The Gospel of Mark (Part Six)

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Psalm 73 : Overcoming Envy

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The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch13" data-usfm="NUM.13">
 <div class="label">13</div><div class="s1">Exploring Canaan</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord said to Moses, 2&#8220;Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3So at the Lord&#8217;s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. 4These are their names:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="li1">from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;</div><div class="li1"> 5from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;</div><div class="li1"> 6from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;</div><div class="li1"> 7from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;</div><div class="li1"> 8from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;</div><div class="li1"> 9from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;</div><div class="li1"> 10from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;</div><div class="li1"> 11from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;</div><div class="li1"> 12from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;</div><div class="li1"> 13from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;</div><div class="li1"> 14from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;</div><div class="li1"> 15from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 16These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)</div><div class="p"> 17When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, &#8220;Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.&#8221; (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)</div><div class="p"> 21So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. 22They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,#13:23 Eshkol means cluster; also in verse 24. they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. 24That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.</div><div class="s1">Report on the Exploration</div><div class="p"> 26They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27They gave Moses this account: &#8220;We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, &#8220;We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31But the men who had gone up with him said, &#8220;We can&#8217;t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.&#8221; 32And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, &#8220;The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="NUM.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">The People Rebel</div><div class="p"> 1That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, &#8220;If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn&#8217;t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?&#8221; 4And they said to each other, &#8220;We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. 6Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7and said to the entire Israelite assembly, &#8220;The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11The Lord said to Moses, &#8220;How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? 12I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Moses said to the Lord, &#8220;Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16&#8216;The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;Now may the Lord&#8217;s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18&#8216;The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.&#8217; 19In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20The Lord replied, &#8220;I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times&#8212; 23not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.#14:25 Or the Sea of Reeds&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27&#8220;How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28So tell them, &#8216;As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29In this wilderness your bodies will fall&#8212;every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34For forty years&#8212;one year for each of the forty days you explored the land&#8212;you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.&#8217; 35I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 36So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it&#8212; 37these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.</div><div class="p"> 39When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, &#8220;Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 41But Moses said, &#8220;Why are you disobeying the Lord&#8217;s command? This will not succeed! 42Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 44Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord&#8217;s covenant moved from the camp. 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="NUM.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">Supplementary Offerings</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord said to Moses, 2&#8220;Speak to the Israelites and say to them: &#8216;After you enter the land I am giving you as a home 3and you present to the Lord food offerings from the herd or the flock, as an aroma pleasing to the Lord&#8212;whether burnt offerings or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings or festival offerings&#8212; 4then the person who brings an offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah#15:4 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin#15:4 That is, about 1 quart or about 1 liter; also in verse 5 of olive oil. 5With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering.</div><div class="p"> 6&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah#15:6 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms of the finest flour mixed with a third of a hin#15:6 That is, about 1 1/3 quarts or about 1.3 liters; also in verse 7 of olive oil, 7and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering to the Lord, 9bring with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah#15:9 That is, probably about 11 pounds or about 5 kilograms of the finest flour mixed with half a hin#15:9 That is, about 2 quarts or about 1.9 liters; also in verse 10 of olive oil, 10and also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering. This will be a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 11Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner. 12Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare.</div><div class="p"> 13&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when they present a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 14For the generations to come, whenever a foreigner or anyone else living among you presents a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, they must do exactly as you do. 15The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: 16The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17The Lord said to Moses, 18&#8220;Speak to the Israelites and say to them: &#8216;When you enter the land to which I am taking you 19and you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the Lord. 20Present a loaf from the first of your ground meal and present it as an offering from the threshing floor. 