The Old Testament

Genesis - 50 chaps

Genesis 1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [Gen 1:1]

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. [Gen 1:2]

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. [Gen 1:3]

God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. [Gen 1:4]

God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day. [Gen 1:5]

And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." [Gen 1:6]

So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. [Gen 1:7]

God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning - the second day. [Gen 1:8]

And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. [Gen 1:9]

God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. [Gen 1:10]

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. [Gen 1:11]

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. [Gen 1:12]

And there was evening, and there was morning - the third day. [Gen 1:13]
      And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, [Gen 1:14]

and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. [Gen 1:15]

God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. [Gen 1:16]

God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, [Gen 1:17]
      to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. [Gen 1:18]

And there was evening, and there was morning - the fourth day. [Gen 1:19]
      And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." [Gen 1:20]

So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [Gen 1:21]

God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." [Gen 1:22]

And there was evening, and there was morning - the fifth day. [Gen 1:23]
      And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. [Gen 1:24]

God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. [Gen 1:25]

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." [Gen 1:26]

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [Gen 1:27]

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." [Gen 1:28]

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. [Gen 1:29]
      And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." And it was so. [Gen 1:30]

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day. [Gen 1:31]

Genesis 2

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. [Gen 2:1]
      By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. [Gen 2:2]

And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. [Gen 2:3]

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens - [Gen 2:4]

and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, [Gen 2:5]

but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground - [Gen 2:6]

the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. [Gen 2:7]

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. [Gen 2:8]

And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. [Gen 2:9]

A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. [Gen 2:10]

The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. [Gen 2:11]

(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin [Gen 2:6] and onyx are also there.) [Gen 2:12]

The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. [Gen 2:7] [Gen 2:13]

The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. [Gen 2:14]

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. [Gen 2:15]

And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; [Gen 2:16]

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." [Gen 2:17]

The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." [Gen 2:18]

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. [Gen 2:19]
      So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam [Gen 2:8] no suitable helper was found. [Gen 2:20]

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs [Gen 2:9] and closed up the place with flesh. [Gen 2:21]
      Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. [Gen 2:22]

The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called "woman," for she was taken out of man." [Gen 2:23]

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. [Gen 2:24]

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. [Gen 2:25]

Genesis 3

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?" [Gen 3:1]

The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, [Gen 3:2]

but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" [Gen 3:3]

"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. [Gen 3:4]
      "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." [Gen 3:5]

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. [Gen 3:6]

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. [Gen 3:7]
      Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. [Gen 3:8]

But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" [Gen 3:9]

He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." [Gen 3:10]

And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" [Gen 3:11]

The man said, "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." [Gen 3:12]

Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." [Gen 3:13]

So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. [Gen 3:14]

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." [Gen 3:15]

To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." [Gen 3:16]

To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat of it," "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. [Gen 3:17]
      It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. [Gen 3:18]

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food till you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." [Gen 3:19]
      Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. [Gen 3:20]

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. [Gen 3:21]

And the Lord God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." [Gen 3:22]

So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. [Gen 3:23]

After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. [Gen 3:24]

Genesis 4

Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man." [Gen 4:1]

Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. [Gen 4:2]

In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. [Gen 4:3]

But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, [Gen 4:4]

but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. [Gen 4:5]

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? [Gen 4:6]

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." [Gen 4:7]

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. [Gen 4:8]

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I do not know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" [Gen 4:9]

The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. [Gen 4:10]

Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. [Gen 4:11]

When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." [Gen 4:12]

Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is more than I can bear. [Gen 4:13]
      Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." [Gen 4:14]
      But the Lord said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that none who found him would kill him. [Gen 4:15]

So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, [Gen 4:6] east of Eden. [Gen 4:16]

Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. [Gen 4:17]

To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. [Gen 4:18]

Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. [Gen 4:19]
      Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. [Gen 4:20]

His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. [Gen 4:21]

Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of [Gen 4:7] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah. [Gen 4:22]

Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed [Gen 4:8] a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. [Gen 4:23]
      If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times." [Gen 4:24]
      Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, [Gen 4:9] saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." [Gen 4:25]

Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.

Genesis 5

This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. [Gen 5:1]

He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man." [Gen 5:2]

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. [Gen 5:3]

After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:4]

Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. [Gen 5:5]

When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. [Gen 5:6]
      And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:7]

Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. [Gen 5:8]

When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. [Gen 5:9]
      And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:10]

Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died. [Gen 5:11]

When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. [Gen 5:12]
      And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:13]

Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died. [Gen 5:14]

When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. [Gen 5:15]
      And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:16]

Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died. [Gen 5:17]
      When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. [Gen 5:18]
      And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:19]

Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. [Gen 5:20]

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. [Gen 5:21]
      And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:22]

Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. [Gen 5:23]

Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. [Gen 5:24]

When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. [Gen 5:25]
      And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:26]

Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died. [Gen 5:27]
      When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. [Gen 5:28]

He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed." [Gen 5:29]

After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 5:30]

Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died. [Gen 5:31]

After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis 6

When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, [Gen 6:1]

the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. [Gen 6:2]

Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." [Gen 6:3]

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. [Gen 6:4]

The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. [Gen 6:5]
      The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. [Gen 6:6]

So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth - men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air - for I am grieved that I have made them." [Gen 6:7]

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. [Gen 6:8]

This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. [Gen 6:9]

Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. [Gen 6:10]

Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. [Gen 6:11]
      God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. [Gen 6:12]

So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. [Gen 6:13]

So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. [Gen 6:14]

This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. [Gen 6:15]

Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches [Gen 6:6] of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. [Gen 6:16]

I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. [Gen 6:17]

But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife and your sons" wives with you. [Gen 6:18]

You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. [Gen 6:19]

Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. [Gen 6:20]

You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them." [Gen 6:21]

Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Genesis 7

The Lord then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. [Gen 7:1]

Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, [Gen 7:2]

and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. [Gen 7:3]

Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made." [Gen 7:4]
      And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him. [Gen 7:5]

Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. [Gen 7:6]
      And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons" wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. [Gen 7:7]

Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, [Gen 7:8]

male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. [Gen 7:9]

And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. [Gen 7:10]
      In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month - on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. [Gen 7:11]

And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. [Gen 7:12]

On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. [Gen 7:13]

They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. [Gen 7:14]

Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. [Gen 7:15]

The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in. [Gen 7:16]

For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. [Gen 7:17]

The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. [Gen 7:18]

They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. [Gen 7:19]

The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. [Gen 7:20]

Every living thing that moved on the earth perished - birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. [Gen 7:21]
      Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. [Gen 7:22]

Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. [Gen 7:23]

The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 8

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. [Gen 8:1]
      Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. [Gen 8:2]

The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, [Gen 8:3]

and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. [Gen 8:4]

The waters continued to recede till the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. [Gen 8:5]

After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark [Gen 8:6]
      and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth till the water had dried up from the earth. [Gen 8:7]

Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. [Gen 8:8]

But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. [Gen 8:9]

He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. [Gen 8:10]
      When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. [Gen 8:11]
      He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him. [Gen 8:12]

By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. [Gen 8:13]

By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry. [Gen 8:14]

Then God said to Noah, [Gen 8:15]

"Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. [Gen 8:16]

Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you - the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground - so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it." [Gen 8:17]

So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons" wives. [Gen 8:18]

All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds - everything that moves on the earth - came out of the ark, one kind after another. [Gen 8:19]

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. [Gen 8:20]

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. [Gen 8:21]

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

Genesis 9

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. [Gen 9:1]

The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. [Gen 9:2]

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. [Gen 9:3]

"But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. [Gen 9:4]
      And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. [Gen 9:5]

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. [Gen 9:6]

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase on it." [Gen 9:7]

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: [Gen 9:8]

"I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you [Gen 9:9]

and with every living creature that was with you - the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you - every living creature on earth. [Gen 9:10]

I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." [Gen 9:11]
      And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: [Gen 9:12]
      I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. [Gen 9:13]

Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, [Gen 9:14]

I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. [Gen 9:15]
      Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." [Gen 9:16]

So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth." [Gen 9:17]

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) [Gen 9:18]

These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth. [Gen 9:19]

Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. [Gen 9:20]

When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. [Gen 9:21]

Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. [Gen 9:22]

But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness. [Gen 9:23]

When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, [Gen 9:24]

he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers." [Gen 9:25]

He also said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. [Gen 9:26]

May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave." [Gen 9:27]

After the flood Noah lived 350 years. [Gen 9:28]

Altogether, Noah lived 950 years, and then he died.

Genesis 10

This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, who themselves had sons after the flood. [Gen 10:1]

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. [Gen 10:2]

The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. [Gen 10:3]

The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim. [Gen 10:4]
      (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.) [Gen 10:5]

The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. [Gen 10:6]

The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. [Gen 10:7]

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. [Gen 10:8]

He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord." [Gen 10:9]

The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. [Gen 10:6] [Gen 10:10]

From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, [Gen 10:7] Calah [Gen 10:11]

and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. [Gen 10:12]

Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, [Gen 10:13]

Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites. [Gen 10:14]

Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, [Gen 10:8] and of the Hittites, [Gen 10:15]

Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, [Gen 10:16]

Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, [Gen 10:17]

Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered [Gen 10:18]

and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. [Gen 10:19]

These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. [Gen 10:20]

Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was [Gen 10:9] Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber. [Gen 10:21]

The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. [Gen 10:22]

The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech. [Gen 10:23]

Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber. [Gen 10:24]
      Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan. [Gen 10:25]

Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, [Gen 10:26]
      Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, [Gen 10:27]

Obal, Abimael, Sheba, [Gen 10:28]

Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. [Gen 10:29]
      The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country. [Gen 10:30]

These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. [Gen 10:31]

These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.
      1.2 Sons may mean descendants or successors or nations; also in verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 20-23, 29 and 31.

4.8 Father may mean ancestor or predecessor or founder; also in verses 13, 15, 24 and 26.

Genesis 11

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. [Gen 11:1]

As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. [Gen 11:2]
      They said to each other, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. [Gen 11:3]

Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." [Gen 11:4]

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. [Gen 11:5]

The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. [Gen 11:6]

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." [Gen 11:7]

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. [Gen 11:8]

That is why it was called Babel - because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. [Gen 11:9]

This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. [Gen 11:10]

And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 11:11]

When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. [Gen 11:12]
      And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 11:13]

When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. [Gen 11:14]
      And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 11:15]

When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. [Gen 11:16]
      And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 11:17]

When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. [Gen 11:18]
      And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 11:19]

When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. [Gen 11:20]
      And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 11:21]

When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. [Gen 11:22]
      And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 11:23]

When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. [Gen 11:24]
      And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters. [Gen 11:25]

After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. [Gen 11:26]

This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. [Gen 11:27]

While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. [Gen 11:28]

Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. [Gen 11:29]

Now Sarai was barren; she had no children. [Gen 11:30]

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. [Gen 11:31]

Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Genesis 12

The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. [Gen 12:1]

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. [Gen 12:2]

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." [Gen 12:3]

So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. [Gen 12:4]

He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. [Gen 12:5]

Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. [Gen 12:6]

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. [Gen 12:7]

From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. [Gen 12:8]

Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. [Gen 12:9]

Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. [Gen 12:10]

As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. [Gen 12:11]

When the Egyptians see you, they will say, "This is his wife." Then they will kill me but will let you live. [Gen 12:12]

Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." [Gen 12:13]

When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. [Gen 12:14]

And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. [Gen 12:15]

He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. [Gen 12:16]

But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. [Gen 12:17]

So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why did not you tell me she was your wife? [Gen 12:18]

Why did you say, "She is my sister," so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" [Gen 12:19]

Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

1.7 Or seed

Genesis 13

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. [Gen 13:1]

Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. [Gen 13:2]
      From the Negev he went from place to place till he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier [Gen 13:3]

and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord. [Gen 13:4]

Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. [Gen 13:5]

But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. [Gen 13:6]
      And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. [Gen 13:7]
      So Abram said to Lot, "Let us not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. [Gen 13:8]

Is not the whole land before you? Let us part company. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left." [Gen 13:9]

Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) [Gen 13:10]

So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: [Gen 13:11]

Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. [Gen 13:12]

Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. [Gen 13:13]

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. [Gen 13:14]

All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. [Gen 13:15]

I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. [Gen 13:16]

Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." [Gen 13:17]

So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

1.15 Or seed; also in verse 16

Genesis 14

At this time Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim [Gen 14:1]

went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). [Gen 14:2]
      All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea). [Gen 14:3]

For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. [Gen 14:4]

In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim [Gen 14:5]

and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. [Gen 14:6]

Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar. [Gen 14:7]

Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim [Gen 14:8]

against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar - four kings against five. [Gen 14:9]

Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. [Gen 14:10]
      The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. [Gen 14:11]

They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. [Gen 14:12]

One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. [Gen 14:13]

When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. [Gen 14:14]
      During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. [Gen 14:15]

He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. [Gen 14:16]

After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). [Gen 14:17]

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, [Gen 14:18]

and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. [Gen 14:19]

And blessed be [Gen 14:6] God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. [Gen 14:20]

The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." [Gen 14:21]

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath [Gen 14:22]

that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, "I made Abram rich." [Gen 14:23]
      I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me - to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share."
      1.1 That is, Babylonia; also in verse 9

2.3 That is, the Dead Sea

3.13 Or a relative; or an ally

4.18 That is, Jerusalem

5.19 Or Possessor; also in verse 22

6.20 Or And praise be to

Genesis 15

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." [Gen 15:1]

But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" [Gen 15:2]

And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." [Gen 15:3]

Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." [Gen 15:4]

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." [Gen 15:5]
      Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. [Gen 15:6]
      He also said to him, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." [Gen 15:7]

But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" [Gen 15:8]

So the Lord said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." [Gen 15:9]

Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. [Gen 15:10]

Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. [Gen 15:11]

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. [Gen 15:12]

Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. [Gen 15:13]

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. [Gen 15:14]

You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. [Gen 15:15]

In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." [Gen 15:16]

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. [Gen 15:17]

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates - [Gen 15:18]
      the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, [Gen 15:19]

Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, [Gen 15:20]

Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

1.1 Or sovereign

2.1 Or shield; your reward will be very great

3.2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

4.18 Or Wadi

Genesis 16

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; [Gen 16:1]

so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said. [Gen 16:2]

So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. [Gen 16:3]

He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. [Gen 16:4]

Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me." [Gen 16:5]

"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. [Gen 16:6]

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. [Gen 16:7]

And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I am running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. [Gen 16:8]
      Then the angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." [Gen 16:9]

The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count." [Gen 16:10]

The angel of the Lord also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. [Gen 16:11]
      He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." [Gen 16:12]
      She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." [Gen 16:13]

That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. [Gen 16:14]

So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. [Gen 16:15]

Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

1.11 Ishmael means God hears.

2.12 Or live to the east of

3.13 Or seen the back of

4.14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.

Genesis 17

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. [Gen 17:1]

I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." [Gen 17:2]

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, [Gen 17:3]

"As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. [Gen 17:4]

No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. [Gen 17:5]

I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. [Gen 17:6]

I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. [Gen 17:7]

The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." [Gen 17:8]
      Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. [Gen 17:9]

This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. [Gen 17:10]

You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. [Gen 17:11]

For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner - those who are not your offspring. [Gen 17:12]

Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. [Gen 17:13]

Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." [Gen 17:14]

God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. [Gen 17:15]

I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." [Gen 17:16]
      Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" [Gen 17:17]
      And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" [Gen 17:18]

Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. [Gen 17:19]

And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. [Gen 17:20]

But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." [Gen 17:21]

When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. [Gen 17:22]
      On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. [Gen 17:23]

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, [Gen 17:24]
      and his son Ishmael was thirteen; [Gen 17:25]

Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. [Gen 17:26]
      And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

1.1 Hebrew El-Shaddai

2.5 Abram means exalted father.

3.5 Abraham means father of many.

4.19 Isaac means he laughs.

Genesis 18

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. [Gen 18:1]

Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. [Gen 18:2]
      He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. [Gen 18:3]

Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. [Gen 18:4]

Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way - now that you have come to your servant." "Very well," they answered, "do as you say." [Gen 18:5]

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." [Gen 18:6]

Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. [Gen 18:7]

He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. [Gen 18:8]
      "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There, in the tent," he said. [Gen 18:9]

Then the Lord said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. [Gen 18:10]

Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. [Gen 18:11]

So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" [Gen 18:12]

Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Will I really have a child, now that I am old?" [Gen 18:13]

Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." [Gen 18:14]

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh." But he said, "Yes, you did laugh." [Gen 18:15]

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. [Gen 18:16]

Then the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? [Gen 18:17]
      Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. [Gen 18:18]

For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." [Gen 18:19]

Then the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous [Gen 18:20]

that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." [Gen 18:21]

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. [Gen 18:22]

Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? [Gen 18:23]

What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare [Gen 18:6] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? [Gen 18:24]
      Far be it from you to do such a thing - to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Wo not the Judge [Gen 18:7] of all the earth do right?" [Gen 18:25]

The Lord said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." [Gen 18:26]

Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, [Gen 18:27]

what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty- five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." [Gen 18:28]

Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." [Gen 18:29]

Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." [Gen 18:30]
      Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." [Gen 18:31]

Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." [Gen 18:32]

When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

1.3 Or O Lord

2.6 That is, probably about 20 quarts (about 22 liters)

3.10 Hebrew Then he

4.12 Or husband

5.22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham

6.24 Or forgive; also in verse 26

7.25 Or Ruler

Genesis 19

The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. [Gen 19:1]

"My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant is house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." [Gen 19:2]

But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. [Gen 19:3]
      Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom - both young and old - surrounded the house. [Gen 19:4]

They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." [Gen 19:5]

Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him [Gen 19:6]
      and said, "No, my friends. Do not do this wicked thing. [Gen 19:7]

Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." [Gen 19:8]

"Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We will treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. [Gen 19:9]
      But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. [Gen 19:10]

Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. [Gen 19:11]

The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here - sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, [Gen 19:12]

because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it." [Gen 19:13]

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!" But his sons- in-law thought he was joking. [Gen 19:14]

With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished." [Gen 19:15]

When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. [Gen 19:16]

As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" [Gen 19:17]

But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! [Gen 19:18]

Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I cannot flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I will die. [Gen 19:19]

Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it - it is very small, is not it? Then my life will be spared." [Gen 19:20]

He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. [Gen 19:21]

But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything till you reach it." (That is why the town was called Zoar. [Gen 19:6]) [Gen 19:22]

By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. [Gen 19:23]
      Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the Lord out of the heavens. [Gen 19:24]

Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities - and also the vegetation in the land. [Gen 19:25]

But Lot is wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. [Gen 19:26]
      Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. [Gen 19:27]

He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. [Gen 19:28]
      So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived. [Gen 19:29]
      Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. [Gen 19:30]

One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. [Gen 19:31]
      Let us get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father." [Gen 19:32]

That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. [Gen 19:33]
      The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let us get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." [Gen 19:34]

So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. [Gen 19:35]

So both of Lot is daughters became pregnant by their father. [Gen 19:36]
      The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab [Gen 19:7]; he is the father of the Moabites of today. [Gen 19:37]

The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben- Ammi [Gen 19:8]; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

1.14 Or were married to

2.18 Or No, Lord; or No, my lord

3.19 The Hebrew is singular.

4.19 The Hebrew is singular.

5.19 The Hebrew is singular.

6.22 Zoar means small.

7.37 Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father.

8.38 Ben-Ammi means son of my people.

Genesis 20

Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, [Gen 20:1]

and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. [Gen 20:2]

But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman." [Gen 20:3]
      Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? [Gen 20:4]

Did he not say to me, "She is my sister," and did not she also say, "He is my brother"? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands." [Gen 20:5]
      Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. [Gen 20:6]

Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die." [Gen 20:7]

Early the next morning Abimelech summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. [Gen 20:8]

Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said, "What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done." [Gen 20:9]

And Abimelech asked Abraham, "What was your reason for doing this?" [Gen 20:10]
      Abraham replied, "I said to myself, "There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife." [Gen 20:11]

Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. [Gen 20:12]

And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, "This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'" [Gen 20:13]

Then Abimelech brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. [Gen 20:14]

And Abimelech said, "My land is before you; live wherever you like." [Gen 20:15]
      To Sarah he said, "I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated." [Gen 20:16]

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, [Gen 20:17]

for the Lord had closed up every womb in Abimelech's household because of Abraham's wife Sarah.

1.16 That is, about 25 pounds (about 11.5 kilograms)

Genesis 21

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. [Gen 21:1]

Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. [Gen 21:2]

Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. [Gen 21:3]

When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. [Gen 21:4]

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. [Gen 21:5]
      Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." [Gen 21:6]

And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." [Gen 21:7]

The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. [Gen 21:8]

But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, [Gen 21:9]

and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." [Gen 21:10]
      The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. [Gen 21:11]
      But God said to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. [Gen 21:12]

I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring." [Gen 21:13]

Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba. [Gen 21:14]

When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. [Gen 21:15]

Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, "I cannot watch the boy die." And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. [Gen 21:16]
      God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. [Gen 21:17]

Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation." [Gen 21:18]

Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. [Gen 21:19]

God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. [Gen 21:20]

While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt. [Gen 21:21]

At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do. [Gen 21:22]

Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you." [Gen 21:23]

Abraham said, "I swear it." [Gen 21:24]

Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized. [Gen 21:25]

But Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today." [Gen 21:26]

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty. [Gen 21:27]

Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, [Gen 21:28]

and Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?" [Gen 21:29]

He replied, "Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well." [Gen 21:30]

So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there. [Gen 21:31]

After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. [Gen 21:32]

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. [Gen 21:33]

And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
      1.3 Isaac means he laughs.

2.12 Or seed

3.16 Hebrew; Septuagint the child

4.31 Beersheba can mean well of seven or well of the oath.

Genesis 22

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. [Gen 22:1]

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." [Gen 22:2]

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. [Gen 22:3]

On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. [Gen 22:4]
      He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." [Gen 22:5]

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, [Gen 22:6]
      Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" [Gen 22:7]

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. [Gen 22:8]

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. [Gen 22:9]

Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. [Gen 22:10]
      But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. [Gen 22:11]

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." [Gen 22:12]
      Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. [Gen 22:13]

So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided." [Gen 22:14]

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time [Gen 22:15]
      and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, [Gen 22:16]

I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, [Gen 22:17]

and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." [Gen 22:18]

Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba. [Gen 22:19]

Some time later Abraham was told, "Milcah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: [Gen 22:20]

Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), [Gen 22:21]
      Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel." [Gen 22:22]

Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham's brother Nahor. [Gen 22:23]

His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah.

Genesis 23

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. [Gen 23:1]

She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. [Gen 23:2]

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, [Gen 23:3]

"I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead." [Gen 23:4]

The Hittites replied to Abraham, [Gen 23:5]

"Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead." [Gen 23:6]
      Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. [Gen 23:7]

He said to them, "If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf [Gen 23:8]

so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you." [Gen 23:9]

Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. [Gen 23:10]
      "No, my lord," he said. "Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead." [Gen 23:11]

Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land [Gen 23:12]

and he said to Ephron in their hearing, "Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there." [Gen 23:13]
      Ephron answered Abraham, [Gen 23:14]

"Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead." [Gen 23:15]

Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants. [Gen 23:16]

So Ephron's field in Machpelah near Mamre - both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field - was deeded [Gen 23:17]

to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. [Gen 23:18]

Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. [Gen 23:19]

So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

Genesis 24

Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. [Gen 24:1]

He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. [Gen 24:2]

I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, [Gen 24:3]

but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac." [Gen 24:4]

The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?" [Gen 24:5]
      "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. [Gen 24:6]
      "The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, "To your offspring I will give this land" - he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. [Gen 24:7]

If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." [Gen 24:8]

So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. [Gen 24:9]

Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. [Gen 24:10]

He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. [Gen 24:11]

Then he prayed, "Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. [Gen 24:12]

See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. [Gen 24:13]

May it be that when I say to a girl, "Please let down your jar that I may have a drink," and she says, "Drink, and I will water your camels too" - let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." [Gen 24:14]

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. [Gen 24:15]

The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. [Gen 24:16]

The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." [Gen 24:17]

"Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. [Gen 24:18]

After she had given him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels too, till they have finished drinking." [Gen 24:19]

So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. [Gen 24:20]

Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. [Gen 24:21]

When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. [Gen 24:22]

Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" [Gen 24:23]

She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." [Gen 24:24]

And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night." [Gen 24:25]

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, [Gen 24:26]

saying, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives." [Gen 24:27]

The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things. [Gen 24:28]
      Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. [Gen 24:29]

As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. [Gen 24:30]

"Come, you who are blessed by the Lord," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels." [Gen 24:31]

So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. [Gen 24:32]
      Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat till I have told you what I have to say." "Then tell us," [Gen 24:Laban] said. [Gen 24:33]

So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. [Gen 24:34]

The Lord has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys. [Gen 24:35]

My master's wife Sarah has borne him a son in her [Gen 24:6] old age, and he has given him everything he owns. [Gen 24:36]

And my master made me swear an oath, and said, "You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, [Gen 24:37]

but go to my father's family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son." [Gen 24:38]

"Then I asked my master, "What if the woman will not come back with me?" [Gen 24:39]

"He replied, "The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father's family. [Gen 24:40]

Then, when you go to my clan, you will be released from my oath even if they refuse to give her to you - you will be released from my oath." [Gen 24:41]

"When I came to the spring today, I said, "Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. [Gen 24:42]

See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar," [Gen 24:43]

and if she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw water for your camels too," let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master's son." [Gen 24:44]

"Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, "Please give me a drink." [Gen 24:45]

"She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, "Drink, and I will water your camels too." So I drank, and she watered the camels also. [Gen 24:46]

"I asked her, "Whose daughter are you?" "She said, "The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him." "Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, [Gen 24:47]

and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son. [Gen 24:48]

Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn." [Gen 24:49]

Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. [Gen 24:50]

Here's Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has directed." [Gen 24:51]

When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. [Gen 24:52]

Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. [Gen 24:53]

Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way to my master." [Gen 24:54]
      But her brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you [Gen 24:7] may go." [Gen 24:55]

But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master." [Gen 24:56]

Then they said, "Let us call the girl and ask her about it." [Gen 24:57]
      So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?" "I will go," she said. [Gen 24:58]

So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. [Gen 24:59]

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, "Our sister, may you increase to thousands on thousands; may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies." [Gen 24:60]
      Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left. [Gen 24:61]

Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. [Gen 24:62]

He went out to the field one evening to meditate, [Gen 24:8] and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. [Gen 24:63]

Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel [Gen 24:64]
      and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" "He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. [Gen 24:65]
      Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. [Gen 24:66]

Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Genesis 25

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. [Gen 25:1]

She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. [Gen 25:2]
      Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. [Gen 25:3]

The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. [Gen 25:4]

Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. [Gen 25:5]

But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. [Gen 25:6]

Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. [Gen 25:7]
      Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. [Gen 25:8]

His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, [Gen 25:9]

the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. [Gen 25:10]

After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. [Gen 25:11]

This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael, whom Sarah's maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. [Gen 25:12]

These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, [Gen 25:13]

Mishma, Dumah, Massa, [Gen 25:14]

Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. [Gen 25:15]

These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. [Gen 25:16]

Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. [Gen 25:17]

His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers. [Gen 25:18]

This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, [Gen 25:19]

and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. [Gen 25:20]

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. [Gen 25:21]

The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the Lord. [Gen 25:22]

The Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." [Gen 25:23]

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. [Gen 25:24]

The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. [Gen 25:25]

After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. [Gen 25:6] Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. [Gen 25:26]
      The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. [Gen 25:27]

Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. [Gen 25:28]

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. [Gen 25:29]

He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I am famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom. [Gen 25:7]) [Gen 25:30]

Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." [Gen 25:31]

"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?" [Gen 25:32]

But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. [Gen 25:33]

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 26

Now there was a famine in the land - besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time - and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. [Gen 26:1]

The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. [Gen 26:2]

Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. [Gen 26:3]

I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, [Gen 26:4]

because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." [Gen 26:5]

So Isaac stayed in Gerar. [Gen 26:6]

When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful." [Gen 26:7]

When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. [Gen 26:8]

So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, "She is my sister"?" Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her." [Gen 26:9]

Then Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you'd have brought guilt on us." [Gen 26:10]

So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: "Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." [Gen 26:11]

Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. [Gen 26:12]

The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow till he became very wealthy. [Gen 26:13]

He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. [Gen 26:14]

So all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. [Gen 26:15]

Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us." [Gen 26:16]

So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. [Gen 26:17]

Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. [Gen 26:18]

Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. [Gen 26:19]

But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. [Gen 26:20]
      Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. [Gen 26:21]

He moved on from there and dug another well, and none quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land." [Gen 26:22]

From there he went up to Beersheba. [Gen 26:23]

That night the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham." [Gen 26:24]

Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. [Gen 26:25]

Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. [Gen 26:26]

Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?" [Gen 26:27]

They answered, "We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, "There ought to be a sworn agreement between us" - between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you [Gen 26:28]

that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the Lord." [Gen 26:29]
      Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. [Gen 26:30]
      Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. [Gen 26:31]

That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, "We have found water!" [Gen 26:32]

He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba. [Gen 26:6] [Gen 26:33]

When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. [Gen 26:34]

They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Genesis 27

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," he answered. [Gen 27:1]
      Isaac said, "I am now an old man and do not know the day of my death. [Gen 27:2]
      Now then, get your weapons - your quiver and bow - and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. [Gen 27:3]

Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." [Gen 27:4]

Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, [Gen 27:5]

Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, [Gen 27:6]

"Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die." [Gen 27:7]

Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: [Gen 27:8]

Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. [Gen 27:9]

Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies." [Gen 27:10]

Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a man with smooth skin. [Gen 27:11]

What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing." [Gen 27:12]

His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me." [Gen 27:13]

So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. [Gen 27:14]

Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. [Gen 27:15]

She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. [Gen 27:16]

Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. [Gen 27:17]

He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" [Gen 27:18]

Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing." [Gen 27:19]
      Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" "The Lord your God gave me success," he replied. [Gen 27:20]

Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not." [Gen 27:21]

Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." [Gen 27:22]

He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. [Gen 27:23]

"Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "I am," he replied. [Gen 27:24]
      Then he said, "My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing." Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. [Gen 27:25]

Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come here, my son, and kiss me." [Gen 27:26]
      So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. [Gen 27:27]

May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness - an abundance of grain and new wine. [Gen 27:28]

May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed." [Gen 27:29]

After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. [Gen 27:30]

He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, "My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing." [Gen 27:31]

His father Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "I am your son," he answered, "your firstborn, Esau." [Gen 27:32]

Isaac trembled violently and said, "Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him - and indeed he will be blessed!" [Gen 27:33]

When Esau heard his father's words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me - me too, my father!" [Gen 27:34]

But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing." [Gen 27:35]
      Esau said, "Is not he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he is taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Have not you reserved any blessing for me?" [Gen 27:36]

Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" [Gen 27:37]

Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud. [Gen 27:38]

His father Isaac answered him, "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. [Gen 27:39]

You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." [Gen 27:40]

Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." [Gen 27:41]

When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. [Gen 27:42]

Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. [Gen 27:43]

Stay with him for a while till your brother's fury subsides. [Gen 27:44]
      When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I will send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" [Gen 27:45]

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."

1.36 Jacob means he grasps the heel (figuratively, he deceives).

Genesis 28

So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman. [Gen 28:1]

Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. [Gen 28:2]
      May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers till you become a community of peoples. [Gen 28:3]

May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." [Gen 28:4]

Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau. [Gen 28:5]

Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman," [Gen 28:6]

and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. [Gen 28:7]

Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; [Gen 28:8]

so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had. [Gen 28:9]

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. [Gen 28:10]

When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. [Gen 28:11]

He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. [Gen 28:12]

There above it stood the Lord, and he said: "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. [Gen 28:13]

Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. [Gen 28:14]

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you till I have done what I have promised you." [Gen 28:15]
      When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." [Gen 28:16]

He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." [Gen 28:17]

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. [Gen 28:18]

He called that place Bethel, [Gen 28:6] though the city used to be called Luz. [Gen 28:19]

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear [Gen 28:20]
      so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord [Gen 28:7] will be my God [Gen 28:21]

and [Gen 28:8] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

Genesis 29

Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. [Gen 29:1]

There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. [Gen 29:2]

When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. [Gen 29:3]

Jacob asked the shepherds, "My brothers, where are you from?" "We are from Haran," they replied. [Gen 29:4]

He said to them, "Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?" "Yes, we know him," they answered. [Gen 29:5]

Then Jacob asked them, "Is he well?" "Yes, he is," they said, "and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." [Gen 29:6]

"Look," he said, "the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture." [Gen 29:7]

"We cannot," they replied, "till all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep." [Gen 29:8]
      While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. [Gen 29:9]

When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. [Gen 29:10]

Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. [Gen 29:11]

He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. [Gen 29:12]

As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. [Gen 29:13]

Then Laban said to him, "You are my own flesh and blood." After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, [Gen 29:14]

Laban said to him, "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be." [Gen 29:15]

Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. [Gen 29:16]

Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. [Gen 29:17]

Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I will work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel." [Gen 29:18]

Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me." [Gen 29:19]

So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. [Gen 29:20]

Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her." [Gen 29:21]

So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. [Gen 29:22]

But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. [Gen 29:23]

And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant. [Gen 29:24]

When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, did not I? Why have you deceived me?" [Gen 29:25]
      Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. [Gen 29:26]

Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work." [Gen 29:27]

And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. [Gen 29:28]

Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. [Gen 29:29]

Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years. [Gen 29:30]

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. [Gen 29:31]

Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." [Gen 29:32]

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon. [Gen 29:33]
      Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi. [Gen 29:34]

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the Lord." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

Genesis 30

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die!" [Gen 30:1]

Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" [Gen 30:2]

Then she said, "Here's Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family." [Gen 30:3]

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, [Gen 30:4]
      and she became pregnant and bore him a son. [Gen 30:5]

Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." Because of this she named him Dan. [Gen 30:6]

Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. [Gen 30:7]
      Then Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." So she named him Naphtali. [Gen 30:8]

When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. [Gen 30:9]

Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. [Gen 30:10]

Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him Gad. [Gen 30:11]
      Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. [Gen 30:12]

Then Leah said, "How happy I am! The women will call me happy." So she named him Asher. [Gen 30:13]

During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes." [Gen 30:14]

But she said to her, "Was not it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes." [Gen 30:15]

So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night. [Gen 30:16]

God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. [Gen 17]

Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." So she named him Issachar. [6] [Gen 30:18]

Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. [Gen 30:19]

Then Leah said, "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. [7] [Gen 30:20]

Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. [Gen 30:21]
      Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. [Gen 30:22]
      She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." [Gen 30:23]

She named him Joseph, [8] and said, "May the Lord add to me another son." [Gen 30:24]

After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. [Gen 30:25]

Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I have done for you." [Gen 30:26]

But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that [9] the Lord has blessed me because of you." [Gen 30:27]
      He added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." [Gen 30:28]

Jacob said to him, "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. [Gen 30:29]

The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?" [Gen 30:30]
      "What shall I give you?" he asked. "Do not give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: [Gen 30:31]

Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. [Gen 30:32]

And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." [Gen 30:33]

"Agreed," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said." [Gen 30:34]

That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. [Gen 30:35]

Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban's flocks. [Gen 30:36]

Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. [Gen 30:37]

Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, [Gen 30:38]

they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. [Gen 30:39]

Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. [Gen 30:40]

Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches, [Gen 30:41]
      but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. [Gen 30:42]

In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

Genesis 31

Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father." [Gen 31:1]
      And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been. [Gen 31:2]

Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." [Gen 31:3]

So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. [Gen 31:4]

He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. [Gen 31:5]

You know that I have worked for your father with all my strength, [Gen 31:6]
      yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. [Gen 31:7]

If he said, "The speckled ones will be your wages," then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, "The streaked ones will be your wages," then all the flocks bore streaked young. [Gen 31:8]

So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me. [Gen 31:9]

"In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. [Gen 31:10]

The angel of God said to me in the dream, "Jacob." I answered, "Here I am." [Gen 31:11]

And he said, "Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. [Gen 31:12]

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.'" [Gen 31:13]

Then Rachel and Leah replied, "Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? [Gen 31:14]

Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. [Gen 31:15]

Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you." [Gen 31:16]

Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, [Gen 31:17]

and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. [Gen 31:18]
      When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods. [Gen 31:19]

Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. [Gen 31:20]

So he fled with all he had, and crossing the River, he headed for the hill country of Gilead. [Gen 31:21]

On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. [Gen 31:22]

Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. [Gen 31:23]

Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad." [Gen 31:24]

Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. [Gen 31:25]

Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You have deceived me, and you have carried off my daughters like captives in war. [Gen 31:26]

Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why did not you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? [Gen 31:27]
      You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-by. You have done a foolish thing. [Gen 31:28]

I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad." [Gen 31:29]

Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?" [Gen 31:30]

Jacob answered Laban, "I was afraid, because I thought you'd take your daughters away from me by force. [Gen 31:31]

But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods. [Gen 31:32]

So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah's tent, he entered Rachel's tent. [Gen 31:33]

Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing. [Gen 31:34]

Rachel said to her father, "Do not be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I am having my period." So he searched but could not find the household gods. [Gen 31:35]

Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. "What is my crime?" he asked Laban. "What sin have I committed that you hunt me down? [Gen 31:36]

Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us. [Gen 31:37]

"I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. [Gen 31:38]

I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. [Gen 31:39]

This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. [Gen 31:40]

It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. [Gen 31:41]

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you'd surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you." [Gen 31:42]

Laban answered Jacob, "The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? [Gen 31:43]

Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us." [Gen 31:44]

So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. [Gen 31:45]

He said to his relatives, "Gather some stones." So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. [Gen 31:46]

Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. [Gen 31:47]

Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today." That is why it was called Galeed. [Gen 31:48]

It was also called Mizpah, because he said, "May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. [Gen 31:49]

If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though none is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me." [Gen 31:50]
      Laban also said to Jacob, "Here's this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. [Gen 31:51]

This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. [Gen 31:52]

May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. [Gen 31:53]
      He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there. [Gen 31:54]

Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.

