are responsible for carrying. 33 This is how the families of the sons of Me·rarʹi are to serve at the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithʹa·mar the son of Aaron the priest.”
34 Moses and Aaron and the chieftains of the assembly then registered the sons of the Koʹhath·ites by their families and by their paternal house, 35 all those from 30 to 50 years old who were in the group assigned to the service of the tent of meeting. 36 The total of those registered by their families was 2,750. 37 These were registered from the families of the Koʹhath·ites, all those who were serving at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron registered them at the order of Jehovah through Moses.
38 The sons of Gerʹshon were registered by their families and by their paternal house, 39 all those from 30 to 50 years old who were in the group assigned to the service at the tent of meeting. 40 The total of those registered by their families and by their paternal house was 2,630. 41 This was the registration of the families of the sons of Gerʹshon, all those who were serving at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron had them registered at the order of Jehovah.
42 The sons of Me·rarʹi were registered by their families and by their paternal house, 43 all those from 30 to 50 years old who were in the group assigned to the service at the tent of meeting. 44 The total of those registered of them by their families was 3,200. 45 This was the registration of the families of the sons of Me·rarʹi, whom Moses and Aaron registered at the order of Jehovah through Moses.
46 Moses and Aaron and the chieftains of Israel registered all these Levites by their families and by their paternal houses; 47 they were from 30 to 50 years old, and all were assigned to serve and carry loads in connection with the tent of meeting. 48 The total of those registered was 8,580. 49 They were registered at the order of Jehovah through Moses, each according to his assigned service and his load; they were registered just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
5 Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 2 “Command the Israelites to send out of the camp every leprous person and everyone having a discharge and everyone unclean by a dead person. 3 Whether a male or a female, you should send them out. You should send them outside the camp, so that they may not contaminate the camps of those in whose midst I am dwelling.” 4 Therefore, the Israelites did so and sent them outside the camp. Just as Jehovah told Moses, so the Israelites did.
5 Jehovah continued speaking to Moses, saying: 6 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If a man or a woman commits any of the sins of mankind and acts unfaithfully toward Jehovah, that person has become guilty. 7 He must confess the sin that he has committed and return the full amount as compensation for his guilt and also add a fifth of its value; he is to give it to the one he wronged. 8 But if the victim does not have a close relative to receive the compensation, it should be returned to Jehovah and will belong to the priest, apart from the ram of atonement with which he will make atonement for him.
9 “‘Every holy contribution from the Israelites that is presented to the priest should become his. 10 The holy things of each person will remain his own. Whatever each one gives to the priest, that will belong to the priest.’”
11 Jehovah went on to speak to Moses, saying: 12 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘This is what should be done if a man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13 and another man has sexual relations with her, but it was unknown to her husband and remains undiscovered, so that she has defiled herself but there is no witness against her and she has not been caught: 14 Whether the husband becomes jealous and suspicious of his wife’s faithfulness when she has defiled herself, or whether he is jealous and suspicious of his wife’s faithfulness when she has not defiled herself, 15 the man must bring his wife to the priest, along with an offering for her, a tenth of an eʹphah of barley flour. He must not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering bringing guilt to mind.
16 “‘The priest will bring her forward and make her stand before Jehovah. 17 The priest will take holy water in an earthenware vessel, and the priest will take some of the dust from the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water. 18 And the priest will make the woman stand before Jehovah and unbind the woman’s hair and put in her palms the grain offering for a reminder, that is, the grain offering of jealousy, and the priest will have in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse.
19 “‘The priest will then make her swear, saying to the woman: “If no other man had sexual relations with you while you were under your husband’s authority and you have not gone astray and become defiled, may you be free of the effect of this bitter water that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority by defiling yourself, and you have had sexual relations with another man besides your husband—” 21 The priest will then make the woman swear an oath that includes a curse, and the priest will say to the woman: “May Jehovah make you an object for cursing and for an oath among your people, as Jehovah makes your thigh fall away and causes your abdomen to swell. 22 This water that brings a curse will enter into your intestines to cause your abdomen to swell and make your thigh fall away.” To this the woman should say: “Amen! Amen!”
23 “‘Then the priest should write these curses in the book and wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He will then make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings a curse will enter into her and produce bitterness. 25 And the priest should take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand and wave the grain offering back and forth before Jehovah, and he will bring it near the altar. 26 The priest will take a handful of the grain offering as a token offering and make it smoke on the altar, and afterward he will make the woman drink the water. 27 When he makes her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and committed an act of unfaithfulness toward her husband, the water that brings a curse will then enter into her and become something bitter, and her abdomen will swell, and her thigh will fall away, and the woman will become an object of cursing among her people. 28 However, if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will then be free from such punishment, and she will be able to conceive and produce offspring.
29 “‘This is the law about jealousy, when a woman may go astray and defile herself while under her husband’s authority, 30 or in the case of a man who becomes jealous and suspects his wife of unfaithfulness; he should make his wife stand before Jehovah, and the priest must carry out toward her all this law. 31 The man will be free from guilt, but his wife will answer for her guilt.’”
6 Jehovah spoke further to Moses and said: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘If a man or a woman takes a special vow to live as a Nazʹi·rite to Jehovah, 3 he should keep away from wine and other alcoholic beverages. He should not drink the vinegar of wine or the vinegar of anything alcoholic. He should not drink any liquid made from grapes, nor eat grapes, whether fresh or dried. 4 All the days of his Naziriteship he should not eat anything made from the grapevine, from the unripe grapes to the skins.
5 “‘All the days of the vow of his Naziriteship no razor should pass over his head. He is to remain holy by letting the hair of his head grow until the days of his being set apart to Jehovah are completed. 6 He should not approach a dead person during all the days he remains separated to Jehovah. 7 Even if his father or his mother or his brother or his sister should die, he may not defile himself, because the sign of his Naziriteship to his God is upon his head.
8 “‘He is holy to Jehovah all the days of his Naziriteship. 9 But if someone should suddenly die alongside him and he defiles the hair symbolizing his separation to God, he must shave his head on the day he establishes his purification. He should shave it on the seventh day. 10 And on the eighth day, he should bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 11 The priest will prepare one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering and make atonement for him for his sin in connection with the dead person. Then he must sanctify his head on that day. 12 And he must separate himself again to Jehovah for the days of his Naziriteship, and he will bring a young ram in its first year as a guilt offering. However, the former days will go uncounted because he defiled his Naziriteship.
13 “‘Now this is the law about the Nazʹi·rite: When he completes the days of his Naziriteship, he will be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 14 There he must present his offering to Jehovah: one sound young ram in its first year as a burnt offering, one sound female lamb in its first year as a sin offering, one sound ram as a communion sacrifice, 15 a basket of unleavened ring-shaped loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings. 16 The priest will present them before Jehovah and will offer up his sin offering and his burnt offering. 17 He will offer the ram as a communion sacrifice to Jehovah along with the basket of unleavened loaves, and the priest will present its grain offering and its drink offering.
18 “‘The Nazʹi·rite must then shave the uncut hair of his head at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and he will take the hair of his head grown during his Naziriteship and put it on the fire that is under the communion sacrifice. 19 And the priest must take a boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened ring-shaped loaf from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them on the palms of the Nazʹi·rite after he has had the sign of his Naziriteship shaved off. 20 And the priest must wave them back and forth as a wave offering before Jehovah. It is something holy for the priest, along with the breast of the wave offering and the leg of the contribution. Afterward, the Nazʹi·rite may drink wine.
21 “‘This is the law about the Nazʹi·rite who makes a vow: If he vows and can afford to make an offering to Jehovah that is beyond the requirements of his Naziriteship, he must then carry out his vow out of regard for the law of his Naziriteship.’”
22 Then Jehovah said to Moses: 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the way you should bless the people of Israel. Say to them:
24 “May Jehovah bless you and safeguard you.
25 May Jehovah make his face shine upon you, and may he favor you.
26 May Jehovah lift up his face toward you and grant you peace.”’
27 And they must place my name upon the people of Israel, that I may bless them.”
7 On the day that Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and sanctified it, together with all its furnishings, the altar, and all its utensils. When he had anointed and sanctified these things, 2 the chieftains of Israel, the heads of their paternal houses, made an offering. These chieftains of the tribes who presided over the registration 3 brought before Jehovah their offering of six covered wagons and 12 oxen, a wagon for two chieftains and a bull for each one; and they presented them before the tabernacle. 4 Jehovah said to Moses: 5 “Accept these things from them, as they will be used for the service of the tent of meeting, and you should give them to the Levites, to each one as needed for his duties.”
6 So Moses accepted the wagons and the cattle and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gerʹshon, according to what was needed for their duties; 8 and he gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Me·rarʹi, according to what was needed for their duties, under the direction of Ithʹa·mar the son of Aaron the priest. 9 But he did not give any to the sons of Koʹhath because their duties involved the service of the holy place, and they carried the holy things on their shoulders.
10 Now the chieftains made their presentation at the inauguration of the altar on the day it was anointed. When the chieftains presented their offering before the altar, 11 Jehovah said to Moses: “One chieftain each day, on successive days, will present his offering for the inauguration of the altar.”
12 The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahʹshon the son of Am·minʹa·dab of the tribe of Judah. 13 His offering was one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 14 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 15 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 16 one young goat for a sin offering; 17 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of Nahʹshon the son of Am·minʹa·dab.
18 On the second day, Ne·thanʹel the son of Zuʹar, the chieftain of Isʹsa·char, made a presentation. 19 He presented as his offering one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 20 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 22 one young goat for a sin offering; 23 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of Ne·thanʹel the son of Zuʹar.
24 On the third day, the chieftain for the sons of Zebʹu·lun, E·liʹab the son of Heʹlon, 25 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 26 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 27 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 28 one young goat for a sin offering; 29 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of E·liʹab the son of Heʹlon.
30 On the fourth day, the chieftain for the sons of Reuʹben, E·liʹzur the son of Shedʹe·ur, 31 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 32 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 33 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 34 one young goat for a sin offering; 35 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of E·liʹzur the son of Shedʹe·ur.
36 On the fifth day, the chieftain for the sons of Simʹe·on, She·luʹmi·el the son of Zu·ri·shadʹdai, 37 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 38 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 39 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 40 one young goat for a sin offering; 41 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of She·luʹmi·el the son of Zu·ri·shadʹdai.
42 On the sixth day, the chieftain for the sons of Gad, E·liʹa·saph the son of Deuʹel, 43 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 44 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 45 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 46 one young goat for a sin offering; 47 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of E·liʹa·saph the son of Deuʹel.
48 On the seventh day, the chieftain for the sons of Eʹphra·im, E·lishʹa·ma the son of Am·miʹhud, 49 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 50 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 51 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 52 one young goat for a sin offering; 53 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of E·lishʹa·ma the son of Am·miʹhud.
54 On the eighth day, the chieftain for the sons of Ma·nasʹseh, Ga·maʹli·el the son of Pe·dahʹzur, 55 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 56 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 57 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 58 one young goat for a sin offering; 59 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of Ga·maʹli·el the son of Pe·dahʹzur.
60 On the ninth day, the chieftain for the sons of Benjamin, Abʹi·dan the son of Gid·e·oʹni, 61 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 62 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 63 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 64 one young goat for a sin offering; 65 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of Abʹi·dan the son of Gid·e·oʹni.
66 On the tenth day, the chieftain for the sons of Dan, A·hi·eʹzer the son of Am·mi·shadʹdai, 67 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 68 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 69 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 70 one young goat for a sin offering; 71 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of A·hi·eʹzer the son of Am·mi·shadʹdai.
72 On the 11th day, the chieftain for the sons of Ashʹer, Paʹgi·el the son of Ochʹran, 73 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 74 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 76 one young goat for a sin offering; 77 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of Paʹgi·el the son of Ochʹran.
78 On the 12th day, the chieftain for the sons of Naphʹta·li, A·hiʹra the son of Eʹnan, 79 made his offering of one silver dish weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing 70 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 80 one gold cup weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 81 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a burnt offering; 82 one young goat for a sin offering; 83 and for a communion sacrifice, two cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs each a year old. This was the offering of A·hiʹra the son of Eʹnan.
84 This was the inauguration offering of the altar from the chieftains of Israel when it was anointed: 12 silver dishes, 12 silver bowls, 12 gold cups; 85 each silver dish weighing 130 shekels and each bowl weighing 70 shekels, all the silver of the vessels amounting to 2,400 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place; 86 the 12 gold cups full of incense each weighed 10 shekels by the standard shekel of the holy place, all the gold of the cups amounting to 120 shekels. 87 All the cattle for the burnt offering were 12 bulls, 12 rams, 12 male lambs each a year old and their grain offerings, and 12 young goats for a sin offering; 88 and all the cattle of the communion sacrifice amounted to 24 bulls, 60 rams, 60 male goats, and 60 male lambs each a year old. This was the inauguration offering of the altar after it was anointed.
89 Whenever Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with God, he would hear the voice conversing with him from above the cover of the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubs; and God would speak to him.
8 Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you light up the lamps, the seven lamps should shine on the area in front of the lampstand.’” 3 So Aaron did this: He lit up its lamps for the area in front of the lampstand, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was hammered work of gold; from its stem to its blossoms, it was hammered work. The lampstand was made according to the vision that Jehovah had shown Moses.
5 Jehovah spoke again to Moses, saying: 6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites, and cleanse them. 7 This is how you should cleanse them: Sprinkle sin-cleansing water on them, and they must shave their whole body with a razor, wash their garments, and cleanse themselves. 8 Then they will take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you will take another young bull for a sin offering. 9 And you are to present the Levites before the tent of meeting and gather all the assembly of the Israelites. 10 When you present the Levites before Jehovah, the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites. 11 And Aaron must offer the Levites before Jehovah as a wave offering from the Israelites, and they will carry out the service of Jehovah.
12 “Then the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. After that, offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to Jehovah to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you will have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and offer them as a wave offering to Jehovah. 14 You must separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will become mine. 15 Afterward, the Levites will come in to serve at the tent of meeting. This is how you should cleanse them and offer them as a wave offering. 16 For they are given ones, given to me from among the Israelites. In place of all those who are firstborn of the Israelites, I will take them for myself. 17 For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both man and animal. I sanctified them to myself on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt. 18 I will take the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites. 19 I will give the Levites as given ones to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to carry out the service in behalf of the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the Israelites, so that no plague may occur among the Israelites because the people of Israel come near the holy place.”
20 Moses and Aaron and all the assembly of the Israelites did this with the Levites. In accord with all that Jehovah had commanded Moses regarding the Levites, that is what the Israelites did with them. 21 So the Levites purified themselves and washed their garments, after which Aaron offered them as a wave offering before Jehovah. Then Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 Thereafter, the Levites went in to carry out their service at the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons. Just as Jehovah had commanded Moses respecting the Levites, so they did with them.
23 Jehovah now spoke to Moses, saying: 24 “This applies to the Levites: From 25 years old and up, a man will join the company of those in the service of the tent of meeting. 25 But after the age of 50 years, he will retire from the service company and not serve any longer. 26 He may minister to his brothers who are taking care of the responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not perform the service there. This is what you are to do regarding the Levites and their responsibilities.”
9 Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Siʹnai in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2 “The Israelites should prepare the Passover sacrifice at its appointed time. 3 On the 14th day of this month at twilight, you should prepare it at its appointed time. According to all its statutes and all its set procedures, you should prepare it.”
4 So Moses told the Israelites to prepare the Passover sacrifice. 5 Then they prepared the Passover sacrifice in the first month, on the 14th day of the month at twilight, in the wilderness of Siʹnai. According to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.
6 Now there were men who had become unclean by touching a dead body, so that they were not able to prepare the Passover sacrifice on that day. So those men presented themselves before Moses and Aaron on that day 7 and said to him: “We are unclean because of touching a dead body. Why should we be kept from presenting the offering to Jehovah at its appointed time among the Israelites?” 8 At this Moses said to them: “Wait there, and let me hear what Jehovah may command regarding you.”
9 Then Jehovah said to Moses: 10 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Although any man among you or of your future generations should become unclean by touching a dead body or should be off on a distant journey, he must still prepare the Passover sacrifice to Jehovah. 11 They should prepare it in the second month, on the 14th day at twilight. They should eat it together with unleavened bread and bitter greens. 12 They must not let any of it remain until morning, and they should not break any bone in it. They should prepare it according to every statute regarding the Passover. 13 But if a man was clean or was not off on a journey and neglected to prepare the Passover sacrifice, that person must then be cut off from his people, because he did not present the offering of Jehovah at its appointed time. That man will answer for his sin.
14 “‘And if a foreign resident is residing with you, he should also prepare the Passover sacrifice to Jehovah. He should do so according to the statute of the Passover and its set procedure. There should exist one statute for you, both for the foreign resident and for the native of the land.’”
15 Now on the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony, but in the evening what appeared to be fire remained over the tabernacle until morning. 16 That is what continued to take place: The cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from the tent, the Israelites would promptly depart, and in the place where the cloud would remain, there is where the Israelites would encamp. 18 At the order of Jehovah the Israelites would depart, and at the order of Jehovah they would encamp. As long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle, they would remain encamped. 19 When the cloud would stay over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites would obey Jehovah and not depart. 20 Sometimes the cloud would remain for a few days over the tabernacle. At the order of Jehovah they would remain encamped, and at the order of Jehovah they would depart. 21 Sometimes the cloud would remain only from evening until morning, and when the cloud lifted in the morning, they would depart. Whether it was day or night when the cloud lifted, they would depart. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, the Israelites remained encamped and would not depart. But when it lifted, they would depart. 23 At the order of Jehovah they would encamp, and at the order of Jehovah they would depart. They kept their obligation to Jehovah at the order of Jehovah through Moses.
10 Jehovah then said to Moses: 2 “Make two trumpets for yourself; make them of hammered silver, and use them to summon the assembly and to break up the camps. 3 When both of them are blown, the whole assembly must be summoned to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 4 If just one is blown, only the chieftains, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will be summoned to you.
5 “When you sound a fluctuating trumpet blast, the camps of those to the east should depart. 6 When you sound a fluctuating trumpet blast a second time, the camps of those to the south should depart. They should sound the trumpet blasts in this way each time one of them departs.
7 “Now when calling the congregation together, you should blow the trumpets, but not with fluctuating blasts. 8 Aaron’s sons, the priests, should blow the trumpets, and the use of them will serve as a lasting statute for you throughout your generations.
9 “If you should go to war in your land against an oppressor who is harassing you, you should sound a war call on the trumpets, and you will be remembered by Jehovah your God and be saved from your enemies.
10 “Also, on your joyous occasions—your festivals and at the beginning of your months—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your communion sacrifices; they will serve as a reminder for you before your God. I am Jehovah your God.”
11 Now in the second year, in the second month, on the 20th day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the Testimony. 12 So the Israelites began to pull away from the wilderness of Siʹnai in the order established for their departure, and the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paʹran. 13 This was the first time they departed following the order of Jehovah through Moses.
14 So the three-tribe division of the camp of the sons of Judah departed first by their companies, and Nahʹshon the son of Am·minʹa·dab was over its company. 15 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Isʹsa·char was Ne·thanʹel the son of Zuʹar. 16 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Zebʹu·lun was E·liʹab the son of Heʹlon.
17 When the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gerʹshon and the sons of Me·rarʹi, who carried the tabernacle, departed.
18 Then the three-tribe division of the camp of Reuʹben departed by their companies, and E·liʹzur the son of Shedʹe·ur was over its company. 19 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Simʹe·on was She·luʹmi·el the son of Zu·ri·shadʹdai. 20 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Gad was E·liʹa·saph the son of Deuʹel.
21 Then the Koʹhath·ites, who carried the sanctuary items, departed. The tabernacle was to be set up by the time they arrived.
22 Then the three-tribe division of the camp of the sons of Eʹphra·im departed by their companies, and E·lishʹa·ma the son of Am·miʹhud was over its company. 23 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Ma·nasʹseh was Ga·maʹli·el the son of Pe·dahʹzur. 24 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin was Abʹi·dan the son of Gid·e·oʹni.
25 Then the three-tribe division of the camp of the sons of Dan departed by their companies, forming the rear guard for all the camps, and A·hi·eʹzer the son of Am·mi·shadʹdai was over its company. 26 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Ashʹer was Paʹgi·el the son of Ochʹran. 27 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Naphʹta·li was A·hiʹra the son of Eʹnan. 28 This was the order of departure that the Israelites and their companies followed when they would depart.
29 Then Moses said to Hoʹbab the son of Reuʹel the Midʹi·an·ite, the father-in-law of Moses: “We are setting out for the place about which Jehovah said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Do come with us, and we will treat you well, because Jehovah has promised good things for Israel.” 30 But he said to him: “I will not go. I will return to my own country and to my relatives.” 31 At this he said: “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our guide. 32 And if you do come with us, whatever goodness Jehovah shows to us, we will surely show to you.”
33 So they began marching from the mountain of Jehovah for a journey of three days, and the ark of Jehovah’s covenant traveled before them for the three-day journey to search out a resting-place for them. 34 And Jehovah’s cloud was over them by day when they set out from the encampment.
35 Whenever the Ark was moved, Moses would say: “Rise up, O Jehovah, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee from before you.” 36 And when it would rest, he would say: “Do return, O Jehovah, to the countless thousands of Israel.”
11 Now the people began to complain bitterly before Jehovah. When Jehovah heard it, his anger flared, and a fire from Jehovah began to blaze against them and to consume some on the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people began to cry out to Moses, he made supplication to Jehovah, and the fire died out. 3 So that place was given the name Tabʹe·rah, because a fire from Jehovah had blazed against them.
4 The mixed crowd who were in their midst then expressed selfish longing, and the Israelites too began to weep again and say: “Who will give us meat to eat? 5 How fondly we remember the fish that we used to eat without cost in Egypt, also the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic! 6 But now we are withering away. We see nothing at all except this manna.”
7 Incidentally, the manna was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium gum. 8 The people would spread out and pick it up and grind it in hand mills or pound it in a mortar. Then they would boil it in cooking pots or make it into round loaves, and it tasted like an oiled sweet cake. 9 When the dew descended on the camp by night, the manna would also descend on it.
10 Moses heard the people weeping, family after family, each man at the entrance of his tent. And Jehovah became very angry, and Moses was also very displeased. 11 Then Moses said to Jehovah: “Why have you afflicted your servant? Why have I not found favor in your eyes, so that you put the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, so that you should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, just as an attendant carries the nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give to their forefathers? 13 From where will I get meat to give to all this people? For they keep weeping before me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I am not able to bear all this people by myself; it is too much for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please kill me right now. If I have found favor in your eyes, do not make me see any more calamity.”
16 Jehovah replied to Moses: “Gather for me 70 men from the elders of Israel, men whom you recognize as elders and officials of the people, and take them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of the spirit that is on you and place it on them, and they will help you in bearing the burden of the people so that you may not have to bear it alone. 18 You should say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for you will certainly eat meat, because you have wept in Jehovah’s hearing and have said: “Who will give us meat to eat? It was better for us in Egypt.” Jehovah will certainly give you meat, and you will eat. 19 You will eat, not one day nor 2 days nor 5 days nor 10 days nor 20 days, 20 but for a whole month of days, until it comes out of your nostrils and it has become loathsome to you, for you rejected Jehovah, who is in your midst, and you were weeping before him, saying: “Why is it that we have come out of Egypt?”’”
21 Then Moses said: “The people I am among number 600,000 men on foot, and yet you yourself have said, ‘Meat I will give them, and they will eat enough for a whole month of days’! 22 If whole flocks and herds were slaughtered, would it be enough for them? Or if all the fish of the sea were caught, would it be enough for them?”
23 Jehovah then said to Moses: “Is the hand of Jehovah too short? Now you will see whether what I say will happen to you or not.”
24 So Moses went out and spoke the words of Jehovah to the people. And he gathered 70 men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then Jehovah came down in a cloud and spoke to him and took away some of the spirit that was on him and put it on each of the 70 elders. And as soon as the spirit settled down on them, they began to behave as prophets, but they did not do it again.
26 There were two of the men still in the camp. Their names were Elʹdad and Meʹdad. And the spirit began to settle down on them, as they were among those whose names had been written down, but they had not gone out to the tent. So they began to behave as prophets in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and reported to Moses: “Elʹdad and Meʹdad are behaving as prophets in the camp!” 28 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth, responded and said: “My lord Moses, restrain them!” 29 But Moses said to him: “Are you jealous for me? No, I wish that all of Jehovah’s people were prophets and that Jehovah would put his spirit on them!” 30 Later Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel.
31 Then a wind from Jehovah sprang up and began driving quail from the sea and causing them to fall around the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and they were about two cubits deep on the ground. 32 So all that day and all night and all the next day, the people stayed up and gathered the quail. No one gathered less than ten hoʹmers, and they kept spreading them all around the camp for themselves. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it could be chewed, Jehovah’s anger blazed against the people, and Jehovah began striking the people with a very great slaughter.
34 So they gave that place the name Kibʹroth-hat·taʹa·vah, because there they buried the people who showed selfish craving. 35 From Kibʹroth-hat·taʹa·vah the people departed for Ha·zeʹroth, and they remained at Ha·zeʹroth.
12 Now Mirʹi·am and Aaron began to speak against Moses because of the Cushʹite wife he had married, for he had taken a Cushʹite wife. 2 They were saying: “Is it only by Moses that Jehovah has spoken? Has he not also spoken through us?” And Jehovah was listening. 3 Now the man Moses was by far the meekest of all the men on the face of the earth.
4 Jehovah suddenly said to Moses and Aaron and Mirʹi·am: “Go out, the three of you, to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 And Jehovah came down in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Mirʹi·am. Both of them went forward. 6 He then said: “Hear my words, please. If there was a prophet of Jehovah among you, I would make myself known to him in a vision, and I would speak to him in a dream. 7 But it is not that way with my servant Moses! He is being entrusted with all my house. 8 Face-to-face I speak to him, openly, not by riddles; and the appearance of Jehovah is what he sees. Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant, against Moses?”
9 So Jehovah’s anger burned against them, and he departed from them. 10 The cloud moved away from over the tent, and look! Mirʹi·am was struck with leprosy as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Mirʹi·am, and he saw that she was struck with leprosy. 11 Immediately Aaron said to Moses: “I beg you, my lord! Please do not hold this sin against us! We have acted foolishly in what we have done. 12 Please, do not let her continue like someone dead, whose flesh is half eaten away at birth!” 13 And Moses began to cry out to Jehovah, saying: “O God, please heal her! Please!”
14 Jehovah replied to Moses: “If her father would spit directly in her face, would she not be humiliated for seven days? Let her be quarantined for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be brought back in.” 15 So Mirʹi·am was quarantined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not break camp until Mirʹi·am was brought back in. 16 Then the people departed from Ha·zeʹroth and began camping in the wilderness of Paʹran.
13 Jehovah now spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Send out men to spy out the land of Caʹnaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. You are to send out one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a chieftain among them.”
3 So Moses sent them out from the wilderness of Paʹran at the order of Jehovah. All the men were heads of the Israelites. 4 These are their names: of the tribe of Reuʹben, Sham·muʹa the son of Zacʹcur; 5 of the tribe of Simʹe·on, Shaʹphat the son of Hoʹri; 6 of the tribe of Judah, Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh; 7 of the tribe of Isʹsa·char, Iʹgal the son of Joseph; 8 of the tribe of Eʹphra·im, Ho·sheʹa the son of Nun; 9 of the tribe of Benjamin, Palʹti the son of Raʹphu; 10 of the tribe of Zebʹu·lun, Gadʹdi·el the son of Soʹdi; 11 of the tribe of Joseph, for the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh, Gadʹdi the son of Suʹsi; 12 of the tribe of Dan, Amʹmi·el the son of Ge·malʹli; 13 of the tribe of Ashʹer, Seʹthur the son of Miʹcha·el; 14 of the tribe of Naphʹta·li, Nahʹbi the son of Vophʹsi; 15 of the tribe of Gad, Geuʹel the son of Maʹchi. 16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses gave the name Joshua to Ho·sheʹa the son of Nun.
17 When Moses was sending them to spy out the land of Caʹnaan, he said to them: “Go up there into the Negʹeb, and then go up into the mountainous region. 18 You must see what kind of land it is and whether the people who are dwelling in it are strong or weak, few or many, 19 and whether the land is good or bad and whether the cities they are dwelling in are encampments or fortifications. 20 And find out whether the land is rich or poor and whether there are trees in it or not. You must be courageous and take some of the fruitage of the land.” Now it was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Reʹhob, near Leʹbo-haʹmath. 22 When they went up into the Negʹeb, they came to Hebʹron, where A·hiʹman, Sheʹshai, and Talʹmai, the Anʹa·kim, were living. Incidentally, Hebʹron had been built seven years before Zoʹan of Egypt. 23 When they came to the Valley of Eshʹcol, there they cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes, which two of the men had to carry on a bar, as well as some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 They called that place the Valley of Eshʹcol because of the cluster that the Israelites cut down from there.
25 At the end of 40 days, they returned from spying out the land. 26 So they came back to Moses and Aaron and all the assembly of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paʹran, at Kaʹdesh. They brought back a report to all the assembly and showed them the fruitage of the land. 27 This is what they reported to Moses: “We entered the land into which you sent us, and it is indeed flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruitage. 28 Nevertheless, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the fortified cities are very great. We also saw the Anʹa·kim there. 29 The A·malʹek·ites are dwelling in the land of the Negʹeb, and the Hitʹtites, the Jebʹu·sites, and the Amʹor·ites are dwelling in the mountainous region, and the Caʹnaan·ites are dwelling by the sea and along the Jordan.”
30 Then Caʹleb tried to calm the people as they stood before Moses by saying: “Let us go up immediately, and we are sure to take possession of it, because we can surely conquer it.” 31 But the men who went up with him said: “We are not able to go up against the people, because they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they kept on giving the Israelites a bad report about the land that they had spied out, saying: “The land that we passed through to spy out is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of extraordinary size. 33 And there we saw the Nephʹi·lim, the sons of Aʹnak, who are from the Nephʹi·lim, and in comparison we seemed like grasshoppers, both to us and to them.”
14 Then all the assembly raised their voice, and the people continued crying out and weeping all through that night. 2 All the Israelites began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly spoke against them, saying: “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is Jehovah bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 They were even saying to one another: “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”
5 At this Moses and Aaron fell with their faces to the ground before the whole assembled congregation of the Israelites. 6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh, who were among those who spied out the land, ripped their garments apart, 7 and they said this to all the assembly of the Israelites: “The land that we passed through to spy out is a very, very good land. 8 If Jehovah is pleased with us, he will certainly bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that is flowing with milk and honey. 9 But you must not rebel against Jehovah, and you must not fear the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and Jehovah is with us. Do not fear them.”
10 However, all the assembly talked of stoning them. But Jehovah’s glory appeared on the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
11 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “How much longer will this people treat me without respect, and how much longer will they not put faith in me in spite of all the signs that I performed among them? 12 Let me strike them with pestilence and drive them away, and let me make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are.”
13 But Moses said to Jehovah: “Then the Egyptians, from whose midst you brought this people out by your power, will hear, 14 and they will speak about it to the inhabitants of this land. These also have heard that you, Jehovah, are among this people and have appeared to them face-to-face. You are Jehovah, and your cloud is standing over them, and you are going before them in the pillar of cloud by day and in the pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put this people to death all at once, the nations who have heard of your fame would say this: 16 ‘Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land he swore to give them, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ 17 Please, now, Jehovah, let your power be great, as you promised when you said: 18 ‘Jehovah, slow to anger and abundant in loyal love, pardoning error and transgression, but he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation.’ 19 Forgive, please, the error of this people according to your great loyal love, just as you have pardoned this people from Egypt until now.”
20 Then Jehovah said: “I forgive them according to your word. 21 But on the other hand, as surely as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of Jehovah. 22 However, not one of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness and yet have kept testing me these ten times and have not listened to my voice 23 will ever see the land about which I swore to their fathers. No, not one of those treating me without respect will see it. 24 But because my servant Caʹleb had a different spirit and kept following after me wholeheartedly, I will certainly bring him into the land where he went, and his offspring will take possession of it. 25 Since the A·malʹek·ites and the Caʹnaan·ites are dwelling in the valley, you should turn back tomorrow and set off for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”
26 Jehovah then said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How much longer will this evil assembly keep up this murmuring against me? I have heard what the Israelites are murmuring against me. 28 Say to them, ‘“As surely as I live,” declares Jehovah, “I will do to you just what I have heard you speak! 29 In this wilderness your corpses will fall, yes, the whole number of you from 20 years old and up who were registered, all of you who have murmured against me. 30 None of you will enter into the land that I swore to have you reside in except Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 “‘“And I will bring in your children, who you said would become plunder, and they will get to know the land that you have rejected. 32 But your own corpses will fall in this wilderness. 33 Now your sons will become shepherds in the wilderness 40 years, and they will have to answer for your acts of unfaithfulness until the last one of your corpses falls in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days that you spied out the land, 40 days, a day for a year, a day for a year, you will answer for your errors 40 years, for you will know what it means to oppose me.
35 “‘“I, Jehovah, have spoken. This is what I will do to all this evil assembly, those who have gathered together against me: In this wilderness they will come to their end, and here they will die. 36 The men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who caused the whole assembly to murmur against him when they returned with a bad report about the land, 37 yes, the men who brought back the bad report about the land will be struck down and die before Jehovah. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh, who were among those who went to spy out the land, will certainly keep living.”’”
39 When Moses spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people began to mourn a great deal. 40 Moreover, they got up early in the morning and tried to go up to the top of the mountain, saying: “Here we are ready to go up to the place that Jehovah spoke about, for we have sinned.” 41 But Moses said: “Why are you going beyond the order of Jehovah? This will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, for Jehovah is not with you; and you will be defeated by your enemies. 43 For the A·malʹek·ites and the Caʹnaan·ites are there to face you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you turned away from following Jehovah, Jehovah will not be with you.”
44 However, they presumptuously went toward the top of the mountain, but the ark of Jehovah’s covenant and Moses did not move away from the middle of the camp. 45 Then the A·malʹek·ites and the Caʹnaan·ites who were dwelling in that mountain came down and struck them, scattering them as far as Horʹmah.
15 Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you eventually come into the land that I am giving you to dwell in 3 and you make an offering by fire to Jehovah from the herd or from the flock—whether a burnt offering or a sacrifice to perform a special vow or a voluntary offering or an offering during your seasonal festivals, in order to make a pleasing aroma to Jehovah— 4 the one presenting his offering must also present to Jehovah a grain offering of fine flour, a tenth of an eʹphah, mixed with a fourth of a hin of oil. 5 You should also offer wine as a drink offering, a fourth of a hin, together with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice of each male lamb. 6 Or for a ram, you should make a grain offering of two tenths of an eʹphah measure of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil. 7 And you should present wine as a drink offering, a third of a hin, as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah.
8 “‘But if you should offer a male of the herd as a burnt offering or a sacrifice to perform a special vow or communion sacrifices to Jehovah, 9 you should also present together with the male of the herd a grain offering of three tenths of an eʹphah measure of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil. 10 You should also present wine as a drink offering, half a hin, as an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. 11 This is what should be done for each bull or for each ram or for each of the male lambs or of the goats. 12 Whatever may be the number that you offer, that is what you should do for each one, according to their number. 13 This is how every native-born Israelite should present an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah.
14 “‘If a foreigner who is residing with you or one who has been in your midst for many of your generations should also make an offering by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah, he should do just as you do. 15 You who are of the congregation and the foreigner who is residing with you will have one statute. It will be a lasting statute for all your generations. The foreign resident should be the same as you before Jehovah. 16 There should be one law and one judicial decision for you and for the foreigner who is residing with you.’”
17 Jehovah went on to say to Moses: 18 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you come into the land where I am bringing you 19 and you eat any of the bread of the land, you should make a contribution to Jehovah. 20 You should make a contribution of the firstfruits of your coarse meal as ring-shaped loaves. Like the contribution of a threshing floor is the way you should contribute it. 21 Some of the firstfruits of your coarse meal you should give as a contribution to Jehovah throughout your generations.
22 “‘Now if you make a mistake and fail to observe all these commandments that Jehovah has spoken to Moses, 23 all that Jehovah has commanded you through Moses from the day that Jehovah commanded and onward for your generations, 24 and if it was done by mistake and without the knowledge of the assembly, the whole assembly must offer one young bull as a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to Jehovah, together with its grain offering and its drink offering according to the regular procedure, and one young goat as a sin offering. 25 The priest will make atonement for the whole assembly of the Israelites, and it will be forgiven them, because it was a mistake, and they brought as their offering an offering made by fire to Jehovah and their sin offering before Jehovah for their mistake. 26 It will be forgiven the whole assembly of the Israelites and the foreigner who is residing in their midst, because it was by mistake on the part of all the people.
27 “‘If any person should sin by mistake, then he must present a female goat in its first year for a sin offering. 28 And the priest will make atonement for the person who made a mistake by an unintentional sin before Jehovah, so as to make atonement for it, and it will be forgiven him. 29 As for the native-born among the Israelites and the foreigner who is residing in their midst, there should be one law for you in the matter of doing something unintentionally.
30 “‘But the person who does something deliberately, whether he is native-born or a foreign resident, is blaspheming Jehovah and must be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised Jehovah’s word and broken his commandment, that person should be cut off without fail. His own error is upon him.’”
32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man collecting pieces of wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him collecting wood brought him up to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly. 34 They committed him into custody because it had not been specified what should be done to him.
35 And Jehovah said to Moses: “The man should be put to death without fail, and the whole assembly should stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the whole assembly brought him outside the camp and stoned him so that he died, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
37 Jehovah went on to say this to Moses: 38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that they must make for themselves fringed edges on the skirts of their garments throughout their generations, and they are to put a blue string above the fringed edge of the skirt. 39 ‘You must have this fringed edge so that you will see it and remember all the commandments of Jehovah and observe them. You must not follow your own hearts and eyes, which are leading you to spiritual prostitution. 40 This will help you remember, and you will observe all my commandments and be holy to your God. 41 I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to prove myself your God. I am Jehovah your God.’”
16 Then Korʹah the son of Izʹhar, the son of Koʹhath, the son of Leʹvi, got up together with Daʹthan and A·biʹram the sons of E·liʹab, and On the son of Peʹleth, of the sons of Reuʹben. 2 They rose up against Moses along with 250 Israelite men, chieftains of the assembly, chosen ones of the congregation, prominent men. 3 So they gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them: “We have had enough of you! The whole assembly is holy, all of them, and Jehovah is in their midst. Why, then, should you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Jehovah?”
4 When Moses heard this, he at once fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korʹah and to all his supporters: “In the morning Jehovah will make known who belongs to him and who is holy and who should approach him, and whomever he may choose will approach him. 6 Do this: Take fire holders, Korʹah and all your supporters, 7 and put fire in them and place incense on them before Jehovah tomorrow, and the man whom Jehovah will choose, he is the holy one. You sons of Leʹvi have gone far enough!”
8 Moses then said to Korʹah: “Listen, please, you sons of Leʹvi. 9 Does it seem to you such a little thing that the God of Israel has separated you from the assembly of Israel and allowed you to approach him in order to perform the service of Jehovah’s tabernacle and to stand before the assembly to minister to them, 10 and that he brought you near to him along with all your brothers, the sons of Leʹvi? Must you also try to secure the priesthood? 11 For this reason, you and all your supporters who are gathering together are against Jehovah. As for Aaron, who is he that you should murmur against him?”
12 Moses later sent for Daʹthan and A·biʹram the sons of E·liʹab, but they said: “We are not going to come! 13 Is it so little a thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to put us to death in the wilderness? Now do you also want to make yourself an absolute ruler over us? 14 As it is, you have not brought us into any land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of field and vineyard. Would you bore out the eyes of those men? We are not going to come!”
15 So Moses became very angry and said to Jehovah: “Do not turn to look at their grain offering. Not one donkey have I taken away from them, nor have I harmed one of them.”
16 Then Moses said to Korʹah: “Present yourself with all your supporters before Jehovah tomorrow, you and they and Aaron. 17 Each one should take his fire holder and put incense on it, and each will present his fire holder before Jehovah, 250 fire holders, together with you and Aaron, each with his fire holder.” 18 So each of them took his fire holder, and they put fire and incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting together with Moses and Aaron. 19 When Korʹah had gathered his supporters against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting, Jehovah’s glory appeared to all the assembly.
20 Jehovah now told Moses and Aaron: 21 “Separate yourselves from among this group, so that I may exterminate them in an instant.” 22 At this, they fell with their faces to the ground and said: “O God, the God of the spirit of all people, will one man’s sin cause you to become indignant against the entire assembly?”
23 Jehovah then said to Moses: 24 “Speak to the assembly and tell them, ‘Get away from around the tents of Korʹah, Daʹthan, and A·biʹram!’”
25 Then Moses got up and went to Daʹthan and A·biʹram, and the elders of Israel went with him. 26 He told the assembly: “Move away, please, from the tents of these wicked men and do not touch anything that belongs to them, so that you may not be swept away in all their sin.” 27 They immediately moved away from the tents of Korʹah, Daʹthan, and A·biʹram, from every side, and Daʹthan and A·biʹram came out, taking their stand at the entrance of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little children.
28 Then Moses said: “By this you will know that Jehovah has sent me to do all these things, that it is not of my own heart: 29 If these people die a natural death as all men do and if their punishment is the same as that of all mankind, then Jehovah has not sent me. 30 But if Jehovah does something extraordinary with them and the ground opens and swallows them and everything that belongs to them and they go down alive into the Grave, you will certainly know that these men have treated Jehovah disrespectfully.”
31 As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split apart. 32 And the earth opened and swallowed them up, along with their households and everyone who belonged to Korʹah and all their goods. 33 So they and all who belonged to them went down alive into the Grave, and the earth covered them over, so that they perished from the midst of the congregation. 34 All the Israelites who were around them fled at their screaming, for they said: “We are afraid that the earth may swallow us up!” 35 Then a fire came out from Jehovah and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.
36 Jehovah now said to Moses: 37 “Tell El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron the priest to take the fire holders out of the fire, for they are holy. Also tell him to scatter the fire some distance away. 38 The fire holders of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives should be made into thin metal plates to overlay the altar, because they presented them before Jehovah, and they became holy. They should serve as a sign to the Israelites.” 39 So El·e·aʹzar the priest took the copper fire holders that had been presented by those who were burned up, and beat them to overlay the altar, 40 just as Jehovah had told him through Moses. It was a reminder for the Israelites that no unauthorized person who is not of the offspring of Aaron should approach to burn incense before Jehovah and that no one should become like Korʹah and his supporters.
41 On the very next day, the whole assembly of the Israelites began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, saying: “You two have put Jehovah’s people to death.” 42 When the assembly had gathered together against Moses and Aaron, they then turned toward the tent of meeting, and look! the cloud covered it, and Jehovah’s glory began to appear.
43 Moses and Aaron went before the tent of meeting, 44 and Jehovah said to Moses: 45 “You men, remove yourselves from among this assembly, so that I may exterminate them in an instant.” At this they fell with their faces to the ground. 46 Moses then said to Aaron: “Take the fire holder and put fire from the altar in it and put incense on it and go quickly to the assembly and make atonement for them, because indignation has gone out from Jehovah. The plague has started!” 47 Aaron at once took it, just as Moses had said, and ran into the midst of the congregation, and look! the plague had started among the people. So he put the incense on the fire holder and began making atonement for the people. 48 He kept standing between the dead and the living, and the scourge eventually stopped. 49 Those who died from the scourge amounted to 14,700, besides those dead on account of Korʹah. 50 When at last Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, the scourge had been stopped.
17 Jehovah now said to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and take from them one rod for each paternal house, from the chieftains of each paternal house, 12 rods in all. Write the name of each one on his rod. 3 You should write Aaron’s name on Leʹvi’s rod, because there is one rod for the head of each paternal house. 4 Deposit the rods in the tent of meeting before the Testimony, where I regularly present myself to you. 5 And the rod of the man whom I choose will bud, and I will put a stop to the murmuring of the Israelites against me, which they are also murmuring against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and all their chieftains gave him rods—a rod for each chieftain of a paternal house, 12 rods—and Aaron’s rod was among their rods. 7 Then Moses deposited the rods before Jehovah in the tent of the Testimony.
8 On the next day, when Moses went into the tent of the Testimony, look! Aaron’s rod for the house of Leʹvi had budded and was bringing forth buds and blossoming flowers and bearing ripe almonds. 9 Moses then brought out all the rods from before Jehovah to all the people of Israel. They looked at them, and each man took his own rod.
10 Jehovah then said to Moses: “Put Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony as something to be kept for a sign to the sons of rebelliousness, so that their murmurings against me may cease and so that they may not die.” 11 Moses immediately did just as Jehovah had commanded him. He did just so.
12 The Israelites then said to Moses: “Now we will die, we will surely perish, we are all going to perish! 13 Anyone who even comes close to Jehovah’s tabernacle will die! Must we end up dying that way?”
18 Jehovah then said to Aaron: “You and your sons and your paternal house with you will be answerable for any error against the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will be answerable for any error against your priesthood. 2 Also bring near your brothers of the tribe of Leʹvi, your ancestral tribe, so that they may join you and minister to you and your sons before the tent of the Testimony. 3 They are to fulfill their responsibilities to you and to the entire tent. However, they must not come near the utensils of the holy place and the altar, so that neither they nor you may die. 4 They will join you and carry out their responsibilities regarding the tent of meeting and all the service of the tent, and no unauthorized person may come near to you. 5 You must carry out your responsibility toward the holy place and the altar, so that no further indignation may come against the people of Israel. 6 I myself have taken your brothers, the Levites, from among the Israelites as a gift for you. They are given to Jehovah to care for the service of the tent of meeting. 7 You and your sons are responsible for your priestly duties pertaining to the altar and what is inside the curtain, and you are to render this service. I have given the service of the priesthood as a gift to you, and any unauthorized person who approaches should be put to death.”
8 Jehovah spoke further to Aaron: “I myself put you in charge of the contributions made to me. I have given to you and to your sons a portion of all the holy things contributed by the Israelites as a permanent allowance. 9 This will be yours out of the most holy offerings made by fire: every offering they make, including their grain offerings and their sin offerings and their guilt offerings that they bring to me. It is something most holy for you and for your sons. 10 In a most holy place you should eat it. Every male may eat it. It will be something holy to you. 11 This also belongs to you: the gifts they contribute together with all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given them to you and your sons and your daughters with you as a permanent allowance. Everyone clean in your house may eat it.
12 “All the best of the oil and all the best of the new wine and the grain, their firstfruits, which they give to Jehovah, I give them to you. 13 The first ripe fruits of everything from their land, which they will bring to Jehovah, will become yours. Everyone clean in your house may eat it.
14 “Every devoted thing in Israel should become yours.
15 “Every firstborn of all living things, which they will present to Jehovah, whether man or animal, should become yours. However, you should without fail redeem the firstborn of mankind, and the firstborn of the unclean animals you should redeem. 16 You should redeem it with the redemption price when it is a month old and up, by the estimated value of five silver shekels, according to the standard shekel of the holy place. It is 20 geʹrahs. 17 Only the firstborn bull or firstborn male lamb or firstborn goat you should not redeem. They are something holy. You should sprinkle their blood on the altar, and their fat you should make smoke as an offering made by fire for a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. 18 And their flesh should become yours. Like the breast of the wave offering and like the right leg, it should become yours. 19 All the holy contributions that the Israelites will contribute to Jehovah, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you as a permanent allowance. It is a lasting covenant of salt before Jehovah for you and your offspring with you.”
20 Jehovah went on to say to Aaron: “In their land you will not have an inheritance, and no portion of land among them will become yours. I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the Israelites.
21 “Now see that I have given to the sons of Leʹvi every tenth part in Israel as an inheritance in return for the service they are carrying out, the service of the tent of meeting. 22 No longer may the people of Israel approach the tent of meeting, or else they will incur sin and die. 23 The Levites themselves are to carry out the service of the tent of meeting, and they are the ones who will answer for their error. It is a lasting statute during all your generations that they should not take possession of an inheritance among the Israelites. 24 For I have given to the Levites as an inheritance the tenth part contributed by the people of Israel, which they will contribute to Jehovah. That is why I have said to them, ‘In the midst of the Israelites, they should not take possession of an inheritance.’”
25 Then Jehovah said to Moses: 26 “You should tell the Levites, ‘You will receive from the Israelites the tenth part that I have given to you from them for your inheritance, and you should contribute from it a tenth part of the tenth part as a contribution to Jehovah. 27 And it will be considered your contribution, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor or the full production of the winepress or oil press. 28 In this way you will also give a contribution to Jehovah from all the tenth parts that you receive from the Israelites, and from them you are to give the contribution for Jehovah to Aaron the priest. 29 You will make every sort of contribution to Jehovah from the very best of all the gifts given to you as something holy.’
30 “And you must say to them, ‘When you contribute the best of them, then it will be considered for the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress or oil press. 31 You and your household may eat it in any place, because it is your wages in return for your service at the tent of meeting. 32 You will not incur sin in this as long as you contribute the best from them, and you must not profane the holy things of the Israelites, or you will die.’”
19 Jehovah spoke again to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “This is a statute of the law that Jehovah has commanded, ‘Tell the Israelites that they should take for you a sound red cow in which there is no defect and upon which no yoke has come. 3 You are to give it to El·e·aʹzar the priest, and he will lead it outside the camp, and it will be slaughtered before him. 4 Then El·e·aʹzar the priest will take some of its blood with his finger and spatter its blood seven times straight toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 The cow will then be burned before his eyes. Its skin and its flesh and its blood together with its dung will be burned. 6 And the priest will take cedarwood, hyssop, and scarlet material and throw them into the fire where the cow is being burned. 7 The priest will then wash his garments and bathe himself in water, and afterward he may come into the camp; but the priest will be unclean until the evening.
8 “‘The one who burned the cow will wash his garments in water and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until the evening.
9 “‘A clean man will gather up the ashes of the cow and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and they should be kept by the assembly of the Israelites to prepare water that will be used for cleansing. It is a sin offering. 10 The one gathering the ashes of the cow will wash his garments and be unclean until the evening.
“‘This will serve the Israelites and the foreigner who is residing in their midst as a lasting statute. 11 Anyone touching any dead person will be unclean for seven days. 12 Such one should purify himself with the water on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day, on the seventh day he will not be clean. 13 Everyone who touches the corpse of any dead person and does not purify himself has defiled Jehovah’s tabernacle, and that person must be cut off from Israel. Because the water for cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, he continues unclean. His uncleanness remains upon him.
14 “‘This is the law that applies when a man dies in a tent: Everyone who enters the tent and everyone who was already in the tent will be unclean for seven days. 15 Every opened container with no lid tied on it is unclean. 16 Everyone in the open field who touches someone killed with the sword or a corpse or the bone of a man or a burial place will be unclean for seven days. 17 They should take for the unclean one some of the ashes of the sin offering that was burned and pour running water on them in a container. 18 Then a clean man will take hyssop and dip it into the water and spatter it on the tent and on all the containers and on the people who were there and on the one who touched the bone or the slain one or the corpse or the burial place. 19 The clean person will spatter it on the unclean one on the third day and on the seventh day, and he will purify him from sin on the seventh day; then he should wash his garments and bathe in water, and he will become clean in the evening.