21Throughout the generations to come you are to give this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground meal.</div><div class="s1">Offerings for Unintentional Sins</div><div class="p"> 22&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses&#8212; 23any of the Lord&#8217;s commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to come&#8212; 24and if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering.#15:24 Or purification offering; also in verses 25 and 27 25The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering and a sin offering. 26The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.</div><div class="p"> 27&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;But if just one person sins unintentionally, that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. 28The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven. 29One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.</div><div class="p"> 30&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. 31Because they have despised the Lord&#8217;s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death</div><div class="p"> 32While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35Then the Lord said to Moses, &#8220;The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.&#8221; 36So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.</div><div class="s1">Tassels on Garments</div><div class="p"> 37The Lord said to Moses, 38&#8220;Speak to the Israelites and say to them: &#8216;Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. 41I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="NUM.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">Korah, Dathan and Abiram</div><div class="p"> 1Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites&#8212;Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth&#8212;became insolent#16:1 Or Peleth&#8212;took men 2and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, &#8220;You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord&#8217;s assembly?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5Then he said to Korah and all his followers: &#8220;In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers 7and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Moses also said to Korah, &#8220;Now listen, you Levites! 9Isn&#8217;t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord&#8217;s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? 10He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, &#8220;We will not come! 13Isn&#8217;t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us! 14Moreover, you haven&#8217;t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves#16:14 Or to deceive these men; Hebrew Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, &#8220;Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Moses said to Korah, &#8220;You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow&#8212;you and they and Aaron. 17Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it&#8212;250 censers in all&#8212;and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.&#8221; 18So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. 20The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21&#8220;Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, &#8220;O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Then the Lord said to Moses, 24&#8220;Say to the assembly, &#8216;Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26He warned the assembly, &#8220;Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.&#8221; 27So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.</div><div class="p"> 28Then Moses said, &#8220;This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. 30But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, &#8220;The earth is going to swallow us too!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.</div><div class="p"> 36The Lord said to Moses, 37&#8220;Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy&#8212; 38the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.</div><div class="p"> 41The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. &#8220;You have killed the Lord&#8217;s people,&#8221; they said.</div><div class="p"> 42But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44and the Lord said to Moses, 45&#8220;Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.&#8221; And they fell facedown.</div><div class="p"> 46Then Moses said to Aaron, &#8220;Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started.&#8221; 47So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. 49But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.#16:50 In Hebrew texts 16:36-50 is numbered 17:1-15.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch17" data-usfm="NUM.17">
 <div class="label">17</div><div class="s1">The Budding of Aaron&#8217;s Staff</div><div class="p"> # In Hebrew texts 17:1-13 is numbered 17:16-28. 1The Lord said to Moses, 2&#8220;Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. 3On the staff of Levi write Aaron&#8217;s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you. 5The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron&#8217;s staff was among them. 7Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.</div><div class="p"> 8The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron&#8217;s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. 9Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord&#8217;s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.</div><div class="p"> 10The Lord said to Moses, &#8220;Put back Aaron&#8217;s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.&#8221; 11Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.</div><div class="p"> 12The Israelites said to Moses, &#8220;We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! 13Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="NUM.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">Duties of Priests and Levites</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord said to Aaron, &#8220;You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood. 2Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law. 3They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die. 4They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting&#8212;all the work at the tent&#8212;and no one else may come near where you are.</div><div class="p"> 5&#8220;You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting. 7But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Offerings for Priests and Levites</div><div class="p"> 8Then the Lord said to Aaron, &#8220;I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion, your perpetual share. 9You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain or sin#18:9 Or purification or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. 10Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy.</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the Lord as the firstfruits of their harvest. 13All the land&#8217;s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;Everything in Israel that is devoted#18:14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord. to the Lord is yours. 