Genesis 32

Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. [Gen 32:1]

When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is the camp of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim. [Gen 32:2]

Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. [Gen 32:3]

He instructed them: "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: "Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. [Gen 32:4]
      I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.'" [Gen 32:5]
      When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." [Gen 32:6]
      In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. [Gen 32:7]

He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape." [Gen 32:8]

Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, who said to me, "Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper," [Gen 32:9]

I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. [Gen 32:10]

Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. [Gen 32:11]

But you have said, "I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.'" [Gen 32:12]

He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: [Gen 32:13]

two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, [Gen 32:14]

thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. [Gen 32:15]

He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds." [Gen 32:16]
      He instructed the one in the lead: "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, "To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?" [Gen 32:17]

then you are to say, "They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.'" [Gen 32:18]

He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: "You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. [Gen 32:19]

And be sure to say, "Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.'" For he thought, "I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me." [Gen 32:20]

So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp. [Gen 32:21]

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. [Gen 32:22]

After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. [Gen 32:23]

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. [Gen 32:24]
      When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. [Gen 32:25]

Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." [Gen 32:26]

The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. [Gen 32:27]
      Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." [Gen 32:28]

Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. [Gen 32:29]

So Jacob called the place Peniel, [Gen 32:6] saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." [Gen 32:30]

The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, [Gen 32:7] and he was limping because of his hip. [Gen 32:31]

Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon.
      5.28 Israel means he struggles with God.

6.30 Peniel means face of God.

Genesis 33

Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants. [Gen 33:1]

He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. [Gen 33:2]

He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. [Gen 33:3]

But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. [Gen 33:4]

Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. "Who are these with you?" he asked. Jacob answered, "They are the children God has graciously given your servant." [Gen 33:5]

Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. [Gen 33:6]
      Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down. [Gen 33:7]

Esau asked, "What do you mean by all these droves I met?" "To find favor in your eyes, my lord," he said. [Gen 33:8]

But Esau said, "I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself." [Gen 33:9]

"No, please!" said Jacob. "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. [Gen 33:10]

Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it. [Gen 33:11]
      Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way; I will accompany you." [Gen 33:12]
      But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. [Gen 33:13]

So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, till I come to my lord in Seir." [Gen 33:14]

Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my men with you." "But why do that?" Jacob asked. "Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord." [Gen 33:15]

So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. [Gen 33:16]

Jacob, however, went to Succoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth. [Gen 33:17]
      After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. [Gen 33:18]

For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent. [Gen 33:19]

There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.

5.20 El Elohe Israel can mean God, the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel.

Genesis 34

Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. [Gen 34:1]

When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her. [Gen 34:2]

His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. [Gen 34:3]

And Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my wife." [Gen 34:4]
      When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it till they came home. [Gen 34:5]
      Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. [Gen 34:6]

Now Jacob's sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter - a thing that should not be done. [Gen 34:7]
      But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. [Gen 34:8]

Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. [Gen 34:9]

You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it." [Gen 34:10]

Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. [Gen 34:11]

Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I will pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife." [Gen 34:12]
      Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob's sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. [Gen 34:13]

They said to them, "We cannot do such a thing; we cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. [Gen 34:14]

We will give our consent to you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. [Gen 34:15]

Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We will settle among you and become one people with you. [Gen 34:16]

But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we will take our sister and go." [Gen 34:17]

Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. [Gen 34:18]
      The young man, who was the most honored of all his father's household, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. [Gen 34:19]
      So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to their fellow townsmen. [Gen 34:20]

"These men are friendly toward us," they said. "Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours. [Gen 34:21]

But the men will consent to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are. [Gen 34:22]

Wo not their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let is give our consent to them, and they will settle among us." [Gen 34:23]
      All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised. [Gen 34:24]

Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. [Gen 34:25]

They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. [Gen 34:26]

The sons of Jacob came on the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. [Gen 34:27]

They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. [Gen 34:28]

They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses. [Gen 34:29]

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." [Gen 34:30]

But they replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"

Genesis 35

Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau." [Gen 35:1]
      So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. [Gen 35:2]
      Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone." [Gen 35:3]
      So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. [Gen 35:4]

Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that none pursued them. [Gen 35:5]

Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. [Gen 35:6]

There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. [Gen 35:7]
      Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So it was named Allon Bacuth. [Gen 35:8]

After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. [Gen 35:9]

God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel. [Gen 35:10]

And God said to him, "I am God Almighty [Gen 35:6]; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. [Gen 35:11]

The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you." [Gen 35:12]

Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. [Gen 35:13]
      Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. [Gen 35:14]

Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel. [Gen 35:7] [Gen 35:15]
      Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. [Gen 35:16]

And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have another son." [Gen 35:17]

As she breathed her last - for she was dying - she named her son Ben-Oni. [Gen 35:8] But his father named him Benjamin. [Gen 35:9] [Gen 35:18]

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). [Gen 35:19]

Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb. [Gen 35:20]

Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. [Gen 35:21]
      While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Jacob had twelve sons: [Gen 35:22]
      The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. [Gen 35:23]

The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. [Gen 35:24]

The sons of Rachel's maidservant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. [Gen 35:25]
      The sons of Leah's maidservant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram. [Gen 35:26]

Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. [Gen 35:27]

Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. [Gen 35:28]

Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

1.7 El Bethel means God of Bethel.

7.15 Bethel means house of God.

9.18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.

Genesis 36

This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). [Gen 36:1]

Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite - [Gen 36:2]
      also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. [Gen 36:3]
      Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, [Gen 36:4]

and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan. [Gen 36:5]

Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. [Gen 36:6]

Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. [Gen 36:7]
      So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir. [Gen 36:8]
      This is the account of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. [Gen 36:9]

These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath. [Gen 36:10]

The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz. [Gen 36:11]
      Esau's son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. These were grandsons of Esau's wife Adah. [Gen 36:12]

The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath. [Gen 36:13]

The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam and Korah. [Gen 36:14]

These were the chiefs among Esau's descendants: The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, [Gen 36:15]

Korah, Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah. [Gen 36:16]

The sons of Esau's son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath. [Gen 36:17]

The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah. [Gen 36:18]

These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs. [Gen 36:19]

These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, [Gen 36:20]

Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs. [Gen 36:21]

The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan's sister. [Gen 36:22]
      The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. [Gen 36:23]
      The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. [Gen 36:24]
      The children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. [Gen 36:25]
      The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran. [Gen 36:26]

The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. [Gen 36:27]

The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. [Gen 36:28]

These were the Horite chiefs: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, [Gen 36:29]
      Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir. [Gen 36:30]

These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned: [Gen 36:31]

Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah. [Gen 36:32]
      When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king. [Gen 36:33]
      When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king. [Gen 36:34]

When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith. [Gen 36:35]

When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king. [Gen 36:36]
      When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river [Gen 36:6] succeeded him as king. [Gen 36:37]

When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor succeeded him as king. [Gen 36:38]
      When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad [Gen 36:7] succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me- Zahab. [Gen 36:39]

These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, [Gen 36:40]

Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, [Gen 36:41]

Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, [Gen 36:42]

Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied. This was Esau the father of the Edomites.

1.16 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Gen. 36:11 and 1 Chron. 1:36) does not have Korah.

2.22 Hebrew Hemam, a variant of Homam (see 1 Chron. 1:39)

3.24 Vulgate; Syriac discovered water; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

4.26 Hebrew Dishan, a variant of Dishon

5.31 Or before an Israelite king reigned over them

6.37 Possibly the Euphrates

7.39 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 1:50); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Hadar

Genesis 37

Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. [Gen 37:1]
      This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. [Gen 37:2]

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. [Gen 37:3]
      When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. [Gen 37:4]

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. [Gen 37:5]

He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: [Gen 37:6]

We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." [Gen 37:7]
      His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. [Gen 37:8]

Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." [Gen 37:9]

When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" [Gen 37:10]

His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. [Gen 37:11]

Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, [Gen 37:12]

and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them." "Very well," he replied. [Gen 37:13]
      So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, [Gen 37:14]

a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?" [Gen 37:15]

He replied, "I am looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?" [Gen 37:16]

"They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, "Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. [Gen 37:17]
      But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. [Gen 37:18]

"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. [Gen 37:19]

"Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we will see what comes of his dreams." [Gen 37:20]
      When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let us not take his life," he said. [Gen 37:21]

"Do not shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but do not lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. [Gen 37:22]

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe - the richly ornamented robe he was wearing - [Gen 37:23]

and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. [Gen 37:24]

As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. [Gen 37:25]

Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? [Gen 37:26]

Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed. [Gen 37:27]

So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. [Gen 37:28]

When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. [Gen 37:29]

He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is not there! Where can I turn now?" [Gen 37:30]

Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. [Gen 37:31]

They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe." [Gen 37:32]

He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces." [Gen 37:33]

Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. [Gen 37:34]

All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son." So his father wept for him. [Gen 37:35]

Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.

1.3 The meaning of the Hebrew for richly ornamented is uncertain; also in verses 23 and 32.

2.28 That is, about 8 ounces (about 0.2 kilogram)

3.35 Hebrew Sheol

4.36 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 28); Masoretic Text Medanites

Genesis 38

At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. [Gen 38:1]

There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her; [Gen 38:2]

she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. [Gen 38:3]
      She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. [Gen 38:4]
      She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him. [Gen 38:5]

Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. [Gen 38:6]
      But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death. [Gen 38:7]

Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." [Gen 38:8]

But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. [Gen 38:9]

What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight; so he put him to death also. [Gen 38:10]

Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house. [Gen 38:11]

After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him. [Gen 38:12]

When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," [Gen 38:13]

she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. [Gen 38:14]

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. [Gen 38:15]

Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. [Gen 38:16]

"I will send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge till you send it?" she asked. [Gen 38:17]

He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. [Gen 38:18]

After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. [Gen 38:19]

Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. [Gen 38:20]

He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There has not been any shrine prostitute here," they said. [Gen 38:21]
      So he went back to Judah and said, "I did not find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, "There has not been any shrine prostitute here.'" [Gen 38:22]

Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you did not find her." [Gen 38:23]
      About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in- law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" [Gen 38:24]

As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father- in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." [Gen 38:25]

Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I would not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again. [Gen 38:26]
      When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. [Gen 38:27]

As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." [Gen 38:28]
      But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez. [Gen 38:29]

Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah.

1.29 Perez means breaking out.

2.30 Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness.

Genesis 39

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. [Gen 39:1]

The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. [Gen 39:2]

When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, [Gen 39:3]

Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. [Gen 39:4]
      From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. [Gen 39:5]

So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, [Gen 39:6]

and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" [Gen 39:7]

But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. [Gen 39:8]

None is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" [Gen 39:9]

And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. [Gen 39:10]

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. [Gen 39:11]

She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. [Gen 39:12]

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, [Gen 39:13]

she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. [Gen 39:14]

When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." [Gen 39:15]

She kept his cloak beside her till his master came home. [Gen 39:16]
      Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. [Gen 39:17]

But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." [Gen 39:18]

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. [Gen 39:19]

Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, [Gen 39:20]

the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. [Gen 39:21]

So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. [Gen 39:22]

The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Genesis 40

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. [Gen 40:1]

Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, [Gen 40:2]

and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. [Gen 40:3]

The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, [Gen 40:4]

each of the two men - the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison - had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. [Gen 40:5]

When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. [Gen 40:6]

So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?" [Gen 40:7]

"We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is none to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." [Gen 40:8]

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, [Gen 40:9]

and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. [Gen 40:10]

Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand." [Gen 40:11]

"This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days. [Gen 40:12]

Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. [Gen 40:13]

But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. [Gen 40:14]

For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon." [Gen 40:15]

When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. [Gen 40:16]
      In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." [Gen 40:17]

"This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days. [Gen 40:18]

Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh." [Gen 40:19]

Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: [Gen 40:20]

He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand, [Gen 40:21]

but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. [Gen 40:22]

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
      1.16 Or three wicker baskets

2.19 Or and impale you on a pole

3.22 Or impaled

Genesis 41

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, [Gen 41:1]

when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. [Gen 41:2]

After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. [Gen 41:3]

And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. [Gen 41:4]

He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. [Gen 41:5]

After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted - thin and scorched by the east wind. [Gen 41:6]

The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. [Gen 41:7]

In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but none could interpret them for him. [Gen 41:8]
      Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. [Gen 41:9]

Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. [Gen 41:10]

Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. [Gen 41:11]

Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. [Gen 41:12]

And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged." [Gen 41:13]

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. [Gen 41:14]

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and none can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." [Gen 41:15]
      "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." [Gen 41:16]

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, [Gen 41:17]

when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. [Gen 41:18]

After them, seven other cows came up - scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. [Gen 41:19]

The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. [Gen 41:20]
      But even after they ate them, none could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. [Gen 41:21]

"In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. [Gen 41:22]

After them, seven other heads sprouted - withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. [Gen 41:23]

The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me." [Gen 41:24]

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. [Gen 41:25]

The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. [Gen 41:26]

The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. [Gen 41:27]

"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. [Gen 41:28]

Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, [Gen 41:29]

but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. [Gen 41:30]

The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. [Gen 41:31]

The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. [Gen 41:32]

"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. [Gen 41:33]

Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. [Gen 41:34]

They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. [Gen 41:35]
      This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come on Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." [Gen 41:36]

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. [Gen 41:37]
      So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" [Gen 41:38]

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is none so discerning and wise as you. [Gen 41:39]

You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." [Gen 41:40]

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." [Gen 41:41]

Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. [Gen 41:42]
      He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. [Gen 41:43]
      Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word none will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." [Gen 41:44]

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. [Gen 41:45]

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt. [Gen 41:46]
      During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. [Gen 41:47]
      Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. [Gen 41:48]

Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. [Gen 41:49]

Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. [Gen 41:50]

Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh [Gen 41:6] and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." [Gen 41:51]

The second son he named Ephraim [Gen 41:7] and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." [Gen 41:52]

The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, [Gen 41:53]

and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. [Gen 41:54]
      When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you." [Gen 41:55]
      When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. [Gen 41:56]
      And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

1.13 Or impaled

2.38 Or of the gods

3.43 Or in the chariot of his second-in-command; or in his second chariot
      4.43 Or Bow down

5.45 That is, Heliopolis; also in verse 50

6.51 Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for forget.
      7.52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for twice fruitful.

Genesis 42

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?" [Gen 42:1]

He continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die." [Gen 42:2]

Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. [Gen 42:3]
      But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. [Gen 42:4]

So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. [Gen 42:5]

Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. [Gen 42:6]

As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food." [Gen 42:7]

Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. [Gen 42:8]
      Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected." [Gen 42:9]

"No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants have come to buy food. [Gen 42:10]
      We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies." [Gen 42:11]

"No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is unprotected." [Gen 42:12]

But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more." [Gen 42:13]

Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies! [Gen 42:14]
      And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. [Gen 42:15]

Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" [Gen 42:16]

And he put them all in custody for three days. [Gen 42:17]

On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: [Gen 42:18]

If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. [Gen 42:19]

But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do. [Gen 42:20]

They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that is why this distress has come on us." [Gen 42:21]

Reuben replied, "Did not I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." [Gen 42:22]

They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. [Gen 42:23]

He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. [Gen 42:24]
      Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, [Gen 42:25]

they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. [Gen 42:26]

At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. [Gen 42:27]
      "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack." Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?" [Gen 42:28]

When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, [Gen 42:29]

"The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. [Gen 42:30]

But we said to him, "We are honest men; we are not spies. [Gen 42:31]
      We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan." [Gen 42:32]

"Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, "This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. [Gen 42:33]

But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.'" [Gen 42:34]

As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. [Gen 42:35]
      Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" [Gen 42:36]

Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back." [Gen 42:37]
      But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."

1.34 Or move about freely

2.38 Hebrew Sheol

Genesis 43

Now the famine was still severe in the land. [Gen 43:1]

So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food." [Gen 43:2]

But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, "You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you." [Gen 43:3]

If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. [Gen 43:4]

But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, "You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'" [Gen 43:5]

Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?" [Gen 43:6]

They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. "Is your father still living?" he asked us. "Do you have another brother?" We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, "Bring your brother down here"?" [Gen 43:7]

Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. [Gen 43:8]

I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. [Gen 43:9]

As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice." [Gen 43:10]

Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift - a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. [Gen 43:11]

Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. [Gen 43:12]
      Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. [Gen 43:13]

And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved." [Gen 43:14]

So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. [Gen 43:15]

When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon." [Gen 43:16]

The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house. [Gen 43:17]
      Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys." [Gen 43:18]

So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. [Gen 43:19]

"Please, sir," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food. [Gen 43:20]

But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver - the exact weight - in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. [Gen 43:21]

We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks." [Gen 43:22]

"It is all right," he said. "Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them. [Gen 43:23]

The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. [Gen 43:24]

They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there. [Gen 43:25]

When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. [Gen 43:26]

He asked them how they were, and then he said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?" [Gen 43:27]

They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honor. [Gen 43:28]

As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." [Gen 43:29]

Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. [Gen 43:30]

After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food." [Gen 43:31]

They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. [Gen 43:32]

The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. [Gen 43:33]

When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
      1.14 Hebrew El-Shaddai

Genesis 44

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. [Gen 44:1]

Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said. [Gen 44:2]

As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. [Gen 44:3]
      They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, "Why have you repaid good with evil? [Gen 44:4]

Is not this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.'" [Gen 44:5]

When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. [Gen 44:6]
      But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! [Gen 44:7]

We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? [Gen 44:8]

If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves." [Gen 44:9]

"Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." [Gen 44:10]

Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. [Gen 44:11]
      Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. [Gen 44:12]

At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city. [Gen 44:13]

Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. [Gen 44:14]

Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Do not you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?" [Gen 44:15]

"What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants" guilt. We are now my lord's slaves - we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup." [Gen 44:16]

But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace." [Gen 44:17]

Then Judah went up to him and said: "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. [Gen 44:18]

My lord asked his servants, "Do you have a father or a brother?" [Gen 44:19]
      And we answered, "We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him." [Gen 44:20]

"Then you said to your servants, "Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself." [Gen 44:21]

And we said to my lord, "The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die." [Gen 44:22]

But you told your servants, "Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again." [Gen 44:23]

When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. [Gen 44:24]

"Then our father said, "Go back and buy a little more food." [Gen 44:25]
      But we said, "We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us." [Gen 44:26]
      "Your servant my father said to us, "You know that my wife bore me two sons. [Gen 44:27]

One of them went away from me, and I said, "He has surely been torn to pieces." And I have not seen him since. [Gen 44:28]

If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery." [Gen 44:29]

"So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, [Gen 44:30]

sees that the boy is not there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. [Gen 44:31]

Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, "If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!" [Gen 44:32]
      "Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. [Gen 33]

How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father."

1.29 Hebrew Sheol; also in verse 31

Genesis 45

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was none with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. [Gen 45:1]

And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. [Gen 45:2]

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. [Gen 45:3]

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! [Gen 45:4]

And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. [Gen 45:5]
      For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. [Gen 45:6]

But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. [Gen 45:7]

"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. [Gen 45:8]

Now hurry back to my father and say to him, "This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay. [Gen 45:9]

You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me - you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. [Gen 45:10]

I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute." [Gen 45:11]

"You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. [Gen 45:12]

Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." [Gen 45:13]

Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. [Gen 45:14]

And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. [Gen 45:15]

When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. [Gen 45:16]

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, "Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, [Gen 45:17]

and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land." [Gen 45:18]

"You are also directed to tell them, "Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. [Gen 45:19]

Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.'" [Gen 45:20]

So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. [Gen 45:21]

To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. [Gen 45:22]

And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. [Gen 45:23]

Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the way!" [Gen 45:24]

So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. [Gen 45:25]

They told him, "Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt." Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. [Gen 45:26]

But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. [Gen 45:27]
      And Israel said, "I am convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

1.7 Or save you as a great band of survivors

2.22 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds (about 3.5 kilograms)

Genesis 46

So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. [Gen 46:1]

And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he replied. [Gen 46:2]

"I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. [Gen 46:3]

I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." [Gen 46:4]

Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. [Gen 46:5]
      They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. [Gen 46:6]

He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters - all his offspring. [Gen 46:7]

These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob. [Gen 46:8]

The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. [Gen 46:9]

The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. [Gen 46:10]

The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. [Gen 46:11]

The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. [Gen 46:12]

The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron. [Gen 46:13]

The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon and Jahleel. [Gen 46:14]

These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all. [Gen 46:15]

The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli. [Gen 46:16]
      The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel. [Gen 46:17]

These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah - sixteen in all. [Gen 46:18]

The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. [Gen 46:19]

In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. [Gen 46:20]

The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard. [Gen 46:21]

These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob - fourteen in all. [Gen 46:22]

The son of Dan: Hushim. [Gen 46:23]

The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem. [Gen 46:24]

These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel - seven in all. [Gen 46:25]

All those who went to Egypt with Jacob - those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons" wives - numbered sixty- six persons. [Gen 46:26]

With the two sons [Gen 46:6] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy [7] in all. [Gen 46:27]

Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, [Gen 46:28]

Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father [Gen 46:8] and wept for a long time. [Gen 46:29]

Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive." [Gen 46:30]

Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, "My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. [Gen 46:31]

The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own." [Gen 46:32]

When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, "What is your occupation?" [Gen 46:33]
      you should answer, "Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did." Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians."

1.13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah

2.13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob

3.15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

4.16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion

5.20 That is, Heliopolis

6.27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children

7.27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and footnote); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five

8.29 Hebrew around him

Genesis 47

Joseph went and told Pharaoh, "My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen." [Gen 47:1]
      He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. [Gen 47:2]
      Pharaoh asked the brothers, "What is your occupation?" "Your servants are shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh, "just as our fathers were." [Gen 47:3]

They also said to him, "We have come to live here awhile, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants" flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen." [Gen 47:4]

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you, [Gen 47:5]

and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock." [Gen 47:6]

Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, [Gen 47:7]

Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?" [Gen 47:8]

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." [Gen 47:9]

Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. [Gen 47:10]
      So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. [Gen 47:11]
      Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children. [Gen 47:12]

There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. [Gen 47:13]

Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace. [Gen 47:14]
      When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up." [Gen 47:15]

"Then bring your livestock," said Joseph. "I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone." [Gen 47:16]

So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock. [Gen 47:17]

When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. [Gen 47:18]
      Why should we perish before your eyes - we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate." [Gen 47:19]
      So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's, [Gen 47:20]

and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. [Gen 47:21]

However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. [Gen 47:22]

Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. [Gen 47:23]

But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children." [Gen 47:24]

"You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." [Gen 47:25]

So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt - still in force today - that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's. [Gen 47:26]

Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. [Gen 47:27]

Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. [Gen 47:28]

When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, [Gen 47:29]
      but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." "I will do as you say," he said. [Gen 47:30]

"Swear to me," he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

1.7 Or greeted

2.10 Or said farewell to

3.21 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Vulgate); Masoretic Text and he moved the people into the cities

4.31 Or Israel bowed down at the head of his bed

Genesis 48

Some time later Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. [Gen 48:1]

When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed. [Gen 48:2]

Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me [Gen 48:3]

and said to me, "I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you." [Gen 48:4]

"Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. [Gen 48:5]

Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. [Gen 48:6]

As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem). [Gen 48:7]

When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, "Who are these?" [Gen 48:8]
      "They are the sons God has given me here," Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, "Bring them to me so I may bless them." [Gen 48:9]

Now Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. [Gen 48:10]

Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too." [Gen 48:11]

Then Joseph removed them from Israel's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. [Gen 48:12]

And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him. [Gen 48:13]

But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh's head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn. [Gen 48:14]

Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, [Gen 48:15]
      the Angel who has delivered me from all harm - may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth." [Gen 48:16]

When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. [Gen 48:17]

Joseph said to him, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." [Gen 48:18]

But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations." [Gen 48:19]

He blessed them that day and said, "In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: "May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. [Gen 48:20]

Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your [Gen 48:6] fathers. [Gen 48:21]

And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land [Gen 48:7] I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow."

1.3 Hebrew El-Shaddai

2.7 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

3.20 The Hebrew is singular.

4.21 The Hebrew is plural.

5.21 The Hebrew is plural.

6.21 The Hebrew is plural.

7.22 Or And to you I give one portion more than to your brothers - the portion

Genesis 49

Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. [Gen 49:1]

"Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. [Gen 49:2]
      "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. [Gen 49:3]

Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it. [Gen 49:4]

"Simeon and Levi are brothers - their swords are weapons of violence. [Gen 49:5]
      Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. [Gen 49:6]

Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. [Gen 49:7]

"Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. [Gen 49:8]

You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness - who dares to rouse him? [Gen 49:9]

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, till he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. [Gen 49:10]
      He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. [Gen 49:11]

His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. [Gen 49:12]
      "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon. [Gen 49:13]

"Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. [Gen 49:6] [Gen 49:14]
      When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor. [Gen 49:15]

"Dan [Gen 49:7] will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. [Gen 49:16]

Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward. [Gen 49:17]

"I look for your deliverance, Lord. [Gen 49:18]

"Gad [Gen 49:8] will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels. [Gen 49:19]

"Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king. [Gen 49:20]

"Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. [Gen 49:9] [Gen 49:21]
      "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. [Gen 49:22]

With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. [Gen 49:23]

But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, [Gen 49:24]
      because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. [Gen 49:25]

Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. [Gen 49:26]

"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder." [Gen 49:27]

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. [Gen 49:28]
      Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, [Gen 49:29]
      the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. [Gen 49:30]

There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. [Gen 49:31]

The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites." [Gen 49:32]
      When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

1.5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

2.8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
      3.10 Or till Shiloh comes; or till he comes to whom tribute belongs
      4.12 Or will be dull from wine, his teeth white from milk

5.14 Or strong

6.14 Or campfires

7.16 Dan here means he provides justice.

8.19 Gad can mean attack and band of raiders.

9.21 Or free; he utters beautiful words

10.22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, a wild colt near a spring, a wild donkey on a terraced hill

11.[Gen 49:23,24] Or archers will attack... will shoot... will remain... will stay

12.25 Hebrew Shaddai

13.26 Or of my progenitors, as great as

14.26 Or the one separated from

15.32 Or the sons of Heth

Genesis 50

Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. [Gen 50:1]

Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, [Gen 50:2]

taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. [Gen 50:3]

When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, [Gen 50:4]

"My father made me swear an oath and said, "I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan." Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.'" [Gen 50:5]

Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do." [Gen 50:6]

So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials accompanied him - the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt - [Gen 50:7]

besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. [Gen 50:8]

Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company. [Gen 50:9]

When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. [Gen 50:10]

When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning." That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim. [Gen 50:11]

So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them: [Gen 50:12]

They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. [Gen 50:13]

After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father. [Gen 50:14]

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" [Gen 50:15]
      So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: [Gen 50:16]

"This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly." Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. [Gen 50:17]

His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. [Gen 50:18]

But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? [Gen 50:19]
      You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. [Gen 50:20]

So then, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. [Gen 50:21]

Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years [Gen 50:22]

and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees. [Gen 50:23]

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." [Gen 50:24]

And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." [Gen 50:25]

So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

1.9 Or charioteers

2.11 Abel Mizraim means mourning of the Egyptians.

3.23 That is, were counted as his

Exodus - 40 chaps

Exodus 1

These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: [Exod 1:1]

Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; [Exod 1:2]

Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; [Exod 1:3]

Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. [Exod 1:4]

The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. [Exod 1:5]

Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, [Exod 1:6]

but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. [Exod 1:7]

Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. [Exod 1:8]

"Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. [Exod 1:9]

Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." [Exod 1:10]

So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. [Exod 1:11]

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites [Exod 1:12]

and worked them ruthlessly. [Exod 1:13]

They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly. [Exod 1:14]

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, [Exod 1:15]

"When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live." [Exod 1:16]

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. [Exod 1:17]

Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?" [Exod 1:18]

The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive." [Exod 1:19]

So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. [Exod 1:20]

And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. [Exod 1:21]

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."

1.5 Masoretic Text (see also Gen. 46:27); Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14 and note at Gen. 46:27) seventy- five

2.22 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Targums born to the Hebrews

Exodus 2

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, [Exod 2:1]

and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. [Exod 2:2]

But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. [Exod 2:3]

His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. [Exod 2:4]

Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. [Exod 2:5]

She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said. [Exod 2:6]

Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" [Exod 2:7]

"Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. [Exod 2:8]

Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. [Exod 2:9]

When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water." [Exod 2:10]

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. [Exod 2:11]

Glancing this way and that and seeing none, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. [Exod 2:12]

The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" [Exod 2:13]

The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known." [Exod 2:14]

When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. [Exod 2:15]

Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. [Exod 2:16]

Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. [Exod 2:17]

When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?" [Exod 2:18]

They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock." [Exod 2:19]

"And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat." [Exod 2:20]

Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. [Exod 2:21]

Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land." [Exod 2:22]

During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. [Exod 2:23]

God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. [Exod 2:24]

So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

1.10 Moses sounds like the Hebrew for draw out.

2.22 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for an alien there.

Exodus 3

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [Exod 3:1]

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. [Exod 3:2]

So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight - why the bush does not burn up." [Exod 3:3]

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." [Exod 3:4]

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." [Exod 3:5]

Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. [Exod 3:6]

The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. [Exod 3:7]

So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. [Exod 3:8]

And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. [Exod 3:9]

So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." [Exod 3:10]

But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" [Exod 3:11]

And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." [Exod 3:12]

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they ask me, "What is his name?" Then what shall I tell them?" [Exod 3:13]

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I AM has sent me to you.'" [Exod 3:14]

God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, "The Lord, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has sent me to you." This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. [Exod 3:15]

"Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, "The Lord, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. [Exod 3:16]

And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites - a land flowing with milk and honey." [Exod 3:17]

"The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God." [Exod 3:18]

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. [Exod 3:19]

So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. [Exod 3:20]

"And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty- handed. [Exod 3:21]

Every woman is to ask her neighbour and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."

1.12 The Hebrew is plural.

2.14 Or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE

3.15 The Hebrew for Lord sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for I AM in verse 14.

Exodus 4

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, "The Lord did not appear to you"?" [Exod 4:1]

Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. [Exod 4:2]

The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. [Exod 4:3]

Then the Lord said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. [Exod 4:4]

"This," said the Lord, "is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has appeared to you." [Exod 4:5]

Then the Lord said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow. [Exod 4:6]

"Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. [Exod 4:7]

Then the Lord said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. [Exod 4:8]

But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground." [Exod 4:9]

Moses said to the Lord, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." [Exod 4:10]

The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? [Exod 4:11]

Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." [Exod 4:12]

But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." [Exod 4:13]

Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. [Exod 4:14]

You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. [Exod 4:15]

He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. [Exod 4:16]

But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it." [Exod 4:17]

Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive." Jethro said, "Go, and I wish you well." [Exod 4:18]

Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead." [Exod 4:19]

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. [Exod 4:20]

The Lord said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. [Exod 4:21]

Then say to Pharaoh, "This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, [Exod 4:22]

and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.'" [Exod 4:23]

At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met [Exod 4:Moses] and was about to kill him. [Exod 4:24]

But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched [Exod 4:Moses'] feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. [Exod 4:25]

So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.) [Exod 4:26]

The Lord said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. [Exod 4:27]

Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform. [Exod 4:28]

Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, [Exod 4:29]

and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, [Exod 4:30]

and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

1.6 The Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin - not necessarily leprosy.

2.24 Or [Moses' son]; Hebrew him

3.25 Or and drew near [Moses'] feet

Exodus 5

Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.'" [Exod 5:1]

Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go." [Exod 5:2]

Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword." [Exod 5:3]

But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!" [Exod 5:4]

Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working." [Exod 5:5]

That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: [Exod 5:6]

"You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. [Exod 5:7]

But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; do not reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, "Let us go and sacrifice to our God." [Exod 5:8]

Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies." [Exod 5:9]

Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: "I will not give you any more straw. [Exod 5:10]

Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.'" [Exod 5:11]

So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. [Exod 5:12]

The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw." [Exod 5:13]

The Israelite foremen appointed by Pharaoh's slave drivers were beaten and were asked, "Why did not you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?" [Exod 5:14]

Then the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way? [Exod 5:15]

Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, "Make bricks!" Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people." [Exod 5:16]

Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that is what you are - lazy! That is why you keep saying, "Let is go and sacrifice to the Lord." [Exod 5:17]

Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks." [Exod 5:18]

The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day." [Exod 5:19]

When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, [Exod 5:20]

and they said, "May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." [Exod 5:21]

Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? [Exod 5:22]

Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

Exodus 6

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country." [Exod 6:1]

God also said to Moses, "I am the Lord. [Exod 6:2]

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. [Exod 6:3]

I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. [Exod 6:4]

Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. [Exod 6:5]

"Therefore, say to the Israelites: "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. [Exod 6:6]

I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. [Exod 6:7]

And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.'" [Exod 6:8]

Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage. [Exod 6:9]

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Exod 6:10]

"Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country." [Exod 6:11]

But Moses said to the Lord, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?" [Exod 6:12]

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. [Exod 6:13]

These were the heads of their families: The sons of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben. [Exod 6:14]

The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon. [Exod 6:15]

These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years. [Exod 6:16]

The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei. [Exod 6:17]

The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. [Exod 6:18]

The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi according to their records. [Exod 6:19]

Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. [Exod 6:20]

The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri. [Exod 6:21]

The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri. [Exod 6:22]

Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. [Exod 6:23]

The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans. [Exod 6:24]

Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan. [Exod 6:25]

It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, "Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions." [Exod 6:26]

They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron. [Exod 6:27]

Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, [Exod 6:28]

he said to him, "I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you." [Exod 6:29]

But Moses said to the Lord, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"

1.3 Hebrew El-Shaddai

2.3 See note at Exodus 3:15.

3.3 Or Almighty, and by my name the Lord did I not let myself be known to them?

4.12 Hebrew I am uncircumcised of lips; also in verse 30

5.14 The Hebrew for families here and in verse 25 refers to units larger than clans.

Exodus 7

Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. [Exod 7:1]

You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. [Exod 7:2]

But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, [Exod 7:3]

he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. [Exod 7:4]

And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it." [Exod 7:5]

Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. [Exod 7:6]

Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh. [Exod 7:7]

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [Exod 7:8]

"When Pharaoh says to you, "Perform a miracle," then say to Aaron, "Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh," and it will become a snake." [Exod 7:9]

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. [Exod 7:10]

Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: [Exod 7:11]

Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. [Exod 7:12]

Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. [Exod 7:13]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. [Exod 7:14]

Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. [Exod 7:15]

Then say to him, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But till now you have not listened. [Exod 7:16]

This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. [Exod 7:17]

The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.'" [Exod 7:18]

The Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, "Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt - over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs" - and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars." [Exod 7:19]

Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. [Exod 7:20]

The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt. [Exod 7:21]

But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. [Exod 7:22]

Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. [Exod 7:23]

And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river. [Exod 7:24]

Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.

Exodus 8

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, "This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. [Exod 8:1]

If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. [Exod 8:2]

The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. [Exod 8:3]

The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.'" [Exod 8:4]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, "Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.'" [Exod 8:5]

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. [Exod 8:6]

But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. [Exod 8:7]

Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord." [Exod 8:8]

Moses said to Pharaoh, "I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile." [Exod 8:9]

"Tomorrow," Pharaoh said. Moses replied, "It will be as you say, so that you may know there is none like the Lord our God. [Exod 8:10]

The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile." [Exod 8:11]

After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. [Exod 8:12]

And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. [Exod 8:13]

They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. [Exod 8:14]

But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. [Exod 8:15]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, "Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground," and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats." [Exod 8:16]

They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. [Exod 8:17]

But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals. [Exod 8:18]

The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said. [Exod 8:19]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, "This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. [Exod 8:20]

If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are. [Exod 8:21]

But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. [Exod 8:22]

I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.'" [Exod 8:23]

And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials, and throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies. [Exod 8:24]

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land." [Exod 8:25]

But Moses said, "That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? [Exod 8:26]

We must take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he commands us." [Exod 8:27]

Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the desert, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me." [Exod 8:28]

Moses answered, "As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only be sure that Pharaoh does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord." [Exod 8:29]

Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, [Exod 8:30]

and the Lord did what Moses asked: The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. [Exod 8:31]

But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.