20 “‘But the man who is unclean and who will not purify himself, that person must be cut off from the congregation, because he has defiled Jehovah’s sanctuary. The water for cleansing was not sprinkled on him, so he is unclean.
21 “‘This will serve as a lasting statute for them: The one spattering the water for cleansing should wash his garments, and the one touching the water for cleansing will be unclean until the evening. 22 Anything the unclean one touches will be unclean, and the person who touches it will be unclean until the evening.’”
20 In the first month, the entire assembly of the Israelites came into the wilderness of Zin, and the people began dwelling in Kaʹdesh. It was there that Mirʹi·am died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water for the assembly, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people were quarreling with Moses, saying: “If only we had died when our brothers died before Jehovah! 4 Why have you brought Jehovah’s congregation into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? 5 And why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is no place for seed and figs and vines and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron came from before the congregation to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell with their faces to the ground, and Jehovah’s glory began to appear to them.
7 Then Jehovah said to Moses: 8 “Take the rod and call the assembly together, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the crag before their eyes that it may give its water, and you will bring out water for them from the crag and give the assembly and their livestock something to drink.”
9 So Moses took the rod from before Jehovah, just as He had commanded him. 10 Then Moses and Aaron called the congregation together before the crag, and he said to them: “Hear, now, you rebels! Must we bring out water for you from this crag?” 11 With that Moses lifted his hand up and struck the crag twice with his rod, and much water began to pour out, and the assembly and their livestock began to drink.
12 Jehovah later said to Moses and Aaron: “Because you did not show faith in me and sanctify me before the eyes of the people of Israel, you will not bring this congregation into the land that I will give them.” 13 These are the waters of Merʹi·bah, where the Israelites quarreled with Jehovah, so that he was sanctified among them.
14 Then Moses sent messengers from Kaʹdesh to the king of Eʹdom: “This is what your brother Israel says, ‘You well know all the hardship that we have experienced. 15 Our fathers went to Egypt, and we dwelled in Egypt many years, and the Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers. 16 Finally we cried out to Jehovah, and he heard us and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt, and here we are in Kaʹdesh, a city on the border of your territory. 17 Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through any field or vineyard, and we will not drink the water of any well. We will march on the King’s Road without turning to the right or the left until we pass through your territory.’”
18 However, Eʹdom said to him: “You may not pass through our territory. If you do, I will come out with the sword to meet you.” 19 In turn the Israelites said to him: “By the highway we will go up, and if we and our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. We want nothing more than to pass through on foot.” 20 Still he said: “You may not pass through.” With that Eʹdom came out to encounter him with many people and a strong army. 21 So Eʹdom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; therefore, Israel turned away from him.
22 The people of Israel, the entire assembly, departed from Kaʹdesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Eʹdom: 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land that I will give to the Israelites, because you both rebelled against my order regarding the waters of Merʹi·bah. 25 Take Aaron and his son El·e·aʹzar and bring them up into Mount Hor. 26 Remove Aaron’s garments and clothe El·e·aʹzar his son with them, and Aaron will die there.”
27 So Moses did just as Jehovah had commanded, and they climbed Mount Hor before the eyes of all the assembly. 28 Then Moses removed Aaron’s garments and clothed El·e·aʹzar his son with them. After that Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and El·e·aʹzar came down from the mountain. 29 When all the assembly saw that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel wept for Aaron for 30 days.
21 When the Caʹnaan·ite king of Aʹrad, who dwelled in the Negʹeb, heard that Israel had come by the way of Athʹa·rim, he attacked Israel and carried away some of them as captives. 2 So Israel made this vow to Jehovah: “If you give this people into my hand, I will without fail devote their cities to destruction.” 3 So Jehovah listened to Israel’s voice and gave the Caʹnaan·ites over to them, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. Therefore, they named the place Horʹmah.
4 As they continued their journey from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea in order to go around the land of Eʹdom, the people became weary of the journey. 5 And the people kept speaking against God and Moses, saying: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food and no water, and we have come to hate this contemptible bread.” 6 So Jehovah sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they kept biting the people, so that many Israelites died.
7 So the people came to Moses and said: “We have sinned by speaking against Jehovah and against you. Intercede with Jehovah so that he may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded on behalf of the people. 8 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. Then when anyone has been bitten, he will have to look at it in order to keep alive.” 9 Moses at once made a serpent of copper and put it on the pole, and whenever a serpent had bitten a man and he looked at the copper serpent, he survived.
10 After that the Israelites departed and camped in Oʹboth. 11 Then they departed from Oʹboth and camped in Iʹye-abʹa·rim, in the wilderness that faces Moʹab, toward the east. 12 From there they departed and camped by the Valley of Zeʹred. 13 From there they departed and camped in the region of the Arʹnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amʹor·ites, for the Arʹnon is the boundary of Moʹab, between Moʹab and the Amʹor·ites. 14 That is why the book of the Wars of Jehovah speaks of “Vaʹheb in Suʹphah and the valleys of Arʹnon, 15 and the descent of the valleys, which extends toward the settlement of Ar and adjoins the border of Moʹab.”
16 Next they went on to Beʹer. This is the well about which Jehovah said to Moses: “Gather the people, and let me give them water.”
17 At that time, Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!—Respond to it!
18 The well that princes dug, that nobles of the people excavated,
With a commander’s staff and with their own staffs.”
Then they went from the wilderness on to Matʹta·nah, 19 from Matʹta·nah on to Na·halʹi·el, and from Na·halʹi·el on to Baʹmoth. 20 They went from Baʹmoth on to the valley that is in the territory of Moʹab, on top of Pisʹgah, which overlooks Je·shiʹmon.
21 Israel now sent messengers to Siʹhon, the king of the Amʹor·ites, saying: 22 “Let us pass through your land. We will not turn aside into a field or a vineyard. We will not drink water from any well. We will march on the King’s Road until we pass through your territory.” 23 But Siʹhon did not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, Siʹhon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness and came to Jaʹhaz and began fighting with Israel. 24 But Israel defeated him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arʹnon to the Jabʹbok, near the Amʹmon·ites, because Jaʹzer borders the territory of the Amʹmon·ites.
25 So Israel took all these cities, and they began dwelling in all the cities of the Amʹor·ites, in Heshʹbon and all its dependent towns. 26 For Heshʹbon was the city of Siʹhon, the king of the Amʹor·ites, who had fought with the king of Moʹab and taken all his land from him as far as the Arʹnon. 27 That is what gave rise to the taunting proverbial saying:
“Come to Heshʹbon.
Let the city of Siʹhon be built and firmly established.
28 For a fire came out of Heshʹbon, a flame from the town of Siʹhon.
It has consumed Ar of Moʹab, the lords of the high places of the Arʹnon.
29 Woe to you, Moʹab! You will be destroyed, O people of Cheʹmosh!
He makes his sons fugitives and his daughters captives of Siʹhon, the king of the Amʹor·ites.
30 Let us shoot at them;
Heshʹbon will be destroyed as far as Diʹbon;
Let us desolate it as far as Noʹphah;
Fire will spread as far as Medʹe·ba.”
31 So Israel began to dwell in the land of the Amʹor·ites. 32 Moses then sent some men to spy on Jaʹzer. They captured its dependent towns and drove out the Amʹor·ites who were there. 33 After that they turned and went up by the Way of Baʹshan. And Og the king of Baʹshan came out with all his people to meet them in battle at Edʹre·i. 34 Jehovah said to Moses: “Do not be afraid of him, for I will give him and all his people and his land into your hand, and you will do to him just as you did to Siʹhon the king of the Amʹor·ites, who lived in Heshʹbon.” 35 So they kept striking him down, along with his sons and all his people, until none of his people survived, and they took possession of his land.
22 Then the Israelites departed and camped on the desert plains of Moʹab across the Jordan from Jerʹi·cho. 2 Now Baʹlak the son of Zipʹpor saw all that Israel had done to the Amʹor·ites, 3 and Moʹab became very frightened of the people, because they were so many; indeed, Moʹab felt sick with fear because of the Israelites. 4 So Moʹab said to the elders of Midʹi·an: “Now this congregation will devour all our surroundings, just as a bull devours the grass in the field.”
Baʹlak the son of Zipʹpor was king of Moʹab at that time. 5 He sent messengers to Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor at Peʹthor, which is by the River in his native land. He summoned him, saying: “Look! A people has come out of Egypt. Look! They have covered the face of the earth, and they are dwelling right in front of me. 6 Now, please, come and curse this people for me, for they are mightier than I am. Perhaps I can defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I well know that the one whom you bless is blessed and the one whom you curse is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moʹab and the elders of Midʹi·an traveled with the fee for divination in their hands and went to Baʹlaam and conveyed to him Baʹlak’s message. 8 At that he said to them: “Spend the night here, and I will bring back to you whatever word Jehovah speaks to me.” So the princes of Moʹab stayed with Baʹlaam.
9 Then God came to Baʹlaam and said: “Who are these men with you?” 10 Baʹlaam said to the true God: “Baʹlak the son of Zipʹpor, the king of Moʹab, has sent me a message, saying, 11 ‘Look! The people who are coming out of Egypt are covering the face of the earth. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 But God said to Baʹlaam: “You must not go with them. You must not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
13 Baʹlaam got up in the morning and said to the princes of Baʹlak: “Go to your land, for Jehovah has refused to let me go with you.” 14 So the princes of Moʹab departed and returned to Baʹlak and said: “Baʹlaam has refused to come with us.”
15 However, Baʹlak again sent princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first group. 16 They came to Baʹlaam and said to him: “This is what Baʹlak the son of Zipʹpor has said, ‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming to me, 17 for I will honor you greatly and I will do anything you tell me to do. So come, please, and curse this people for me.’” 18 But Baʹlaam answered the servants of Baʹlak: “If Baʹlak were to give me his own house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything beyond the order of Jehovah my God, whether small or great. 19 But please stay here tonight also, so that I may learn what else Jehovah will tell me.”
20 Then God came to Baʹlaam by night and said to him: “If these men have come to summon you, go along with them. But you may speak only the words that I tell you to say.” 21 So Baʹlaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moʹab.
22 But God’s anger blazed because he was going, and Jehovah’s angel stationed himself in the road to resist him. Now Baʹlaam was riding on his donkey, and two of his attendants were with him. 23 And when the donkey saw Jehovah’s angel standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it tried to turn off the road into the field. But Baʹlaam began to beat the donkey to make it return to the road. 24 Then Jehovah’s angel stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with stone walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw Jehovah’s angel, it began to squeeze itself against the wall and it jammed Baʹlaam’s foot against the wall, and Baʹlaam began beating it again.
26 Jehovah’s angel now passed by again and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw Jehovah’s angel, it lay down under Baʹlaam, so Baʹlaam became furious and kept beating the donkey with his staff. 28 Finally Jehovah caused the donkey to speak, and it said to Baʹlaam: “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” 29 Baʹlaam replied to the donkey: “It is because you have made a fool of me. If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you!” 30 Then the donkey said to Baʹlaam: “Am I not your donkey that you have ridden on all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” He replied: “No!” 31 Then Jehovah uncovered Baʹlaam’s eyes, and he saw Jehovah’s angel standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. At once he bowed low and prostrated himself on his face.
32 Then Jehovah’s angel said to him: “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look! I myself came out to offer resistance, because your way is in defiance of my will. 33 The donkey saw me and tried to turn away from me these three times. Supposing it had not turned away from me! By now I would have killed you and let the donkey live.” 34 Baʹlaam said to Jehovah’s angel: “I have sinned, because I did not know that it was you standing in the road to meet me. And now if it is bad in your eyes, I will go back.” 35 But Jehovah’s angel said to Baʹlaam: “Go with the men, but you may speak only the words that I tell you.” So Baʹlaam continued going with the princes of Baʹlak.
36 When Baʹlak heard that Baʹlaam had come, he immediately went out to meet him at the city of Moʹab, which is on the bank of the Arʹnon on the border of the territory. 37 Baʹlak said to Baʹlaam: “Did I not send for you? Why did you not come to me? Did you think I am not able to honor you greatly?” 38 Baʹlaam replied to Baʹlak: “Well, I have come to you now. But will I be allowed to say anything? I can only speak words that God puts in my mouth.”
39 So Baʹlaam went with Baʹlak, and they came to Kirʹi·ath-huʹzoth. 40 Baʹlak sacrificed cattle and sheep and sent some to Baʹlaam and the princes who were with him. 41 In the morning Baʹlak took Baʹlaam and brought him up to Baʹmoth-baʹal; from there he could see all the people.
23 Then Baʹlaam said to Baʹlak: “Build on this spot seven altars, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 2 Baʹlak immediately did just as Baʹlaam had said. And Baʹlak and Baʹlaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Baʹlaam then said to Baʹlak: “Stay here by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps Jehovah will get in touch with me. Whatever he reveals to me, I will tell you.” So he went to a barren hill.
4 Then God got in touch with Baʹlaam, who said to Him: “I set the seven altars in rows, and I offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Jehovah put this word in the mouth of Baʹlaam: “Return to Baʹlak, and this is what you are to say.” 6 So he returned and saw that Baʹlak and all the princes of Moʹab were standing by his burnt offering. 7 Then he spoke this proverbial saying:
“Baʹlak the king of Moʹab has brought me from Aʹram,
From the mountains of the east:
‘Do come to curse Jacob for me.
Yes, come to denounce Israel.’
 8 How could I put a curse on those whom God has not cursed?
And how could I denounce those whom Jehovah has not denounced?
 9 From the top of the rocks I see them,
And from the hills I see them.
As a people they dwell there alone;
They do not count themselves among the nations.
10 Who can number the dust particles of Jacob
Or count even the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright,
And let my end be like theirs.”
11 Baʹlak then said to Baʹlaam: “What have you done to me? I brought you to put a curse on my enemies, and here you have done nothing but bless them.” 12 He answered: “Must I not speak whatever Jehovah puts in my mouth?”
13 Baʹlak said to him: “Please come with me to another place from which you can see them. You will see only a part of them; you will not see them all. Put a curse on them for me from there.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zoʹphim, to the top of Pisʹgah, and built seven altars and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 So Baʹlaam said to Baʹlak: “Stay here by your burnt offering while I get in touch with Him over there.” 16 And Jehovah got in touch with Baʹlaam and put this word in his mouth: “Return to Baʹlak, and this is what you are to say.” 17 So he came to him and saw that he was waiting by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moʹab were with him. Baʹlak asked him: “What has Jehovah said?” 18 Then he spoke this proverbial saying:
“Get up, Baʹlak, and listen.
Hear me, O son of Zipʹpor.
19 God is not a mere man who tells lies,
Nor a son of man who changes his mind.
When he says something, will he not do it?
When he speaks, will he not carry it out?
20 Look! I have been taken to bless;
Now He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
21 He does not tolerate any magical power against Jacob,
And he does not allow any trouble against Israel.
Jehovah his God is with them,
And he is loudly hailed as king among them.
22 God is bringing them out of Egypt.
He is like the horns of a wild bull for them.
23 For there are no omens of doom against Jacob,
Nor any divination against Israel.
At this time it may be said about Jacob and Israel:
‘Look at what God has done!’
24 Here is a people who will rise up like a lion,
And like the lion, it will raise itself up.
It will not lie down until it eats prey
And drinks the blood of the slain ones.”
25 Baʹlak then said to Baʹlaam: “If on the one hand you cannot put any curse on him, then on the other hand you should not bless him either.” 26 Baʹlaam answered Baʹlak: “Did I not say to you, ‘I will do all that Jehovah says’?”
27 Baʹlak said to Baʹlaam: “Please come and let me take you to yet another place. Perhaps it will be right in the eyes of the true God for you to put a curse on him for me from there.” 28 So Baʹlak took Baʹlaam to the top of Peʹor, which looks toward Je·shiʹmon. 29 Then Baʹlaam said to Baʹlak: “Build seven altars on this spot, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30 So Baʹlak did just as Baʹlaam had said, and he offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
24 When Baʹlaam saw that it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel, he did not go away again to search for omens of doom, but he turned his face to the wilderness. 2 When Baʹlaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped by his tribes, then the spirit of God came upon him. 3 He then spoke this proverbial saying:
“The saying of Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor,
And the saying of a man whose eyes have been opened,
 4 The saying of the one hearing the word of God,
Who saw a vision of the Almighty,
Who has bowed down with his eyes uncovered:
 5 How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
Your tabernacles, O Israel!
 6 Like the valleys they have extended a long way,
Like gardens by the river,
Like aloes that Jehovah has planted,
Like cedars by the waters.
 7 Water keeps trickling from his two leather buckets,
And his seed is sown by many waters.
His king also will be greater than Aʹgag,
And his kingdom will be exalted.
 8 God is bringing him out of Egypt;
He is like the horns of a wild bull for them.
He will consume the nations, his oppressors,
And their bones he will gnaw, and he will shatter them with his arrows.
 9 He has crouched down, he has lain down like the lion,
And like a lion, who dares rouse him?
Those blessing you are blessed,
And those cursing you are cursed.”
10 Then Baʹlak became furious with Baʹlaam. Baʹlak scornfully clapped his hands together and said to Baʹlaam: “It was to put a curse on my enemies that I called you, but now you have done nothing but bless them these three times. 11 Now go home immediately. I intended to honor you greatly, but look! Jehovah has deprived you of honor.”
12 Baʹlaam replied to Baʹlak: “Did I not say to the messengers you sent, 13 ‘If Baʹlak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not of my own will do anything beyond the order of Jehovah, whether good or bad. I will only speak what Jehovah will tell me’? 14 And now I am going away to my people. Come and let me advise you what this people will do to your people in the future.” 15 So he spoke this proverbial saying:
“The saying of Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor,
And the saying of a man whose eyes have been opened,
16 The saying of the one hearing the word of God,
And the one having the knowledge of the Most High,
A vision of the Almighty he saw
While bowing down with his eyes uncovered:
17 I will see him, but not now;
I will behold him, but not soon.
A star will come out of Jacob,
And a scepter will rise out of Israel.
And he will certainly break apart the forehead of Moʹab
And the skull of all the sons of tumult.
18 And Eʹdom will become a possession,
Yes, Seʹir the possession of his enemies,
While Israel is displaying his courage.
19 And out of Jacob one will be subduing,
And he will destroy any survivor from the city.”
20 When he saw Amʹa·lek, he continued his proverbial saying:
“Amʹa·lek was the first of the nations,
But in the end he will perish.”
21 When he saw the Kenʹites, he continued his proverbial saying:
“Secure is your dwelling, and set on the crag is your abode.
22 But someone will burn Kaʹin down.
How long before As·syrʹi·a carries you away captive?”
23 And he continued his proverbial saying:
“Woe! Who will survive when God does this?
24 Ships will come from the coast of Kitʹtim,
And they will afflict As·syrʹi·a,
And they will afflict Eʹber.
But he too will utterly perish.”
25 Then Baʹlaam got up and went and returned to his place. Baʹlak also went his own way.
25 When Israel was dwelling in Shitʹtim, the people started to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moʹab. 2 The women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people began to eat and to bow down to their gods. 3 So Israel joined in worship of the Baʹal of Peʹor, and Jehovah became enraged with Israel. 4 Jehovah said to Moses: “Take all the leaders of these people and hang them up before Jehovah in broad daylight, that the burning anger of Jehovah may turn back from Israel.” 5 Then Moses said to the judges of Israel: “Each one of you should kill his men who joined in worship of the Baʹal of Peʹor.”
6 But just then, there came one of the Israelites bringing near to his brothers a Midʹi·an·ite woman before the eyes of Moses and of all the assembly of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron the priest saw it, he immediately rose up from the midst of the assembly and took a spear in his hand. 8 Then he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her genital parts. At that the scourge on the Israelites was halted. 9 Those who died from the scourge amounted to 24,000.
10 Then Jehovah said to Moses: 11 “Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron the priest has turned my wrath away from the people of Israel because he tolerated no rivalry at all toward me among them. So I have not exterminated the Israelites in my insistence on exclusive devotion. 12 Therefore, say, ‘I am giving him my covenant of peace. 13 And it will serve as the covenant of a lasting priesthood for him and his offspring after him, because he tolerated no rivalry toward his God and he made atonement for the people of Israel.’”
14 Incidentally, the name of the Israelite man who was put to death along with the Midʹi·an·i·tess was Zimʹri the son of Saʹlu, a chieftain of a paternal house of the Simʹe·on·ites. 15 The name of the Midʹi·an·ite woman who was put to death was Cozʹbi the daughter of Zur; he was a leader of the clans of a paternal house in Midʹi·an.
16 Jehovah later said to Moses: 17 “Harass the Midʹi·an·ites and strike them down, 18 because they have been harassing you with their cunning dealings against you in the affair of Peʹor and of Cozʹbi the daughter of a chieftain of Midʹi·an, their sister who was put to death in the day of the scourge over the affair of Peʹor.”
26 After the scourge, Jehovah said to Moses and El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron the priest: 2 “Take a census of the whole assembly of the Israelites from 20 years of age and up, by their paternal houses, counting all those who can serve in the army in Israel.” 3 So Moses and El·e·aʹzar the priest spoke with them in the desert plains of Moʹab by the Jordan at Jerʹi·cho, saying: 4 “Take a census of them from the age of 20 years and up, just as Jehovah commanded Moses.”
Now the sons of Israel who went out of the land of Egypt were: 5 Reuʹben, Israel’s firstborn; Reuʹben’s sons were: of Haʹnoch, the family of the Haʹnoch·ites; of Palʹlu, the family of the Palʹlu·ites; 6 of Hezʹron, the family of the Hezʹron·ites; of Carʹmi, the family of the Carʹmites. 7 These were the families of the Reuʹben·ites, and their registered ones amounted to 43,730.
8 The son of Palʹlu was E·liʹab. 9 And the sons of E·liʹab were Nemʹu·el, Daʹthan, and A·biʹram. This Daʹthan and A·biʹram were chosen ones of the assembly who fought against Moses and Aaron along with Korʹah’s group when they fought against Jehovah.
10 Then the earth opened and swallowed them up. As for Korʹah, he died with his supporters when the fire consumed 250 men. And they became a warning example. 11 However, the sons of Korʹah did not die.
12 The sons of Simʹe·on by their families were: of Nemʹu·el, the family of the Nemʹu·el·ites; of Jaʹmin, the family of the Jaʹmin·ites; of Jaʹchin, the family of the Jaʹchin·ites; 13 of Zeʹrah, the family of the Zeʹrah·ites; of Shaʹul, the family of the Sha·uʹlites. 14 These were the families of the Simʹe·on·ites: 22,200.
15 The sons of Gad by their families were: of Zeʹphon, the family of the Zeʹphon·ites; of Hagʹgi, the family of the Hagʹgites; of Shuʹni, the family of the Shuʹnites; 16 of Ozʹni, the family of the Ozʹnites; of Eʹri, the family of the Eʹrites; 17 of Arʹod, the family of the Arʹod·ites; of A·reʹli, the family of the A·reʹlites. 18 These were the families of the sons of Gad, and their registered ones were 40,500.
19 The sons of Judah were Er and Oʹnan. However, Er and Oʹnan died in the land of Caʹnaan. 20 And the sons of Judah by their families were: of Sheʹlah, the family of the She·laʹnites; of Peʹrez, the family of the Perʹe·zites; of Zeʹrah, the family of the Zeʹrah·ites. 21 And the sons of Peʹrez were: of Hezʹron, the family of the Hezʹron·ites; of Haʹmul, the family of the Ha·muʹlites. 22 These were the families of Judah, and their registered ones were 76,500.
23 The sons of Isʹsa·char by their families were: of Toʹla, the family of the Toʹla·ites; of Puʹvah, the family of the Puʹnites; 24 of Jaʹshub, the family of the Jashʹu·bites; of Shimʹron, the family of the Shimʹron·ites. 25 These were the families of Isʹsa·char, and their registered ones were 64,300.
26 The sons of Zebʹu·lun by their families were: of Seʹred, the family of the Serʹe·dites; of Eʹlon, the family of the Eʹlon·ites; of Jahʹle·el, the family of the Jahʹle·el·ites. 27 These were the families of the Zebʹu·lun·ites, and their registered ones were 60,500.
28 The sons of Joseph by their families were: Ma·nasʹseh and Eʹphra·im. 29 The sons of Ma·nasʹseh were: of Maʹchir, the family of the Maʹchir·ites; and Maʹchir became father to Gilʹe·ad; of Gilʹe·ad, the family of the Gilʹe·ad·ites. 30 These were the sons of Gilʹe·ad: of Ieʹzer, the family of the Ieʹzer·ites; of Heʹlek, the family of the Heʹlek·ites; 31 of Asʹri·el, the family of the Asʹri·el·ites; of Sheʹchem, the family of the Sheʹchem·ites; 32 of She·miʹda, the family of the She·miʹda·ites; of Heʹpher, the family of the Heʹpher·ites. 33 Now Ze·loʹphe·had the son of Heʹpher had no sons, only daughters, and the names of the daughters of Ze·loʹphe·had were Mahʹlah, Noah, Hogʹlah, Milʹcah, and Tirʹzah. 34 These were the families of Ma·nasʹseh, and their registered ones were 52,700.
35 These were the sons of Eʹphra·im by their families: of Shuʹthe·lah, the family of the Shuʹthel·aʹhites; of Beʹcher, the family of the Beʹcher·ites; of Taʹhan, the family of the Taʹhan·ites. 36 And these were the sons of Shuʹthe·lah: of Eʹran, the family of the Eʹran·ites. 37 These were the families of the sons of Eʹphra·im, and their registered ones were 32,500. These were the sons of Joseph by their families.
38 The sons of Benjamin by their families were: of Beʹla, the family of the Beʹla·ites; of Ashʹbel, the family of the Ashʹbel·ites; of A·hiʹram, the family of the A·hiʹram·ites; 39 of She·phuʹpham, the family of the Shuʹpham·ites; of Huʹpham, the family of the Huʹpham·ites. 40 The sons of Beʹla were Ard and Naʹa·man: of Ard, the family of the Ardʹites; of Naʹa·man, the family of the Naʹa·mites. 41 These were the sons of Benjamin by their families, and their registered ones were 45,600.
42 These were the sons of Dan by their families: of Shuʹham, the family of the Shuʹham·ites. These were the families of Dan by their families. 43 All the families of the Shuʹham·ites, of their registered ones, were 64,400.
44 The sons of Ashʹer by their families were: of Imʹnah, the family of the Imʹnites; of Ishʹvi, the family of the Ishʹvites; of Be·riʹah, the family of the Be·riʹites; 45 of the sons of Be·riʹah: of Heʹber, the family of the Heʹber·ites; of Malʹchi·el, the family of the Malʹchi·el·ites. 46 The name of Ashʹer’s daughter was Seʹrah. 47 These were the families of the sons of Ashʹer, and their registered ones were 53,400.
48 The sons of Naphʹta·li by their families were: of Jahʹze·el, the family of the Jahʹze·el·ites; of Guʹni, the family of the Guʹnites; 49 of Jeʹzer, the family of the Jeʹzer·ites; of Shilʹlem, the family of the Shilʹlem·ites. 50 These were the families of Naphʹta·li by their families, and their registered ones were 45,400.
51 This is the total of those registered of the Israelites: 601,730.
52 After that Jehovah said to Moses: 53 “Among these the land should be divided as an inheritance according to the list of the names. 54 For the larger groups, you should increase the inheritance, and for the smaller groups, you should reduce the inheritance. Each group’s inheritance should be given in proportion to the number of those registered. 55 However, the land should be apportioned by lot. They should receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. 56 Each inheritance will be determined by lot and apportioned among the larger and the smaller groups.”
57 Now these were the registered ones of the Levites by their families: of Gerʹshon, the family of the Gerʹshon·ites; of Koʹhath, the family of the Koʹhath·ites; of Me·rarʹi, the family of the Me·rarʹites. 58 These were the families of the Levites: the family of the Libʹnites, the family of the Hebʹron·ites, the family of the Mahʹlites, the family of the Muʹshites, the family of the Korʹah·ites.
Koʹhath became father to Amʹram. 59 And the name of Amʹram’s wife was Jochʹe·bed, Leʹvi’s daughter, whom his wife bore to Leʹvi in Egypt. And to Amʹram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Mirʹi·am. 60 Then to Aaron there were born Naʹdab, A·biʹhu, El·e·aʹzar, and Ithʹa·mar. 61 But Naʹdab and A·biʹhu died for presenting unauthorized fire before Jehovah.
62 The total of those registered was 23,000, all males from a month old and up. For they were not registered among the Israelites, because no inheritance was to be given to them among the Israelites.
63 These were the ones registered by Moses and El·e·aʹzar the priest when they registered the Israelites in the desert plains of Moʹab by the Jordan at Jerʹi·cho. 64 But among them there was no one who had been registered by Moses and Aaron the priest in the census of the Israelites taken in the wilderness of Siʹnai. 65 For Jehovah had said concerning them: “They will die without fail in the wilderness.” So there was not a man left of them except Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
27 Then the daughters of Ze·loʹphe·had, the son of Heʹpher, the son of Gilʹe·ad, the son of Maʹchir, the son of Ma·nasʹseh, of the families of Ma·nasʹseh the son of Joseph, approached. The names of his daughters were Mahʹlah, Noah, Hogʹlah, Milʹcah, and Tirʹzah. 2 They stood before Moses, El·e·aʹzar the priest, the chieftains, and all the assembly at the entrance of the tent of meeting and said: 3 “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the group who banded together against Jehovah, the supporters of Korʹah, but he died for his own sin and he did not have any sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be lost from his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” 5 So Moses presented their case before Jehovah.
6 Jehovah then said this to Moses: 7 “The daughters of Ze·loʹphe·had are correct. You should by all means give them the possession as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them. 8 And tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies without having a son, you must then cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 And if he has no daughter, you will give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 And if he has no brothers, you will give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 And if his father has no brothers, you will give his inheritance to the closest blood relative in his family, and he will take possession of it. This will serve as a statute by judicial decision for the Israelites, just as Jehovah has commanded Moses.’”
12 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Go up into this mountain of Abʹa·rim, and view the land that I will give the Israelites. 13 When you have seen it, you will also be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother was, 14 because when the assembly was quarreling with me in the wilderness of Zin, you rebelled against my order to sanctify me before them by means of the waters. These are the waters of Merʹi·bah at Kaʹdesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
15 Then Moses said to Jehovah: 16 “Let Jehovah, the God of the spirit of all people, appoint over the assembly a man 17 who will go out and come in before them and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that Jehovah’s assembly may not become like sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 So Jehovah said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Then stand him before El·e·aʹzar the priest and before all the assembly, and you must commission him before their eyes. 20 You are to confer some of your authority on him, so that all the assembly of the Israelites may listen to him. 21 He will stand before El·e·aʹzar the priest, who will inquire in his behalf by the judgment of the Uʹrim before Jehovah. At his order they will go out and at his order they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him and all the assembly.”
22 So Moses did just as Jehovah had commanded him. He took Joshua and stood him before El·e·aʹzar the priest and before all the assembly, 23 and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as Jehovah had spoken through Moses.
28 Jehovah next said to Moses: 2 “Command the Israelites and tell them, ‘You should take care that you present to me my offering, my bread. My offerings by fire as a pleasing aroma to me must be made at their appointed times.’
3 “And say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you will present to Jehovah: two sound year-old male lambs a day as a burnt offering regularly. 4 The one male lamb you will offer in the morning, and the other male lamb you will offer at twilight, 5 together with a tenth of an eʹphah of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil as a grain offering. 6 It is a regular burnt offering, which was established at Mount Siʹnai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to Jehovah, 7 along with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin for each male lamb. Pour out the alcoholic drink in the holy place as a drink offering to Jehovah. 8 And you will offer the other male lamb at twilight. With the same grain offering as that made in the morning and with its same drink offering, you will present it as an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah.
9 “‘However, on the Sabbath day, the offering should be two sound year-old male lambs and two tenths of an eʹphah measure of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, together with its drink offering. 10 This is the burnt offering for the Sabbath, along with the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
11 “‘At the start of each month you will present as a burnt offering to Jehovah two young bulls, one ram, and seven sound male lambs each a year old, 12 and three tenth measures of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each bull and two tenth measures of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for the one ram, 13 and a tenth measure of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each male lamb, as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to Jehovah. 14 And their drink offerings should be half a hin of wine for a bull and a third of a hin for the ram and a fourth of a hin for a male lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering each month throughout the year. 15 Also, one young goat should be offered as a sin offering to Jehovah in addition to the regular burnt offering together with its drink offering.
16 “‘In the first month, on the 14th day of the month, will be Jehovah’s Passover. 17 And on the 15th day of this month, there will be a festival. Unleavened bread will be eaten for seven days. 18 On the first day there will be a holy convention. You must not do any hard work. 19 And you will present as a burnt offering made by fire to Jehovah two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs each a year old. You should offer sound animals. 20 You should offer them with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth measures for a bull and two tenth measures for the ram. 21 You will offer a tenth measure respectively for each male lamb of the seven male lambs, 22 as well as one goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 23 Aside from the morning burnt offering, which is for the regular burnt offering, you will offer these. 24 You will offer these in the same manner each day for seven days as food, an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah. It should be offered along with the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day you should hold a holy convention. You must not do any hard work.
26 “‘On the day of the first ripe fruits, when you present a new grain offering to Jehovah, you should hold a holy convention in your feast of weeks. You must not do any hard work. 27 You will present as a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to Jehovah two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs each a year old, 28 and as their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth measures for each bull, two tenth measures for the one ram, 29 a tenth measure respectively for each male lamb of the seven male lambs, 30 as well as one young goat to make atonement for you. 31 You will offer them in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. They should be sound animals, along with their drink offerings.
29 “‘And in the seventh month, on the first of the month, you should hold a holy convention. You must not do any hard work. It is a day on which you should sound the trumpet. 2 You will offer as a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to Jehovah one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs each a year old, all of them sound, 3 and their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an eʹphah measure for the bull, two tenth measures for the ram, 4 and one tenth measure for each male lamb of the seven male lambs, 5 and one young male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6 This is in addition to the monthly burnt offering and its grain offering and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, together with their drink offerings, according to the regular procedure for them, as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to Jehovah.
7 “‘And on the tenth of this seventh month, you should hold a holy convention, and you must afflict yourselves. You must not do any work. 8 And you will present as a burnt offering to Jehovah, as a pleasing aroma, one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs each a year old, all of them sound. 9 And as their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth measures for the bull, two tenth measures for the one ram, 10 a tenth measure respectively for each male lamb of the seven male lambs, 11 as well as one young goat as a sin offering, aside from the sin offering of atonement and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, together with their drink offerings.
12 “‘And on the 15th day of the seventh month, you should hold a holy convention. You must not do any hard work, and you must celebrate a festival to Jehovah seven days. 13 And you will present as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah, 13 young bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs each a year old, all of them sound. 14 And as their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenth measures for each bull of the 13 bulls, two tenth measures for each ram of the 2 rams, 15 and a tenth measure for each male lamb of the 14 male lambs, 16 as well as one young goat as a sin offering, aside from the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.
17 “‘And on the second day, 12 young bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs each a year old, all of them sound, 18 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the male lambs by their number according to the regular procedure, 19 as well as one young goat as a sin offering, aside from the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, together with their drink offerings.
20 “‘And on the third day, 11 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs each a year old, all of them sound, 21 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the male lambs by their number according to the regular procedure, 22 as well as one goat as a sin offering, aside from the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
23 “‘And on the fourth day, 10 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs each a year old, all of them sound, 24 their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the male lambs by their number according to the regular procedure, 25 as well as one young goat as a sin offering, aside from the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.
26 “‘And on the fifth day, 9 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs each a year old, all of them sound, 27 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the male lambs by their number according to the regular procedure, 28 as well as one goat as a sin offering, aside from the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
29 “‘And on the sixth day, 8 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs each a year old, all of them sound, 30 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the male lambs by their number according to the regular procedure, 31 as well as one goat as a sin offering, aside from the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offerings.
32 “‘And on the seventh day, 7 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs each a year old, all of them sound, 33 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, the rams, and the male lambs by their number according to the regular procedure for them, 34 as well as one goat as a sin offering, aside from the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.
35 “‘On the eighth day, you should hold a solemn assembly. You should not do any hard work. 36 You will present as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to Jehovah, one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs each a year old, all of them sound, 37 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, the ram, and the male lambs by their number according to the regular procedure, 38 as well as one goat as a sin offering, aside from the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.
39 “‘These you will offer to Jehovah at your seasonal festivals, in addition to your vow offerings and your voluntary offerings as your burnt offerings and your grain offerings and your drink offerings and your communion sacrifices.’” 40 Moses told the Israelites everything that Jehovah had commanded him.
30 Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of Israel, saying: “This is the word that Jehovah has commanded: 2 If a man makes a vow to Jehovah or swears an oath to impose on himself a vow of abstinence, he must not violate his word. He should do everything he vowed he would do.
3 “And if a woman makes a vow to Jehovah or she imposes a vow of abstinence on herself when she is young and living in the house of her father 4 and her father hears her vow or her abstinence vow that she has imposed on herself and her father offers no objection, all her vows will stand, and every abstinence vow that she has imposed on herself will stand. 5 But if her father forbids her when he hears that she has imposed vows or abstinence vows on herself, it will not stand. Jehovah will forgive her because her father forbade her.
6 “However, if she should marry a husband while under her vow or the rash promise that she has imposed on herself 7 and her husband hears of it and offers no objection on the day he hears of it, her vows or her abstinence vows that she has imposed on herself will stand. 8 But if her husband forbids her on the day he hears of it, he may annul the vow or the rash promise that she imposed on herself, and Jehovah will forgive her.
9 “But if a widow or a divorced woman makes a vow, everything that she has imposed on herself will be binding on her.
10 “However, if a woman imposed the vow or the abstinence vow on herself while in the house of her husband 11 and her husband heard it and has not objected or disapproved, all her vows or any abstinence vow that she imposed on herself will stand. 12 But if on the day he heard them her husband completely annulled whatever vows or abstinence vow she swore to, they will not stand. Her husband annulled them, and Jehovah will forgive her. 13 Regarding any vow or any oath involving an abstinence vow to practice self-denial, her husband should establish it or her husband should annul it. 14 But if her husband offers no objection at all from day to day, he also establishes all her vows or all her abstinence vows that are upon her. He establishes them because he did not object on the day he heard her make them. 15 But if he annuls them later, sometime after the day he heard them, he will bear the consequences of her guilt.
16 “These are the regulations that Jehovah commanded Moses relating to a husband and his wife, and relating to a father and his young daughter living in his house.”
31 Jehovah then told Moses: 2 “Take vengeance for the Israelites on the Midʹi·an·ites. Afterward you will be gathered to your people.”
3 So Moses spoke to the people, saying: “Equip men from among you for battle against Midʹi·an and to execute Jehovah’s vengeance on Midʹi·an. 4 You should send 1,000 of each tribe of all the tribes of Israel into the army.” 5 So from the thousands of Israel, 1,000 were assigned from each tribe, 12,000 equipped for battle.
6 Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 from each tribe to the army, along with Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar the priest for the army, who had the holy utensils and the signal trumpets in his hand. 7 They waged war against Midʹi·an, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8 Along with the others slain, they killed the kings of Midʹi·an, namely, Eʹvi, Reʹkem, Zur, Hur, and Reʹba, the five kings of Midʹi·an. They also killed Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor with the sword. 9 But the Israelites carried off captive the women and children of Midʹi·an. They also plundered all their domestic animals, all their livestock, and all their possessions. 10 And all their cities in which they had settled and all their encampments they burned with fire. 11 And they took all the spoil and all the plunder, both humans and animals. 12 Then they brought the captives, the plunder, and the spoil to Moses and El·e·aʹzar the priest and to the assembly of the Israelites, to the camp in the desert plains of Moʹab near the Jordan at Jerʹi·cho.
13 Then Moses and El·e·aʹzar the priest and all the chieftains of the assembly went out to meet them outside the camp. 14 But Moses grew indignant at the appointed men of the combat forces, the chiefs of the thousands and the chiefs of the hundreds who were coming in from the military expedition. 15 Moses said to them: “Have you preserved all the females alive? 16 Look! They are the ones who by Baʹlaam’s word induced the Israelites to commit unfaithfulness toward Jehovah over the affair of Peʹor, so that the scourge came upon the assembly of Jehovah. 17 Now you should kill every male among the children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man. 18 But you may keep alive all the young girls who have not had sexual relations with a man. 19 And you should camp outside the camp seven days. Every one of you who has killed someone and every one of you who has touched someone slain should purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives. 20 And you should purify from sin every garment, every article of skin, everything made of goat hair, and every article of wood.”
21 El·e·aʹzar the priest then said to the men of the army who had gone into the battle: “This is the statute of the law that Jehovah commanded Moses, 22 ‘Only the gold, the silver, the copper, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that can be processed with fire, you should pass through the fire, and it will be clean. However, it should also be purified by the water for cleansing. Everything that cannot be processed with fire, you should pass through the water. 24 And you should wash your garments on the seventh day and be clean, and then you may come into the camp.’”
25 Jehovah then said this to Moses: 26 “Take an inventory of the plunder, counting the captives both of humans and animals; do this together with El·e·aʹzar the priest and the heads of the paternal houses of the assembly. 27 Divide what was plundered into two parts to be shared between those in the army who took part in the battle and all the rest of the assembly. 28 As a tax for Jehovah, you should take from the soldiers who went out into the battle one soul out of every 500, of the people, the herd, the donkeys, and the flock. 29 You should take it from their half and give it to El·e·aʹzar the priest as Jehovah’s contribution. 30 From the half given to the Israelites, you should take one out of 50, of the people, the herd, the donkeys, the flock, and every sort of domestic animal, and give them to the Levites, who care for the responsibilities connected with Jehovah’s tabernacle.”
31 So Moses and El·e·aʹzar the priest did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 32 The spoils, the rest of the plunder that the people of the expedition had taken, amounted to 675,000 of the flock, 33 72,000 of the herd, 34 and 61,000 donkeys. 35 The women who had not had sexual relations with a man amounted to 32,000 women. 36 The half that was the share of those who went out into the battle amounted to 337,500 of the flock. 37 The tax for Jehovah from the flock amounted to 675. 38 And there were 36,000 of the herd, and the tax on them for Jehovah was 72. 39 And there were 30,500 donkeys, and the tax on them for Jehovah was 61. 40 And there were 16,000 humans, and the tax on them for Jehovah was 32 persons. 41 Then Moses gave the tax as Jehovah’s contribution to El·e·aʹzar the priest, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
42 From the half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses had divided off from the portion that belonged to the men who waged war, 43 that half of the flock amounted to 337,500, 44 and of the herd, 36,000, 45 and of the donkeys, 30,500, 46 and of the people, 16,000. 47 Then Moses took from the half belonging to the Israelites one out of 50, of the people and of the animals, and gave them to the Levites, who cared for the responsibility of Jehovah’s tabernacle, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
48 Then the appointed men who were of the thousands of the army, the chiefs of the thousands and the chiefs of the hundreds, approached Moses, 49 and they said to Moses: “Your servants have taken the count of the men of war who are under our command, and not one has been reported missing from us. 50 So let us each present what he has found as Jehovah’s offering, articles of gold, ankle chains, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and other jewelry, in order to make atonement for ourselves before Jehovah.”
51 So Moses and El·e·aʹzar the priest accepted the gold from them, all the jewelry. 52 All the gold of the contribution that they made to Jehovah amounted to 16,750 shekels, from the chiefs of the thousands and the chiefs of the hundreds. 53 The men of the army had each taken plunder for himself. 54 Moses and El·e·aʹzar the priest accepted the gold from the chiefs of the thousands and of the hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a reminder for the people of Israel before Jehovah.
32 Now the sons of Reuʹben and the sons of Gad had very large quantities of livestock, and they saw that the lands of Jaʹzer and Gilʹe·ad were a good region for livestock. 2 So the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuʹben approached Moses, El·e·aʹzar the priest, and the chieftains of the assembly and said: 3 “Atʹa·roth, Diʹbon, Jaʹzer, Nimʹrah, Heshʹbon, E·le·aʹleh, Seʹbam, Neʹbo, and Beʹon, 4 the land that Jehovah defeated before the assembly of Israel, is a good land for livestock, and your servants have much livestock.” 5 They continued: “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this be the land given to your servants as a possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
6 Then Moses said to the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuʹben: “Are your brothers to go to war while you yourselves keep dwelling here? 7 Why should you discourage the people of Israel from crossing into the land that Jehovah is certain to give them? 8 That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a to see the land. 9 When they went up to the Valley of Eshʹcol and saw the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from going into the land that Jehovah was to give them. 10 Jehovah’s anger blazed on that day so that he swore: 11 ‘The men who came up out of Egypt from 20 years old and up will not see the land of which I have sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not followed me wholeheartedly— 12 except Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh the Kenʹiz·zite and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed Jehovah wholeheartedly.’ 13 So Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel and he made them wander about in the wilderness for 40 years, until all the generation that was doing evil in the eyes of Jehovah came to its end. 14 Now here you have risen in the place of your fathers as a brood of sinful men who increase the burning anger of Jehovah against Israel. 15 If you turn back from following him, he will certainly leave them again in the wilderness, and you will bring ruin to all this people.”
16 They later approached him and said: “Let us build here stone pens for our livestock and cities for our children. 17 But we will continue ready for battle and will go before the Israelites until we have brought them to their place, while our children will dwell in the fortified cities, safe from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our houses until each of the Israelites has received his land as an inheritance. 19 For we will not receive an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because we have received our inheritance on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Moses replied to them: “If you will do this: Take up arms before Jehovah for the war; 21 and if every one of you takes up arms and crosses the Jordan before Jehovah as he drives away his enemies from before him 22 until the land is subdued before Jehovah, afterward you may return and be free from guilt before Jehovah and Israel. Then this land will become your possession before Jehovah. 23 But if you do not do this, you will have sinned against Jehovah. In that case, know that your sin will catch up with you. 24 So you may build cities for your children and pens for your flocks, but you must do what you have promised.”
25 The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuʹben said this to Moses: “Your servants will do just as my lord is commanding. 26 Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our domestic animals will stay there in the cities of Gilʹe·ad, 27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for battle to wage war before Jehovah, just as my lord is speaking.”
28 So Moses gave a command concerning them to El·e·aʹzar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the paternal houses of the tribes of Israel. 29 Moses said to them: “If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuʹben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for the war before Jehovah, and the land is subdued before you, you will then give them the land of Gilʹe·ad as a possession. 30 But if they do not take up arms and cross over with you, they will then settle among you in the land of Caʹnaan.”
31 To this the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuʹben answered: “What Jehovah has spoken to your servants is what we will do. 32 We will take up arms and cross over before Jehovah to the land of Caʹnaan, but the possession we are to inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.” 33 So Moses gave to them—to the sons of Gad, the sons of Reuʹben, and to the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh the son of Joseph—the kingdom of Siʹhon the king of the Amʹor·ites and the kingdom of Og the king of Baʹshan, the land belonging to its cities in those territories, and the cities of the surrounding land.
34 And the sons of Gad built Diʹbon, Atʹa·roth, A·roʹer, 35 Atʹroth-shoʹphan, Jaʹzer, Jogʹbe·hah, 36 Beth-nimʹrah, and Beth-haʹran, fortified cities, and they built stone pens for the flocks. 37 And the sons of Reuʹben built Heshʹbon, E·le·aʹleh, Kir·i·a·thaʹim, 38 Neʹbo, and Baʹal-meʹon—their names being changed—and Sibʹmah; and they began to rename the cities that they rebuilt.
39 The sons of Maʹchir the son of Ma·nasʹseh marched against Gilʹe·ad and captured it and drove away the Amʹor·ites who were in it. 40 So Moses gave Gilʹe·ad to Maʹchir the son of Ma·nasʹseh, and he began dwelling in it. 41 And Jaʹir the son of Ma·nasʹseh marched against them and captured their tent villages, and he began to call them Havʹvoth-jaʹir. 42 And Noʹbah marched against and captured Keʹnath and its dependent towns, and he began to call it Noʹbah by his own name.
33 These were the stages of the journey of the people of Israel when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the direction of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses kept recording the departure places by the stages of their journey at the order of Jehovah, and these were their stages from one departure place to another: 3 They departed from Ramʹe·ses in the first month, on the 15th day of the month. On the very day after the Passover, the Israelites went out with confidence before the eyes of all the Egyptians. 4 Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying all the firstborn whom Jehovah had struck down among them, for Jehovah had executed judgments on their gods.
5 So the Israelites departed from Ramʹe·ses and camped at Sucʹcoth. 6 Then they departed from Sucʹcoth and camped at Eʹtham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. 7 Next they departed from Eʹtham and turned back toward Pi·ha·hiʹroth, which is in view of Baʹal-zeʹphon, and they camped before Migʹdol. 8 After that they departed from Pi·ha·hiʹroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness and kept marching a three-day journey in the wilderness of Eʹtham and camped at Maʹrah.
9 Then they departed from Maʹrah and came to Eʹlim. Now in Eʹlim there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees, so they camped there. 10 Next they departed from Eʹlim and camped by the Red Sea. 11 After that they departed from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12 Then they departed from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophʹkah. 13 Later they departed from Dophʹkah and camped at Aʹlush. 14 They next departed from Aʹlush and camped at Rephʹi·dim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 15 After that they departed from Rephʹi·dim and camped in the wilderness of Siʹnai.
16 They departed from the wilderness of Siʹnai and camped at Kibʹroth-hat·taʹa·vah. 17 Then they departed from Kibʹroth-hat·taʹa·vah and camped at Ha·zeʹroth. 18 After that they departed from Ha·zeʹroth and camped at Rithʹmah. 19 Next they departed from Rithʹmah and camped at Rimʹmon-peʹrez. 20 Then they departed from Rimʹmon-peʹrez and camped at Libʹnah. 21 They departed from Libʹnah and camped at Risʹsah. 22 Next they departed from Risʹsah and camped at Ke·he·laʹthah. 23 Then they departed from Ke·he·laʹthah and camped at Mount Sheʹpher.
24 After that they departed from Mount Sheʹpher and camped at Har·aʹdah. 25 Then they departed from Har·aʹdah and camped at Mak·heʹloth. 26 Next they departed from Mak·heʹloth and camped at Taʹhath. 27 After that they departed from Taʹhath and camped at Teʹrah. 28 Then they departed from Teʹrah and camped at Mithʹkah. 29 Later they departed from Mithʹkah and camped at Hash·moʹnah. 30 Next they departed from Hash·moʹnah and camped at Mo·seʹroth. 31 Then they departed from Mo·seʹroth and camped at Benʹe-jaʹa·kan. 32 And they departed from Benʹe-jaʹa·kan and camped at Hor-hag·gidʹgad. 33 Next they departed from Hor-hag·gidʹgad and camped at Jotʹba·thah. 34 Later they departed from Jotʹba·thah and camped at A·broʹnah. 35 Then they departed from A·broʹnah and camped at Eʹzi·on-geʹber. 36 After that they departed from Eʹzi·on-geʹber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is, Kaʹdesh.