15The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. 16When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels#18:16 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Splash their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 18Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours. 19Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20The Lord said to Aaron, &#8220;You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.</div><div class="p"> 21&#8220;I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. 22From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. 23It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. 24Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: &#8216;They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25The Lord said to Moses, 26&#8220;Speak to the Levites and say to them: &#8216;When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord&#8217;s offering. 27Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord&#8217;s portion to Aaron the priest. 29You must present as the Lord&#8217;s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 30&#8220;Say to the Levites: &#8216;When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress. 31You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting. 32By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch19" data-usfm="NUM.19">
 <div class="label">19</div><div class="s1">The Water of Cleansing</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2&#8220;This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke. 3Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5While he watches, the heifer is to be burned&#8212;its hide, flesh, blood and intestines. 6The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. 7After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. 8The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin. 10The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening. This will be a lasting ordinance both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. 12They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean. 13If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse, they defile the Lord&#8217;s tabernacle. They must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean; their uncleanness remains on them.</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, 15and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.</div><div class="p"> 16&#8220;Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. 18Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. 19The man who is clean is to sprinkle those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them. Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. 20But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean. 21This is a lasting ordinance for them.</div><div class="p">&#8220;The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. 22Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch20" data-usfm="NUM.20">
 <div class="label">20</div><div class="s1">Water From the Rock</div><div class="p"> 1In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.</div><div class="p"> 2Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3They quarreled with Moses and said, &#8220;If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4Why did you bring the Lord&#8217;s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7The Lord said to Moses, 8&#8220;Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9So Moses took the staff from the Lord&#8217;s presence, just as he commanded him. 10He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, &#8220;Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?&#8221; 11Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.</div><div class="p"> 12But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, &#8220;Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13These were the waters of Meribah,#20:13 Meribah means quarreling. where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.</div><div class="s1">Edom Denies Israel Passage</div><div class="p"> 14Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have come on us. 15Our ancestors went down into Egypt, and we lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors, 16but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.</div><div class="pm">&#8220;Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King&#8217;s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18But Edom answered:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19The Israelites replied:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot&#8212;nothing else.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Again they answered:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;You may not pass through.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them.</div><div class="s1">The Death of Aaron</div><div class="p"> 22The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24&#8220;Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. 26Remove Aaron&#8217;s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. 28Moses removed Aaron&#8217;s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, all the Israelites mourned for him thirty days.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch21" data-usfm="NUM.21">
 <div class="label">21</div><div class="s1">Arad Destroyed</div><div class="p"> 1When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: &#8220;If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy#21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3. their cities.&#8221; 3The Lord listened to Israel&#8217;s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.#21:3 Hormah means destruction.</div><div class="s1">The Bronze Snake</div><div class="p"> 4They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,#21:4 Or the Sea of Reeds to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, &#8220;Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said, &#8220;We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.&#8221; So Moses prayed for the people.</div><div class="p"> 8The Lord said to Moses, &#8220;Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.&#8221; 9So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.</div><div class="s1">The Journey to Moab</div><div class="p"> 10The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth. 11Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the sunrise. 12From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley. 13They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8230;Zahab#21:14 Septuagint; Hebrew Waheb in Suphah and the ravines,</div><div class="q2">the Arnon 15and#21:14,15 Or &#8220;I have been given from Suphah and the ravines / of the Arnon 15 to the slopes of the ravines</div><div class="q1">that lead to the settlement of Ar</div><div class="q2">and lie along the border of Moab.&#8221;</div><div class="m"> 16From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the Lord said to Moses, &#8220;Gather the people together and I will give them water.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Then Israel sang this song:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Spring up, O well!