1.23 Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew will put a deliverance

Exodus 9

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me." [Exod 9:1]

If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, [Exod 9:2]

the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field - on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats. [Exod 9:3]

But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.'" [Exod 9:4]

The Lord set a time and said, "Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land." [Exod 9:5]

And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. [Exod 9:6]

Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go. [Exod 9:7]

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. [Exod 9:8]

It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land." [Exod 9:9]

So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals. [Exod 9:10]

The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. [Exod 9:11]

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses. [Exod 9:12]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, [Exod 9:13]

or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. [Exod 9:14]

For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. [Exod 9:15]

But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. [Exod 9:16]

You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. [Exod 9:17]

Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. [Exod 9:18]

Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.'" [Exod 9:19]

Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. [Exod 9:20]

But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field. [Exod 9:21]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt - on men and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt." [Exod 9:22]

When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; [Exod 9:23]

hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. [Exod 9:24]

Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields - both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. [Exod 9:25]

The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were. [Exod 9:26]

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he said to them. "The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. [Exod 9:27]

Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not have to stay any longer." [Exod 9:28]

Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord's. [Exod 9:29]

But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God." [Exod 9:30]

(The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. [Exod 9:31]

The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.) [Exod 9:32]

Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. [Exod 9:33]

When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. [Exod 9:34]

So Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

1.16 Or have spared you

Exodus 10

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them [Exod 10: 1]

that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord." [Exod 10:2]

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: "How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. [Exod 10:3]

If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. [Exod 10:4]

They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. [Exod 10:5]

They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians - something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.'" Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh. [Exod 10:6]

Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?" [Exod 10:7]

Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "Go, worship the Lord your God," he said. "But just who will be going?" [Exod 10:8]

Moses answered, "We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord." [Exod 10:9]

Pharaoh said, "The Lord be with you - if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. [Exod 10:10]

No! Have only the men go; and worship the Lord, since that is what you have been asking for." Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh's presence. [Exod 10:11]

And the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts will swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail." [Exod 10:12]

So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; [Exod 10:13]

they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. [Exod 10:14]

They covered all the ground till it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail - everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt. [Exod 10:15]

Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. [Exod 10:16]

Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me." [Exod 10:17]

Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. [Exod 10:18]

And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. [Exod 10:19]

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go. [Exod 10:20]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt - darkness that can be felt." [Exod 10:21]

So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. [Exod 10:22]

None could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. [Exod 10:23]

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go, worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind." [Exod 10:24]

But Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the Lord our God. [Exod 10:25]

Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and till we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord." [Exod 10:26]

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go. [Exod 10:27]

Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die." [Exod 10:28]

"Just as you say," Moses replied, "I will never appear before you again."

1.10 Or Be careful, trouble is in store for you!

2.19 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

Exodus 11

Now the Lord had said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. [Exod 11:1]

Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbours for articles of silver and gold." [Exod 11:2]

(The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.) [Exod 11:3]

So Moses said, "This is what the Lord says: "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. [Exod 11:4]

Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. [Exod 11:5]

There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt - worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. [Exod 11:6]

But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal." Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. [Exod 11:7]

All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, "Go, you and all the people who follow you!" After that I will leave." Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh. [Exod 11:8]

The Lord had said to Moses, "Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you - so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt." [Exod 11:9]

Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

Exodus 12

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, [Exod 1]

"This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. [Exod 12:2]

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. [Exod 12:3]

If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbour, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. [Exod 12:4]

The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. [Exod 12:5]

Take care of them till the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. [Exod 12:6]

Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. [Exod 12:7]

That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. [Exod 12:8]

Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire - head, legs and inner parts. [Exod 12:9]

Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. [Exod 12:10]

This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord's Passover. [Exod 12:11]

"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn - both men and animals - and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. [Exod 12:12]

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. [Exod 12:13]

"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord - a lasting ordinance. [Exod 12:14]

For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. [Exod 12:15]

On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat - that is all you may do. [Exod 12:16]

"Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. [Exod 12:17]

In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day till the evening of the twenty-first day. [Exod 12:18]

For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native- born. [Exod 12:19]

Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread." [Exod 12:20]

Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. [Exod 12:21]

Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house till morning. [Exod 12:22]

When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. [Exod 12:23]

"Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. [Exod 12:24]

When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. [Exod 12:25]

And when your children ask you, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" [Exod 12:26]

then tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped. [Exod 12:27]

The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. [Exod 12:28]

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. [Exod 12:29]

Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. [Exod 12:30]

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. [Exod 12:31]

Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me." [Exod 12:32]

The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. "For otherwise," they said, "we will all die!" [Exod 12:33]

So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. [Exod 12:34]

The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. [Exod 12:35]

The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians. [Exod 12:36]

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. [Exod 12:37]

Many other people went up with them, as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. [Exod 12:38]

With the dough they had brought from Egypt, they baked cakes of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves. [Exod 12:39]

Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. [Exod 12:40]

At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt. [Exod 12:41]

Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come. [Exod 12:42]

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the regulations for the Passover: "No foreigner is to eat of it. [Exod 12:43]

Any slave you have bought may eat of it after you have circumcised him, [Exod 12:44]

but a temporary resident and a hired worker may not eat of it. [Exod 12:45]

"It must be eaten inside one house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. [Exod 12:46]

The whole community of Israel must celebrate it. [Exod 12:47]

"An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the Lord's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. [Exod 12:48]

The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you." [Exod 12:49]

All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. [Exod 12:50]

And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.

1.3 The Hebrew word can mean lamb or kid; also in verse 4.

2.40 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint Egypt and Canaan

Exodus 13

The Lord said to Moses, [Exod 13:1]

"Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal." [Exod 13:2]

Then Moses said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. [Exod 13:3]

Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. [Exod 13:4]

When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites - the land he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey - you are to observe this ceremony in this month: [Exod 13:5]

For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. [Exod 13:6]

Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. [Exod 13:7]

On that day tell your son, "I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt." [Exod 13:8]

This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. [Exod 13:9]

You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year. [Exod 13:10]

"After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your forefathers, [Exod 13:11]

you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. [Exod 13:12]

Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. [Exod 13:13]

"In days to come, when your son asks you, "What does this mean?" say to him, "With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Exod 13:14]

When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons." [Exod 13:15]

And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand." [Exod 13:16]

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." [Exod 13:17]

So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle. [Exod 13:18]

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place." [Exod 13:19]

After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. [Exod 13:20]

By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. [Exod 13:21]

Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

1.18 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

2.19 See Gen. 50:25.

Exodus 14

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Exod 14:1]

"Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. [Exod 14:2]

Pharaoh will think, "The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert." [Exod 14:3]

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." So the Israelites did this. [Exod 14:4]

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" [Exod 14:5]

So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. [Exod 14:6]

He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. [Exod 14:7]

The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. [Exod 14:8]

The Egyptians - all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops - pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon. [Exod 14:9]

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. [Exod 14:10]

They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? [Exod 14:11]

Did not we say to you in Egypt, "Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians"? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" [Exod 14:12]

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. [Exod 14:13]

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." [Exod 14:14]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. [Exod 14:15]

Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. [Exod 14:16]

I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. [Exod 14:17]

The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen." [Exod 14:18]

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, [Exod 14:19]

coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. [Exod 14:20]

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, [Exod 14:21]

and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. [Exod 14:22]

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. [Exod 14:23]

During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. [Exod 14:24]

He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let us get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt." [Exod 14:25]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." [Exod 14:26]

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. [Exod 14:27]

The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen - the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. [Exod 14:28]

But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. [Exod 14:29]

That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. [Exod 14:30]

And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

1.9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28

2.25 Or He jammed the wheels of their chariots (see Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac)

3.27 Or from

Exodus 15

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: "I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. [Exod 15:1]

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. [Exod 15:2]

The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name. [Exod 15:3]

Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. [Exod 15:4]

The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. [Exod 15:5]

"Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy. [Exod 15:6]

In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. [Exod 15:7]

By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. [Exod 15:8]

"The enemy boasted, "I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them." [Exod 15:9]

But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. [Exod 15:10]

"Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? [Exod 15:11]

You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them. [Exod 15:12]

"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. [Exod 15:13]

The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. [Exod 15:14]

The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; [Exod 15:15]

terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone - till your people pass by, Lord, till the people you bought pass by. [Exod 15:16]

You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance - the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established. [Exod 15:17]

The Lord will reign for ever and ever." [Exod 15:18]

When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. [Exod 15:19]

Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. [Exod 15:20]

Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea." [Exod 15:21]

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. [Exod 15:22]

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) [Exod 15:23]

So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" [Exod 15:24]

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. [Exod 15:25]

He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you." [Exod 15:26]

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

1.4 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds; also in verse 22

2.15 Or rulers

3.16 Or created

4.19 Or charioteers

5.23 Marah means bitter.

Exodus 16

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. [Exod 16:1]

In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. [Exod 16:2]

The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." [Exod 16:3]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. [Exod 16:4]

On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days." [Exod 16:5]

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, [Exod 16:6]

and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" [Exod 16:7]

Moses also said, "You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord." [Exod 16:8]

Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, "Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.'" [Exod 16:9]

While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. [Exod 16:10]

The Lord said to Moses, [Exod 16:11]

"I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, "At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.'" [Exod 16:12]

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. [Exod 16:13]

When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. [Exod 16:14]

When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. [Exod 16:15]

This is what the Lord has commanded: "Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'" [Exod 16:16]

The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. [Exod 16:17]

And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. [Exod 16:18]

Then Moses said to them, "None is to keep any of it till morning." [Exod 16:19]

However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it till morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. [Exod 16:20]

Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. [Exod 16:21]

On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much - two omers for each person - and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. [Exod 16:22]

He said to them, "This is what the Lord commanded: "Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it till morning.'" [Exod 16:23]

So they saved it till morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. [Exod 16:24]

"Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. [Exod 16:25]

Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any." [Exod 16:26]

Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. [Exod 16:27]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? [Exod 16:28]

Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; none is to go out." [Exod 16:29]

So the people rested on the seventh day. [Exod 16:30]

The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. [Exod 16:31]

Moses said, "This is what the Lord has commanded: "Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.'" [Exod 16:32]

So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come." [Exod 16:33]

As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna in front of the Testimony, that it might be kept. [Exod 16:34]

The Israelites ate manna forty years, till they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna till they reached the border of Canaan. [Exod 16:35]

(An omer is one tenth of an ephah.)

1.16 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters); also in verses 18, 32, 33 and 36

2.22 That is, probably about 4 quarts (about 4.5 liters)

3.28 The Hebrew is plural.

4.31 Manna means What is it? (see verse 15).

Exodus 17

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. [Exod 17:1]

So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?" [Exod 17:2]

But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" [Exod 17:3]

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me." [Exod 17:4]

The Lord answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. [Exod 17:5]

I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. [Exod 17:6]

And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" [Exod 17:7]

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. [Exod 17:8]

Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands." [Exod 17:9]

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. [Exod 17:10]

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. [Exod 17:11]

When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up - one on one side, one on the other - so that his hands remained steady till sunset. [Exod 17:12]

So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. [Exod 17:13]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." [Exod 17:14]

Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. [Exod 17:15]

He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."

1.7 Massah means testing.

2.7 Meribah means quarreling.

3.16 Or "Because a hand was against the throne of the Lord, the

Exodus 18

Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. [Exod 18:1]

After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her [Exod 18:2]

and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have become an alien in a foreign land"; [Exod 18:3]

and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh." [Exod 18:4]

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, together with Moses' sons and wife, came to him in the desert, where he was camped near the mountain of God. [Exod 18:5]

Jethro had sent word to him, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons." [Exod 18:6]

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. [Exod 18:7]

Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them. [Exod 18:8]

Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. [Exod 18:9]

He said, "Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. [Exod 18:10]

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly." [Exod 18:11]

Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God. [Exod 18:12]

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. [Exod 18:13]

When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?" [Exod 18:14]

Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. [Exod 18:15]

Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws." [Exod 18:16]

Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. [Exod 18:17]

You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. [Exod 18:18]

Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. [Exod 18:19]

Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. [Exod 18:20]

But select capable men from all the people - men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. [Exod 18:21]

Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. [Exod 18:22]

If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." [Exod 18:23]

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. [Exod 18:24]

He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. [Exod 18:25]

They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. [Exod 18:26]

Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

1.3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for an alien there.

2.4 Eliezer means my God is helper.

Exodus 19

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt - on the very day - they came to the Desert of Sinai. [Exod 19:1]

After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. [Exod 19:2]

Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: [Exod 19:3]

"You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. [Exod 19:4]

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, [Exod 19:5]

you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." [Exod 19:6]

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. [Exod 19:7]

The people all responded together, "We will do everything the Lord has said." So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. [Exod 19:8]

The Lord said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said. [Exod 19:9]

And the Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes [Exod 19:10]

and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. [Exod 19:11]

Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, "Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. [Exod 19:12]

He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live." Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they go up to the mountain." [Exod 19:13]

After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. [Exod 19:14]

Then he said to the people, "Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations." [Exod 19:15]

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. [Exod 19:16]

Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. [Exod 19:17]

Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, [Exod 19:18]

and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. [Exod 19:19]

The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up [Exod 19:20]

and the Lord said to him, "Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. [Exod 19:21]

Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them." [Exod 19:22]

Moses said to the Lord, "The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, "Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.'" [Exod 19:23]

The Lord replied, "Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them." [Exod 19:24]

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

1.[5,6] Or possession, for the whole earth is mine. [6] You

2.18 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint all the people

3.19 Or and God answered him with thunder

Exodus 20

And God spoke all these words: [Exod 20:1]

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Exod 20:2]

"You shall have no other gods before me. [Exod 20:3]

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. [Exod 20:4]

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, [Exod 20:5]

but showing love to a thousand [Exod 20:generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments. [Exod 20:6]

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. [Exod 20:7]

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. [Exod 20:8]

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, [Exod 20:9]

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. [Exod 20:10]

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. [Exod 20:11]

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. [Exod 20:12]

"You shall not murder. [Exod 20:13]

"You shall not commit adultery. [Exod 20:14]

"You shall not steal. [Exod 20:15]

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. [Exod 20:16]

"You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour." [Exod 20:17]

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance [Exod 20:18]

and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." [Exod 20:19]

Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." [Exod 20:20]

The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. [Exod 20:21]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: "You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: [Exod 20:22]

Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. [Exod 20:23]

Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. [Exod 20:24]

If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. [Exod 20:25]

And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.'

1.3 Or besides

2.24 Traditionally peace offerings

Exodus 21

These are the laws you are to set before them: [Exod 21:1]

"If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. [Exod 21:2]

If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. [Exod 21:3]

If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. [Exod 21:4]

"But if the servant declares, "I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free," [Exod 21:5]

then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. [Exod 21:6]

"If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do. [Exod 21:7]

If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. [Exod 21:8]

If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. [Exod 21:9]

If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. [Exod 21:10]

If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money. [Exod 21:11]

"Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. [Exod 21:12]

However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate. [Exod 21:13]

But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death. [Exod 21:14]

"Anyone who attacks his father or his mother must be put to death. [Exod 21:15]

"Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death. [Exod 21:16]

"Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. [Exod 21:17]

"If men quarrel and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but is confined to bed, [Exod 21:18]

the one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around outside with his staff; however, he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is completely healed. [Exod 21:19]

"If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, [Exod 21:20]

but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. [Exod 21:21]

"If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. [Exod 21:22]

But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, [Exod 21:23]

eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, [Exod 21:24]

burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. [Exod 21:25]

"If a man hits a manservant or maidservant in the eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the eye. [Exod 21:26]

And if he knocks out the tooth of a manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the tooth. [Exod 21:27]

"If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. [Exod 21:28]

If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death. [Exod 21:29]

However, if payment is demanded of him, he may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded. [Exod 21:30]

This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. [Exod 21:31]

If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels [Exod 21:6] of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull must be stoned. [Exod 21:32]

"If a man uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, [Exod 21:33]

the owner of the pit must pay for the loss; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his. [Exod 21:34]

"If a man's bull injures the bull of another and it dies, they are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. [Exod 21:35]

However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and the dead animal will be his.

1.6 Or before God

2.8 Or master so that he does not choose her

3.15 Or kills

4.18 Or with a tool

5.22 Or she has a miscarriage

6.32 That is, about 12 ounces (about 0.3 kilogram)

Exodus 22

If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. [Exod 22:1]

"If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; [Exod 22:2]

but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed. "A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft. [Exod 22:3]

"If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession - whether ox or donkey or sheep - he must pay back double. [Exod 22:4]

"If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man's field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard. [Exod 22:5]

"If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution. [Exod 22:6]

"If a man gives his neighbour silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbour's house, the thief, if he is caught, must pay back double. [Exod 22:7]

But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has laid his hands on the other man's property. [Exod 22:8]

In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, "This is mine," both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to his neighbour. [Exod 22:9]

"If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to his neighbour for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is taken away while none is looking, [Exod 22:10]

the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the Lord that the neighbour did not lay hands on the other person's property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. [Exod 22:11]

But if the animal was stolen from the neighbour, he must make restitution to the owner. [Exod 22:12]

If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, he shall bring in the remains as evidence and he will not be required to pay for the torn animal. [Exod 22:13]

"If a man borrows an animal from his neighbour and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, he must make restitution. [Exod 22:14]

But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss. [Exod 22:15]

"If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. [Exod 22:16]

If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. [Exod 22:17]

"Do not allow a sorceress to live. [Exod 22:18]

"Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death. [Exod 22:19]

"Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord must be destroyed. [Exod 22:20]

"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. [Exod 22:21]

"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. [Exod 22:22]

If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. [Exod 22:23]

My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. [Exod 22:24]

"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. [Exod 22:25]

If you take your neighbour's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, [Exod 22:26]

because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. [Exod 22:27]

"Do not blaspheme God [Exod 22:6] or curse the ruler of your people. [Exod 22:28]

"Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. [Exod 22:7] "You must give me the firstborn of your sons. [Exod 22:29]

Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day. [Exod 22:30]

"You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs.

1.3 Or if he strikes him

2.8 Or before God; also in verse 9

3.9 Or whom God declares

4.20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

5.25 Or excessive interest

6.28 Or Do not revile the judges

7.29 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

Exodus 23

Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. [Exod 23:1]

"Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, [Exod 23:2]

and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit. [Exod 23:3]

"If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. [Exod 23:4]

If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. [Exod 23:5]

"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. [Exod 23:6]

Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. [Exod 23:7]

"Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. [Exod 23:8]

"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt. [Exod 23:9]

"For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, [Exod 23:10]

but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. [Exod 23:11]

"Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed. [Exod 23:12]

"Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. [Exod 23:13]

"Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. [Exod 23:14]

"Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. "None is to appear before me empty- handed. [Exod 23:15]

"Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. "Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. [Exod 23:16]

"Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord. [Exod 23:17]

"Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast. "The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept till morning. [Exod 23:18]

"Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. [Exod 23:19]

"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. [Exod 23:20]

Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. [Exod 23:21]

If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. [Exod 23:22]

My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. [Exod 23:23]

Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. [Exod 23:24]

Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, [Exod 23:25]

and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. [Exod 23:26]

"I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. [Exod 23:27]

I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. [Exod 23:28]

But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. [Exod 23:29]

Little by little I will drive them out before you, till you have increased enough to take possession of the land. [Exod 23:30]

"I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you. [Exod 23:31]

Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. [Exod 23:32]

Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you."

1.31 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

2.31 That is, the Mediterranean

3.31 That is, the Euphrates

Exodus 24

Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, [Exod 24:1]

but Moses alone is to approach the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him." [Exod 24:2]

When Moses went and told the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the Lord has said we will do." [Exod 24:3]

Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. [Exod 24:4]

Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. [Exod 24:5]

Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. [Exod 24:6]

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey." [Exod 24:7]

Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words." [Exod 24:8]

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up [Exod 24:9]

and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. [Exod 24:10]

But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. [Exod 24:11]

The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction." [Exod 24:12]

Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. [Exod 24:13]

He said to the elders, "Wait here for us till we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them." [Exod 24:14]

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, [Exod 24:15]

and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. [Exod 24:16]

To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. [Exod 24:17]

Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

1.5 Traditionally peace offerings

2.10 Or lapis lazuli

Exodus 25

The Lord said to Moses, [Exod 25:1]

"Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. [Exod 25:2]

These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; [Exod 25:3]

blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; [Exod 25:4]

ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; [Exod 25:5]

olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; [Exod 25:6]

and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. [Exod 25:7]

"Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. [Exod 25:8]

Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. [Exod 25:9]

"Have them make a chest of acacia wood - two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. [Exod 25:10]

Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. [Exod 25:11]

Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. [Exod 25:12]

Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. [Exod 25:13]

Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. [Exod 25:14]

The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. [Exod 25:15]

Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. [Exod 25:16]

"Make an atonement cover of pure gold - two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. [Exod 25:17]

And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. [Exod 25:18]

Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. [Exod 25:19]

The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. [Exod 25:20]

Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. [Exod 25:21]

There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. [Exod 25:22]

"Make a table of acacia wood - two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. [Exod 25:23]

Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. [Exod 25:24]

Also make around it a rim a handbreadth [Exod 25:6] wide and put a gold molding on the rim. [Exod 25:25]

Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. [Exod 25:26]

The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. [Exod 25:27]

Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them. [Exod 25:28]

And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings. [Exod 25:29]

Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times. [Exod 25:30]

"Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. [Exod 25:31]

Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand - three on one side and three on the other. [Exod 25:32]

Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. [Exod 25:33]

And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. [Exod 25:34]

One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair - six branches in all. [Exod 25:35]

The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. [Exod 25:36]

"Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. [Exod 25:37]

Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. [Exod 25:38]

A talent [Exod 25:7] of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. [Exod 25:39]

See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

1.5 That is, dugongs

2.10 That is, about 3 3/4 feet (about 1.1 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide and high

3.17 Traditionally a mercy seat

4.17 That is, about 3 3/4 feet (about 1.1 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide

5.23 That is, about 3 feet (about 0.9 meter) long and 1 1/2 feet (about 0.5 meter) wide and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) high

6.25 That is, about 3 inches (about 8 centimeters)

7.39 That is, about 75 pounds (about 34 kilograms)

Exodus 26

Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman. [Exod 26:1]

All the curtains are to be the same size - twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. [Exod 26:2]

Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. [Exod 26:3]

Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. [Exod 26:4]

Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. [Exod 26:5]

Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit. [Exod 26:6]

"Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle - eleven altogether. [Exod 26:7]

All eleven curtains are to be the same size - thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. [Exod 26:8]

Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. [Exod 26:9]

Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. [Exod 26:10]

Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit. [Exod 26:11]

As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the tabernacle. [Exod 26:12]

The tent curtains will be a cubit longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover it. [Exod 26:13]

Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of hides of sea cows. [Exod 26:14]

"Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. [Exod 26:15]

Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, [Exod 26:16]

with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. [Exod 26:17]

Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle [Exod 26:18]

and make forty silver bases to go under them - two bases for each frame, one under each projection. [Exod 26:19]

For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames [Exod 26:20]

and forty silver bases - two under each frame. [Exod 26:21]

Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, [Exod 26:22]

and make two frames for the corners at the far end. [Exod 26:23]

At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top, and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. [Exod 26:24]

So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases - two under each frame. [Exod 26:25]

"Also make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, [Exod 26:26]

five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. [Exod 26:27]

The center crossbar is to extend from end to end at the middle of the frames. [Exod 26:28]

Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold. [Exod 26:29]

"Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain. [Exod 26:30]

"Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. [Exod 26:31]

Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. [Exod 26:32]

Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. [Exod 26:33]

Put the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. [Exod 26:34]

Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side. [Exod 26:35]

"For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen - the work of an embroiderer. [Exod 26:36]

Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them.

1.2 That is, about 42 feet (about 12.5 meters) long and 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) wide

2.8 That is, about 45 feet (about 13.5 meters) long and 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) wide

3.13 That is, about 1 1/2 feet (about 0.5 meter)

4.14 That is, dugongs

5.16 That is, about 15 feet (about 4.5 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide

Exodus 27

Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. [Exod 27:1]

Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. [Exod 27:2]

Make all its utensils of bronze - its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. [Exod 27:3]

Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. [Exod 27:4]

Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. [Exod 27:5]

Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. [Exod 27:6]

The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. [Exod 27:7]

Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain. [Exod 27:8]

"Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, [Exod 27:9]

with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. [Exod 27:10]

The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. [Exod 27:11]

"The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. [Exod 27:12]

On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. [Exod 27:13]

Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, [Exod 27:14]

and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases. [Exod 27:15]

"For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits [Exod 27:6] long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen - the work of an embroiderer - with four posts and four bases. [Exod 27:16]

All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. [Exod 27:17]

The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, [Exod 27:7] with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits [Exod 27:8] high, and with bronze bases. [Exod 27:18]

All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze. [Exod 27:19]

"Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. [Exod 27:20]

In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.

1.1 That is, about 4 1/2 feet (about 1.3 meters)

2.1 That is, about 7 1/2 feet (about 2.3 meters) long and wide

3.9 That is, about 150 feet (about 46 meters); also in verse 11

4.12 That is, about 75 feet (about 23 meters); also in verse 13

5.14 That is, about 22 1/2 feet (about 6.9 meters); also in verse 15

6.16 That is, about 30 feet (about 9 meters)

7.18 That is, about 150 feet (about 46 meters) long and 75 feet (about 23 meters) wide

8.18 That is, about 7 1/2 feet (about 2.3 meters)

Exodus 28

Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. [Exod 28:1]

Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor. [Exod 28:2]

Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. [Exod 28:3]

These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. [Exod 28:4]

Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. [Exod 28:5]

"Make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen - the work of a skilled craftsman. [Exod 28:6]

It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. [Exod 28:7]

Its skillfully woven waistband is to be like it - of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen. [Exod 28:8]

"Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel [Exod 28:9]

in the order of their birth - six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. [Exod 28:10]

Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings [Exod 28:11]

and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. [Exod 28:12]

Make gold filigree settings [Exod 28:13]

and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings. [Exod 28:14]

"Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions - the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. [Exod 28:15]

It is to be square - a span long and a span wide - and folded double. [Exod 28:16]

Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; [Exod 28:17]

in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; [Exod 28:18]

in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; [Exod 28:19]

in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. [Exod 28:20]

There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. [Exod 28:21]

"For the breastpiece make braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. [Exod 28:22]

Make two gold rings for it and fasten them to two corners of the breastpiece. [Exod 28:23]

Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, [Exod 28:24]

and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. [Exod 28:25]

Make two gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. [Exod 28:26]

Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. [Exod 28:27]

The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod. [Exod 28:28]

"Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. [Exod 28:29]

Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron's heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord. [Exod 28:30]

"Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, [Exod 28:31]

with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. [Exod 28:32]

Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. [Exod 28:33]

The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. [Exod 28:34]

Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die. [Exod 28:35]

"Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE Lord. [Exod 28:36]

Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. [Exod 28:37]

It will be on Aaron's forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron's forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord. [Exod 28:38]

"Weave the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. [Exod 28:39]

Make tunics, sashes and headbands for Aaron's sons, to give them dignity and honor. [Exod 28:40]

After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. [Exod 28:41]

"Make linen undergarments as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. [Exod 28:42]

Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. "This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants.

1.16 That is, about 9 inches (about 22 centimeters)

2.18 Or lapis lazuli

3.20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.

4.32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Exodus 29

This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. [Exod 29:1]

And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, and cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. [Exod 29:2]

Put them in a basket and present them in it - along with the bull and the two rams. [Exod 29:3]

Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. [Exod 29:4]

Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. [Exod 29:5]

Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban. [Exod 29:6]

Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. [Exod 29:7]

Bring his sons and dress them in tunics [Exod 29:8]

and put headbands on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons. [Exod 29:9]

"Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. [Exod 29:10]

Slaughter it in the Lord's presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Exod 29:11]

Take some of the bull's blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar. [Exod 29:12]

Then take all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. [Exod 29:13]

But burn the bull's flesh and its hide and its offal outside the camp. It is a sin offering. [Exod 29:14]

"Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. [Exod 29:15]

Slaughter it and take the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides. [Exod 29:16]

Cut the ram into pieces and wash the inner parts and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. [Exod 29:17]

Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Exod 29:18]

"Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. [Exod 29:19]

Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides. [Exod 29:20]

And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated. [Exod 29:21]

"Take from this ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This is the ram for the ordination.) [Exod 29:22]

From the basket of bread made without yeast, which is before the Lord, take a loaf, and a cake made with oil, and a wafer. [Exod 29:23]

Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the Lord as a wave offering. [Exod 29:24]

Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord, an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Exod 29:25]

After you take the breast of the ram for Aaron's ordination, wave it before the Lord as a wave offering, and it will be your share. [Exod 29:26]

"Consecrate those parts of the ordination ram that belong to Aaron and his sons: the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. [Exod 29:27]

This is always to be the regular share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. It is the contribution the Israelites are to make to the Lord from their fellowship offerings. [Exod 29:28]

"Aaron's sacred garments will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. [Exod 29:29]

The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days. [Exod 29:30]

"Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place. [Exod 29:31]

At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket. [Exod 29:32]

They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But none else may eat them, because they are sacred. [Exod 29:33]

And if any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning, burn it up. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred. [Exod 29:34]

"Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. [Exod 29:35]

Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. [Exod 29:36]

For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy. [Exod 29:37]

"This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. [Exod 29:38]

Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. [Exod 29:39]

With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. [Exod 29:40]

Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning - a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Exod 29:41]

"For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; [Exod 29:42]

there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory. [Exod 29:43]

"So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. [Exod 29:44]

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. [Exod 29:45]

They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

1.9 Hebrew; Septuagint on them

2.28 Traditionally peace offerings

3.40 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters)

4.40 That is, probably about 1 quart (about 1 liter)

Exodus 30

Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. [Exod 1]

It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high - its horns of one piece with it. [Exod 2]

Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. [Exod 30:3]

Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding - two on opposite sides - to hold the poles used to carry it. [Exod 30:4]

Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. [Exod 30:5]

Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony - before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony - where I will meet with you. [Exod 30:6]

"Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. [Exod 30:7]

He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come. [Exod 30:8]

Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. [Exod 30:9]

Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the Lord." [Exod 30:10]

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Exod 30:11]

"When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. [Exod 30:12]

Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. [Exod 30:13]

All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the Lord. [Exod 30:14]

The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives. [Exod 30:15]

Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord, making atonement for your lives." [Exod 30:16]

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Exod 30:17]

"Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it. [Exod 30:18]

Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. [Exod 30:19]

Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the Lord by fire, [Exod 30:20]

they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come." [Exod 30:21]

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Exod 30:22]

"Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, [Exod 30:23]

500 shekels of cassia - all according to the sanctuary shekel - and a hin of olive oil. [Exod 30:24]

Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. [Exod 30:25]

Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, [Exod 30:26]

the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, [Exod 30:27]

the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. [Exod 30:28]

You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. [Exod 30:29]

"Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. [Exod 30:30]

Say to the Israelites, "This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. [Exod 30:31]

Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. [Exod 30:32]

Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people.'" [Exod 30:33]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take fragrant spices - gum resin, onycha and galbanum - and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, [Exod 30:34]

and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. [Exod 30:35]

Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. [Exod 30:36]

Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. [Exod 30:37]

Whoever makes any like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from his people."

1.2 That is, about 1 1/2 feet (about 0.5 meter) long and wide and about 3 feet (about 0.9 meter) high

2.13 That is, about 1/5 ounce (about 6 grams); also in verse 15

3.23 That is, about 12 1/2 pounds (about 6 kilograms)

4.24 That is, probably about 4 quarts (about 4 liters)

Exodus 31

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Exod 31:1]

"See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, [Exod 31:2]

and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts - [Exod 31:3]

to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, [Exod 31:4]

to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. [Exod 31:5]

Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: [Exod 31:6]

the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent - [Exod 31:7]

the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, [Exod 31:8]

the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand - [Exod 31:9]

and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, [Exod 31:10]

and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you." [Exod 31:11]

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Exod 31:12]

"Say to the Israelites, "You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. [Exod 13]

Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. [Exod 31:14]

For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. [Exod 31:15]

The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. [Exod 31:16]

It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.'" [Exod 31:17]

When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

1.13 Or who sanctifies you; or who sets you apart as holy

Exodus 32

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him." [Exod 32:1]

Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." [Exod 32:2]

So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. [Exod 32:3]

He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." [Exod 32:4]

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord." [Exod 32:5]

So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. [Exod 32:6]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. [Exod 32:7]

They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." [Exod 32:8]

"I have seen these people," the Lord said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. [Exod 32:9]

Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." [Exod 32:10]

But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. "Lord," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? [Exod 32:11]

Why should the Egyptians say, "It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth"? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. [Exod 32:12]

Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: "I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.'" [Exod 32:13]

Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. [Exod 32:14]

Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. [Exod 32:15]

The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. [Exod 32:16]

When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, "There is the sound of war in the camp." [Exod 32:17]

Moses replied: "It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear." [Exod 32:18]

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. [Exod 32:19]

And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. [Exod 32:20]

He said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?" [Exod 32:21]

"Do not be angry, my lord," Aaron answered. "You know how prone these people are to evil. [Exod 32:22]

They said to me, "Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him." [Exod 32:23]

So I told them, "Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off." Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" [Exod 32:24]

Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. [Exod 32:25]

So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me." And all the Levites rallied to him. [Exod 32:26]

Then he said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbour.'" [Exod 32:27]

The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. [Exod 32:28]

Then Moses said, "You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day." [Exod 32:29]

The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." [Exod 32:30]

So Moses went back to the Lord and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. [Exod 32:31]

But now, please forgive their sin - but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." [Exod 32:32]

The Lord replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. [Exod 32:33]

Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin." [Exod 32:34]

And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

1.1 Or a god; also in verses 23 and 31

2.4 Or This is your god; also in verse 8

3.6 Traditionally peace offerings

Exodus 33

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, "I will give it to your descendants." [Exod 33:1]

I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. [Exod 33:2]

Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way." [Exod 33:3]

When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and none put on any ornaments. [Exod 33:4]

For the Lord had said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, "You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.'" [Exod 33:5]

So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb. [Exod 33:6]

Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. [Exod 33:7]

And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses till he entered the tent. [Exod 33:8]

As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. [Exod 33:9]

Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. [Exod 33:10]

The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. [Exod 33:11]

Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, "Lead these people," but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, "I know you by name and you have found favor with me." [Exod 33:12]

If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." [Exod 33:13]

The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." [Exod 33:14]

Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. [Exod 33:15]

How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" [Exod 33:16]

And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." [Exod 33:17]

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." [Exod 33:18]

And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. [Exod 33:19]

But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for none may see me and live." [Exod 33:20]

Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. [Exod 33:21]

When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand till I have passed by. [Exod 33:22]

Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

Exodus 34

The Lord said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. [Exod 34:1]

Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. [Exod 34:2]

None is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain." [Exod 34:3]

So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. [Exod 34:4]

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. [Exod 34:5]

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, [Exod 34:6]

maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." [Exod 34:7]

Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. [Exod 34:8]

"O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance." [Exod 34:9]

Then the Lord said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. [Exod 34:10]

Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. [Exod 34:11]

Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. [Exod 34:12]

Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. [Exod 34:13]

Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. [Exod 34:14]

"Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. [Exod 34:15]

And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. [Exod 34:16]

"Do not make cast idols. [Exod 34:17]

"Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. [Exod 34:18]

"The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. [Exod 34:19]

Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons. "None is to appear before me empty-handed. [Exod 34:20]

"Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest. [Exod 34:21]

"Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. [Exod 34:22]

Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. [Exod 34:23]

I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and none will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God. [Exod 34:24]

"Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain till morning. [Exod 34:25]

"Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." [Exod 34:26]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." [Exod 34:27]

Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant - the Ten Commandments. [Exod 34:28]

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. [Exod 34:29]

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. [Exod 34:30]

But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. [Exod 34:31]

Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. [Exod 34:32]

When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. [Exod 34:33]

But whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil till he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, [Exod 34:34]

they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face till he went in to speak with the Lord.

1.13 That is, symbols of the goddess Asherah

2.22 That is, in the fall

Exodus 35

Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, "These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do: [Exod 35:1]

For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death. [Exod 35:2]

Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day." [Exod 35:3]

Moses said to the whole Israelite community, "This is what the Lord has commanded: [Exod 35:4]

From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; [Exod 35:5]

blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; [Exod 35:6]

ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; [Exod 35:7]

olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; [Exod 35:8]

and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. [Exod 35:9]

"All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded: [Exod 35:10]

the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; [Exod 35:11]

the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; [Exod 35:12]

the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; [Exod 35:13]

the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; [Exod 35:14]

the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; [Exod 35:15]

the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; [Exod 35:16]

the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; [Exod 35:17]

the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; [Exod 35:18]

the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary - both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests." [Exod 35:19]

Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses' presence, [Exod 35:20]

and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. [Exod 35:21]

All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. [Exod 35:22]

Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or hides of sea cows brought them. [Exod 35:23]

Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. [Exod 35:24]

Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun - blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. [Exod 35:25]

And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. [Exod 35:26]

The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. [Exod 35:27]

They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. [Exod 35:28]

All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the Lord freewill offerings for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do. [Exod 35:29]

Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, [Exod 35:30]

and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts - [Exod 35:31]

to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, [Exod 35:32]

to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. [Exod 35:33]

And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. [Exod 35:34]

He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers - all of them master craftsmen and designers.

