Numbers 33

Chapter 33

Remembering Israel’s Journey

1 This is the route the Israelites followed as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

2 At the LORD’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way.
3 They set out from the city of Rameses in early spring—on the fifteenth day of the first montht—on the morning after the first Passover celebration. The people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of all the Egyptians.

4 Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, whom the LORD had killed the night before. The LORD had defeated the gods of Egypt that night with great acts of judgment!
5 After leaving Rameses, the Israelites set up camp at Succoth.6 Then they left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.7 They left Etham and turned back toward Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and camped near Migdol.8 They left Pi-hahiroth and crossed the Red Seat into the wilderness beyond. Then they traveled for three days into the Etham wilderness and camped at Marah.9 They left Marah and camped at Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.10 They left Elim and camped beside the Red Sea.t11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.t12 They left the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah.13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.15 They left Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.16 They left the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.17 They left Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.20 They left Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah.28 They left Terah and camped at Mithcah.29 They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah.30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.32 They left Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.33 They left Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.36 They left Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the border of Edom.38 While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the LORD to go up the mountain, and there he died. This happened in midsummer, on the first day of the fifth montht of the fortieth year after Israel’s departure from Egypt.39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died there on Mount Hor.40 At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land.41 Meanwhile, the Israelites left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.42 Then they left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.45 They left Iye-abarimt and camped at Dibon-gad.46 They left Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.47 They left Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains east of the river,t near Mount Nebo.48 They left the mountains east of the river and camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.49 Along the Jordan River they camped from Beth-jeshimoth as far as the meadows of Acaciat on the plains of Moab.50 While they were camped near the Jordan River on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,51 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: When you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan,52 you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines.53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy.54 You must distribute the land among the clans by sacred lot and in proportion to their size. A larger portion of land will be allotted to each of the larger clans, and a smaller portion will be allotted to each of the smaller clans. The decision of the sacred lot is final. In this way, the portions of land will be divided among your ancestral tribes.55 But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.

56 And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”

Numbers 34

Chapter 34

Boundaries of the Land

1 Then the LORD said to Moses,2 “Give these instructions to the Israelites: When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries.3 The southern portion of your country will extend from the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin on the east at the Dead Sea.t4 It will then run south past Scorpion Passt in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazar-addar, and on to Azmon.

5 From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the Brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.t

6 “Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.
7 “Your northern boundary will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and run east to Mount Hor,8 then to Lebo-hamath, and on through Zedad

9 and Ziphron to Hazar-enan. This will be your northern boundary.
10 “The eastern boundary will start at Hazar-enan and run south to Shepham,11 then down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there the boundary will run down along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee,t

12 and then along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. These are the boundaries of your land.”
13 Then Moses told the Israelites, “This territory is the homeland you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The LORD has commanded that the land be divided among the nine and a half remaining tribes.14 The families of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received their grants of land

15 on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho toward the sunrise.”

Leaders to Divide the Land

16 And the LORD said to Moses,17 “Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun are the men designated to divide the grants of land among the people.18 Enlist one leader from each tribe to help them with the task.

19 These are the tribes and the names of the leaders:
TribeLeader
JudahCaleb son of Jephunneh20 SimeonShemuel son of Ammihud21 BenjaminElidad son of Kislon22 DanBukki son of Jogli23 Manasseh son of JosephHanniel son of Ephod24 Ephraim son of JosephKemuel son of Shiphtan25 ZebulunElizaphan son of Parnach26 IssacharPaltiel son of Azzan27 AsherAhihud son of Shelomi28 NaphtaliPedahel son of Ammihud

29 These are the men the LORD has appointed to divide the grants of land in Canaan among the Israelites.”

Numbers 35

Chapter 35

Towns for the Levites

1 While Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,2 “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands.3 These towns will be for the Levites to live in, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.4 The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feett from the town walls in every direction.

5 Measure off 3,000 feett outside the town walls in every direction—east, south, west, north—with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns.
6 “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns.7 In all, forty-eight towns with the surrounding pastureland will be given to the Levites.

8 These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give property in proportion to the size of its land.”

Cities of Refuge

9 The LORD said to Moses,

10 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.

“When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,11 designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally.12 These cities will be places of protection from a dead person’s relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be put to death before being tried by the community.13 Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves,14 three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan.

15 These cities are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.
16 “But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed.17 Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.18 Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death.19 The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death.20 So if someone hates another person and pushes him or throws a dangerous object at him and he dies, it is murder.

21 Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.
22 “But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person,23 or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies.24 If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative:

25 The community must protect the slayer from the avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge to which he fled. There he must remain until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the sacred oil.
26 “But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge,27 and the avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder.28 The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property.

29 These are legal requirements for you to observe from generation to generation, wherever you may live.
30 “All murderers must be put to death, but only if evidence is presented by more than one witness. No one may be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.31 Also, you must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution; murderers must always be put to death.32 And never accept a ransom payment from someone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing a slayer to return to his property before the death of the high priest.33 This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder.t

34 You must not defile the land where you live, for I live there myself. I am the LORD, who lives among the people of Israel.”