</div><div class="q2">Sing about it,</div><div class="q1"> 18about the well that the princes dug,</div><div class="q2">that the nobles of the people sank&#8212;</div><div class="q2">the nobles with scepters and staffs.&#8221;</div><div class="m">Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.</div><div class="s1">Defeat of Sihon and Og</div><div class="p"> 21Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites:</div><div class="pm"> 22&#8220;Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King&#8217;s Highway until we have passed through your territory.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. 24Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified. 25Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements. 26Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.</div><div class="p"> 27That is why the poets say:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;</div><div class="q2">let Sihon&#8217;s city be restored.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 28&#8220;Fire went out from Heshbon,</div><div class="q2">a blaze from the city of Sihon.</div><div class="q1">It consumed Ar of Moab,</div><div class="q2">the citizens of Arnon&#8217;s heights.</div><div class="q1"> 29Woe to you, Moab!</div><div class="q2">You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!</div><div class="q1">He has given up his sons as fugitives</div><div class="q2">and his daughters as captives</div><div class="q2">to Sihon king of the Amorites.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 30&#8220;But we have overthrown them;</div><div class="q2">Heshbon&#8217;s dominion has been destroyed all the way to Dibon.</div><div class="q1">We have demolished them as far as Nophah,</div><div class="q2">which extends to Medeba.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.</div><div class="p"> 32After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.</div><div class="p"> 34The Lord said to Moses, &#8220;Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch22" data-usfm="NUM.22">
 <div class="label">22</div><div class="s1">Balak Summons Balaam</div><div class="p"> 1Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.</div><div class="p"> 2Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.</div><div class="p"> 4The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, &#8220;This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.&#8221;</div><div class="p">So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;Spend the night here,&#8221; Balaam said to them, &#8220;and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.&#8221; So the Moabite officials stayed with him.</div><div class="p"> 9God came to Balaam and asked, &#8220;Who are these men with you?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Balaam said to God, &#8220;Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11&#8216;A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12But God said to Balaam, &#8220;Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak&#8217;s officials, &#8220;Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, &#8220;Balaam refused to come with us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16They came to Balaam and said:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18But Balaam answered them, &#8220;Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. 19Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20That night God came to Balaam and said, &#8220;Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Balaam&#8217;s Donkey</div><div class="p"> 21Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.</div><div class="p"> 24Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam&#8217;s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.</div><div class="p"> 26Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28Then the Lord opened the donkey&#8217;s mouth, and it said to Balaam, &#8220;What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Balaam answered the donkey, &#8220;You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30The donkey said to Balaam, &#8220;Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;No,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p"> 31Then the Lord opened Balaam&#8217;s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.</div><div class="p"> 32The angel of the Lord asked him, &#8220;Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.#22:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain. 33The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, &#8220;I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, &#8220;Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.&#8221; So Balaam went with Balak&#8217;s officials.</div><div class="p"> 36When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37Balak said to Balaam, &#8220;Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn&#8217;t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38&#8220;Well, I have come to you now,&#8221; Balaam replied. &#8220;But I can&#8217;t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch23" data-usfm="NUM.23">
 <div class="label">23</div><div class="s1">Balaam&#8217;s First Message</div><div class="p"> 1Balaam said, &#8220;Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.&#8221; 2Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.</div><div class="p"> 3Then Balaam said to Balak, &#8220;Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.&#8221; Then he went off to a barren height.</div><div class="p"> 4God met with him, and Balaam said, &#8220;I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5The Lord put a word in Balaam&#8217;s mouth and said, &#8220;Go back to Balak and give him this word.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials. 7Then Balaam spoke his message:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Balak brought me from Aram,</div><div class="q2">the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.</div><div class="q1">&#8216;Come,&#8217; he said, &#8216;curse Jacob for me;</div><div class="q2">come, denounce Israel.&#8217;</div><div class="q1"> 8How can I curse</div><div class="q2">those whom God has not cursed?</div><div class="q1">How can I denounce</div><div class="q2">those whom the Lord has not denounced?</div><div class="q1"> 9From the rocky peaks I see them,</div><div class="q2">from the heights I view them.</div><div class="q1">I see a people who live apart</div><div class="q2">and do not consider themselves one of the nations.</div><div class="q1"> 10Who can count the dust of Jacob</div><div class="q2">or number even a fourth of Israel?</div><div class="q1">Let me die the death of the righteous,</div><div class="q2">and may my final end be like theirs!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Balak said to Balaam, &#8220;What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12He answered, &#8220;Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Balaam&#8217;s Second Message</div><div class="p"> 13Then Balak said to him, &#8220;Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp. And from there, curse them for me.&#8221; 14So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.