37 Later they departed from Kaʹdesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the frontier of the land of Eʹdom. 38 And Aaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the order of Jehovah and died there in the 40th year after the Israelites left the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month. 39 Aaron was 123 years old at his death on Mount Hor.
40 Now the king of Aʹrad, the Caʹnaan·ite who was dwelling in the Negʹeb in the land of Caʹnaan, heard about the coming of the Israelites.
41 In time they departed from Mount Hor and camped at Zal·moʹnah. 42 After that they departed from Zal·moʹnah and camped at Puʹnon. 43 Next they departed from Puʹnon and camped at Oʹboth. 44 Then they departed from Oʹboth and camped at Iʹye-abʹa·rim, on the border of Moʹab. 45 Later they departed from Iʹyim and camped at Diʹbon-gad. 46 After that they departed from Diʹbon-gad and camped at Alʹmon-dib·la·thaʹim. 47 Then they departed from Alʹmon-dib·la·thaʹim and camped in the mountains of Abʹa·rim before Neʹbo. 48 Finally they departed from the mountains of Abʹa·rim and camped on the desert plains of Moʹab by the Jordan at Jerʹi·cho. 49 They continued camping along the Jordan, from Beth-jeshʹi·moth as far as Aʹbel-shitʹtim, on the desert plains of Moʹab.
50 Jehovah spoke to Moses on the desert plains of Moʹab by the Jordan at Jerʹi·cho, saying: 51 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘You are crossing the Jordan into the land of Caʹnaan. 52 You must drive away all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their carvings of stone and all their metal statues, and you should demolish all their sacred high places. 53 And you will take possession of the land and dwell in it, because I will certainly give you the land as a possession. 54 You must apportion the land by lot as a possession among your families. To the larger group you should increase his inheritance, and to the smaller group you should reduce his inheritance. Everyone’s inheritance will be where his lot falls. You will receive your property as an inheritance by the tribes of your fathers.
55 “‘If, though, you do not drive the inhabitants of the land away from before you, those whom you allow to remain will be as irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land where you will dwell. 56 And I will do to you what I intended to do to them.’”
34 And Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 2 “Give these instructions to the Israelites: ‘When you go into the land of Caʹnaan, this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance, the land of Caʹnaan according to its boundaries.
3 “‘Your southern border will extend from the wilderness of Zin alongside Eʹdom, and your south boundary on the east will be from the extremity of the Salt Sea. 4 Your boundary will change direction to pass south of the ascent of A·krabʹbim and continue to Zin, and its end will be south of Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a. Then it will extend to Haʹzar-adʹdar and continue to Azʹmon. 5 The boundary will change direction at Azʹmon to the Wadi of Egypt, and its end will be at the Sea.
6 “‘Your western boundary will be the Great Sea and the coast. This will become your western boundary.
7 “‘Now this will be your northern boundary: From the Great Sea you will mark your boundary out to Mount Hor. 8 From Mount Hor you will mark out the boundary to Leʹbo-haʹmath, and the end of the boundary will be at Zeʹdad. 9 And the boundary will extend to Ziphʹron, and its end will be Haʹzar-eʹnan. This will become your northern boundary.
10 “‘Then you should mark as your boundary on the east from Haʹzar-eʹnan to Sheʹpham. 11 The boundary will extend from Sheʹpham to Ribʹlah on the east of Aʹin, and the border will go down and cross the eastern slope of the Sea of Chinʹne·reth. 12 The border will extend to the Jordan, and its end will be the Salt Sea. This will be your land and the boundaries surrounding it.’”
13 So Moses instructed the Israelites, saying: “This is the land that you will apportion as your possession by lot, just as Jehovah has commanded to give to the nine and a half tribes. 14 For the tribe of the Reuʹben·ites by their paternal house, the tribe of the Gadʹites by their paternal house, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh have already taken their inheritance. 15 The two and a half tribes have already taken their inheritance east of the region of the Jordan by Jerʹi·cho, toward the sunrising.”
16 Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 17 “These are the names of the men who will divide the land for you to possess: El·e·aʹzar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18 And you will take one chieftain out of each tribe to divide the land as your inheritance. 19 These are the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh; 20 of the tribe of the sons of Simʹe·on, She·muʹel the son of Am·miʹhud; 21 of the tribe of Benjamin, E·liʹdad the son of Chisʹlon; 22 of the tribe of the sons of Dan, a chieftain, Bukʹki the son of Jogʹli; 23 of the sons of Joseph from the tribe of the sons of Ma·nasʹseh, a chieftain, Hanʹni·el the son of Eʹphod; 24 from the tribe of the sons of Eʹphra·im, a chieftain, Kem·uʹel the son of Shiphʹtan; 25 of the tribe of the sons of Zebʹu·lun, a chieftain, E·li·zaʹphan the son of Parʹnach; 26 of the tribe of the sons of Isʹsa·char, a chieftain, Palʹti·el the son of Azʹzan; 27 of the tribe of the sons of Ashʹer, a chieftain, A·hiʹhud the son of She·loʹmi; 28 of the tribe of the sons of Naphʹta·li, a chieftain, Ped·ahʹel the son of Am·miʹhud.” 29 These are the ones whom Jehovah commanded to distribute the land to the Israelites in the land of Caʹnaan.
35 Jehovah went on to speak to Moses on the desert plains of Moʹab by the Jordan at Jerʹi·cho, saying: 2 “Instruct the Israelites that they are to give the Levites cities to inhabit out of the inheritance they will possess, and they should give the Levites the pastures around the cities. 3 They will inhabit the cities, and the pastures will be for their livestock, their goods, and all their other animals. 4 The pastures of the cities that you will give the Levites will extend for 1,000 cubits from the wall all around the city. 5 You should measure outside the city 2,000 cubits on the east side, 2,000 cubits on the south side, 2,000 cubits on the west side, and 2,000 cubits on the north side, with the city in the middle. These will be the pastures of their cities.
6 “The cities that you will give to the Levites will be 6 cities of refuge, which you will give for the manslayer to flee to, as well as 42 other cities. 7 You are to give to the Levites a total of 48 cities, together with their pastures. 8 The cities you give them will be from the possession of the Israelites. From the larger group you will take many, and from the smaller group you will take few. Each group will give some of its cities to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance that it receives.”
9 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses, saying: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘You are crossing the Jordan to the land of Caʹnaan. 11 You should choose cities convenient for yourselves to serve as cities of refuge, where the manslayer who unintentionally kills someone should flee. 12 These cities will serve as a refuge for you from the blood avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly. 13 The six cities of refuge that you provide will serve this purpose. 14 You will provide three cities on this side of the Jordan and three cities in the land of Caʹnaan to serve as cities of refuge. 15 These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites, for the foreign resident, and for the settler among them, for anyone to flee there who unintentionally kills someone.
16 “‘But if he struck him with an iron instrument and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer should be put to death without fail. 17 And if he struck him with a stone that could cause death and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer should be put to death without fail. 18 And if he struck him with a wooden instrument that could cause death and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer should be put to death without fail.
19 “‘The avenger of blood is the one who will put the murderer to death. When he encounters him, he himself will put him to death. 20 If death resulted because he pushed him out of hatred or threw something at him with malicious intent, 21 or out of hatred he struck him with his hand, and he died, the one who struck him will be put to death without fail. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood will put the murderer to death when he encounters him.
22 “‘But if it was unexpectedly and not out of hatred that he pushed him or threw any article at him without malicious intent, 23 or if he did not see him and caused a stone to fall on him and he was not an enemy or seeking his injury, and the person died, 24 the assembly should then judge between the one who struck him and the avenger of blood, in harmony with these judgments. 25 The assembly should then save the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood and return him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he must dwell in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 “‘But if the manslayer goes out of the boundary of his city of refuge to which he fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundary of his city of refuge and slays the manslayer, he has no bloodguilt. 28 For he must dwell in his city of refuge until the high priest’s death. But after the high priest’s death, the manslayer may return to the land that he owns. 29 These things will serve for you as a statute for judgment throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
30 “‘Whoever kills a person should be put to death as a murderer on the testimony of witnesses; but no one will be put to death on the testimony of just one witness. 31 You must take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is deserving to die, for he should be put to death without fail. 32 And you must not take a ransom for one who has fled to his city of refuge, allowing him to resume dwelling in his land before the death of the high priest.
33 “‘You must not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and there may be no atonement for the blood that has been spilled on the land except by the blood of the one who spilled it. 34 You must not defile the land in which you dwell, in which I am residing; for I, Jehovah, am residing in the midst of the people of Israel.’”
36 the family heads of the descendants of gilʹe·ad the son of maʹchir the son of ma·nasʹseh of the families of the sons of joseph approached and spoke before moses and the chieftains, the family heads of the israelites. 2 they said: “jehovah commanded my lord to distribute the land by lot as an inheritance to the israelites; and my lord was commanded by jehovah to give the inheritance of our brother ze·loʹphe·had to his daughters. 3 if they marry men from another israelite tribe, the women’s inheritance will also be withdrawn from the inheritance of our fathers and be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they would then belong, so that it would be withdrawn from the lot of our inheritance. 4 now when the jubilee takes place for the people of israel, the women’s inheritance will also be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they then belong, so that their inheritance would be withdrawn from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”
5 then moses commanded the israelites at the order of jehovah: “what the tribe of the sons of joseph is saying is correct. 6 this is the word that jehovah has commanded for the daughters of ze·loʹphe·had: ‘they may marry whomever they wish. however, they should marry someone from a family of the tribe of their father. 7 no inheritance of the israelites should circulate from tribe to tribe, for the israelites should hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of their forefathers. 8 and every daughter who possesses an inheritance among the tribes of israel should become a wife of a descendant of her father’s tribe, so that the israelites may keep possession of the inheritance of their forefathers. 9 no inheritance should circulate from one tribe to another tribe, for the tribes of israel should hold on to their own inheritance.’”
10 the daughters of ze·loʹphe·had did just as jehovah had commanded moses. 11 so mahʹlah, tirʹzah, hogʹlah, milʹcah, and noah, the daughters of ze·loʹphe·had, married the sons of their father’s brothers. 12 they became wives of men from the families of ma·nasʹseh the son of joseph so that their inheritance would remain in the tribe of their father’s family.
13 these are the commandments and the judicial decisions that jehovah gave to the israelites through moses on the desert plains of moʹab by the jordan at jerʹi·cho.

DEUTERONOMY
1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the region of the Jordan in the wilderness, on the desert plains in front of Suph, between Paʹran, Toʹphel, Laʹban, Ha·zeʹroth, and Diʹza·hab. 2 It is 11 days from Horʹeb to Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a by way of Mount Seʹir. 3 In the 40th year, in the 11th month, on the first of the month, Moses spoke to the Israelites according to all that Jehovah had instructed him to tell them. 4 This was after he defeated Siʹhon the king of the Amʹor·ites, who was dwelling in Heshʹbon, and Og the king of Baʹshan, who was dwelling in Ashʹta·roth, in Edʹre·i. 5 In the region of the Jordan in the land of Moʹab, Moses undertook to explain this Law, saying:
6 “Jehovah our God told us in Horʹeb, ‘You have stayed long enough in this mountainous region. 7 Turn and set out for the mountainous region of the Amʹor·ites and toward all their neighbors in the Arʹa·bah, the mountainous region, the She·pheʹlah, the Negʹeb, and the seacoast, the land of the Caʹnaan·ites, and Lebʹa·non, up to the great river, the river Eu·phraʹtes. 8 See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land about which Jehovah swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give it to them and their offspring after them.’
9 “And I told you at that time, ‘I am not able to carry you by myself. 10 Jehovah your God has multiplied you, and here you are today as numerous as the stars of the heavens. 11 May Jehovah, the God of your forefathers, multiply you a thousand times as many as you are, and may he bless you just as he has promised you. 12 How can I bear by myself the burden of you and the load of you and your quarreling? 13 Select wise, discreet, and experienced men of your tribes, and I will appoint them as heads over you.’ 14 You answered me, ‘What you have told us to do is good.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and appointed them as heads over you, chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, chiefs of fifties, chiefs of tens, and officers of your tribes.
16 “At that time I instructed your judges, ‘When you hear a case between your brothers, you are to judge with righteousness between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. 17 You must not be partial in judgment. You should hear the small one the same as the great one. You must not become intimidated by men, for the judgment belongs to God; and if a case is too difficult for you, you should present it to me, and I will hear it.’ 18 At that time I instructed you regarding all the things that you should do.
19 “Then we departed from Horʹeb and marched through all that great and fearsome wilderness that you saw on the way to the mountainous region of the Amʹor·ites, just as Jehovah our God had commanded us, and we eventually came to Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a. 20 I then said to you, ‘You have come to the mountainous region of the Amʹor·ites, which Jehovah our God is giving to us. 21 See, Jehovah your God has given the land over to you. Go up, take possession of it, just as Jehovah, the God of your forefathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or terrified.’
22 “However, all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land for us and bring word back to us as to what route we should take and what kind of cities we will encounter.’ 23 The suggestion seemed good to me, so I selected 12 of your men, one for each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the mountainous region and reached the Valley of Eshʹcol and spied it out. 25 They took some of the fruitage of the land and carried it back to us, and they brought word back to us, ‘The land that Jehovah our God is giving us is good.’ 26 But you refused to go up, and you rebelled against the order of Jehovah your God. 27 You kept grumbling in your tents and were saying, ‘It was because Jehovah hated us that he brought us out of the land of Egypt to hand us over to the Amʹor·ites to annihilate us. 28 What kind of place are we going to? Our brothers made us lose heart by saying, “They are a people greater and taller than we are, and their cities are great and fortified to the heavens, and we saw the sons of the Anʹa·kim there.”’
29 “So I said to you, ‘Do not be struck with terror or be afraid because of them. 30 Jehovah your God will go before you and will fight for you, just as he did in Egypt before your very eyes. 31 And you saw in the wilderness how Jehovah your God carried you just as a man carries his son, everywhere you went until you came to this place.’ 32 But despite all of this, you did not put faith in Jehovah your God, 33 who was going ahead of you on the way, to spy out a place for you to camp. He appeared by fire at night and by a cloud in the daytime to show you the way you should walk.
34 “All the while Jehovah heard what you were saying, and he became indignant and solemnly swore, 35 ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh. He will see it, and I will give the land on which he walked to him and to his sons, because he has followed Jehovah wholeheartedly. 37 (Jehovah even became angry with me because of you, and he said, “You too will not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, is the one who will enter into the land. Make him strong, for he will cause Israel to inherit it.”) 39 Moreover, your children who you said would become plunder and your sons who today do not know good or bad, these will enter, and I will give it to them to possess. 40 But as for you, turn back and depart for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.’
41 “At this you said to me, ‘We have sinned against Jehovah. We will now go up and fight, just as Jehovah our God has commanded us!’ So each of you put on his weapons of war, and you thought it would be an easy thing to go up the mountain. 42 But Jehovah said to me, ‘Tell them: “You must not go up and fight, for I will not be with you. If you do, you will be defeated by your enemies.”’ 43 So I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead, you rebelled against Jehovah’s order and presumptuously tried to go up the mountain. 44 Then the Amʹor·ites who were dwelling in that mountain came out to meet you and chased you away like bees do, and they scattered you in Seʹir as far as Horʹmah. 45 So you returned and began to weep before Jehovah, but Jehovah did not listen to you or pay attention to you. 46 That is why you kept dwelling in Kaʹdesh for as long as you did.
2 “Then we turned and departed for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, just as Jehovah had told me, and we traveled for many days around Mount Seʹir. 2 Finally Jehovah said to me, 3 ‘You have gone around this mountain long enough. Now turn north. 4 And give this command to the people: “You will pass by the border of your brothers, the descendants of Eʹsau, who are dwelling in Seʹir, and they will be afraid of you, and you must be very careful. 5 Do not engage in hostilities with them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even the space of a footprint, because I have given Mount Seʹir to Eʹsau as his possession. 6 You should give them money for the food you will eat, and you should pay for the water you will drink. 7 For Jehovah your God has blessed you in all that you have done. He is fully aware of your walking through this great wilderness. These 40 years Jehovah your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.”’ 8 So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Eʹsau, who are dwelling in Seʹir, keeping away from the way of the Arʹa·bah, from Eʹlath and from Eʹzi·on-geʹber.
“Next we turned and traveled by the way of the wilderness of Moʹab. 9 Jehovah then said to me, ‘Do not engage in hostilities or in war with Moʹab, for I will not give you any of his land as a possession because I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants of Lot. 10 (The Eʹmim formerly lived there, a people great and numerous and tall like the Anʹa·kim. 11 The Rephʹa·im were also considered like the Anʹa·kim, and the Moʹab·ites used to call them Eʹmim. 12 Previously, the Horʹites were living in Seʹir, but the descendants of Eʹsau dispossessed and annihilated them and settled in their place, just as Israel will do to the land that is their possession, which Jehovah will certainly give to them.) 13 Now go and cross over the Valley of Zeʹred.’ So we crossed over the Valley of Zeʹred. 14 The time it took us to walk from Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a until we crossed the Valley of Zeʹred was 38 years, until the entire generation of the men of war had perished from the camp, just as Jehovah had sworn to them. 15 Jehovah’s hand was against them to eliminate them from the camp until they had perished.
16 “As soon as all the men of war had died off from among the people, 17 Jehovah spoke to me again, saying, 18 ‘Today you are to pass by the territory of Moʹab, that is, Ar. 19 When you come near to the Amʹmon·ites, do not harass or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Amʹmon·ites as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession. 20 This too used to be considered the land of the Rephʹa·im. (The Rephʹa·im formerly lived there, and the Amʹmon·ites used to call them Zam·zumʹmim. 21 They were a great and numerous and tall people like the Anʹa·kim; but Jehovah annihilated them before the Amʹmon·ites, and these drove them out and settled in their place. 22 That is what he did for the descendants of Eʹsau, who now dwell in Seʹir, when he annihilated the Horʹites from before them, so that they could dispossess them and dwell in their place to this very day. 23 As for the Avʹvim, they had dwelled in settlements as far as Gazʹa until the Caphʹto·rim, who came out from Caphʹtor, annihilated them and settled in their place.)
24 “‘Get up, and make your way across the Arʹnon Valley. See, I have given into your hand Siʹhon the Amʹor·ite, king of Heshʹbon. So begin taking possession of his land, and engage him in war. 25 This day I will start to put the dread and the fear of you upon all the people under the heavens who hear the report about you. They will be disturbed and will tremble because of you.’
26 “Then I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedʹe·moth to King Siʹhon of Heshʹbon, with these peaceful words, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land. I will remain on the road and not turn to the right or to the left. 28 I will eat only the food and drink only the water that you will sell to me. Just allow me to pass through on foot 29 —that is what the descendants of Eʹsau dwelling in Seʹir and the Moʹab·ites dwelling in Ar did for me—until I pass over the Jordan into the land that Jehovah our God is giving to us.’ 30 But King Siʹhon of Heshʹbon did not let us pass through, because Jehovah your God allowed his spirit to become obstinate and his heart to become hard, in order to give him into your hand as is now the case.
31 “Then Jehovah said to me, ‘See, I have already begun to give Siʹhon and his land over to you. Start to take possession of his land.’ 32 When Siʹhon came out along with all his people to meet us in battle at Jaʹhaz, 33 Jehovah our God handed him over to us, so that we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. 34 We captured all his cities at that time and devoted every city to destruction, including men, women, and children. We left no survivor. 35 We plundered only the livestock for ourselves along with the spoils from the cities that we had captured. 36 From A·roʹer, which is on the rim of the Arʹnon Valley (including the city that is in the valley), as far as Gilʹe·ad, no town was beyond our reach. Jehovah our God handed them all over to us. 37 However, you did not approach the land of the Amʹmon·ites, the whole bank of the Valley of Jabʹbok and the cities of the mountainous region, or any other place forbidden by Jehovah our God.
3 “Then we turned and went up by the Way of Baʹshan. And Og, the king of Baʹshan, came out with all his people to meet us in battle at Edʹre·i. 2 So Jehovah said to me, ‘Do not be afraid of him, for I will give him and all his people and his land into your hand, and you will do to him just as you did to Siʹhon the king of the Amʹor·ites, who lived in Heshʹbon.’ 3 So Jehovah our God also gave King Og of Baʹshan and all his people into our hand, and we kept striking him down until none of his people survived. 4 We then captured all his cities. There was no town that we did not take from them—60 cities, all the region of Arʹgob, the kingdom of Og in Baʹshan. 5 All these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, along with a great number of rural towns. 6 However, we devoted them to destruction, just as we had done to King Siʹhon of Heshʹbon, in devoting every city to destruction, including men, women, and children. 7 And we took all the livestock and the spoil of the cities for ourselves.
8 “At that time we seized the land of the two Amʹor·ite kings who were in the region of the Jordan, from the Arʹnon Valley as far as Mount Herʹmon 9 (the mountain that the Si·doʹni·ans used to call Sirʹi·on and the Amʹor·ites used to call Seʹnir), 10 all the cities of the tableland, all Gilʹe·ad, and all Baʹshan as far as Salʹe·cah and Edʹre·i, the cities of the kingdom that belonged to Og in Baʹshan. 11 For King Og of Baʹshan was the last remaining one of the Rephʹa·im. His bier was made of iron, and it is still in Rabʹbah of the Amʹmon·ites. It is nine cubits long and four cubits wide, by the standard cubit. 12 At that time we took possession of this land: from A·roʹer, which is by the Arʹnon Valley, and half of the mountainous region of Gilʹe·ad, and I have given its cities to the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites. 13 And the rest of Gilʹe·ad and all Baʹshan of the kingdom of Og I have given to the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh. All the region of Arʹgob, which belongs to Baʹshan, was known as the land of the Rephʹa·im.
14 “Jaʹir the son of Ma·nasʹseh took all the region of Arʹgob as far as the boundary of the Geshʹur·ites and the Ma·acʹa·thites and named those villages of Baʹshan after himself, Havʹvoth-jaʹir, to this day. 15 And I have given Gilʹe·ad to Maʹchir. 16 And to the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites, I have given from Gilʹe·ad to the Arʹnon Valley, with the middle of the valley as a boundary, and as far as Jabʹbok, the valley that is the boundary of the Amʹmon·ites, 17 and the Arʹa·bah and the Jordan and the border, from Chinʹne·reth to the Sea of the Arʹa·bah, the Salt Sea, at the base of the slopes of Pisʹgah toward the east.
18 “I then gave you this command: ‘Jehovah your God has given you this land to take possession of it. All your valiant men will take up arms and cross over before your brothers, the Israelites. 19 Only your wives, your children, and your livestock (I well know that you have a great deal of livestock) will continue dwelling in the cities that I have given you, 20 until Jehovah gives your brothers rest, as he does for you, and they also have taken possession of the land that Jehovah your God will give them across the Jordan. Then you will come back, each one to his possession that I have given you.’
21 “At that time I gave this command to Joshua: ‘You have seen with your own eyes what Jehovah your God has done to these two kings. Jehovah will do the same thing to all the kingdoms into which you will cross over. 22 You must not be afraid of them, for Jehovah your God is the one fighting for you.’
23 “At that time I pleaded with Jehovah, saying, 24 ‘O Sovereign Lord Jehovah, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty arm, for what god in the heavens or on the earth performs such mighty deeds as you? 25 Please let me pass over and see the good land that is across the Jordan, this good mountainous region and Lebʹa·non.’ 26 But Jehovah was still furious with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. Rather, Jehovah said to me, ‘Enough from you! Never speak to me again about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisʹgah, and look to the west and north and south and east and view the land with your eyes, for you will not cross over this Jordan. 28 Commission Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, because he is the one who will cross over before this people and he is the one who will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.’ 29 All this happened while we were dwelling in the valley in front of Beth-peʹor.
4 “Now, O Israel, listen to the regulations and the judicial decisions that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land that Jehovah, the God of your forefathers, is giving you. 2 You must not add to the word that I am commanding you, neither must you take away from it, so as to keep the commandments of Jehovah your God that I am commanding you.
3 “Your own eyes have seen what Jehovah did in the case of the Baʹal of Peʹor; Jehovah your God annihilated from your midst every man who walked after the Baʹal of Peʹor. 4 But you who are holding fast to Jehovah your God are all alive today. 5 See, I have taught you regulations and judicial decisions, just as Jehovah my God has commanded me, so that you may observe them in the land you will take possession of. 6 You must carefully follow them, because this will show wisdom and understanding on your part before the peoples who will hear about all these regulations, and they will say, ‘This great nation is undoubtedly a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation has gods as near to it as Jehovah our God is to us whenever we call on him? 8 And what great nation has righteous regulations and judicial decisions like this entire Law that I am putting before you today?
9 “Just be careful and watch yourself closely, so that you may not forget the things that your eyes have seen and so that they may not depart from your heart all the days of your life. You must also make them known to your sons and to your grandsons. 10 On the day that you stood before Jehovah your God in Horʹeb, Jehovah said to me, ‘Congregate the people together to me so that I may let them hear my words, in order that they may learn to fear me all the days that they are alive on the ground and that they may teach their sons.’
11 “So you came near and stood at the base of the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire up to the very heavens; there was darkness, cloud, and thick gloom. 12 And Jehovah began to speak to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—there was only a voice. 13 And he declared his covenant to you, which he commanded you to observe—the Ten Commandments. Afterward, he wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 At that time Jehovah commanded me to teach you regulations and judicial decisions, which you are to observe in the land you will enter to take possession of.
15 “Therefore, watch yourselves closely—since you did not see any form on the day Jehovah spoke to you in Horʹeb out of the middle of the fire— 16 that you may not act corruptly by making for yourselves any carved image having the form of any symbol, the representation of male or female, 17 the representation of any animal on the earth or the representation of any bird that flies in the sky, 18 the representation of anything creeping on the ground or the representation of any fish in the waters under the earth. 19 And when you raise your eyes to the heavens and see the sun and the moon and the stars—all the army of the heavens—do not get seduced and bow down to them and serve them. Jehovah your God has given them to all the peoples under the whole heavens. 20 But you are the ones Jehovah took and brought out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to become the people of his personal possession, as you are today.
21 “Jehovah became angry with me because of you, and he swore that I should not cross the Jordan or go into the good land that Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 For I am to die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan, but you will cross over and take possession of this good land. 23 Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of Jehovah your God that he made with you, and do not make for yourselves a carved image, the form of anything forbidden to you by Jehovah your God. 24 For Jehovah your God is a consuming fire, a God who requires exclusive devotion.
25 “If you become father to sons and grandsons and you have lived a long time in the land and you act ruinously and make a carved image of any kind and you do what is evil in the eyes of Jehovah your God so as to offend him, 26 I do take the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you today that you will surely and quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of. You will not last long on it, but you will be utterly annihilated. 27 Jehovah will scatter you among the peoples, and just a few of you will survive among the nations to which Jehovah will have driven you. 28 There you will have to serve gods of wood and stone made by human hands, gods that cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
29 “If you search for Jehovah your God from there, you will certainly find him, if you inquire for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in great distress and all these things have happened to you in later times, then you will return to Jehovah your God and listen to his voice. 31 For Jehovah your God is a merciful God. He will not desert you or bring you to ruin or forget the covenant that he swore to your forefathers.
32 “Ask, now, about the former days before your time, from the day when God created man on the earth; search from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens. Has anything so great ever happened or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Have any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire the way you have heard it and kept on living? 34 Or has God ever attempted to take for himself a nation out of the midst of another nation along with judgments, with signs, with miracles, with war, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with terrifying deeds, as Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? 35 You yourselves have been shown these things so you will know that Jehovah is the true God; there is no other besides him. 36 He made you hear his voice from the heavens to correct you, and on the earth he made you see his great fire, and his words you heard from out of the fire.
37 “Because he loved your forefathers and has chosen their offspring after them, you were brought out of Egypt in his presence by his great power. 38 From before you he drove away nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance, as it is today. 39 Know, therefore, on this day, and take it to heart that Jehovah is the true God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. There is no other. 40 You must keep his regulations and his commandments that I am commanding you today, in order that it may go well with you and your sons after you, so that you may long remain in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you.”
41 At that time Moses set apart three cities on the eastern side of the Jordan. 42 If any manslayer unintentionally kills his fellow man and he did not previously hate him, he must flee to one of these cities and live. 43 The cities are Beʹzer in the wilderness on the tableland for the Reuʹben·ites, Raʹmoth in Gilʹe·ad for the Gadʹites, and Goʹlan in Baʹshan for the Ma·nasʹsites.
44 Now this is the Law that Moses set before the people of Israel. 45 These are the reminders, the regulations, and the judicial decisions that Moses gave to the Israelites after they came out of Egypt, 46 in the region of the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth-peʹor, in the land of King Siʹhon of the Amʹor·ites, who was dwelling in Heshʹbon, whom Moses and the Israelites defeated after coming out of Egypt. 47 And they took possession of his land and of the land of King Og of Baʹshan, the two kings of the Amʹor·ites who were in the region east of the Jordan, 48 from A·roʹer, which is on the rim of the Arʹnon Valley, up to Mount Siʹon, that is, Herʹmon, 49 and all the Arʹa·bah in the region east of the Jordan, and as far as the Sea of the Arʹa·bah, at the base of the slopes of Pisʹgah.
5 Moses then summoned all Israel and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the regulations and the judicial decisions that I am announcing to you today, and you must learn them and carefully observe them. 2 Jehovah our God made a covenant with us in Horʹeb. 3 It was not with our forefathers that Jehovah made this covenant, but with us, all of us alive here today. 4 Jehovah spoke face-to-face with you in the mountain, out of the fire. 5 I was standing between Jehovah and you at that time to convey to you the word of Jehovah, for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain. He said:
6 “‘I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 7 You must never have any other gods besides me.
8 “‘You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 You must not bow down to them nor be led to serve them, for I, Jehovah your God, am a God who requires exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing loyal love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “‘You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way, for Jehovah will not leave anyone unpunished who takes up his name in a worthless way.
12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day to keep it sacred, just as Jehovah your God commanded you. 13 You are to labor and do all your work in six days, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to Jehovah your God. You must not do any work, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your slave man nor your slave girl nor your bull nor your donkey nor any of your domestic animals nor your foreign resident who is inside your cities, in order that your slave man and your slave girl may rest the same as you. 15 Remember that you became a slave in the land of Egypt and that Jehovah your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why Jehovah your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 “‘Honor your father and your mother, just as Jehovah your God has commanded you, so that you may live a long time and you may prosper in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you.
17 “‘You must not murder.
18 “‘Neither must you commit adultery.
19 “‘Neither must you steal.
20 “‘Neither must you testify to a falsehood against your fellow man.
21 “‘Neither must you desire your fellow man’s wife. Neither must you selfishly desire your fellow man’s house nor his field nor his slave man nor his slave girl nor his bull nor his donkey nor anything that belongs to your fellow man.’
22 “These commandments Jehovah spoke to all your congregation on the mountain, out of the fire, the cloud, and the thick gloom, with a loud voice, and he added nothing further; then he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
23 “But as soon as you had heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, all the heads of your tribes and the elders approached me. 24 Then you said, ‘Here Jehovah our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak with man and he can keep living. 25 Now, why should we die? For this great fire may consume us. If we continue hearing the voice of Jehovah our God, we are sure to die. 26 For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire as we did and yet goes on living? 27 You yourself must go near to hear all that Jehovah our God will say, and you will be the one to tell us all that Jehovah our God says to you, and we will listen and do it.’
28 “So Jehovah heard the words you spoke to me, and Jehovah said to me, ‘I have heard the words that this people have spoken to you. All they have said is good. 29 If only they would always have a heart inclined to fear me and to keep all my commandments; then it would go well with them and their sons forever! 30 Go say to them: “Return to your tents.” 31 But you should stay here with me, and let me tell you all the commandments, the regulations, and the judicial decisions that you should teach to them and that they are to observe in the land that I am giving them to take possession of.’ 32 Now you people should be careful to do just as Jehovah your God has commanded you. You must not turn to the right or to the left. 33 You should walk in all the way that Jehovah your God has commanded you, in order that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will take possession of.
6 “Now these are the commandments, the regulations, and the judicial decisions that Jehovah your God has given to teach you, so that you may observe them when you cross over into the land that you are to take possession of, 2 in order that you may fear Jehovah your God and keep all his statutes and his commandments that I am commanding you—you and your son and your grandson—all the days of your life, so that you may live a long time. 3 And you must listen, O Israel, and carefully observe them, so that you may prosper and become very many in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as Jehovah, the God of your forefathers, has promised you.
4 “Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. 5 You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength. 6 These words that I am commanding you today must be on your heart, 7 and you must inculcate them in your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as a reminder on your hand, and they must be like a headband on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “When Jehovah your God brings you into the land that he swore to your forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you—great and fine cities that you did not build, 11 houses full of all sorts of good things that you did not work for, hewn cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and you have eaten and become satisfied, 12 be careful not to forget Jehovah, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 Jehovah your God you should fear, and him you should serve, and by his name you should swear. 14 You must not follow after other gods, any gods of the peoples who are all around you, 15 for Jehovah your God who is in your midst is a God who requires exclusive devotion. Otherwise, the anger of Jehovah your God will blaze against you and he will annihilate you from the face of the earth.
16 “You must not put Jehovah your God to the test the way you put him to the test at Masʹsah. 17 You should diligently observe the commandments of Jehovah your God and his reminders and his regulations that he has commanded you to observe. 18 You must do what is right and good in Jehovah’s eyes, in order that you may prosper and that you may enter and take possession of the good land about which Jehovah has sworn to your forefathers, 19 by driving out all your enemies from before you, just as Jehovah has promised.
20 “In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the reminders, the regulations, and the judicial decisions that Jehovah our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you will say to your son, ‘We became slaves to Pharʹaoh in Egypt, but Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 So before our eyes Jehovah kept sending signs and miracles, great and devastating, upon Egypt, upon Pharʹaoh, and upon all his household. 23 And he brought us out from there in order to bring us here to give us the land about which he had sworn to our forefathers. 24 Then Jehovah commanded us to carry out all these regulations and to fear Jehovah our God for our lasting good, so that we could keep alive, as we are today. 25 And it will mean righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all these commandments in obedience to Jehovah our God, just as he has commanded us.’
7 “When Jehovah your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and take possession of, he will also clear away populous nations from before you: the Hitʹtites, the Girʹga·shites, the Amʹor·ites, the Caʹnaan·ites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Hiʹvites, and the Jebʹu·sites, seven nations more populous and mightier than you are. 2 Jehovah your God will give them over to you, and you will defeat them. You should without fail devote them to destruction. You must not make any covenant with them nor show them any favor. 3 You must not form any marriage alliances with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods; then Jehovah’s anger will blaze against you, and he will swiftly annihilate you.
5 “Instead, this is what you should do to them: Tear down their altars, break up their sacred pillars, cut down their sacred poles, and burn up their graven images. 6 For you are a holy people to Jehovah your God, and Jehovah your God has chosen you to become his people, his special property, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
7 “It was not because you were the most numerous of all the peoples that Jehovah showed affection for you and chose you, for you were the smallest of all the peoples. 8 Rather, it was because of Jehovah’s love for you and because he kept the oath that he had sworn to your forefathers that Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, to redeem you from the house of slavery, from the power of Pharʹaoh king of Egypt. 9 You well know that Jehovah your God is the true God, the faithful God, keeping his covenant and loyal love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face with destruction. He will not be slow to deal with those who hate him; he will repay them to their face. 11 Therefore, take care to keep the commandments and the regulations and the judicial decisions that I am commanding you today, by observing them.
12 “If you continue listening to these judicial decisions and you observe them and carry them out, Jehovah your God will keep the covenant and the loyal love about which he swore to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and multiply you. Yes, he will bless you with many children and with the produce of your soil, your grain, your new wine, your oil, the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks, in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give to you. 14 You will become the most blessed of all the peoples; no man or woman among you will be childless, nor will your livestock be without young. 15 Jehovah will take away from you all sickness, and he will not bring upon you any of the terrible diseases that you have known in Egypt. Instead, he will bring them upon all those who hate you. 16 You are to destroy all the peoples whom Jehovah your God gives over to you. You must not feel sorry for them, and you must not serve their gods, because that would be a snare to you.
17 “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations outnumber us. How can I drive them away?’ 18 you must not be afraid of them. You should remind yourself of what Jehovah your God did to Pharʹaoh and all Egypt, 19 the great judgments that your eyes saw and the signs and the miracles and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm with which Jehovah your God brought you out. That is what Jehovah your God will do to all the peoples you fear. 20 Jehovah your God will send the feeling of dejection upon them until those who were left remaining and who were concealing themselves from before you perish. 21 Do not be struck with terror because of them, for Jehovah your God is with you, a great and awe-inspiring God.
22 “Jehovah your God will certainly drive these nations away from before you little by little. You will not be allowed to put an end to them quickly, so that the wild animals of the field will not multiply against you. 23 Jehovah your God will give them over to you and utterly defeat them until they are annihilated. 24 He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under the heavens. Nobody will stand up to you, until you have exterminated them. 25 You should burn the graven images of their gods in the fire. Do not desire the silver and the gold on them or take it for yourself, so that you are not ensnared by it, for it is something detestable to Jehovah your God. 26 You must not bring a detestable thing into your house and thereby become something devoted to destruction like it. You should utterly loathe it and absolutely detest it, because it is something devoted to destruction.
8 “You should be careful to observe every commandment that I am giving you today, so that you may continue living and multiply and go in and take possession of the land about which Jehovah swore to your forefathers. 2 Remember the long road that Jehovah your God made you walk these 40 years in the wilderness, to humble you and to put you to the test so as to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 So he humbled you and let you go hungry and fed you with the manna, which neither you had known nor your fathers had known, in order to make you know that man does not live by bread alone but man lives by every expression from Jehovah’s mouth. 4 The clothing you wore did not wear out, nor did your feet become swollen these 40 years. 5 You well know in your heart that just as a man corrects his son, Jehovah your God was correcting you.
6 “Now you must keep the commandments of Jehovah your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7 For Jehovah your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of streams of water, springs and fountains flowing in the valley plain and in the mountainous region, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey, 9 a land where food will not be scarce and you will lack nothing, a land where the stones contain iron and from its mountains you will mine copper.
10 “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you must praise Jehovah your God for the good land that he has given you. 11 Be careful not to forget Jehovah your God by failing to keep his commandments, his judicial decisions, and his statutes that I am commanding you today. 12 When you eat and are satisfied and you build fine houses and dwell in them, 13 when your herd and your flocks multiply and your silver and gold increase and you have an abundance of everything, 14 do not let your heart become proud and cause you to forget Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who caused you to walk through the great and fearsome wilderness, with poisonous serpents and scorpions and with parched ground that has no water. He made water flow out of the flinty rock 16 and fed you with manna in the wilderness, which your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and to put you to the test so as to benefit you in the future. 17 If you should say in your heart, ‘My own power and the strength of my own hand have produced this wealth for me,’ 18 remember that it is Jehovah your God who gives power to you to make wealth, in order to carry out his covenant that he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
19 “If you should ever forget Jehovah your God and you walk after other gods and serve them and bow down to them, I do bear witness against you today that you will surely perish. 20 Like the nations that Jehovah is destroying before you, that is how you will perish, because you would not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God.
9 “Hear, O Israel, today you are crossing the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified to the heavens, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anʹa·kim, about whom you know and have heard it said, ‘Who can stand up to the sons of Aʹnak?’ 3 Therefore, you should know this day that Jehovah your God will cross ahead of you. He is a consuming fire, and he will annihilate them. He will subdue them before your eyes so that you may quickly drive them out and destroy them, just as Jehovah has promised you.
4 “Do not say in your heart when Jehovah your God drives them away from before you, ‘It was because of my own righteousness that Jehovah has brought me in to take possession of this land.’ Rather, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that Jehovah is driving them away from before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to take possession of their land. Instead, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that Jehovah your God is driving them away from before you and in order to carry out the word that Jehovah swore to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Know, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that Jehovah your God is giving you this good land to take possession of, because you are an obstinate people.
7 “Remember—never forget—the way you provoked Jehovah your God in the wilderness. From the day that you left the land of Egypt until your coming to this place, you have rebelled against Jehovah. 8 Even in Horʹeb you provoked Jehovah, and Jehovah was so angry with you that he was ready to annihilate you. 9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that Jehovah made with you, I remained on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights, eating no food and drinking no water. 10 Then Jehovah gave me the two tablets of stone written on with God’s finger, and on them were all the words that Jehovah had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire in the day of the assembly. 11 At the end of the 40 days and 40 nights, Jehovah gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant, 12 and Jehovah told me, ‘Get up, go down quickly from here, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned aside from the path I commanded them to follow. They have made a metal image for themselves.’ 13 Jehovah then said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and look! it is an obstinate people. 14 Let me be, and I will annihilate them and wipe out their name from under the heavens, and let me make you a nation mightier and more numerous than they are.’
15 “Then I turned and went down the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant were in both my hands. 16 Then I looked and saw that you had sinned against Jehovah your God! You had made a metal calf for yourselves. You had turned aside quickly from the path Jehovah had commanded you to follow. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them down with both my hands and shattered them before your eyes. 18 Then I prostrated myself before Jehovah, as at first, for 40 days and 40 nights. I neither ate food nor drank water, because of all the sins that you had committed by your doing what was evil in Jehovah’s eyes and offending him. 19 For I was terrified because of Jehovah’s great anger against you, in that he was ready to annihilate you. However, Jehovah listened to me that time also.
20 “Jehovah was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to annihilate him, but I made supplication for Aaron at that time also. 21 Then I took the sinful thing you made, the calf, and burned it up in the fire; I crushed it and ground it thoroughly until it was fine like dust, and I threw the dust into the stream that flows down from the mountain.
22 “Further, at Tabʹe·rah, at Masʹsah, and at Kibʹroth-hat·taʹa·vah, you also provoked Jehovah to anger. 23 When Jehovah sent you out of Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a and said, ‘Go up and take possession of the land that I will certainly give you!’ you again rebelled against the order of Jehovah your God, and you did not exercise faith in him and did not obey him. 24 You have rebelled against Jehovah ever since I have known you.
25 “So I kept prostrating myself before Jehovah 40 days and 40 nights, for I prostrated myself in this way because Jehovah said he would annihilate you. 26 I began to make supplication to Jehovah and to say, ‘O Sovereign Lord Jehovah, do not bring your people to ruin. They are your personal possession, whom you redeemed through your greatness and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not pay attention to the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness, and their sin. 28 Otherwise the people of the land from which you brought us may say: “Jehovah was unable to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” 29 For they are your people and your personal possession, whom you brought out with your great power and your outstretched arm.’
10 “At that time Jehovah said to me, ‘Carve out for yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones, and come up to me on the mountain; also you must make for yourself an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tablets the words that appeared on the first tablets, which you shattered, and you should place them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood and carved out two tablets of stone like the first ones and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 Then he wrote on the tablets the words he had written before, the Ten Commandments, which Jehovah had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly; and Jehovah gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and went down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark that I had made, where they remain, just as Jehovah had commanded me.
6 “The Israelites then departed from Be·erʹoth Benʹe-jaʹa·kan for Mo·seʹrah. There Aaron died and was buried, and his son El·e·aʹzar began to serve as priest in his place. 7 From there they departed for Gudʹgo·dah, and from Gudʹgo·dah for Jotʹba·thah, a land flowing with streams of water.
8 “At that time Jehovah set apart the tribe of Leʹvi to carry the ark of Jehovah’s covenant, to stand before Jehovah in order to minister to him, and to bless in his name, as they do to this day. 9 That is why Leʹvi has not been given a share or an inheritance with his brothers. Jehovah is his inheritance, just as Jehovah your God had said to him. 10 I myself stayed on the mountain as I did the first time, 40 days and 40 nights, and Jehovah listened to me on that occasion also. Jehovah did not want to destroy you. 11 Then Jehovah said to me, ‘Go ahead of the people, and prepare to depart, so that they may go in and take possession of the land that I have sworn to their forefathers to give to them.’
12 “Now, O Israel, what is Jehovah your God asking of you? Only this: to fear Jehovah your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of Jehovah that I am commanding you today for your own good. 14 Look, to Jehovah your God belong the heavens, even the heavens of the heavens, and the earth with all that is in it. 15 But only to your forefathers did Jehovah draw close and express his love, and he has chosen you, their offspring, out of all the peoples, as you are today. 16 You must now cleanse your hearts and stop being so stubborn. 17 For Jehovah your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the God great, mighty, and awe-inspiring, who treats none with partiality and does not accept a bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless child and the widow and loves the foreign resident, giving him food and clothing. 19 You too must love the foreign resident, for you became foreign residents in the land of Egypt.
20 “Jehovah your God you should fear, him you should serve, to him you should cling, and by his name you should swear. 21 He is the One you are to praise. He is your God, who has done all these great and awe-inspiring things for you that your own eyes have seen. 22 With 70 people your forefathers went down into Egypt, and now Jehovah your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the heavens.
11 “You must love Jehovah your God and always keep your obligation to him and his statutes, his judicial decisions, and his commandments. 2 You know that today I am addressing you, not your sons who have not known or seen the discipline of Jehovah your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm. 3 They did not see his signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to Pharʹaoh king of Egypt and to all his land; 4 or what he did to the armies of Egypt, to Pharʹaoh’s horses and war chariots, which were overwhelmed by the waters of the Red Sea when they were chasing after you, and Jehovah destroyed them once and for all. 5 They did not see what he has done for you in the wilderness until your coming to this place, 6 or what he did to Daʹthan and A·biʹram, the sons of E·liʹab the son of Reuʹben, when the earth opened and swallowed them up, along with their households and their tents and every living thing that followed them, before the eyes of all Israel. 7 Your own eyes have seen all the great deeds that Jehovah did.
8 “You must keep the whole commandment that I am giving you today, so that you may grow strong and cross over into the land to take possession of it, 9 and so that you may live long in the land that Jehovah swore to give to your forefathers and their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 “The land you are going to take possession of is not like the land of Egypt, out of which you came, where you used to sow your seed and irrigate it with your foot, like a garden of vegetables. 11 But the land you are about to cross into and possess is a land of mountains and valley plains. It drinks the water that rains from the heavens; 12 it is a land that Jehovah your God is caring for. The eyes of Jehovah your God are constantly upon it, from the beginning of the year to the close of the year.
13 “And if you will diligently obey my commandments that I am commanding you today and love Jehovah your God and serve him with all your heart and all your soul, 14 I will also give rain for your land at its appointed time, autumn rain and spring rain, and you will gather your grain and your new wine and your oil. 15 And I will provide vegetation in your fields for your livestock, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Be careful not to let your heart be enticed to go astray and worship other gods and bow down to them. 17 Otherwise, Jehovah’s anger will blaze against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will not give its produce and you will quickly perish from the good land that Jehovah is giving you.
18 “You must impress these words of mine on your heart and your soul and bind them as a reminder on your hand, and they should be like a headband on your forehead. 19 Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that you and your sons may live long in the land that Jehovah swore to give to your forefathers, for as long as the heavens are over the earth.
22 “If you strictly observe this commandment that I am giving you and you carry it out, to love Jehovah your God, to walk in all his ways and to cling to him, 23 Jehovah will drive away all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and more numerous than you are. 24 Every place you set your foot will become yours. From the wilderness up to Lebʹa·non, from the River, the river Eu·phraʹtes, to the western sea, your boundary will become. 25 Nobody will stand up to you. Jehovah your God will spread the dread and the fear of you over the whole land on which you walk, just as he promised you.
26 “See, I am putting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing if you obey the commandments of Jehovah your God that I am commanding you today, 28 and the curse if you do not obey the commandments of Jehovah your God and you turn aside from the way I am commanding you to follow today and you follow gods that you have not known.
29 “When Jehovah your God brings you into the land you are to possess, you must pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerʹi·zim and the curse on Mount Eʹbal. 30 Are they not on the other side of the Jordan toward the west, in the land of the Caʹnaan·ites who live in the Arʹa·bah, opposite Gilʹgal, beside the big trees of Moʹreh? 31 For you are crossing the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land that Jehovah your God is giving you. When you take possession of it and live in it, 32 you must be careful to carry out all the regulations and the judicial decisions that I am putting before you today.
12 “These are the regulations and the judicial decisions that you should be careful to carry out all the days that you are alive in the land that Jehovah the God of your forefathers will give you to possess. 2 You should completely destroy all the places where the nations you will dispossess have served their gods, whether on the high mountains or on the hills or under any luxuriant tree. 3 You should pull down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, burn their sacred poles in the fire, and cut down the graven images of their gods, obliterating their very names from that place.
4 “You must not worship Jehovah your God in that way. 5 Rather, seek Jehovah your God wherever he chooses to establish his name and his place of residence among all your tribes, and go there. 6 That is where you are to bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution from your hand, your vow offerings, your voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and flock. 7 You and your households must eat there before Jehovah your God and rejoice in all your undertakings, because Jehovah your God has blessed you.
8 “You must not do as we are doing here today, with everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, 9 because you have not yet come into the resting-place and the inheritance that Jehovah your God is giving you. 10 When you do cross the Jordan and dwell in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you to possess, he will certainly give you rest from all your enemies around you, and you will dwell in security. 11 You will bring all that I am commanding you to the place that Jehovah your God chooses to have his name reside—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution from your hand, and every vow offering that you vow to Jehovah. 12 You will rejoice before Jehovah your God, you and your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite inside your cities, for he has not been given a share or an inheritance with you. 13 Be careful not to offer up your burnt offerings in any other place you may see. 14 You should offer your burnt offerings only in the place that Jehovah chooses in one of your tribal territories, and there you should do everything I am commanding you.
15 “But whenever you desire it, you may slaughter and eat meat, according to the blessing that Jehovah your God has given you in all your cities. The unclean person and the clean person may eat it, as you would eat a gazelle or a deer. 16 But you must not eat the blood; you should pour it out on the ground like water. 17 You will not be allowed to eat within your cities the tenth part of your grain, your new wine, your oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any of your vow offerings that you vow, your voluntary offerings, or the contribution from your hand. 18 These you are to eat before Jehovah your God in the place Jehovah your God will choose—you and your son, your daughter, your male and female servant, and the Levite inside your cities; and you will rejoice before Jehovah your God in all your undertakings. 19 Be careful not to neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land.
20 “When Jehovah your God enlarges your territory, just as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I want to eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire it. 21 If the place that Jehovah your God chooses to put his name is far away from you, you should then slaughter some of your herd or some of your flock that Jehovah has given you, just as I have commanded you, and you should eat inside your cities whenever you desire it. 22 You may eat it as you would eat the gazelle and the deer; both the unclean person and the clean person may eat it. 23 Just be firmly resolved not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the flesh. 24 You must not eat it. You should pour it out on the ground like water. 25 You must not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you are doing what is right in Jehovah’s eyes. 26 You should take only the holy things that are yours and your vow offerings when you come to the place that Jehovah will choose. 27 There you will offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of Jehovah your God, and the blood of your sacrifices should be poured out against the altar of Jehovah your God, but the flesh you may eat.