1.7 That is, dugongs; also in verse 23

Exodus 36

So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded." [Exod 36:1]

Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. [Exod 36:2]

They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. [Exod 36:3]

So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work [Exod 36:4]

and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done." [Exod 36:5]

Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, [Exod 36:6]

because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work. [Exod 36:7]

All the skilled men among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman. [Exod 36:8]

All the curtains were the same size - twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. [Exod 36:9]

They joined five of the curtains together and did the same with the other five. [Exod 36:10]

Then they made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and the same was done with the end curtain in the other set. [Exod 36:11]

They also made fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. [Exod 36:12]

Then they made fifty gold clasps and used them to fasten the two sets of curtains together so that the tabernacle was a unit. [Exod 36:13]

They made curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle - eleven altogether. [Exod 36:14]

All eleven curtains were the same size - thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. [Exod 36:15]

They joined five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another set. [Exod 36:16]

Then they made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. [Exod 36:17]

They made fifty bronze clasps to fasten the tent together as a unit. [Exod 36:18]

Then they made for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of hides of sea cows. [Exod 36:19]

They made upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. [Exod 36:20]

Each frame was ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, [Exod 36:21]

with two projections set parallel to each other. They made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. [Exod 36:22]

They made twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle [Exod 36:23]

and made forty silver bases to go under them - two bases for each frame, one under each projection. [Exod 36:24]

For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, they made twenty frames [Exod 36:25]

and forty silver bases - two under each frame. [Exod 36:26]

They made six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, [Exod 36:27]

and two frames were made for the corners of the tabernacle at the far end. [Exod 36:28]

At these two corners the frames were double from the bottom all the way to the top and fitted into a single ring; both were made alike. [Exod 36:29]

So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases - two under each frame. [Exod 36:30]

They also made crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, [Exod 36:31]

five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. [Exod 36:32]

They made the center crossbar so that it extended from end to end at the middle of the frames. [Exod 36:33]

They overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. They also overlaid the crossbars with gold. [Exod 36:34]

They made the curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. [Exod 36:35]

They made four posts of acacia wood for it and overlaid them with gold. They made gold hooks for them and cast their four silver bases. [Exod 36:36]

For the entrance to the tent they made a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen - the work of an embroiderer; [Exod 36:37]

and they made five posts with hooks for them. They overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with gold and made their five bases of bronze.

1.9 That is, about 42 feet (about 12.5 meters) long and 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) wide

2.15 That is, about 45 feet (about 13.5 meters) long and 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) wide

3.19 That is, dugongs

4.21 That is, about 15 feet (about 4.5 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide

Exodus 37

Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood - two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. [Exod 37:1]

He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. [Exod 37:2]

He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. [Exod 37:3]

Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. [Exod 37:4]

And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. [Exod 37:5]

He made the atonement cover of pure gold - two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. [Exod 37:6]

Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. [Exod 37:7]

He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. [Exod 37:8]

The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover. [Exod 37:9]

They made the table of acacia wood - two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. [Exod 37:10]

Then they overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it. [Exod 37:11]

They also made around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. [Exod 37:12]

They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were. [Exod 37:13]

The rings were put close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. [Exod 37:14]

The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold. [Exod 37:15]

And they made from pure gold the articles for the table - its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings. [Exod 37:16]

They made the lampstand of pure gold and hammered it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms were of one piece with it. [Exod 37:17]

Six branches extended from the sides of the lampstand - three on one side and three on the other. [Exod 37:18]

Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. [Exod 37:19]

And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. [Exod 37:20]

One bud was under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair - six branches in all. [Exod 37:21]

The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. [Exod 37:22]

They made its seven lamps, as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. [Exod 37:23]

They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent [Exod 37:6] of pure gold. [Exod 37:24]

They made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high [Exod 37:7] - its horns of one piece with it. [Exod 37:25]

They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. [Exod 37:26]

They made two gold rings below the molding - two on opposite sides - to hold the poles used to carry it. [Exod 37:27]

They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. [Exod 37:28]

They also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense - the work of a perfumer.

1.1 That is, about 3 3/4 feet (about 1.1 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide and high

2.6 That is, about 3 3/4 feet (about 1.1 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide

3.10 Or He; also in verses 11-29

4.10 That is, about 3 feet (about 0.9 meter) long, 1 1/2 feet (about 0.5 meter) wide, and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) high

5.12 That is, about 3 inches (about 8 centimeters)

6.24 That is, about 75 pounds (about 34 kilograms)

7.25 That is, about 1 1/2 feet (about 0.5 meter) long and wide, and about 3 feet (about 0.9 meter) high

Exodus 38

They built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. [Exod 38:1]

They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze. [Exod 38:2]

They made all its utensils of bronze - its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. [Exod 38:3]

They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. [Exod 38:4]

They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating. [Exod 38:5]

They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. [Exod 38:6]

They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards. [Exod 38:7]

They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Exod 38:8]

Next they made the courtyard. The south side was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely twisted linen, [Exod 38:9]

with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. [Exod 38:10]

The north side was also a hundred cubits long and had twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. [Exod 38:11]

The west end was fifty cubits wide and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. [Exod 38:12]

The east end, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits wide. [Exod 38:13]

Curtains fifteen cubits [Exod 38:6] long were on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, [Exod 38:14]

and curtains fifteen cubits long were on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, with three posts and three bases. [Exod 38:15]

All the curtains around the courtyard were of finely twisted linen. [Exod 38:16]

The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver; so all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands. [Exod 38:17]

The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen - the work of an embroiderer. It was twenty cubits [Exod 38:7] long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits [Exod 38:8] high, [Exod 38:18]

with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. [Exod 38:19]

All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze. [Exod 38:20]

These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, which were recorded at Moses' command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. [Exod 38:21]

(Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; [Exod 38:22]

with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan - a craftsman and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.) [Exod 38:23]

The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary was 29 talents and 730 shekels, [Exod 38:9] according to the sanctuary shekel. [Exod 38:24]

The silver obtained from those of the community who were counted in the census was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel - [Exod 38:25]

one beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone who had crossed over to those counted, twenty years old or more, a total of 603,550 men. [Exod 38:26]

The 100 talents of silver were used to cast the bases for the sanctuary and for the curtain - 100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent for each base. [Exod 38:27]

They used the 1,775 shekels to make the hooks for the posts, to overlay the tops of the posts, and to make their bands. [Exod 38:28]

The bronze from the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. [Exod 38:29]

They used it to make the bases for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grating and all its utensils, [Exod 38:30]

the bases for the surrounding courtyard and those for its entrance and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and those for the surrounding courtyard.

1.1 Or He; also in verses 2-9

2.1 That is, about 4 1/2 feet (about 1.3 meters)

3.1 That is, about 7 1/2 feet (about 2.3 meters) long and wide

4.9 That is, about 150 feet (about 46 meters)

5.12 That is, about 75 feet (about 23 meters)

6.14 That is, about 22 1/2 feet (about 6.9 meters)

7.18 That is, about 30 feet (about 9 meters)

8.18 That is, about 7 1/2 feet (about 2.3 meters)

9.24 The weight of the gold was a little over one ton (about 1 metric ton). 10.25 The weight of the silver was a little over 3 3/4 tons (about 3.4 metric tons). 11.26 That is, about 1/5 ounce (about 5.5 grams) 12.27 That is, about 3 3/4 tons (about 3.4 metric tons) 13.28 That is, about 45 pounds (about 20 kilograms) 14.29 The weight of the bronze was about 2 1/2 tons (about 2.4 metric tons).

Exodus 39

From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 39:1]

They made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. [Exod 39:2]

They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen - the work of a skilled craftsman. [Exod 39:3]

They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. [Exod 39:4]

Its skillfully woven waistband was like it - of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 39:5]

They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. [Exod 39:6]

Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 39:7]

They fashioned the breastpiece - the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. [Exod 39:8]

It was square - a span long and a span wide - and folded double. [Exod 39:9]

Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; [Exod 39:10]

in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; [Exod 39:11]

in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; [Exod 39:12]

in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings. [Exod 39:13]

There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. [Exod 39:14]

For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. [Exod 39:15]

They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. [Exod 39:16]

They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, [Exod 39:17]

and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. [Exod 39:18]

They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. [Exod 39:19]

Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. [Exod 39:20]

They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod - as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 39:21]

They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth - the work of a weaver - [Exod 39:22]

with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar, and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. [Exod 39:23]

They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe. [Exod 39:24]

And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. [Exod 39:25]

The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 39:26]

For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen - the work of a weaver - [Exod 39:27]

and the turban of fine linen, the linen headbands and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. [Exod 39:28]

The sash was of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn - the work of an embroiderer - as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 39:29]

They made the plate, the sacred diadem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: HOLY TO THE Lord. [Exod 39:30]

Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 39:31]

So all the work on the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 39:32]

Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; [Exod 39:33]

the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of hides of sea cows [Exod 39:6] and the shielding curtain; [Exod 39:34]

the ark of the Testimony with its poles and the atonement cover; [Exod 39:35]

the table with all its articles and the bread of the Presence; [Exod 39:36]

the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, and the oil for the light; [Exod 39:37]

the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; [Exod 39:38]

the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; [Exod 39:39]

the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; [Exod 39:40]

and the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests. [Exod 39:41]

The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. [Exod 39:42]

Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

1.2 Or He; also in verses 7, 8 and 22

2.9 That is, about 9 inches (about 22 centimeters)

3.11 Or lapis lazuli

4.13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.

5.23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

6.34 That is, dugongs

Exodus 40

Then the Lord said to Moses: [Exod 40:1]

"Set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the first month. [Exod 40:2]

Place the ark of the Testimony in it and shield the ark with the curtain. [Exod 40:3]

Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. [Exod 40:4]

Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. [Exod 40:5]

"Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; [Exod 40:6]

place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it. [Exod 40:7]

Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. [Exod 40:8]

"Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. [Exod 40:9]

Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy. [Exod 40:10]

Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them. [Exod 40:11]

"Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. [Exod 40:12]

Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. [Exod 40:13]

Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. [Exod 40:14]

Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for all generations to come." [Exod 40:15]

Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him. [Exod 40:16]

So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. [Exod 40:17]

When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. [Exod 40:18]

Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the Lord commanded him. [Exod 40:19]

He took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. [Exod 40:20]

Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the Testimony, as the Lord commanded him. [Exod 40:21]

Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain [Exod 40:22]

and set out the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him. [Exod 40:23]

He placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle [Exod 40:24]

and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him. [Exod 40:25]

Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the curtain [Exod 40:26]

and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord commanded him. [Exod 40:27]

Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. [Exod 40:28]

He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the Lord commanded him. [Exod 40:29]

He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, [Exod 40:30]

and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. [Exod 40:31]

They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Exod 40:32]

Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. [Exod 40:33]

Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. [Exod 40:34]

Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. [Exod 40:35]

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; [Exod 40:36]

but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out - till the day it lifted. [Exod 40:37]

So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.

Leviticus - 27 chaps

Leviticus 1

The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said, [Lev 1:1]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When any of you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. [Lev 1:2]

If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. [Lev 1:3]

He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. [Lev 1:4]

He is to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 1:5]

He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. [Lev 1:6]

The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. [Lev 1:7]

Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. [Lev 1:8]

He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 1:9]

If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, he is to offer a male without defect. [Lev 1:10]

He is to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. [Lev 1:11]

He is to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. [Lev 1:12]

He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of it and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 1:13]

If the offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, he is to offer a dove or a young pigeon. [Lev 1:14]

The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. [Lev 1:15]

He is to remove the crop with its contents and throw it to the east side of the altar, where the ashes are. [Lev 1:16]

He shall tear it open by the wings, not severing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

1.3 Or he

2.16 Or crop and the feathers; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Leviticus 2

"When someone brings a grain offering to the Lord, his offering is to be of fine flour. He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it [Lev 2:1]

and take it to Aaron's sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 2:2]

The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 2:3]

If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of fine flour: cakes made without yeast and mixed with oil, or wafers made without yeast and spread with oil. [Lev 2:4]

If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle, it is to be made of fine flour mixed with oil, and without yeast. [Lev 2:5]

Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. [Lev 2:6]

If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it is to be made of fine flour and oil. [Lev 2:7]

Bring the grain offering made of these things to the Lord; present it to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. [Lev 2:8]

He shall take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 2:9]

The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 2:10]

Every grain offering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 2:11]

You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. [Lev 2:12]

Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings. [Lev 2:13]

If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, offer crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire. [Lev 2:14]

Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering. [Lev 2:15]

The priest shall burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all the incense, as an offering made to the Lord by fire.

1.4 Or and

Leviticus 3

"If someone's offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present before the Lord an animal without defect. [Lev 3:1]

He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood against the altar on all sides. [Lev 3:2]

From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the Lord by fire: all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, [Lev 3:3]

both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. [Lev 3:4]

Then Aaron's sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 3:5]

If he offers an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the Lord, he is to offer a male or female without defect. [Lev 3:6]

If he offers a lamb, he is to present it before the Lord. [Lev 3:7]

He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron's sons shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. [Lev 3:8]

From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the Lord by fire: its fat, the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, [Lev 3:9]

both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. [Lev 3:10]

The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 3:11]

If his offering is a goat, he is to present it before the Lord. [Lev 3:12]

He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron's sons shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. [Lev 3:13]

From what he offers he is to make this offering to the Lord by fire: all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, [Lev 3:14]

both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. [Lev 3:15]

The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord's. [Lev 3:16]

This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.'"

1.1 Traditionally peace offering; also in verses 3, 6 and 9

Leviticus 4

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 4:1]

"Say to the Israelites: "When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands - [Lev 4:2]

If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. [Lev 4:3]

He is to present the bull at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the Lord. [Lev 4:4]

Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull's blood and carry it into the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 4:5]

He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. [Lev 4:6]

The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the bull's blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 4:7]

He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering - the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, [Lev 4:8]

both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys - [Lev 4:9]

just as the fat is removed from the ox sacrificed as a fellowship offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. [Lev 4:10]

But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the inner parts and offal - [Lev 4:11]

that is, all the rest of the bull - he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it in a wood fire on the ash heap. [Lev 4:12]

If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty. [Lev 4:13]

When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 4:14]

The elders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull's head before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord. [Lev 4:15]

Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull's blood into the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 4:16]

He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it before the Lord seven times in front of the curtain. [Lev 4:17]

He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 4:18]

He shall remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar, [Lev 4:19]

and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. [Lev 4:20]

Then he shall take the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community. [Lev 4:21]

When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, he is guilty. [Lev 4:22]

When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect. [Lev 4:23]

He is to lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering. [Lev 4:24]

Then the priest shall 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 pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. [Lev 4:25]

He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man's sin, and he will be forgiven. [Lev 4:26]

If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, he is guilty. [Lev 4:27]

When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect. [Lev 4:28]

He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. [Lev 4:29]

Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. [Lev 4:30]

He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. [Lev 4:31]

If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he is to bring a female without defect. [Lev 4:32]

He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. [Lev 4:33]

Then the priest shall 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 pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. [Lev 4:34]

He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the Lord by fire. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

1.10 The Hebrew word can include both male and female.

2.10 Traditionally peace offering; also in verses 26, 31 and 35

Leviticus 5

"If a person sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify regarding something he has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible. [Lev 5:1]

Or if a person touches anything ceremonially unclean - whether the carcasses of unclean wild animals or of unclean livestock or of unclean creatures that move along the ground - even though he is unaware of it, he has become unclean and is guilty. [Lev 5:2]

Or if he touches human uncleanness - anything that would make him unclean - even though he is unaware of it, when he learns of it he will be guilty. [Lev 5:3]

Or if a person thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil - in any matter one might carelessly swear about - even though he is unaware of it, in any case when he learns of it he will be guilty. [Lev 5:4]

When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned [Lev 5:5]

and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin. [Lev 5:6]

If he cannot afford a lamb, he is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for his sin - one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. [Lev 5:7]

He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck, not severing it completely, [Lev 5:8]

and is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar; the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. [Lev 5:9]

The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven. [Lev 5:10]

If, however, he cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, he is to bring as an offering for his sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He must not put oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. [Lev 5:11]

He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the Lord by fire. It is a sin offering. [Lev 5:12]

In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has committed, and he will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the case of the grain offering.'" [Lev 5:13]

The Lord said to Moses: [Lev 5:14]

"When a person commits a violation and sins unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord's holy things, he is to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering. [Lev 5:15]

He must make restitution for what he has failed to do in regard to the holy things, add a fifth of the value to that and give it all to the priest, who will make atonement for him with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven. [Lev 5:16]

"If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible. [Lev 5:17]

He is to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven. [Lev 5:18]

It is a guilt offering; he has been guilty of wrongdoing against the Lord."

1.11 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters)

2.15 That is, about 2/5 ounce (about 11.5 grams)

3.19 Or has made full expiation for his

Leviticus 6

The Lord said to Moses: [Lev 6:1]

"If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving his neighbour about something entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him, [Lev 6:2]

or if he finds lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that people may do - [Lev 6:3]

when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or the lost property he found, [Lev 6:4]

or whatever it was he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering. [Lev 6:5]

And as a penalty he must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, his guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. [Lev 6:6]

In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord, and he will be forgiven for any of these things he did that made him guilty." [Lev 6:7]

The Lord said to Moses: [Lev 6:8]

"Give Aaron and his sons this command: "These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. [Lev 6:9]

The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. [Lev 6:10]

Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. [Lev 6:11]

The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. [Lev 6:12]

The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. [Lev 6:13]

These are the regulations for the grain offering: Aaron's sons are to bring it before the Lord, in front of the altar. [Lev 6:14]

The priest is to take a handful of fine flour and oil, together with all the incense on the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 6:15]

Aaron and his sons shall eat the rest of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 6:16]

It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share of the offerings made to me by fire. Like the sin offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy. [Lev 6:17]

Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it. It is his regular share of the offerings made to the Lord by fire for the generations to come. Whatever touches them will become holy.'" [Lev 6:18]

The Lord also said to Moses, [Lev 6:19]

"This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the Lord on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. [Lev 6:20]

Prepare it with oil on a griddle; bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 6:21]

The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest shall prepare it. It is the Lord's regular share and is to be burned completely. [Lev 6:22]

Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned completely; it must not be eaten." [Lev 6:23]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 6:24]

"Say to Aaron and his sons: "These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. [Lev 6:25]

The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 6:26]

Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place. [Lev 6:27]

The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. [Lev 6:28]

Any male in a priest is family may eat it; it is most holy. [Lev 6:29]

But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place must not be eaten; it must be burned.

1.12 Traditionally peace offerings

2.18 Or Whoever touches them must be holy ; similarly in verse 27

3.20 Or each

4.20 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters)

5.21 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Leviticus 7

"These are the regulations for the guilt offering, which is most holy: [Lev 7:1]

The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be sprinkled against the altar on all sides. [Lev 7:2]

All its fat shall be offered: the fat tail and the fat that covers the inner parts, [Lev 7:3]

both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. [Lev 7:4]

The priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made to the Lord by fire. It is a guilt offering. [Lev 7:5]

Any male in a priest is family may eat it, but it must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy. [Lev 7:6]

The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering: They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them. [Lev 7:7]

The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide for himself. [Lev 7:8]

Every grain offering baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who offers it, [Lev 7:9]

and every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron. [Lev 7:10]

These are the regulations for the fellowship offering a person may present to the Lord: [Lev 7:11]

If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. [Lev 7:12]

Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. [Lev 7:13]

He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings. [Lev 7:14]

The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; he must leave none of it till morning. [Lev 7:15]

If, however, his offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day he offers it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day. [Lev 7:16]

Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up. [Lev 7:17]

If any meat of the fellowship offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who offered it, for it is impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible. [Lev 7:18]

Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up. As for other meat, anyone ceremonially clean may eat it. [Lev 7:19]

But if anyone who is unclean eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord, that person must be cut off from his people. [Lev 7:20]

If anyone touches something unclean - whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean, detestable thing - and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord, that person must be cut off from his people.'" [Lev 7:21]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 7:22]

"Say to the Israelites: "Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. [Lev 7:23]

The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. [Lev 7:24]

Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering by fire may be made to the Lord must be cut off from his people. [Lev 7:25]

And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. [Lev 7:26]

If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.'" [Lev 7:27]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 7:28]

"Say to the Israelites: "Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the Lord is to bring part of it as his sacrifice to the Lord. [Lev 7:29]

With his own hands he is to bring the offering made to the Lord by fire; he is to bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the Lord as a wave offering. [Lev 7:30]

The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. [Lev 7:31]

You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution. [Lev 7:32]

The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering shall have the right thigh as his share. [Lev 7:33]

From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that is waved and the thigh that is presented and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as their regular share from the Israelites.'" [Lev 7:34]

This is the portion of the offerings made to the Lord by fire that were allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the Lord as priests. [Lev 7:35]

On the day they were anointed, the Lord commanded that the Israelites give this to them as their regular share for the generations to come. [Lev 7:36]

These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering, [Lev 7:37]

which the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the Desert of Sinai.

1.11 Traditionally peace offering; also in verses 13- 37

2.25 Or fire is

Leviticus 8

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 8:1]

"Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast, [Lev 8:2]

and gather the entire assembly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting." [Lev 8:3]

Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 8:4]

Moses said to the assembly, "This is what the Lord has commanded to be done." [Lev 8:5]

Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water. [Lev 8:6]

He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also tied the ephod to him by its skillfully woven waistband; so it was fastened on him. [Lev 8:7]

He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece. [Lev 8:8]

Then he placed the turban on Aaron's head and set the gold plate, the sacred diadem, on the front of it, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Lev 8:9]

Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. [Lev 8:10]

He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them. [Lev 8:11]

He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him. [Lev 8:12]

Then he brought Aaron's sons forward, put tunics on them, tied sashes around them and put headbands on them, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Lev 8:13]

He then presented the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. [Lev 8:14]

Moses slaughtered the bull and took some of the blood, and with his finger he put it on all the horns of the altar to purify the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. So he consecrated it to make atonement for it. [Lev 8:15]

Moses also took all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it on the altar. [Lev 8:16]

But the bull with its hide and its flesh and its offal he burned up outside the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Lev 8:17]

He then presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. [Lev 8:18]

Then Moses slaughtered the ram and sprinkled the blood against the altar on all sides. [Lev 8:19]

He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces and the fat. [Lev 8:20]

He washed the inner parts and the legs with water and burned the whole ram on the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Lev 8:21]

He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. [Lev 8:22]

Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. [Lev 8:23]

Moses also brought Aaron's sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled blood against the altar on all sides. [Lev 8:24]

He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, both kidneys and their fat and the right thigh. [Lev 8:25]

Then from the basket of bread made without yeast, which was before the Lord, he took a cake of bread, and one made with oil, and a wafer; he put these on the fat portions and on the right thigh. [Lev 8:26]

He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the Lord as a wave offering. [Lev 8:27]

Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering as an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 8:28]

He also took the breast - Moses' share of the ordination ram - and waved it before the Lord as a wave offering, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Lev 8:29]

Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments. [Lev 8:30]

Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, "Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it there with the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, "Aaron and his sons are to eat it." [Lev 8:31]

Then burn up the rest of the meat and the bread. [Lev 8:32]

Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, till the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days. [Lev 8:33]

What has been done today was commanded by the Lord to make atonement for you. [Lev 8:34]

You must stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and do what the Lord requires, so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded." [Lev 8:35]

So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.

1.31 Or I was commanded:

Leviticus 9

On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. [Lev 9:1]

He said to Aaron, "Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the Lord. [Lev 9:2]

Then say to the Israelites: "Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb - both a year old and without defect - for a burnt offering, [Lev 9:3]

and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.'" [Lev 9:4]

They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. [Lev 9:5]

Then Moses said, "This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you." [Lev 9:6]

Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded." [Lev 9:7]

So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. [Lev 9:8]

His sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. [Lev 9:9]

On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver from the sin offering, as the Lord commanded Moses; [Lev 9:10]

the flesh and the hide he burned up outside the camp. [Lev 9:11]

Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it against the altar on all sides. [Lev 9:12]

They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar. [Lev 9:13]

He washed the inner parts and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar. [Lev 9:14]

Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat for the people's sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one. [Lev 9:15]

He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way. [Lev 9:16]

He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning's burnt offering. [Lev 9:17]

He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people. His sons handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it against the altar on all sides. [Lev 9:18]

But the fat portions of the ox and the ram - the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver - [Lev 9:19]

these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. [Lev 9:20]

Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering, as Moses commanded. [Lev 9:21]

Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down. [Lev 9:22]

Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. [Lev 9:23]

Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

1.4 The Hebrew word can include both male and female; also in verses 18 and 19.

2.4 Traditionally peace offering; also in verses 18 and 22

Leviticus 10

Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. [Lev 10:1]

So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. [Lev 10:2]

Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: ""Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'" Aaron remained silent. [Lev 10:3]

Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, and said to them, "Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary." [Lev 10:4]

So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered. [Lev 10:5]

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the house of Israel, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. [Lev 10:6]

Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die, because the Lord's anointing oil is on you." So they did as Moses said. [Lev 10:7]

Then the Lord said to Aaron, [Lev 10:8]

"You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. [Lev 10:9]

You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, [Lev 10:10]

and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses." [Lev 10:11]

Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the grain offering left over from the offerings made to the Lord by fire and eat it prepared without yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy. [Lev 10:12]

Eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons' share of the offerings made to the Lord by fire; for so I have been commanded. [Lev 10:13]

But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place; they have been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites' fellowship offerings. [Lev 10:14]

The thigh that was presented and the breast that was waved must be brought with the fat portions of the offerings made by fire, to be waved before the Lord as a wave offering. This will be the regular share for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded." [Lev 10:15]

When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering and found that it had been burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and asked, [Lev 10:16]

"Why did not you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before the Lord. [Lev 10:17]

Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you have have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded." [Lev 10:18]

Aaron replied to Moses, "Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the Lord have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?" [Lev 10:19]

When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

1.6 Or Do not uncover your heads

2.14 Traditionally peace offerings

Leviticus 11

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [Lev 11:1]

"Say to the Israelites: "Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: [Lev 11:2]

You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud. [Lev 11:3]

There are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. [Lev 11:4]

The coney, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. [Lev 11:5]

The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. [Lev 11:6]

And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. [Lev 11:7]

You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. [Lev 11:8]

Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. [Lev 11:9]

But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales - whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water - you are to detest. [Lev 11:10]

And since you are to detest them, you must not eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses. [Lev 11:11]

Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you. [Lev 11:12]

These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, [Lev 11:13]

the red kite, any kind of black kite, [Lev 11:14]

any kind of raven, [Lev 11:15]

the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, [Lev 11:16]

the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, [Lev 11:17]

the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, [Lev 11:18]

the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. [Lev 11:19]

All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you. [Lev 11:20]

There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. [Lev 11:21]

Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. [Lev 11:22]

But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest. [Lev 11:23]

You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. [Lev 11:24]

Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 11:25]

Every animal that has a split hoof not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches [Lev 11:the carcass of] any of them will be unclean. [Lev 11:26]

Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. [Lev 11:27]

Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. They are unclean for you. [Lev 11:28]

Of the animals that move about on the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, [Lev 11:29]

the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. [Lev 11:30]

Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. [Lev 11:31]

When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. [Lev 11:32]

If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot. [Lev 11:33]

Any food that could be eaten but has water on it from such a pot is unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk from it is unclean. [Lev 11:34]

Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. [Lev 11:35]

A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. [Lev 11:36]

If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. [Lev 11:37]

But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you. [Lev 11:38]

If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean till evening. [Lev 11:39]

Anyone who eats some of the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 11:40]

Every creature that moves about on the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten. [Lev 11:41]

You are not to eat any creature that moves about on the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is detestable. [Lev 11:42]

Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. [Lev 11:43]

I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. [Lev 11:44]

I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. [Lev 11:45]

These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the ground. [Lev 11:46]

You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.'"

1.5 That is, the hyrax or rock badger

2.19 The precise identification of some of the birds, insects and animals in this chapter is uncertain.

Leviticus 12

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 12:1]

"Say to the Israelites: "A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. [Lev 12:2]

On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. [Lev 12:3]

Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary till the days of her purification are over. [Lev 12:4]

If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding. [Lev 12:5]

When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. [Lev 12:6]

He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. ""These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. [Lev 12:7]

If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

Leviticus 13

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [Lev 13:1]

"When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. [Lev 13:2]

The priest is to examine the sore on his skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest examines him, he shall pronounce him ceremonially unclean. [Lev 13:3]

If the spot on his skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. [Lev 13:4]

On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to keep him in isolation another seven days. [Lev 13:5]

On the seventh day the priest is to examine him again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a rash. The man must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. [Lev 13:6]

But if the rash does spread in his skin after he has shown himself to the priest to be pronounced clean, he must appear before the priest again. [Lev 13:7]

The priest is to examine him, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious disease. [Lev 13:8]

"When anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. [Lev 13:9]

The priest is to examine him, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, [Lev 13:10]

it is a chronic skin disease and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He is not to put him in isolation, because he is already unclean. [Lev 13:11]

"If the disease breaks out all over his skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the infected person from head to foot, [Lev 13:12]

the priest is to examine him, and if the disease has covered his whole body, he shall pronounce that person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. [Lev 13:13]

But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. [Lev 13:14]

When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; he has an infectious disease. [Lev 13:15]

Should the raw flesh change and turn white, he must go to the priest. [Lev 13:16]

The priest is to examine him, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the infected person clean; then he will be clean. [Lev 13:17]

"When someone has a boil on his skin and it heals, [Lev 13:18]

and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-white spot appears, he must present himself to the priest. [Lev 13:19]

The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease that has broken out where the boil was. [Lev 13:20]

But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. [Lev 13:21]

If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is infectious. [Lev 13:22]

But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread, it is only a scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean. [Lev 13:23]

"When someone has a burn on his skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, [Lev 13:24]

the priest is to examine the spot, and if the hair in it has turned white, and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. [Lev 13:25]

But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. [Lev 13:26]

On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. [Lev 13:27]

If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scar from the burn. [Lev 13:28]

"If a man or woman has a sore on the head or on the chin, [Lev 13:29]

the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce that person unclean; it is an itch, an infectious disease of the head or chin. [Lev 13:30]

But if, when the priest examines this kind of sore, it does not seem to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. [Lev 13:31]

On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore, and if the itch has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, [Lev 13:32]

he must be shaved except for the diseased area, and the priest is to keep him in isolation another seven days. [Lev 13:33]

On the seventh day the priest is to examine the itch, and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. [Lev 13:34]

But if the itch does spread in the skin after he is pronounced clean, [Lev 13:35]

the priest is to examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean. [Lev 13:36]

If, however, in his judgment it is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean. [Lev 13:37]

"When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, [Lev 13:38]

the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; that person is clean. [Lev 13:39]

"When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. [Lev 13:40]

If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. [Lev 13:41]

But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. [Lev 13:42]

The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, [Lev 13:43]

the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head. [Lev 13:44]

"The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, "Unclean! Unclean!" [Lev 13:45]

As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp. [Lev 13:46]

"If any clothing is contaminated with mildew - any woolen or linen clothing, [Lev 13:47]

any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather - [Lev 13:48]

and if the contamination in the clothing, or leather, or woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. [Lev 13:49]

The priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the affected article for seven days. [Lev 13:50]

On the seventh day he is to examine it, and if the mildew has spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a destructive mildew; the article is unclean. [Lev 13:51]

He must burn up the clothing, or the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has the contamination in it, because the mildew is destructive; the article must be burned up. [Lev 13:52]

"But if, when the priest examines it, the mildew has not spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, [Lev 13:53]

he shall order that the contaminated article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. [Lev 13:54]

After the affected article has been washed, the priest is to examine it, and if the mildew has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it with fire, whether the mildew has affected one side or the other. [Lev 13:55]

If, when the priest examines it, the mildew has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the contaminated part out of the clothing, or the leather, or the woven or knitted material. [Lev 13:56]

But if it reappears in the clothing, or in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is spreading, and whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire. [Lev 13:57]

The clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mildew, must be washed again, and it will be clean." [Lev 13:58]

These are the regulations concerning contamination by mildew in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.

1.2 Traditionally leprosy; the Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin - not necessarily leprosy; also elsewhere in this chapter.

2.2 Or descendants

3.3 Or be lower than the rest of the skin; also elsewhere in this chapter

4.45 Or clothes, uncover his head

Leviticus 14

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 14:1]

"These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: [Lev 14:2]

The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, [Lev 14:3]

the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. [Lev 14:4]

Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. [Lev 14:5]

He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. [Lev 14:6]

Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields. [Lev 14:7]

"The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. After this he may come into the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days. [Lev 14:8]

On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean. [Lev 14:9]

"On the eighth day he must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log of oil. [Lev 14:10]

The priest who pronounces him clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and his offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 14:11]

"Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering. [Lev 14:12]

He is to slaughter the lamb in the holy place where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy. [Lev 14:13]

The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. [Lev 14:14]

The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand, [Lev 14:15]

dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the Lord seven times. [Lev 14:16]

The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. [Lev 14:17]

The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for him before the Lord. [Lev 14:18]

"Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering [Lev 14:19]

and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for him, and he will be clean. [Lev 14:20]

"If, however, he is poor and cannot afford these, he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, together with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, [Lev 14:21]

and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. [Lev 14:22]

"On the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, before the Lord. [Lev 14:23]

The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering, together with the log of oil, and wave them before the Lord as a wave offering. [Lev 14:24]

He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. [Lev 14:25]

The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, [Lev 14:26]

and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the Lord. [Lev 14:27]

Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering - on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. [Lev 14:28]

The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord. [Lev 14:29]

Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, which the person can afford, [Lev 14:30]

one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one to be cleansed." [Lev 14:31]

These are the regulations for anyone who has an infectious skin disease and who cannot afford the regular offerings for his cleansing. [Lev 14:32]

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [Lev 14:33]

"When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land, [Lev 14:34]

the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, "I have seen something that looks like mildew in my house." [Lev 14:35]

The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. [Lev 14:36]

He is to examine the mildew on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, [Lev 14:37]

the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. [Lev 14:38]

On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, [Lev 14:39]

he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. [Lev 14:40]

He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. [Lev 14:41]

Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house. [Lev 14:42]

"If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, [Lev 14:43]

the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. [Lev 14:44]

It must be torn down - its stones, timbers and all the plaster - and taken out of the town to an unclean place. [Lev 14:45]

"Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening. [Lev 14:46]

Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes. [Lev 14:47]

"But if the priest comes to examine it and the mildew has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone. [Lev 14:48]

To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. [Lev 14:49]

He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. [Lev 14:50]

Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. [Lev 14:51]

He shall purify the house with the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. [Lev 14:52]

Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean." [Lev 14:53]

These are the regulations for any infectious skin disease, for an itch, [Lev 14:54]

for mildew in clothing or in a house, [Lev 14:55]

and for a swelling, a rash or a bright spot, [Lev 14:56]

to determine when something is clean or unclean. These are the regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew.

1.3 Traditionally leprosy; the Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin - not necessarily leprosy; also elsewhere in this chapter.

2.10 That is, probably about 6 quarts (about 6.5 liters)

3.10 That is, probably about 2/3 pint (about 0.3 liter); also in verses 12, 15, 21 and 24

4.21 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters)

5.31 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew such as the person can afford, one

Leviticus 15

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [Lev 15:1]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. [Lev 15:2]

Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness: [Lev 15:3]

Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. [Lev 15:4]

Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:5]

Whoever sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:6]

Whoever touches the man who has a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:7]

If the man with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:8]

Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean, [Lev 15:9]

and whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till evening; whoever picks up those things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:10]

Anyone the man with a discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:11]

A clay pot that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden article is to be rinsed with water. [Lev 15:12]

When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean. [Lev 15:13]

On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and give them to the priest. [Lev 15:14]

The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge. [Lev 15:15]

When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:16]

Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:17]

When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:18]

When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:19]

Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. [Lev 15:20]

Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:21]

Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:22]

Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:23]

If a man lies with her and her monthly flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean. [Lev 15:24]

When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. [Lev 15:25]

Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. [Lev 15:26]

Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. [Lev 15:27]

When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. [Lev 15:28]

On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 15:29]

The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the Lord for the uncleanness of her discharge. [Lev 15:30]

You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.'" [Lev 15:31]

These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, [Lev 15:32]

for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who lies with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.

1.31 Or my tabernacle

Leviticus 16

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. [Lev 16:1]

The Lord said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. [Lev 16:2]

"This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. [Lev 16:3]

He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. [Lev 16:4]

From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. [Lev 16:5]

"Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. [Lev 16:6]

Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Lev 16:7]

He is to cast lots for the two goats - one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. [Lev 16:8]

Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. [Lev 16:9]

But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. [Lev 16:10]

"Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. [Lev 16:11]

He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. [Lev 16:12]

He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die. [Lev 16:13]

He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover. [Lev 16:14]

"He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. [Lev 16:15]

In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. [Lev 16:16]

None is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place till he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel. [Lev 16:17]

"Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. [Lev 16:18]

He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. [Lev 16:19]

"When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. [Lev 16:20]

He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites - all their sins - and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. [Lev 16:21]

The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert. [Lev 16:22]

"Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. [Lev 16:23]

He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. [Lev 16:24]

He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. [Lev 16:25]

"The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. [Lev 16:26]

The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up. [Lev 16:27]

The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. [Lev 16:28]

"This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work - whether native-born or an alien living among you - [Lev 16:29]

because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. [Lev 16:30]

It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. [Lev 16:31]

The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments [Lev 16:32]

and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community. [Lev 16:33]

"This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites." And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.