</div><div class="p"> 15Balaam said to Balak, &#8220;Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, &#8220;Go back to Balak and give him this word.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials. Balak asked him, &#8220;What did the Lord say?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18Then he spoke his message:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Arise, Balak, and listen;</div><div class="q2">hear me, son of Zippor.</div><div class="q1"> 19God is not human, that he should lie,</div><div class="q2">not a human being, that he should change his mind.</div><div class="q1">Does he speak and then not act?</div><div class="q2">Does he promise and not fulfill?</div><div class="q1"> 20I have received a command to bless;</div><div class="q2">he has blessed, and I cannot change it.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 21&#8220;No misfortune is seen in Jacob,</div><div class="q2">no misery observed#23:21 Or He has not looked on Jacob&#8217;s offenses / or on the wrongs found in Israel.</div><div class="q1">The Lord their God is with them;</div><div class="q2">the shout of the King is among them.</div><div class="q1"> 22God brought them out of Egypt;</div><div class="q2">they have the strength of a wild ox.</div><div class="q1"> 23There is no divination against#23:23 Or in Jacob,</div><div class="q2">no evil omens against#23:23 Or in Israel.</div><div class="q1">It will now be said of Jacob</div><div class="q2">and of Israel, &#8216;See what God has done!&#8217;</div><div class="q1"> 24The people rise like a lioness;</div><div class="q2">they rouse themselves like a lion</div><div class="q1">that does not rest till it devours its prey</div><div class="q2">and drinks the blood of its victims.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Then Balak said to Balaam, &#8220;Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26Balaam answered, &#8220;Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Balaam&#8217;s Third Message</div><div class="p"> 27Then Balak said to Balaam, &#8220;Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.&#8221; 28And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.</div><div class="p"> 29Balaam said, &#8220;Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.&#8221; 30Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNUM">
 <div class="chapter ch24" data-usfm="NUM.24">
 <div class="label">24</div><div class="p"> 1Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. 2When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him 3and he spoke his message:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,</div><div class="q2">the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,</div><div class="q1"> 4the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,</div><div class="q2">who sees a vision from the Almighty,#24:4 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 16</div><div class="q2">who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5&#8220;How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,</div><div class="q2">your dwelling places, Israel!</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 6&#8220;Like valleys they spread out,</div><div class="q2">like gardens beside a river,</div><div class="q1">like aloes planted by the Lord,</div><div class="q2">like cedars beside the waters.</div><div class="q1"> 7Water will flow from their buckets;</div><div class="q2">their seed will have abundant water.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1">&#8220;Their king will be greater than Agag;</div><div class="q2">their kingdom will be exalted.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8&#8220;God brought them out of Egypt;</div><div class="q2">they have the strength of a wild ox.</div><div class="q1">They devour hostile nations</div><div class="q2">and break their bones in pieces;</div><div class="q2">with their arrows they pierce them.</div><div class="q1"> 9Like a lion they crouch and lie down,</div><div class="q2">like a lioness&#8212;who dares to rouse them?</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1">&#8220;May those who bless you be blessed</div><div class="q2">and those who curse you be cursed!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Then Balak&#8217;s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, &#8220;I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Balaam answered Balak, &#8220;Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13&#8216;Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord&#8212;and I must say only what the Lord says&#8217;? 14Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Balaam&#8217;s Fourth Message</div><div class="p"> 15Then he spoke his message:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,</div><div class="q2">the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,</div><div class="q1"> 16the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,</div><div class="q2">who has knowledge from the Most High,</div><div class="q1">who sees a vision from the Almighty,</div><div class="q2">who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 17&#8220;I see him, but not now;</div><div class="q2">I behold him, but not near.</div><div class="q1">A star will come out of Jacob;</div><div class="q2">a scepter will rise out of Israel.</div><div class="q1">He will crush the foreheads of Moab,</div><div class="q2">the skulls#24:17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain. of#24:17 Or possibly Moab, / batter all the people of Sheth.#24:17 Or all the noisy boasters</div><div class="q1"> 18Edom will be conquered;</div><div class="q2">Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,</div><div class="q2">but Israel will grow strong.</div><div class="q1"> 19A ruler will come out of Jacob</div><div class="q2">and destroy the survivors of the city.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Balaam&#8217;s Fifth Message</div><div class="p"> 20Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his message:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Amalek was first among the nations,</div><div class="q2">but their end will be utter destruction.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Balaam&#8217;s Sixth Message</div><div class="p"> 21Then he saw the Kenites and spoke his message:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Your dwelling place is secure,</div><div class="q2">your nest is set in a rock;</div><div class="q1"> 22yet you Kenites will be destroyed</div><div class="q2">when Ashur takes you captive.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Balaam&#8217;s Seventh Message</div><div class="p"> 23Then he spoke his message:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Alas! Who can live when God does this?#24:23 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew The people from the islands will gather from the north.</div><div class="q2"> 24Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;</div><div class="q1">they will subdue Ashur and Eber,</div><div class="q2">but they too will come to ruin.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.</div>
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