28 “Be careful to obey all these words that I am commanding you, so that it may always go well with you and your sons after you, because you are doing what is good and right in the eyes of Jehovah your God.
29 “When Jehovah your God annihilates the nations that you are to dispossess, and you are living in their land, 30 be careful not to be entrapped after they have been annihilated from before you. Do not ask about their gods, saying, ‘How were these nations accustomed to serve their gods? I too will do the same.’ 31 You must not do this to Jehovah your God, because they do for their gods every detestable thing that Jehovah hates, even burning their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 Every word that I am commanding you is what you should be careful to do. You must not add to it nor take away from it.
13 “In case a prophet or one who foretells by dreams arises in your midst and gives you a sign or a portent, 2 and the sign or the portent about which he spoke to you comes true while he is saying, ‘Let us walk after other gods,’ gods that you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer, for Jehovah your God is testing you to know whether you love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul. 4 After Jehovah your God you should walk, him you should fear, his commandments you should keep, to his voice you should listen; he is the one you should serve, and to him you should hold fast. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer should be put to death, because he encouraged rebellion against Jehovah your God—who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery—to turn you from the way in which Jehovah your God has commanded you to walk. And you must remove what is evil from your midst.
6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or your cherished wife or your closest companion should try to entice you in secrecy, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ gods that neither you nor your forefathers have known, 7 from the gods of the peoples all around you, whether near you or those far away from you, from one end of the land to the other end of the land, 8 you must not give in to him or listen to him, nor should you show pity or feel compassion or protect him; 9 instead, you should kill him without fail. Your hand should be the first to come upon him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people afterward. 10 And you must stone him to death, because he has sought to turn you away from Jehovah your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and become afraid, and they will never again do anything bad like this among you.
12 “In case you hear it said in one of your cities that Jehovah your God is giving you to occupy, 13 ‘Good-for-nothing men have gone out among you to turn away the inhabitants of their city, saying: “Let us go and serve other gods,” gods that you have not known,’ 14 you should look into the matter, making a thorough investigation and inquiry; and if it is confirmed to be true that this detestable thing has been done among you, 15 you should without fail strike down the inhabitants of that city with the sword. Devote it and everything that is in it, including its livestock, to destruction by the sword. 16 You should then collect all its spoil into the middle of its public square and burn the city with fire, and its spoil will serve as a whole offering to Jehovah your God. It will become a permanent heap of ruins. It should never be rebuilt. 17 Your hand should take nothing that was set apart for destruction, so that Jehovah may turn away from his burning anger and show you mercy and compassion and multiply you, just as he has sworn to your forefathers. 18 For you should obey Jehovah your God by keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, thus doing what is right in the eyes of Jehovah your God.
14 “You are sons of Jehovah your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads bald for a dead person. 2 For you are a holy people to Jehovah your God, and Jehovah has chosen you to become his people, his special property, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
3 “You must not eat anything that is detestable. 4 These are the animals that you may eat: the bull, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the antelope, the wild sheep, and the mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided into two and that chews the cud. 7 However, you must not eat the following animals that chew the cud or that have split hooves: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not have split hooves. They are unclean for you. 8 Also the pig because it has a split hoof but does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat their flesh or touch their carcasses.
9 “Of everything that is living in the waters, you may eat these: Anything with fins and scales, you may eat. 10 But you must not eat anything that has no fins and scales. It is unclean for you.
11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But you must not eat these: the eagle, the osprey, the black vulture, 13 the red kite, the black kite, every kind of glede, 14 every kind of raven, 15 the ostrich, the owl, the gull, every kind of falcon, 16 the little owl, the long-eared owl, the swan, 17 the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, every kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. 19 Every winged swarming creature also is unclean for you. They should not be eaten. 20 Any clean flying creature you may eat.
21 “You must not eat any animal that was found dead. You may give it to the foreign resident who is inside your cities, and he may eat it, or it may be sold to a foreigner. For you are a holy people to Jehovah your God.
“You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
22 “You must without fail give a tenth of everything your seed produces in the field year by year. 23 You will eat the tenth part of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock before Jehovah your God in the place that he chooses to have his name reside, so that you may learn to fear Jehovah your God always.
24 “But if the journey should be too long for you and you are not able to carry it to the place that Jehovah your God chooses as the place for his name because it is far away from you (because Jehovah your God will bless you), 25 you may then convert it into money, and with your money in hand, travel to the place that Jehovah your God will choose. 26 You may then spend the money on whatever you desire—cattle, sheep, goats, wine and other alcoholic beverages, and anything you please; and you will eat there before Jehovah your God and rejoice, you and your household. 27 And do not neglect the Levite who is inside your cities, for he has not been given a share or an inheritance with you.
28 “At the end of every three years, you should bring out the entire tenth part of your produce for that year and deposit it inside your cities. 29 Then the Levite, who has not been given a share or an inheritance with you, the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow who are in your cities will come and eat their fill, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all that you do.
15 “At the end of every seven years, you should grant a release. 2 This is the nature of the release: Every creditor will release his neighbor from the debt he incurred. He should not demand payment from his neighbor or his brother, for it will be proclaimed a release to Jehovah. 3 You may demand payment from the foreigner, but you should release your claim on whatever your brother owes you. 4 However, no one among you should become poor, for Jehovah will surely bless you in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, 5 but only if you strictly obey the voice of Jehovah your God and carefully observe all this commandment that I am giving you today. 6 For Jehovah your God will bless you just as he has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not need to borrow; and you will dominate many nations, but they will not dominate you.
7 “If one of your brothers becomes poor among you in one of your cities of the land that Jehovah your God is giving you, do not harden your heart or be tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 For you should generously open your hand to him and by all means lend whatever he needs or is lacking. 9 Be careful not to harbor this evil idea in your heart, ‘The seventh year, the year of the release, has approached,’ and hold back your generosity toward your poor brother and give him nothing. If he calls out to Jehovah against you, it will be a sin on your part. 10 You should generously give to him, and you should not give to him grudgingly, for this is why Jehovah your God will bless your every deed and undertaking. 11 For there will always be poor people in the land. That is why I am commanding you, ‘You should generously open up your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land.’
12 “If one of your brothers, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you and has served you for six years, then in the seventh year you should set him free. 13 And if you should set him free, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 You should supply him generously with something from your flock, your threshing floor, and your press for oil and wine. Just as Jehovah your God has blessed you, you should give to him. 15 Remember that you became a slave in the land of Egypt and that Jehovah your God redeemed you. That is why I am commanding you to do this today.
16 “But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from your company!’ because he loves you and your household, since he has been happy while with you, 17 you should then take an awl and put it through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. You should do the same with your slave girl. 18 Do not consider it a hardship when you set him free and he leaves you, because his service to you for six years was worth twice as much as that of a hired worker, and Jehovah your God has blessed you in everything that was done.
19 “You should sanctify every firstborn male of your herd and your flock to Jehovah your God. You must not do any work with the firstborn of your herd nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You and your household should eat it before Jehovah your God year by year in the place that Jehovah will choose. 21 But if it has a defect—lameness, blindness, or any other serious defect—you must not sacrifice it to Jehovah your God. 22 You should eat it inside your cities, the unclean and clean person together, as though it were a gazelle or a deer. 23 But you must not eat its blood; you should pour it out on the ground like water.
16 “Observe the month of Aʹbib, and celebrate the Passover to Jehovah your God, for in the month of Aʹbib, Jehovah your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 And you should sacrifice the Passover offering to Jehovah your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place that Jehovah chooses to have his name reside. 3 You must not eat anything leavened along with it; for seven days you should eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you came out of the land of Egypt in haste. Do this so that you may remember the day you came out of the land of Egypt as long as you live. 4 No sourdough should be found with you in all your territory for seven days, nor should any of the meat that you will sacrifice in the evening on the first day remain all night until the next morning. 5 You will not be allowed to sacrifice the Passover offering in just any of the cities that Jehovah your God is giving you. 6 But it should be done at the place that Jehovah your God chooses to have his name reside. You should sacrifice the Passover offering in the evening as soon as the sun sets, at the appointed time of your coming out of Egypt. 7 You must cook it and eat it in the place that Jehovah your God will choose, and in the morning you may return to your own tents. 8 Six days you should eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there will be a solemn assembly to Jehovah your God. You must do no work.
9 “You should count off seven weeks. You should begin counting off seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then you are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks to Jehovah your God with the voluntary offering from your hand, given in proportion to how Jehovah your God blesses you. 11 And you are to rejoice before Jehovah your God, you and your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female slave, the Levite who is inside your cities, the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow, who are in your midst, in the place that Jehovah your God chooses to have his name reside. 12 Remember that you became a slave in Egypt, and observe and carry out these regulations.
13 “You should celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days when you make an ingathering from your threshing floor and from your press for oil and wine. 14 Rejoice during your festival, you and your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female slave, the Levite, the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow, who are inside your cities. 15 Seven days you will celebrate the festival to Jehovah your God in the place that Jehovah chooses, for Jehovah your God will bless all your produce and all that you do, and you will become nothing but joyful.
16 “Three times a year, all your males should appear before Jehovah your God in the place that he chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths, and none of them should appear before Jehovah empty-handed. 17 The gift that each one brings should be in proportion to the blessing that Jehovah your God has given you.
18 “You should appoint judges and officers for each tribe in all the cities that Jehovah your God is giving you, and they must judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You must not pervert justice, show partiality, or accept a bribe, for the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous. 20 Justice—justice you should pursue, so that you may keep living and take possession of the land that Jehovah your God is giving you.
21 “You should not plant any sort of tree as a sacred pole near the altar of Jehovah your God that you make for yourself.
22 “Neither should you set up a sacred pillar for yourself, something Jehovah your God hates.
17 “You must not sacrifice to Jehovah your God a bull or a sheep that has a defect or anything wrong with it, for it would be detestable to Jehovah your God.
2 “Suppose a man or a woman is found among you, in any of your cities that Jehovah your God is giving you, who is practicing what is bad in the eyes of Jehovah your God and violating his covenant, 3 and he goes astray and worships other gods and he bows down to them or to the sun or the moon or all the army of the heavens, a thing that I have not commanded. 4 When it is reported to you or you hear about it, then you should investigate the matter thoroughly. If it is confirmed to be true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 5 you must bring the man or the woman who has done this evil thing out to the city gates, and the man or the woman must be stoned to death. 6 On the testimony of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die should be put to death. He must not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses should be the first to come against him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people afterward. You must remove what is bad from your midst.
8 “If a case arises in one of your cities that is too difficult for you to judge, whether it is a case involving bloodshed or a legal claim that has been raised or a violent deed that has been committed or other matters of dispute, you should rise up and go to the place that Jehovah your God chooses. 9 Go to the Levitical priests and to the judge serving in those days, and make your inquiry, and they will hand down the decision to you. 10 Then you must act according to the decision that they hand down to you from the place that Jehovah chooses. Be careful to do according to all that they instruct you. 11 You must act according to the law that they show you and according to the decision that they declare to you. Do not deviate from the decision that they will hand down to you, either to the right or to the left. 12 The man who acts presumptuously by not listening to the priest who is ministering to Jehovah your God or to the judge must die. You must remove what is bad from Israel. 13 All the people will then hear and become afraid, and they will not act presumptuously anymore.
14 “When you enter the land that Jehovah your God is giving you and you have taken possession of it and are living in it, and you say, ‘Let me appoint a king over myself like all the nations around me,’ 15 in that case, you should without fail appoint a king whom Jehovah your God chooses. You should appoint a king from among your brothers. You are forbidden to appoint over yourself a foreigner who is not your brother. 16 However, he should not acquire many horses for himself or make the people go back to Egypt in order to obtain more horses, since Jehovah told you, ‘You must never go back again by this way.’ 17 Neither should he take many wives for himself, so that his heart may not go astray; nor should he acquire vast amounts of silver and gold for himself. 18 When he takes his seat on the throne of his kingdom, he must write for himself in a book a copy of this Law, taken from the one kept by the Levitical priests.
19 “It is to remain with him, and he must read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God and observe all the words of this Law and these regulations by carrying them out. 20 Thus his heart will not exalt itself above his brothers, and he will not deviate from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he may remain a long time over his kingdom, he and his sons in the midst of Israel.
18 “The Levitical priests, and indeed the entire tribe of Leʹvi, will not be given a share or an inheritance with Israel. They will eat of the offerings made by fire to Jehovah, which are his inheritance. 2 So they should have no inheritance in the midst of their brothers. Jehovah is their inheritance, just as he has spoken to them.
3 “Now this will be the due right of the priests from the people: Whoever makes a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep, is to give the shoulder, the jaws, and the stomach to the priest. 4 The firstfruits of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the first wool that is shorn from your flock you should give him. 5 Jehovah your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes to minister in the name of Jehovah always.
6 “But if a Levite leaves one of your cities in Israel where he was living and he desires to go to the place that Jehovah chooses, 7 he may minister there in the name of Jehovah his God the same as all his brothers, the Levites, who are stationed there before Jehovah. 8 He will receive an equal share of food with them, in addition to what he receives from selling his ancestral possessions.
9 “When you have entered into the land that Jehovah your God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the detestable practices of those nations. 10 There should not be found in you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, anyone who employs divination, anyone practicing magic, anyone who looks for omens, a sorcerer, 11 anyone binding others with a spell, anyone who consults a spirit medium or a fortune-teller, or anyone who inquires of the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to Jehovah, and on account of these detestable practices Jehovah your God is driving them away from before you. 13 You should prove yourself blameless before Jehovah your God.
14 “For these nations that you are dispossessing used to listen to those practicing magic and divination, but Jehovah your God has not allowed you to do anything like this. 15 Jehovah your God will raise up for you from among your brothers a prophet like me. You must listen to him. 16 This is in response to what you asked of Jehovah your God in Horʹeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Do not let me hear the voice of Jehovah my God or see this great fire anymore, so that I do not die.’ 17 Then Jehovah said to me, ‘What they have said is good. 18 I will raise up for them from the midst of their brothers a prophet like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them all that I command him. 19 Indeed, I will require an account from the man who will not listen to my words that he will speak in my name.
20 “‘If any prophet presumptuously speaks a word in my name that I did not command him to speak or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 However, you may say in your heart: “How will we know that Jehovah has not spoken the word?” 22 When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word is not fulfilled or does not come true, then Jehovah did not speak that word. The prophet spoke it presumptuously. You should not fear him.’
19 “When Jehovah your God destroys the nations whose land Jehovah your God is giving you and you have dispossessed them and have settled in their cities and their houses, 2 you should set apart three cities in the midst of your land that Jehovah your God is giving you to possess. 3 You should divide the territory of the land that Jehovah your God has given you to possess into three parts, and prepare the roads so that any manslayer can flee to one of those cities.
4 “Now this is what should take place regarding the manslayer who may flee there in order to live: When he strikes his fellow man unintentionally and he did not previously hate him; 5 as when he goes with his fellow man into the forest to gather wood and he raises his hand to cut the tree with the ax, but the axhead flies off the handle and hits his fellow man and he dies, the manslayer should flee to one of these cities to live. 6 Otherwise, in the heat of anger, the avenger of blood may chase after the manslayer, overtake him, and kill him, because the distance to the city was too far. However, he did not deserve to die, since he did not previously hate his fellow man. 7 That is why I am commanding you: ‘Set three cities apart.’
8 “If Jehovah your God enlarges your territory as he swore to your forefathers and he has given you all the land that he promised to give to your forefathers 9 —provided you faithfully observe all this commandment that I am giving you today, to love Jehovah your God and always to walk in his ways—then you are to add three other cities to these three. 10 In this way no innocent blood will be spilled in your land that Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance, and no bloodguilt will come upon you.
11 “But if a man hated his fellow man and he was waiting to attack him and he fatally wounded him and he died, and the man has fled to one of these cities, 12 the elders of his city should then summon him from there and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, and he must die. 13 You should not feel sorry for him, and you must remove the guilt of innocent blood out of Israel, so that it may go well for you.
14 “When you receive your inheritance in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you to possess, you must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker from the place where the ancestors set the boundaries.
15 “No single witness may convict another for any error or any sin that he may commit. On the testimony of two witnesses or on the testimony of three witnesses the matter should be established. 16 If a malicious witness testifies against a man and charges him with some transgression, 17 the two men who have the dispute will stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who will be serving in those days. 18 The judges will thoroughly investigate, and if the man who testified is a false witness and has brought a false charge against his brother, 19 you should do to him just as he had schemed to do to his brother, and you must remove what is bad from your midst. 20 Those who remain will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything bad like this among you. 21 You should not feel sorry: Life will be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
20 “If you go to war against your enemies and you see their horses and chariots and troops that outnumber yours, do not be afraid of them, for Jehovah your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt is with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest should approach and address the people. 3 He should tell them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are about to do battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid or be terrified or tremble because of them, 4 for Jehovah your God is marching with you to fight for you against your enemies and to save you.’
5 “The officers too should tell the people, ‘Who has built a new house and has not inaugurated it? Let him return to his house. Otherwise, he may die in the battle and another man will inaugurate it. 6 And who has planted a vineyard and not begun to use it? Let him go and return to his house. Otherwise, he may die in the battle and another man will begin to use it. 7 And who has become engaged to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house. Otherwise, he might die in the battle and another man will marry her.’ 8 The officers should also ask the people, ‘Who is fearful and fainthearted? He should return to his house, so that he may not cause his brothers to lose heart as he has.’ 9 When the officers have finished speaking to the people, they should appoint chiefs of the armies to lead the people.
10 “If you approach a city to fight against it, you should also announce to it terms of peace. 11 If it gives a peaceful answer to you and opens up to you, all the people found there will become yours for forced labor, and they will serve you. 12 But if it refuses to make peace with you and instead goes to war with you, you should besiege it, 13 and Jehovah your God will certainly give it into your hand, and you must strike down every male in it with the sword. 14 However, the women, the children, the livestock, and everything that is in the city, all its spoil, you may plunder for yourself, and you will eat the spoil of your enemies, which Jehovah your God has given to you.
15 “That is what you will do to all the cities very far away from you that are not of the cities of these nearby nations. 16 But in the cities of these peoples, which Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not allow any breathing thing to live. 17 Instead, you should devote them completely to destruction, the Hitʹtites, the Amʹor·ites, the Caʹnaan·ites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Hiʹvites, and the Jebʹu·sites, just as Jehovah your God has commanded you; 18 so that they may not teach you to follow all their detestable practices that they have done for their gods, causing you to sin against Jehovah your God.
19 “If you lay siege to a city in order to capture it and you have been fighting against it for many days, you should not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. You may eat from them, but you should not cut them down. For should you besiege a tree of the field as you would a man? 20 You may destroy only a tree that you know is not used for food. You may cut it down and build siegeworks against the city that is making war against you, until it falls.
21 “If someone is found slain in a field of the land that Jehovah your God is giving you to possess and it is not known who killed him, 2 your elders and judges should go out and measure the distance from the dead body to the cities that surround it. 3 Then the elders of the city nearest to the body should take from the herd a young cow that has never been put to work, that has never pulled in a yoke, 4 and the elders of that city should lead the young cow down to a valley running with water where no tilling or sowing of seed has been done, and they should break the neck of the young cow there in the valley.
5 “And the priests, the Levites, will approach because Jehovah your God has chosen them to minister to him, to pronounce blessings in the name of Jehovah. They will declare how every dispute involving violence should be resolved. 6 Then all the elders of the city who are nearest to the dead body should wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they should declare, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. 8 Do not hold this against your people Israel, whom you redeemed, O Jehovah, and do not let guilt for innocent blood remain among your people Israel.’ Then the bloodguilt will not be held against them. 9 In this way you will remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst by doing what is right in Jehovah’s eyes.
10 “If you go to war against your enemies and Jehovah your God defeats them for you and you take them captive, 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you are attracted to her and you want to take her as your wife, 12 you may bring her into your house. She should then shave her head, attend to her nails, 13 and remove the clothing of her captivity, and dwell in your house. She will weep for her father and her mother a whole month, and afterward you may have relations with her; you will become her husband and she will become your wife. 14 But if you are not pleased with her, you should then let her go wherever she wishes. But you may not sell her for money or treat her harshly, since you have humiliated her.
15 “If a man has two wives and he loves one more than the other and both have borne sons to him and the firstborn son belongs to the unloved one, 16 on the day that he gives his inheritance to his sons, he will not be allowed to treat the son of the loved one as his firstborn at the expense of the son of the unloved one, the firstborn. 17 He should recognize as the firstborn the unloved one’s son by giving him the double portion of everything he has, for that one is the beginning of his procreative power. The right of the firstborn’s position belongs to him.
18 “If a man has a son who is stubborn and rebellious and he does not obey his father or his mother, and they have tried to correct him but he refuses to listen to them, 19 his father and his mother should take hold of him and bring him out to the elders at the gate of his city 20 and say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, and he refuses to obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of his city must stone him to death. So you must remove what is bad from your midst, and all Israel will hear and become afraid.
22 “If a man commits a sin deserving the sentence of death and he has been put to death and you have hung him on a stake, 23 his dead body should not remain all night on the stake. Instead, you should be sure to bury him on that day, because the one hung up is something accursed of God, and you should not defile your land that Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance.
22 “If you see your brother’s bull or his sheep going astray, do not deliberately ignore it. You should without fail lead it back to your brother. 2 But if your brother does not live near you or you do not know him, you should bring the animal to your house, and it will remain with you until your brother searches for it. Then you should return it to him. 3 That is what you should do with his donkey, with his clothing, and with anything that your brother has lost and you have found. You must not ignore it.
4 “If you see your brother’s donkey or his bull fall down on the road, you must not deliberately ignore it. You should without fail help him raise the animal up.
5 “A woman must not put on the clothing of a man, nor should a man wear the clothing of a woman. For anyone doing so is detestable to Jehovah your God.
6 “If you happen upon a bird’s nest along the road with young ones or eggs, whether in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young ones or the eggs, you must not take the mother together with her young. 7 Be sure to send the mother away, but you may take the young for yourself. Do this so that it may go well with you and you may live long.
8 “If you build a new house, you must also make a parapet for your roof, so that you may not bring bloodguilt on your house because of someone falling from it.
9 “You must not sow your vineyard with two sorts of seed. Otherwise, everything produced from the seed you sow as well as the product of the vineyard will be forfeited to the sanctuary.
10 “You must not plow with a bull and a donkey together.
11 “You must not wear clothing made of wool and linen mixed together.
12 “You should make tassels on the four corners of the clothing you wear.
13 “If a man takes a wife and has relations with her but then comes to hate her 14 and he accuses her of misconduct and gives her a bad name by saying: ‘I have taken this woman, but when I had relations with her, I did not find evidence that she was a virgin,’ 15 the father and mother of the girl should produce the evidence of the girl’s virginity for the elders at the gate of the city. 16 The girl’s father must say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, but he hates her 17 and is accusing her of misconduct by saying: “I have found out that your daughter does not have evidence of virginity.” Now this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ They will then spread out the cloth before the elders of the city. 18 The city elders will take the man and discipline him. 19 They will fine him 100 silver shekels and give them to the girl’s father, because the man defamed a virgin of Israel, and she will continue to be his wife. He will not be allowed to divorce her as long as he lives.
20 “If, though, the accusation is true, and there is no evidence that the girl was a virgin, 21 they should bring the girl out to the entrance of her father’s house, and the men of her city should stone her to death, because she has committed a disgraceful act in Israel by committing sexual immorality in the house of her father. So you must remove what is bad from your midst.
22 “If a man is found lying down with a woman who is the wife of another man, both of them must die together, the man who lay down with the woman as well as the woman. So you must remove what is bad out of Israel.
23 “If a virgin is engaged to a man, and another man happens to meet her in the city and lies down with her, 24 you should bring them both out to the gate of that city and stone them to death, the girl because she did not scream in the city and the man because he humiliated the wife of his fellow man. So you must remove what is evil from your midst.
25 “If, however, the man happened to meet the engaged girl in the field and the man overpowered her and lay down with her, the man who lay down with her is to die by himself, 26 and you must do nothing to the girl. The girl has not committed a sin deserving of death. This case is the same as when a man attacks his fellow man and murders him. 27 For he happened to meet her in the field, and the engaged girl screamed, but there was no one to rescue her.
28 “If a man happens to meet a virgin girl who is not engaged and he seizes her and lies down with her and they are discovered, 29 the man who lay down with her must give the girl’s father 50 silver shekels, and she will become his wife. Because he humiliated her, he will not be allowed to divorce her as long as he lives.
30 “No man should take his father’s wife, so that he may not dishonor his father.
23 “No man who has been castrated by having his testicles crushed or who has had his male organ cut off may come into the congregation of Jehovah.
2 “No illegitimate son may come into the congregation of Jehovah. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may come into the congregation of Jehovah.
3 “No Amʹmon·ite or Moʹab·ite may come into the congregation of Jehovah. Even to the tenth generation, none of their descendants may ever come into the congregation of Jehovah, 4 because they did not come to your aid with food and water when you were on the way going out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor from Peʹthor of Mes·o·po·taʹmi·a to curse you. 5 But Jehovah your God refused to listen to Baʹlaam. Rather, Jehovah your God changed the curse into a blessing for you, because Jehovah your God loved you. 6 You should never seek their welfare or their prosperity all your days.
7 “You must not hate an Eʹdom·ite, for he is your brother.
“You must not hate an Egyptian, for you became a foreign resident in his country. 8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the congregation of Jehovah.
9 “When you are encamped against your enemies, you should avoid anything bad. 10 If a man becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he should go outside the camp and not reenter the camp. 11 When evening falls, he should wash with water, and then he may return to the camp at sunset. 12 A private place should be designated for use outside the camp, and there is where you should go. 13 A peg should be part of your equipment. When you squat outside, you should dig a hole with it and then cover your excrement. 14 For Jehovah your God is walking about within your camp to deliver you and to hand over your enemies to you, and your camp must be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent in you and turn away from accompanying you.
15 “You should not hand over a slave to his master when he escapes from his master and comes to you. 16 He may dwell among you in whatever place he chooses in one of your cities, wherever he likes. You must not mistreat him.
17 “None of the daughters of Israel may become a temple prostitute, neither may anyone of the sons of Israel become a temple prostitute. 18 You must not bring the price paid to a female prostitute or the price paid to a male prostitute into the house of Jehovah your God to fulfill a vow, for both of them are something detestable to Jehovah your God.
19 “You must not make your brother pay interest, whether interest on money, on food, or on anything on which interest may be charged. 20 You may make a foreigner pay interest, but you must not make your brother pay interest, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in every undertaking of yours in the land you are going to take possession of.
21 “If you make a vow to Jehovah your God, do not be slow about paying it. For Jehovah your God will surely require it of you; otherwise, it will be a sin on your part. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin. 23 The word of your lips you should keep, and you must carry out what your own mouth vowed as a voluntary offering to Jehovah your God.
24 “If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat enough grapes to satisfy your appetite, but you should not put any in your container.
25 “If you go into your neighbor’s field of standing grain, you may pluck the ripe ears with your hand, but you should not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.
24 “If a man marries a woman but she does not please him because he found something indecent about her, he must write out a certificate of divorce for her, hand it to her, and dismiss her from his house. 2 After she leaves his house, she may go and become another man’s wife. 3 If the second man hates her and writes out a certificate of divorce for her, hands it to her, and dismisses her from his house or if the second man who married her should die, 4 her first husband who dismissed her will not be allowed to take her back again as his wife after she has been defiled, for that is something detestable to Jehovah. You must not bring sin into the land that Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance.
5 “When a man is newly married, he should not serve in the army or be given any other duties. He should remain exempt for one year and stay at home and bring joy to his wife.
6 “No one should seize a hand mill or its upper millstone as security for a loan, for that would be taking someone’s livelihood as security.
7 “If someone is found to have kidnapped one of his Israelite brothers and he has mistreated him and sold him, the kidnapper must die. You should remove what is bad from your midst.
8 “When there is an outbreak of leprosy, be very careful to do according to all that the Levitical priests will instruct you. Be careful to do exactly as I commanded them. 9 Remember what Jehovah your God did to Mirʹi·am on the way when you were coming out of Egypt.
10 “If you make any sort of loan to your neighbor, you must not enter into his house to seize from him what he has offered as security. 11 You should stand outside, and the man who received the loan should bring outside to you what he is giving as security. 12 And if the man is in need, you must not go to bed with what he gave as security still in your possession. 13 You should by all means return to him what he has given as security as soon as the sun sets, and he will go to bed with his garment, and he will bless you; and it will mean righteousness for you before Jehovah your God.
14 “You must not defraud a hired worker who is in need and poor, whether one of your brothers or a foreign resident in your land, within your cities. 15 You should give him his wages that very day, before the sun sets, because he is in need and his life depends on his wages. Otherwise, he will cry out to Jehovah against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
16 “Fathers should not be put to death for what their children do, and children should not be put to death for what their fathers do. A person should be put to death only for his own sin.
17 “You must not pervert the judgment of the foreign resident or of the fatherless child, and you must not seize the garment of a widow as security for a loan. 18 Remember that you became a slave in Egypt, and Jehovah your God redeemed you from there. That is why I am commanding you to do this.
19 “When you reap your harvest from your field and you have forgotten a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. It should be left for the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all that you do.
20 “When you beat your olive tree, you should not repeat the procedure on its branches. What is left should remain for the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow.
21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not return to gather the leftovers. They should be left for the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow. 22 Remember that you became a slave in the land of Egypt. That is why I am commanding you to do this.
25 “When a dispute arises between men, they may present themselves before the judges, and they will judge them and pronounce the righteous one innocent and the wicked one guilty. 2 If the wicked one deserves to be beaten, the judge will have him lie down prostrate, and he will be beaten in his presence. The number of strokes should correspond to the wickedness of his deed. 3 He may beat him with up to 40 strokes, but no more. If he would continue beating him with more strokes than this, your brother would be disgraced before your eyes.
4 “You must not muzzle a bull when it is threshing out grain.
5 “If brothers dwell together and one of them dies without having a son, the wife of the dead one should not marry someone from outside the family. Her brother-in-law should go to her, take her as his wife, and perform brother-in-law marriage with her. 6 The firstborn whom she will bear will carry on the name of his dead brother, so that his name may not be wiped out of Israel.
7 “Now if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, his brother’s widow should then go to the elders at the city gate and say, ‘My husband’s brother has refused to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He has not consented to perform brother-in-law marriage with me.’ 8 The elders of his city must call him and speak to him. Should he insist and say, ‘I do not want to marry her,’ 9 then his brother’s widow should approach him before the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and say, ‘That is what should be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s household.’ 10 After that his family name in Israel will be known as ‘The house of the one who had his sandal removed.’
11 “If two men get into a fight with each other and the wife of the one intervenes to protect her husband from the one striking him and she reaches out her hand and grabs hold of him by his private parts, 12 you must amputate her hand. You should not feel sorry.
13 “You must not have in your bag two different stone weights, a large one and a small one. 14 You must not have in your house two different measuring containers, a large one and a small one. 15 You should keep an accurate and honest weight and an accurate and honest measure, so that you will live long in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you. 16 For every unjust person who does such things is detestable to Jehovah your God.
17 “Remember what Amʹa·lek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, 18 how he met you along the way and attacked all those straggling behind you when you were exhausted and weary. He did not fear God. 19 When Jehovah your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, you should wipe out the mention of Amʹa·lek from under the heavens. You must not forget.
26 “When eventually you enter into the land that Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance and you have taken possession of it and are dwelling in it, 2 you are to take some of the firstfruits of all the produce of the ground, which you will gather from your land that Jehovah your God is giving you, and put them in a basket and go to the place that Jehovah your God chooses to have his name reside. 3 You must go to the priest who will be serving in those days and say to him, ‘Today I am reporting to Jehovah your God that I have come into the land that Jehovah swore to our forefathers to give to us.’
4 “The priest will then take the basket out of your hand and deposit it before the altar of Jehovah your God. 5 Then you are to declare before Jehovah your God, ‘My father was a wandering A·ra·maeʹan, and he went down to Egypt and resided there as a foreigner, with few in his household. But there he became a great nation, mighty and numerous. 6 And the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us and imposed harsh slavery on us. 7 So we began to cry out to Jehovah, the God of our forefathers, and Jehovah heard our voice and looked upon our affliction and our trouble and our oppression. 8 Finally Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with terrifying deeds and with signs and miracles. 9 Then he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 Now I have brought the firstfruits of the produce of the ground that Jehovah has given me.’
“You must deposit it before Jehovah your God and bow down before Jehovah your God. 11 You will then rejoice over all the good that Jehovah your God has given you and your household, you and the Levite and the foreign resident who is among you.
12 “When you finish tithing the entire tenth of your produce in the third year, the year of the tenth, you will give it to the Levite, the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow, and they will eat their fill within your cities. 13 You will then say before Jehovah your God, ‘I have cleared the holy portion out of my house and given it to the Levite, the foreign resident, the fatherless child, and the widow, just as you have commanded me. I have not violated or neglected your commandments. 14 I have not eaten of it while mourning or removed any of it while unclean or given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of Jehovah my God and have done all that you commanded me. 15 Now look down from your holy dwelling, the heavens, and bless your people Israel and the land that you have given us, just as you swore to our forefathers, the land flowing with milk and honey.’
16 “This day Jehovah your God is commanding you to carry out these regulations and judicial decisions. You must observe them and carry them out with all your heart and all your soul. 17 Today you have obtained Jehovah’s declaration that he will become your God as you walk in his ways and observe his regulations, his commandments, and his judicial decisions, and as you listen to his voice. 18 And today Jehovah has obtained your declaration that you will become his people, his special property, just as he has promised you, and that you will observe all his commandments 19 and that he will put you high above all the other nations that he has made, giving you praise and fame and glory as you prove yourself a people holy to Jehovah your God, just as he has promised.”
27 Then Moses together with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying: “Observe every commandment that I am giving you today. 2 And in the day when you will cross the Jordan into the land that Jehovah your God is giving you, set up large stones and cover them with plaster. 3 Then write on them all the words of this Law when you have crossed over, so that you may enter into the land that Jehovah your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as Jehovah, the God of your forefathers, has promised you. 4 When you have crossed the Jordan, you should set up these stones on Mount Eʹbal and cover them with plaster, just as I am commanding you today. 5 You are also to build an altar there to Jehovah your God, an altar of stones. You should not use iron tools on them. 6 You should build the altar of Jehovah your God with whole stones and offer burnt offerings to Jehovah your God on it. 7 You are to offer communion sacrifices and eat them there, and you will rejoice before Jehovah your God. 8 And clearly write on the stones all the words of this Law.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying: “Keep silent and listen, O Israel. This day you have become the people of Jehovah your God. 10 You must listen to the voice of Jehovah your God and carry out his commandments and his regulations, which I am commanding you today.”
11 On that day Moses commanded the people, saying: 12 “The following tribes will stand on Mount Gerʹi·zim to bless the people when you have crossed the Jordan: Simʹe·on, Leʹvi, Judah, Isʹsa·char, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And the following will stand on Mount Eʹbal to pronounce the curse: Reuʹben, Gad, Ashʹer, Zebʹu·lun, Dan, and Naphʹta·li. 14 And the Levites will answer every man of Israel with a loud voice:
15 “‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved image or a metal statue, a thing detestable to Jehovah, the workmanship of the hands of a craftsman, and who has hidden it.’ (And all the people will respond, saying, ‘Amen!’)
16 “‘Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
17 “‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
18 “‘Cursed is the one who causes a blind person to lose his way on the road.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
19 “‘Cursed is the one who perverts the judgment of a foreign resident, a fatherless child, or a widow.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
20 “‘Cursed is the one who lies down with his father’s wife, for he has dishonored his father.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
21 “‘Cursed is the one who lies down with any animal.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
22 “‘Cursed is the one who lies down with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
23 “‘Cursed is the one who lies down with his mother-in-law.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
24 “‘Cursed is the one who ambushes and kills his neighbor.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
25 “‘Cursed is the one who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
26 “‘Cursed is the one who will not uphold the words of this Law by carrying them out.’ (And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’)
28 “And if you will without fail listen to the voice of Jehovah your God by being careful to do all his commandments that I am commanding you today, Jehovah your God will certainly put you high above all other nations of the earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, because you keep listening to the voice of Jehovah your God:
3 “Blessed you will be in the city, and blessed you will be in the field.
4 “Blessed will be your children and the fruit of your ground and the offspring of your livestock, your young cattle and sheep.
5 “Blessed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed you will be when you come in, and blessed you will be when you go out.
7 “Jehovah will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will flee from you in seven different directions. 8 Jehovah will decree for you a blessing on your storehouses and every undertaking of yours, and he will certainly bless you in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you. 9 Jehovah will establish you as a holy people to himself, just as he swore to you, because you continue to keep the commandments of Jehovah your God and walk in his ways. 10 All the peoples of the earth will have to see that Jehovah’s name has been called upon you, and they will be afraid of you.
11 “Jehovah will make you overflow with many children and much livestock and fruitful ground in the land that Jehovah swore to your forefathers to give you. 12 Jehovah will open up to you his good storehouse, the heavens, to give your land rain in its season and to bless all that you do. You will lend to many nations, while you yourself will not need to borrow. 13 Jehovah will make you the head, and not the tail; and you will be on top, and not on the bottom, if you keep obeying the commandments of Jehovah your God that I am commanding you today to observe and to do. 14 You must not deviate from all the words that I am commanding you today, to the right or to the left, to walk after other gods to serve them.
15 “But if you will not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God by taking care to do all his commandments and his statutes that I am commanding you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 “Cursed you will be in the city, and cursed you will be in the field.
17 “Cursed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “Cursed will be your children and the fruit of your ground and your young cattle and sheep.
19 “Cursed you will be when you come in, and cursed you will be when you go out.
20 “Jehovah will send upon you the curse, confusion and punishment in every undertaking of yours until you have been annihilated and have quickly perished, because of your bad practices and your forsaking me. 21 Jehovah will cause the disease to cling to you until he has exterminated you from the land you are going to take possession of. 22 Jehovah will strike you with tuberculosis, burning fever, inflammation, feverish heat, the sword, scorching blight, and mildew; and they will pursue you until you have perished. 23 The skies over your head will be copper, and the earth beneath you, iron. 24 Jehovah will make the rain of your land powder and dust that will come down on you from the heavens until you have been annihilated. 25 Jehovah will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will attack them from one direction, but you will flee from them in seven different directions; and you will become an object of horror to all the earth’s kingdoms. 26 And your carcasses will become food for every bird of the sky and animal of the ground, with no one to frighten them away.
27 “Jehovah will strike you with the boils of Egypt, piles, eczema, and skin lesions, from which you cannot be healed. 28 Jehovah will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion. 29 You will grope about at midday, just as a blind man gropes about in darkness, and you will not succeed in anything you do; and you will be constantly defrauded and robbed, with no one to save you. 30 You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will rape her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not begin to use it. 31 Your bull will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be stolen right in front of you, but it will not return to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, but you will have no savior. 32 Your sons and your daughters will be given to another people while you look on, and you will always long for them, but your hands will be powerless. 33 The fruitage of your ground and all that you produce will be eaten by a people whom you have not known, and you will always be defrauded and crushed. 34 You will be driven mad by what your eyes see.
35 “Jehovah will strike you with painful and incurable boils on your knees and legs, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. 36 Jehovah will drive you and the king whom you set up over yourself to a nation that you and your forefathers have not known, and there you will serve other gods, gods of wood and of stone. 37 And you will become an object of horror and of scorn, and a cause for ridicule among all the peoples to whom Jehovah drives you.
38 “You will take much seed out into the field, but you will gather little, because the locust will devour it. 39 Vineyards you will plant and cultivate, but you will drink no wine and gather nothing, because the worm will consume it. 40 You will have olive trees in all your territory, but you will rub no oil on yourself, because your olives will drop off. 41 Sons and daughters you will bear, but they will not remain yours, because they will go off into captivity. 42 Swarms of insects will overwhelm all your trees and the fruitage of your ground. 43 The foreign resident who is in your midst will keep ascending higher and higher over you, while you yourself will keep descending lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will become the head, while you yourself will become the tail.
45 “All these curses will certainly come upon you and pursue you and overtake you until you have been annihilated, because you did not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God by keeping his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. 46 And they will continue on you and your offspring as a permanent sign and portent, 47 because you did not serve Jehovah your God with rejoicing and joy of heart when you had such an abundance of everything. 48 Jehovah will send your enemies against you, and you will serve them while you are hungry and thirsty and poorly clothed and lacking everything. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has annihilated you.
49 “Jehovah will raise up against you a distant nation, from the end of the earth; it will pounce like an eagle, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a nation fierce in appearance that will show no regard to the old or favor to the young. 51 They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the fruitage of your ground until you have been annihilated. They will not leave any grain, new wine or oil, young cattle or sheep for you until they have destroyed you. 52 They will besiege you, shutting you up inside all your cities throughout your land until your high and fortified walls that you are trusting in fall down. Yes, they will certainly besiege you within all your cities throughout your land that Jehovah your God has given you. 53 Then you will have to eat your own children, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom Jehovah your God has given you, because of the severity of the siege and the distress your enemy inflicts on you.
54 “Even the most delicate and sensitive man among you will have no pity on his brother or his cherished wife or his sons who remain, 55 and he will not share with them any of the flesh of his sons that he will eat, because he has nothing else on account of the severity of the siege and the distress your enemy inflicts on your cities. 56 And the delicate and sensitive woman among you who would not even think of putting the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate will show no pity to her cherished husband or her son or her daughter, 57 even toward the afterbirth that comes from between her legs and toward the sons she bears, for she will secretly eat them because of the severity of the siege and the distress your enemy inflicts on your cities.
58 “If you will not carefully observe all the words of this Law that are written in this book and you do not fear this glorious and awe-inspiring name, that of Jehovah your God, 59 Jehovah will inflict very severe plagues on you and your offspring, great and enduring plagues, and grievous and enduring sicknesses. 60 He will bring back upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you used to fear, and they will certainly cling to you. 61 Moreover, Jehovah will even bring upon you every sickness or plague not written in the book of this Law until you have been annihilated. 62 Although you have become as numerous as the stars of the heavens, very few of your number will be left, because you did not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God.
63 “And just as Jehovah once delighted to make you prosper and to multiply you, so Jehovah will delight to destroy you and to annihilate you; and you will be torn from the land you are about to possess.
64 “Jehovah will scatter you among all the nations, from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, and there you will have to serve gods of wood and of stone, which you and your forefathers have not known. 65 You will have no peace among those nations nor a place of rest for the sole of your foot. Rather, Jehovah will give you there an anxious heart and failing eyes and a feeling of despair. 66 Your life will be in great peril, and you will feel dread night and day; and you will be uncertain of your survival. 67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread you will feel in your heart and because of what your eyes will see. 68 And Jehovah will certainly bring you back to Egypt by ship, by the way that I told you, ‘You will never see it again,’ and there you will have to sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
29 These are the words of the covenant that Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moʹab, in addition to the covenant that he made with them at Horʹeb.
2 Moses then called together all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharʹaoh and all his servants and all his land, 3 the great judgments that your eyes saw, those great signs and miracles. 4 But Jehovah has not given you a heart to understand and eyes to see and ears to hear, down to this day. 5 ‘While I kept guiding you for 40 years in the wilderness, your garments did not wear out on you and your sandals did not wear out on your feet. 6 You did not eat bread, and you did not drink wine or anything alcoholic, so that you would know that I am Jehovah your God.’ 7 You eventually came to this place, and Siʹhon the king of Heshʹbon and Og the king of Baʹshan came out to meet us in battle, but we defeated them. 8 After that we took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of the Ma·nasʹsites. 9 Therefore, observe the words of this covenant and obey them, so that everything you do will turn out well.
10 “All of you are stationed today before Jehovah your God, the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officers, every man of Israel, 11 your children, your wives, and your foreign resident who is in the midst of your camp, from the one gathering your wood to the one drawing your water. 12 You are here in order to enter into the covenant of Jehovah your God and his oath, which Jehovah your God is making with you today 13 in order that he may establish you today as his people and that he may be your God, just as he has promised you and just as he swore to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14 “Now it is not with you alone that I am making this covenant and this oath, 15 but it is with those standing here with us today before Jehovah our God and with those who are not here with us today. 16 (For you well know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we passed through the midst of various nations on our journey. 17 And you used to see their detestable things and their disgusting idols of wood and stone, silver and gold, that were among them.) 18 Beware that there may not be a man or a woman, a family or a tribe among you today whose heart turns away from Jehovah our God to go serve the gods of those nations, that there may not be a root among you producing poisonous fruit and wormwood.
19 “But if someone hears the words of this oath and boasts in his heart, saying, ‘I will have peace, though I insist on walking in the ways of my own heart,’ to the ruin of everything in his path, 20 Jehovah will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, Jehovah’s great anger will blaze against that man, and the entire curse written in this book will certainly come upon him, and Jehovah will indeed wipe out his name from under the heavens. 21 Jehovah will then single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity in accord with the entire curse of the covenant that is written in this book of the Law.
22 “When the future generation of your sons and the foreigner from a distant land see the plagues of the land, the maladies that Jehovah has brought upon it— 23 sulfur and salt and burning, so that its whole land will not be sown or sprout, nor will any vegetation spring up in it, like the overthrow of Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah, Adʹmah and Ze·boiʹim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger and in his wrath— 24 they and all the nations will say, ‘Why did Jehovah do this to this land? What caused this great, burning anger?’ 25 Then they will say, ‘It was because they abandoned the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their forefathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 But they went and served other gods and bowed down to them, gods that they had not known and that he had not permitted them to worship. 27 Then Jehovah’s burning anger came against that land by bringing upon it the entire curse written in this book. 28 Therefore, Jehovah uprooted them from their soil in his anger and fury and great indignation and deported them to another land, where they are today.’
29 “The things concealed belong to Jehovah our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our descendants forever, so that we may carry out all the words of this Law.
30 “When all these words come upon you, the blessing and the curse that I have put before you, and you call them to mind in all the nations where Jehovah your God has dispersed you, 2 and you return to Jehovah your God and listen to his voice according to all that I am commanding you today, you and your sons, with all your heart and all your soul, 3 Jehovah your God will then bring back your captives and show you mercy and regather you from all the peoples where Jehovah your God has scattered you. 4 Even if your people are dispersed to the extremity of the heavens, from there Jehovah your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 Jehovah your God will bring you into the land your fathers took possession of, and you will possess it; and he will make you prosper and will multiply you more than your fathers. 6 Jehovah your God will cleanse your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and you may live. 7 Then Jehovah your God will bring all these curses upon your enemies, who hated and persecuted you.
8 “You will then return and listen to the voice of Jehovah and observe all his commandments that I am commanding you today. 9 Jehovah your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hands, multiplying your children and your livestock and the produce of your ground, for Jehovah will again delight to make you prosper, just as he delighted in your forefathers. 10 For then you will listen to the voice of Jehovah your God and keep his commandments and statutes written in this book of the Law, and you will return to Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul.
11 “Now this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it beyond your reach. 12 It is not in the heavens, so that you have to say, ‘Who will ascend to the heavens and get it for us, so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 13 Nor is it on the other side of the sea, so that you have to say, ‘Who will cross over to the other side of the sea and get it for us, so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 14 For the word is very near you, in your own mouth and in your own heart, so that you may do it.
15 “See, I do put before you today life and good, and death and bad. 16 If you listen to the commandments of Jehovah your God that I am commanding you today, by loving Jehovah your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his judicial decisions, then you will live and multiply, and Jehovah your God will bless you in the land you are going to possess.
17 “But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are enticed and bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess. 19 I take the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you today that I have put life and death before you, the blessing and the curse; and you must choose life so that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 by loving Jehovah your God, by listening to his voice, and by sticking to him, for he is your life and by him you will endure a long time in the land that Jehovah swore to give to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
31 Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel, 2 saying to them: “I am 120 years old today. I can no longer lead you, for Jehovah has said to me, ‘You will not cross this Jordan.’ 3 Jehovah your God is the one crossing before you, and he himself will annihilate these nations before you, and you will drive them away. Joshua is the one who will lead you across, just as Jehovah has spoken. 4 Jehovah will do to them just as he did to Siʹhon and to Og, the kings of the Amʹor·ites, and to their land when he annihilated them. 5 Jehovah will defeat them for you, and you are to do to them according to the whole commandment that I have given you. 6 Be courageous and strong. Do not be afraid or struck with terror before them, for Jehovah your God is the one marching with you. He will neither desert you nor abandon you.”
7 Moses then called Joshua and said to him before the eyes of all Israel: “Be courageous and strong, for you are the one who will bring this people into the land that Jehovah swore to their forefathers to give to them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. 8 Jehovah is the one marching before you, and he will continue with you. He will neither desert you nor abandon you. Do not be afraid or be terrified.”
9 Then Moses wrote this Law and gave it to the priests, the Levites, who carry the ark of Jehovah’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of the release, during the Festival of Booths, 11 when all Israel appears before the presence of Jehovah your God in the place that he chooses, you should read this Law for all Israel to hear it. 12 Gather the people together, the men, the women, the children, and your foreign resident who is within your cities, in order that they may listen and learn about and fear Jehovah your God and take care to carry out all the words of this Law. 13 Then their sons who have not known this Law will listen and learn to fear Jehovah your God all the days that you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
14 Jehovah then said to Moses: “Look! The time has drawn near for you to die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 Then Jehovah appeared at the tent in the pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood by the entrance of the tent.
16 Jehovah now said to Moses: “Look! You are about to die, and this people will begin to commit spiritual prostitution with the foreign gods that are around them in the land to which they are going. They will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 At that time my anger will blaze against them, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them until they are devoured. Then after many calamities and distresses have come upon them, they will say, ‘Is it not because our God is not in our midst that these calamities have come upon us?’ 18 But I will keep my face hidden in that day because of all the wickedness that they have done in turning to other gods.
19 “Now write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites. Have them learn it in order that this song may serve as my witness against the people of Israel. 20 When I bring them to the land that I have sworn about to their forefathers—one flowing with milk and honey—and they eat their fill and prosper, they will turn to other gods and serve them and treat me with disrespect and break my covenant. 21 When many calamities and distresses come upon them, this song will serve as a witness to them (for their descendants should not forget it), for I already know the inclination that they have developed even before I bring them into the land about which I have sworn.”
22 So Moses wrote down this song in that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 He then commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said: “Be courageous and strong, for you are the one who will bring the Israelites into the land about which I have sworn to them, and I will continue with you.”
24 As soon as Moses had completed writing the words of this Law in a book in their entirety, 25 Moses commanded the Levites who carry the ark of Jehovah’s covenant, saying: 26 “Take this book of the Law and place it at the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and it will serve as a witness there against you. 27 For I myself well know your rebelliousness and your stubbornness. If you have been so rebellious against Jehovah while I am still alive with you, then how much more so will you be after my death! 28 Gather together to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, and let me speak these words in their hearing, and let me take the heavens and the earth as witnesses against them. 29 For I well know that after my death you will surely act wickedly and turn aside from the way about which I have commanded you. And calamity will certainly befall you at the close of the days, because you will do what is bad in the eyes of Jehovah and you will offend him by the works of your hands.”