1.8 That is, the goat of removal; Hebrew azazel; also in verses 10 and 26

2.29 Or must fast; also in verse 31

Leviticus 17

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 17:1]

"Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: "This is what the Lord has commanded: [Lev 17:2]

Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it [Lev 17:3]

instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord - that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people. [Lev 17:4]

This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings. [Lev 17:5]

The priest is to sprinkle the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 17:6]

They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come." [Lev 17:7]

"Say to them: "Any Israelite or any alien living among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice [Lev 17:8]

and does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord - that man must be cut off from his people. [Lev 17:9]

Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood - I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. [Lev 17:10]

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. [Lev 17:11]

Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood." [Lev 17:12]

Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, [Lev 17:13]

because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, "You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off." [Lev 17:14]

Anyone, whether native-born or alien, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then he will be clean. [Lev 17:15]

But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will be held responsible.'"

1.3 The Hebrew word can include both male and female.

2.5 Traditionally peace offerings

3.7 Or demons

Leviticus 18

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 18:1]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "I am the Lord your God. [Lev 18:2]

You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. [Lev 18:3]

You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 18:4]

Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord. [Lev 18:5]

None is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord. [Lev 18:6]

Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her. [Lev 18:7]

Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father. [Lev 18:8]

Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. [Lev 18:9]

Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you. [Lev 18:10]

Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister. [Lev 18:11]

Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative. [Lev 18:12]

Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative. [Lev 18:13]

Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt. [Lev 18:14]

Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her. [Lev 18:15]

Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother. [Lev 18:16]

Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness. [Lev 18:17]

Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living. [Lev 18:18]

Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period. [Lev 18:19]

Do not have sexual relations with your neighbour's wife and defile yourself with her. [Lev 18:20]

Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. [Lev 18:21]

Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. [Lev 18:22]

Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. [Lev 18:23]

Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. [Lev 18:24]

Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. [Lev 18:25]

But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, [Lev 18:26]

for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. [Lev 18:27]

And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. [Lev 18:28]

Everyone who does any of these detestable things - such persons must be cut off from their people. [Lev 18:29]

Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.'"

1.21 Or to be passed through [the fire]

Leviticus 19

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 19:1]

"Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. [Lev 19:2]

Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 19:3]

Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 19:4]

When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. [Lev 19:5]

It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over till the third day must be burned up. [Lev 19:6]

If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. [Lev 19:7]

Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to the Lord; that person must be cut off from his people. [Lev 19:8]

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. [Lev 19:9]

Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 19:10]

Do not steal. ""Do not lie. ""Do not deceive one another. [Lev 19:11]

Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. [Lev 19:12]

Do not defraud your neighbour or rob him. ""Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight. [Lev 19:13]

Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord. [Lev 19:14]

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly. [Lev 19:15]

Do not go about spreading slander among your people. ""Do not do anything that endangers your neighbour's life. I am the Lord. [Lev 19:16]

Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbour frankly so you will not share in his guilt. [Lev 19:17]

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord. [Lev 19:18]

Keep my decrees. ""Do not mate different kinds of animals. ""Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. ""Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. [Lev 19:19]

If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. [Lev 19:20]

The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord. [Lev 19:21]

With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven. [Lev 19:22]

When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. [Lev 19:23]

In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. [Lev 19:24]

But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 19:25]

Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. ""Do not practice divination or sorcery. [Lev 19:26]

Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. [Lev 19:27]

Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. [Lev 19:28]

Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness. [Lev 19:29]

Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord. [Lev 19:30]

Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 19:31]

Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord. [Lev 19:32]

When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. [Lev 19:33]

The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native- born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 19:34]

Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. [Lev 19:35]

Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. [Lev 19:36]

Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord.'"

1.5 Traditionally peace offering

2.23 Hebrew uncircumcised

3.23 Hebrew uncircumcised

4.36 An ephah was a dry measure.

5.36 A hin was a liquid measure.

Leviticus 20

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 20:1]

"Say to the Israelites: "Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. [Lev 20:2]

I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. [Lev 20:3]

If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death, [Lev 20:4]

I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech. [Lev 20:5]

I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. [Lev 20:6]

Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. [Lev 20:7]

Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy. [Lev 20:8]

If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head. [Lev 20:9]

If a man commits adultery with another man's wife - with the wife of his neighbour - both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. [Lev 20:10]

If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. [Lev 20:11]

If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads. [Lev 20:12]

If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. [Lev 20:13]

If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you. [Lev 20:14]

If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal. [Lev 20:15]

If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. [Lev 20:16]

If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible. [Lev 20:17]

If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people. [Lev 20:18]

Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you'd be held responsible. [Lev 20:19]

If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless. [Lev 20:20]

If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless. [Lev 20:21]

Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. [Lev 20:22]

You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. [Lev 20:23]

But I said to you, "You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey." I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations. [Lev 20:24]

You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground - those which I have set apart as unclean for you. [Lev 20:25]

You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. [Lev 20:26]

A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.'"

1.2 Or sacrifices; also in verses 3 and 4

2.8 Or who sanctifies you; or who sets you apart as holy

3.26 Or be my holy ones

Leviticus 21

The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: "A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, [Lev 21:1]

except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, [Lev 21:2]

or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband - for her he may make himself unclean. [Lev 21:3]

He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile himself. [Lev 21:4]

Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies. [Lev 21:5]

They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the offerings made to the Lord by fire, the food of their God, they are to be holy. [Lev 21:6]

They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God. [Lev 21:7]

Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy - I who make you holy. [Lev 21:8]

If a priest is daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire. [Lev 21:9]

The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes. [Lev 21:10]

He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, [Lev 21:11]

nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord. [Lev 21:12]

The woman he marries must be a virgin. [Lev 21:13]

He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, [Lev 21:14]

so he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.'" [Lev 21:15]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 21:16]

"Say to Aaron: "For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. [Lev 21:17]

No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; [Lev 21:18]

no man with a crippled foot or hand, [Lev 21:19]

or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. [Lev 21:20]

No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the offerings made to the Lord by fire. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. [Lev 21:21]

He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; [Lev 21:22]

yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.'" [Lev 21:23]

So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

1.4 Or unclean as a leader among his people

2.8 Or who sanctify you; or who set you apart as holy

3.10 Or not uncover his head

4.15 Or who sanctifies him; or who sets him apart as holy

5.23 Or who sanctifies them; or who sets them apart as holy

Leviticus 22

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 22:1]

"Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the Lord. [Lev 22:2]

"Say to them: "For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person must be cut off from my presence. I am the Lord. [Lev 22:3]

If a descendant of Aaron has an infectious skin disease or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings till he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse or by anyone who has an emission of semen, [Lev 22:4]

or if he touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. [Lev 22:5]

The one who touches any such thing will be unclean till evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water. [Lev 22:6]

When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food. [Lev 22:7]

He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the Lord. [Lev 22:8]

The priests are to keep my requirements so that they do not become guilty and die for treating them with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy. [Lev 22:9]

None outside a priest is family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it. [Lev 22:10]

But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food. [Lev 22:11]

If a priest is daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. [Lev 22:12]

But if a priest is daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father's house as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat any of it. [Lev 22:13]

If anyone eats a sacred offering by mistake, he must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value to it. [Lev 22:14]

The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the Lord [Lev 22:15]

by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring on them guilt requiring payment. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.'" [Lev 22:16]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 22:17]

"Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: "If any of you - either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel - presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, [Lev 22:18]

you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. [Lev 22:19]

Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. [Lev 22:20]

When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. [Lev 22:21]

Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 22:22]

You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. [Lev 22:23]

You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, [Lev 22:24]

and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.'" [Lev 22:25]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 22:26]

"When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 22:27]

Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day. [Lev 22:28]

"When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. [Lev 22:29]

It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the Lord. [Lev 22:30]

"Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. [Lev 22:31]

Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy [6] [Lev 22:32]

and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord."

1.4 Traditionally leprosy; the Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin - not necessarily leprosy.

2.9 Or who sanctifies them; or who sets them apart as holy; also in verse 16

3.21 Traditionally peace offering

4.23 The Hebrew word can include both male and female.

5.32 Or made

6.32 Or who sanctifies you; or who sets you apart as holy

Leviticus 23

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 23:1]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. [Lev 23:2]

There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord. [Lev 23:3]

These are the Lord's appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: [Lev 23:4]

The Lord's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. [Lev 23:5]

On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. [Lev 23:6]

On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. [Lev 23:7]

For seven days present an offering made to the Lord by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.'" [Lev 23:8]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 23:9]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. [Lev 23:10]

He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. [Lev 23:11]

On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, [Lev 23:12]

together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil - an offering made to the Lord by fire, a pleasing aroma - and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. [Lev 23:13]

You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, till the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. [Lev 23:14]

From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. [Lev 23:15]

Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. [Lev 23:16]

From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. [Lev 23:17]

Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings - an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Lev 23:18]

Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. [Lev 23:19]

The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. [Lev 23:20]

On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. [Lev 23:21]

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.'" [Lev 23:22]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 23:23]

"Say to the Israelites: "On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. [Lev 23:24]

Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.'" [Lev 23:25]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 23:26]

"The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 23:27]

Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. [Lev 23:28]

Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. [Lev 23:29]

I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. [Lev 23:30]

You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. [Lev 23:31]

It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month till the following evening you are to observe your sabbath." [Lev 23:32]

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 23:33]

"Say to the Israelites: "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord's Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. [Lev 23:34]

The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. [Lev 23:35]

For seven days present offerings made to the Lord by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work. [Lev 23:36]

(""These are the Lord's appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the Lord by fire - the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. [Lev 23:37]

These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord.) [Lev 23:38]

So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. [Lev 23:39]

On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. [Lev 23:40]

Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. [Lev 23:41]

Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths [Lev 23:42]

so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.'" [Lev 23:43]

So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the Lord.

1.13 That is, probably about 4 quarts (about 4.5 liters); also in verse 17

2.13 That is, probably about 1 quart (about 1 liter)

3.19 Traditionally peace offering

4.27 Or and fast; also in verses 29 and 32

5.38 Or These feasts are in addition to the Lord's Sabbaths, and these offerings are

Leviticus 24

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 24:1]

"Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. [Lev 24:2]

Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. [Lev 24:3]

The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord must be tended continually. [Lev 24:4]

"Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two- tenths of an ephah for each loaf. [Lev 24:5]

Set them in two rows, six in each row, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. [Lev 24:6]

Along each row put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Lev 24:7]

This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. [Lev 24:8]

It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of their regular share of the offerings made to the Lord by fire." [Lev 24:9]

Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. [Lev 24:10]

The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) [Lev 24:11]

They put him in custody till the will of the Lord should be made clear to them. [Lev 24:12]

Then the Lord said to Moses: [Lev 24:13]

"Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. [Lev 24:14]

Say to the Israelites: "If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; [Lev 24:15]

anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death. [Lev 24:16]

If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death. [Lev 24:17]

Anyone who takes the life of someone's animal must make restitution - life for life. [Lev 24:18]

If anyone injures his neighbour, whatever he has done must be done to him: [Lev 24:19]

fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. [Lev 24:20]

Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. [Lev 24:21]

You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am the Lord your God.'" [Lev 24:22]

Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses.

1.5 That is, probably about 4 quarts (about 4.5 liters)

Leviticus 25

The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai, [Lev 25:1]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. [Lev 25:2]

For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. [Lev 25:3]

But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. [Lev 25:4]

Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. [Lev 25:5]

Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you - for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, [Lev 25:6]

as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten. [Lev 25:7]

Count off seven sabbaths of years - seven times seven years - so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. [Lev 25:8]

Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. [Lev 25:9]

Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. [Lev 25:10]

The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. [Lev 25:11]

For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. [Lev 25:12]

In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. [Lev 25:13]

If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other. [Lev 25:14]

You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. [Lev 25:15]

When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what he is really selling you is the number of crops. [Lev 25:16]

Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 25:17]

Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. [Lev 25:18]

Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. [Lev 25:19]

You may ask, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" [Lev 25:20]

I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. [Lev 25:21]

While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it till the harvest of the ninth year comes in. [Lev 25:22]

The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. [Lev 25:23]

Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. [Lev 25:24]

If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. [Lev 25:25]

If, however, a man has none to redeem it for him but he himself prospers and acquires sufficient means to redeem it, [Lev 25:26]

he is to determine the value for the years since he sold it and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it; he can then go back to his own property. [Lev 25:27]

But if he does not acquire the means to repay him, what he sold will remain in the possession of the buyer till the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and he can then go back to his property. [Lev 25:28]

If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time he may redeem it. [Lev 25:29]

If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and his descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee. [Lev 25:30]

But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee. [Lev 25:31]

The Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the Levitical towns, which they possess. [Lev 25:32]

So the property of the Levites is redeemable - that is, a house sold in any town they hold - and is to be returned in the Jubilee, because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites. [Lev 25:33]

But the pastureland belonging to their towns must not be sold; it is their permanent possession. [Lev 25:34]

If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you'd an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. [Lev 25:35]

Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. [Lev 25:36]

You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit. [Lev 25:37]

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. [Lev 25:38]

If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave. [Lev 25:39]

He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you till the Year of Jubilee. [Lev 25:40]

Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers. [Lev 25:41]

Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. [Lev 25:42]

Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God. [Lev 25:43]

Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. [Lev 25:44]

You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. [Lev 25:45]

You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. [Lev 25:46]

If an alien or a temporary resident among you becomes rich and one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells himself to the alien living among you or to a member of the alien's clan, [Lev 25:47]

he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his relatives may redeem him: [Lev 25:48]

An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in his clan may redeem him. Or if he prospers, he may redeem himself. [Lev 25:49]

He and his buyer are to count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for his release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired man for that number of years. [Lev 25:50]

If many years remain, he must pay for his redemption a larger share of the price paid for him. [Lev 25:51]

If only a few years remain till the Year of Jubilee, he is to compute that and pay for his redemption accordingly. [Lev 25:52]

He is to be treated as a man hired from year to year; you must see to it that his owner does not rule over him ruthlessly. [Lev 25:53]

Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, [Lev 25:54]

for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

1.36 Or take excessive interest; similarly in verse 37

Leviticus 26

"Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God. [Lev 26:1]

Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord. [Lev 26:2]

If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, [Lev 26:3]

I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. [Lev 26:4]

Your threshing will continue till grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue till planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. [Lev 26:5]

I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and none will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. [Lev 26:6]

You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. [Lev 26:7]

Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. [Lev 26:8]

I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. [Lev 26:9]

You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. [Lev 26:10]

I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. [Lev 26:11]

I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. [Lev 26:12]

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you'd no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high. [Lev 26:13]

But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, [Lev 26:14]

and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, [Lev 26:15]

then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. [Lev 26:16]

I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when none is pursuing you. [Lev 26:17]

If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. [Lev 26:18]

I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. [Lev 26:19]

Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit. [Lev 26:20]

If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. [Lev 26:21]

I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted. [Lev 26:22]

If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, [Lev 26:23]

I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. [Lev 26:24]

And I will bring the sword on you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. [Lev 26:25]

When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied. [Lev 26:26]

If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, [Lev 26:27]

then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. [Lev 26:28]

You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. [Lev 26:29]

I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. [Lev 26:30]

I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. [Lev 26:31]

I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. [Lev 26:32]

I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. [Lev 26:33]

Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. [Lev 26:34]

All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it. [Lev 26:35]

As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though none is pursuing them. [Lev 26:36]

They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though none is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. [Lev 26:37]

You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. [Lev 26:38]

Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers' sins they will waste away. [Lev 26:39]

But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers - their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, [Lev 26:40]

which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies - then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, [Lev 26:41]

I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. [Lev 26:42]

For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. [Lev 26:43]

Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. [Lev 26:44]

But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.'" [Lev 26:45]

These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established on Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.

1.11 Or my tabernacle

Leviticus 27

The Lord said to Moses, [Lev 27:1]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate persons to the Lord by giving equivalent values, [Lev 27:2]

set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel; [Lev 27:3]

and if it is a female, set her value at thirty shekels. [Lev 27:4]

If it is a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels. [Lev 27:5]

If it is a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels [Lev 27:6] of silver and that of a female at three shekels [Lev 27:7] of silver. [Lev 27:6]

If it is a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels [Lev 27:8] and of a female at ten shekels. [Lev 27:7]

If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, he is to present the person to the priest, who will set the value for him according to what the man making the vow can afford. [Lev 27:8]

If what he vowed is an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the Lord, such an animal given to the Lord becomes holy. [Lev 27:9]

He must not exchange it or substitute a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one; if he should substitute one animal for another, both it and the substitute become holy. [Lev 27:10]

If what he vowed is a ceremonially unclean animal - one that is not acceptable as an offering to the Lord - the animal must be presented to the priest, [Lev 27:11]

who will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, that is what it will be. [Lev 27:12]

If the owner wishes to redeem the animal, he must add a fifth to its value. [Lev 27:13]

If a man dedicates his house as something holy to the Lord, the priest will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, so it will remain. [Lev 27:14]

If the man who dedicates his house redeems it, he must add a fifth to its value, and the house will again become his. [Lev 27:15]

If a man dedicates to the Lord part of his family land, its value is to be set according to the amount of seed required for it - fifty shekels of silver to a homer [Lev 27:9] of barley seed. [Lev 27:16]

If he dedicates his field during the Year of Jubilee, the value that has been set remains. [Lev 27:17]

But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, the priest will determine the value according to the number of years that remain till the next Year of Jubilee, and its set value will be reduced. [Lev 27:18]

If the man who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, he must add a fifth to its value, and the field will again become his. [Lev 27:19]

If, however, he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold it to someone else, it can never be redeemed. [Lev 27:20]

When the field is released in the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the Lord; it will become the property of the priests. [Lev 27:21]

If a man dedicates to the Lord a field he has bought, which is not part of his family land, [Lev 27:22]

the priest will determine its value up to the Year of Jubilee, and the man must pay its value on that day as something holy to the Lord. [Lev 27:23]

In the Year of Jubilee the field will revert to the person from whom he bought it, the one whose land it was. [Lev 27:24]

Every value is to be set according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel. [Lev 27:25]

None, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the Lord; whether an ox or a sheep, it is the Lord's. [Lev 27:26]

If it is one of the unclean animals, he may buy it back at its set value, adding a fifth of the value to it. If he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at its set value. [Lev 27:27]

But nothing that a man owns and devotes to the Lord - whether man or animal or family land - may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the Lord. [Lev 27:28]

No person devoted to destruction may be ransomed; he must be put to death. [Lev 27:29]

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. [Lev 27:30]

If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. [Lev 27:31]

The entire tithe of the herd and flock - every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod - will be holy to the Lord. [Lev 27:32]

He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.'" [Lev 27:33]

These are the commands the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

1.3 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds (about 0.6 kilogram); also in verse 16

2.3 That is, about 2/5 ounce (about 11.5 grams); also in verse 25

3.4 That is, about 12 ounces (about 0.3 kilogram)

4.5 That is, about 8 ounces (about 0.2 kilogram)

5.5 That is, about 4 ounces (about 110 grams); also in verse 7

6.6 That is, about 2 ounces (about 55 grams)

7.6 That is, about 1 1/4 ounces (about 35 grams)

8.7 That is, about 6 ounces (about 170 grams)

9.16 That is, probably about 6 bushels (about 220 liters) 10.21 Or priest 11.26 The Hebrew word can include both male and female. 12.28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord. 13.29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

Numbers - 36 chaps

Numbers 1

The Lord spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: [Num 1:1]

"Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. [Num 1:2]

You and Aaron are to number by their divisions all the men in Israel twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army. [Num 1:3]

One man from each tribe, each the head of his family, is to help you. [Num 1:4]

These are the names of the men who are to assist you: from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; [Num 1:5]

from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; [Num 1:6]

from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab; [Num 1:7]

from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar; [Num 1:8]

from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon; [Num 1:9]

from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur; [Num 1:10]

from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni; [Num 1:11]

from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai; [Num 1:12]

from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran; [Num 1:13]

from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel; [Num 1:14]

from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan." [Num 1:15]

These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel. [Num 1:16]

Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been given, [Num 1:17]

and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people indicated their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one, [Num 1:18]

as the Lord commanded Moses. And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai: [Num 1:19]

From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:20]

The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500. [Num 1:21]

From the descendants of Simeon: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:22]

The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300. [Num 1:23]

From the descendants of Gad: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:24]

The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650. [Num 1:25]

From the descendants of Judah: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:26]

The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600. [Num 1:27]

From the descendants of Issachar: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:28]

The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400. [Num 1:29]

From the descendants of Zebulun: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:30]

The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400. [Num 1:31]

From the sons of Joseph: From the descendants of Ephraim: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:32]

The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500. [Num 1:33]

From the descendants of Manasseh: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:34]

The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200. [Num 1:35]

From the descendants of Benjamin: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:36]

The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400. [Num 1:37]

From the descendants of Dan: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:38]

The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700. [Num 1:39]

From the descendants of Asher: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:40]

The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500. [Num 1:41]

From the descendants of Naphtali: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. [Num 1:42]

The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400. [Num 1:43]

These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. [Num 1:44]

All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families. [Num 1:45]

The total number was 603,550. [Num 1:46]

The families of the tribe of Levi, however, were not counted along with the others. [Num 1:47]

The Lord had said to Moses: [Num 1:48]

"You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. [Num 1:49]

Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony - over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. [Num 1:50]

Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who goes near it shall be put to death. [Num 1:51]

The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each man in his own camp under his own standard. [Num 1:52]

The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony." [Num 1:53]

The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Numbers 2

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: [Num 2:1]

"The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family." [Num 2:2]

On the east, toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. [Num 2:3]

His division numbers 74,600. [Num 2:4]

The tribe of Issachar will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. [Num 2:5]

His division numbers 54,400. [Num 2:6]

The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. [Num 2:7]

His division numbers 57,400. [Num 2:8]

All the men assigned to the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. They will set out first. [Num 2:9]

On the south will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. [Num 2:10]

His division numbers 46,500. [Num 2:11]

The tribe of Simeon will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. [Num 2:12]

His division numbers 59,300. [Num 2:13]

The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. [Num 2:14]

His division numbers 45,650. [Num 2:15]

All the men assigned to the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, number 151,450. They will set out second. [Num 2:16]

Then the Tent of Meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in his own place under his standard. [Num 2:17]

On the west will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. [Num 2:18]

His division numbers 40,500. [Num 2:19]

The tribe of Manasseh will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. [Num 2:20]

His division numbers 32,200. [Num 2:21]

The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. [Num 2:22]

His division numbers 35,400. [Num 2:23]

All the men assigned to the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, number 108,100. They will set out third. [Num 2:24]

On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan, under their standard. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. [Num 2:25]

His division numbers 62,700. [Num 2:26]

The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. [Num 2:27]

His division numbers 41,500. [Num 2:28]

The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. [Num 2:29]

His division numbers 53,400. [Num 2:30]

All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last, under their standards. [Num 2:31]

These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All those in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550. [Num 2:32]

The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 2:33]

So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each with his clan and family.

1.14 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Vulgate (see also Num. 1:14); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Reuel

Numbers 3

This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked with Moses on Mount Sinai. [Num 3:1]

The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. [Num 3:2]

Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. [Num 3:3]

Nadab and Abihu, however, fell dead before the Lord when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons; so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron. [Num 3:4]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 3:5]

"Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. [Num 3:6]

They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. [Num 3:7]

They are to take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. [Num 3:8]

Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. [Num 3:9]

Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death." [Num 3:10]

The Lord also said to Moses, [Num 3:11]

"I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, [Num 3:12]

for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord." [Num 3:13]

The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai, [Num 3:14]

"Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more." [Num 3:15]

So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord. [Num 3:16]

These were the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. [Num 3:17]

These were the names of the Gershonite clans: Libni and Shimei. [Num 3:18]

The Kohathite clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. [Num 3:19]

The Merarite clans: Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, according to their families. [Num 3:20]

To Gershon belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites; these were the Gershonite clans. [Num 3:21]

The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500. [Num 3:22]

The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle. [Num 3:23]

The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. [Num 3:24]

At the Tent of Meeting the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, [Num 3:25]

the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes - and everything related to their use. [Num 3:26]

To Kohath belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites; these were the Kohathite clans. [Num 3:27]

The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. The Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. [Num 3:28]

The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. [Num 3:29]

The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. [Num 3:30]

They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use. [Num 3:31]

The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. [Num 3:32]

To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites; these were the Merarite clans. [Num 3:33]

The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 6,200. [Num 3:34]

The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. [Num 3:35]

The Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, [Num 3:36]

as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes. [Num 3:37]

Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the Tent of Meeting. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death. [Num 3:38]

The total number of Levites counted at the Lord's command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000. [Num 3:39]

The Lord said to Moses, "Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names. [Num 3:40]

Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord." [Num 3:41]

So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. [Num 3:42]

The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273. [Num 3:43]

The Lord also said to Moses, [Num 3:44]

"Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the Lord. [Num 3:45]

To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, [Num 3:46]

collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. [Num 3:47]

Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons." [Num 3:48]

So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. [Num 3:49]

From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. [Num 3:50]

Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

1.9 Most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 8:16) to me

2.28 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts 8,300

3.47 That is, about 2 ounces (about 55 grams)

4.50 That is, about 35 pounds (about 15.5 kilograms)

Numbers 4

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: [Num 4:1]

"Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families. [Num 4:2]

Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting. [Num 4:3]

"This is the work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: the care of the most holy things. [Num 4:4]

When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. [Num 4:5]

Then they are to cover this with hides of sea cows, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place. [Num 4:6]

"Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it. [Num 4:7]

Over these they are to spread a scarlet cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put its poles in place. [Num 4:8]

"They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light, together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays, and all its jars for the oil used to supply it. [Num 4:9]

Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of hides of sea cows and put it on a carrying frame. [Num 4:10]

"Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with hides of sea cows and put its poles in place. [Num 4:11]

"They are to take all the articles used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put them on a carrying frame. [Num 4:12]

"They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. [Num 4:13]

Then they are to place on it all the utensils used for ministering at the altar, including the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Over it they are to spread a covering of hides of sea cows and put its poles in place. [Num 4:14]

"After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the Tent of Meeting. [Num 4:15]

"Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles." [Num 4:16]

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [Num 4:17]

"See that the Kohathite tribal clans are not cut off from the Levites. [Num 4:18]

So that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry. [Num 4:19]

But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die." [Num 4:20]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 4:21]

"Take a census also of the Gershonites by their families and clans. [Num 4:22]

Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. [Num 4:23]

"This is the service of the Gershonite clans as they work and carry burdens: [Num 4:24]

They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, its covering and the outer covering of hides of sea cows, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, [Num 4:25]

the curtains of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, the curtain for the entrance, the ropes and all the equipment used in its service. The Gershonites are to do all that needs to be done with these things. [Num 4:26]

All their service, whether carrying or doing other work, is to be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. You shall assign to them as their responsibility all they are to carry. [Num 4:27]

This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting. Their duties are to be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. [Num 4:28]

"Count the Merarites by their clans and families. [Num 4:29]

Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. [Num 4:30]

This is their duty as they perform service at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases, [Num 4:31]

as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, ropes, all their equipment and everything related to their use. Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry. [Num 4:32]

This is the service of the Merarite clans as they work at the Tent of Meeting under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest." [Num 4:33]

Moses, Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the Kohathites by their clans and families. [Num 4:34]

All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, [Num 4:35]

counted by clans, were 2,750. [Num 4:36]

This was the total of all those in the Kohathite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord's command through Moses. [Num 4:37]

The Gershonites were counted by their clans and families. [Num 4:38]

All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting, [Num 4:39]

counted by their clans and families, were 2,630. [Num 4:40]

This was the total of those in the Gershonite clans who served at the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord's command. [Num 4:41]

The Merarites were counted by their clans and families. [Num 4:42]

All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting, [Num 4:43]

counted by their clans, were 3,200. [Num 4:44]

This was the total of those in the Merarite clans. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the Lord's command through Moses. [Num 4:45]

So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. [Num 4:46]

All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting [Num 4:47]

numbered 8,580. [Num 4:48]

At the Lord's command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry. Thus they were counted, as the Lord commanded Moses.

1.6 That is, dugongs; also in verses 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 25

Numbers 5

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 5:1]

"Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. [Num 5:2]

Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them." [Num 5:3]

The Israelites did this; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses. [Num 5:4]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 5:5]

"Say to the Israelites: "When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord, that person is guilty [Num 5:6]

and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged. [Num 5:7]

But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with which atonement is made for him. [Num 5:8]

All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him. [Num 5:9]

Each man's sacred gifts are his own, but what he gives to the priest will belong to the priest.'" [Num 5:10]

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Num 5:11]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him [Num 5:12]

by sleeping with another man, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), [Num 5:13]

and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure - or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure - [Num 5:14]

then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder offering to draw attention to guilt. [Num 5:15]

The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord. [Num 5:16]

Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. [Num 5:17]

After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. [Num 5:18]

Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, "If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. [Num 5:19]

But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have defiled yourself by sleeping with a man other than your husband" - [Num 5:20]

here the priest is to put the woman under this curse of the oath - "may the Lord cause your people to curse and denounce you when he causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell. [Num 5:21]

May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells and your thigh wastes away." ""Then the woman is to say, "Amen. So be it." [Num 5:22]

The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water. [Num 5:23]

He shall have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water will enter her and cause bitter suffering. [Num 5:24]

The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the Lord and bring it to the altar. [Num 5:25]

The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. [Num 5:26]

If she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then when she is made to drink the water that brings a curse, it will go into her and cause bitter suffering; her abdomen will swell and her thigh waste away, [Num 5:6] and she will become accursed among her people. [Num 5:27]

If, however, the woman has not defiled herself and is free from impurity, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children. [Num 5:28]

This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and defiles herself while married to her husband, [Num 5:29]

or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the Lord and is to apply this entire law to her. [Num 5:30]

The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.'"

1.2 Traditionally leprosy ; the Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin - not necessarily leprosy.

2.6 Or woman commits any wrong common to mankind

3.15 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters)

4.21 Or causes you to have a miscarrying womb and barrenness

5.22 Or body and cause you to be barren and have a miscarrying womb

6.27 Or suffering; she will have barrenness and a miscarrying womb

Numbers 6

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 6:1]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the Lord as a Nazirite, [Num 6:2]

he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. [Num 6:3]

As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. [Num 6:4]

During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy till the period of his separation to the Lord is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. [Num 6:5]

Throughout the period of his separation to the Lord he must not go near a dead body. [Num 6:6]

Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head. [Num 6:7]

Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the Lord. [Num 6:8]

If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing - the seventh day. [Num 6:9]

Then on the eighth day he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Num 6:10]

The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head. [Num 6:11]

He must dedicate himself to the Lord for the period of his separation and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because he became defiled during his separation. [Num 6:12]

Now this is the law for the Nazirite when the period of his separation is over. He is to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Num 6:13]

There he is to present his offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering, [Num 6:14]

together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made without yeast - cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. [Num 6:15]

The priest is to present them before the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. [Num 6:16]

He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with its grain offering and drink offering. [Num 6:17]

Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that he dedicated. He is to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. [Num 6:18]

After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket, both made without yeast. [Num 6:19]

The priest shall then wave them before the Lord as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine. [Num 6:20]

This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the Lord in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.'" [Num 6:21]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 6:22]

"Tell Aaron and his sons, "This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: [Num 6:23]

"The Lord bless you and keep you; [Num 6:24]

the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; [Num 6:25]

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."" [Num 6:26]

"So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."

1.14 Traditionally peace offering; also in verses 17 and 18

Numbers 7

When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils. [Num 7:1]

Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings. [Num 7:2]

They brought as their gifts before the Lord six covered carts and twelve oxen - an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle. [Num 7:3]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 7:4]

"Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the Tent of Meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man's work requires." [Num 7:5]

So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. [Num 7:6]

He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required, [Num 7:7]

and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. [Num 7:8]

But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible. [Num 7:9]

When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. [Num 7:10]

For the Lord had said to Moses, "Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar." [Num 7:11]

The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah. [Num 7:12]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:13]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:14]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:15]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:16]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. [Num 7:17]

On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, brought his offering. [Num 7:18]

The offering he brought was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:19]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:20]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:21]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:22]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar. [Num 7:23]

On the third day, Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun, brought his offering. [Num 7:24]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:25]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:26]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:27]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:28]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon. [Num 7:29]

On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben, brought his offering. [Num 7:30]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:31]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:32]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:33]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:34]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur. [Num 7:35]

On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Simeon, brought his offering. [Num 7:36]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:37]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:38]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:39]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:40]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. [Num 7:41]

On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the people of Gad, brought his offering. [Num 7:42]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:43]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:44]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:45]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:46]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel. [Num 7:47]

On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim, brought his offering. [Num 7:48]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:49]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:50]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:51]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:52]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud. [Num 7:53]

On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh, brought his offering. [Num 7:54]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:55]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:56]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:57]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:58]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. [Num 7:59]

On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin, brought his offering. [Num 7:60]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:61]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:62]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:63]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:64]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni. [Num 7:65]

On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan, brought his offering. [Num 7:66]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:67]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:68]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:69]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:70]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. [Num 7:71]

On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, the leader of the people of Asher, brought his offering. [Num 7:72]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:73]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:74]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:75]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:76]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran. [Num 7:77]

On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali, brought his offering. [Num 7:78]

His offering was one silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; [Num 7:79]

one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; [Num 7:80]

one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; [Num 7:81]

one male goat for a sin offering; [Num 7:82]

and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan. [Num 7:83]

These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls and twelve gold dishes. [Num 7:84]

Each silver plate weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each sprinkling bowl seventy shekels. Altogether, the silver dishes weighed two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. [Num 7:85]

The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. Altogether, the gold dishes weighed a hundred and twenty shekels. [Num 7:6] [Num 7:86]

The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to twelve young bulls, twelve rams and twelve male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. Twelve male goats were used for the sin offering. [Num 7:87]

The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs a year old. These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed. [Num 7:88]

When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.

1.13 That is, about 3 1/4 pounds (about 1.5 kilograms); also elsewhere in this chapter

2.13 That is, about 1 3/4 pounds (about 0.8 kilogram); also elsewhere in this chapter

3.14 That is, about 4 ounces (about 110 grams); also elsewhere in this chapter

4.17 Traditionally peace offering; also elsewhere in this chapter

5.85 That is, about 60 pounds (about 28 kilograms)

6.86 That is, about 3 pounds (about 1.4 kilograms)

Numbers 8

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 8:1]

"Speak to Aaron and say to him, "When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.'" [Num 8:2]

Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 8:3]

This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold - from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses. [Num 8:4]

The Lord said to Moses: [Num 8:5]

"Take the Levites from among the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. [Num 8:6]

To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. [Num 8:7]

Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. [Num 8:8]

Bring the Levites to the front of the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. [Num 8:9]

You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. [Num 8:10]

Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord. [Num 8:11]

"After the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, use the one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. [Num 8:12]

Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. [Num 8:13]

In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. [Num 8:14]

"After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the Tent of Meeting. [Num 8:15]

They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. [Num 8:16]

Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. [Num 8:17]

And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. [Num 8:18]

Of all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary." [Num 8:19]

Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 8:20]

The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. [Num 8:21]

After that, the Levites came to do their work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 8:22]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 8:23]

"This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, [Num 8:24]

but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. [Num 8:25]

They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites."