30 Then in the hearing of the entire congregation of Israel, Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end:
32 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,
And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
 2 My instruction will fall as the rain;
My words will trickle as the dew,
As gentle rains upon grass
And as copious showers upon vegetation.
 3 For I will declare the name of Jehovah.
Tell about the greatness of our God!
 4 The Rock, perfect is his activity,
For all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness who is never unjust;
Righteous and upright is he.
 5 They are the ones who have acted corruptly.
They are not his children, the defect is their own.
They are a crooked and twisted generation!
 6 Is this the way that you should treat Jehovah,
O foolish and unwise people?
Is he not your Father who caused your existence,
The One who made you and firmly established you?
 7 Remember the days of old;
Consider the years of past generations.
Ask your father, and he can tell you;
Your elders, and they will inform you.
 8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
When he divided the sons of Adam from one another,
He fixed the boundary of the peoples
With regard for the number of the sons of Israel.
 9 For Jehovah’s people are his portion;
Jacob is his inheritance.
10 He found him in a wilderness land
And in an empty, howling desert.
He protectively encircled him, took care of him,
And safeguarded him as the pupil of his eye.
11 Just as an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its fledglings,
Spreading out its wings, taking them,
Carrying them on its pinions,
12 Jehovah alone kept leading him;
No foreign god was with him.
13 He made him ride upon earth’s high places,
So that he ate the produce of the field.
He nourished him with honey from the crag
And oil out of a flinty rock,
14 Butter of the herd and milk of the flock,
Together with the choicest sheep,
And rams of Baʹshan, and he-goats,
Together with the finest wheat;
And you drank wine from the blood of grapes.
15 When Jeshʹu·run grew fat, he kicked out rebelliously.
You have grown fat, you have become stout, you have become bloated.
So he forsook God, who made him,
And despised the Rock of his salvation.
16 They incited him to fury with foreign gods;
They were offending him with detestable things.
17 They were sacrificing to demons, not to God,
To gods that they had not known,
New ones that came along recently,
To gods that your forefathers did not know.
18 You forgot the Rock who fathered you,
And you did not remember the God who gave birth to you.
19 When Jehovah saw it, he rejected them
Because his sons and his daughters offended him.
20 So he said, ‘I will hide my face from them;
I will see what will become of them.
For they are a perverse generation,
Sons in whom there is no faithfulness.
21 They have incited me to fury with what is not a god;
They have offended me with their worthless idols.
So I will incite them to jealousy with what is not a people;
I will offend them with a foolish nation.
22 For my anger has kindled a fire
That will burn to the depths of the Grave,
And it will consume the earth and its produce
And will set ablaze the foundations of mountains.
23 I will increase their calamities;
I will use up my arrows on them.
24 They will be exhausted from hunger
And eaten up by burning fever and bitter destruction.
I will send the teeth of beasts against them
And the venom of reptiles of the dust.
25 Outside, a sword will bereave them;
Inside, there is terror
For both young man and virgin,
Infant together with gray-haired man.
26 I would have said: “I will scatter them;
I will make the memory of them cease from among men,”
27 If not for my dread of the enemy’s reaction,
Because the adversaries might misconstrue it.
They might say: “Our power has triumphed;
It was not Jehovah who did all of this.”
28 For they are a nation devoid of sense,
And there is no understanding among them.
29 If only they were wise! They would ponder over this.
They would think about their outcome.
30 How could one chase after 1,000,
And two put 10,000 to flight?
Not unless their Rock had sold them
And Jehovah had surrendered them.
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,
Even our enemies have understood this.
32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodʹom
And from the terraces of Go·morʹrah.
Their grapes are grapes of poison,
Their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
The cruel poison of cobras.
34 Is this not stored up with me,
Sealed up in my storehouse?
35 Vengeance is mine, and retribution,
At the appointed time when their foot slips,
For the day of their disaster is near,
And what awaits them will come quickly.’
36 For Jehovah will judge his people,
And he will feel pity for his servants
When he sees that their strength has waned,
And that only the helpless and weak remain.
37 Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods,
The rock in whom they sought refuge,
38 Who used to eat the fat of their sacrifices,
To drink the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up and help you.
Let them become your place of refuge.
39 See now that I—I am he,
And there are no gods apart from me.
I put to death, and I make alive.
I wound, and I will heal,
And no one can rescue from my hand.
40 For I raise my hand to heaven,
And I swear: “As surely as I live forever,”
41 If I sharpen my flashing sword
And prepare my hand for judgment,
I will pay back vengeance on my adversaries
And bring retribution to those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
And my sword will eat flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
With the heads of the leaders of the enemy.’
43 Be glad, you nations, with his people,
For he will avenge the blood of his servants,
And he will repay vengeance to his adversaries
And will make atonement for the land of his people.”
44 Thus Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Ho·sheʹa the son of Nun. 45 After Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them: “Take to heart all the words of my warning to you today, so that you may command your sons to take care to do all the words of this Law. 47 For this is no empty word for you, but it means your life, and by this word you may live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
48 Jehovah spoke to Moses on this same day, saying: 49 “Go up into this mountain of Abʹa·rim, Mount Neʹbo, which is in the land of Moʹab, which faces toward Jerʹi·cho, and view the land of Caʹnaan, which I am giving to the Israelites as a possession. 50 Then you will die on the mountain you are about to ascend, and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 because both of you were unfaithful to me among the Israelites at the waters of Merʹi·bah of Kaʹdesh in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not sanctify me before the people of Israel. 52 You will see the land from a distance, but you will not enter the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”
33 Now this is the blessing that Moses the man of the true God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. 2 He said:
“Jehovah—from Siʹnai he came,
And he shone upon them from Seʹir.
He shone forth in glory from the mountainous region of Paʹran,
And with him were holy myriads,
At his right hand his warriors.
 3 He had affection for his people;
All their holy ones are in your hand.
They were sitting at your feet;
They began to listen to your words.
 4 (Moses gave us a command, a law,
As a possession of the congregation of Jacob.)
 5 And He became king in Jeshʹu·run,
When the heads of the people gathered together,
Along with all the tribes of Israel.
 6 Let Reuʹben live and not die off,
And may his men not become few.”
 7 And he pronounced this blessing on Judah:
“Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah,
And may you bring him back to his people.
His arms have defended what belongs to him,
And may you help him against his adversaries.”
 8 Of Leʹvi he said:
“Your Thumʹmim and your Uʹrim belong to the man loyal to you,
Whom you put to the test at Masʹsah.
You began to contend with him by the waters of Merʹi·bah,
 9 The man who said to his father and his mother, ‘I have not shown regard to them.’
Even his brothers he did not acknowledge,
And he ignored his own sons.
For they kept your word,
And they observed your covenant.
10 Let them instruct Jacob in your judicial decisions
And Israel in your Law.
Let them offer up incense as a pleasant aroma for you
And a whole offering on your altar.
11 Bless, O Jehovah, his strength,
And may you show pleasure in the work of his hands.
Crush the legs of those who rise up against him,
So that those who hate him may rise up no more.”
12 Of Benjamin he said:
“Let the beloved one of Jehovah reside in security by him;
While he shelters him the whole day,
He will reside between his shoulders.”
13 Of Joseph he said:
“May his land be blessed by Jehovah
With the choice things of heaven,
With dew and the waters from the springs below,
14 With choice things produced by the sun
And the choice yield each month,
15 With the choicest things from the ancient mountains
And choice things of the enduring hills,
16 With the choice things of the earth and what fills it,
And with the approval of the One residing in the thornbush.
May they come upon the head of Joseph,
On the crown of the head of the one singled out from his brothers.
17 His splendor is like that of a firstborn bull,
And his horns are the horns of a wild bull.
With them he will push peoples
All together to the ends of the earth.
They are the tens of thousands of Eʹphra·im,
And they are the thousands of Ma·nasʹseh.”
18 Of Zebʹu·lun he said:
“Rejoice, O Zebʹu·lun, in your going out,
And you, Isʹsa·char, in your tents.
19 They will call peoples to the mountain.
There they will offer the sacrifices of righteousness.
For they will draw from the abundant wealth of the seas
And the hidden hoards of the sand.”
20 Of Gad he said:
“Blessed is the one widening the borders of Gad.
He lies there like a lion,
Ready to tear off the arm, yes, the crown of the head.
21 He will select the first portion for himself,
For there the allotment of a lawgiver is reserved.
The heads of the people will gather together.
The righteousness of Jehovah he will execute,
And his judicial decisions with Israel.”
22 Of Dan he said:
“Dan is a lion cub.
He will leap out from Baʹshan.”
23 Of Naphʹta·li he said:
“Naphʹta·li is satisfied with the approval
And full of the blessing of Jehovah.
Take possession of the west and south.”
24 Of Ashʹer he said:
“Blessed with sons is Ashʹer.
May he be favored by his brothers,
And may he dip his feet in oil.
25 Iron and copper are your gate locks,
And you will be secure all your days.
26 There is none like the true God of Jeshʹu·run,
Who rides through heaven to help you
And who rides upon the clouds in his majesty.
27 God is a refuge from ancient times,
His everlasting arms are beneath you.
And he will drive away the enemy from before you,
And he will say, ‘Annihilate them!’
28 Israel will reside in security,
And the fountain of Jacob will be secluded
In a land of grain and new wine,
Whose skies will drip with dew.
29 Happy you are, O Israel!
Who is there like you,
A people enjoying salvation in Jehovah,
Your protective shield
And your majestic sword?
Your enemies will cringe before you,
And you will tread on their backs.”
34 Then Moses went up from the desert plains of Moʹab to Mount Neʹbo, to the top of Pisʹgah, which faces Jerʹi·cho. And Jehovah showed him all the land, from Gilʹe·ad to Dan, 2 and all Naphʹta·li and the land of Eʹphra·im and Ma·nasʹseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 and the Negʹeb and the District, the valley plain of Jerʹi·cho, the city of the palm trees, as far as Zoʹar.
4 Jehovah then said to him: “This is the land about which I have sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross over there.”
5 After that Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moʹab just as Jehovah had said. 6 He buried him in the valley in the land of Moʹab, opposite Beth-peʹor, and nobody knows where his grave is down to this day. 7 Moses was 120 years old at his death. His eyes had not grown dim, and his strength had not departed. 8 The people of Israel wept for Moses on the desert plains of Moʹab for 30 days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were completed.
9 Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hand on him; and the Israelites began to listen to him, and they did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 10 But there has never again arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom Jehovah knew face-to-face. 11 He performed all the signs and the miracles that Jehovah had sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharʹaoh and all his servants and all his land, 12 along with the mighty hand and the awesome power that Moses displayed before the eyes of all Israel.

JOSHUA
1 After the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, Jehovah said to Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now get up, cross the Jordan, you and all this people, and go into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 I will give you every place on which you set your foot, just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the wilderness up to Lebʹa·non and to the great river, the Eu·phraʹtes—all the land of the Hitʹtites—and to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to take a stand against you as long as you live. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will neither desert you nor abandon you. 6 Be courageous and strong, for you are the one who will cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their forefathers I would give to them.
7 “Only be courageous and very strong, and observe carefully the entire Law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not deviate from it either to the right or to the left, so that you may act wisely wherever you go. 8 This book of the Law should not depart from your mouth, and you must read it in an undertone day and night, in order to observe carefully all that is written in it; for then your way will be successful and then you will act wisely. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and strong. Do not be struck with terror or fear, for Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go.”
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: 11 “Pass throughout the camp and give this command to the people, ‘Get provisions ready, because in three days you will cross the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land that Jehovah your God is giving you to possess.’”
12 And to the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh, Joshua said: 13 “Remember what Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you: ‘Jehovah your God is giving you rest and has given you this land. 14 Your wives, your children, and your livestock will dwell in the land that Moses has given you on this side of the Jordan, but all you mighty warriors should cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers. You must help them 15 until Jehovah gives your brothers rest, just as he has given you, and they also take possession of the land that Jehovah your God is giving them. Then return to the land you were given to occupy and take possession of it, the land that Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you on the east side of the Jordan.’”
16 They answered Joshua: “We will do all that you have commanded, and we will go wherever you send us. 17 Just as we listened to everything Moses said, so we will listen to you. Only may Jehovah your God be with you just as he was with Moses. 18 Any man who rebels against your order and does not obey every command you give him will be put to death. Only be courageous and strong.”
2 Then Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out from Shitʹtim as spies. He told them: “Go and inspect the land, especially Jerʹi·cho.” So they went and came to the house of a prostitute named Raʹhab, and they stayed there. 2 The king of Jerʹi·cho was told: “Look! Israelite men have come in here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 At that the king of Jerʹi·cho sent word to Raʹhab: “Bring out the men who came and are staying in your house, for they have come to spy out the entire land.”
4 But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said: “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And at dark when the city gate was about to be closed, the men went out. I do not know where the men went, but if you quickly chase after them, you will catch up with them.” 6 (However, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among stalks of flax laid in rows on the roof.) 7 So the men chased after them in the direction of the Jordan at the fords, and the city gate was shut once the pursuers had gone out.
8 Before the men lay down to sleep, she came up to them on the roof. 9 She said to the men: “I do know that Jehovah will give you the land and that the fear of you has fallen upon us. All the inhabitants of the land are disheartened because of you, 10 for we heard how Jehovah dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and what you did to the two kings of the Amʹor·ites, Siʹhon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction on the other side of the Jordan. 11 When we heard about it, we lost heart, and no one has any courage because of you, for Jehovah your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now, please, swear to me by Jehovah that, because I showed loyal love to you, you will also show loyal love to my father’s household; and you must give me a sign of good faith. 13 You must spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and you must save us from death.”
14 At that the men said to her: “We will give our lives for yours! If you do not tell about our mission, then we will show loyal love and faithfulness toward you when Jehovah gives us the land.” 15 After that she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on a side of the city wall. In fact, she was dwelling on the wall. 16 Then she said to them: “Go to the mountainous region and hide there for three days, so that those pursuing you may not find you. Then, after your pursuers have come back, you can go on your way.”
17 The men said to her: “We will be free from guilt respecting this oath that you made us swear 18 unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window by which you let us down. You should gather your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household with you into the house. 19 Then if anyone goes out the doors of your house into the open, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be free from guilt. But if harm comes to anyone who remains with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads. 20 But if you report our mission, we will be free from guilt respecting your oath that you made us swear.” 21 She replied: “Let it be according to your words.”
With that she sent them off, and they went their way. Afterward, she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 So they left and went to the mountainous region and stayed there for three days, until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had been looking for them on every road but did not find them. 23 The two men then descended from the mountainous region and crossed the river and came to Joshua the son of Nun. They related to him all the things that had happened to them. 24 Then they said to Joshua: “Jehovah has handed over the entire land to us. In fact, all the inhabitants of the land are disheartened because of us.”
3 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and he and all the Israelites departed from Shitʹtim and came to the Jordan. They spent the night there before crossing over.
2 After three days, the officers passed throughout the camp 3 and commanded the people: “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God being carried by the Levitical priests, you should depart from your place and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about 2,000 cubits from it; do not come any nearer to it, so that you may know which is the way to go, for you have not traveled on this way before.”
5 Joshua now said to the people: “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow Jehovah will do wonderful things among you.”
6 Then Joshua said to the priests: “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.
7 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: “This day I will start to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses. 8 You should give this command to the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you should stand still in the Jordan.’”
9 And Joshua said to the Israelites: “Come here and listen to the words of Jehovah your God.” 10 Joshua then said: “By this you will know that a living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive away from before you the Caʹnaan·ites, the Hitʹtites, the Hiʹvites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Girʹga·shites, the Amʹor·ites, and the Jebʹu·sites. 11 Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth is passing ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now take 12 men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe, 13 and as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of Jehovah, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from upstream will be halted and they will stand still like a dam.”
14 So when the people departed from their tents just before crossing the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of the people. 15 As soon as the carriers of the Ark reached the Jordan and the priests carrying the Ark dipped their feet into the edge of the waters (now the Jordan overflows its banks all the days of harvest), 16 the waters flowing from upstream stood still. They rose up like a dam very far away at Adam, the city near Zarʹe·than, while the waters descending toward the Sea of the Arʹa·bah, the Salt Sea, drained away. They were halted, and the people crossed over opposite Jerʹi·cho. 17 While the priests carrying the ark of Jehovah’s covenant kept standing still on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, all Israel crossed over on dry ground until the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
4 As soon as the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, Jehovah said to Joshua: 2 “Take 12 men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3 and give them this command: ‘Take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood still, and carry them over with you and set them down in the place where you will spend the night.’”
4 So Joshua called the 12 men whom he had appointed from the Israelites, one man from each tribe, 5 and Joshua said to them: “Pass ahead of the Ark of Jehovah your God to the middle of the Jordan, and each of you should lift up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. If your children should later ask you, ‘Why do you have these stones?’ 7 you must tell them: ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were halted from before the ark of Jehovah’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were halted. These stones will serve as a lasting memorial to the people of Israel.’”
8 So the Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded. They took up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as Jehovah had instructed Joshua, to correspond to the number of the tribes of the Israelites. They took them over to the place where they would spend the night and set them down there.
9 Joshua also set up 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood, and the stones are there to this day.
10 The priests carrying the Ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Jehovah had ordered Joshua to tell the people to do was completed, in harmony with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. All the while, the people hurried across. 11 As soon as all the people had finished crossing over, the Ark of Jehovah and the priests crossed over in the sight of the people. 12 And the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh crossed over in battle formation ahead of the other Israelites, just as Moses had instructed them. 13 About 40,000 soldiers armed for battle crossed over before Jehovah onto the desert plains of Jerʹi·cho.
14 On that day Jehovah exalted Joshua in the eyes of all Israel, and they deeply respected him all the days of his life, just as they had deeply respected Moses.
15 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests: “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came up from the middle of the Jordan and the soles of the feet of the priests stepped onto dry ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course and overflowed the banks as before.
19 The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilʹgal on the eastern border of Jerʹi·cho.
20 As for the 12 stones that they had taken out of the Jordan, Joshua set these up at Gilʹgal. 21 Then he said to the Israelites: “In the future when your children ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 you must explain to your children: ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry land 23 when Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before them until they had crossed it, just as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we crossed it. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know how mighty Jehovah’s hand is and so that you may always fear Jehovah your God.’”
5 As soon as all the kings of the Amʹor·ites who were on the west side of the Jordan and all the kings of the Caʹnaan·ites who were by the sea heard that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, they lost heart, and they lost all courage because of the Israelites.
2 At that time Jehovah said to Joshua: “Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise the men of Israel again, a second time.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the men of Israel at Gibʹe·ath-ha·arʹa·loth. 4 This is why Joshua circumcised them: All the males of the people who left Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the journey after they left Egypt. 5 All the people who left Egypt were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the journey after they left Egypt were not circumcised. 6 The Israelites had walked for 40 years in the wilderness until the entire nation had died off, that is, the men of war who left Egypt who did not obey the voice of Jehovah. Jehovah swore to them that he would never let them see the land that Jehovah had sworn to their forefathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So he raised up their sons instead of them. These Joshua circumcised; they were uncircumcised because they had not circumcised them during the journey.
8 When they finished circumcising the entire nation, they remained where they were in the camp until they recovered.
9 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: “Today I have rolled away from you the reproach of Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilʹgal until this day.
10 The Israelites continued to camp at Gilʹgal, and they observed the Passover on the 14th day of the month, in the evening, on the desert plains of Jerʹi·cho. 11 And they began to eat the produce of the land the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and roasted grains, on this same day. 12 And the manna stopped on the following day when they had eaten some of the produce of the land; there was no longer manna for the Israelites, but they began to eat the produce of the land of Caʹnaan in that year.
13 When Joshua was near Jerʹi·cho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua walked up to him and asked: “Are you on our side or on the side of our adversaries?” 14 To this he said: “No, but I have come as prince of Jehovah’s army.” With that Joshua fell with his face to the ground and prostrated himself and said to him: “What does my lord have to say to his servant?” 15 The prince of Jehovah’s army replied to Joshua: “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy.” At once Joshua did so.
6 Now Jerʹi·cho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites; no one was leaving and no one was entering.
2 Jehovah then said to Joshua: “See, I have handed over to you Jerʹi·cho and its king and its mighty warriors. 3 All you fighting men should march around the city, going around the city once. That is what you should do for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven ram’s horns before the Ark. But on the seventh day, you should march around the city seven times and the priests should blow the horns. 5 When the ram’s horn is sounded—as soon as you hear the sound of the horn—all the people should shout a great war cry. Then the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people must go up, each one straight ahead.”
6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests together and told them: “Take up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests should carry seven ram’s horns before the Ark of Jehovah.” 7 Then he told the people: “Move on and march around the city, and the armed troops should go ahead of the Ark of Jehovah.” 8 And just as Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying seven ram’s horns before Jehovah went forward and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah was following them. 9 And the armed troops went ahead of the priests who were blowing the horns, and the rear guard followed the Ark as the horns were blown continuously.
10 Now Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not shout nor let your voices be heard. Not a word should come out of your mouths until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then shout.” 11 He had the Ark of Jehovah go around the city, going around it once, after which they returned to the camp and spent the night there.
12 The next morning Joshua got up early, and the priests took up the Ark of Jehovah, 13 and seven priests carrying seven ram’s horns walked before the Ark of Jehovah, continuously blowing the horns. The armed troops were walking ahead of them while the rear guard was following the Ark of Jehovah as the horns were blown continuously. 14 They marched around the city on the second day once, after which they returned to the camp. That was what they did for six days.
15 On the seventh day they got up early, as soon as the dawn broke, and they marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And on the seventh time, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua told the people: “Shout, for Jehovah has given you the city! 17 The city and everything in it is to be devoted to destruction; it all belongs to Jehovah. Only Raʹhab the prostitute may keep living, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers we sent out. 18 But keep away from what is devoted to destruction, so that you do not desire something devoted to destruction and take it, making the camp of Israel something devoted to destruction by bringing disaster on it. 19 But all the silver and the gold and the articles of copper and iron are holy to Jehovah. They should go into the treasury of Jehovah.”
20 Then the people shouted when the horns were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the horn and shouted a great war cry, the wall fell down flat. After that the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead, and they captured the city. 21 They devoted all that was in the city to destruction by the sword, man and woman, young and old, bull, sheep, and donkey.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land: “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who belong to her, just as you swore to her.” 23 So the young spies went in and brought out Raʹhab, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her; yes, they brought out her whole family, and they brought them safely to a place outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then they burned the city and everything in it with fire. But the silver, the gold, and the articles of copper and iron, they gave to the treasury of Jehovah’s house. 25 Only Raʹhab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her were spared by Joshua; and she lives in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent out to spy on Jerʹi·cho.
26 At that time Joshua pronounced this oath: “Cursed be the man before Jehovah who undertakes to rebuild this city of Jerʹi·cho. At the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest he will put up its doors.”
27 So Jehovah was with Joshua, and his fame spread through all the earth.
7 But the Israelites were unfaithful with regard to what had been devoted to destruction, for Aʹchan son of Carʹmi, son of Zabʹdi, son of Zeʹrah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was devoted to destruction. At this Jehovah’s anger blazed against the Israelites.
2 Then Joshua sent men out from Jerʹi·cho to Aʹi, which is close by Beth-aʹven and east of Bethʹel, telling them: “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Aʹi. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they told him: “Not all the people need to go up. About two or three thousand men are enough to defeat Aʹi. Do not tire out all the people by making them go, for there are only a few of them.”
4 So about 3,000 men went up there, but they had to flee from the men of Aʹi. 5 The men of Aʹi struck down 36 men, and they pursued them from outside the city gate as far as Shebʹa·rim, and they continued striking them down on the descent. So the courage of the people melted and flowed away like water.
6 At this Joshua ripped his garments and fell with his face to the ground before the Ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they kept throwing dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said: “Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, why did you bring this people all the way across the Jordan just to hand us over to the Amʹor·ites to be destroyed? If only we had been satisfied to remain on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon me, O Jehovah, what can I say now that Israel has retreated before his enemies? 9 When the Caʹnaan·ites and all the inhabitants of the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe out our very name from the earth, and what will you do about your great name?”
10 Jehovah replied to Joshua: “Get up! Why are you lying on your face? 11 Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant that I commanded them to keep. They took some of what was devoted to destruction, stealing it and secretly putting it among their own possessions. 12 Therefore, the Israelites will not be able to stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and flee from their enemies, because they have become something devoted to destruction. I will not be with you again unless you annihilate from your midst what was devoted to destruction. 13 Get up and sanctify the people! Tell them, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: “What is devoted to destruction is among you, O Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove from your midst the thing devoted to destruction. 14 You are to present yourselves in the morning, tribe by tribe, and the tribe that Jehovah selects will come near, family by family, and the family that Jehovah selects will come near, household by household, and the household that Jehovah selects will come near, man by man. 15 And the one who is caught with the thing devoted to destruction will be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has violated the covenant of Jehovah and because he has committed a disgraceful act in Israel.”’”
16 So Joshua rose early the next morning and had Israel come near, tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17 He had the families of Judah come near and the family of the Zeʹrah·ites was selected, after which he had the family of the Zeʹrah·ites come near, man by man, and Zabʹdi was selected. 18 Finally he had the household of Zabʹdi come near, man by man, and Aʹchan son of Carʹmi, son of Zabʹdi, son of Zeʹrah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected. 19 Then Joshua said to Aʹchan: “My son, please, honor Jehovah the God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me, please, what you have done. Do not hide it from me.”
20 Aʹchan answered Joshua: “For a fact I am the one who sinned against Jehovah the God of Israel, and this is what I have done. 21 When I saw among the spoil a good-looking official garment from Shiʹnar and 200 shekels of silver and one gold bar weighing 50 shekels, I desired them, so I took them. They are now hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the money underneath.”
22 At once Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there the garment was hidden in his tent, with the money underneath it. 23 So they took the things out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and placed them before Jehovah. 24 Joshua and all Israel with him then took Aʹchan the son of Zeʹrah, the silver, the official garment, and the bar of gold, along with his sons, his daughters, his bull, his donkey, his flock, his tent, and everything that was his, and they brought them up to the Valley of Aʹchor. 25 Joshua said: “Why have you brought disaster upon us? Jehovah will bring disaster upon you on this day.” With that all Israel stoned him, after which they burned them with fire. Thus they stoned all of them. 26 And they raised a huge pile of stones over him that remains to this day. At this Jehovah’s hot anger subsided. That is why the name of that place is Valley of Aʹchor to this day.
8 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid or be terrified. Take with you all the fighting men and go up against Aʹi. See, I have handed over to you the king of Aʹi, his people, his city, and his land. 2 Do to Aʹi and to its king just as you did to Jerʹi·cho and its king, except you may plunder its spoil and its livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”
3 So Joshua and all the fighting men went up against Aʹi. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty warriors and sent them off by night. 4 He gave them this command: “See, you are to lie in ambush behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, and all of you be ready. 5 I and all the people with me will approach the city, and when they come out against us as before, we will retreat from them. 6 When they come out after us, we will draw them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us just as before.’ And we will retreat from them. 7 Then you should rise up from the ambush and capture the city; Jehovah your God will hand it over to you. 8 As soon as you have seized the city, you should set it on fire. You should do according to Jehovah’s word. See, I have given you your orders.”
9 Then Joshua sent them out, and they marched to the place of ambush; they took a position between Bethʹel and Aʹi, to the west of Aʹi, while Joshua spent that night with the people.
10 After Joshua rose up early in the morning and gathered the troops, he and the elders of Israel led them to Aʹi. 11 All the fighting men who were with him marched up and advanced to the front of the city. They camped to the north of Aʹi, with the valley between them and Aʹi. 12 In the meantime, he had taken about 5,000 men and had set them as an ambush between Bethʹel and Aʹi, to the west of the city. 13 So the people set the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard west of the city, and Joshua went that night into the middle of the valley.
14 And as soon as the king of Aʹi saw this, he and the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the desert plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush set against him to the rear of the city. 15 When the men of Aʹi attacked, Joshua and all Israel fled along the road in the direction of the wilderness. 16 Then all the people who were in the city were summoned to pursue them; and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city. 17 Not a man was remaining in Aʹi and Bethʹel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city wide open and pursued Israel.
18 Jehovah now said to Joshua: “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Aʹi, for into your hand I will give it.” So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19 The moment he stretched out his hand, the ambush rose up quickly from its place and ran into the city and captured it. They immediately set the city on fire.
20 When the men of Aʹi turned around, they saw the smoke of the city rising to the sky, and they had no strength to flee in any direction. Then the people who had been fleeing toward the wilderness turned on their pursuers. 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and saw the smoke of the city rising, they turned around and attacked the men of Aʹi. 22 And the others came out of the city to meet them, so that the men of Aʹi were trapped in the middle, with some Israelites on this side and some on that side, and they struck them down until there was not one survivor or escapee remaining. 23 But they caught the king of Aʹi alive and brought him before Joshua.
24 After Israel finished killing all the inhabitants of Aʹi in the field, in the wilderness where they had pursued them, and every last one of them had fallen by the sword, then all Israel returned to Aʹi and struck it with the sword. 25 All those who fell on that day, from man to woman, amounted to 12,000, all the people of Aʹi. 26 Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he had stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Aʹi to destruction. 27 However, Israel took the livestock and the spoil of that city for themselves, according to the orders that Jehovah had given to Joshua.
28 Then Joshua burned Aʹi and reduced it to a permanent mound of ruins, as it remains to this day. 29 He hung the king of Aʹi on a stake until the evening, and as the sun was about to set, Joshua gave the order to take his dead body down from the stake. Then they pitched it at the entrance of the city gate and raised up a great pile of stones over him, which is there to this day.
30 It was then that Joshua built an altar on Mount Eʹbal to Jehovah the God of Israel, 31 just as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded the Israelites and as it is written in the book of the Law of Moses: “An altar of whole stones on which no iron tool has been wielded.” On it they offered up burnt offerings to Jehovah as well as communion sacrifices.
32 Then he wrote there on the stones a copy of the Law that Moses had written before the Israelites. 33 All Israel, their elders, the officers, and their judges were standing on both sides of the Ark in front of the Levitical priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. The foreign residents were there as well as the natives. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerʹi·zim, and the other half in front of Mount Eʹbal (just as Moses the servant of Jehovah had previously commanded), to bless the people of Israel. 34 After this he read aloud all the words of the Law, the blessings and the curses, according to all that is written in the book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read aloud in front of all the congregation of Israel, including the women and children and the foreign residents who were living among them.
9 When all the kings who were on the west side of the Jordan heard what had happened, those in the mountainous region, in the She·pheʹlah, along the entire coast of the Great Sea, and in front of Lebʹa·non—the Hitʹtites, the Amʹor·ites, the Caʹnaan·ites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Hiʹvites, and the Jebʹu·sites— 2 they formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel.
3 The inhabitants of Gibʹe·on also heard what Joshua had done to Jerʹi·cho and Aʹi. 4 So they acted shrewdly and put provisions into worn-out sacks on their donkeys, along with worn-out wineskins that had burst and had been mended; 5 they also had worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and they were wearing worn-out garments. All the bread of their provisions was dry and crumbly. 6 Then they went to Joshua at the camp at Gilʹgal and said to him and the men of Israel: “We have come from a distant land. Now make a covenant with us.” 7 But the men of Israel said to the Hiʹvites: “Perhaps you are living near us. So how can we make a covenant with you?” 8 They replied to Joshua: “We are your servants.”
Then Joshua said to them: “Who are you, and where do you come from?” 9 At this they said to him: “Your servants have come from a very distant land out of regard for the name of Jehovah your God, because we have heard about his fame and about all he did in Egypt 10 and about all he did to the two kings of the Amʹor·ites who were on the other side of the Jordan, King Siʹhon of Heshʹbon and King Og of Baʹshan, who was in Ashʹta·roth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey and go to meet them. Tell them: “We will be your servants; now make a covenant with us.”’ 12 This bread that we took as our provisions was still hot on the day we left our houses to come here to you. Now you can see it is dry and crumbly. 13 And these wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they have burst. And our garments and sandals have worn out because of the great length of the journey.”
14 At that the men took some of their provisions, but they did not inquire of Jehovah. 15 So Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live, and that is what the chieftains of the assembly swore to them in an oath.
16 At the end of three days, after they made a covenant with them, they heard that they lived nearby, in their vicinity. 17 Then the Israelites set out and came to their cities on the third day; their cities were Gibʹe·on, Che·phiʹrah, Be·erʹoth, and Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim. 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the chieftains of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by Jehovah the God of Israel. So all the assembly began to murmur against the chieftains. 19 At this all the chieftains said to the entire assembly: “Since we swore an oath to them by Jehovah the God of Israel, we are not allowed to hurt them. 20 This is what we will do: We will let them live, so that there is no indignation against us because of the oath that we swore to them.” 21 And the chieftains added: “Let them live, but let them become gatherers of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly.” This is what the chieftains promised them.
22 Joshua now called them and said to them: “Why did you trick us by saying, ‘We are from a place very far away from you,’ when you really live right among us? 23 From now on you are cursed, and you will always occupy a slave’s position as gatherers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24 They answered Joshua: “It was because your servants were plainly told that Jehovah your God had commanded Moses his servant to give you all the land and to annihilate all its inhabitants from before you. So we were afraid for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. 25 Now we are at your mercy. Do to us whatever you think is good and right.” 26 And that is what he did with them; he saved them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27 But that day Joshua made them gatherers of wood and drawers of water for the assembly and for Jehovah’s altar at the place that He should choose, and they remain so to this day.
10 As soon as King A·doʹni-zeʹdek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Aʹi and devoted it to destruction, doing to Aʹi and its king just as he had done to Jerʹi·cho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibʹe·on had made peace with Israel and remained among them, 2 he was greatly alarmed, because Gibʹe·on was a great city, like one of the royal cities. It was greater than Aʹi, and all its men were warriors. 3 So A·doʹni-zeʹdek king of Jerusalem sent this message to Hoʹham king of Hebʹron, Piʹram king of Jarʹmuth, Ja·phiʹa king of Laʹchish, and Deʹbir king of Egʹlon: 4 “Come to my aid, and let us attack Gibʹe·on, because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 At this the five kings of the Amʹor·ites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebʹron, the king of Jarʹmuth, the king of Laʹchish, and the king of Egʹlon—gathered together along with their armies, and they marched on and encamped against Gibʹe·on to fight against it.
6 Then the men of Gibʹe·on sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilʹgal: “Do not forsake your slaves. Come quickly! Rescue us and help us! All the kings of the Amʹor·ites from the mountainous region have gathered against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilʹgal with all the fighting men and the mighty warriors.
8 Jehovah then said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.” 9 Joshua came against them by surprise after marching all night long from Gilʹgal. 10 Jehovah threw them into confusion before Israel, and they inflicted a great slaughter on them at Gibʹe·on, pursuing them by way of the ascent of Beth-hoʹron and striking them down as far as A·zeʹkah and Mak·keʹdah. 11 While they were fleeing from Israel and were on the descent of Beth-hoʹron, Jehovah hurled great hailstones from the sky on them as far as A·zeʹkah, and they perished. In fact, more died from the hail than from the sword of the Israelites.
12 It was then, on the day that Jehovah routed the Amʹor·ites before the eyes of the Israelites, that Joshua said to Jehovah before Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibʹe·on,
And moon, over the Valley of Aiʹja·lon!”
13 So the sun stood still and the moon did not move until the nation could take vengeance on its enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jaʹshar? The sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to set for about a whole day. 14 There has never been a day like that one, either before it or after it, when Jehovah listened to the voice of a man, for Jehovah was fighting for Israel.
15 After that Joshua together with all Israel returned to the camp at Gilʹgal.
16 Meanwhile, the five kings fled and hid in the cave at Mak·keʹdah. 17 Then it was reported to Joshua: “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Mak·keʹdah.” 18 So Joshua said: “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and assign men to guard them. 19 But the rest of you should not stop. Pursue your enemies and strike them from the rear. Do not allow them to enter into their cities, for Jehovah your God has given them into your hands.”
20 After Joshua and the Israelites had finished inflicting a very great slaughter on them, to the point of wiping them out except for some survivors who escaped and entered into the fortified cities, 21 all the people returned safely to Joshua at the camp at Mak·keʹdah. Not a man dared to utter a word against the Israelites. 22 Then Joshua said: “Open the mouth of the cave and bring the five kings out of the cave to me.” 23 So they brought to him from the cave these five kings: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebʹron, the king of Jarʹmuth, the king of Laʹchish, and the king of Egʹlon. 24 When they brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the fighting men who had gone with him: “Come forward. Place your feet on the backs of the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and placed their feet on the backs of their necks. 25 Then Joshua said to them: “Do not be afraid or be terrified. Be courageous and strong, for this is what Jehovah will do to all your enemies against whom you are fighting.”
26 Then Joshua struck them and put them to death and hung them on five stakes, and they remained hanging on the stakes until the evening. 27 At sunset Joshua ordered that they be taken down off the stakes and thrown into the cave where they had hidden themselves. Then large stones were placed at the mouth of the cave, and these remain to this very day.
28 Joshua captured Mak·keʹdah on that day and struck it with the sword. He devoted its king and everyone in it to destruction, letting no survivor remain. He did to the king of Mak·keʹdah just as he had done to the king of Jerʹi·cho.
29 Then Joshua together with all Israel went from Mak·keʹdah to Libʹnah and fought against Libʹnah. 30 Jehovah also gave it and its king into Israel’s hand, and they struck it and everyone in it with the sword, not letting a survivor remain in it. So they did to its king just as they had done to the king of Jerʹi·cho.
31 Next Joshua together with all Israel went from Libʹnah to Laʹchish and camped there and fought against it. 32 Jehovah gave Laʹchish into Israel’s hand, and they captured it on the second day. They struck it and everyone in it with the sword, just as they had done to Libʹnah.
33 Then Hoʹram king of Geʹzer went up to help Laʹchish, but Joshua struck him and his people down until not one survivor remained.
34 Then Joshua together with all Israel went from Laʹchish to Egʹlon and camped there and fought against it. 35 They captured it on that day and struck it with the sword. They devoted everyone in it to destruction on that day, just as they had done to Laʹchish.
36 Then Joshua together with all Israel went up from Egʹlon to Hebʹron and fought against it. 37 They captured it and struck it, its king, its towns, and everyone in it with the sword, not letting any survivor remain. Just as he had done to Egʹlon, he devoted it and everyone in it to destruction.
38 Finally Joshua together with all Israel turned toward Deʹbir and fought against it. 39 He captured it, its king, and all its towns, and they struck them down with the sword, devoting everyone in it to destruction, not letting any survivor remain. He did to Deʹbir and its king just as he had done to Hebʹron and to Libʹnah and its king.
40 Joshua conquered all the land of the mountainous region, the Negʹeb, the She·pheʹlah, and the slopes, and all their kings, not letting any survivor remain; he devoted everything that breathed to destruction, just as Jehovah the God of Israel had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered them from Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a to Gazʹa and all the land of Goʹshen and up to Gibʹe·on. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their land, all at the same time, because it was Jehovah the God of Israel who was fighting for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilʹgal.
11 As soon as Jaʹbin king of Haʹzor heard of it, he sent word to Joʹbab king of Maʹdon, and to the king of Shimʹron, the king of Achʹshaph, 2 the kings who were in the northern mountainous region, those in the plains south of Chinʹne·reth, those in the She·pheʹlah and on the slopes of Dor to the west, 3 the Caʹnaan·ites to the east and the west, the Amʹor·ites, the Hitʹtites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Jebʹu·sites in the mountainous region, and the Hiʹvites at the base of Herʹmon in the land of Mizʹpah. 4 So they came out with all their armies, a vast multitude as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore, together with very many horses and war chariots. 5 All these kings agreed to meet, and they came and camped together at the waters of Merʹom to fight against Israel.
6 At this Jehovah said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid because of them, for about this time tomorrow, I am giving over all of them slain to Israel. Their horses you must hamstring, and their chariots you must burn in the fire.” 7 Joshua together with all the fighting men then launched a surprise attack against them along the waters of Merʹom. 8 Jehovah gave them into Israel’s hand, and they defeated them and pursued them as far as Great Siʹdon and Misʹre·photh-maʹim and the Valley of Mizʹpeh to the east, and they struck them down until no survivors remained. 9 Joshua then did to them just as Jehovah had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots in the fire.
10 Moreover, Joshua then returned and captured Haʹzor and struck down its king with the sword, because Haʹzor had formerly been the head of all these kingdoms. 11 They struck down everyone in it with the sword, devoting them to destruction. Not a breathing thing was left. Then he burned Haʹzor in the fire. 12 Joshua captured all the cities of these kings and defeated all their kings with the sword. He devoted them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded. 13 However, Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds except Haʹzor; it was the only one Joshua burned. 14 All the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the Israelites plundered for themselves. But they struck every human with the sword until they had annihilated each one. They did not let anyone who breathed remain. 15 Just as Jehovah had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that Jehovah had commanded Moses.
16 Joshua conquered all this land, the mountainous region, all the Negʹeb, all the land of Goʹshen, the She·pheʹlah, the Arʹa·bah, and the mountainous region of Israel and its She·pheʹlah, 17 from Mount Haʹlak, which goes up to Seʹir, and as far as Baʹal-gad in the Valley of Lebʹa·non at the base of Mount Herʹmon, and he captured all their kings and defeated them, putting them to death. 18 Joshua waged war with all these kings for quite some time. 19 There was no city that made peace with the Israelites except the Hiʹvites inhabiting Gibʹe·on. They conquered all the others by war. 20 It was Jehovah who allowed their hearts to become stubborn so that they waged war against Israel, in order for him to devote them to destruction without any favorable consideration. They were to be annihilated, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
21 At that time Joshua wiped out the Anʹa·kim from the mountainous region, from Hebʹron, Deʹbir, Aʹnab, and all the mountainous region of Judah and all the mountainous region of Israel. Joshua devoted them and their cities to destruction. 22 There were no Anʹa·kim left in the land of the Israelites; they remained only in Gazʹa, in Gath, and in Ashʹdod. 23 So Joshua took control of all the land, just as Jehovah had promised Moses, and then Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel by their shares to be divided among their tribes. And the land had rest from war.
12 Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites defeated, whose land they took possession of on the east side of the Jordan, from the Arʹnon Valley up to Mount Herʹmon and all the Arʹa·bah toward the east: 2 King Siʹhon of the Amʹor·ites, who lived in Heshʹbon and ruled from A·roʹer, which was on the rim of the Arʹnon Valley, and from the middle of the valley, and half of Gilʹe·ad as far as the Valley of Jabʹbok, the boundary of the Amʹmon·ites. 3 He also ruled over the Arʹa·bah as far as the Sea of Chinʹne·reth toward the east and as far as the Sea of the Arʹa·bah, the Salt Sea, to the east in the direction of Beth-jeshʹi·moth, and toward the south under the slopes of Pisʹgah.
4 Also the territory of King Og of Baʹshan, who was one of the last of the Rephʹa·im and who lived in Ashʹta·roth and Edʹre·i 5 and ruled in Mount Herʹmon, in Salʹe·cah, and in all Baʹshan, as far as the boundary of the Geshʹur·ites and the Ma·acʹa·thites, and half of Gilʹe·ad, to the territory of King Siʹhon of Heshʹbon.
6 Moses the servant of Jehovah and the Israelites defeated them, after which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave their land as a possession to the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh.
7 These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the Israelites defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baʹal-gad in the Valley of Lebʹa·non and as far as Mount Haʹlak, which goes up to Seʹir, after which Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession by their shares, 8 in the mountainous region, in the She·pheʹlah, in the Arʹa·bah, on the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negʹeb—the land of the Hitʹtites, the Amʹor·ites, the Caʹnaan·ites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Hiʹvites, and the Jebʹu·sites:
  9 The king of Jerʹi·cho, one; the king of Aʹi, which was beside Bethʹel, one;
10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebʹron, one;
11 the king of Jarʹmuth, one; the king of Laʹchish, one;
12 the king of Egʹlon, one; the king of Geʹzer, one;
13 the king of Deʹbir, one; the king of Geʹder, one;
14 the king of Horʹmah, one; the king of Aʹrad, one;
15 the king of Libʹnah, one; the king of A·dulʹlam, one;
16 the king of Mak·keʹdah, one; the king of Bethʹel, one;
17 the king of Tapʹpu·ah, one; the king of Heʹpher, one;
18 the king of Aʹphek, one; the king of Las·sharʹon, one;
19 the king of Maʹdon, one; the king of Haʹzor, one;
20 the king of Shimʹron-meʹron, one; the king of Achʹshaph, one;
21 the king of Taʹa·nach, one; the king of Me·gidʹdo, one;
22 the king of Keʹdesh, one; the king of Jokʹne·am in Carʹmel, one;
23 the king of Dor on the slopes of Dor, one; the king of Goiʹim in Gilʹgal, one;
24 the king of Tirʹzah, one; a total of 31 kings.
13 Now Joshua had grown old and was advanced in years. So Jehovah said to him: “You have grown old and are advanced in years; but much of the land remains to be taken in possession. 2 This is the land remaining: all the regions of the Phi·lisʹtines and all the Geshʹur·ites 3 (from the branch of the Nile that is east of Egypt up to the border of Ekʹron to the north, which used to be considered Caʹnaan·ite territory) including that of the five lords of the Phi·lisʹtines—the Gazʹites, the Ashʹdod·ites, the Ashʹke·lon·ites, the Gitʹtites, and the Ekʹron·ites; that of the Avʹvim 4 to the south; all the land of the Caʹnaan·ites; Me·arʹah, which belongs to the Si·doʹni·ans, as far as Aʹphek, to the border of the Amʹor·ites; 5 the land of the Geʹbal·ites and all of Lebʹa·non toward the east, from Baʹal-gad at the base of Mount Herʹmon to Leʹbo-haʹmath; 6 all the inhabitants of the mountainous region from Lebʹa·non to Misʹre·photh-maʹim; and all the Si·doʹni·ans. I will drive them out before the Israelites. You have only to assign it to Israel as an inheritance, just as I have commanded you. 7 Now you must apportion this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh.”
8 With the other half tribe, the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites took their inheritance that Moses gave them on the east side of the Jordan, just as Moses the servant of Jehovah had given them: 9 from A·roʹer, which is on the rim of the Arʹnon Valley, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland of Medʹe·ba as far as Diʹbon; 10 and all the cities of King Siʹhon of the Amʹor·ites, who reigned in Heshʹbon, up to the border of the Amʹmon·ites; 11 also Gilʹe·ad and the territory of the Geshʹur·ites and the Ma·acʹa·thites and all Mount Herʹmon and all Baʹshan as far as Salʹe·cah; 12 all the royal realm of Og in Baʹshan, who reigned in Ashʹta·roth and in Edʹre·i. (He was one of the last of the Rephʹa·im.) Moses defeated them and drove them out. 13 But the Israelites did not drive out the Geshʹur·ites and the Ma·acʹa·thites, for Geshʹur and Maʹa·cath live in the midst of Israel to this day.
14 It was only to the tribe of the Levites that he did not give an inheritance. The offerings made by fire to Jehovah the God of Israel are their inheritance, just as he promised them.
15 Then Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the Reuʹben·ites by their families, 16 and their territory was from A·roʹer, which is on the rim of the Arʹnon Valley, and the city in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medʹe·ba; 17 Heshʹbon and all its towns on the tableland, Diʹbon, Baʹmoth-baʹal, Beth-baʹal-meʹon, 18 Jaʹhaz, Kedʹe·moth, Mephʹa·ath, 19 Kir·i·a·thaʹim, Sibʹmah, and Zeʹreth-shaʹhar on the mountain of the valley, 20 Beth-peʹor, the slopes of Pisʹgah, Beth-jeshʹi·moth, 21 all the cities of the tableland, and all the royal realm of King Siʹhon of the Amʹor·ites, who reigned in Heshʹbon. Moses defeated him and the Midʹi·an·ite chieftains Eʹvi, Reʹkem, Zur, Hur, and Reʹba, vassals of Siʹhon who were dwelling in the land. 22 Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor, the diviner, was one whom the Israelites killed with the sword along with the rest who were slain. 23 The boundary of the Reuʹben·ites was the Jordan; and this territory was the inheritance of the Reuʹben·ites by their families, with the cities and their settlements.
24 Furthermore, Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of Gad, the Gadʹites by their families, 25 and their territory included Jaʹzer and all the cities of Gilʹe·ad and half of the land of the Amʹmon·ites as far as A·roʹer, which faces Rabʹbah; 26 and from Heshʹbon to Raʹmath-mizʹpeh and Betʹo·nim, and from Ma·ha·naʹim to the border of Deʹbir; 27 and in the valley, Beth-haʹram, Beth-nimʹrah, Sucʹcoth, and Zaʹphon, the rest of the royal realm of King Siʹhon of Heshʹbon, with the Jordan as the border from the lower end of the Sea of Chinʹne·reth on the east side of the Jordan. 28 This was the inheritance of the Gadʹites by their families, with the cities and their settlements.
29 Further, Moses gave an inheritance to the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh, to half of the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh by their families. 30 And their territory extended from Ma·ha·naʹim and took in all of Baʹshan, all the royal realm of King Og of Baʹshan, and all the tent villages of Jaʹir in Baʹshan, 60 towns. 31 And half of Gilʹe·ad, and Ashʹta·roth and Edʹre·i, the cities of the royal realm of Og in Baʹshan, went to the sons of Maʹchir the son of Ma·nasʹseh, to half of the sons of Maʹchir by their families.
32 These were the inheritances that Moses gave them on the desert plains of Moʹab beyond the Jordan, east of Jerʹi·cho.
33 But to the tribe of the Levites, Moses did not give an inheritance. Jehovah the God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he promised them.
14 Now this is what the Israelites took as an inheritance in the land of Caʹnaan, which El·e·aʹzar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the paternal houses of the tribes of Israel gave them to inherit. 2 Their inheritance was by lot, just as Jehovah had commanded through Moses for the nine and a half tribes. 3 Moses had given the inheritance of the other two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan, and to the Levites he did not give an inheritance among them. 4 The descendants of Joseph were considered two tribes, Ma·nasʹseh and Eʹphra·im; and they did not give a share in the land to the Levites, except cities to dwell in and their pastures for their livestock and their property. 5 So the Israelites apportioned the land just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
6 Then the men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilʹgal, and Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh the Kenʹiz·zite said to him: “You well know what Jehovah said to Moses the man of the true God about you and me at Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a. 7 I was 40 years old when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me out of Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a to spy out the land, and I returned with a forthright report. 8 Although my brothers who went up with me caused the people to lose heart, I followed Jehovah my God wholeheartedly. 9 Moses swore on that day, saying: ‘The land on which your foot has walked will become a lasting inheritance for you and your sons, because you have followed Jehovah my God wholeheartedly.’ 10 Now just as he promised, Jehovah has preserved me alive these 45 years since Jehovah made this promise to Moses when Israel walked in the wilderness; I am still here today, 85 years old. 11 And today I am as strong as on the day Moses sent me out. My strength is now as it was then, for war and for other activities. 12 Therefore, give me this mountainous region that Jehovah promised on that day. Though you heard on that day that there were Anʹa·kim there with great fortified cities, surely Jehovah will be with me, and I will drive them out, just as Jehovah promised.”
13 So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebʹron to Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh as an inheritance. 14 That is why Hebʹron belongs to Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh the Kenʹiz·zite as an inheritance to this day, because he followed Jehovah the God of Israel wholeheartedly. 15 The name of Hebʹron was previously Kirʹi·ath-arʹba (Arʹba was the great man among the Anʹa·kim). And the land had rest from war.
15 The land allotted to the tribe of Judah for their families extended to the boundary of Eʹdom, the wilderness of Zin, to the Negʹeb at its southern end. 2 Their southern boundary ran from the extremity of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces southward. 3 And it extended south to the ascent of A·krabʹbim, passed over to Zin, then went up from the south to Kaʹdesh-barʹne·a, over to Hezʹron, up to Adʹdar, and went around toward Karʹka. 4 Then it passed on to Azʹmon and extended to the Wadi of Egypt, and the boundary ended at the Sea. This was their southern boundary.
5 The eastern boundary was the Salt Sea up to the end of the Jordan, and the boundary at the northern corner was at the bay of the sea, at the end of the Jordan. 6 The boundary went up to Beth-hogʹlah and passed over at the north of Beth-arʹa·bah, and the boundary went up to the stone of Boʹhan the son of Reuʹben. 7 The boundary went up to Deʹbir at the Valley of Aʹchor and turned northward to Gilʹgal, which is in front of the ascent of A·dumʹmim that is south of the wadi, and the boundary passed over to the waters of En-sheʹmesh and ended at En-roʹgel. 8 The boundary went up to the Valley of the Son of Hinʹnom to the slope of the Jebʹu·site at the south, that is, Jerusalem, and the boundary went up to the top of the mountain that faces the Valley of Hinʹnom to the west, which is at the extremity of the Valley of Rephʹa·im to the north. 9 And the boundary was marked from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Neph·toʹah and extended to the cities of Mount Eʹphron; and the boundary was marked to Baʹal·ah, that is, Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim. 10 The boundary went around from Baʹal·ah westward to Mount Seʹir and passed over to the slope of Mount Jeʹa·rim at the north, that is, Chesʹa·lon, and it went down to Beth-sheʹmesh and passed over to Timʹnah. 11 And the boundary extended to the slope of Ekʹron to the north, and the boundary was marked to Shikʹke·ron and passed over to Mount Baʹal·ah and extended to Jabʹne·el, and the boundary ended at the sea.
12 The western boundary was at the Great Sea and its coast. This was the boundary of the descendants of Judah by their families on all sides.
13 And to Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh, he gave a share among the descendants of Judah at the order of Jehovah to Joshua, namely, Kirʹi·ath-arʹba (Arʹba was the father of Aʹnak), that is, Hebʹron. 14 So Caʹleb drove out from there the three sons of Aʹnak: Sheʹshai, A·hiʹman, and Talʹmai, descendants of Aʹnak. 15 Then he went up from there against the inhabitants of Deʹbir. (The name of Deʹbir was previously Kirʹi·ath-seʹpher.) 16 Caʹleb then said: “To the man who strikes Kirʹi·ath-seʹpher and captures it, I will give my daughter Achʹsah as a wife.” 17 And Othʹni·el the son of Keʹnaz, Caʹleb’s brother, captured it. So he gave him his daughter Achʹsah as a wife. 18 While she was going home, she urged him to ask her father for a field. Then she dismounted from her donkey. Caʹleb asked her: “What do you want?” 19 She said: “Please grant me a blessing, for you have given me a piece of land in the south; give me also Gulʹloth-maʹim.” So he gave her Upper Gulʹloth and Lower Gulʹloth.
20 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Judah by their families.
21 The cities at the extremity of the tribe of Judah toward the boundary of Eʹdom in the south were: Kabʹze·el, Eʹder, Jaʹgur, 22 Kiʹnah, Di·moʹnah, A·daʹdah, 23 Keʹdesh, Haʹzor, Ithʹnan, 24 Ziph, Teʹlem, Be·aʹloth, 25 Haʹzor-ha·datʹtah, and Keʹri·oth-hezʹron, that is, Haʹzor, 26 Aʹmam, Sheʹma, Mo·laʹdah, 27 Haʹzar-gadʹdah, Heshʹmon, Beth-pelʹet, 28 Haʹzar-shuʹal, Beʹer-sheʹba, Biz·i·o·thiʹah, 29 Baʹal·ah, Iʹim, Eʹzem, 30 El·toʹlad, Cheʹsil, Horʹmah, 31 Zikʹlag, Mad·manʹnah, San·sanʹnah, 32 Le·baʹoth, Shilʹhim, Aʹin, and Rimʹmon—a total of 29 cities together with their settlements.
33 In the She·pheʹlah, there were: Eshʹta·ol, Zorʹah, Ashʹnah, 34 Za·noʹah, En-ganʹnim, Tapʹpu·ah, Eʹnam, 35 Jarʹmuth, A·dulʹlam, Soʹcoh, A·zeʹkah, 36 Shaʹa·raʹim, Ad·i·thaʹim, and Ge·deʹrah and Ged·e·ro·thaʹim—14 cities and their settlements.
37 Zeʹnan, Ha·dashʹah, Migʹdal-gad, 38 Diʹle·an, Mizʹpeh, Jokʹthe·el, 39 Laʹchish, Bozʹkath, Egʹlon, 40 Cabʹbon, Lahʹmam, Chitʹlish, 41 Ge·deʹroth, Beth-daʹgon, Naʹa·mah, and Mak·keʹdah—16 cities and their settlements.
42 Libʹnah, Eʹther, Aʹshan, 43 Iphʹtah, Ashʹnah, Neʹzib, 44 Keiʹlah, Achʹzib, and Ma·reʹshah—nine cities and their settlements.
45 Ekʹron and its dependent towns and its settlements; 46 from Ekʹron westward, all that is alongside Ashʹdod and their settlements.
47 Ashʹdod, its dependent towns and its settlements; Gazʹa, its dependent towns and its settlements, down to the Wadi of Egypt, the Great Sea, and the adjacent region.
48 And in the mountainous region, Shaʹmir, Jatʹtir, Soʹcoh, 49 Danʹnah, Kirʹi·ath-sanʹnah, that is, Deʹbir, 50 Aʹnab, Eshʹte·moh, Aʹnim, 51 Goʹshen, Hoʹlon, and Giʹloh—11 cities and their settlements.
52 Arab, Duʹmah, Eʹshan, 53 Jaʹnim, Beth-tapʹpu·ah, A·pheʹkah, 54 Humʹtah, Kirʹi·ath-arʹba, that is, Hebʹron, and Ziʹor—nine cities and their settlements.
55 Maʹon, Carʹmel, Ziph, Jutʹtah, 56 Jezʹre·el, Jokʹde·am, Za·noʹah, 57 Kaʹin, Gibʹe·ah, and Timʹnah—ten cities and their settlements.
58 Halʹhul, Beth-zur, Geʹdor, 59 Maʹa·rath, Beth-aʹnoth, and Elʹte·kon—six cities and their settlements.
60 Kirʹi·ath-baʹal, that is, Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim, and Rabʹbah—two cities and their settlements.
61 In the wilderness, Beth-arʹa·bah, Midʹdin, Se·caʹcah, 62 Nibʹshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedʹi—six cities and their settlements.
63 As for the Jebʹu·sites who were dwelling in Jerusalem, the men of Judah were not able to drive them away, so the Jebʹu·sites continue dwelling with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
16 And the land that fell by lot to the descendants of Joseph was from the Jordan at Jerʹi·cho to the waters east of Jerʹi·cho, through the wilderness going up from Jerʹi·cho into the mountainous region of Bethʹel. 2 It extended from Bethʹel belonging to Luz and continued to the boundary of the Arʹchites at Atʹa·roth, 3 then it went down westward to the boundary of the Japhʹle·tites as far as the boundary of Lower Beth-hoʹron and Geʹzer, and it ended at the sea.
4 So Joseph’s descendants, Ma·nasʹseh and Eʹphra·im, took possession of their land. 5 The boundary of the descendants of Eʹphra·im by their families was as follows: The boundary of their inheritance to the east was Atʹa·roth-adʹdar, as far as Upper Beth-hoʹron, 6 and the boundary extended to the sea. Mich·meʹthath was on the north, and the boundary went around east to Taʹa·nath-shiʹloh, and it passed on the east to Ja·noʹah. 7 Then it went down from Ja·noʹah to Atʹa·roth and Naʹa·rah and reached to Jerʹi·cho and extended to the Jordan. 8 From Tapʹpu·ah the boundary continued westward to the Wadi of Kaʹnah, and it ended at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Eʹphra·im by their families; 9 the descendants of Eʹphra·im also had enclave cities in the midst of the inheritance of Ma·nasʹseh, all the cities and their settlements.
10 But they did not drive away the Caʹnaan·ites who were dwelling in Geʹzer, and the Caʹnaan·ites continue to dwell among Eʹphra·im to this day and have been subjected to forced labor.
17 Then the lot fell for the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh, because he was Joseph’s firstborn. Since Maʹchir, the firstborn of Ma·nasʹseh and the father of Gilʹe·ad, was a man of war, he received Gilʹe·ad and Baʹshan. 2 And the lot fell for the rest of the descendants of Ma·nasʹseh according to their families, for the sons of Abi-eʹzer, the sons of Heʹlek, the sons of Asʹri·el, the sons of Sheʹchem, the sons of Heʹpher, and the sons of She·miʹda. These were the descendants of Ma·nasʹseh the son of Joseph, the males according to their families. 3 But Ze·loʹphe·had the son of Heʹpher, the son of Gilʹe·ad, the son of Maʹchir, the son of Ma·nasʹseh, did not have sons, only daughters, and these were the names of his daughters: Mahʹlah, Noah, Hogʹlah, Milʹcah, and Tirʹzah. 4 So they presented themselves before El·e·aʹzar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the chieftains, saying: “It was Jehovah who commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So at the order of Jehovah, he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.
5 There were also ten allotments that fell to Ma·nasʹseh apart from the land of Gilʹe·ad and Baʹshan, which were on the other side of the Jordan, 6 for the daughters of Ma·nasʹseh received an inheritance along with his sons, and the land of Gilʹe·ad became the property of the rest of the descendants of Ma·nasʹseh.
7 And the boundary of Ma·nasʹseh was from Ashʹer to Mich·meʹthath, which faces Sheʹchem, and the boundary continued toward the south to the land of the inhabitants of En-Tapʹpu·ah. 8 The land of Tapʹpu·ah became Ma·nasʹseh’s, but Tapʹpu·ah on Ma·nasʹseh’s boundary belonged to the descendants of Eʹphra·im. 9 And the boundary went down to the Wadi of Kaʹnah, south of the wadi. There were cities of Eʹphra·im among the cities of Ma·nasʹseh, and the boundary of Ma·nasʹseh was on the north of the wadi, and it ended at the sea. 10 To the south it belonged to Eʹphra·im, and to the north it belonged to Ma·nasʹseh, and the sea was his boundary, and on the north they reached to Ashʹer, and on the east, to Isʹsa·char.
11 In the territories of Isʹsa·char and Ashʹer, Ma·nasʹseh was given Beth-sheʹan and its dependent towns, Ibʹle·am and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of En-dor and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Taʹa·nach and its dependent towns, and the inhabitants of Me·gidʹdo and its dependent towns, three of the heights.
12 But the descendants of Ma·nasʹseh were not able to take possession of these cities; the Caʹnaan·ites persisted in dwelling in this land. 13 When the Israelites grew strong, they subjected the Caʹnaan·ites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out entirely.
14 The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua: “Why have you given us as an inheritance only one lot and one allotment? We are a numerous people, for Jehovah has blessed us until now.” 15 Joshua replied to them: “If you are such a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear out a place for yourself there in the land of the Perʹiz·zites and the Rephʹa·im, since the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im is too cramped for you.” 16 Then the descendants of Joseph said: “The mountainous region is not enough for us, and all the Caʹnaan·ites who are dwelling in the land of the valley have war chariots with iron scythes, both those in Beth-sheʹan and its dependent towns and those in the Valley of Jezʹre·el.” 17 So Joshua said this to the house of Joseph, to Eʹphra·im and Ma·nasʹseh: “You are a numerous people, and you have great power. You will not receive only one lot, 18 but the mountainous region will also be yours. Although it is a forest, you will clear it, and it will be the extremity of your territory. For you will drive away the Caʹnaan·ites, even though they are strong and have war chariots with iron scythes.”
18 Then all the assembly of the Israelites congregated at Shiʹloh, and they set up the tent of meeting there, as the land was now subdued before them. 2 But there were still seven tribes left of the Israelites whose inheritance had not been allotted. 3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land that Jehovah the God of your forefathers has given you? 4 Give me three men from each tribe to send out; they should go out and walk throughout the land and map it out according to their inheritance. Then they should return to me. 5 They must apportion it among themselves into seven shares. Judah will remain in his territory to the south, and the house of Joseph will remain in their territory to the north. 6 As for you, map out the land into seven shares, and bring them here to me, and I will cast lots here for you before Jehovah our God. 7 But the Levites will not be given a share among you, because the priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance; and Gad, Reuʹben, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh have already taken their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.”
8 The men prepared to go, and Joshua commanded those who were to map out the land: “Go and walk through the land and map it out and return to me, and I will cast lots for you here before Jehovah in Shiʹloh.” 9 With that the men went and traveled through the land and mapped it out by cities into seven shares, recording it in a book. After that they returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiʹloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiʹloh before Jehovah. There Joshua apportioned the land to the Israelites by their shares.
11 The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin by their families, and the territory of their lot was between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph. 12 On the north side, their boundary started at the Jordan, and the boundary went up to the slope of Jerʹi·cho on the north and went up on the mountain westward, and it extended to the wilderness of Beth-aʹven. 13 And the boundary continued from there to Luz, at the southern slope of Luz, that is, Bethʹel; the boundary went down to Atʹa·roth-adʹdar on the mountain that is south of Lower Beth-hoʹron. 14 And the boundary was marked at the western side and went around toward the south from the mountain that faces Beth-hoʹron to the south; it ended at Kirʹi·ath-baʹal, that is, Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim, a city of Judah. This is the western side.
15 The south side was from the extremity of Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim, and the boundary extended westward; it went out to the spring of the waters of Neph·toʹah. 16 The boundary went down to the extremity of the mountain that faces the Valley of the Son of Hinʹnom, which is in the Valley of Rephʹa·im to the north, and it went down to the Valley of Hinʹnom, to the slope of the Jebʹu·site on the south, and down to En-roʹgel. 17 And it was marked northward and extended to En-sheʹmesh and then out to Gel·iʹloth, which is in front of the ascent of A·dumʹmim, and it went down to the stone of Boʹhan the son of Reuʹben. 18 And it continued to the northern slope in front of the Arʹa·bah and went down to the Arʹa·bah. 19 And the boundary continued to the northern slope of Beth-hogʹlah, and the boundary ended at the northern bay of the Salt Sea at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern boundary. 20 And the Jordan served as its boundary on the eastern side. This was the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin by their families, according to its boundaries on all sides.
21 And the cities of the tribe of Benjamin by their families were: Jerʹi·cho, Beth-hogʹlah, Eʹmek-keʹziz, 22 Beth-arʹa·bah, Zem·a·raʹim, Bethʹel, 23 Avʹvim, Paʹrah, Ophʹrah, 24 Cheʹphar-amʹmo·ni, Ophʹni, and Geʹba—12 cities and their settlements.
25 Gibʹe·on, Raʹmah, Be·erʹoth, 26 Mizʹpeh, Che·phiʹrah, Moʹzah, 27 Reʹkem, Irʹpe·el, Tarʹa·lah, 28 Zeʹlah, Ha-eʹleph, Je·buʹsi, that is, Jerusalem, Gibʹe·ah, and Kirʹi·ath—14 cities and their settlements.
This was the inheritance of the descendants of Benjamin by their families.
19 Then the second lot came out for Simʹe·on, for the tribe of Simʹe·on by their families. And their inheritance was within the inheritance of Judah. 2 Their inheritance was Beʹer-sheʹba with Sheʹba, Mo·laʹdah, 3 Haʹzar-shuʹal, Baʹlah, Eʹzem, 4 El·toʹlad, Beʹthul, Horʹmah, 5 Zikʹlag, Beth-marʹca·both, Haʹzar-suʹsah, 6 Beth-le·baʹoth, and Sha·ruʹhen—13 cities and their settlements; 7 Aʹin, Rimʹmon, Eʹther, and Aʹshan—four cities and their settlements; 8 and all the settlements that were around these cities as far as Baʹal·ath-beʹer, Raʹmah of the south. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simʹe·on by their families. 9 The inheritance of the descendants of Simʹe·on was taken out of the allotment of Judah, because the share of Judah was too large for them. So the descendants of Simʹe·on received a possession within their inheritance.
10 Next the third lot came up for the descendants of Zebʹu·lun by their families, and the boundary of their inheritance went as far as Saʹrid. 11 Their boundary went up westward to Marʹe·al and reached to Dabʹbe·sheth and then to the valley in front of Jokʹne·am. 12 And it went from Saʹrid eastward toward the sunrise, to the border of Chisʹloth-taʹbor and out to Dabʹe·rath and then up to Ja·phiʹa. 13 And from there it continued eastward toward the sunrise to Gath-heʹpher, to Eth-kaʹzin, and out to Rimʹmon, and it extended to Neʹah. 14 And the boundary went around it on the north to Hanʹna·thon, and it ended at the Valley of Iphʹtah-el, 15 and Katʹtath, Na·halʹal, Shimʹron, Iʹda·lah, and Bethʹle·hem—12 cities and their settlements. 16 This was the inheritance of the descendants of Zebʹu·lun by their families. These were the cities and their settlements.
17 The fourth lot came out for Isʹsa·char, for the descendants of Isʹsa·char by their families. 18 And their boundary was to Jezʹre·el, Che·sulʹloth, Shuʹnem, 19 Haphʹa·raʹim, Shiʹon, An·a·haʹrath, 20 Rabʹbith, Kishʹi·on, Eʹbez, 21 Reʹmeth, En-ganʹnim, En-hadʹdah, and Beth-pazʹzez. 22 And the boundary reached to Taʹbor and Sha·ha·zuʹmah and Beth-sheʹmesh, and the end of their border was at the Jordan—16 cities and their settlements. 23 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Isʹsa·char by their families, the cities and their settlements.
24 Then the fifth lot came out for the tribe of Ashʹer by their families. 25 And their boundary was Helʹkath, Haʹli, Beʹten, Achʹshaph, 26 Al·lamʹme·lech, Aʹmad, and Miʹshal. It reached westward to Carʹmel and to Shiʹhor-libʹnath, 27 and it went back toward the east to Beth-daʹgon and reached to Zebʹu·lun and the Valley of Iphʹtah-el to the north, to Beth-eʹmek and Ne·iʹel, and it extended to Caʹbul on the left, 28 and to Eʹbron, Reʹhob, Hamʹmon, and Kaʹnah as far as Great Siʹdon. 29 And the boundary went back to Raʹmah and as far as the fortified city of Tyre. Then the boundary went back to Hoʹsah, and it ended at the sea in the region of Achʹzib, 30 Umʹmah, Aʹphek, and Reʹhob—22 cities and their settlements. 31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Ashʹer by their families. These were the cities and their settlements.
32 The sixth lot came out for the descendants of Naphʹta·li, for the descendants of Naphʹta·li by their families. 33 Their boundary was from Heʹleph, from the big tree in Za·a·nanʹnim, and Adʹa·mi-neʹkeb and Jabʹne·el as far as Lakʹkum; and it ended at the Jordan. 34 The boundary went back westward to Azʹnoth-taʹbor and extended from there to Hukʹkok and reached to Zebʹu·lun on the south and to Ashʹer on the west and to Judah at the Jordan toward the east. 35 And the fortified cities were Zidʹdim, Zer, Hamʹmath, Rakʹkath, Chinʹne·reth, 36 Adʹa·mah, Raʹmah, Haʹzor, 37 Keʹdesh, Edʹre·i, En-haʹzor, 38 Yiʹron, Migʹdal-el, Hoʹrem, Beth-aʹnath, and Beth-sheʹmesh—19 cities and their settlements. 39 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Naphʹta·li by their families, the cities and their settlements.
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan by their families. 41 And the border of their inheritance was Zorʹah, Eshʹta·ol, Ir-sheʹmesh, 42 Sha·al·abʹbin, Aiʹja·lon, Ithʹlah, 43 Eʹlon, Timʹnah, Ekʹron, 44 Elʹte·keh, Gibʹbe·thon, Baʹal·ath, 45 Jeʹhud, Benʹe-beʹrak, Gath-rimʹmon, 46 Me-jarʹkon, and Rakʹkon, with the border facing Jopʹpa. 47 But the territory of Dan was too cramped for them. So they went up and fought against Leʹshem and captured it and struck it with the sword. Then they took possession of it and settled in it, and they changed the name of Leʹshem to Dan, after the name of Dan their forefather. 48 This was the inheritance of the tribe of Dan by their families. These were the cities and their settlements.
49 Thus they finished dividing the land for inheritance by its territories. Then the Israelites gave Joshua the son of Nun an inheritance in their midst. 50 At the order of Jehovah they gave him the city he asked for, Timʹnath-seʹrah, in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, and he built up the city and settled in it.
51 These were the inheritances that El·e·aʹzar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the paternal houses of the tribes of Israel distributed by lot in Shiʹloh before Jehovah, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished apportioning the land.
20 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: 2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Select for yourselves the cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 so that the manslayer who unintentionally or accidentally kills someone may flee there. And they will serve as a refuge for you from the avenger of blood. 4 He must flee to one of these cities and stand at the entrance of the city gate and present his case in the hearing of the elders of that city. Then they must receive him into the city and give him a place and he will live with them. 5 If the avenger of blood chases after him, they should not surrender the manslayer into his hand, for he killed his fellow man accidentally and he did not previously hate him. 6 He must dwell in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and remain there until the death of the high priest who is in office at that time. Then the manslayer may return to the city from which he fled, and he may enter his city and his house.’”
7 So they gave a sacred status to Keʹdesh in Galʹi·lee in the mountainous region of Naphʹta·li, Sheʹchem in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, and Kirʹi·ath-arʹba, that is, Hebʹron, in the mountainous region of Judah. 8 In the region of the Jordan, east of Jerʹi·cho, they selected Beʹzer in the wilderness on the tableland out of the tribe of Reuʹben, Raʹmoth in Gilʹe·ad out of the tribe of Gad, and Goʹlan in Baʹshan out of the tribe of Ma·nasʹseh.
9 These became the cities appointed for all the Israelites and for the foreign residents residing among them, so that anyone who unintentionally killed someone could flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.
21 The heads of the paternal houses of the Levites now approached El·e·aʹzar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the paternal houses of the tribes of Israel, 2 and they spoke to them in Shiʹloh in the land of Caʹnaan, saying: “Jehovah through Moses commanded that we be given cities in which to dwell, along with their pastures for our livestock.” 3 So at the order of Jehovah, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pastures out of their own inheritance.
4 The lot came out for the families of the Koʹhath·ites, and the Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were given by lot 13 cities out of the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Simʹe·on, and the tribe of Benjamin.
5 And for the rest of the Koʹhath·ites, there were allotted ten cities out of the families of the tribe of Eʹphra·im, the tribe of Dan, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh.
6 And for the Gerʹshon·ites, there were allotted 13 cities out of the families of the tribe of Isʹsa·char, the tribe of Ashʹer, the tribe of Naphʹta·li, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh in Baʹshan.
7 For the Me·rarʹites by their families, there were 12 cities out of the tribe of Reuʹben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe of Zebʹu·lun.
8 Thus the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pastures by lot, just as Jehovah had commanded through Moses.
9 So from the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Simʹe·on, they gave these cities here mentioned by name, 10 and they were given to the sons of Aaron of the Koʹhath·ite families of the Levites, because they received the first lot. 11 They gave them Kirʹi·ath-arʹba (Arʹba was the father of Aʹnak), that is, Hebʹron, in the mountainous region of Judah, and its surrounding pastures. 12 But the field of the city and its settlements they gave to Caʹleb the son of Je·phunʹneh as his possession.
13 And to the sons of Aaron the priest, they gave the city of refuge for the manslayer, namely, Hebʹron with its pastures, also Libʹnah with its pastures, 14 Jatʹtir with its pastures, Esh·te·moʹa with its pastures, 15 Hoʹlon with its pastures, Deʹbir with its pastures, 16 Aʹin with its pastures, Jutʹtah with its pastures, and Beth-sheʹmesh with its pastures—nine cities out of these two tribes.
17 And from the tribe of Benjamin: Gibʹe·on with its pastures, Geʹba with its pastures, 18 Anʹa·thoth with its pastures, and Alʹmon with its pastures—four cities.
19 All the cities given to the descendants of Aaron, the priests, were 13 cities with their pastures.
20 And the rest of the Koʹhath·ite families among the Levites were given by lot cities from the tribe of Eʹphra·im. 21 They gave them the city of refuge for the manslayer, namely, Sheʹchem with its pastures in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, Geʹzer with its pastures, 22 Kibʹza·im with its pastures, and Beth-hoʹron with its pastures—four cities.
23 And from the tribe of Dan: Elʹte·ke with its pastures, Gibʹbe·thon with its pastures, 24 Aiʹja·lon with its pastures, Gath-rimʹmon with its pastures—four cities.
25 And from the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh: Taʹa·nach with its pastures and Gath-rimʹmon with its pastures—two cities.
26 All the cities together with their pastures that the rest of the families of the Koʹhath·ites received were ten.
27 And the Gerʹshon·ites of the families of the Levites received from the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh the city of refuge for the manslayer, namely, Goʹlan, in Baʹshan, with its pastures and Be·eshʹte·rah with its pastures—two cities.
28 And from the tribe of Isʹsa·char: Kishʹi·on with its pastures, Dabʹe·rath with its pastures, 29 Jarʹmuth with its pastures, and En-ganʹnim with its pastures—four cities.
30 And from the tribe of Ashʹer: Miʹshal with its pastures, Abʹdon with its pastures, 31 Helʹkath with its pastures, and Reʹhob with its pastures—four cities.
32 And from the tribe of Naphʹta·li: the city of refuge for the manslayer, namely, Keʹdesh in Galʹi·lee with its pastures, Hamʹmoth-dor with its pastures, and Karʹtan with its pastures—three cities.
33 All the cities of the Gerʹshon·ites by their families were 13 cities with their pastures.
34 And the families of the Me·rarʹites, the rest of the Levites, received from the tribe of Zebʹu·lun: Jokʹne·am with its pastures, Karʹtah with its pastures, 35 Dimʹnah with its pastures, and Na·halʹal with its pastures—four cities.
36 And from the tribe of Reuʹben: Beʹzer with its pastures, Jaʹhaz with its pastures, 37 Kedʹe·moth with its pastures, and Mephʹa·ath with its pastures—four cities.
38 And from the tribe of Gad: the city of refuge for the manslayer, namely, Raʹmoth in Gilʹe·ad with its pastures, Ma·ha·naʹim with its pastures, 39 Heshʹbon with its pastures, and Jaʹzer with its pastures—a total of four cities.
40 All the cities that were allotted to the Me·rarʹites by their families, the rest of the families of the Levites, were 12 cities.
41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the Israelites were 48 cities together with their pastures. 42 Each of these cities had its pastures all around it—this was the case for all these cities.
43 So Jehovah gave Israel all the land that he had sworn to give to their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it. 44 Furthermore, Jehovah gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers, and not one of all their enemies could stand against them. Jehovah gave all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not a promise failed out of all the good promises that Jehovah had made to the house of Israel; all of them came true.
22 Then Joshua summoned the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh 2 and said to them: “You have done all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not forsaken your brothers all this time, down to this day; and you have kept the obligation of the commandment of Jehovah your God. 4 Now Jehovah your God has given your brothers rest, just as he promised them. So now you may return to your tents in the land that Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you to possess on the other side of the Jordan. 5 Only be very careful to carry out the commandment and the Law that Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you, by loving Jehovah your God, by walking in all his ways, by keeping his commandments, by sticking to him, and by serving him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
6 Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. 7 And to the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh, Moses had given an inheritance in Baʹshan, and to the other half of the tribe, Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan, along with their brothers. Moreover, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them 8 and said to them: “Return to your tents with many riches, with very much livestock, with silver and gold, copper and iron, and garments in very great quantity. Take your share of the spoil of your enemies, along with your brothers.”
9 After that the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh departed from the other Israelites, from Shiʹloh in the land of Caʹnaan, and they returned to the land of Gilʹe·ad, the land of their possession where they had settled at the order of Jehovah through Moses. 10 When they came to the regions of the Jordan in the land of Caʹnaan, the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large, impressive altar. 11 Later the other Israelites heard it said: “Look! The Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Caʹnaan in the regions of the Jordan on the side belonging to the Israelites.” 12 When the Israelites heard about it, the whole assembly of the Israelites congregated at Shiʹloh to go to war against them.
13 Then the Israelites sent Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar the priest to the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh in the land of Gilʹe·ad, 14 and ten chieftains were with him, one chieftain of each paternal house of all the tribes of Israel, each a head of his paternal house among the thousands of Israel. 15 When they came to the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh in the land of Gilʹe·ad, they said to them:
16 “This is what all the assembly of Jehovah says: ‘What is this act of unfaithfulness that you have committed against the God of Israel? You have turned back today from following Jehovah by building yourselves an altar and rebelling against Jehovah. 17 Was the error of Peʹor not enough for us? We have not cleansed ourselves from it down to this day, even though a plague came upon the assembly of Jehovah. 18 And you would turn back today from following Jehovah! If you rebel today against Jehovah, then tomorrow he will be indignant against the entire assembly of Israel. 19 Now if it is because the land of your possession is unclean, cross over to the land of Jehovah’s possession where the tabernacle of Jehovah resides and settle among us, but do not rebel against Jehovah, and do not make us rebels by building yourselves an altar in addition to the altar of Jehovah our God. 20 When Aʹchan the son of Zeʹrah committed an act of unfaithfulness regarding what was devoted to destruction, did not indignation come against all the assembly of Israel? And he was not the only man to die for his error.’”
21 At this the Reuʹben·ites, the Gadʹites, and the half tribe of Ma·nasʹseh said in answer to the heads of the thousands of Israel: 22 “The God of gods, Jehovah! The God of gods, Jehovah! He knows, and Israel will also know. If we were rebellious and unfaithful to Jehovah, do not spare us this day. 23 If we built ourselves an altar to turn back from following Jehovah and to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, and communion sacrifices on it, Jehovah will exact the penalty. 24 No, it was because of another concern that we did this, for we said, ‘In the future, your sons will say to our sons: “What do you have to do with Jehovah the God of Israel? 25 Jehovah has put the Jordan as a boundary between us and you, the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites. You have no share in Jehovah.” And your sons will hinder our sons from worshipping Jehovah.’
26 “So we said, ‘Let us by all means take action by building an altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, 27 but to be a witness between you and us and our descendants after us that we will carry out our service to Jehovah before him with our burnt offerings and our sacrifices and our communion sacrifices, so that your sons may not say to our sons in the future: “You have no share in Jehovah.”’ 28 So we said, ‘If they should say that to us and to our descendants in the future, we will then say: “See the replica of Jehovah’s altar that our forefathers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but to be a witness between you and us.”’ 29 It is unthinkable for us to rebel against Jehovah and to turn back today from following Jehovah by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices, other than the altar of Jehovah our God that is before his tabernacle!”
30 When Phinʹe·has the priest, the chieftains of the assembly, and the heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him heard the words that the descendants of Reuʹben, Gad, and Ma·nasʹseh spoke, they were satisfied. 31 So Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar the priest said to the descendants of Reuʹben, Gad, and Ma·nasʹseh: “Today we know that Jehovah is among us, because you have not committed this act of unfaithfulness against Jehovah. Now you have saved the Israelites out of the hand of Jehovah.”
32 Then Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar the priest and the chieftains returned from the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites in the land of Gilʹe·ad to the land of Caʹnaan, and they brought back word to the other Israelites. 33 And the Israelites were satisfied with the report. The Israelites then praised God, and they said nothing more about going to war against the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites to destroy the land in which they were dwelling.
34 So the Reuʹben·ites and the Gadʹites named the altar, because “it is a witness between us that Jehovah is the true God.”
23 Many days after Jehovah had given Israel rest from all its surrounding enemies, when Joshua was old and advanced in years, 2 Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders, its heads, its judges, and its officers, and he said to them: “I have grown old; I am advanced in years. 3 And you have seen for yourselves all that Jehovah your God did to all these nations in your behalf because Jehovah your God was the one who was fighting for you. 4 See, I assigned to you by lot the land of the nations that remain as an inheritance for your tribes, as well as that of all the nations that I destroyed, from the Jordan to the Great Sea on the west. 5 And Jehovah your God was the one who kept thrusting them away from before you, and he drove them out for you, and you took possession of their land, just as Jehovah your God promised you.
6 “Now you must be very courageous to observe and carry out all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses by never deviating from it to the right or to the left, 7 by never mingling with these nations that remain with you. You must not even mention the names of their gods nor swear by them, and you must never serve them nor bow down to them. 8 But you must stick to Jehovah your God, just as you have done down to this day. 9 Jehovah will drive away great and mighty nations from before you, for not a man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 Just one man of you will chase a thousand, because Jehovah your God is fighting for you, just as he promised you. 11 So be on guard constantly by loving Jehovah your God.
12 “But if you should turn back at all and stick to what is left of these nations that remain with you and you form marriage alliances with them and associate with them and they with you, 13 you should know for sure that Jehovah your God will not continue to drive out these nations for you. They will become a trap and a snare and a scourge on your flanks and thorns in your eyes until you have perished from this good land that Jehovah your God has given you.
14 “Now look! I am about to die, and you well know with all your heart and with all your soul that not one word out of all the good promises that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you. Not one word of them has failed. 15 But just as all the good promises that Jehovah your God has spoken to you have come upon you, so Jehovah will bring upon you all the calamity that he promised and will annihilate you from this good land that Jehovah your God has given you. 16 If you violate the covenant of Jehovah your God that he commanded you to keep and if you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then Jehovah’s anger will blaze against you and you will quickly perish from the good land that he has given you.”
24 Joshua then assembled all the tribes of Israel together at Sheʹchem and summoned the elders of Israel, its heads, its judges, and its officers, and they stood before the true God. 2 Joshua said to all the people: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘It was on the other side of the River that your forefathers lived a long time ago—Teʹrah the father of Abraham and the father of Naʹhor—and they used to serve other gods.
3 “‘In time I took your forefather Abraham from the other side of the River and had him walk through all the land of Caʹnaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac; 4 then to Isaac I gave Jacob and Eʹsau. Later to Eʹsau I gave Mount Seʹir as his possession; and Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 I later sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did among them, and then I brought you out. 6 When I was bringing your fathers out of Egypt and you came to the sea, the Egyptians were chasing after your fathers with war chariots and cavalrymen as far as the Red Sea. 7 They began to cry out to Jehovah, so he placed a darkness between you and the Egyptians and brought the sea over them and covered them, and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelled in the wilderness many years.
8 “‘And I brought you to the land of the Amʹor·ites who were dwelling on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought against you. But I gave them into your hand so that you could take possession of their land, and I annihilated them from before you. 9 Then Baʹlak son of Zipʹpor, the king of Moʹab, rose up and fought against Israel. So he summoned Baʹlaam the son of Beʹor to curse you. 10 But I would not listen to Baʹlaam. So he blessed you repeatedly, and I rescued you from his hand.
11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jerʹi·cho. And the leaders of Jerʹi·cho, the Amʹor·ites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Caʹnaan·ites, the Hitʹtites, the Girʹga·shites, the Hiʹvites, and the Jebʹu·sites fought against you, but I gave them into your hand. 12 So I sent the feeling of dejection ahead of you, and it drove them out from before you—two kings of the Amʹor·ites. It was not by your sword and not by your bow. 13 Thus I gave you a land for which you had not toiled and cities that you had not built, and you settled in them. You are eating from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
14 “Therefore, fear Jehovah and serve him with integrity and faithfulness, and remove the gods that your forefathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt, and serve Jehovah. 15 Now if it seems bad to you to serve Jehovah, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods that your forefathers served on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amʹor·ites in whose land you are dwelling. But as for me and my household, we will serve Jehovah.”
16 At this the people answered: “It is unthinkable for us to abandon Jehovah and to serve other gods. 17 It is Jehovah our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who performed these great signs before our eyes and who kept guarding us the entire way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 Jehovah drove out all the peoples, including the Amʹor·ites, who lived in the land before us. Therefore, we too will serve Jehovah, because he is our God.”
19 Then Joshua said to the people: “You are not able to serve Jehovah, for he is a holy God; he is a God who requires exclusive devotion. He will not pardon your transgressions and your sins. 20 If you abandon Jehovah and serve foreign gods, he will also turn against you and exterminate you after doing good for you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua: “No, but we will serve Jehovah!” 22 So Joshua said to the people: “You are witnesses against yourselves that of your own accord, you have chosen for yourselves to serve Jehovah.” To this they said: “We are witnesses.”
23 “Therefore, remove the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to Jehovah the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua: “We will serve Jehovah our God, and we will obey his voice!”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people on that day and established a regulation and a ruling for them in Sheʹchem. 26 Then Joshua wrote these words in the book of God’s Law and took a great stone and set it up under the large tree that is by the sanctuary of Jehovah.
27 Joshua went on to say to all the people: “Look! This stone will serve as a witness against us, because it has heard everything Jehovah said to us, and it will serve as a witness against you, so that you may not deny your God.” 28 With that Joshua sent the people away, each one to his inheritance.
29 After these things, Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died at the age of 110. 30 So they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timʹnath-seʹrah, which is in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, north of Mount Gaʹash. 31 Israel continued to serve Jehovah all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had known all of Jehovah’s deeds in behalf of Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried in Sheʹchem in the portion of the field that Jacob had acquired from the sons of Haʹmor, Sheʹchem’s father, for 100 pieces of money; and it became the inheritance of the sons of Joseph.
33 Also, El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron died. So they buried him in the Hill of Phinʹe·has his son, which had been given to him in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im.

JUDGES
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of Jehovah: “Who of us will go up first to fight against the Caʹnaan·ites?” 2 Jehovah replied: “Judah will go up. Look! I am giving the land into his hand.” 3 Then Judah said to his brother Simʹe·on: “Come up with me into my assigned territory to fight against the Caʹnaan·ites. Then I will go with you into your assigned territory.” So Simʹe·on went with him.
4 When Judah went up, Jehovah gave the Caʹnaan·ites and the Perʹiz·zites into their hands, and they defeated 10,000 men in Beʹzek. 5 They found A·doʹni-beʹzek in Beʹzek, and there they fought against him and defeated the Caʹnaan·ites and the Perʹiz·zites. 6 When A·doʹni-beʹzek fled, they chased him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 7 Then A·doʹni-beʹzek said: “There are 70 kings whose thumbs and big toes were cut off and who are picking up food under my table. Just as I have done, so God has repaid me.” After that they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 Furthermore, the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it; they struck it with the sword and set the city on fire. 9 Afterward, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Caʹnaan·ites inhabiting the mountainous region and the Negʹeb and the She·pheʹlah. 10 So Judah marched against the Caʹnaan·ites who were dwelling in Hebʹron (the name of Hebʹron was previously Kirʹi·ath-arʹba), and they struck down Sheʹshai, A·hiʹman, and Talʹmai.
11 They marched from there against the inhabitants of Deʹbir. (The name of Deʹbir was previously Kirʹi·ath-seʹpher.) 12 Then Caʹleb said: “To the man who strikes Kirʹi·ath-seʹpher and captures it, I will give my daughter Achʹsah as a wife.” 13 And Othʹni·el the son of Keʹnaz, Caʹleb’s younger brother, captured it. So he gave him his daughter Achʹsah as a wife. 14 While she was going home, she urged him to ask her father for a field. Then she dismounted from her donkey. Caʹleb asked her: “What do you want?” 15 She said to him: “Please grant me a blessing, for you have given me a piece of land in the south; give me also Gulʹloth-maʹim.” So Caʹleb gave her Upper Gulʹloth and Lower Gulʹloth.
16 And the descendants of the Kenʹite, Moses’ father-in-law, came up from the city of palm trees with the people of Judah to the wilderness of Judah south of Aʹrad. They went there and settled among the people. 17 But Judah marched on with his brother Simʹe·on, and they attacked the Caʹnaan·ites inhabiting Zeʹphath and devoted it to destruction. So they named the city Horʹmah. 18 Then Judah captured Gazʹa and its territory, Ashʹke·lon and its territory, and Ekʹron and its territory. 19 Jehovah was with Judah, and they took possession of the mountainous region, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain, because they had war chariots with iron scythes. 20 They gave Hebʹron to Caʹleb, just as Moses had promised, and he drove out from there the three sons of Aʹnak.
21 But the Benʹja·min·ites did not drive out the Jebʹu·sites inhabiting Jerusalem, so the Jebʹu·sites continue dwelling with the Benʹja·min·ites in Jerusalem down to this day.
22 Meantime, the house of Joseph went up against Bethʹel, and Jehovah was with them. 23 The house of Joseph was spying on Bethʹel (incidentally, the name of the city was previously Luz), 24 and the spies saw a man going out of the city. So they said to him: “Show us, please, the way into the city, and we will treat you kindly.” 25 So the man showed them the way into the city, and they struck the city with the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free. 26 The man went to the land of the Hitʹtites and built a city and named it Luz, which is its name to this day.
27 Ma·nasʹseh did not take possession of Beth-sheʹan and its dependent towns, Taʹa·nach and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Dor and its dependent towns, the inhabitants of Ibʹle·am and its dependent towns, and the inhabitants of Me·gidʹdo and its dependent towns. The Caʹnaan·ites persisted in dwelling in this land. 28 When Israel grew stronger, they subjected the Caʹnaan·ites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.
29 Nor did Eʹphra·im drive out the Caʹnaan·ites who were dwelling in Geʹzer. The Caʹnaan·ites continued to dwell among them in Geʹzer.
30 Zebʹu·lun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitʹron and the inhabitants of Naʹha·lol. The Caʹnaan·ites continued to dwell among them and were subjected to forced labor.
31 Ashʹer did not drive out the inhabitants of Acʹco and the inhabitants of Siʹdon, Ahʹlab, Achʹzib, Helʹbah, Aʹphik, and Reʹhob. 32 So the Ashʹer·ites continued to dwell among the Caʹnaan·ites inhabiting the land, because they did not drive them out.
33 Naphʹta·li did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-sheʹmesh and the inhabitants of Beth-aʹnath, but they continued to dwell among the Caʹnaan·ites inhabiting the land. The inhabitants of Beth-sheʹmesh and Beth-aʹnath became forced laborers for them.
34 The Amʹor·ites confined the Danʹites to the mountainous region, for they would not let them come down into the plain. 35 So the Amʹor·ites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heʹres, Aiʹja·lon, and Sha·alʹbim. But when the power of the house of Joseph increased, they were forced into hard labor. 36 The territory of the Amʹor·ites was from the ascent of A·krabʹbim, from Seʹla upward.
2 Then Jehovah’s angel went up from Gilʹgal to Boʹchim and said: “I brought you up out of Egypt into the land about which I swore to your forefathers. Furthermore, I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. 2 For your part, you must not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land and you should pull down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this? 3 That is why I also said, ‘I will not drive them away from before you, and they will ensnare you, and their gods will lure you away.’”
4 When Jehovah’s angel spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people began to weep loudly. 5 So they named that place Boʹchim, and they sacrificed there to Jehovah.
6 When Joshua sent the people away, each of the Israelites went to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 The people continued to serve Jehovah all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had seen all of Jehovah’s great deeds in behalf of Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died at the age of 110. 9 So they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timʹnath-heʹres, in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, north of Mount Gaʹash. 10 All that generation were gathered to their ancestors, and another generation arose after them that did not know Jehovah or what he had done for Israel.
11 So the Israelites did what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah and served the Baʹals. 12 Thus they abandoned Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. And they followed other gods, the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and they bowed down to them and offended Jehovah. 13 They abandoned Jehovah and served Baʹal and the Ashʹto·reth images. 14 At this Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel, so he handed them over to plunderers who pillaged them. He sold them into the hand of the enemies around them, and they were no longer able to hold their own against their enemies. 15 Wherever they went, the hand of Jehovah was against them, bringing disaster on them, just as Jehovah had said and just as Jehovah had sworn to them, and they were in great distress. 16 So Jehovah would raise up judges who would save them from the hand of their plunderers.
17 But they refused to listen even to the judges and would prostitute themselves to other gods and bow down to them. They quickly turned aside from the way in which their forefathers had walked, those who had obeyed the commandments of Jehovah. They failed to do that. 18 Whenever Jehovah did raise up judges for them, Jehovah would be with the judge and save them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for Jehovah was moved to pity over their groaning caused by those who oppressed them and those who were treating them abusively.
19 But when the judge died, they would again act more corruptly than their fathers by following other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not abandon their practices and their stubborn behavior. 20 Finally Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel, and he said: “Because this nation has violated my covenant that I commanded their forefathers and they have disobeyed me, 21 I for my part will not drive out from before them even one of the nations that Joshua left behind when he died. 22 This is to test whether Israel will keep Jehovah’s way by walking in it as their fathers did.” 23 So Jehovah allowed these nations to remain. He did not drive them out quickly, and he did not give them into Joshua’s hand.
3 These are the nations that Jehovah allowed to remain so that they could test all those of Israel who had not experienced any of the wars of Caʹnaan 2 (this was so that succeeding generations of Israelites would experience war, those who had not experienced such things before): 3 the five lords of the Phi·lisʹtines, and all the Caʹnaan·ites, the Si·doʹni·ans, and the Hiʹvites inhabiting Mount Lebʹa·non from Mount Baʹal-herʹmon as far as Leʹbo-haʹmath. 4 They served as a means of testing Israel to determine whether Israel would obey Jehovah’s commandments that he had given their fathers through Moses. 5 So the Israelites lived among the Caʹnaan·ites, the Hitʹtites, the Amʹor·ites, the Perʹiz·zites, the Hiʹvites, and the Jebʹu·sites. 6 They would take their daughters as wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they began serving their gods.
7 So the Israelites did what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, and they forgot Jehovah their God and were serving the Baʹals and the sacred poles. 8 At this Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cuʹshan-rish·a·thaʹim the king of Mes·o·po·taʹmi·a. The Israelites served Cuʹshan-rish·a·thaʹim for eight years. 9 When the Israelites called to Jehovah for help, Jehovah raised up a savior to rescue the Israelites, Othʹni·el the son of Keʹnaz, the younger brother of Caʹleb. 10 The spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he became the judge of Israel. When he went out to battle, Jehovah gave Cuʹshan-rish·a·thaʹim the king of Mes·o·po·taʹmi·a into his hand so that he prevailed over Cuʹshan-rish·a·thaʹim. 11 After that the land had rest for 40 years. Then Othʹni·el the son of Keʹnaz died.
12 And once again the Israelites began doing what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes. So Jehovah let Egʹlon the king of Moʹab prevail over Israel, because they did what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes. 13 Furthermore, he brought against them the Amʹmon·ites and the A·malʹek·ites. They attacked Israel and captured the city of palm trees. 14 The Israelites served Egʹlon the king of Moʹab for 18 years. 15 Then the Israelites called to Jehovah for help, so Jehovah raised up for them a savior, Eʹhud the son of Geʹra, a Benʹja·min·ite who was left-handed. In time the Israelites sent tribute through him to Egʹlon the king of Moʹab. 16 Meanwhile, Eʹhud made for himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, and he strapped it underneath his garment on his right thigh. 17 He then presented the tribute to Egʹlon the king of Moʹab. Now Egʹlon was a very fat man.
18 When Eʹhud finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But after reaching the carved images at Gilʹgal, he himself went back and said: “I have a secret message for you, O king.” So the king said: “Silence!” With that all his attendants left him. 20 So Eʹhud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. Then Eʹhud said: “I have a message from God for you.” So he rose up from his throne. 21 Then Eʹhud drew the sword from his right thigh with his left hand and plunged it into his belly. 22 The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed in over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly, and the fecal matter came out. 23 Eʹhud went out through the porch, closing the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locking them. 24 After he left, the servants returned and saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked. So they said: “He must be relieving himself in the cool interior room.” 25 They kept waiting until they were embarrassed, but when they saw that he was still not opening the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them and saw their lord fallen to the floor dead!
26 Eʹhud escaped while they were lingering, and he passed by the carved images and made it safely to Se·iʹrah. 27 When he arrived, he sounded the horn in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im; and the Israelites went down out of the mountainous region, with him at their head. 28 Then he said to them: “Follow me, because Jehovah has given your enemies, the Moʹab·ites, into your hand.” So they followed him and captured the fords of the Jordan against the Moʹab·ites, and they did not allow anyone to cross. 29 At that time they struck down about 10,000 Moʹab·ites, all strong and valiant men; not a single one escaped. 30 So Moʹab was subdued on that day under Israel’s hand; and the land had rest for 80 years.
31 After him was Shamʹgar the son of Aʹnath, who struck down 600 Phi·lisʹtine men with a cattle goad; he too saved Israel.
4 But after Eʹhud died, the Israelites again did what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes. 2 So Jehovah sold them into the hand of Jaʹbin the king of Caʹnaan, who reigned in Haʹzor. The chief of his army was Sisʹe·ra, who lived in Ha·roʹsheth of the nations. 3 The Israelites cried out to Jehovah, because Jaʹbin had 900 war chariots with iron scythes, and he harshly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years.
4 Now Debʹo·rah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapʹpi·doth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under Debʹo·rah’s palm tree between Raʹmah and Bethʹel in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im; the Israelites would go up to her for judgment. 6 She sent for Baʹrak the son of A·binʹo·am out of Keʹdesh-naphʹta·li and said to him: “Has not Jehovah the God of Israel given the command? ‘Go and march to Mount Taʹbor, and take 10,000 men of Naphʹta·li and Zebʹu·lun with you. 7 I will bring to you Sisʹe·ra, the chief of Jaʹbin’s army, along with his war chariots and his troops to the stream of Kiʹshon, and I will give him into your hand.’”
8 At this Baʹrak said to her: “If you go with me, I will go, but if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 9 To this she said: “I will certainly go with you. However, the campaign you are going on will not bring you glory, for it will be into the hand of a woman that Jehovah will give Sisʹe·ra.” Then Debʹo·rah got up and went with Baʹrak to Keʹdesh. 10 Baʹrak summoned Zebʹu·lun and Naphʹta·li to Keʹdesh, and 10,000 men followed his steps. Debʹo·rah also went up with him.