Numbers 9

The Lord spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they came out of Egypt. He said, [Num 9:1]

"Have the Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. [Num 9:2]

Celebrate it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month, in accordance with all its rules and regulations." [Num 9:3]

So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, [Num 9:4]

and they did so in the Desert of Sinai at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 9:5]

But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean on account of a dead body. So they came to Moses and Aaron that same day [Num 9:6]

and said to Moses, "We have become unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be kept from presenting the Lord's offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?" [Num 9:7]

Moses answered them, "Wait till I find out what the Lord commands concerning you." [Num 9:8]

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Num 9:9]

"Tell the Israelites: "When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they may still celebrate the Lord's Passover. [Num 9:10]

They are to celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. [Num 9:11]

They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations. [Num 9:12]

But if a man who is ceremonially clean and not on a journey fails to celebrate the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people because he did not present the Lord's offering at the appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin. [Num 9:13]

An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the Lord's Passover must do so in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for the alien and the native- born.'" [Num 9:14]

On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. [Num 9:15]

That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. [Num 9:16]

Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. [Num 9:17]

At the Lord's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. [Num 9:18]

When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not set out. [Num 9:19]

Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. [Num 9:20]

Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. [Num 9:21]

Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. [Num 9:22]

At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

Numbers 10

The Lord said to Moses: [Num 10:1]

"Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. [Num 10:2]

When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Num 10:3]

If only one is sounded, the leaders - the heads of the clans of Israel - are to assemble before you. [Num 10:4]

When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. [Num 10:5]

At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. [Num 10:6]

To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the same signal. [Num 10:7]

"The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. [Num 10:8]

When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. [Num 10:9]

Also at your times of rejoicing - your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals - you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God." [Num 10:10]

On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. [Num 10:11]

Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place till the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. [Num 10:12]

They set out, this first time, at the Lord's command through Moses. [Num 10:13]

The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard. Nahshon son of Amminadab was in command. [Num 10:14]

Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, [Num 10:15]

and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun. [Num 10:16]

Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out. [Num 10:17]

The divisions of the camp of Reuben went next, under their standard. Elizur son of Shedeur was in command. [Num 10:18]

Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, [Num 10:19]

and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad. [Num 10:20]

Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived. [Num 10:21]

The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their standard. Elishama son of Ammihud was in command. [Num 10:22]

Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, [Num 10:23]

and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin. [Num 10:24]

Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out, under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in command. [Num 10:25]

Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of Asher, [Num 10:26]

and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali. [Num 10:27]

This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out. [Num 10:28]

Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, "I will give it to you." Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel." [Num 10:29]

He answered, "No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people." [Num 10:30]

But Moses said, "Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. [Num 10:31]

If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us." [Num 10:32]

So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. [Num 10:33]

The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp. [34]

Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, Lord! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you." [Num 10:35]

Whenever it came to rest, he said, "Return, Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel."

1.10 Traditionally peace offerings

Numbers 11

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. [Num 11:1]

When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. [Num 11:2]

So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the Lord had burned among them. [Num 11:3]

The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! [Num 11:4]

We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost - also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. [Num 11:5]

But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!" [Num 11:6]

The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. [Num 11:7]

The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a handmill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. [Num 11:8]

When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down. [Num 11:9]

Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. [Num 11:10]

He asked the Lord, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? [Num 11:11]

Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? [Num 11:12]

Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, "Give us meat to eat!" [Num 11:13]

I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. [Num 11:14]

If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now - if I have found favor in your eyes - and do not let me face my own ruin." [Num 11:15]

The Lord said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. [Num 11:16]

I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone. [Num 11:17]

"Tell the people: "Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. [Num 11:18]

You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, [Num 11:19]

but for a whole month - till it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it - because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'" [Num 11:20]

But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, "I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!" [Num 11:21]

Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?" [Num 11:22]

The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you." [Num 11:23]

So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. [Num 11:24]

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again. [Num 11:25]

However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. [Num 11:26]

A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." [Num 11:27]

Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!" [Num 11:28]

But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!" [Num 11:29]

Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. [Num 11:30]

Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day's walk in any direction. [Num 11:31]

All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. None gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp. [Num 11:32]

But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. [Num 11:33]

Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, [Num 11:6] because there they buried the people who had craved other food. [Num 11:34]

From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there.

1.3 Taberah means burning.

2.25 Or prophesied and continued to do so

3.31 Or They flew

4.31 Hebrew two cubits (about 1 meter)

5.32 That is, probably about 60 bushels (about 2.2 kiloliters)

6.34 Kibroth Hattaavah means graves of craving.

Numbers 12

Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. [Num 12:1]

"Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Has not he also spoken through us?" And the Lord heard this. [Num 12:2]

(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) [Num 12:3]

At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. [Num 12:4]

Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, [Num 12:5]

he said, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. [Num 12:6]

But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. [Num 12:7]

With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" [Num 12:8]

The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them. [Num 12:9]

When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam - leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; [Num 12:10]

and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. [Num 12:11]

Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away." [Num 12:12]

So Moses cried out to the Lord, "O God, please heal her!" [Num 12:13]

The Lord replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back." [Num 12:14]

So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back. [Num 12:15]

After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.

1.10 The Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin - not necessarily leprosy.

Numbers 13

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 13:1]

"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." [Num 13:2]

So at the Lord's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. [Num 13:3]

These are their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; [Num 13:4]

from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; [Num 13:5]

from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; [Num 13:6]

from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; [Num 13:7]

from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun; [Num 13:8]

from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu; [Num 13:9]

from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; [Num 13:10]

from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi; [Num 13:11]

from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli; [Num 13:12]

from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; [Num 13:13]

from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; [Num 13:14]

from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki. [Num 13:15]

These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.) [Num 13:16]

When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, "Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. [Num 13:17]

See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. [Num 13:18]

What 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? [Num 13:19]

How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land." (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.) [Num 13:20]

So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. [Num 13:21]

They 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.) [Num 13:22]

When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, 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. [Num 13:23]

That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. [Num 13:24]

At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. [Num 13:25]

They 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. [Num 13:26]

They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here's its fruit. [Num 13:27]

But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. [Num 13:28]

The 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." [Num 13:29]

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." [Num 13:30]

But the men who had gone up with him said, "We cannot attack those people; they are stronger than we are." [Num 13:31]

And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. [Num 13:32]

We 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."

1.21 Or toward the entrance to

2.23 Eshcol means cluster; also in verse 24.

Numbers 14

That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. [Num 14:1]

All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! [Num 14:2]

Why 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. Would not it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" [Num 14:3]

And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt." [Num 14:4]

Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. [Num 14:5]

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes [Num 14:6]

and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. [Num 14:7]

If 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. [Num 14:8]

Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." [Num 14:9]

But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. [Num 14:10]

The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? [Num 14:11]

I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they." [Num 14:12]

Moses said to the Lord, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. [Num 14:13]

And 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. [Num 14:14]

If you put these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, [Num 14:15]

"The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert." [Num 14:16]

"Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: [Num 14:17]

"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 fathers to the third and fourth generation." [Num 14:18]

In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt till now." [Num 14:19]

The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. [Num 14:20]

Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, [Num 14:21]

not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times - [Num 14:22]

not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. None who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. [Num 14:23]

But 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. [Num 14:24]

Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea." [Num 14:25]

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: [Num 14:26]

"How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. [Num 14:27]

So tell them, "As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: [Num 14:28]

In this desert your bodies will fall - every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. [Num 14:29]

Not 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. [Num 14:30]

As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. [Num 14:31]

But you - your bodies will fall in this desert. [Num 14:32]

Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, till the last of your bodies lies in the desert. [Num 14:33]

For forty years - one year for each of the forty days you explored the land - you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you." [Num 14:34]

I, 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 desert; here they will die." [Num 14:35]

So 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 - [Num 14:36]

these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. [Num 14:37]

Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived. [Num 14:38]

When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. [Num 14:39]

Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. "We have sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the Lord promised." [Num 14:40]

But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the Lord's command? This will not succeed! [Num 14:41]

Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, [Num 14:42]

for the Amalekites and 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." [Num 14:43]

Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord's covenant moved from the camp. [Num 14:44]

Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

1.25 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

Numbers 15

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 15:1]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "After you enter the land I am giving you as a home [Num 15:2]

and you present to the Lord offerings made by fire, from the herd or the flock, as an aroma pleasing to the Lord - whether burnt offerings or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings or festival offerings - [Num 15:3]

then the one who brings his offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil. [Num 15:4]

With each lamb for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. [Num 15:5]

With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil, [Num 15:6]

and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Num 15:7]

When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering to the Lord, [Num 15:8]

bring with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah [Num 15:6] of fine flour mixed with half a hin [Num 15:7] of oil. [Num 15:9]

Also bring half a hin of wine as a drink offering. It will be an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Num 15:10]

Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner. [Num 15:11]

Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare. [Num 15:12]

Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Num 15:13]

For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, he must do exactly as you do. [Num 15:14]

The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the Lord: [Num 15:15]

The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'" [Num 15:16]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 15:17]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you enter the land to which I am taking you [Num 15:18]

and you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the Lord. [Num 15:19]

Present a cake from the first of your ground meal and present it as an offering from the threshing floor. [Num 15:20]

Throughout the generations to come you are to give this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground meal. [Num 15:21]

Now if you unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses - [Num 15:22]

any of the Lord's commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to come - [Num 15:23]

and 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. [Num 15:24]

The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have brought to the Lord for their wrong an offering made by fire and a sin offering. [Num 15:25]

The whole Israelite community and the aliens living among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong. [Num 15:26]

But if just one person sins unintentionally, he must bring a year- old female goat for a sin offering. [Num 15:27]

The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven. [Num 15:28]

One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien. [Num 15:29]

But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. [Num 15:30]

Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.'" [Num 15:31]

While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. [Num 15:32]

Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, [Num 15:33]

and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. [Num 15:34]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp." [Num 15:35]

So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 15:36]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 15:37]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. [Num 15:38]

You 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 going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. [Num 15:39]

Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. [Num 15:40]

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.'"

1.4 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters)

2.4 That is, probably about 1 quart (about 1 liter); also in verse 5

3.6 That is, probably about 4 quarts (about 4.5 liters)

4.6 That is, probably about 1 1/4 quarts (about 1.2 liters); also in verse 7

5.8 Traditionally peace offering

6.9 That is, probably about 6 quarts (about 6.5 liters)

7.9 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters); also in verse 10

Numbers 16

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites - Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth - became insolent [Num 16:1]

and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. [Num 16:2]

They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "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's assembly?" [Num 16:3]

When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. [Num 16:4]

Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "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. [Num 16:5]

You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers [Num 16:6]

and tomorrow put fire 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!" [Num 16:7]

Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites! [Num 16:8]

Is not 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's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? [Num 16:9]

He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. [Num 16:10]

It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?" [Num 16:11]

Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come! [Num 16:12]

Is not it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? [Num 16:13]

Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!" [Num 16:14]

Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them." [Num 16:15]

Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow - you and they and Aaron. [Num 16:16]

Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it - 250 censers in all - and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also." [Num 16:17]

So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Num 16:18]

When 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. [Num 16:19]

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [Num 16:20]

"Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." [Num 16:21]

But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?" [Num 16:22]

Then the Lord said to Moses, [Num 16:23]

"Say to the assembly, "Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.'" [Num 16:24]

Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. [Num 16:25]

He warned the assembly, "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." [Num 16:26]

So 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. [Num 16:27]

Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: [Num 16:28]

If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the Lord has not sent me. [Num 16:29]

But 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 grave, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt." [Num 16:30]

As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart [Num 16:31]

and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. [Num 16:32]

They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. [Num 16:33]

At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth is going to swallow us too!" [Num 16:34]

And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense. [Num 16:35]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 16:36]

"Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy - [Num 16:37]

the 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." [Num 16:38]

So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, [Num 16:39]

as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that none except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers. [Num 16:40]

The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the Lord's people," they said. [Num 16:41]

But 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. [Num 16:42]

Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, [Num 16:43]

and the Lord said to Moses, [Num 16:44]

"Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown. [Num 16:45]

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started." [Num 16:46]

So 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. [Num 16:47]

He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. [Num 16:48]

But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. [Num 16:49]

Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.

1.1 Or Peleth - took [Num men]

2.14 Or you make slaves of ; or you deceive

3.30 Hebrew Sheol; also in verse 33

Numbers 17

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 17:1]

"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. [Num 17:2]

On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. [Num 17:3]

Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you. [Num 17:4]

The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites." [Num 17:5]

So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron's staff was among them. [Num 17:6]

Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the Tent of the Testimony. [Num 17:7]

The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. [Num 17:8]

Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord's presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his own staff. [Num 17:9]

The Lord said to Moses, "Put back Aaron's staff in front of the Testimony, 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." [Num 17:10]

Moses did just as the Lord commanded him. [Num 17:11]

The Israelites said to Moses, "We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! [Num 17:12]

Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?"

Numbers 18

The Lord said to Aaron, "You, your sons and your father's family are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the priesthood. [Num 18:1]

Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the Tent of the Testimony. [Num 18:2]

They 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, or both they and you will die. [Num 18:3]

They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the Tent of Meeting - all the work at the Tent - and none else may come near where you are. [Num 18:4]

"You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. [Num 18:5]

I 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. [Num 18:6]

But 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 must be put to death." [Num 18:7]

Then the Lord said to Aaron, "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 and regular share. [Num 18:8]

You 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 or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. [Num 18:9]

Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy. [Num 18:10]

"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 regular share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it. [Num 18:11]

"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. [Num 18:12]

All the land's firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it. [Num 18:13]

"Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord is yours. [Num 18:14]

The first offspring of every womb, both man and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. [Num 18:15]

When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. [Num 18:16]

"But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Num 18:17]

Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours. [Num 18:18]

Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring." [Num 18:19]

The Lord said to Aaron, "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. [Num 18:20]

"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. [Num 18:21]

From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. [Num 18:22]

It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. [Num 18:23]

Instead, 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: "They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.'" [Num 18:24]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 18:25]

"Speak to the Levites and say to them: "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's offering. [Num 18:26]

Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. [Num 18:27]

In 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's portion to Aaron the priest. [Num 18:28]

You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you." [Num 18:29]

"Say to the Levites: "When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress. [Num 18:30]

You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the Tent of Meeting. [Num 18:31]

By 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.'"

1.14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.

2.16 That is, about 2 ounces (about 55 grams)

Numbers 19

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: [Num 19:1]

"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. [Num 19:2]

Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. [Num 19:3]

Then 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. [Num 19:4]

While he watches, the heifer is to be burned - its hide, flesh, blood and offal. [Num 19:5]

The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. [Num 19:6]

After 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. [Num 19:7]

The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening. [Num 19:8]

"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 shall be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin. [Num 19:9]

The 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 aliens living among them. [Num 19:10]

"Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days. [Num 19:11]

He must purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. [Num 19:12]

Whoever touches the dead body of anyone and fails to purify himself defiles the Lord's tabernacle. That person must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean; his uncleanness remains on him. [Num 19:13]

"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, [Num 19:14]

and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean. [Num 19:15]

"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. [Num 19:16]

"For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. [Num 19:17]

Then 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 someone who has been killed or someone who has died a natural death. [Num 19:18]

The man who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify him. The person being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and that evening he will be clean. [Num 19:19]

But if a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he must be cut off from the community, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on him, and he is unclean. [Num 19:20]

This is a lasting ordinance for them. "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. [Num 19:21]

Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening."

Numbers 20

In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. [Num 20:1]

Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. [Num 20:2]

They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! [Num 20:3]

Why did you bring the Lord's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? [Num 20:4]

Why 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!" [Num 20:5]

Moses 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. [Num 20:6]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 20:7]

"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." [Num 20:8]

So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence, just as he commanded him. [Num 20:9]

He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" [Num 20:10]

Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. [Num 20:11]

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "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." [Num 20:12]

These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he showed himself holy among them. [Num 20:13]

Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: "This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have come on us. [Num 20:14]

Our forefathers went down into Egypt, and we lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, [Num 20:15]

but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. "Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. [Num 20:16]

Please 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's highway and not turn to the right or to the left till we have passed through your territory." [Num 20:17]

But Edom answered: "You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword." [Num 20:18]

The Israelites replied: "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 - nothing else." [Num 20:19]

Again they answered: "You may not pass through." Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. [Num 20:20]

Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them. [Num 20:21]

The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. [Num 20:22]

At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, [Num 20:23]

"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. [Num 20:24]

Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. [Num 20:25]

Remove Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there." [Num 20:26]

Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. [Num 20:27]

Moses removed Aaron'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, [Num 20:28]

and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.

1.13 Meribah means quarreling.

Numbers 21

When 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. [Num 21:1]

Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: "If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities." [Num 21:2]

The Lord listened to Israel's plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah. [Num 21:3]

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; [Num 21:4]

they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" [Num 21:5]

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. [Num 21:6]

The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. [Num 21:7]

The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." [Num 21:8]

So 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, he lived. [Num 21:9]

The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth. [Num 21:10]

Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the desert that faces Moab toward the sunrise. [Num 21:11]

From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley. [Num 21:12]

They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the desert extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. [Num 21:13]

That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says: "... Waheb in Suphah and the ravines, the Arnon [Num 21:14]

and the slopes of the ravines that lead to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab." [Num 21:15]

From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the Lord said to Moses, "Gather the people together and I will give them water." [Num 21:16]

Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! Sing about it, [Num 21:17]

about the well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people sank - the nobles with scepters and staffs." Then they went from the desert to Mattanah, [Num 21:18]

from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, [Num 21:19]

and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland. [Num 21:20]

Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites: [Num 21:21]

"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's highway till we have passed through your territory." [Num 21:22]

But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered his entire army and marched out into the desert against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. [Num 21:23]

Israel, 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. [Num 21:24]

Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements. [Num 21:25]

Heshbon 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. [Num 21:26]

That is why the poets say: "Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt; let Sihon's city be restored. [Num 21:27]

"Fire went out from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the citizens of Arnon's heights. [Num 21:28]

Woe to you, O Moab! You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh! He has given up his sons as fugitives and his daughters as captives to Sihon king of the Amorites. [Num 21:29]

"But we have overthrown them; Heshbon is destroyed all the way to Dibon. We have demolished them as far as Nophah, which extends to Medeba." [Num 21:30]

So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites. [Num 21:31]

After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. [Num 21:32]

Then 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. [Num 21:33]

The Lord said to Moses, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you, with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon." [Num 21:34]

So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land.

1.2 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.

2.3 Hormah means destruction.

3.4 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

4.14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

5.[Num 14,15] Or "I have been given from Suphah and the ravines of the Arnon to

Numbers 22

Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho. [Num 22:1]

Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, [Num 22:2]

and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites. [Num 22:3]

The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, [Num 22:4]

sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. Balak said: "A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. [Num 22:5]

Now 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 country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed." [Num 22:6]

The 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. [Num 22:7]

"Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you back the answer the Lord gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him. [Num 22:8]

God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?" [Num 22:9]

Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: [Num 22:10]

"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.'" [Num 22:11]

But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed." [Num 22:12]

The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you." [Num 22:13]

So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us." [Num 22:14]

Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. [Num 22:15]

They came to Balaam and said: "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, [Num 22:16]

because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me." [Num 22:17]

But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. [Num 22:18]

Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me." [Num 22:19]

That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you." [Num 22:20]

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. [Num 22:21]

But 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. [Num 22:22]

When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road. [Num 22:23]

Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. [Num 22:24]

When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again. [Num 22:25]

Then 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. [Num 22:26]

When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. [Num 22:27]

Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" [Num 22:28]

Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." [Num 22:29]

The donkey said to Balaam, "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?" "No," he said. [Num 22:30]

Then the Lord opened Balaam'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. [Num 22:31]

The angel of the Lord asked him, "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. [Num 22:32]

The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her." [Num 22:33]

Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "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." [Num 22:34]

The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. [Num 22:35]

When 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. [Num 22:36]

Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did not you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?" [Num 22:37]

"Well, I have come to you now," Balaam replied. "But can I say just anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth." [Num 22:38]

Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. [Num 22:39]

Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the princes who were with him. [Num 22:40]

The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he saw part of the people.

1.1 Hebrew Jordan of Jericho; possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River

2.5 That is, the Euphrates

3.32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.

Numbers 23

Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." [Num 23:1]

Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar. [Num 23:2]

Then Balaam said to Balak, "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." Then he went off to a barren height. [Num 23:3]

God met with him, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram." [Num 23:4]

The Lord put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message." [Num 23:5]

So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the princes of Moab. [Num 23:6]

Then Balaam uttered his oracle: "Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. "Come," he said, "curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel." [Num 23:7]

How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? [Num 23:8]

From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations. [Num 23:9]

Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!" [Num 23:10]

Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!" [Num 23:11]

He answered, "Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?" [Num 23:12]

Then Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me." [Num 23:13]

So 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. [Num 23:14]

Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there." [Num 23:15]

The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message." [Num 23:16]

So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?" [Num 23:17]

Then he uttered his oracle: "Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor. [Num 23:18]

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? [Num 23:19]

I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. [Num 23:20]

"No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. [Num 23:21]

God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. [Num 23:22]

There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, "See what God has done!" [Num 23:23]

The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims." [Num 23:24]

Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!" [Num 23:25]

Balaam answered, "Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?" [Num 23:26]

Then Balak said to Balaam, "Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there." [Num 23:27]

And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland. [Num 23:28]

Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." [Num 23:29]

Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

1.21 Or He has not looked on Jacob's offenses or on the wrongs found in Israel.

Numbers 24

Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert. [Num 24:1]

When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him [Num 24:2]

and he uttered his oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, [Num 24:3]

the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: [Num 24:4]

"How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! [Num 24:5]

"Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters. [Num 24:6]

Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. "Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. [Num 24:7]

"God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them. [Num 24:8]

Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness - who dares to rouse them? "May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!" [Num 24:9]

Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. [Num 24:10]

Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded." [Num 24:11]

Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, [Num 24:12]

"Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord - and I must say only what the Lord says"? [Num 24:13]

Now 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." [Num 24:14]

Then he uttered his oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, [Num 24:15]

the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: [Num 24:16]

"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth. [Num 24:17]

Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong. [Num 24:18]

A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city." [Num 24:19]

Then Balaam saw Amalek and uttered his oracle: "Amalek was first among the nations, but he will come to ruin at last." [Num 24:20]

Then he saw the Kenites and uttered his oracle: "Your dwelling place is secure, your nest is set in a rock; [Num 24:21]

yet you Kenites will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive." [Num 24:22]

Then he uttered his oracle: "Ah, who can live when God does this? [Num 24:23]

Ships will come from the shores of Kittim; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to ruin." [Num 24:24]

Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.

1.4 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 16

2.17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.

3.17 Or possibly Moab, batter

4.17 Or all the noisy boasters

5.23 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew A people will gather from the north.

Numbers 25

While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, [Num 25:1]

who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. [Num 25:2]

So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger burned against them. [Num 25:3]

The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel." [Num 25:4]

So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor." [Num 25:5]

Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. [Num 25:6]

When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand [Num 25:7]

and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them - through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; [Num 25:8]

but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000. [Num 25:9]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 25:10]

"Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. [Num 25:11]

Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. [Num 25:12]

He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites." [Num 25:13]

The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. [Num 25:14]

And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family. [Num 25:15]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 25:16]

"Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, [Num 25:17]

because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor."

Numbers 26

After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, [Num 26:1]

"Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families - all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel." [Num 26:2]

So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, [Num 26:3]

"Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded Moses." These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt: [Num 26:4]

The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were: through Hanoch, the Hanochite clan; through Pallu, the Palluite clan; [Num 26:5]

through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Carmi, the Carmite clan. [Num 26:6]

These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730. [Num 26:7]

The son of Pallu was Eliab, [Num 26:8]

and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah's followers when they rebelled against the Lord. [Num 26:9]

The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign. [Num 26:10]

The line of Korah, however, did not die out. [Num 26:11]

The descendants of Simeon by their clans were: through Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan; through Jamin, the Jaminite clan; through Jakin, the Jakinite clan; [Num 26:12]

through Zerah, the Zerahite clan; through Shaul, the Shaulite clan. [Num 26:13]

These were the clans of Simeon; there were 22,200 men. [Num 26:14]

The descendants of Gad by their clans were: through Zephon, the Zephonite clan; through Haggi, the Haggite clan; through Shuni, the Shunite clan; [Num 26:15]

through Ozni, the Oznite clan; through Eri, the Erite clan; [Num 26:16]

through Arodi, the Arodite clan; through Areli, the Arelite clan. [Num 26:17]

These were the clans of Gad; those numbered were 40,500. [Num 26:18]

Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan. [Num 26:19]

The descendants of Judah by their clans were: through Shelah, the Shelanite clan; through Perez, the Perezite clan; through Zerah, the Zerahite clan. [Num 26:20]

The descendants of Perez were: through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Hamul, the Hamulite clan. [Num 26:21]

These were the clans of Judah; those numbered were 76,500. [Num 26:22]

The descendants of Issachar by their clans were: through Tola, the Tolaite clan; through Puah, the Puite clan; [Num 26:23]

through Jashub, the Jashubite clan; through Shimron, the Shimronite clan. [Num 26:24]

These were the clans of Issachar; those numbered were 64,300. [Num 26:25]

The descendants of Zebulun by their clans were: through Sered, the Seredite clan; through Elon, the Elonite clan; through Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan. [Num 26:26]

These were the clans of Zebulun; those numbered were 60,500. [Num 26:27]

The descendants of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim were: [Num 26:28]

The descendants of Manasseh: through Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead); through Gilead, the Gileadite clan. [Num 26:29]

These were the descendants of Gilead: through Iezer, the Iezerite clan; through Helek, the Helekite clan; [Num 26:30]

through Asriel, the Asrielite clan; through Shechem, the Shechemite clan; [Num 26:31]

through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan; through Hepher, the Hepherite clan. [Num 26:32]

(Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.) [Num 26:33]

These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700. [Num 26:34]

These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: through Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan; through Beker, the Bekerite clan; through Tahan, the Tahanite clan. [Num 26:35]

These were the descendants of Shuthelah: through Eran, the Eranite clan. [Num 26:36]

These were the clans of Ephraim; those numbered were 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans. [Num 26:37]

The descendants of Benjamin by their clans were: through Bela, the Belaite clan; through Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan; through Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan; [Num 26:38]

through Shupham, the Shuphamite clan; through Hupham, the Huphamite clan. [Num 26:39]

The descendants of Bela through Ard and Naaman were: through Ard, the Ardite clan; through Naaman, the Naamite clan. [Num 26:40]

These were the clans of Benjamin; those numbered were 45,600. [Num 26:41]

These were the descendants of Dan by their clans: through Shuham, the Shuhamite clan. These were the clans of Dan: [Num 26:42]

All of them were Shuhamite clans; and those numbered were 64,400. [Num 26:43]

The descendants of Asher by their clans were: through Imnah, the Imnite clan; through Ishvi, the Ishvite clan; through Beriah, the Beriite clan; [Num 26:44]

and through the descendants of Beriah: through Heber, the Heberite clan; through Malkiel, the Malkielite clan. [Num 26:45]

(Asher had a daughter named Serah.) [Num 26:46]

These were the clans of Asher; those numbered were 53,400. [Num 26:47]

The descendants of Naphtali by their clans were: through Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan; through Guni, the Gunite clan; [Num 26:48]

through Jezer, the Jezerite clan; through Shillem, the Shillemite clan. [Num 26:49]

These were the clans of Naphtali; those numbered were 45,400. [Num 26:50]

The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730. [Num 26:51]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 26:52]

"The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. [Num 26:53]

To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed. [Num 26:54]

Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. [Num 26:55]

Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups." [Num 26:56]

These were the Levites who were counted by their clans: through Gershon, the Gershonite clan; through Kohath, the Kohathite clan; through Merari, the Merarite clan. [Num 26:57]

These also were Levite clans: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, the Korahite clan. (Kohath was the forefather of Amram; [Num 26:58]

the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites [Num 26:6] in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam. [Num 26:59]

Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. [Num 26:60]

But Nadab and Abihu died when they made an offering before the Lord with unauthorized fire.) [Num 26:61]

All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance among them. [Num 26:62]

These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. [Num 26:63]

Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. [Num 26:64]

For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

1.3 Hebrew Jordan of Jericho; possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River; also in verse 63

2.17 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also Gen. 46:16); Masoretic Text Arod

3.23 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text through Puvah, the Punite

4.39 A few manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Shephupham

5.40 Samaritan Pentateuch and Vulgate (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have through Ard.

6.59 Or Jochebed, a daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi

Numbers 27

The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. They approached [Num 27:1]

the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly, and said, [Num 27:2]

"Our father died in the desert. He was not among Korah's followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. [Num 27:3]

Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives." [Num 27:4]

So Moses brought their case before the Lord [Num 27:5]

and the Lord said to him, [Num 27:6]

"What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father's relatives and turn their father's inheritance over to them. [Num 27:7]

"Say to the Israelites, "If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. [Num 27:8]

If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. [Num 27:9]

If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. [Num 27:10]

If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.'" [Num 27:11]

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. [Num 27:12]

After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, [Num 27:13]

for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes." (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.) [Num 27:14]

Moses said to the Lord, [Num 27:15]

"May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community [Num 27:16]

to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd." [Num 27:17]

So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. [Num 27:18]

Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. [Num 27:19]

Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. [Num 27:20]

He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in." [Num 27:21]

Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. [Num 27:22]

Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.

1.18 Or Spirit

Numbers 28

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 28:1]

"Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: "See that you present to me at the appointed time the food for my offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to me." [Num 28:2]

Say to them: "This is the offering made by fire that you are to present to the Lord: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day. [Num 28:3]

Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, [Num 28:4]

together with a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives. [Num 28:5]

This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Num 28:6]

The accompanying drink offering is to be a quarter of a hin of fermented drink with each lamb. Pour out the drink offering to the Lord at the sanctuary. [Num 28:7]

Prepare the second lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering that you prepare in the morning. This is an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Num 28:8]

On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. [Num 28:9]

This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. [Num 28:10]

On the first of every month, present to the Lord a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 28:11]

With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; [Num 28:12]

and with each lamb, a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire. [Num 28:13]

With each bull there is to be a drink offering of half a hin of wine; with the ram, a third of a hin [Num 28:6]; and with each lamb, a quarter of a hin. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon during the year. [Num 28:14]

Besides the regular burnt offering with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented to the Lord as a sin offering. [Num 28:15]

On the fourteenth day of the first month the Lord's Passover is to be held. [Num 28:16]

On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a festival; for seven days eat bread made without yeast. [Num 28:17]

On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. [Num 28:18]

Present to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 28:19]

With each bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two- tenths; [Num 28:20]

and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. [Num 28:21]

Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. [Num 28:22]

Prepare these in addition to the regular morning burnt offering. [Num 28:23]

In this way prepare the food for the offering made by fire every day for seven days as an aroma pleasing to the Lord; it is to be prepared in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. [Num 28:24]

On the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. [Num 28:25]

On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. [Num 28:26]

Present a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. [Num 28:27]

With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two- tenths; [Num 28:28]

and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. [Num 28:29]

Include one male goat to make atonement for you. [Num 28:30]

Prepare these together with their drink offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. Be sure the animals are without defect.

1.5 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters); also in verses 13, 21 and 29

2.5 That is, probably about 1 quart (about 1 liter); also in verses 7 and 14

3.9 That is, probably about 4 quarts (about 4.5 liters); also in verses 12, 20 and 28

4.12 That is, probably about 6 quarts (about 6.5 liters); also in verses 20 and 28

5.14 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters)

6.14 That is, probably about 1 1/4 quarts (about 1.2 liters)

Numbers 29

"On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. [Num 29:1]

As an aroma pleasing to the Lord, prepare a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:2]

With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two- tenths; [Num 29:3]

and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. [Num 29:4]

Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. [Num 29:5]

These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are offerings made to the Lord by fire - a pleasing aroma. [Num 29:6]

On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. [Num 29:7]

Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lord a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:8]

With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two- tenths; [Num 29:9]

and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. [Num 29:10]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings. [Num 29:11]

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days. [Num 29:12]

Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:13]

With each of the thirteen bulls prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with each of the two rams, two-tenths; [Num 29:14]

and with each of the fourteen lambs, one-tenth. [Num 29:15]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering. [Num 29:16]

On the second day prepare twelve young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:17]

With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. [Num 29:18]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings. [Num 29:19]

On the third day prepare eleven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:20]

With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. [Num 29:21]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering. [Num 29:22]

On the fourth day prepare ten bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:23]

With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. [Num 29:24]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering. [Num 29:25]

On the fifth day prepare nine bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:26]

With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. [Num 29:27]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering. [Num 29:28]

On the sixth day prepare eight bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:29]

With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. [Num 29:30]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering. [Num 29:31]

On the seventh day prepare seven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:32]

With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. [Num 29:33]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering. [Num 29:34]

On the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work. [Num 29:35]

Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, a burnt offering of one bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. [Num 29:36]

With the bull, the ram and the lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. [Num 29:37]

Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering. [Num 29:38]

In addition to what you vow and your freewill offerings, prepare these for the Lord at your appointed feasts: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings.'" [Num 29:39]

Moses told the Israelites all that the Lord commanded him.

1.3 That is, probably about 6 quarts (about 6.5 liters); also in verses 9 and 14

2.3 That is, probably about 4 quarts (about 4.5 liters); also in verses 9 and 14

3.4 That is, probably about 2 quarts (about 2 liters); also in verses 10 and 15

4.7 Or must fast

5.39 Traditionally peace offerings

Numbers 30

Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: [Num 30:1]

When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. [Num 30:2]

"When a young woman still living in her father's house makes a vow to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge [Num 30:3]

and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. [Num 30:4]

But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the Lord will release her because her father has forbidden her. [Num 30:5]

"If she marries after she makes a vow or after her lips utter a rash promise by which she obligates herself [Num 30:6]

and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her, then her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. [Num 30:7]

But if her husband forbids her when he hears about it, he nullifies the vow that obligates her or the rash promise by which she obligates herself, and the Lord will release her. [Num 30:8]

"Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be binding on her. [Num 30:9]

"If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath [Num 30:10]

and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. [Num 30:11]

But if her husband nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges that came from her lips will stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the Lord will release her. [Num 30:12]

Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself. [Num 30:13]

But if her husband says nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears about them. [Num 30:14]

If, however, he nullifies them some time after he hears about them, then he is responsible for her guilt." [Num 30:15]

These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living in his house.

Numbers 31

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 31:1]

"Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people." [Num 31:2]

So Moses said to the people, "Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the Lord's vengeance on them. [Num 31:3]

Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel." [Num 31:4]

So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. [Num 31:5]

Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling. [Num 31:6]

They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. [Num 31:7]

Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba - the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. [Num 31:8]

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. [Num 31:9]

They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. [Num 31:10]

They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, [Num 31:11]

and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho. [Num 31:12]

Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. [Num 31:13]

Moses was angry with the officers of the army - the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds - who returned from the battle. [Num 31:14]

"Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. [Num 31:15]

"They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord's people. [Num 31:16]

Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, [Num 31:17]

but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man. [Num 31:18]

"All of you who have killed anyone or touched anyone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives. [Num 31:19]

Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood." [Num 31:20]

Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, "This is the requirement of the law that the Lord gave Moses: [Num 31:21]

Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead [Num 31:22]

and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water. [Num 31:23]

On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp." [Num 31:24]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 31:25]

"You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured. [Num 31:26]

Divide the spoils between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. [Num 31:27]

From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep or goats. [Num 31:28]

Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord's part. [Num 31:29]

From the Israelites' half, select one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord's tabernacle." [Num 31:30]

So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 31:31]

The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, [Num 31:32]

72,000 cattle, [Num 31:33]

61,000 donkeys [Num 31:34]

and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man. [Num 31:35]

The half share of those who fought in the battle was: 337,500 sheep, [Num 31:36]

of which the tribute for the Lord was 675; [Num 31:37]

36,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the Lord was 72; [Num 31:38]

30,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the Lord was 61; [Num 31:39]

16,000 people, of which the tribute for the Lord was 32. [Num 31:40]

Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the Lord's part, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 31:41]

The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men - [Num 31:42]

the community's half - was 337,500 sheep, [Num 31:43]

36,000 cattle, [Num 31:44]

30,500 donkeys [Num 31:45]

and 16,000 people. [Num 31:46]

From the Israelites' half, Moses selected one out of every fifty persons and animals, as the Lord commanded him, and gave them to the Levites, who were responsible for the care of the Lord's tabernacle. [Num 31:47]

Then the officers who were over the units of the army - the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds - went to Moses [Num 31:48]

and said to him, "Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing. [Num 31:49]

So we have brought as an offering to the Lord the gold articles each of us acquired - armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces - to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord." [Num 31:50]

Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold - all the crafted articles. [Num 31:51]

All the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the Lord weighed 16,750 shekels. [Num 31:52]

Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. [Num 31:53]

Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.

1.12 Hebrew Jordan of Jericho; possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River

2.52 That is, about 420 pounds (about 190 kilograms)

Numbers 32

The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. [Num 32:1]

So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said, [Num 32:2]

"Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon - [Num 32:3]

the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel - are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. [Num 32:4]

If we have found favor in your eyes," they said, "let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan." [Num 32:5]

Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, "Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here? [Num 32:6]

Why do you discourage the Israelites from going over into the land the Lord has given them? [Num 32:7]

This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. [Num 32:8]

After they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. [Num 32:9]

The Lord's anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: [Num 32:10]

"Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - [Num 32:11]

not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly." [Num 32:12]

The Lord's anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the desert forty years, till the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone. [Num 32:13]

"And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. [Num 32:14]

If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the desert, and you will be the cause of their destruction." [Num 32:15]

Then they came up to him and said, "We'd like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. [Num 32:16]

But we are ready to arm ourselves and go ahead of the Israelites till we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. [Num 32:17]

We will not return to our homes till every Israelite has received his inheritance. [Num 32:18]

We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan." [Num 32:19]

Then Moses said to them, "If you will do this - if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle, [Num 32:20]

and if all of you will go armed over the Jordan before the Lord till he has driven his enemies out before him - [Num 32:21]

then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord. [Num 32:22]

"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. [Num 32:23]

Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised." [Num 32:24]

The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, "We your servants will do as our lord commands. [Num 32:25]

Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. [Num 32:26]

But your servants, every man armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says." [Num 32:27]

Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes. [Num 32:28]

He said to them, "If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you, give them the land of Gilead as their possession. [Num 32:29]

But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan." [Num 32:30]

The Gadites and Reubenites answered, "Your servants will do what the Lord has said. [Num 32:31]

We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan." [Num 32:32]

Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half- tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan - the whole land with its cities and the territory around them. [Num 32:33]

The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, [Num 32:34]

Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, [Num 32:35]

Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks. [Num 32:36]

And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim, [Num 32:37]

as well as Nebo and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt. [Num 32:38]

The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it and drove out the Amorites who were there. [Num 32:39]

So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. [Num 32:40]

Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair. [Num 32:41]

And Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah after himself.