11 Incidentally, Heʹber the Kenʹite had separated from the Kenʹites, the descendants of Hoʹbab, Moses’ father-in-law, and his tent was pitched near the big tree in Za·a·nanʹnim, which is at Keʹdesh.
12 They reported to Sisʹe·ra that Baʹrak the son of A·binʹo·am had gone up to Mount Taʹbor. 13 At once Sisʹe·ra assembled all his war chariots—900 chariots with iron scythes—and all the troops that were with him from Ha·roʹsheth of the nations to go to the stream of Kiʹshon. 14 Debʹo·rah now said to Baʹrak: “Rise up, for this is the day that Jehovah will give Sisʹe·ra into your hand. Is Jehovah not going out before you?” And Baʹrak descended from Mount Taʹbor with 10,000 men following him. 15 Then Jehovah threw Sisʹe·ra and all his war chariots and all the army into confusion before the sword of Baʹrak. Finally Sisʹe·ra got down from his chariot and fled on foot. 16 Baʹrak chased after the war chariots and the army as far as Ha·roʹsheth of the nations. So Sisʹe·ra’s whole army fell by the sword; not even one remained.
17 But Sisʹe·ra fled on foot to the tent of Jaʹel the wife of Heʹber the Kenʹite, for there was peace between Jaʹbin the king of Haʹzor and the house of Heʹber the Kenʹite. 18 Then Jaʹel came out to meet Sisʹe·ra and said to him: “Come in, my lord, come in here. Do not be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19 Then he said to her: “Give me, please, a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin bottle of milk and gave him a drink, after which she again covered him. 20 He told her: “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No!’”
21 But Jaʹel the wife of Heʹber took a tent pin and a hammer in her hand. Then while he was fast asleep and exhausted, she stealthily approached him and drove the pin through his temples and beat it into the ground, and he died.
22 Baʹrak went there in pursuit of Sisʹe·ra, and Jaʹel now came out to meet him and said: “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” He went in with her and saw Sisʹe·ra lying dead, with the tent pin through his temples.
23 So on that day, God subdued Jaʹbin the king of Caʹnaan before the Israelites. 24 The hand of the Israelites came down harder and harder against Jaʹbin the king of Caʹnaan, until they destroyed Jaʹbin the king of Caʹnaan.
5 On that day Debʹo·rah along with Baʹrak the son of A·binʹo·am sang this song:
 2 “Because of the unbound hair in Israel,
Because of the people’s volunteering,
Praise Jehovah!
 3 Listen, you kings! Give ear, you rulers!
To Jehovah I will sing.
I will sing praises to Jehovah, Israel’s God.
 4 Jehovah, when you went out from Seʹir,
When you marched out of the territory of Eʹdom,
The earth shook, and the heavens poured,
The clouds poured down water.
 5 Mountains melted before the face of Jehovah,
Even Siʹnai before the face of Jehovah, Israel’s God.
 6 In the days of Shamʹgar the son of Aʹnath,
In the days of Jaʹel, the roads were deserted;
Travelers kept to the back roads.
 7 The villagers in Israel were no more;
They were no more until I, Debʹo·rah, rose up,
Until I arose as a mother in Israel.
 8 They chose new gods;
Then there was war in the gates.
A shield could not be seen, nor a lance,
Among 40,000 in Israel.
 9 My heart is with the commanders of Israel,
Who went as volunteers with the people.
Praise Jehovah!
10 You riders on tawny donkeys,
You who sit on fine carpets,
And you who walk on the road,
Consider!
11 The voices of the water distributors were heard at the watering places;
There they were recounting the righteous acts of Jehovah,
The righteous acts of his villagers in Israel.
Then Jehovah’s people went down to the gates.
12 Awake, awake, O Debʹo·rah!
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Rise up, Baʹrak! Lead your captives away, you son of A·binʹo·am!
13 Then those who were left came down to the nobles;
Jehovah’s people came down to me against the mighty.
14 Out of Eʹphra·im was their origin, those in the valley;
They are following you, O Benjamin, among your peoples.
From Maʹchir the commanders went down,
And from Zebʹu·lun those who bear the recruiter’s staff.
15 The princes in Isʹsa·char were with Debʹo·rah,
As was Isʹsa·char, so was Baʹrak.
Into the valley plain he was sent on foot.
Among the divisions of Reuʹben there was intense heart-searching.
16 Why did you sit down between the two saddlebags,
Listening to them playing their pipes for the flocks?
For the divisions of Reuʹben, there was intense heart-searching.
17 Gilʹe·ad remained beyond the Jordan;
And Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
Ashʹer sat idle at the seashore,
And by his harbors he remained.
18 Zebʹu·lun was a people who risked their lives to the point of death;
Naphʹta·li also, on the open heights.
19 Kings came, they fought;
The kings of Caʹnaan then fought
In Taʹa·nach, by the waters of Me·gidʹdo.
No spoil of silver did they take.
20 From heaven the stars fought;
From their orbits they fought against Sisʹe·ra.
21 The torrent of Kiʹshon washed them away,
The ancient torrent, the torrent of Kiʹshon.
You trampled down the powerful, O my soul.
22 Then the hooves of horses pounded
As his stallions galloped furiously.
23 ‘Curse Meʹroz,’ said the angel of Jehovah,
‘Yes, curse its inhabitants,
For they did not come to the assistance of Jehovah,
To the assistance of Jehovah with the mighty ones.’
24 Most blessed of women is Jaʹel
The wife of Heʹber the Kenʹite;
She is most blessed of women living in tents.
25 He asked for water; she gave him milk.
In a majestic banquet bowl she offered curdled milk.
26 With her hand she reached for the tent pin,
Her right hand for the workman’s mallet.
And she hammered Sisʹe·ra, she crushed his head,
And she smashed and pierced his temples.
27 Between her feet he collapsed; he fell and lay still;
Between her feet he collapsed and fell;
Where he collapsed, there he fell defeated.
28 From the window a woman looked out,
Sisʹe·ra’s mother peered out from the lattice,
‘Why is his chariot delayed in coming?
Why are the hoofbeats of his chariots so late?’
29 The wisest of her noble ladies would answer her;
Yes, she too would repeat to herself,
30 ‘They must be dividing the spoil they found,
A girl, two girls, to every warrior,
Spoil of dyed cloth for Sisʹe·ra, spoil of dyed cloth,
An embroidered garment, dyed cloth, two embroidered garments
For the necks of the plunderers.’
31 So let all your enemies perish, O Jehovah,
But let those who love you be like the sun rising in its glory.”
And the land had rest for 40 years.
6 But the Israelites again did what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, so Jehovah gave them into the hand of Midʹi·an for seven years. 2 The hand of Midʹi·an dominated over Israel. Because of Midʹi·an, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, in the caves, and in the places difficult to approach. 3 If Israel sowed seed, Midʹi·an and Amʹa·lek and the Easterners would attack them. 4 They would camp against them and ruin the produce of the land all the way to Gazʹa, and they left nothing for Israel to eat and no sheep or bull or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and tents as numerous as the locusts, and they and their camels could not be numbered, and they would come into the land to destroy it. 6 So Israel became greatly impoverished on account of Midʹi·an; and the Israelites called to Jehovah for help.
7 When the Israelites called to Jehovah for help because of Midʹi·an, 8 Jehovah sent to the Israelites a prophet who said to them: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘I brought you up from Egypt and thus brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 So I rescued you from the hand of Egypt and from all your oppressors and drove them out from before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you: “I am Jehovah your God. You must not fear the gods of the Amʹor·ites in whose land you are dwelling.” But you did not obey me.’”
11 Later Jehovah’s angel came and sat under the big tree that was in Ophʹrah, which belonged to Joʹash the Abi-ezʹrite. His son Gidʹe·on was beating out wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from Midʹi·an. 12 Jehovah’s angel appeared to him and said: “Jehovah is with you, you mighty warrior.” 13 At this Gidʹe·on said to him: “Pardon me, my lord, but if Jehovah is with us, why has all of this come upon us? Where are all his wonderful acts that our fathers related to us, saying, ‘Did Jehovah not bring us up out of Egypt?’ Now Jehovah has deserted us and given us into Midʹi·an’s hand.” 14 Jehovah faced him and said: “Go with the strength you have, and you will save Israel out of Midʹi·an’s hand. Is it not I who send you?” 15 Gidʹe·on answered him: “Pardon me, Jehovah. How can I save Israel? Look! My clan is the least in Ma·nasʹseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.” 16 But Jehovah said to him: “Because I will be with you, you will strike down Midʹi·an as if they were one man.”
17 Then he said to him: “If, now, I have found favor in your eyes, show me a sign that you are the one speaking with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I return with my gift and set it before you.” So he said: “I will stay here until you return.” 19 And Gidʹe·on went in and prepared a young goat and made unleavened bread from an eʹphah of flour. He put the meat in the basket and the broth in the cooking pot; then he brought them out to him and served them under the big tree.
20 The angel of the true God now said to him: “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and place them on the big rock there, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then Jehovah’s angel stretched out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread, and fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Jehovah’s angel then vanished from his sight. 22 Gidʹe·on now realized that it was Jehovah’s angel.
At once Gidʹe·on said: “Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, for I have seen Jehovah’s angel face-to-face!” 23 But Jehovah said to him: “Peace be with you. Have no fear; you will not die.” 24 So Gidʹe·on built an altar there to Jehovah, and it is called Je·hoʹvah-shaʹlom down to this day. It is still in Ophʹrah of the Abi-ezʹrites.
25 That night Jehovah said to him: “Take the young bull that belongs to your father, the second young bull that is seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baʹal that belongs to your father, and cut down the sacred pole next to it. 26 After you build an altar to Jehovah your God on top of this stronghold with the row of stones, take the second young bull and offer it as a burnt offering on the pieces of wood from the sacred pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gidʹe·on took ten men of his servants and did just as Jehovah told him. But he feared the household of his father and the men of the city too much to do it by day, so he did it at night.
28 When the men of the city got up early the next morning, they saw that the altar of Baʹal had been pulled down and the sacred pole beside it had been cut down and the second young bull had been offered up on the altar that had been built. 29 They asked one another: “Who did this?” After they investigated, they said: “Gidʹe·on the son of Joʹash did this.” 30 So the men of the city said to Joʹash: “Bring your son out that he may die, because he pulled down the altar of Baʹal and cut down the sacred pole next to it.” 31 Joʹash then said to all those who confronted him: “Do you have to defend Baʹal? Do you have to save him? Whoever defends him should be put to death this morning. If he is a god, let him defend himself, since someone pulled down his altar.” 32 And he called Gidʹe·on Jer·ub·baʹal on that day, saying: “Let Baʹal defend himself, for someone has pulled down his altar.”
33 All Midʹi·an and Amʹa·lek and the Easterners joined forces; and they crossed over into the Valley of Jezʹre·el and camped. 34 Then Jehovah’s spirit came upon Gidʹe·on and he sounded the horn, and the Abi-ezʹrites rallied behind him. 35 He sent out messengers through all of Ma·nasʹseh, and they too rallied behind him. He also sent out messengers through Ashʹer, Zebʹu·lun, and Naphʹta·li, and they came up to meet him.
36 Then Gidʹe·on said to the true God: “If you are saving Israel by means of me, just as you have promised, 37 here I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only but all the ground around it is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by means of me, just as you have promised.” 38 And that is how it happened. When he rose up early the next day and wrung the fleece, he squeezed off enough dew from the fleece to fill a large banquet bowl with water. 39 However, Gidʹe·on said to the true God: “Do not let your anger burn against me, but let me ask just once more. Let me, please, make just one more test with the fleece. Please let the fleece alone be dry while there is dew all over the ground.” 40 So that is what God did that night; only the fleece was dry, and there was dew all over the ground.
7 Then Jer·ub·baʹal, that is, Gidʹe·on, and all the people with him rose early and encamped at the Spring of Haʹrod, while the camp of Midʹi·an was north of him at the hill of Moʹreh in the valley plain. 2 Jehovah now said to Gidʹe·on: “There are too many people with you for me to give Midʹi·an into their hand. Otherwise, Israel might brag about itself against me and say, ‘My own hand saved me.’ 3 Now, please, announce in the presence of the people: ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return home.’” So Gidʹe·on put them to the test. With that, 22,000 of the people returned home, and 10,000 remained.
4 Still Jehovah said to Gidʹe·on: “There are yet too many people. Have them go down to the water so that I may test them for you there. When I say to you, ‘This one will go with you,’ he will go with you, but when I say to you, ‘This one will not go along with you,’ he will not go along.” 5 So he took the people down to the water.
Then Jehovah said to Gidʹe·on: “Separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue just as a dog laps, from those who bend down on their knees to drink.” 6 The number of those lapping up the water, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men. The rest of the people bent down on their knees to drink.
7 Jehovah now said to Gidʹe·on: “I will save you with the 300 men who lapped the water, and I will give Midʹi·an into your hand. But let all the other people go back home.” 8 So after they took the provisions and the horns from the people, he sent all the other men of Israel back home, and he kept only the 300 men. The camp of Midʹi·an was below him in the valley plain.
9 During that night, Jehovah said to him: “Get up, attack the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Puʹrah your attendant. 11 Listen to what they say, and afterward you will have the courage to attack the camp.” At that he and Puʹrah his attendant went down to the edge of the encamped army.
12 Now Midʹi·an and Amʹa·lek and all the Easterners covered the valley plain like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were without number, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. 13 Gidʹe·on now came, and there was a man relating a dream to his companion, and he said: “This is the dream I had. There was a round loaf of barley bread rolling into the camp of Midʹi·an. It came to a tent and struck it so hard that it collapsed. Yes, it turned the tent upside down, and the tent fell flat.” 14 At this his companion said: “This can only be the sword of Gidʹe·on the son of Joʹash, a man of Israel. God has given Midʹi·an and all the camp into his hand.”
15 As soon as Gidʹe·on heard him relate the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down to worship. After that he returned to the camp of Israel and said: “Get up, for Jehovah has given the camp of Midʹi·an into your hand.” 16 Then he divided the 300 men into three bands and gave all of them horns and large empty jars with torches inside the jars. 17 Then he said to them: “Watch me and do exactly what I do. When I come to the edge of the camp, you should do just as I do. 18 When I blow the horn, I and all who are with me, you also must blow the horns all around the camp and shout, ‘For Jehovah and for Gidʹe·on!’”
19 Gidʹe·on and the 100 men who were with him came to the edge of the camp at the start of the middle night watch, just after the sentries were posted. They blew the horns and smashed the large water jars that were in their hands. 20 So the three bands blew the horns and shattered the large jars. They held the torches in their left hands and blew the horns in their right hands and they called out: “The sword of Jehovah and of Gidʹe·on!” 21 All the while each man stood in his place all around the camp, and the whole army ran away, shouting as they fled. 22 The 300 continued to blow the horns, and Jehovah turned the sword of each one against the other throughout the camp; and the army fled as far as Beth-shitʹtah, on to Zerʹe·rah, as far as the outskirts of Aʹbel-me·hoʹlah by Tabʹbath.
23 And the men of Israel were called together from Naphʹta·li, Ashʹer, and all of Ma·nasʹseh, and they chased after Midʹi·an. 24 Gidʹe·on sent messengers into all the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, saying: “Go down to attack Midʹi·an, and capture the access to the waters as far as Beth-barʹah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Eʹphra·im were gathered together, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barʹah and the Jordan. 25 They also captured the two princes of Midʹi·an, Oʹreb and Zeʹeb; they killed Oʹreb on the rock of Oʹreb, and they killed Zeʹeb at the winepress of Zeʹeb. They kept on pursuing Midʹi·an, and they brought the heads of Oʹreb and Zeʹeb to Gidʹe·on in the region of the Jordan.
8 Then the men of Eʹphra·im said to him: “What have you done to us? Why did you not call us when you went to fight against Midʹi·an?” And they quarreled bitterly with him. 2 But he said to them: “What have I done compared with you? Are not the gleanings of Eʹphra·im better than the grape harvest of Abi-eʹzer? 3 It was into your hand that God gave Midʹi·an’s princes Oʹreb and Zeʹeb, and what have I done compared with you?” When he spoke this way, they calmed down.
4 Gidʹe·on then came to the Jordan and crossed it. He and the 300 men with him were tired, but they kept up the pursuit. 5 So he said to the men of Sucʹcoth: “Please give loaves of bread to the people following me, for they are tired and I am chasing after Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna, the kings of Midʹi·an.” 6 But the princes of Sucʹcoth said: “Are the palms of Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna already in your hand so that we should give bread to your army?” 7 At this Gidʹe·on said: “Just for that, when Jehovah gives Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna into my hand, I will give you a thrashing with the thorns and the briars of the wilderness.” 8 And he went up from there to Pe·nuʹel and made the same request, but the men of Pe·nuʹel gave him the same answer as the men of Sucʹcoth. 9 So he said also to the men of Pe·nuʹel: “When I return in peace, I will pull down this tower.”
10 Now Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna were in Karʹkor with their armies, about 15,000 men. These were all who remained of the entire army of the Easterners, for 120,000 men armed with swords had fallen. 11 Gidʹe·on continued up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Noʹbah and Jogʹbe·hah and attacked the camp, which was off guard. 12 When Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna fled, he pursued and captured the two Midʹi·an·ite kings, Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna, throwing the whole camp into a panic.
13 Gidʹe·on the son of Joʹash then returned from the war by way of the pass that goes up to Heʹres. 14 En route he captured and interrogated a young man from Sucʹcoth. So the young man wrote out for him the names of the princes and elders of Sucʹcoth, 77 men. 15 With that he went to the men of Sucʹcoth and said: “Here are Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the palms of Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna already in your hand so that we should give bread to your exhausted men?’” 16 Then he took the elders of the city and with thorns and briars of the wilderness, he taught the men of Sucʹcoth a lesson. 17 And he pulled down the tower of Pe·nuʹel and killed the men of the city.
18 He asked Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna: “What sort of men did you kill in Taʹbor?” To this they said: “They were like you, each one looked like the son of a king.” 19 At that he said: “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As surely as Jehovah lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not have to kill you.” 20 Then he said to Jeʹther his firstborn: “Get up, kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was afraid, for he was still a young man. 21 So Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna said: “Get up yourself and slay us, for a man is judged by his mightiness.” So Gidʹe·on got up and killed Zeʹbah and Zal·munʹna and took the crescent-shaped ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
22 Later the men of Israel said to Gidʹe·on: “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson as well, for you saved us out of the hand of Midʹi·an.” 23 But Gidʹe·on said to them: “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. Jehovah is the one who will rule over you.” 24 Gidʹe·on continued: “Let me make one request of you: that each of you give me a nose ring from his spoil.” (For they had gold nose rings because they were Ishʹma·el·ites.) 25 They replied: “We will surely give them.” With that they spread out a robe and each man threw a nose ring from his spoil on it. 26 The weight of the gold nose rings that he had requested amounted to 1,700 gold shekels, besides the crescent-shaped ornaments, the pendants, the purple wool garments worn by the kings of Midʹi·an, and the necklaces from the camels.
27 Gidʹe·on made it into an ephʹod and exhibited it in his city Ophʹrah; and all Israel committed spiritual prostitution with it there, and it served as a snare to Gidʹe·on and to his household.
28 Thus Midʹi·an was subdued before the Israelites, and they did not challenge them again; and the land had rest for 40 years in the days of Gidʹe·on.
29 So Jer·ub·baʹal the son of Joʹash returned to his home and stayed there.
30 Gidʹe·on became father to 70 sons, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine in Sheʹchem also bore him a son, and he named him A·bimʹe·lech. 32 And Gidʹe·on the son of Joʹash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joʹash his father in Ophʹrah of the Abi-ezʹrites.
33 As soon as Gidʹe·on died, the Israelites again committed spiritual prostitution with the Baʹals, and they appointed Baʹal-beʹrith as their god. 34 The Israelites did not remember Jehovah their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies around them; 35 nor did they show loyal love toward the household of Jer·ub·baʹal, that is Gidʹe·on, in return for all the good that he had done for Israel.
9 In time A·bimʹe·lech the son of Jer·ub·baʹal went to his mother’s brothers in Sheʹchem, and he said to them and to all the family of his grandfather: 2 “Please ask all the leaders of Sheʹchem, ‘Which is better for you, for all 70 sons of Jer·ub·baʹal to rule over you or for one man to rule over you? And remember that I am your own bone and flesh.’”
3 So his mother’s brothers said this in his behalf to all the leaders of Sheʹchem, and their hearts were inclined to follow A·bimʹe·lech, for they said: “He is our own brother.” 4 Then they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the house of Baʹal-beʹrith, and A·bimʹe·lech used it to hire idle and insolent men to accompany him. 5 After that he went to his father’s house at Ophʹrah and killed his brothers, the sons of Jer·ub·baʹal, 70 men, on one stone. The only survivor was Joʹtham, the youngest son of Jer·ub·baʹal, because he hid.
6 Then all the leaders of Sheʹchem and all Beth-milʹlo gathered together and made A·bimʹe·lech king, close by the big tree, by the pillar that was in Sheʹchem.
7 When they reported it to Joʹtham, he at once went and stood on the top of Mount Gerʹi·zim and called out in a loud voice to them: “Listen to me, you leaders of Sheʹchem, and then God will listen to you.
8 “Once there were trees that went to anoint a king over them. So they said to the olive tree, ‘Rule over us.’ 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Must I give up my oil, which they use to glorify God and men, to go and wave over the other trees?’ 10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and rule over us.’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Must I give up my sweetness and my good fruitage to go and wave over the other trees?’ 12 Next the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and rule over us.’ 13 The vine replied to them, ‘Must I give up my new wine that makes God and men rejoice to go and wave over the trees?’ 14 Finally all the other trees said to the bramble, ‘Come and rule over us.’ 15 At this the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you are really anointing me as king over you, come and seek refuge under my shadow. But if not, let fire come out of the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebʹa·non.’
16 “Now have you acted sincerely and honorably in making A·bimʹe·lech king, and have you shown goodness toward Jer·ub·baʹal and his household, and have you treated him as he deserves? 17 When my father fought for you, he risked his life to save you from Midʹi·an’s hand. 18 But today you have risen up against my father’s household and killed his sons, 70 men, on one stone. Then you made A·bimʹe·lech, the son of his slave girl, king over the leaders of Sheʹchem just because he is your brother. 19 Yes, if you are acting sincerely and honorably toward Jer·ub·baʹal and his household this day, rejoice over A·bimʹe·lech and let him also rejoice over you. 20 But if not, may fire come out of A·bimʹe·lech and consume the leaders of Sheʹchem and Beth-milʹlo, and may fire come out of the leaders of Sheʹchem and Beth-milʹlo and consume A·bimʹe·lech.”
21 Then Joʹtham fled and escaped to Beʹer, and he lived there because of his brother A·bimʹe·lech.
22 A·bimʹe·lech ruled over Israel for three years. 23 Then God let hostility develop between A·bimʹe·lech and the leaders of Sheʹchem, and they dealt treacherously with A·bimʹe·lech. 24 This was so that the violence done to the 70 sons of Jer·ub·baʹal might be avenged, so as to place responsibility for their blood on their brother A·bimʹe·lech for killing them and on the leaders of Sheʹchem for helping him to kill his brothers. 25 So the leaders of Sheʹchem set men to ambush him on the mountaintops, and they would rob everyone who passed by them on the road. In time it was reported to A·bimʹe·lech.
26 Then Gaʹal son of Eʹbed and his brothers crossed over into Sheʹchem, and the leaders of Sheʹchem put their trust in him. 27 They went out into the field and gathered the grapes of their vineyards, trod them out, and held a festival, after which they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and cursed A·bimʹe·lech. 28 Then Gaʹal the son of Eʹbed said: “Who is A·bimʹe·lech, and who is Sheʹchem that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jer·ub·baʹal, and is not Zeʹbul his commissioner? Serve the men of Haʹmor, Sheʹchem’s father! But why should we serve him? 29 If only this people were under my command, I would depose A·bimʹe·lech.” Then he said to A·bimʹe·lech: “Increase your army and come out.”
30 When Zeʹbul the prince of the city heard the words of Gaʹal the son of Eʹbed, his anger blazed. 31 So he secretly sent messengers to A·bimʹe·lech, saying: “Look! Gaʹal the son of Eʹbed and his brothers are now in Sheʹchem, and here they are inciting the city against you. 32 Now come up by night, you and your men, and lie in wait in the field. 33 As soon as the sun rises in the morning, you should get up early and attack the city; and when he and his men come out against you, do whatever you can to defeat him.”
34 So A·bimʹe·lech and all the people with him rose up by night, and in four bands they lay in wait against Sheʹchem. 35 When Gaʹal the son of Eʹbed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate, A·bimʹe·lech and the people with him rose up from the ambush. 36 When Gaʹal saw the people, he said to Zeʹbul: “Look! There are people coming down from the mountaintops.” But Zeʹbul said to him: “You are seeing the shadows of the mountains as if they were men.”
37 Gaʹal later said: “Look! People are coming down from the center of the land, and one band is coming by the way of the big tree of Me·onʹe·nim.” 38 Zeʹbul replied to him: “Where now is your boast, ‘Who is A·bimʹe·lech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the people you rejected? Go out now and fight against them.”
39 So Gaʹal went out at the head of the leaders of Sheʹchem and fought against A·bimʹe·lech. 40 A·bimʹe·lech pursued him, and Gaʹal fled from him, and many fell slain as far as the entrance of the city gate.
41 And A·bimʹe·lech continued to dwell in A·ruʹmah, and Zeʹbul drove Gaʹal and his brothers out of Sheʹchem. 42 The next day the people went out into the field, and A·bimʹe·lech was told about it. 43 So he took the people and divided them into three bands and lay in wait in the field. When he saw the people going out of the city, he attacked them and struck them down. 44 A·bimʹe·lech and the bands with him charged forward and took a position at the entrance of the city gate, while two bands attacked all who were in the field, and they struck them down. 45 A·bimʹe·lech fought against the city all that day and captured it. He killed the people in it, and then he pulled the city down and sowed it with salt.
46 When all the leaders of the tower of Sheʹchem heard about this, they immediately went to the vault of the house of El-beʹrith. 47 As soon as it was reported to A·bimʹe·lech that all the leaders of the tower of Sheʹchem had gathered together, 48 A·bimʹe·lech and all the men with him went up Mount Zalʹmon. A·bimʹe·lech took an ax in his hand and cut off a tree branch and lifted it on his shoulder and said to the people with him: “What you saw me do, hurry and do the same!” 49 So all the people also cut off branches and followed A·bimʹe·lech. Then they put the branches against the vault and set the vault on fire. So all the people of the tower of Sheʹchem also died, about 1,000 men and women.
50 A·bimʹe·lech then went to Theʹbez; he camped against Theʹbez and captured it. 51 There was a strong tower in the middle of the city, and all the men and women and all the city leaders fled there. They shut themselves in and climbed onto the roof of the tower. 52 A·bimʹe·lech made his way to the tower and attacked it. He approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire. 53 Then one of the women dropped an upper millstone on A·bimʹe·lech’s head and crushed his skull. 54 He quickly called the attendant bearing his weapons and said to him: “Draw your sword and put me to death, so that they may not say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his attendant ran him through, and he died.
55 When the men of Israel saw that A·bimʹe·lech was dead, they all went back home. 56 Thus God repaid A·bimʹe·lech for the evil that he had done to his father by killing his 70 brothers. 57 God also made all the evil of the men of Sheʹchem come back on their own heads. So the curse of Joʹtham the son of Jer·ub·baʹal came upon them.
10 After A·bimʹe·lech, Toʹla the son of Puʹah, the son of Doʹdo, a man of Isʹsa·char, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shaʹmir in the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im. 2 He judged Israel for 23 years. Then he died and was buried in Shaʹmir.
3 After him Jaʹir the Gilʹe·ad·ite rose up and judged Israel for 22 years. 4 He had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys, and they had 30 cities, which to this day are called Havʹvoth-jaʹir; they are in the land of Gilʹe·ad. 5 After that Jaʹir died and was buried in Kaʹmon.
6 Again the Israelites did what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, and they began to serve the Baʹals, the Ashʹto·reth images, the gods of Aʹram, the gods of Siʹdon, the gods of Moʹab, the gods of the Amʹmon·ites, and the gods of the Phi·lisʹtines. They abandoned Jehovah and did not serve him. 7 Then Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Phi·lisʹtines and the Amʹmon·ites. 8 So they crushed and greatly oppressed the Israelites in that year—for 18 years they oppressed all the Israelites on the side of the Jordan that had been the land of the Amʹor·ites in Gilʹe·ad. 9 The Amʹmon·ites would also cross the Jordan to fight against Judah and Benjamin and the house of Eʹphra·im; and Israel was greatly distressed. 10 Then the Israelites called to Jehovah for help, saying: “We have sinned against you, for we abandoned our God and served the Baʹals.”
11 But Jehovah said to the Israelites: “Did I not save you from Egypt and from the Amʹor·ites, the Amʹmon·ites, the Phi·lisʹtines, 12 the Si·doʹni·ans, Amʹa·lek, and Midʹi·an when they oppressed you? When you cried out to me, I saved you out of their hand. 13 But you abandoned me and served other gods. That is why I will not save you again. 14 Go to the gods whom you have chosen and call for help. Let them save you in your time of distress.” 15 But the Israelites said to Jehovah: “We have sinned. Do to us whatever is good in your eyes. Only save us, please, this day.” 16 And they removed the foreign gods from their midst and served Jehovah, so that he could no longer tolerate Israel’s suffering.
17 In time the Amʹmon·ites were called together, and they pitched camp in Gilʹe·ad. So the Israelites gathered together and pitched camp in Mizʹpah. 18 The people and the princes of Gilʹe·ad said to one another: “Who will take the lead in fighting against the Amʹmon·ites? Let him become the chief over all the inhabitants of Gilʹe·ad.”
11 Now Jephʹthah the Gilʹe·ad·ite was a mighty warrior; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilʹe·ad was Jephʹthah’s father. 2 But Gilʹe·ad’s wife also bore him sons. When the sons of his wife grew up, they drove Jephʹthah out and said to him: “You will have no inheritance in our father’s household, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 So Jephʹthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob. And idle men joined company with Jephʹthah, and they followed him.
4 After a while, the Amʹmon·ites fought against Israel. 5 And when the Amʹmon·ites fought against Israel, the elders of Gilʹe·ad immediately went to bring Jephʹthah back from the land of Tob. 6 They said to Jephʹthah: “Come and serve as our commander, so that we can fight against the Amʹmon·ites.” 7 But Jephʹthah said to the elders of Gilʹe·ad: “Was it not you who hated me so much that you drove me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” 8 At this the elders of Gilʹe·ad said to Jephʹthah: “That is why now we have returned to you. If you go with us and fight against the Amʹmon·ites, you will become our leader over all the inhabitants of Gilʹe·ad.” 9 So Jephʹthah said to the elders of Gilʹe·ad: “If you bring me back to fight against the Amʹmon·ites and Jehovah defeats them for me, then I will indeed become your leader!” 10 The elders of Gilʹe·ad said to Jephʹthah: “Let Jehovah be the witness between us if we do not do as you say.” 11 So Jephʹthah went with the elders of Gilʹe·ad, and the people made him their leader and commander. And Jephʹthah repeated all his words before Jehovah in Mizʹpah.
12 Jephʹthah then sent messengers to the king of the Amʹmon·ites, saying: “What do you have against me that you have come to attack my land?” 13 So the king of the Amʹmon·ites said to the messengers of Jephʹthah: “It is because Israel took my land when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arʹnon to the Jabʹbok and as far as the Jordan. Now return it peaceably.” 14 But Jephʹthah sent messengers back to the king of the Amʹmon·ites 15 to say to him:
“This is what Jephʹthah says: ‘Israel did not take the land of the Moʹab·ites and the land of the Amʹmon·ites, 16 for when they came up out of Egypt, Israel walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and came to Kaʹdesh. 17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Eʹdom, saying: “Please let us pass through your land,” but the king of Eʹdom did not listen. Also to the king of Moʹab they sent word, but he did not consent. So Israel kept dwelling in Kaʹdesh. 18 When they walked through the wilderness, they bypassed the land of Eʹdom and the land of Moʹab. They traveled east of the land of Moʹab and camped in the region of the Arʹnon; they did not come within the boundary of Moʹab, for the Arʹnon was the boundary of Moʹab.
19 “‘After that Israel sent messengers to Siʹhon king of the Amʹor·ites, king of Heshʹbon, and Israel said to him: “Please let us pass through your land to our own place.” 20 But Siʹhon did not trust Israel to cross through his territory, so Siʹhon gathered all his people together and encamped in Jaʹhaz and fought against Israel. 21 At this Jehovah the God of Israel gave Siʹhon and all his people into Israel’s hand, so that they defeated them and Israel took possession of all the land of the Amʹor·ites, the inhabitants of that land. 22 Thus they took possession of all the territory of the Amʹor·ites from the Arʹnon to the Jabʹbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 “‘It was Jehovah the God of Israel who drove out the Amʹor·ites from before his people Israel, and now would you drive them out? 24 Do you not possess whatever your god Cheʹmosh gives you to possess? So everyone whom Jehovah our God has driven out from before us is the one we will drive out. 25 Now are you any better than Baʹlak the son of Zipʹpor, the king of Moʹab? Did he ever contend with Israel, or did he ever fight against them? 26 While Israel was dwelling in Heshʹbon and its dependent towns and in A·roʹer and its dependent towns and in all the cities that are by the banks of the Arʹnon for 300 years, why did you never try to take them back during that time? 27 I have not sinned against you, but you are wrong to attack me. Let Jehovah the Judge be judge today between the people of Israel and the people of Amʹmon.’”
28 But the king of the Amʹmon·ites would not listen to the message that Jephʹthah sent to him.
29 Jehovah’s spirit came upon Jephʹthah, and he passed through Gilʹe·ad and Ma·nasʹseh to go to Mizʹpeh of Gilʹe·ad, and from Mizʹpeh of Gilʹe·ad he continued on to the Amʹmon·ites.
30 Then Jephʹthah made a vow to Jehovah and said: “If you give the Amʹmon·ites into my hand, 31 then whoever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Amʹmon·ites will become Jehovah’s, and I will offer that one up as a burnt offering.”
32 So Jephʹthah went to fight against the Amʹmon·ites, and Jehovah gave them into his hand. 33 He struck them down with a very great slaughter from A·roʹer all the way to Minʹnith—20 cities—and as far as Aʹbel-kerʹa·mim. Thus the Amʹmon·ites were subdued before the Israelites.
34 Finally Jephʹthah came to his home in Mizʹpah, and look! his daughter was coming out to meet him, playing the tambourine and dancing! Now she was his one and only child. Besides her, he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he ripped his garments and said: “Oh no, my daughter! You have broken my heart, for you have become the one I have banished. Now I have opened my mouth to Jehovah, and I am unable to turn back.”
36 But she said to him: “My father, if you have opened your mouth to Jehovah, do to me as you have promised, since Jehovah has executed vengeance for you upon your enemies, the Amʹmon·ites.” 37 She then said to her father: “Let this be done for me: Let me be alone for two months, and let me go away into the mountains, and let me weep over my virginity with my female companions.”
38 At this he said: “Go!” So he sent her away for two months, and she went to the mountains with her companions to weep over her virginity. 39 At the end of two months, she returned to her father, after which he carried out the vow he had made regarding her. She never had relations with a man. And it became a custom in Israel: 40 From year to year, the young women of Israel would go to give commendation to the daughter of Jephʹthah the Gilʹe·ad·ite four days in the year.
12 Then the men of Eʹphra·im were summoned, and they crossed over to Zaʹphon and said to Jephʹthah: “Why did you not call us to go with you when you crossed over to fight against the Amʹmon·ites? We will burn your house down with you in it.” 2 But Jephʹthah said to them: “Along with my people, I was engaged in a great conflict with the Amʹmon·ites. I did call to you for help, but you did not save me from their hand. 3 When I saw that you would not save me, then I decided to risk my life and go against the Amʹmon·ites, and Jehovah handed them over to me. So why have you come today to fight against me?”
4 Jephʹthah then gathered all the men of Gilʹe·ad, and they fought Eʹphra·im; the men of Gilʹe·ad defeated Eʹphra·im, who had said: “You are only fugitives from Eʹphra·im, you Gilʹe·ad·ites in Eʹphra·im and Ma·nasʹseh.” 5 Gilʹe·ad captured the fords of the Jordan ahead of Eʹphra·im; and when the men of Eʹphra·im were trying to escape, they would say, “Let me cross over”; then the men of Gilʹe·ad would ask each one, “Are you an Eʹphra·im·ite?” When he would reply, “No!” 6 they would say to him, “Please say Shibʹbo·leth.” But he would say, “Sibʹbo·leth,” as he was unable to say the word correctly. Then they would seize him and slay him at the fords of the Jordan. So 42,000 Eʹphra·im·ites fell at that time.
7 Jephʹthah judged Israel for six years, after which Jephʹthah the Gilʹe·ad·ite died and was buried in his city in Gilʹe·ad.
8 Ibʹzan from Bethʹle·hem judged Israel after him. 9 He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. He sent his daughters to marry men outside his clan, and he brought in 30 women to marry his sons. He judged Israel for seven years. 10 Then Ibʹzan died and was buried in Bethʹle·hem.
11 After him Eʹlon the Zebʹu·lun·ite judged Israel; he judged Israel for ten years. 12 Then Eʹlon the Zebʹu·lun·ite died and was buried in Aiʹja·lon in the land of Zebʹu·lun.
13 After him Abʹdon the son of Hilʹlel the Pirʹa·thon·ite judged Israel. 14 He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons who rode on 70 donkeys. He judged Israel for eight years. 15 Then Abʹdon the son of Hilʹlel the Pirʹa·thon·ite died and was buried in Pirʹa·thon in the land of Eʹphra·im in the mountain of the A·malʹek·ite.
13 Again the Israelites did what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, and Jehovah gave them into the hand of the Phi·lisʹtines for 40 years.
2 Meanwhile, there was a man of Zorʹah of the family of the Danʹites, whose name was Ma·noʹah. His wife was barren and childless. 3 In time Jehovah’s angel appeared to the woman and said to her: “Look, you are barren and childless. But you will conceive and give birth to a son. 4 Now be careful not to drink wine or anything alcoholic, and do not eat anything unclean. 5 Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor should touch his head, because the child will be a Nazʹi·rite of God from birth, and he will take the lead in saving Israel out of the hand of the Phi·lisʹtines.”
6 Then the woman went and told her husband: “A man of the true God came to me, and his appearance was like an angel of the true God, very awe-inspiring. I did not ask him where he was from, nor did he tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, ‘Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now do not drink wine or anything alcoholic, and do not eat anything unclean, because the child will be a Nazʹi·rite of God from birth until the day of his death.’”
8 Ma·noʹah pleaded with Jehovah and said: “Pardon me, Jehovah. Please let the man of the true God whom you just sent come again to instruct us about what we should do with the child who will be born.” 9 So the true God listened to Ma·noʹah, and the angel of the true God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field; her husband Ma·noʹah was not with her. 10 The woman quickly ran and told her husband: “Look! The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.”
11 Then Ma·noʹah got up and went with his wife. He came to the man and said to him: “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” He said: “I am.” 12 Then Ma·noʹah said: “May your words come true! What will be the child’s manner of life, and what will be his work?” 13 So Jehovah’s angel said to Ma·noʹah: “Your wife should keep herself from everything that I mentioned to her. 14 She should not eat anything that the grapevine produces, she should not drink wine or anything alcoholic, and she should not eat anything unclean. Everything that I commanded her, let her observe.”
15 Ma·noʹah now said to Jehovah’s angel: “Please stay, and let us prepare a young goat for you.” 16 But Jehovah’s angel said to Ma·noʹah: “If I stay, I will not eat your food; but if you wish to present a burnt offering to Jehovah, you may offer it up.” Ma·noʹah did not know that he was Jehovah’s angel. 17 Then Ma·noʹah said to Jehovah’s angel: “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?” 18 However, Jehovah’s angel said to him: “Why are you asking about my name, seeing that it is a wonderful one?”
19 Then Ma·noʹah took the young goat and the grain offering and offered them on the rock to Jehovah. And He was doing something amazing while Ma·noʹah and his wife were looking on. 20 As the flame ascended from the altar heavenward, Jehovah’s angel ascended in the flame from the altar while Ma·noʹah and his wife were looking on. At once they fell with their faces to the ground. 21 Jehovah’s angel did not appear again to Ma·noʹah and his wife. Then Ma·noʹah realized that he was Jehovah’s angel. 22 Ma·noʹah then said to his wife: “We are sure to die, because it is God whom we have seen.” 23 But his wife said to him: “If Jehovah wanted to put us to death, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hand, he would not have shown us all these things, and he would not have told us any of these things.”
24 The woman later gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and as the boy grew, Jehovah continued to bless him. 25 In time Jehovah’s spirit started to impel him in Maʹha·neh-dan, between Zorʹah and Eshʹta·ol.
14 Then Samson went down to Timʹnah, and in Timʹnah he saw a Phi·lisʹtine woman. 2 So he went up and told his father and mother: “In Timʹnah a Phi·lisʹtine woman caught my eye, and I want you to get her for me as a wife.” 3 But his father and mother said to him: “Can you not find a woman among your relatives and among all our people? Must you go and take a wife from among the uncircumcised Phi·lisʹtines?” But Samson said to his father: “Get her for me, because she is the right one for me.” 4 His father and mother did not realize that this was from Jehovah, for He was looking for an opportunity against the Phi·lisʹtines, as the Phi·lisʹtines were ruling over Israel at that time.
5 So Samson went down with his father and mother to Timʹnah. When he reached the vineyards of Timʹnah, why look! a lion came roaring at him. 6 Then Jehovah’s spirit empowered him, and he tore it in two, just as someone tears a young goat in two with his bare hands. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and spoke to the woman, and she was still the right one in Samson’s eyes.
8 Later when he was going back to take her home, he turned aside to look at the dead body of the lion, and there in the lion’s carcass was a swarm of bees and honey. 9 So he scraped the honey out into his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he rejoined his father and mother, he gave them some to eat. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the carcass of a lion.
10 His father went down to the woman, and Samson held a banquet there, for that was what the young men used to do. 11 When they saw him, they brought 30 groomsmen to accompany him. 12 Then Samson said to them: “Please let me tell you a riddle. If during the seven days of the banquet you solve it and tell me the answer, I will have to give you 30 linen garments and 30 outfits of clothing. 13 But if you are unable to tell me the answer, you must give me 30 linen garments and 30 outfits of clothing.” They said: “Tell us your riddle; we want to hear it.” 14 So he said to them:
“Out of the eater came something to eat,
And out of the strong came something sweet.”
They were unable to solve the riddle for three days. 15 On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife: “Trick your husband so that he will tell us the answer to the riddle. Otherwise, we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Did you invite us here to take our possessions?” 16 So Samson’s wife wept over him and said: “You must hate me; you do not love me. You told a riddle to my people, but you have not told the answer to me.” At this he said to her: “Why, I have not told it even to my own father and mother! Should I tell it to you?” 17 But she kept weeping over him the rest of the seven-day banquet. He finally told her on the seventh day, because she had pressured him. Then she told her people the answer to the riddle. 18 So on the seventh day before the sun set, the men of the city said to him:
“What is sweeter than honey,
And what is stronger than a lion?”
He replied to them:
“If you had not plowed with my young cow,
You would not have solved my riddle.”
19 Then Jehovah’s spirit empowered him, and he went down to Ashʹke·lon and struck down 30 of their men and took their clothing and gave the outfits to those who had answered the riddle. He was furious as he went back up to his father’s house.
20 Samson’s wife was then given to one of his groomsmen who had accompanied him.
15 After a while, in the days of the wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife, bringing a young goat. He said: “I wish to go in to my wife in the bedroom.” But her father did not allow him to go in. 2 Her father said: “I thought, ‘You must surely hate her.’ So I gave her to your groomsman. Is not her younger sister more attractive than she is? Please, take her instead.” 3 However, Samson said to them: “This time I cannot be blamed by the Phi·lisʹtines for harming them.”
4 So Samson went and caught 300 foxes. Then he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put one torch between each pair of tails. 5 Then he set fire to the torches and sent the foxes out into the fields of standing grain of the Phi·lisʹtines. He set on fire everything from sheaf to standing grain, as well as the vineyards and the olive groves.
6 The Phi·lisʹtines asked: “Who did this?” They were told: “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timʹnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his groomsman.” At that the Phi·lisʹtines went up and burned her and her father with fire. 7 Then Samson said to them: “If this is how you act, I will not quit until I take revenge on you.” 8 Then he struck them down one after the other with a great slaughter, after which he went down and stayed in a cave of the crag Eʹtam.
9 Later the Phi·lisʹtines came up and camped in Judah and were tramping about in Leʹhi. 10 Then the men of Judah said: “Why have you come up against us?” to which they answered: “We have come up to capture Samson, to do to him just as he did to us.” 11 So 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cave of the crag Eʹtam and said to Samson: “Do you not know that the Phi·lisʹtines are ruling over us? So why have you done this to us?” He said to them: “As they did to me, so I did to them.” 12 But they said to him: “We have come to capture you and to hand you over to the Phi·lisʹtines.” Then Samson said: “Swear to me that you yourselves will not assault me.” 13 They said to him: “No, we will only tie you and hand you over to them, but we will not put you to death.”
So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the crag. 14 When he came to Leʹhi, the Phi·lisʹtines shouted triumphantly at meeting him. Then Jehovah’s spirit empowered him, and the ropes on his arms became like linen threads that were scorched with fire, and his fetters melted off his hands. 15 He now found a fresh jawbone of a male donkey; he reached out and grabbed it and struck down 1,000 men with it. 16 Then Samson said:
“With the jawbone of a donkey—one heap, two heaps!
With the jawbone of a donkey I struck down 1,000 men.”
17 When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away and called that place Raʹmath-leʹhi. 18 Then he became very thirsty, and he called on Jehovah and said: “It was you who gave this great salvation into the hand of your servant. But now am I to die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 So God split open a hollow that was in Leʹhi, and water flowed from it. When he drank, his spirit returned and he revived. That is why he named the place En-hak·korʹe, which is in Leʹhi to this day.
20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Phi·lisʹtines for 20 years.
16 One time Samson went to Gazʹa and saw a prostitute there, and he went in to her. 2 The Gazʹites were told: “Samson has come here.” So they surrounded him and lay in ambush for him all night long in the city gate. They stayed quiet the whole night, saying to themselves: “When daylight comes, we will kill him.”
3 However, Samson kept lying there until midnight. Then he got up at midnight and grabbed the doors of the city gate and the two side posts and pulled them out along with the bar. He put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that faces Hebʹron.
4 After that he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Soʹrek whose name was De·liʹlah. 5 So the lords of the Phi·lisʹtines approached her and said: “Trick him and find out what gives him such great strength and how we can overpower him and tie him and subdue him. For this we will each give you 1,100 silver pieces.”
6 De·liʹlah later said to Samson: “Please tell me where your great power comes from and what can be used to tie you and subdue you.” 7 Samson said to her: “If they tie me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried out, I will grow as weak as an ordinary man.” 8 So the lords of the Phi·lisʹtines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried out, and she tied him with them. 9 Now they set an ambush in the inner room, and she called out to him: “The Phi·lisʹtines are upon you, Samson!” At that he tore apart the bowstrings, just as easily as a thread of flax comes apart when it touches fire. The secret of his power did not become known.
10 Then De·liʹlah said to Samson: “Look! You have fooled me and told me lies. Now tell me, please, what can be used to tie you.” 11 So he said to her: “If they tie me up with new ropes that have not been used for work, I will grow as weak as an ordinary man.” 12 So De·liʹlah took new ropes and tied him with them and called out: “The Phi·lisʹtines are upon you, Samson!” (All the while the ambush was set in the inner room.) At that he tore them off his arms like threads.
13 After that De·liʹlah said to Samson: “Up until now you have fooled me and told me lies. Tell me what can be used to tie you.” Then he said to her: “If you weave the seven braids of my head with the warp thread.” 14 So she fixed them with a pin and called out to him: “The Phi·lisʹtines are upon you, Samson!” So he woke up from his sleep and pulled out the loom pin and the warp thread.
15 She now said to him: “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? These three times you have fooled me and have not told me the source of your great power.” 16 Because day after day she kept nagging him and pressuring him, he was weary to the point of dying. 17 So he finally opened his heart to her, saying: “A razor has never touched my head, because I am a Nazʹi·rite of God from birth. If I am shaved, my power will leave me and I will grow weak and become like all other men.”
18 When De·liʹlah saw that he had opened his heart to her, she immediately summoned the Phi·lisʹtine lords, saying: “Come up this time, for he has opened his heart to me.” So the Phi·lisʹtine lords came up to her, bringing the money with them. 19 She made him fall asleep on her knees; then she called the man and had him shave off the seven braids of his head. After that she began to have control over him, for his power was leaving him. 20 Now she called out: “The Phi·lisʹtines are upon you, Samson!” He woke up from his sleep and said: “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that Jehovah had left him. 21 So the Phi·lisʹtines seized him and bored his eyes out. Then they brought him down to Gazʹa and bound him with two copper fetters, and he became a grinder of grain in the prison. 22 But the hair of his head started to grow back again after he had been shaved.
23 The Phi·lisʹtine lords gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Daʹgon their god and to celebrate, for they were saying: “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand!” 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god and said: “Our god has given into our hand our enemy, the one who devastated our land and killed so many of us.”
25 Because their heart was cheerful, they said: “Call Samson to provide us some amusement.” So they called Samson out of the prison to entertain them; they made him stand between the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the boy holding him by the hand: “Let me feel the pillars that support the house, so that I can lean against them.” 27 (Incidentally, the house was full of men and women. All the Phi·lisʹtine lords were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women who were looking on while Samson provided amusement.)
28 Samson now called out to Jehovah: “Sovereign Lord Jehovah, remember me, please, and strengthen me, please, just this once, O God, and let me take revenge on the Phi·lisʹtines for one of my two eyes.”
29 Then Samson braced himself against the two middle pillars that supported the house, and he leaned on them with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. 30 Samson called out: “Let me die with the Phi·lisʹtines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and the house fell on the lords and all the people in it. So he killed more at his death than he had killed during his life.
31 Later his brothers and all his father’s family came down to take him back. They brought him up and buried him between Zorʹah and Eshʹta·ol in the tomb of Ma·noʹah his father. He had judged Israel for 20 years.
17 There was a man of the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im named Miʹcah. 2 He said to his mother: “The 1,100 silver pieces that were taken from you about which you pronounced a curse, which I heard—look! the silver is with me. I was the one who took it.” At that his mother said: “May Jehovah bless my son.” 3 So he gave the 1,100 pieces of silver back to his mother, but his mother said: “I will without fail sanctify the silver to Jehovah from my hand for my son to use in making a carved image and a metal statue. Now I give it back to you.”