1.41 Or them the settlements of Jair

Numbers 33

Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. [Num 33:1]

At the Lord's command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages: [Num 33:2]

The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out boldly in full view of all the Egyptians, [Num 33:3]

who were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment on their gods. [Num 33:4]

The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth. [Num 33:5]

They left Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert. [Num 33:6]

They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol. [Num 33:7]

They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah. [Num 33:8]

They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. [Num 33:9]

They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea. [Num 33:10]

They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin. [Num 33:11]

They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah. [Num 33:12]

They left Dophkah and camped at Alush. [Num 33:13]

They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. [Num 33:14]

They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai. [Num 33:15]

They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah. [Num 33:16]

They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. [Num 33:17]

They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. [Num 33:18]

They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez. [Num 33:19]

They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah. [Num 33:20]

They left Libnah and camped at Rissah. [Num 33:21]

They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. [Num 33:22]

They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. [Num 33:23]

They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. [Num 33:24]

They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth. [Num 33:25]

They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath. [Num 33:26]

They left Tahath and camped at Terah. [Num 33:27]

They left Terah and camped at Mithcah. [Num 33:28]

They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah. [Num 33:29]

They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. [Num 33:30]

They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan. [Num 33:31]

They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad. [Num 33:32]

They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. [Num 33:33]

They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. [Num 33:34]

They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. [Num 33:35]

They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin. [Num 33:36]

They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom. [Num 33:37]

At the Lord's command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. [Num 33:38]

Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor. [Num 33:39]

The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming. [Num 33:40]

They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. [Num 33:41]

They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon. [Num 33:42]

They left Punon and camped at Oboth. [Num 33:43]

They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab. [Num 33:44]

They left Iyim and camped at Dibon Gad. [Num 33:45]

They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim. [Num 33:46]

They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo. [Num 33:47]

They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. [Num 33:48]

There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim. [Num 33:49]

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the Lord said to Moses, [Num 33:50]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, [Num 33:51]

drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. [Num 33:52]

Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. [Num 33:53]

Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes. [Num 33:54]

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. [Num 33:55]

And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.'"

1.8 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text left from before Hahiroth

2.10 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds; also in verse 11

3.45 That is, Iye Abarim

4.48 Hebrew Jordan of Jericho; possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River; also in verse 50

Numbers 34

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 34:1]

"Command the Israelites and say to them: "When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance will have these boundaries: [Num 34:2]

Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern boundary will start from the end of the Salt Sea, [Num 34:3]

cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, [Num 34:4]

where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Sea. [Num 34:5]

Your western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. This will be your boundary on the west. [Num 34:6]

For your northern boundary, run a line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor [Num 34:7]

and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, [Num 34:8]

continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north. [Num 34:9]

For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. [Num 34:10]

The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Kinnereth. [Num 34:11]

Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea. ""This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.'" [Num 34:12]

Moses commanded the Israelites: "Assign this land by lot as an inheritance. The Lord has ordered that it be given to the nine and a half tribes, [Num 34:13]

because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. [Num 34:14]

These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan of Jericho, [Num 34:6] toward the sunrise." [Num 34:15]

The Lord said to Moses, [Num 34:16]

"These are the names of the men who are to assign the land for you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. [Num 34:17]

And appoint one leader from each tribe to help assign the land. [Num 34:18]

These are their names: Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah; [Num 34:19]

Shemuel son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Simeon; [Num 34:20]

Elidad son of Kislon, from the tribe of Benjamin; [Num 34:21]

Bukki son of Jogli, the leader from the tribe of Dan; [Num 34:22]

Hanniel son of Ephod, the leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; [Num 34:23]

Kemuel son of Shiphtan, the leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; [Num 34:24]

Elizaphan son of Parnach, the leader from the tribe of Zebulun; [Num 34:25]

Paltiel son of Azzan, the leader from the tribe of Issachar; [Num 34:26]

Ahihud son of Shelomi, the leader from the tribe of Asher; [Num 34:27]

Pedahel son of Ammihud, the leader from the tribe of Naphtali." [Num 34:28]

These are the men the Lord commanded to assign the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.

1.3 That is, the Dead Sea; also in verse 12

2.4 Hebrew Akrabbim

3.5 That is, the Mediterranean; also in verses 6 and 7

4.8 Or to the entrance to

5.11 That is, Galilee

6.15 Jordan of Jericho was possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River.

Numbers 35

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, [Num 35:1]

"Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands around the towns. [Num 35:2]

Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for their cattle, flocks and all their other livestock. [Num 35:3]

"The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend out fifteen hundred feet from the town wall. [Num 35:4]

Outside the town, measure three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand on the south side, three thousand on the west and three thousand on the north, with the town in the center. They will have this area as pastureland for the towns. [Num 35:5]

"Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. [Num 35:6]

In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. [Num 35:7]

The towns you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few." [Num 35:8]

Then the Lord said to Moses: [Num 35:9]

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, [Num 35:10]

select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. [Num 35:11]

They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that a person accused of murder may not die before he stands trial before the assembly. [Num 35:12]

These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge. [Num 35:13]

Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. [Num 35:14]

These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites, aliens and any other people living among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there. [Num 35:15]

If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. [Num 35:16]

Or if anyone has a stone in his hand that could kill, and he strikes someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. [Num 35:17]

Or if anyone has a wooden object in his hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death. [Num 35:18]

The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. [Num 35:19]

If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at him intentionally so that he dies [Num 35:20]

or if in hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. [Num 35:21]

But if without hostility someone suddenly shoves another or throws something at him unintentionally [Num 35:22]

or, without seeing him, drops a stone on him that could kill him, and he dies, then since he was not his enemy and he did not intend to harm him, [Num 35:23]

the assembly must judge between him and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. [Num 35:24]

The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He must stay there till the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. [Num 35:25]

But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he has fled [Num 35:26]

and the avenger of blood finds him outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. [Num 35:27]

The accused must stay in his city of refuge till the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may he return to his own property. [Num 35:28]

These are to be legal requirements for you throughout the generations to come, wherever you live. [Num 35:29]

Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But none is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. [Num 35:30]

Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. He must surely be put to death. [Num 35:31]

Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow him to go back and live on his own land before the death of the high priest. [Num 35:32]

Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. [Num 35:33]

Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.'"

1.1 Hebrew Jordan of Jericho; possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River

2.4 Hebrew a thousand cubits (about 450 meters)

3.5 Hebrew two thousand cubits (about 900 meters)

Numbers 36

The family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families. [Num 36:1]

They said, "When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, he ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. [Num 36:2]

Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. [Num 36:3]

When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our forefathers." [Num 36:4]

Then at the Lord's command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: "What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. [Num 36:5]

This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within the tribal clan of their father. [Num 36:6]

No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal land inherited from his forefathers. [Num 36:7]

Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father's tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers. [Num 36:8]

No inheritance may pass from tribe to tribe, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits." [Num 36:9]

So Zelophehad's daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. [Num 36:10]

Zelophehad's daughters - Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah - married their cousins on their father's side. [Num 36:11]

They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father's clan and tribe. [Num 36:12]

These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

1.13 Hebrew Jordan of Jericho; possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River

Deuteronomy - 34 chaps

Deuteronomy 1

These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan - that is, in the Arabah - opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. [Deut 1:1]

(It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.) [Deut 1:2]

In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. [Deut 1:3]

This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. [Deut 1:4]

East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying: [Deut 1:5]

The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain. [Deut 1:6]

Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighbouring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. [Deut 1:7]

See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers - to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - and to their descendants after them." [Deut 1:8]

At that time I said to you, "You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. [Deut 1:9]

The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky. [Deut 1:10]

May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! [Deut 1:11]

But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? [Deut 1:12]

Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you." [Deut 1:13]

You answered me, "What you propose to do is good." [Deut 1:14]

So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you - as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. [Deut 1:15]

And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. [Deut 1:16]

Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. [Deut 1:17]

And at that time I told you everything you were to do. [Deut 1:18]

Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful desert that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. [Deut 1:19]

Then I said to you, "You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. [Deut 1:20]

See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." [Deut 1:21]

Then all of you came to me and said, "Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to." [Deut 1:22]

The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. [Deut 1:23]

They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and explored it. [Deut 1:24]

Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, "It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us." [Deut 1:25]

But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. [Deut 1:26]

You grumbled in your tents and said, "The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. [Deut 1:27]

Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, "The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.'" [Deut 1:28]

Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. [Deut 1:29]

The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, [Deut 1:30]

and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went till you reached this place." [Deut 1:31]

In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, [Deut 1:32]

who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. [Deut 1:33]

When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: [Deut 1:34]

"Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, [Deut 1:35]

except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly." [Deut 1:36]

Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, "You shall not enter it, either. [Deut 1:37]

But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. [Deut 1:38]

And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad - they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. [Deut 1:39]

But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea." [Deut 1:40]

Then you replied, "We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us." So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. [Deut 1:41]

But the Lord said to me, "Tell them, "Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.'" [Deut 1:42]

So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. [Deut 1:43]

The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. [Deut 1:44]

You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. [Deut 1:45]

And so you stayed in Kadesh many days - all the time you spent there.

1.40 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

Deuteronomy 2

Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir. [Deut 2:1]

Then the Lord said to me, [Deut 2:2]

"You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. [Deut 2:3]

Give the people these orders: "You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. [Deut 2:4]

Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. [Deut 2:5]

You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.'" [Deut 2:6]

The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. [Deut 2:7]

So we went on past our brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab. [Deut 2:8]

Then the Lord said to me, "Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession." [Deut 2:9]

(The Emites used to live there - a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. [Deut 2:10]

Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. [Deut 2:11]

Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.) [Deut 2:12]

And the Lord said, "Now get up and cross the Zered Valley." So we crossed the valley. [Deut 2:13]

Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea till we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. [Deut 2:14]

The Lord's hand was against them till he had completely eliminated them from the camp. [Deut 2:15]

Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, [Deut 2:16]

the Lord said to me, [Deut 2:17]

"Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. [Deut 2:18]

When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot." [Deut 2:19]

(That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. [Deut 2:20]

They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. [Deut 2:21]

The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. [Deut 2:22]

And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.) [Deut 2:23]

"Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. [Deut 2:24]

This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you." [Deut 2:25]

From the desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying, [Deut 2:26]

"Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left. [Deut 2:27]

Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot - [Deut 2:28]

as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us - till we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us." [Deut 2:29]

But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done. [Deut 2:30]

The Lord said to me, "See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land." [Deut 2:31]

When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz, [Deut 2:32]

the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. [Deut 2:33]

At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them - men, women and children. We left no survivors. [Deut 2:34]

But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. [Deut 2:35]

From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave us all of them. [Deut 2:36]

But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God, you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the course of the Jabbok nor that around the towns in the hills.

1.1 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

2.23 That is, Crete

3.34 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

Deuteronomy 3

Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei. [Deut 3:1]

The Lord said to me, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon." [Deut 3:2]

So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors. [Deut 3:3]

At that time we took all his cities. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them - the whole region of Argob, Og's kingdom in Bashan. [Deut 3:4]

All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. [Deut 3:5]

We completely destroyed them, as we'd done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying every city - men, women and children. [Deut 3:6]

But all the livestock and the plunder from their cities we carried off for ourselves. [Deut 3:7]

So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon. [Deut 3:8]

(Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.) [Deut 3:9]

We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, towns of Og's kingdom in Bashan. [Deut 3:10]

(Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.) [Deut 3:11]

Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns. [Deut 3:12]

The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh. (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites. [Deut 3:13]

Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites; it was named after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair.) [Deut 3:14]

And I gave Gilead to Makir. [Deut 3:15]

But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. [Deut 3:16]

Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah, from Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea [Deut 3:6]), below the slopes of Pisgah. [Deut 3:17]

I commanded you at that time: "The Lord your God has given you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of your brother Israelites. [Deut 3:18]

However, your wives, your children and your livestock (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you, [Deut 3:19]

till the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the Lord your God is giving them, across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you." [Deut 3:20]

At that time I commanded Joshua: "You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. [Deut 3:21]

Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you." [Deut 3:22]

At that time I pleaded with the Lord: [Deut 3:23]

"O Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? [Deut 3:24]

Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan - that fine hill country and Lebanon." [Deut 3:25]

But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. "That is enough," the Lord said. "Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. [Deut 3:26]

Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan. [Deut 3:27]

But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see." [Deut 3:28]

So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.

1.6 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

2.6 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

3.11 Or sarcophagus

4.11 Hebrew nine cubits long and four cubits wide (about 4 meters long and 1.8 meters wide)

5.14 Or called the settlements of Jair

6.17 That is, the Dead Sea

Deuteronomy 4

Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. [Deut 4:1]

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. [Deut 4:2]

You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, [Deut 4:3]

but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today. [Deut 4:4]

See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. [Deut 4:5]

Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." [Deut 4:6]

What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? [Deut 4:7]

And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? [Deut 4:8]

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. [Deut 4:9]

Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." [Deut 4:10]

You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. [Deut 4:11]

Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. [Deut 4:12]

He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. [Deut 4:13]

And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. [Deut 4:14]

You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, [Deut 4:15]

so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, [Deut 4:16]

or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, [Deut 4:17]

or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. [Deut 4:18]

And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars - all the heavenly array - do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. [Deut 4:19]

But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are. [Deut 4:20]

The Lord was angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. [Deut 4:21]

I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land. [Deut 4:22]

Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. [Deut 4:23]

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. [Deut 4:24]

After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time - if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and provoking him to anger, [Deut 4:25]

I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. [Deut 4:26]

The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. [Deut 4:27]

There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. [Deut 4:28]

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. [Deut 4:29]

When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. [Deut 4:30]

For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. [Deut 4:31]

Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? [Deut 4:32]

Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? [Deut 4:33]

Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? [Deut 4:34]

You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. [Deut 4:35]

From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. [Deut 4:36]

Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, [Deut 4:37]

to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. [Deut 4:38]

Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. [Deut 4:39]

Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time. [Deut 4:40]

Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, [Deut 4:41]

to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if he had unintentionally killed his neighbour without malice aforethought. He could flee into one of these cities and save his life. [Deut 4:42]

The cities were these: Bezer in the desert plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites. [Deut 4:43]

This is the law Moses set before the Israelites. [Deut 4:44]

These are the stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out of Egypt [Deut 4:45]

and were in the valley near Beth Peor east of the Jordan, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. [Deut 4:46]

They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. [Deut 4:47]

This land extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge to Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon), [Deut 4:48]

and included all the Arabah east of the Jordan, as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the slopes of Pisgah.

1.33 Or of a god

2.48 Hebrew; Syriac (see also Deut. 3:9) Sirion

3.49 That is, the Dead Sea

Deuteronomy 5

Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. [Deut 5:1]

The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. [Deut 5:2]

It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. [Deut 5:3]

The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. [Deut 5:4]

(At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said: [Deut 5:5]

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Deut 5:6]

"You shall have no other gods before me. [Deut 5:7]

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. [Deut 5:8]

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, [Deut 5:9]

but showing love to a thousand [Deut 5:generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments. [Deut 5:10]

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. [Deut 5:11]

"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. [Deut 5:12]

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, [Deut 5:13]

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. [Deut 5:14]

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. [Deut 5:15]

"Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. [Deut 5:16]

"You shall not murder. [Deut 5:17]

"You shall not commit adultery. [Deut 5:18]

"You shall not steal. [Deut 5:19]

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. [Deut 5:20]

"You shall not covet your neighbour's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbour's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour." [Deut 5:21]

These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. [Deut 5:22]

When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and your elders came to me. [Deut 5:23]

And you said, "The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. [Deut 5:24]

But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. [Deut 5:25]

For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? [Deut 5:26]

Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey." [Deut 5:27]

The Lord heard you when you spoke to me and the Lord said to me, "I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. [Deut 5:28]

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! [Deut 5:29]

"Go, tell them to return to their tents. [Deut 5:30]

But you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess." [Deut 5:31]

So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. [Deut 5:32]

Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

1.7 Or besides

Deuteronomy 6

These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, [Deut 6:1]

so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. [Deut 6:2]

Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. [Deut 6:3]

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [Deut 6:4]

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. [Deut 6:5]

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. [Deut 6:6]

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. [Deut 6:7]

Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. [Deut 6:8]

Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. [Deut 6:9]

When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you - a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, [Deut 6:10]

houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant - then when you eat and are satisfied, [Deut 6:11]

be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Deut 6:12]

Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. [Deut 6:13]

Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; [Deut 6:14]

for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. [Deut 6:15]

Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. [Deut 6:16]

Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. [Deut 6:17]

Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers, [Deut 6:18]

thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said. [Deut 6:19]

In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?" [Deut 6:20]

tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. [Deut 6:21]

Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders - great and terrible - on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. [Deut 6:22]

But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. [Deut 6:23]

The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. [Deut 6:24]

And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."

1.4 Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone

Deuteronomy 7

When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations - the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you - [Deut 7:1]

and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. [Deut 7:2]

Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, [Deut 7:3]

for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. [Deut 7:4]

This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. [Deut 7:5]

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. [Deut 7:6]

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. [Deut 7:7]

But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. [Deut 7:8]

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. [Deut 7:9]

But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. [Deut 7:10]

Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. [Deut 7:11]

If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. [Deut 7:12]

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land - your grain, new wine and oil - the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. [Deut 7:13]

You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. [Deut 7:14]

The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. [Deut 7:15]

You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you. [Deut 7:16]

You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?" [Deut 7:17]

But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. [Deut 7:18]

You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. [Deut 7:19]

Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet among them till even the survivors who hide from you have perished. [Deut 7:20]

Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. [Deut 7:21]

The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. [Deut 7:22]

But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion till they are destroyed. [Deut 7:23]

He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. None will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them. [Deut 7:24]

The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. [Deut 7:25]

Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

1.2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.

2.5 That is, symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 8

Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. [Deut 8:1]

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you'd keep his commands. [Deut 8:2]

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. [Deut 8:3]

Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. [Deut 8:4]

Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. [Deut 8:5]

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and revering him. [Deut 8:6]

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; [Deut 8:7]

a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; [Deut 8:8]

a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. [Deut 8:9]

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. [Deut 8:10]

Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. [Deut 8:11]

Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, [Deut 8:12]

and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, [Deut 8:13]

then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Deut 8:14]

He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. [Deut 8:15]

He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. [Deut 8:16]

You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." [Deut 8:17]

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. [Deut 8:18]

If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. [Deut 8:19]

Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 9

Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. [Deut 9:1]

The people are strong and tall - Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?" [Deut 9:2]

But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you. [Deut 9:3]

After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. [Deut 9:4]

It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. [Deut 9:5]

Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. [Deut 9:6]

Remember this and never forget how you provoked the Lord your God to anger in the desert. From the day you left Egypt till you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord. [Deut 9:7]

At Horeb you aroused the Lord's wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you. [Deut 9:8]

When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. [Deut 9:9]

The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. [Deut 9:10]

At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. [Deut 9:11]

Then the Lord told me, "Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made a cast idol for themselves." [Deut 9:12]

And the Lord said to me, "I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! [Deut 9:13]

Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they." [Deut 9:14]

So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. [Deut 9:15]

When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. [Deut 9:16]

So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes. [Deut 9:17]

Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord's sight and so provoking him to anger. [Deut 9:18]

I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me. [Deut 9:19]

And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. [Deut 9:20]

Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain. [Deut 9:21]

You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah. [Deut 9:22]

And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, "Go up and take possession of the land I have given you." But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him. [Deut 9:23]

You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you. [Deut 9:24]

I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroy you. [Deut 9:25]

I prayed to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. [Deut 9:26]

Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin. [Deut 9:27]

Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, "Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the desert." [Deut 9:28]

But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm."

1.15 Or And I had the two tablets of the covenant with me, one in each hand

Deuteronomy 10

At that time the Lord said to me, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden chest. [Deut 10:1]

I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the chest." [Deut 10:2]

So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. [Deut 10:3]

The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. [Deut 10:4]

Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the Lord commanded me, and they are there now. [Deut 10:5]

(The Israelites traveled from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest. [Deut 10:6]

From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water. [Deut 10:7]

At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. [Deut 10:8]

That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as the Lord your God told them.) [Deut 10:9]

Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, as I did the first time, and the Lord listened to me at this time also. It was not his will to destroy you. [Deut 10:10]

"Go," the Lord said to me, "and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them." [Deut 10:11]

And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, [Deut 10:12]

and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? [Deut 10:13]

To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. [Deut 10:14]

Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. [Deut 10:15]

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. [Deut 10:16]

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. [Deut 10:17]

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. [Deut 10:18]

And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. [Deut 10:19]

Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. [Deut 10:20]

He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. [Deut 10:21]

Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

1.1 That is, an ark

Deuteronomy 11

Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. [Deut 11:1]

Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; [Deut 11:2]

the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country; [Deut 11:3]

what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. [Deut 11:4]

It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the desert till you arrived at this place, [Deut 11:5]

and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. [Deut 11:6]

But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done. [Deut 11:7]

Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, [Deut 11:8]

and so that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. [Deut 11:9]

The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. [Deut 11:10]

But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. [Deut 11:11]

It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. [Deut 11:12]

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today - to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul - [Deut 11:13]

then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. [Deut 11:14]

I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. [Deut 11:15]

Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. [Deut 11:16]

Then the Lord's anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you. [Deut 11:17]

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. [Deut 11:18]

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. [Deut 11:19]

Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, [Deut 11:20]

so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. [Deut 11:21]

If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow - to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him - [Deut 11:22]

then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. [Deut 11:23]

Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea. [Deut 11:24]

No man will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go. [Deut 11:25]

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse - [Deut 11:26]

the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; [Deut 11:27]

the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. [Deut 11:28]

When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses. [Deut 11:29]

As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. [Deut 11:30]

You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, [Deut 11:31]

be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.

1.4 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

2.24 That is, the Mediterranean

3.30 Or Jordan, westward

Deuteronomy 12

These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess - as long as you live in the land. [Deut 12:1]

Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. [Deut 12:2]

Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. [Deut 12:3]

You must not worship the Lord your God in their way. [Deut 12:4]

But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; [Deut 12:5]

there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. [Deut 12:6]

There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you. [Deut 12:7]

You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit, [Deut 12:8]

since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. [Deut 12:9]

But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. [Deut 12:10]

Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name - there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord. [Deut 12:11]

And there rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns, who have no allotment or inheritance of their own. [Deut 12:12]

Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. [Deut 12:13]

Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you. [Deut 12:14]

Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. [Deut 12:15]

But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. [Deut 12:16]

You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. [Deut 12:17]

Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns - and you are to rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. [Deut 12:18]

Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land. [Deut 12:19]

When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory as he promised you, and you crave meat and say, "I would like some meat," then you may eat as much of it as you want. [Deut 12:20]

If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his Name is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want. [Deut 12:21]

Eat them as you'd gazelle or deer. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. [Deut 12:22]

But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. [Deut 12:23]

You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. [Deut 12:24]

Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. [Deut 12:25]

But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give, and go to the place the Lord will choose. [Deut 12:26]

Present your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. [Deut 12:27]

Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God. [Deut 12:28]

The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, [Deut 12:29]

and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same." [Deut 12:30]

You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. [Deut 12:31]

See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.

Deuteronomy 13

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, [Deut 13:1]

and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," [Deut 13:2]

you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. [Deut 13:3]

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. [Deut 13:4]

That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you. [Deut 13:5]

If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, [Deut 13:6]

gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), [Deut 13:7]

do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. [Deut 13:8]

You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. [Deut 13:9]

Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Deut 13:10]

Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and none among you will do such an evil thing again. [Deut 13:11]

If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in [Deut 13:12]

that wicked men have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, "Let us go and worship other gods" (gods you have not known), [Deut 13:13]

then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, [Deut 13:14]

you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. [Deut 13:15]

Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt. [Deut 13:16]

None of those condemned things shall be found in your hands, so that the Lord will turn from his fierce anger; he will show you mercy, have compassion on you, and increase your numbers, as he promised on oath to your forefathers, [Deut 13:17]

because you obey the Lord your God, keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right in his eyes.

1.[Deut 13:15,17] The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

2.[Deut 13:15,17] The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

Deuteronomy 14

You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, [Deut 14:1]

for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession. [Deut 14:2]

Do not eat any detestable thing. [Deut 14:3]

These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, [Deut 14:4]

the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. [Deut 14:5]

You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. [Deut 14:6]

However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. [Deut 14:7]

The pig is also unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses. [Deut 14:8]

Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. [Deut 14:9]

But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean. [Deut 14:10]

You may eat any clean bird. [Deut 14:11]

But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, [Deut 14:12]

the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, [Deut 14:13]

any kind of raven, [Deut 14:14]

the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, [Deut 14:15]

the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, [Deut 14:16]

the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, [Deut 14:17]

the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. [Deut 14:18]

All flying insects that swarm are unclean to you; do not eat them. [Deut 14:19]

But any winged creature that is clean you may eat. [Deut 14:20]

Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. [Deut 14:21]

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. [Deut 14:22]

Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. [Deut 14:23]

But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), [Deut 14:24]

then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. [Deut 14:25]

Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. [Deut 14:26]

And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. [Deut 14:27]

At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, [Deut 14:28]

so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

1.5 The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.

2.7 That is, the hyrax or rock badger

Deuteronomy 15

At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. [Deut 15:1]

This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the Lord's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. [Deut 15:2]

You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. [Deut 15:3]

However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, [Deut 15:4]

if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. [Deut 15:5]

For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. [Deut 15:6]

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. [Deut 15:7]

Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. [Deut 15:8]

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. [Deut 15:9]

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. [Deut 15:10]

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. [Deut 15:11]

If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. [Deut 15:12]

And when you release him, do not send him away empty- handed. [Deut 15:13]

Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. [Deut 15:14]

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today. [Deut 15:15]

But if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, [Deut 15:16]

then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant. [Deut 15:17]

Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because his service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. [Deut 15:18]

Set apart for the Lord your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your oxen to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep. [Deut 15:19]

Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. [Deut 15:20]

If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. [Deut 15:21]

You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer. [Deut 15:22]

But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.

Deuteronomy 16

Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night. [Deut 16:1]

Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name. [Deut 16:2]

Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste - so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. [Deut 16:3]

Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain till morning. [Deut 16:4]

You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you [Deut 16:5]

except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. [Deut 16:6]

Roast it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. [Deut 16:7]

For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the Lord your God and do no work. [Deut 16:8]

Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. [Deut 16:9]

Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. [Deut 16:10]

And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you. [Deut 16:11]

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees. [Deut 16:12]

Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. [Deut 16:13]

Be joyful at your Feast - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. [Deut 16:14]

For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete. [Deut 16:15]

Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed: [Deut 16:16]

Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. [Deut 16:17]

Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. [Deut 16:18]

Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. [Deut 16:19]

Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you. [Deut 16:20]

Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God, [Deut 16:21]

and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the Lord your God hates.

1.6 Or down, at the time of day

2.21 Or Do not plant any tree dedicated to Asherah

Deuteronomy 17

Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him. [Deut 17:1]

If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant, [Deut 17:2]

and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky, [Deut 17:3]

and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, [Deut 17:4]

take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death. [Deut 17:5]

On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but none shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. [Deut 17:6]

The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you. [Deut 17:7]

If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge - whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults - take them to the place the Lord your God will choose. [Deut 17:8]

Go to the priests, who are Levites, and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict. [Deut 17:9]

You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they direct you to do. [Deut 17:10]

Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left. [Deut 17:11]

The man who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the Lord your God must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. [Deut 17:12]

All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again. [Deut 17:13]

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," [Deut 17:14]

be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. [Deut 17:15]

The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." [Deut 17:16]

He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. [Deut 17:17]

When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. [Deut 17:18]

It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees [Deut 17:19]

and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

Deuteronomy 18

The priests, who are Levites - indeed the whole tribe of Levi - are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the offerings made to the Lord by fire, for that is their inheritance. [Deut 18:1]

They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. [Deut 18:2]

This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls and the inner parts. [Deut 18:3]

You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, [Deut 18:4]

for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord's name always. [Deut 18:5]

If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose, [Deut 18:6]

he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord. [Deut 18:7]

He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions. [Deut 18:8]

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. [Deut 18:9]

Let none be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, [Deut 18:10]

or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. [Deut 18:11]

Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. [Deut 18:12]

You must be blameless before the Lord your God. [Deut 18:13]

The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. [Deut 18:14]

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. [Deut 18:15]

For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." [Deut 18:16]

The Lord said to me: "What they say is good. [Deut 18:17]

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. [Deut 18:18]

If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. [Deut 18:19]

But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." [Deut 18:20]

You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?" [Deut 18:21]

If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

Deuteronomy 19

When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses, [Deut 19:1]

then set aside for yourselves three cities centrally located in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. [Deut 19:2]

Build roads to them and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that anyone who kills a man may flee there. [Deut 19:3]

This is the rule concerning the man who kills another and flees there to save his life - one who kills his neighbour unintentionally, without malice aforethought. [Deut 19:4]

For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbour to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbour and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. [Deut 19:5]

Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbour without malice aforethought. [Deut 19:6]

This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities. [Deut 19:7]

If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on oath to your forefathers, and gives you the whole land he promised them, [Deut 19:8]

because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today - to love the Lord your God and to walk always in his ways - then you are to set aside three more cities. [Deut 19:9]

Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. [Deut 19:10]

But if a man hates his neighbour and lies in wait for him, assaults and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, [Deut 19:11]

the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. [Deut 19:12]

Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you. [Deut 19:13]

Do not move your neighbour's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. [Deut 19:14]

One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. [Deut 19:15]

If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, [Deut 19:16]

the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. [Deut 19:17]

The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, [Deut 19:18]

then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. [Deut 19:19]

The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. [Deut 19:20]

Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Deuteronomy 20

When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. [Deut 20:1]

When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. [Deut 20:2]

He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. [Deut 20:3]

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." [Deut 20:4]

The officers shall say to the army: "Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. [Deut 20:5]

Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. [Deut 20:6]

Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her." [Deut 20:7]

Then the officers shall add, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too." [Deut 20:8]

When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it. [Deut 20:9]

When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. [Deut 20:10]

If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. [Deut 20:11]

If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. [Deut 20:12]

When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. [Deut 20:13]

As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. [Deut 20:14]

This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. [Deut 20:15]

However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. [Deut 20:16]

Completely destroy them - the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites - as the Lord your God has commanded you. [Deut 20:17]

Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God. [Deut 20:18]

When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them? [Deut 20:19]

However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works till the city at war with you falls.

1.17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

2.19 Or down to use in the siege, for the fruit trees are for the benefit of man.

Deuteronomy 21

If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, [Deut 21:1]

your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighbouring towns. [Deut 21:2]

Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke [Deut 21:3]

and lead her down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer's neck. [Deut 21:4]

The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. [Deut 21:5]

Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, [Deut 21:6]

and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. [Deut 21:7]

Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man." And the bloodshed will be atoned for. [Deut 21:8]

So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord. [Deut 21:9]

When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, [Deut 21:10]

if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. [Deut 21:11]

Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails [Deut 21:12]

and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. [Deut 21:13]

If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her. [Deut 21:14]

If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, [Deut 21:15]

when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. [Deut 21:16]

He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father's strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him. [Deut 21:17]

If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, [Deut 21:18]

his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. [Deut 21:19]

They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." [Deut 21:20]

Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid. [Deut 21:21]

If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, [Deut 21:22]

you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Deuteronomy 22

If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to him. [Deut 22:1]

If the brother does not live near you or if you do not know who he is, take it home with you and keep it till he comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. [Deut 22:2]

Do the same if you find your brother's donkey or his cloak or anything he loses. Do not ignore it. [Deut 22:3]

If you see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet. [Deut 22:4]

A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this. [Deut 22:5]

If you come across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. [Deut 22:6]

You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life. [Deut 22:7]

When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof. [Deut 22:8]

Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled. [Deut 22:9]

Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together. [Deut 22:10]

Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together. [Deut 22:11]

Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear. [Deut 22:12]

If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her, dislikes her [Deut 22:13]

and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, "I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity," [Deut 22:14]

then the girl's father and mother shall bring proof that she was a virgin to the town elders at the gate. [Deut 22:15]

The girl's father will say to the elders, "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. [Deut 22:16]

Now he has slandered her and said, "I did not find your daughter to be a virgin." But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity." Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, [Deut 22:17]

and the elders shall take the man and punish him. [Deut 22:18]

They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the girl's father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives. [Deut 22:19]

If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl's virginity can be found, [Deut 22:20]

she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you. [Deut 22:21]

If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. [Deut 22:22]

If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, [Deut 22:23]

you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death - the girl because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife. You must purge the evil from among you. [Deut 22:24]

But if out in the country a man happens to meet a girl pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. [Deut 22:25]

Do nothing to the girl; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders his neighbour, [Deut 22:26]

for the man found the girl out in the country, and though the betrothed girl screamed, there was none to rescue her. [Deut 22:27]

If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, [Deut 22:28]

he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives. [Deut 22:29]

A man is not to marry his father's wife; he must not dishonor his father's bed.

1.9 Or be forfeited to the sanctuary

2.19 That is, about 2 1/2 pounds (about 1 kilogram)

3.29 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds (about 0.6 kilogram)

Deuteronomy 23

None who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord. [Deut 23:1]

None born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. [Deut 23:2]

No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. [Deut 23:3]

For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. [Deut 23:4]

However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. [Deut 23:5]

Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live. [Deut 23:6]

Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not abhor an Egyptian, because you lived as an alien in his country. [Deut 23:7]

The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord. [Deut 23:8]

When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure. [Deut 23:9]

If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. [Deut 23:10]

But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp. [Deut 23:11]

Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. [Deut 23:12]

As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. [Deut 23:13]

For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. [Deut 23:14]

If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. [Deut 23:15]

Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him. [Deut 23:16]

No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. [Deut 23:17]

You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both. [Deut 23:18]

Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. [Deut 23:19]

You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess. [Deut 23:20]

If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. [Deut 23:21]

But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. [Deut 23:22]

Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth. [Deut 23:23]

If you enter your neighbour's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. [Deut 23:24]

If you enter your neighbour's grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain.

1.2 Or one of illegitimate birth

2.4 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

3.18 Hebrew of a dog

Deuteronomy 24

If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, [Deut 24:1]

and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, [Deut 24:2]

and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, [Deut 24:3]

then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin on the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. [Deut 24:4]

If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married. [Deut 24:5]

Do not take a pair of millstones - not even the upper one - as security for a debt, because that would be taking a man's livelihood as security. [Deut 24:6]

If a man is caught kidnapping one of his brother Israelites and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you. [Deut 24:7]

In cases of leprous diseases be very careful to do exactly as the priests, who are Levites, instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them. [Deut 24:8]

Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt. [Deut 24:9]

When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbour, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge. [Deut 24:10]

Stay outside and let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. [Deut 24:11]

If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession. [Deut 24:12]

Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God. [Deut 24:13]

Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. [Deut 24:14]

Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin. [Deut 24:15]

Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin. [Deut 24:16]

Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. [Deut 24:17]

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. [Deut 24:18]

When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. [Deut 24:19]

When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. [Deut 24:20]

When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. [Deut 24:21]

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

1.8 The Hebrew word was used for various diseases affecting the skin - not necessarily leprosy.

Deuteronomy 25

When men have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty. [Deut 25:1]

If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves, [Deut 25:2]

but he must not give him more than forty lashes. If he is flogged more than that, your brother will be degraded in your eyes. [Deut 25:3]

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. [Deut 25:4]

If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. [Deut 25:5]

The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. [Deut 25:6]

However, if a man does not want to marry his brother's wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, "My husband's brother refuses to carry on his brother's name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me." [Deut 25:7]

Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, "I do not want to marry her," [Deut 25:8]

his brother's widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, "This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line." [Deut 25:9]

That man's line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled. [Deut 25:10]

If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, [Deut 25:11]

you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. [Deut 25:12]

Do not have two differing weights in your bag - one heavy, one light. [Deut 25:13]

Do not have two differing measures in your house - one large, one small. [Deut 25:14]

You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. [Deut 25:15]

For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly. [Deut 25:16]

Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. [Deut 25:17]

When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. [Deut 25:18]

When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

Deuteronomy 26

When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, [Deut 26:1]

take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name [Deut 26:2]

and say to the priest in office at the time, "I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our forefathers to give us." [Deut 26:3]

The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. [Deut 26:4]

Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. [Deut 26:5]

But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. [Deut 26:6]

Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. [Deut 26:7]

So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. [Deut 26:8]

He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; [Deut 26:9]

and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me." Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. [Deut 26:10]

And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household. [Deut 26:11]

When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. [Deut 26:12]

Then say to the Lord your God: "I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them. [Deut 26:13]

I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. [Deut 26:14]

Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey." [Deut 26:15]

The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. [Deut 26:16]

You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him. [Deut 26:17]

And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. [Deut 26:18]

He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.