4 After he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took 200 silver pieces and gave them to the silversmith. He made a carved image and a metal statue; and they were put in Miʹcah’s house. 5 This man Miʹcah had a house of gods, and he made an ephʹod and teraphim statues and installed one of his sons to serve as priest for him. 6 In those days, there was no king in Israel. Each one was doing what was right in his own eyes.
7 Now there was a young man of Bethʹle·hem in Judah who was of the family of Judah. He was a Levite who had been living there for a time. 8 The man left the city of Bethʹle·hem in Judah to find a place to live. While on his journey, he came to the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, to the house of Miʹcah. 9 Then Miʹcah said to him: “Where do you come from?” He replied: “I am a Levite from Bethʹle·hem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to live.” 10 So Miʹcah said to him: “Stay with me and serve as a father and a priest for me. I will give you ten silver pieces a year and a set of garments and your food.” So the Levite went in. 11 Thus the Levite agreed to stay with the man, and the young man became like one of his sons. 12 Furthermore, Miʹcah installed the Levite to serve as a priest for him, and he lived in the house of Miʹcah. 13 Then Miʹcah said: “Now I know that Jehovah will be good to me, for the Levite has become my priest.”
18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danʹites was looking for an inheritance to dwell in, because until then they had not received an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
2 The Danʹites sent five men from among their family, capable men from Zorʹah and Eshʹta·ol, to spy out the land and to explore it. They said to them: “Go, explore the land.” When they came to the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, to the house of Miʹcah, they spent the night there. 3 While they were near the house of Miʹcah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite man, so they went over to him and asked: “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is keeping you here?” 4 He replied to them: “Thus and so Miʹcah did for me, and he hired me to serve as priest for him.” 5 Then they said to him: “Please ask God whether our journey will be successful.” 6 The priest said to them: “Go in peace. Jehovah is with you on your journey.”
7 So the five men went on and came to Laʹish. They saw how the people in it were dwelling in self-reliance in the manner of the Si·doʹni·ans. They were quiet and unsuspecting, and no oppressive conqueror was in the land to disturb them. They were far away from the Si·doʹni·ans, and they had no dealings with anyone else.
8 When they returned to their brothers at Zorʹah and Eshʹta·ol, their brothers said to them: “How did it go?” 9 They replied: “Let us go up against them, for we have seen that the land is very good. Why are you hesitant? Do not delay to go in to take possession of the land. 10 When you arrive, you will find an unsuspecting people, and the land is spacious. God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything on the earth.”
11 Then 600 men armed for battle from the family of the Danʹites departed from Zorʹah and Eshʹta·ol. 12 They went up and camped at Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim in Judah. That is why that place, which is west of Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim, is called Maʹha·neh-dan to this day. 13 They went from there to the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im and came to the house of Miʹcah.
14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laʹish said to their brothers: “Did you know that there are in these houses an ephʹod, teraphim statues, a carved image, and a metal statue? Think about what you should do.” 15 So they stopped there and came to the house of the young Levite man at the house of Miʹcah and asked how he was. 16 All the while the 600 men of Dan, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside to take the carved image, the ephʹod, the teraphim statues, and the metal image. (The priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed for battle.) 18 They went into the house of Miʹcah and took the carved image, the ephʹod, the teraphim statues, and the metal image. The priest said to them: “What are you doing?” 19 But they said to him: “Be quiet. Put your hand over your mouth, and come with us to be a father and a priest for us. Which is better—for you to be a priest to the house of one man or to become a priest to a tribe and family in Israel?” 20 So the priest was satisfied, and he took the ephʹod, the teraphim statues, and the carved image and went off with the people.
21 Then they turned to go on their way, putting the children, the livestock, and the valuable things ahead of them. 22 They had gone some distance away from the house of Miʹcah when the men who lived in the houses near the house of Miʹcah gathered together and caught up with the Danʹites. 23 When they cried out to the Danʹites, they turned to face them and said to Miʹcah: “What is the matter? Why have you been gathered together?” 24 So he said: “You have taken my gods that I made, and you have gone off with the priest too. What do I have left? How, then, can you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” 25 The Danʹites replied: “Do not raise your voice against us; otherwise, angry men may assault you, and that would cost you your life and the lives of your household.” 26 So the Danʹites went on their way; and Miʹcah, seeing that they were stronger than he was, turned and went back to his house.
27 After they took what Miʹcah had made, as well as his priest, they went to Laʹish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city with fire. 28 There was no one to rescue it, for it was far from Siʹdon and they had no dealings with anyone else and it was in the valley plain that belonged to Beth-reʹhob. Then they rebuilt the city and settled in it. 29 Furthermore, they named the city Dan after the name of their father, Dan, who was born to Israel. But Laʹish was the city’s former name. 30 After that the Danʹites set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonʹa·than the son of Gerʹshom, the son of Moses, and his sons became priests to the tribe of the Danʹites until the day that the inhabitants of the land went into exile. 31 And they set up the carved image that Miʹcah had made, and it remained there all the days that the house of the true God was in Shiʹloh.
19 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who was then living in a remote part of the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im took a concubine from Bethʹle·hem in Judah as his wife. 2 But his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she left him to go to her father’s house at Bethʹle·hem in Judah. She remained there for four months. 3 Then her husband went after her to persuade her to come back; he had his male attendant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father’s house. When her father saw him, he was glad to meet him. 4 So his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, convinced him to stay with him three days; and they would eat and drink, and he would spend the night there.
5 On the fourth day, when they got up early in the morning to go, the father of the young woman said to his son-in-law: “Eat something to give you strength, and then you may go.” 6 So they sat down, and they both ate and drank together; after that the father of the young woman said to the man: “Please, stay overnight and enjoy yourself.” 7 When the man rose to go, his father-in-law kept begging him, so he stayed overnight again.
8 When he got up early in the morning on the fifth day to go, the father of the young woman said: “Please, eat something to give you strength.” And they lingered until it was late in the day, and they both kept eating. 9 When the man rose to go with his concubine and his attendant, his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him: “Look, now! It is almost evening. Please, stay overnight. Here the day is coming to an end. Stay here overnight and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get up early for your journey and go to your home.” 10 However, the man did not want to stay another night, so he got up and traveled as far as Jeʹbus, that is, Jerusalem. He had with him the two saddled donkeys, his concubine, and his attendant.
11 When they were close to Jeʹbus, the daylight was nearly gone. So the attendant said to his master: “Should we stop at this city of the Jebʹu·sites and stay overnight here?” 12 But his master said to him: “We should not stop at a city of foreigners who are not Israelites. We will go on as far as Gibʹe·ah.” 13 Then he said to his attendant: “Come and let us try to reach one of those places; we will stay overnight either in Gibʹe·ah or in Raʹmah.” 14 So they went on their way, and the sun began to set when they were near Gibʹe·ah, which belongs to Benjamin.
15 So they stopped there and went in to stay overnight in Gibʹe·ah. Once inside, they sat down in the public square of the city, but nobody took them into his house to stay overnight. 16 Eventually that evening, an old man came in from his work in the field. He was from the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, and he was living for a time in Gibʹe·ah; but the residents of the city were Benʹja·min·ites. 17 When he looked up and saw the traveler in the public square of the city, the old man said: “Where are you going, and where do you come from?” 18 He replied: “We are traveling from Bethʹle·hem in Judah to a remote area of the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im, where I am from. I went to Bethʹle·hem in Judah, and I am going to the house of Jehovah, but nobody is taking me into his house. 19 We have enough straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me, the woman, and our attendant. There is nothing lacking.” 20 However, the old man said: “May you have peace! Let me take care of anything you need. Just do not stay overnight in the public square.” 21 So he brought him into his house and gave feed to the donkeys. Then they washed their feet and ate and drank.
22 While they were enjoying themselves, some worthless men of the city surrounded the house and were pounding on the door, and they kept saying to the old man who owned the house: “Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may have sex with him.” 23 At that the owner of the house went out and said to them: “No, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Please, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this disgraceful act. 24 Here are my virgin daughter and this man’s concubine. Let me bring them out, and you can humiliate them if you must. But you must not commit this disgraceful act toward this man.”
25 But the men refused to listen to him, so the man grabbed hold of his concubine and brought her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night long until the morning. Then they sent her away at the break of dawn. 26 Early in the morning, the woman came and fell down at the entrance of the man’s house where her master was and lay there until it was light. 27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the doors of the house to go out to resume his journey, he saw the woman, his concubine, lying at the entrance of the house with her hands on the threshold. 28 So he said to her: “Get up; let us go.” But there was no answer. The man then put her on the donkey and set out for his home.
29 When he reached his house, he took the slaughtering knife and took hold of his concubine and cut her up limb by limb into 12 pieces and sent one piece into each territory of Israel. 30 All who saw it said: “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt down to this day. Consider it, take counsel, and tell us what to do.”
20 Consequently, all the Israelites came out from Dan down to Beʹer-sheʹba and from the land of Gilʹe·ad, and the entire assembly gathered unitedly before Jehovah at Mizʹpah. 2 So the chiefs of the people and all the tribes of Israel took their places in the congregation of God’s people—400,000 foot soldiers armed with swords.
3 The Benʹja·min·ites heard that the men of Israel had gone up to Mizʹpah.
Then the men of Israel said: “Tell us, how did this terrible thing happen?” 4 At this the Levite man, the husband of the murdered woman, said in answer: “I came to Gibʹe·ah of Benjamin with my concubine to stay overnight. 5 And the inhabitants of Gibʹe·ah rose up against me and surrounded the house by night. They meant to kill me, but they raped my concubine instead, and she died. 6 So I took my concubine’s body and cut it up and sent the pieces into every part of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a shameful and disgraceful act in Israel. 7 Now all you people of Israel, give your advice and counsel here.”
8 Then all the people rose up in unison and said: “Not one of us will go to his tent or return to his house. 9 Now this is what we will do to Gibʹe·ah: We will go up against it by lot. 10 We will take 10 men out of 100 from all the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of 1,000 and 1,000 out of 10,000 to collect provisions for the army, so that they may take action against Gibʹe·ah of Benjamin, in view of the disgraceful act that they committed in Israel.” 11 Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against the city united as allies.
12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men to all the tribesmen of Benjamin, saying: “What is this terrible thing that has happened among you? 13 Now hand over the worthless men from Gibʹe·ah, so that we may put them to death and clear out what is bad from Israel.” But the Benʹja·min·ites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers.
14 Then the Benʹja·min·ites gathered together out of the cities to Gibʹe·ah to go out to battle against the men of Israel. 15 That day the Benʹja·min·ites mustered from their cities 26,000 men armed with swords, apart from the 700 chosen men of Gibʹe·ah. 16 In this army were 700 chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of these men could sling a stone to within a hairbreadth and would not miss.
17 The men of Israel apart from Benjamin mustered 400,000 men armed with swords, and each one was an experienced warrior. 18 They rose up and went up to Bethʹel to inquire of God. Then the people of Israel said: “Who of us should go up in the lead to the battle against the Benʹja·min·ites?” Jehovah replied: “Judah is to take the lead.”
19 After that the Israelites rose up in the morning and camped against Gibʹe·ah.
20 The men of Israel now went out to battle against Benjamin; they drew up in battle formation against them at Gibʹe·ah. 21 So the Benʹja·min·ites came out from Gibʹe·ah and struck down 22,000 men of Israel on that day. 22 However, the army of the men of Israel showed themselves courageous and again drew up in battle formation in the same place as on the first day. 23 Then the Israelites went up and wept before Jehovah until the evening and inquired of Jehovah: “Should we again go into battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” To this Jehovah said: “Go up against them.”
24 So the Israelites drew near to the Benʹja·min·ites on the second day. 25 In turn Benjamin came out from Gibʹe·ah to meet them on the second day and struck down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords. 26 At that all the men of Israel went up to Bethʹel. They wept and sat there before Jehovah, and they fasted on that day until the evening and offered up burnt offerings and communion offerings before Jehovah. 27 After that the men of Israel inquired of Jehovah, for the ark of the covenant of the true God was there in those days. 28 Now Phinʹe·has the son of El·e·aʹzar, the son of Aaron, was ministering before it in those days. They asked: “Should we go out yet again to battle against our brothers, the men of Benjamin, or should we stop?” Jehovah replied: “Go up, because tomorrow I will give them into your hand.” 29 Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibʹe·ah.
30 The Israelites went up against the Benʹja·min·ites on the third day, and they drew up in formation against Gibʹe·ah the same as at the other times. 31 When the Benʹja·min·ites went out to meet the army, they were drawn away from the city. Then, as at the other times, they started to attack and kill some of the men on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethʹel and the other to Gibʹe·ah, leaving about 30 men of Israel dead in the open field. 32 So the Benʹja·min·ites said: “They are suffering defeat before us the same as before.” But the Israelites said: “We will retreat and draw them away from the city onto the highways.” 33 So all the men of Israel rose up from their places and drew up in formation at Baʹal-taʹmar while the Israelite ambush charged out of their places in the vicinity of Gibʹe·ah. 34 Thus 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel came in front of Gibʹe·ah, and the fighting was heavy. But the Benʹja·min·ites did not know that disaster was near at hand.
35 Jehovah defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 men in Benjamin, all of them armed with swords.
36 However, the Benʹja·min·ites imagined that the men of Israel would be defeated when they retreated from Benjamin, but they retreated because they trusted in the ambush that was set against Gibʹe·ah. 37 The ambush acted quickly and charged toward Gibʹe·ah. Then the ambush spread out and struck down the whole city with the sword.
38 Now the men of Israel had arranged that the men who ambushed the city would make a smoke signal go up from there.
39 When the Israelites turned around in the battle, the men of Benjamin started by attacking and killing about 30 men of Israel, and they said: “They are clearly suffering another defeat before us, just as in the previous battle.” 40 But the signal started to go up from the city as a pillar of smoke. When the men of Benjamin turned to look, they saw the whole city going up in flames to the sky. 41 Then the men of Israel made an about-face, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster had overtaken them. 42 So they retreated from the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle followed them; the men coming out of the cities joined in striking them down. 43 They surrounded the Benʹja·min·ites and pursued them relentlessly. They trampled them down directly in front of Gibʹe·ah toward the east. 44 Finally 18,000 men of Benjamin fell, all mighty warriors.
45 The men of Benjamin turned and fled into the wilderness to the crag of Rimʹmon, and the Israelites killed 5,000 of them on the highways, and they kept pursuing them as far as Giʹdom; so they struck down 2,000 more men. 46 All those of Benjamin who fell on that day amounted to 25,000 men armed with swords, all mighty warriors. 47 But 600 retreated into the wilderness to the crag of Rimʹmon, and they stayed on the crag of Rimʹmon for four months.
48 And the men of Israel turned back against the Benʹja·min·ites and struck those of the city with the sword, from men to livestock, all that remained. Also, they set all the cities in their path on fire.
21 Now the men of Israel had sworn this oath in Mizʹpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter to a man from Benjamin as a wife.” 2 Consequently, the people came to Bethʹel and sat there before the true God until evening, crying out and weeping bitterly. 3 And they were saying: “Why, O Jehovah the God of Israel, has this happened in Israel? Why should one tribe be missing today from Israel?” 4 And the next day the people got up early and built an altar there to offer up burnt offerings and communion offerings.
5 Then the people of Israel said: “Who of all the tribes of Israel did not come up to assemble before Jehovah?” for they had taken a great oath that anyone who did not come up to Jehovah at Mizʹpah would be put to death without fail. 6 So the people of Israel felt sorrow over what had happened to Benjamin their brother. They said: “Today one tribe has been chopped off from Israel. 7 What should we do to provide wives for those who are left, now that we have sworn by Jehovah not to give them any of our daughters as wives?”
8 They asked: “Who among the tribes of Israel did not come up to Jehovah at Mizʹpah?” It so happened that no one had come from Jaʹbesh-gilʹe·ad into the camp where the congregation was. 9 When the people were counted, they saw that none of the inhabitants of Jaʹbesh-gilʹe·ad were there. 10 So the assembly sent there 12,000 of the mightiest men. They commanded them: “Go and strike down the inhabitants of Jaʹbesh-gilʹe·ad with the sword, even the women and the children. 11 This is what you should do: Every male, as well as every woman who has had sexual relations with a male, you should devote to destruction.” 12 Among the inhabitants of Jaʹbesh-gilʹe·ad, they found 400 girls who were virgins, who had never had sexual relations with a man. So they brought them to the camp at Shiʹloh, which is in the land of Caʹnaan.
13 Then all the assembly sent a message to the Benʹja·min·ites on the crag of Rimʹmon and offered them peace. 14 So Benjamin came back at that time. They gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jaʹbesh-gilʹe·ad, but they did not find enough for them. 15 And the people felt sorrow over what had happened to Benjamin because Jehovah had made a division among the tribes of Israel. 16 The elders of the assembly said: “What should we do to provide wives for the remaining men, since all the women were annihilated out of Benjamin?” 17 They replied: “There should be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe may not be wiped out of Israel. 18 But we are not allowed to give them wives from our daughters, because the people of Israel have sworn: ‘Cursed is the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”
19 Then they said: “Look! There is a festival of Jehovah from year to year in Shiʹloh, which is north of Bethʹel and east of the highway that goes up from Bethʹel to Sheʹchem and south of Le·boʹnah.” 20 So they commanded the men of Benjamin: “Go and set an ambush in the vineyards. 21 And when you see the young women of Shiʹloh come out to join in their circle dances, each of you should come out from the vineyards and seize a wife from the young women of Shiʹloh, and you should return to the land of Benjamin. 22 And should their fathers or their brothers come to make a complaint against us, we will then tell them, ‘Show us favor for their sakes, because we could not provide each one a wife by war and you could not give a wife to them without becoming guilty.’”
23 So the men of Benjamin did just that, and they each carried off a wife from the women who were dancing. After that they went back to their inheritance and rebuilt their cities and settled in them.
24 And the Israelites dispersed from there at that time, each one to his tribe and his family, and they departed from there, each one to his inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Each one was doing what was right in his own eyes.

RUTH
1 Now in the days when the judges administered justice, a famine occurred in the land; and a man went from Bethʹle·hem in Judah to reside as a foreigner in the fields of Moʹab, he along with his wife and his two sons. 2 The man’s name was E·limʹe·lech, his wife’s name was Na·oʹmi, and the names of his two sons were Mahʹlon and Chilʹi·on. They were Ephʹrath·ites from Bethʹle·hem in Judah. And they came to the fields of Moʹab and remained there.
3 After some time E·limʹe·lech, Na·oʹmi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 The men later married Moʹab·ite women; one was named Orʹpah, and the other was named Ruth. They remained there for about ten years. 5 Then the two sons, Mahʹlon and Chilʹi·on, also died, and the woman was left without her two children and her husband. 6 So she started out with her daughters-in-law to return from the fields of Moʹab, for she had heard in Moʹab that Jehovah had turned his attention to his people by giving them food.
7 She left the place where she had been living with both of her daughters-in-law. As they were walking on the road to return to the land of Judah, 8 Na·oʹmi said to both of her daughters-in-law: “Go, return, each of you to your mother’s home. May Jehovah show loyal love to you, just as you have shown it to the men who have died and to me. 9 May Jehovah grant that each of you finds security in the home of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept loudly. 10 They kept saying to her: “No, but we will go with you to your people.” 11 But Na·oʹmi said: “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Can I still give birth to sons who could become your husbands? 12 Return, my daughters. Go, for I have grown too old to marry. Even if I could hope to find a husband tonight and could also bear sons, 13 would you keep waiting for them until they could grow up? Would you refrain from getting remarried for their sakes? No, my daughters, I feel very bitter for you, because the hand of Jehovah has turned against me.”
14 Again they wept loudly, after which Orʹpah kissed her mother-in-law and departed. But Ruth stuck with her. 15 So Na·oʹmi said: “Look! Your widowed sister-in-law has returned to her people and her gods. Return with your sister-in-law.”
16 But Ruth said: “Do not plead with me to abandon you, to turn back from accompanying you; for where you go I will go, and where you spend the night, I will spend the night. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May Jehovah do so to me and add to it if anything but death should separate me from you.”
18 When Na·oʹmi saw that Ruth insisted on going with her, she stopped trying to convince her. 19 And they both continued on their way until they came to Bethʹle·hem. As soon as they arrived in Bethʹle·hem, the whole city became stirred up over them, and women were saying: “Is this Na·oʹmi?” 20 She would say to the women: “Do not call me Na·oʹmi. Call me Maʹra, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I was full when I went, but Jehovah made me return empty-handed. Why should you call me Na·oʹmi, when it is Jehovah who opposed me and the Almighty who caused me calamity?”
22 This is how Na·oʹmi returned from the fields of Moʹab, along with her Moʹab·ite daughter-in-law Ruth. They came to Bethʹle·hem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
2 Now Na·oʹmi had a relative on her husband’s side who was very wealthy; his name was Boʹaz, and he was of the family of E·limʹe·lech.
2 Ruth the Moʹab·i·tess said to Na·oʹmi: “Let me go out, please, to the fields and glean among the ears of grain behind whoever looks on me with favor.” So Na·oʹmi said to her: “Go, my daughter.” 3 At that she went out and began to glean in the field behind the harvesters. By chance she came upon a plot of land belonging to Boʹaz, who was of the family of E·limʹe·lech. 4 Just then Boʹaz arrived from Bethʹle·hem and said to the harvesters: “Jehovah be with you.” And they replied: “Jehovah bless you.”
5 Boʹaz then asked the young man in charge of the harvesters: “To whom does this young woman belong?” 6 The young man in charge of the harvesters answered: “The young woman is a Moʹab·i·tess who returned with Na·oʹmi from the fields of Moʹab. 7 She asked, ‘Please, may I glean and gather among the cut-off ears of grain left behind by the harvesters?’ And she has been on her feet since she came this morning until just now, when she sat in the shelter for a short rest.”
8 Then Boʹaz said to Ruth: “Listen, my daughter. Do not go away to glean in another field, and do not go anywhere else; stay close by my young women. 9 Keep your eyes on the field that they harvest, and go with them. I have commanded the young men not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the young men have drawn.”
10 At that she fell facedown and bowed down to the ground and said to him: “How have I found favor in your eyes, and why have you taken notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” 11 Boʹaz answered her: “A full report was made to me of all you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your relatives to go to a people whom you had not known before. 12 May Jehovah reward you for what you have done, and may there be a perfect wage for you from Jehovah the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” 13 To this she said: “Let me find favor in your eyes, my lord, because you have comforted me and spoken reassuringly to your servant, although I am not even one of your servants.”
14 Boʹaz said to her at mealtime: “Come here, eat some of the bread, and dip your piece in the vinegar.” So she sat down beside the harvesters. He then handed her some roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied, and she had something left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boʹaz commanded his young men: “Let her glean even among the cut-off ears of grain, and do not mistreat her. 16 You should also be sure to pull out some ears of grain from the bundles for her and leave them behind for her to glean, and do not say anything to stop her.”
17 So she continued to glean in the field until evening. When she beat out what she had gleaned, it came to about an eʹphah of barley. 18 Then she took it and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. Ruth also took out and gave to her the food that was left over after she had eaten her fill.
19 Her mother-in-law then said to her: “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? May the one who took notice of you be blessed.” So she told her mother-in-law about whom she had worked with, saying: “The name of the man I worked with today is Boʹaz.” 20 At that Na·oʹmi said to her daughter-in-law: “May he be blessed by Jehovah, who has not failed in his loyal love toward the living and the dead.” Na·oʹmi continued: “The man is related to us. He is one of our repurchasers.” 21 Then Ruth the Moʹab·i·tess said: “He also told me, ‘Stay close by my young people until they have finished my entire harvest.’” 22 Na·oʹmi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth: “It is better, my daughter, for you to go out with his young women than to be harassed in another field.”
23 So she stayed close to the young women of Boʹaz and gleaned until the barley harvest and the wheat harvest came to an end. And she kept dwelling with her mother-in-law.
3 Na·oʹmi, her mother-in-law, now said to her: “My daughter, should I not look for a home for you, so that it may go well with you? 2 Is not Boʹaz our relative? He is the one whose young women you were with. Tonight he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor. 3 So wash yourself and rub on some perfumed oil; then dress up and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make your presence known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, take note of the place where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what you should do.”
5 At that she replied: “All that you say to me I will do.” 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did all that her mother-in-law had instructed her to do. 7 Meanwhile, Boʹaz ate and drank and was feeling good at heart. Then he went to lie down at the end of the grain heap. After that she quietly came and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man began to shiver, and he leaned forward and saw a woman lying at his feet. 9 He said: “Who are you?” She replied: “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread out your garment over your servant, for you are a repurchaser.” 10 At that he said: “May Jehovah bless you, my daughter. You have shown your loyal love more in this last instance than in the first instance, by not going after the young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, have no fear. I will do for you everything that you say, for everyone in the city knows that you are an excellent woman. 12 While it is true that I am a repurchaser, there is a repurchaser more closely related than I am. 13 Stay here tonight, and if he will repurchase you in the morning, fine! Let him repurchase you. But if he does not want to repurchase you, I will then repurchase you myself, as surely as Jehovah lives. Lie down here until the morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until the morning and then got up before it was light enough for anyone to be recognized. He then said: “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 He also said: “Bring the cloak that you are wearing, and hold it out.” So she held it out, and he put six measures of barley in it and put it on her, after which he went into the city.
16 She went her way to her mother-in-law, who now said: “How did it go for you, my daughter?” She told her everything that the man had done for her. 17 She added: “He gave me these six measures of barley and said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” 18 At that she said: “Sit here, my daughter, until you learn how the matter will turn out, for the man will not rest until he settles the matter today.”
4 Now Boʹaz went up to the city gate and sat there. And look! the repurchaser whom Boʹaz had mentioned passed by. At that Boʹaz said: “Come here and sit down, So-and-so.” And he went over and sat down. 2 Then Boʹaz took ten of the city elders and said: “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
3 Boʹaz now said to the repurchaser: “Na·oʹmi, who has returned from the fields of Moʹab, must sell the plot of land that belonged to our brother E·limʹe·lech. 4 So I thought I should disclose it to you and say, ‘Buy it in front of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will repurchase it, repurchase it. But if you will not repurchase it, tell me so that I will know, for you have the claim to repurchase it, and I am next in line after you.’” He replied: “I am willing to repurchase it.” 5 Then Boʹaz said: “On the day you buy the field from Na·oʹmi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moʹab·i·tess, the wife of the dead man, in order to restore the name of the dead man to his inheritance.” 6 To this the repurchaser said: “I am unable to repurchase it, for I may ruin my own inheritance. Repurchase it for yourself with my right of repurchase, because I am not able to repurchase it.”
7 Now this was the custom of former times in Israel concerning the right of repurchase and exchange to validate every sort of transaction: A man had to remove his sandal and give it to the other party, and this was the manner of confirming an agreement in Israel. 8 So when the repurchaser said to Boʹaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he removed his sandal. 9 Then Boʹaz said to the elders and all the people: “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Na·oʹmi all that belonged to E·limʹe·lech and all that belonged to Chilʹi·on and Mahʹlon. 10 I am also acquiring Ruth the Moʹab·i·tess, the wife of Mahʹlon, as a wife to restore the name of the dead man to his inheritance, so that the name of the dead man will not be cut off from among his brothers and from the city gate of his home. You are witnesses today.”
11 At this all the people who were in the city gate and the elders said: “We are witnesses! May Jehovah grant the wife who is entering your house to be like Rachel and like Leʹah, both of whom built the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephʹra·thah and make a good name in Bethʹle·hem. 12 May your house become like the house of Peʹrez, whom Taʹmar bore to Judah, through the offspring that Jehovah will give you by this young woman.”
13 So Boʹaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He had relations with her, and Jehovah let her conceive and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women said to Na·oʹmi: “Praised be Jehovah, who has not left you without a repurchaser today. May his name be proclaimed in Israel! 15 He has restored your life and will sustain you in your old age, because he has been born to your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons.” 16 Na·oʹmi took the child and held him to her bosom, and she cared for him. 17 Then the neighbor women gave him a name. They said, “A son has been born to Na·oʹmi,” and they named him Oʹbed. He is the father of Jesʹse, David’s father.
18 Now this is the family line of Peʹrez: Peʹrez became father to Hezʹron; 19 Hezʹron became father to Ram; Ram became father to Am·minʹa·dab; 20 Am·minʹa·dab became father to Nahʹshon; Nahʹshon became father to Salʹmon; 21 Salʹmon became father to Boʹaz; Boʹaz became father to Oʹbed; 22 Oʹbed became father to Jesʹse; and Jesʹse became father to David.

THE FIRST OF SAMUEL
1 Now there was a man of Ra·math·aʹim-zoʹphim of the mountainous region of Eʹphra·im whose name was El·kaʹnah, the son of Je·roʹham, the son of E·liʹhu, the son of Toʹhu, the son of Zuph, an Eʹphra·im·ite. 2 He had two wives; one was named Hanʹnah, and the other was named Pe·ninʹnah. Pe·ninʹnah had children, but Hanʹnah had no children. 3 That man went up from his city year after year to worship and to sacrifice to Jehovah of armies in Shiʹloh. That is where the two sons of Eʹli, Hophʹni and Phinʹe·has, served as priests to Jehovah.
4 One day when El·kaʹnah offered a sacrifice, he gave portions to his wife Pe·ninʹnah as well as to all her sons and her daughters, 5 but to Hanʹnah he gave a special portion, because Hanʹnah was the one he loved; but Jehovah had not given her children. 6 Moreover, her rival wife taunted her relentlessly in order to upset her because Jehovah had not given her children. 7 That is what she would do year after year; whenever Hanʹnah went up to the house of Jehovah, her rival would taunt her so much that she would weep and not eat. 8 But her husband El·kaʹnah said to her: “Hanʹnah, why do you weep, and why do you not eat, and why are you so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9 Then Hanʹnah got up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiʹloh. At the time, Eʹli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of Jehovah. 10 Hanʹnah was extremely bitter, and she began to pray to Jehovah and to weep uncontrollably. 11 And she made this vow: “O Jehovah of armies, if you look upon the affliction of your servant and remember me and you do not forget your servant and give to your servant a male child, I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life, and no razor will touch his head.”
12 While she prayed for a long time before Jehovah, Eʹli was watching her mouth. 13 Hanʹnah was speaking in her heart, only her lips were trembling, but her voice was not heard. So Eʹli thought she was drunk. 14 Eʹli said to her: “How long will you stay drunk? Stop drinking your wine.” 15 At this Hanʹnah answered: “No, my lord! I am a woman under great stress; I have not drunk wine or anything alcoholic, but I am pouring out my soul before Jehovah. 16 Do not take your servant for a worthless woman, for I have been speaking until now out of my great anguish and distress.” 17 Then Eʹli answered: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him.” 18 To this she said: “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” And the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer downcast.
19 Then they got up early in the morning and bowed before Jehovah, after which they returned to their house in Raʹmah. El·kaʹnah had sexual relations with his wife Hanʹnah, and Jehovah gave attention to her. 20 Within a year Hanʹnah became pregnant and gave birth to a son and named him Samuel, because, as she said, “it is from Jehovah that I have asked him.”
21 In time El·kaʹnah went up with all his household to offer the yearly sacrifice to Jehovah and to present his vow offering. 22 But Hanʹnah did not go up, for she said to her husband: “As soon as the boy is weaned, I will bring him; then he will appear before Jehovah and remain there from then on.” 23 El·kaʹnah her husband then said to her: “Do what you think is best. Stay at home until you wean him. May Jehovah carry out what you have said.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24 As soon as she had weaned him, she took him up to Shiʹloh, along with a three-year-old bull, one eʹphah of flour, and a large jar of wine, and she came to the house of Jehovah in Shiʹloh and brought the young boy with her. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eʹli. 26 With that she said: “Pardon me, my lord! As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing with you in this place to pray to Jehovah. 27 It was for this boy that I prayed, and Jehovah granted my petition that I asked of him. 28 I, in turn, now lend him to Jehovah. For all his days, he is lent to Jehovah.”
And he bowed down there to Jehovah.
2 Then Hanʹnah said in prayer:
“My heart rejoices in Jehovah;
My horn is exalted by Jehovah.
My mouth is opened wide against my enemies,
For I rejoice in your acts of salvation.
 2 There is no one holy like Jehovah,
There is no one but you,
And there is no rock like our God.
 3 Do not keep speaking with haughtiness;
Let nothing arrogant come from your mouth,
For Jehovah is a God of knowledge,
And by him deeds are rightly evaluated.
 4 The bows of mighty men are shattered,
But those who are stumbling are given strength.
 5 The well-fed must hire themselves out for bread,
But the hungry hunger no more.
The barren has given birth to seven,
But she who had many sons has become desolate.
 6 Jehovah kills, and he preserves life;
He brings down to the Grave, and he raises up.
 7 Jehovah impoverishes, and he enriches;
He abases, and he exalts.
 8 He raises the lowly one from the dust;
He lifts up the poor from the ash heap,
To make them sit with princes,
Giving them a seat of honor.
To Jehovah belong earth’s supports,
And he places the productive land upon them.
 9 He guards the steps of his loyal ones,
But the wicked will be silenced in darkness,
For not by power does a man prevail.
10 Jehovah will shatter those fighting against him;
He will thunder against them from the heavens.
Jehovah will judge to the ends of the earth,
He will give power to his king
And exalt the horn of his anointed one.”
11 Then El·kaʹnah went to his house in Raʹmah, but the boy became a minister of Jehovah before Eʹli the priest.
12 Now the sons of Eʹli were wicked men; they had no regard for Jehovah. 13 This is what they did with the due right of the priests from the people: Whenever any man was offering a sacrifice, an attendant of the priest came with a three-pronged fork in his hand when the meat was boiling, 14 and he would thrust it into the basin, the two-handled cooking pot, the cauldron, or the one-handled cooking pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. That is what they would do in Shiʹloh to all the Israelites coming there. 15 Also, even before the man sacrificing could make the fat smoke, an attendant of the priest would come and say to him: “Give the priest meat to roast. He will not take boiled meat from you, only raw meat.” 16 When the man would say to him: “Let them first be sure to make the fat smoke, then take for yourself whatever you desire,” he would say: “No, give it to me now; if not, I will take it by force!” 17 Thus the sin of the attendants came to be very great before Jehovah, for the men treated the offering of Jehovah with disrespect.
18 Now Samuel was ministering before Jehovah, wearing a linen ephʹod, though he was just a boy. 19 Also, his mother would make for him a little sleeveless coat, and she brought it up to him year after year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eʹli blessed El·kaʹnah and his wife and said: “May Jehovah grant you a child from this wife in place of the one who was lent to Jehovah.” And they went back home. 21 Jehovah turned his attention to Hanʹnah, so that she could conceive; and she gave birth to three more sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel continued growing up before Jehovah.
22 Now Eʹli was very old, but he had heard about everything that his sons were doing to all Israel and how they would lie down with the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 23 He used to say to them: “Why do you keep doing things like these? For the things I am hearing about you from all the people are bad. 24 No, my sons, the report that I hear circulating among the people of Jehovah is not good. 25 If a man should sin against another man, someone may appeal to Jehovah for him; but if a man should sin against Jehovah, who can pray for him?” But they refused to listen to their father, for Jehovah had determined to put them to death. 26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel kept growing in stature and in favor both with Jehovah and with the people.
27 A man of God came to Eʹli and said to him: “This is what Jehovah says: ‘Did I not plainly reveal myself to your father’s house while they were in Egypt as slaves to the house of Pharʹaoh? 28 And he was chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to serve as my priest and to go up on my altar to make sacrifices, to offer incense, and to bear an ephʹod before me; and I gave to the house of your forefather all the offerings made by fire of the Israelites. 29 Why do you men scorn my sacrifice and my offering that I have commanded in my place of dwelling? Why do you keep honoring your sons more than me by fattening yourselves from the best portions of every offering of my people Israel?
30 “‘That is why the word of Jehovah the God of Israel is: “I did indeed say that your house and the house of your forefather would always walk before me.” But now Jehovah declares: “It is unthinkable, on my part, because those honoring me I will honor, but those despising me will be treated with contempt.” 31 Look! Days are coming when I will cut off your strength and that of your father’s house, so that no man in your house will live to old age. 32 And you will look upon a rival in my dwelling amid all the good that is done to Israel, and never again will there be an old man in your house. 33 The man of yours whom I do not cut off from serving at my altar will cause your eyes to fail and will bring you grief, but the greater number of your house will die by the sword of men. 34 And what happens to your two sons, Hophʹni and Phinʹe·has, will be the sign for you: On one day both of them will die. 35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will act in harmony with what is my heart’s desire; and I will build for him a lasting house, and he will walk before my anointed one always. 36 Anyone who remains in your house will come and bow down to him for the payment of money and a loaf of bread, and will say: “Assign me, please, to one of the priestly offices to eat a piece of bread.”’”
3 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel was ministering to Jehovah before Eʹli, but word from Jehovah had become rare in those days; visions were not widespread.
2 One day Eʹli was lying down in his usual place, and his eyes had grown dim; he was not able to see. 3 The lamp of God had not yet been extinguished, and Samuel was lying in the temple of Jehovah, where the Ark of God was. 4 Jehovah then called Samuel. He answered: “Here I am.” 5 He ran to Eʹli and said: “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said: “I did not call. Lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 Jehovah called once again: “Samuel!” At this Samuel got up and went to Eʹli and said: “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said: “I did not call, my son. Lie down again.” 7 (Now Samuel had not yet come to know Jehovah, and the word of Jehovah had not yet been revealed to him.) 8 So Jehovah called again, a third time: “Samuel!” At that he got up and went to Eʹli and said: “Here I am, for you called me.”
Eʹli then realized that it was Jehovah who was calling the boy. 9 So Eʹli said to Samuel: “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you should say, ‘Speak, Jehovah, for your servant is listening.’” And Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Jehovah came and stood there, and he called as at the other times: “Samuel, Samuel!” At this Samuel said: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 Jehovah said to Samuel: “Look! I am doing something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears about it tingle. 12 On that day I will carry out toward Eʹli all that I said about his house, from start to finish. 13 You must tell him that I am bringing a lasting judgment on his house for the error that he has known about, for his sons are cursing God, but he has not rebuked them. 14 That is why I have sworn to the house of Eʹli that the error of the house of Eʹli will never be atoned for by sacrifices or by offerings.”
15 Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of Jehovah’s house. Samuel was afraid to tell Eʹli of the vision. 16 But Eʹli called for Samuel: “Samuel, my son!” At this he said: “Here I am.” 17 He asked: “What message did he speak to you? Please, do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and add to it if you hide from me a single word of all that he said to you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, and he did not hide anything from him. Eʹli said: “It is Jehovah. Let him do what is good in his eyes.”
19 Samuel continued growing up, and Jehovah himself was with him and did not let any of all his words go unfulfilled. 20 All Israel from Dan to Beʹer-sheʹba became aware that Samuel had been confirmed as Jehovah’s prophet. 21 And Jehovah continued to appear in Shiʹloh, for Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiʹloh by the word of Jehovah.
4 And the word of Samuel went out to all Israel.
Then Israel went out to meet the Phi·lisʹtines in battle; they camped beside Eb·en·eʹzer, and the Phi·lisʹtines were encamped at Aʹphek. 2 The Phi·lisʹtines drew up in battle formation to meet Israel, but the battle went badly and Israel was defeated by the Phi·lisʹtines, who struck down about 4,000 men from the battle line in the field. 3 When the people returned to the camp, the elders of Israel said: “Why did Jehovah allow us to be defeated today by the Phi·lisʹtines? Let us take the ark of Jehovah’s covenant with us from Shiʹloh, so that it may be with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent men to Shiʹloh, and they carried from there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah of armies, who sits enthroned above the cherubs. The two sons of Eʹli, Hophʹni and Phinʹe·has, were also there with the ark of the covenant of the true God.
5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came into the camp, all the Israelites broke out into loud shouting, so that the earth shook. 6 When the Phi·lisʹtines heard the sound of the shouting, they said: “Why is there such loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” Finally they learned that the Ark of Jehovah had come into the camp. 7 The Phi·lisʹtines became afraid, for they said: “God has come into the camp!” So they said: “Too bad for us, for nothing like this has ever happened before! 8 Too bad for us! Who will save us from the hand of this majestic God? This is the God who struck Egypt with every sort of slaughter in the wilderness. 9 Be courageous and act like men, you Phi·lisʹtines, so that you may not serve the Hebrews just as they have served you. Act like men and fight!” 10 So the Phi·lisʹtines fought and Israel was defeated, and each one fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; on Israel’s side, 30,000 foot soldiers fell. 11 Moreover, the Ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eʹli, Hophʹni and Phinʹe·has, died.
12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and arrived at Shiʹloh on that day with his garments ripped apart and dirt on his head. 13 When the man arrived, Eʹli was sitting on the seat by the roadside watching, because his heart was trembling over the Ark of the true God. The man went into the city to report the news, and the whole city began crying out. 14 When Eʹli heard the sound of the outcry, he asked: “What does the sound of this turmoil mean?” The same man hurried in and reported the news to Eʹli. 15 (Now Eʹli was 98 years old, and his eyes stared straight ahead, and he could not see.) 16 Then the man said to Eʹli: “I am the one who came from the battle line! Just today I fled from the battle line.” At this he asked: “What happened, my son?” 17 So the bearer of the news related: “Israel has fled from the Phi·lisʹtines, and there was a great defeat among the people; also your own two sons, Hophʹni and Phinʹe·has, have died, and the Ark of the true God has been captured.”
18 At the moment he mentioned the Ark of the true God, Eʹli fell backward from his seat beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for 40 years. 19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinʹe·has, was pregnant and close to giving birth. When she heard the report that the Ark of the true God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she doubled over and unexpectedly went into labor and gave birth. 20 As she was dying, the women standing by her said: “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” She did not answer and did not pay attention to it. 21 But she named the boy Ichʹa·bod, saying: “Glory has gone away from Israel into exile,” referring to the capture of the Ark of the true God and what happened to her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said: “Glory has gone away from Israel into exile, because the Ark of the true God has been captured.”
5 When the Phi·lisʹtines captured the Ark of the true God, they brought it from Eb·en·eʹzer to Ashʹdod. 2 The Phi·lisʹtines took the Ark of the true God and brought it into the house of Daʹgon and set it beside Daʹgon. 3 When the Ashʹdod·ites got up early the next day, there was Daʹgon fallen facedown on the ground before the Ark of Jehovah. So they took Daʹgon and returned him to his place. 4 When they got up early in the morning on the following day, there was Daʹgon fallen facedown on the ground before the Ark of Jehovah. The head of Daʹgon and the palms of both his hands were cut off and were lying on the threshold. Only the fish part had been left intact. 5 That is why to this day, the priests of Daʹgon and all those who enter the house of Daʹgon do not walk on the threshold of Daʹgon in Ashʹdod.
6 The hand of Jehovah was heavy against the Ashʹdod·ites, and he devastated them by striking Ashʹdod and its territories with piles. 7 When the men of Ashʹdod saw what was happening, they said: “Do not let the Ark of the God of Israel remain with us, for his hand has dealt harshly with us and our god Daʹgon.” 8 So they sent for and gathered all the lords of the Phi·lisʹtines and asked them: “What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?” They replied: “Let the Ark of the God of Israel be moved to Gath.” So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel there.
9 After they moved it there, the hand of Jehovah came against the city, bringing great panic. He struck the men of the city, from small to great, and piles broke out on them. 10 So they sent the Ark of the true God to Ekʹron, but as soon as the Ark of the true God came to Ekʹron, the Ekʹron·ites began to cry out: “They have brought the Ark of the God of Israel to us to put us and our people to death!” 11 Then they sent for and gathered all the lords of the Phi·lisʹtines and said: “Send the Ark of the God of Israel away; let it return to its place so that we and our people may not be put to death.” For the terror of death had spread through the whole city; the hand of the true God had been very heavy there, 12 and the men who did not die had been struck with piles. And the city’s cry for help ascended to the heavens.
6 The Ark of Jehovah was in Phi·lisʹtine territory for seven months. 2 The Phi·lisʹtines called the priests and the diviners and asked: “What should we do with the Ark of Jehovah? Let us know how we should send it back to its place.” 3 They replied: “If you send the ark of the covenant of Jehovah the God of Israel away, do not send it back without an offering. You should by all means return to him a guilt offering. Only then will you be healed, and it will be made known to you why his hand has not turned away from you.” 4 So they asked: “What guilt offering should we send to him?” They said: “According to the number of the lords of the Phi·lisʹtines, send five golden piles and five golden mice, for the same scourge has afflicted every one of you and your lords. 5 You should make images of your piles and images of your mice that are bringing the land to ruin, and you should honor the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten the weight of his hand that is on you and your god and your land. 6 Why should you harden your heart as Egypt and Pharʹaoh hardened their hearts? When He dealt harshly with them, they had to send Israel away, and they departed. 7 Now prepare a new wagon and two cows that have calves and have never been under a yoke. Then hitch the cows to the wagon, but take their calves back home, away from them. 8 Take the Ark of Jehovah and place it on the wagon, and put the golden articles that you are sending to him as a guilt offering in a box next to it. Then send it on its way 9 and watch: If it goes up the road to Beth-sheʹmesh, to its own territory, then he is the one who has done this great evil to us. But if not, we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
10 The men did accordingly. They took two cows that had calves and hitched them to the wagon, and the calves they penned up at home. 11 Then they put the Ark of Jehovah on the wagon, as well as the box containing the golden mice and the images of their piles. 12 And the cows went straight ahead on the road to Beth-sheʹmesh. They stayed on the one highway, mooing as they went; they did not turn either to the right or to the left. All the while the lords of the Phi·lisʹtines were walking behind them as far as the boundary of Beth-sheʹmesh. 13 The people of Beth-sheʹmesh were reaping the wheat harvest in the valley plain. When they raised their eyes and saw the Ark, they were overjoyed at seeing it. 14 The wagon came into the field of Joshua the Beth-sheʹmite and stopped there near a large stone. So they chopped up the wood of the wagon, and they offered the cows as a burnt offering to Jehovah.
15 The Levites took down the Ark of Jehovah and the box that was with it, which contained the golden articles, and they put them on the large stone. The men of Beth-sheʹmesh offered up burnt offerings and made sacrifices on that day to Jehovah.
16 When the five lords of the Phi·lisʹtines saw it, they returned to Ekʹron on that day. 17 Now these are the golden piles that the Phi·lisʹtines sent as a guilt offering to Jehovah: one for Ashʹdod, one for Gazʹa, one for Ashʹke·lon, one for Gath, one for Ekʹron. 18 And the number of the golden mice corresponded to the number of all the cities of the Phi·lisʹtines that belonged to the five lords—both the fortified cities and the villages in the open country.
And the large stone upon which they rested the Ark of Jehovah serves as a witness down to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-sheʹmite. 19 But God struck down the men of Beth-sheʹmesh, because they had looked upon the Ark of Jehovah. He struck down 50,070 among the people, and the people began mourning because Jehovah had struck them down with a great slaughter. 20 So the men of Beth-sheʹmesh asked: “Who will be able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God, and to whom will he go away from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim, saying: “The Phi·lisʹtines have returned the Ark of Jehovah. Come down and take it up with you.”
7 So the men of Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim came and took the Ark of Jehovah up into the house of A·binʹa·dab on the hill, and they sanctified his son El·e·aʹzar to guard the Ark of Jehovah.
2 A long time elapsed, 20 years in all, from the day of the Ark’s coming to Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim, and all the house of Israel began to seek after Jehovah. 3 Samuel then said to all the house of Israel: “If you are returning to Jehovah with all your heart, put away the foreign gods and the Ashʹto·reth images from among you, and direct your heart unswervingly to Jehovah and serve only him, and he will rescue you from the hand of the Phi·lisʹtines.” 4 At that the Israelites got rid of the Baʹals and the Ashʹto·reth images and served only Jehovah.
5 Then Samuel said: “Gather all Israel together at Mizʹpah, and I will pray to Jehovah in your behalf.” 6 So they gathered together at Mizʹpah, and they drew water and poured it out before Jehovah and kept a fast on that day. There they said: “We have sinned against Jehovah.” And Samuel began serving as judge over the Israelites in Mizʹpah.
7 When the Phi·lisʹtines heard that the Israelites had gathered together at Mizʹpah, the lords of the Phi·lisʹtines went up against Israel. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Phi·lisʹtines. 8 So the Israelites said to Samuel: “Do not stop calling to Jehovah our God to help us and to save us from the hand of the Phi·lisʹtines.” 9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to Jehovah; and Samuel called to Jehovah for help in behalf of Israel, and Jehovah answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Phi·lisʹtines advanced for battle against Israel. Jehovah now caused it to thunder loudly on that day against the Phi·lisʹtines, and He threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 At that the men of Israel went out from Mizʹpah and pursued the Phi·lisʹtines, striking them down as far as south of Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizʹpah and Jeshʹa·nah and named it Eb·en·eʹzer, for he said: “Until now Jehovah has helped us.” 13 Thus the Phi·lisʹtines were subdued, and they did not come again into the territory of Israel; and the hand of Jehovah continued against the Phi·lisʹtines all the days of Samuel. 14 Also, the cities that the Phi·lisʹtines had taken from Israel were returned to Israel, from Ekʹron to Gath, and Israel recovered their territory from the hand of the Phi·lisʹtines.
There was also peace between Israel and the Amʹor·ites.
15 Samuel kept on judging Israel throughout his life. 16 Each year he traveled in a circuit to Bethʹel, Gilʹgal, and Mizʹpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. 17 But he would return to Raʹmah, because his house was there, and there he also judged Israel. He built an altar there to Jehovah.
8 When Samuel had grown old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, A·biʹjah; they were judges in Beʹer-sheʹba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they were inclined to pursue dishonest profit, they accepted bribes, and they perverted justice.
4 In time all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Raʹmah. 5 They said to him: “Look! You have grown old, but your sons are not walking in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the other nations.” 6 But it displeased Samuel when they said: “Give us a king to judge us.” Then Samuel prayed to Jehovah, 7 and Jehovah said to Samuel: “Listen to everything the people say to you; for it is not you whom they have rejected, but it is I whom they have rejected as their king. 8 They are doing just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day; they keep forsaking me and serving other gods, and that is what they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them. However, you should solemnly warn them; tell them what the king who rules over them will have the right to demand.”
10 So Samuel told the people who were asking him for a king all the words of Jehovah. 11 He said: “This is what the king who rules over you will have the right to demand: He will take your sons and put them in his chariots and make them his horsemen, and some will have to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself chiefs over thousands and chiefs over fifties, and some will do his plowing, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be ointment mixers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and he will give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grainfields and your vineyards, and he will give it to his court officials and his servants. 16 And he will take your male and female servants, your best herds, and your donkeys, and he will use them for his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you will become his servants. 18 The day will come when you will cry out because of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but Jehovah will not answer you in that day.”
19 However, the people refused to listen to what Samuel told them, and they said: “No, we are determined to have a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, and our king will judge us and lead us and fight our battles.” 21 After Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the hearing of Jehovah. 22 Jehovah said to Samuel: “Listen to them, and appoint a king to reign over them.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel: “Each of you should return to his city.”