Deuteronomy 27

Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: "Keep all these commands that I give you today. [Deut 27:1]

When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. [Deut 27:2]

Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. [Deut 27:3]

And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. [Deut 27:4]

Build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them. [Deut 27:5]

Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. [Deut 27:6]

Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord your God. [Deut 27:7]

And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up." [Deut 27:8]

Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, said to all Israel, "Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. [Deut 27:9]

Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today." [Deut 27:10]

On the same day Moses commanded the people: [Deut 27:11]

When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. [Deut 27:12]

And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. [Deut 27:13]

The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice: [Deut 27:14]

"Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol - a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of the craftsman's hands - and sets it up in secret." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:15]

"Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or his mother." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:16]

"Cursed is the man who moves his neighbour's boundary stone." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:17]

"Cursed is the man who leads the blind astray on the road." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:18]

"Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:19]

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his father's wife, for he dishonors his father's bed." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:20]

"Cursed is the man who has sexual relations with any animal." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:21]

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:22]

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his mother-in-law." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:23]

"Cursed is the man who kills his neighbour secretly." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:24]

"Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" [Deut 27:25]

"Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

1.7 Traditionally peace offerings

Deuteronomy 28

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. [Deut 28:1]

All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: [Deut 28:2]

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. [Deut 28:3]

The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock - the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. [Deut 28:4]

Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. [Deut 28:5]

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. [Deut 28:6]

The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. [Deut 28:7]

The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. [Deut 28:8]

The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. [Deut 28:9]

Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. [Deut 28:10]

The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity - in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground - in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. [Deut 28:11]

The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. [Deut 28:12]

The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. [Deut 28:13]

Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. [Deut 28:14]

However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: [Deut 28:15]

You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. [Deut 28:16]

Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. [Deut 28:17]

The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. [Deut 28:18]

You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. [Deut 28:19]

The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, till you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. [Deut 28:20]

The Lord will plague you with diseases till he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. [Deut 28:21]

The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you till you perish. [Deut 28:22]

The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. [Deut 28:23]

The Lord will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies till you are destroyed. [Deut 28:24]

The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. [Deut 28:25]

Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be none to frighten them away. [Deut 28:26]

The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. [Deut 28:27]

The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. [Deut 28:28]

At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with none to rescue you. [Deut 28:29]

You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and ravish her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit. [Deut 28:30]

Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and none will rescue them. [Deut 28:31]

Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. [Deut 28:32]

A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days. [Deut 28:33]

The sights you see will drive you mad. [Deut 28:34]

The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head. [Deut 28:35]

The Lord will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your fathers. There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone. [Deut 28:36]

You will become a thing of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where the Lord will drive you. [Deut 28:37]

You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. [Deut 28:38]

You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. [Deut 28:39]

You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off. [Deut 28:40]

You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity. [Deut 28:41]

Swarms of locusts will take over all your trees and the crops of your land. [Deut 28:42]

The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. [Deut 28:43]

He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail. [Deut 28:44]

All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. [Deut 28:45]

They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever. [Deut 28:46]

Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, [Deut 28:47]

therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck till he has destroyed you. [Deut 28:48]

The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, [Deut 28:49]

a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. [Deut 28:50]

They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land till you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks till you are ruined. [Deut 28:51]

They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land till the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you. [Deut 28:52]

Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you. [Deut 28:53]

Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, [Deut 28:54]

and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. [Deut 28:55]

The most gentle and sensitive woman among you - so sensitive and gentle that sIt is not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot - will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter [Deut 28:56]

the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that your enemy will inflict on you in your cities. [Deut 28:57]

If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name - the Lord your God - [Deut 28:58]

the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. [Deut 28:59]

He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. [Deut 28:60]

The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, till you are destroyed. [Deut 28:61]

You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the Lord your God. [Deut 28:62]

Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. [Deut 28:63]

Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods - gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. [Deut 28:64]

Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. [Deut 28:65]

You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. [Deut 28:66]

In the morning you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the evening, "If only it were morning!" - because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see. [Deut 28:67]

The Lord will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but none will buy you.

1.20 Hebrew me

Deuteronomy 29

These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb. [Deut 29:1]

Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. [Deut 29:2]

With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. [Deut 29:3]

But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. [Deut 29:4]

During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. [Deut 29:5]

You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God. [Deut 29:6]

When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. [Deut 29:7]

We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. [Deut 29:8]

Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do. [Deut 29:9]

All of you are standing today in the presence of the Lord your God - your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, [Deut 29:10]

together with your children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water. [Deut 29:11]

You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, [Deut 29:12]

to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. [Deut 29:13]

I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you [Deut 29:14]

who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today. [Deut 29:15]

You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. [Deut 29:16]

You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. [Deut 29:17]

Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. [Deut 29:18]

When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, "I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way." This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. [Deut 29:19]

The Lord will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall on him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven. [Deut 29:20]

The Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law. [Deut 29:21]

Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it. [Deut 29:22]

The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur - nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger. [Deut 29:23]

All the nations will ask: "Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?" [Deut 29:24]

And the answer will be: "It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. [Deut 29:25]

They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. [Deut 29:26]

Therefore the Lord's anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. [Deut 29:27]

In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now." [Deut 29:28]

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

1.19 Or way, in order to add drunkenness to thirst."

Deuteronomy 30

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, [Deut 30:1]

and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, [Deut 30:2]

then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. [Deut 30:3]

Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. [Deut 30:4]

He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. [Deut 30:5]

The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. [Deut 30:6]

The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. [Deut 30:7]

You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. [Deut 30:8]

Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, [Deut 30:9]

if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. [Deut 30:10]

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. [Deut 30:11]

It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" [Deut 30:12]

Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" [Deut 30:13]

No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. [Deut 30:14]

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. [Deut 30:15]

For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. [Deut 30:16]

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, [Deut 30:17]

I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. [Deut 30:18]

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live [Deut 30:19]

and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

1.3 Or will bring you back from captivity

Deuteronomy 31

Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: [Deut 31:1]

"I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, "You shall not cross the Jordan." [Deut 31:2]

The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. [Deut 31:3]

And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. [Deut 31:4]

The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. [Deut 31:5]

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." [Deut 31:6]

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. [Deut 31:7]

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." [Deut 31:8]

So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. [Deut 31:9]

Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, [Deut 31:10]

when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. [Deut 31:11]

Assemble the people - men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns - so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. [Deut 31:12]

Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." [Deut 31:13]

The Lord said to Moses, "Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, where I will commission him." So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting. [Deut 31:14]

Then the Lord appeared at the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the Tent. [Deut 31:15]

And the Lord said to Moses: "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. [Deut 31:16]

On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come on them, and on that day they will ask, "Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?" [Deut 31:17]

And I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods. [Deut 31:18]

"Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. [Deut 31:19]

When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. [Deut 31:20]

And when many disasters and difficulties come on them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath." [Deut 31:21]

So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites. [Deut 31:22]

The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you." [Deut 31:23]

After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, [Deut 31:24]

he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord: [Deut 31:25]

"Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you. [Deut 31:26]

For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! [Deut 31:27]

Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to testify against them. [Deut 31:28]

For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and provoke him to anger by what your hands have made." [Deut 31:29]

And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

Deuteronomy 32

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. [Deut 32:1]

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. [Deut 32:2]

I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! [Deut 32:3]

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. [Deut 32:4]

They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation. [Deut 32:5]

Is this the way you repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? [Deut 32:6]

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. [Deut 32:7]

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. [Deut 32:8]

For the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. [Deut 32:9]

In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, [Deut 32:10]

like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. [Deut 32:11]

The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him. [Deut 32:12]

He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, [Deut 32:13]

with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. [Deut 32:14]

Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. [Deut 32:15]

They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. [Deut 32:16]

They sacrificed to demons, which are not God - gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear. [Deut 32:17]

You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. [Deut 32:18]

The Lord saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. [Deut 32:19]

"I will hide my face from them," he said, "and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. [Deut 32:20]

They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding. [Deut 32:21]

For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains. [Deut 32:22]

"I will heap calamities on them and spend my arrows against them. [Deut 32:23]

I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust. [Deut 32:24]

In the street the sword will make them childless; in their homes terror will reign. Young men and young women will perish, infants and gray-haired men. [Deut 32:25]

I said I would scatter them and blot out their memory from mankind, [Deut 32:26]

but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, "Our hand has triumphed; the Lord has not done all this.'" [Deut 32:27]

They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. [Deut 32:28]

If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be! [Deut 32:29]

How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the Lord had given them up? [Deut 32:30]

For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. [Deut 32:31]

Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison, and their clusters with bitterness. [Deut 32:32]

Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras. [Deut 32:33]

"Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults? [Deut 32:34]

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes on them." [Deut 32:35]

The Lord will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone and none is left, slave or free. [Deut 32:36]

He will say: "Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in, [Deut 32:37]

the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter! [Deut 32:38]

"See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and none can deliver out of my hand. [Deut 32:39]

I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, [Deut 32:40]

when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. [Deut 32:41]

I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders." [Deut 32:42]

Rejoice, O nations, with his people, [Deut 32:6] [Deut 32:7] for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people. [Deut 32:43]

Moses came with Joshua [Deut 32:8] son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. [Deut 32:44]

When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, [Deut 32:45]

he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. [Deut 32:46]

They are not just idle words for you - they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." [Deut 32:47]

On that same day the Lord told Moses, [Deut 32:48]

"Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. [Deut 32:49]

There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. [Deut 32:50]

This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. [Deut 32:51]

Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."

1.5 Or Corrupt are they and not his children, a generation warped and twisted to their shame

2.6 Or Father, who bought you

3.8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) sons of God

4.15 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.

5.22 Hebrew to Sheol

6.43 Or Make his people rejoice, O nations

7.43 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) people, and let all the angels worship him /

8.44 Hebrew Hoshea, a variant of Joshua

Deuteronomy 33

This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. [Deut 33:1]

He said: "The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes. [Deut 33:2]

Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down, and from you receive instruction, [Deut 33:3]

the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob. [Deut 33:4]

He was king over Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, along with the tribes of Israel. [Deut 33:5]

"Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few." [Deut 33:6]

And this he said about Judah: "Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!" [Deut 33:7]

About Levi he said: "Your Thummim and Urim belong to the man you favored. You tested him at Massah; you contended with him at the waters of Meribah. [Deut 33:8]

He said of his father and mother, "I have no regard for them." He did not recognize his brothers or acknowledge his own children, but he watched over your word and guarded your covenant. [Deut 33:9]

He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel. He offers incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. [Deut 33:10]

Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; strike his foes till they rise no more." [Deut 33:11]

About Benjamin he said: "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders." [Deut 33:12]

About Joseph he said: "May the Lord bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; [Deut 33:13]

with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; [Deut 33:14]

with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; [Deut 33:15]

with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. [Deut 33:16]

In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of Manasseh." [Deut 33:17]

About Zebulun he said: "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents. [Deut 33:18]

They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand." [Deut 33:19]

About Gad he said: "Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain! Gad lives there like a lion, tearing at arm or head. [Deut 33:20]

He chose the best land for himself; the leader's portion was kept for him. When the heads of the people assembled, he carried out the Lord's righteous will, and his judgments concerning Israel." [Deut 33:21]

About Dan he said: "Dan is a lion's cub, springing out of Bashan." [Deut 33:22]

About Naphtali he said: "Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord and is full of his blessing; he will inherit southward to the lake." [Deut 33:23]

About Asher he said: "Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil. [Deut 33:24]

The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days. [Deut 33:25]

"There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. [Deut 33:26]

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, "Destroy him!" [Deut 33:27]

So Israel will live in safety alone; Jacob's spring is secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew. [Deut 33:28]

Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places. [Deut 33:6]"

1.2 Or from

2.2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

3.5 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel; also in verse 26.

4.6 Or but let

5.16 Or of the one separated from

6.29 Or will tread on their bodies

Deuteronomy 34

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land - from Gilead to Dan, [Deut 34:1]

all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, [Deut 34:2]

the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. [Deut 34:3]

Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, "I will give it to your descendants." I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." [Deut 34:4]

And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. [Deut 34:5]

He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day none knows where his grave is. [Deut 34:6]

Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. [Deut 34:7]

The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, till the time of weeping and mourning was over. [Deut 34:8]

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses. [Deut 34:9]

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, [Deut 34:10]

who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt - to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. [Deut 34:11]

For none has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

1.2 That is, the Mediterranean

2.6 Or He was buried

3.9 Or Spirit

Joshua - 24 chaps

Joshua 1

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: [Josh 1:1]

"Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them - to the Israelites. [Josh 1:2]

I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. [Josh 1:3]

Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates - all the Hittite country - to the Great Sea on the west. [Josh 1:4]

None will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. [Josh 1:5]

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. [Josh 1:6]

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. [Josh 1:7]

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. [Josh 1:8]

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." [Josh 1:9]

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: [Josh 1:10]

"Go through the camp and tell the people, "Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.'" [Josh 1:11]

But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, [Josh 1:12]

"Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: "The Lord your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land." [Josh 1:13]

Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers [Josh 1:14]

till the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you, and till they too have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise." [Josh 1:15]

Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. [Josh 1:16]

Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. [Josh 1:17]

Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!"

1.4 That is, the Mediterranean

Joshua 2

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. [Josh 2:1]

The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." [Josh 2:2]

So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." [Josh 2:3]

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. [Josh 2:4]

At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I do not know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." [Josh 2:5]

(But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) [Josh 2:6]

So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut. [Josh 2:7]

Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof [Josh 2:8]

and said to them, "I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. [Josh 2:9]

We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. [Josh 2:10]

When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. [Josh 2:11]

Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign [Josh 2:12]

that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death." [Josh 2:13]

"Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you do not tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land." [Josh 2:14]

So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. [Josh 2:15]

Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days till they return, and then go on your way." [Josh 2:16]

The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us [Josh 2:17]

unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. [Josh 2:18]

If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. [Josh 2:19]

But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear." [Josh 2:20]

"Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. [Josh 2:21]

When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, till the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. [Josh 2:22]

Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. [Josh 2:23]

They said to Joshua, "The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

1.1 Or possibly an innkeeper

2.10 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

3.10 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

Joshua 3

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. [Josh 3:1]

After three days the officers went throughout the camp, [Josh 3:2]

giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. [Josh 3:3]

Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it." [Josh 3:4]

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." [Josh 3:5]

Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them. [Josh 3:6]

And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. [Josh 3:7]

Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: "When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.'" [Josh 3:8]

Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. [Josh 3:9]

This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. [Josh 3:10]

See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. [Josh 3:11]

Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. [Josh 3:12]

And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord - the Lord of all the earth - set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap." [Josh 3:13]

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. [Josh 3:14]

Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, [Josh 3:15]

the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. [Josh 3:16]

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by till the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

1.4 Hebrew about two thousand cubits (about 900 meters)

2.16 That is, the Dead Sea

Joshua 4

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, [Josh 4:1]

"Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, [Josh 4:2]

and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." [Josh 4:3]

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, [Josh 4:4]

and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, [Josh 4:5]

to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, "What do these stones mean?" [Josh 4:6]

tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." [Josh 4:7]

So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. [Josh 4:8]

Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day. [Josh 4:9]

Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan till everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, [Josh 4:10]

and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. [Josh 4:11]

The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, armed, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. [Josh 4:12]

About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war. [Josh 4:13]

That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. [Josh 4:14]

Then the Lord said to Joshua, [Josh 4:15]

"Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan." [Josh 4:16]

So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." [Josh 4:17]

And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before. [Josh 4:18]

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. [Josh 4:19]

And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. [Josh 4:20]

He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, "What do these stones mean?" [Josh 4:21]

tell them, "Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground." [Josh 4:22]

For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you till you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us till we had crossed over. [Josh 4:23]

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God."

1.9 Or Joshua also set up twelve stones

2.23 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

Joshua 5

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites till we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. [Josh 5:1]

At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again." [Josh 5:2]

So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. [Josh 5:3]

Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt - all the men of military age - died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. [Josh 5:4]

All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. [Josh 5:5]

The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years till all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. [Josh 5:6]

So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. [Josh 5:7]

And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp till they were healed. [Josh 5:8]

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day. [Josh 5:9]

On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. [Josh 5:10]

The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. [Josh 5:11]

The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan. [Josh 5:12]

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" [Josh 5:13]

"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" [Josh 5:14]

The commander of the Lord's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

1.3 Gibeath Haaraloth means hill of foreskins.

2.9 Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew for roll.

3.12 Or the day

4.14 Or lord

Joshua 6

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. None went out and none came in. [Josh 6:1]

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. [Josh 6:2]

March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. [Josh 6:3]

Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. [Josh 6:4]

When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." [Josh 6:5]

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it." [Josh 6:6]

And he ordered the people, "Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord." [Josh 6:7]

When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord's covenant followed them. [Josh 6:8]

The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. [Josh 6:9]

But Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word till the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!" [Josh 6:10]

So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there. [Josh 6:11]

Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. [Josh 6:12]

The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. [Josh 6:13]

So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. [Josh 6:14]

On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. [Josh 6:15]

The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! [Josh 6:16]

The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. [Josh 6:17]

But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. [Josh 6:18]

All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury." [Josh 6:19]

When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. [Josh 6:20]

They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it - men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys. [Josh 6:21]

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." [Josh 6:22]

So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel. [Josh 6:23]

Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord's house. [Josh 6:24]

But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho - and she lives among the Israelites to this day. [Josh 6:25]

At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the Lord is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates." [Josh 6:26]

So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

1.17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 18 and 21.

2.17 Or possibly innkeeper ; also in verses 22 and 25

Joshua 7

But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord's anger burned against Israel. [Josh 7:1]

Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai. [Josh 7:2]

When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there." [Josh 7:3]

So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, [Josh 7:4]

who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water. [Josh 7:5]

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. [Josh 7:6]

And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we'd been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! [Josh 7:7]

O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? [Josh 7:8]

The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?" [Josh 7:9]

The Lord said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? [Josh 7:10]

Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. [Josh 7:11]

That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. [Josh 7:12]

"Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, "Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies till you remove it. [Josh 7:13]

In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the Lord takes shall come forward clan by clan; the clan that the Lord takes shall come forward family by family; and the family that the Lord takes shall come forward man by man. [Josh 7:14]

He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!'" [Josh 7:15]

Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken. [Josh 7:16]

The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken. [Josh 7:17]

Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. [Josh 7:18]

Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me." [Josh 7:19]

Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: [Josh 7:20]

When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, [Josh 7:6] two hundred shekels [Josh 7:7] of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, [Josh 7:8] I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." [Josh 7:21]

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. [Josh 7:22]

They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. [Josh 7:23]

Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. [Josh 7:24]

Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. [Josh 7:25]

Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor [Josh 7:9] ever since.

1.1 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 11, 12, 13 and 15.

2.1 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 2:6; Hebrew Zabdi; also in verses 17 and 18.

3.5 Or as far as Shebarim

4.19 A solemn charge to tell the truth

5.19 Or and confess to him

6.21 Hebrew Shinar

7.21 That is, about 5 pounds (about 2.3 kilograms)

8.21 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds (about 0.6 kilogram)

9.26 Achor means trouble.

Joshua 8

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. [Josh 8:1]

You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city." [Josh 8:2]

So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night [Josh 8:3]

with these orders: "Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Do not go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. [Josh 8:4]

I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. [Josh 8:5]

They will pursue us till we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, "They are running away from us as they did before." So when we flee from them, [Josh 8:6]

you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand. [Josh 8:7]

When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. See to it; you have my orders." [Josh 8:8]

Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai - but Joshua spent that night with the people. [Josh 8:9]

Early the next morning Joshua mustered his men, and he and the leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai. [Josh 8:10]

The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. [Josh 8:11]

Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. [Josh 8:12]

They had the soldiers take up their positions - all those in the camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley. [Josh 8:13]

When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. [Josh 8:14]

Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the desert. [Josh 8:15]

All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. [Josh 8:16]

Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel. [Josh 8:17]

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city." So Joshua held out his javelin toward Ai. [Josh 8:18]

As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire. [Josh 8:19]

The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising against the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction, for the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the desert had turned back against their pursuers. [Josh 8:20]

For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from the city, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. [Josh 8:21]

The men of the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. [Josh 8:22]

But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. [Josh 8:23]

When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the desert where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. [Josh 8:24]

Twelve thousand men and women fell that day - all the people of Ai. [Josh 8:25]

For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin till he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. [Josh 8:26]

But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua. [Josh 8:27]

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. [Josh 8:28]

He hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there till evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take his body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day. [Josh 8:29]

Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, [Josh 8:30]

as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses - an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. [Josh 8:31]

There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written. [Josh 8:32]

All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing those who carried it - the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. [Josh 8:33]

Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law - the blessings and the curses - just as it is written in the Book of the Law. [Josh 8:34]

There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.

1.26 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

2.31 Traditionally peace offerings

Joshua 9

Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things - those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites) - [Josh 9:1]

they came together to make war against Joshua and Israel. [Josh 9:2]

However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, [Josh 9:3]

they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. [Josh 9:4]

The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. [Josh 9:5]

Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us." [Josh 9:6]

The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?" [Josh 9:7]

"We are your servants," they said to Joshua. But Joshua asked, "Who are you and where do you come from?" [Josh 9:8]

They answered: "Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, [Josh 9:9]

and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan - Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. [Josh 9:10]

And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, "Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, "We are your servants; make a treaty with us."" [Josh 9:11]

This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. [Josh 9:12]

And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey." [Josh 9:13]

The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. [Josh 9:14]

Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath. [Josh 9:15]

Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbours, living near them. [Josh 9:16]

So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. [Josh 9:17]

But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, [Josh 9:18]

but all the leaders answered, "We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. [Josh 9:19]

This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them." [Josh 9:20]

They continued, "Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community." So the leaders' promise to them was kept. [Josh 9:21]

Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, "Why did you deceive us by saying, "We live a long way from you," while actually you live near us? [Josh 9:22]

You are now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God." [Josh 9:23]

They answered Joshua, "Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. [Josh 9:24]

We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you." [Josh 9:25]

So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. [Josh 9:26]

That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. And that is what they are to this day.

1.1 That is, the Mediterranean

2.4 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) They prepared provisions and loaded their donkeys

Joshua 10

Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them. [Josh 10:1]

He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. [Josh 10:2]

So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. [Josh 10:3]

"Come up and help me attack Gibeon," he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites." [Josh 10:4]

Then the five kings of the Amorites - the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon - joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it. [Josh 10:5]

The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us." [Josh 10:6]

So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. [Josh 10:7]

The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you." [Josh 10:8]

After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. [Josh 10:9]

The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. [Josh 10:10]

As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. [Josh 10:11]

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." [Josh 10:12]

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. [Josh 10:13]

There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! [Josh 10:14]

Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal. [Josh 10:15]

Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. [Josh 10:16]

When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, [Josh 10:17]

he said, "Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. [Josh 10:18]

But do not stop! Pursue your enemies, attack them from the rear and do not let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand." [Josh 10:19]

So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed them completely - almost to a man - but the few who were left reached their fortified cities. [Josh 10:20]

The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and none uttered a word against the Israelites. [Josh 10:21]

Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." [Josh 10:22]

So they brought the five kings out of the cave - the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. [Josh 10:23]

When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks. [Josh 10:24]

Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." [Josh 10:25]

Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees till evening. [Josh 10:26]

At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day. [Josh 10:27]

That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. [Josh 10:28]

Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. [Josh 10:29]

The Lord also gave that city and its king into Israel's hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho. [Josh 10:30]

Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. [Josh 10:31]

The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. [Josh 10:32]

Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army - till no survivors were left. [Josh 10:33]

Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it. [Josh 10:34]

They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it, just as they had done to Lachish. [Josh 10:35]

Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. [Josh 10:36]

They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it. [Josh 10:37]

Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir. [Josh 10:38]

They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron. [Josh 10:39]

So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. [Josh 10:40]

Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. [Josh 10:41]

All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. [Josh 10:42]

Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

1.1 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 28, 35, 37, 39 and 40.

2.13 Or nation triumphed over

Joshua 11

When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph, [Josh 11:1]

and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; [Josh 11:2]

to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah. [Josh 11:3]

They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots - a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. [Josh 11:4]

All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. [Josh 11:5]

The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots." [Josh 11:6]

So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, [Josh 11:7]

and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, till no survivors were left. [Josh 11:8]

Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots. [Josh 11:9]

At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) [Josh 11:10]

Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself. [Josh 11:11]

Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. [Josh 11:12]

Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds - except Hazor, which Joshua burned. [Josh 11:13]

The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword till they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. [Josh 11:14]

As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. [Josh 11:15]

So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, [Josh 11:16]

from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. [Josh 11:17]

Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. [Josh 11:18]

Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle. [Josh 11:19]

For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses. [Josh 11:20]

At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns. [Josh 11:21]

No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive. [Josh 11:22]

So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.

1.2 Or in the heights of Dor

2.11 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 12, 20 and 21.

Joshua 12

These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon, including all the eastern side of the Arabah: [Josh 12:1]

Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge - from the middle of the gorge - to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead. [Josh 12:2]

He also ruled over the eastern Arabah from the Sea of Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), to Beth Jeshimoth, and then southward below the slopes of Pisgah. [Josh 12:3]

And the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. [Josh 12:4]

He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of the people of Geshur and Maacah, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon. [Josh 12:5]

Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the Israelites conquered them. And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession. [Josh 12:6]

These are the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir (their lands Joshua gave as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions - [Josh 12:7]

the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the desert and the Negev - the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites): [Josh 12:8]

the king of Jericho one the king of Ai (near Bethel) one [Josh 12:9]

the king of Jerusalem one the king of Hebron one [Josh 12:10]

the king of Jarmuth one the king of Lachish one [Josh 12:11]

the king of Eglon one the king of Gezer one [Josh 12:12]

the king of Debir one the king of Geder one [Josh 12:13]

the king of Hormah one the king of Arad one [Josh 12:14]

the king of Libnah one the king of Adullam one [Josh 12:15]

the king of Makkedah one the king of Bethel one [Josh 12:16]

the king of Tappuah one the king of Hepher one [Josh 12:17]

the king of Aphek one the king of Lasharon one [Josh 12:18]

the king of Madon one the king of Hazor one [Josh 12:19]

the king of Shimron Meron one the king of Acshaph one [Josh 12:20]

the king of Taanach one the king of Megiddo one [Josh 12:21]

the king of Kedesh one the king of Jokneam in Carmel one [Josh 12:22]

the king of Dor (in Naphoth Dor) one the king of Goyim in Gilgal one [Josh 12:23]

the king of Tirzah one thirty-one kings in all.

1.3 That is, Galilee

2.3 That is, the Dead Sea

3.23 Or in the heights of Dor

Joshua 13

When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the Lord said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. [Josh 13:1]

"This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites: [Josh 13:2]

from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the territory of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron - that of the Avvites); [Josh 13:3]

from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek, the region of the Amorites, [Josh 13:4]

the area of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath. [Josh 13:5]

"As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you, [Josh 13:6]

and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh." [Josh 13:7]

The other half of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received the inheritance that Moses had given them east of the Jordan, as he, the servant of the Lord, had assigned it to them. [Josh 13:8]

It extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon, [Josh 13:9]

and all the towns of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, out to the border of the Ammonites. [Josh 13:10]

It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacah, all of Mount Hermon and all Bashan as far as Salecah - [Josh 13:11]

that is, the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had survived as one of the last of the Rephaites. Moses had defeated them and taken over their land. [Josh 13:12]

But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day. [Josh 13:13]

But to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance, since the offerings made by fire to the Lord, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, as he promised them. [Josh 13:14]

This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan: [Josh 13:15]

The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and the whole plateau past Medeba [Josh 13:16]

to Heshbon and all its towns on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, [Josh 13:17]

Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, [Josh 13:18]

Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley, [Josh 13:19]

Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth [Josh 13:20]

- all the towns on the plateau and the entire realm of Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled at Heshbon. Moses had defeated him and the Midianite chiefs, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba - princes allied with Sihon - who lived in that country. [Josh 13:21]

In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination. [Josh 13:22]

The boundary of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Reubenites, clan by clan. [Josh 13:23]

This is what Moses had given to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan: [Josh 13:24]

The territory of Jazer, all the towns of Gilead and half the Ammonite country as far as Aroer, near Rabbah; [Josh 13:25]

and from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir; [Josh 13:26]

and in the valley, Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon with the rest of the realm of Sihon king of Heshbon (the east side of the Jordan, the territory up to the end of the Sea of Kinnereth). [Josh 13:27]

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the Gadites, clan by clan. [Josh 13:28]

This is what Moses had given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the family of the descendants of Manasseh, clan by clan: [Josh 13:29]

The territory extending from Mahanaim and including all of Bashan, the entire realm of Og king of Bashan - all the settlements of Jair in Bashan, sixty towns, [Josh 13:30]

half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan). This was for the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh - for half of the sons of Makir, clan by clan. [Josh 13:31]

This is the inheritance Moses had given when he was in the plains of Moab across the Jordan east of Jericho. [Josh 13:32]

But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them.

1.5 That is, the area of Byblos

2.5 Or to the entrance to

3.8 Hebrew With it (that is, with the other half of Manasseh)

4.27 That is, Galilee

Joshua 14

Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them. [Josh 14:1]

Their inheritances were assigned by lot to the nine-and-a-half tribes, as the Lord had commanded through Moses. [Josh 14:2]

Moses had granted the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan but had not granted the Levites an inheritance among the rest, [Josh 14:3]

for the sons of Joseph had become two tribes - Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites received no share of the land but only towns to live in, with pasturelands for their flocks and herds. [Josh 14:4]

So the Israelites divided the land, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. [Josh 14:5]

Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. [Josh 14:6]

I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, [Josh 14:7]

but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. [Josh 14:8]

So on that day Moses swore to me, "The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly." [Josh 14:9]

"Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! [Josh 14:10]

I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I am just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. [Josh 14:11]

Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said." [Josh 14:12]

Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. [Josh 14:13]

So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. [Josh 14:14]

(Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.) Then the land had rest from war.

1.9 Deut. 1:36

Joshua 15

The allotment for the tribe of Judah, clan by clan, extended down to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south. [Josh 15:1]

Their southern boundary started from the bay at the southern end of the Salt Sea, [Josh 15:2]

crossed south of Scorpion Pass, continued on to Zin and went over to the south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it ran past Hezron up to Addar and curved around to Karka. [Josh 15:3]

It then passed along to Azmon and joined the Wadi of Egypt, ending at the sea. This is their southern boundary. [Josh 15:4]

The eastern boundary is the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan. The northern boundary started from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan, [Josh 15:5]

went up to Beth Hoglah and continued north of Beth Arabah to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. [Josh 15:6]

The boundary then went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor and turned north to Gilgal, which faces the Pass of Adummim south of the gorge. It continued along to the waters of En Shemesh and came out at En Rogel. [Josh 15:7]

Then it ran up the Valley of Ben Hinnom along the southern slope of the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem). From there it climbed to the top of the hill west of the Hinnom Valley at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. [Josh 15:8]

From the hilltop the boundary headed toward the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, came out at the towns of Mount Ephron and went down toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim). [Josh 15:9]

Then it curved westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Kesalon), continued down to Beth Shemesh and crossed to Timnah. [Josh 15:10]

It went to the northern slope of Ekron, turned toward Shikkeron, passed along to Mount Baalah and reached Jabneel. The boundary ended at the sea. [Josh 15:11]

The western boundary is the coastline of the Great Sea. These are the boundaries around the people of Judah by their clans. [Josh 15:12]

In accordance with the Lord's command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah - Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) [Josh 15:13]

From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites - Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai - descendants of Anak. [Josh 15:14]

From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). [Josh 15:15]

And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." [Josh 15:16]

Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. [Josh 15:17]

One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?" [Josh 15:18]

She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. [Josh 15:19]

This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan: [Josh 15:20]

The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the boundary of Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, [Josh 15:21]

Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, [Josh 15:22]

Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, [Josh 15:23]

Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, [Josh 15:24]

Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), [Josh 15:25]

Amam, Shema, Moladah, [Josh 15:26]

Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, [Josh 15:27]

Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, [Josh 15:28]

Baalah, Iim, Ezem, [Josh 15:29]

Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, [Josh 15:30]

Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, [Josh 15:31]

Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain and Rimmon - a total of twenty-nine towns and their villages. [Josh 15:32]

In the western foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, [Josh 15:33]

Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, [Josh 15:34]

Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, [Josh 15:35]

Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah (or Gederothaim) [Josh 15:6] - fourteen towns and their villages. [Josh 15:36]

Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, [Josh 15:37]

Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, [Josh 15:38]

Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, [Josh 15:39]

Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, [Josh 15:40]

Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah and Makkedah - sixteen towns and their villages. [Josh 15:41]

Libnah, Ether, Ashan, [Josh 15:42]

Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, [Josh 15:43]

Keilah, Aczib and Mareshah - nine towns and their villages. [Josh 15:44]

Ekron, with its surrounding settlements and villages; [Josh 15:45]

west of Ekron, all that were in the vicinity of Ashdod, together with their villages; [Josh 15:46]

Ashdod, its surrounding settlements and villages; and Gaza, its settlements and villages, as far as the Wadi of Egypt and the coastline of the Great Sea. [Josh 15:47]

In the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, [Josh 15:48]

Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir), [Josh 15:49]

Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, [Josh 15:50]

Goshen, Holon and Giloh - eleven towns and their villages. [Josh 15:51]

Arab, Dumah, Eshan, [Josh 15:52]

Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, [Josh 15:53]

Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) and Zior - nine towns and their villages. [Josh 15:54]

Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, [Josh 15:55]

Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, [Josh 15:56]

Kain, Gibeah and Timnah - ten towns and their villages. [Josh 15:57]

Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, [Josh 15:58]

Maarath, Beth Anoth and Eltekon - six towns and their villages. [Josh 15:59]

Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah - two towns and their villages. [Josh 15:60]

In the desert: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, [Josh 15:61]

Nibshan, the City of Salt and En Gedi - six towns and their villages. [Josh 15:62]

Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.

1.2 That is, the Dead Sea; also in verse 5

2.3 Hebrew Akrabbim

3.4 Hebrew your

4.12 That is, the Mediterranean; also in verse 47

5.18 Hebrew and some Septuagint manuscripts; other Septuagint manuscripts (see also note at Judges 1:14) Othniel, he urged her

6.36 Or Gederah and Gederothaim

Joshua 16

The allotment for Joseph began at the Jordan of Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, and went up from there through the desert into the hill country of Bethel. [Josh 16:1]

It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz), crossed over to the territory of the Arkites in Ataroth, [Josh 16:2]

descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the region of Lower Beth Horon and on to Gezer, ending at the sea. [Josh 16:3]

So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance. [Josh 16:4]

This was the territory of Ephraim, clan by clan: The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar in the east to Upper Beth Horon [Josh 16:5]

and continued to the sea. From Micmethath on the north it curved eastward to Taanath Shiloh, passing by it to Janoah on the east. [Josh 16:6]

Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho and came out at the Jordan. [Josh 16:7]

From Tappuah the border went west to the Kanah Ravine and ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites, clan by clan. [Josh 16:8]

It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites. [Josh 16:9]

They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.

1.1 Jordan of Jericho was possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River.

2.2 Septuagint; Hebrew Bethel to Luz

Joshua 17

This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph's firstborn, that is, for Makir, Manasseh's firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because the Makirites were great soldiers. [Josh 17:1]

So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh - the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans. [Josh 17:2]

Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. [Josh 17:3]

They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, "The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers." So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the Lord's command. [Josh 17:4]

Manasseh's share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan, [Josh 17:5]

because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh. [Josh 17:6]

The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher to Micmethath east of Shechem. The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah. [Josh 17:7]

(Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.) [Josh 17:8]

Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the sea. [Josh 17:9]

On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. [Josh 17:10]

Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth). [Josh 17:11]

Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. [Josh 17:12]

However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely. [Josh 17:13]

The people of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people and the Lord has blessed us abundantly." [Josh 17:14]

"If you are so numerous," Joshua answered, "and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites." [Josh 17:15]

The people of Joseph replied, "The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel." [Josh 17:16]

But Joshua said to the house of Joseph - to Ephraim and Manasseh - "You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment [Josh 17:17]

but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have iron chariots and though they are strong, you can drive them out."

1.11 That is, Naphoth Dor

Joshua 18

The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The country was brought under their control, [Josh 18:1]

but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. [Josh 18:2]

So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? [Josh 18:3]

Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. [Josh 18:4]

You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph in its territory on the north. [Josh 18:5]

After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God. [Josh 18:6]

The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them." [Josh 18:7]

As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, "Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord." [Josh 18:8]

So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. [Josh 18:9]

Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions. [Josh 18:10]

The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph: [Josh 18:11]

On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the desert of Beth Aven. [Josh 18:12]

From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon. [Josh 18:13]

From the hill facing Beth Horon on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side. [Josh 18:14]

The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. [Josh 18:15]

The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued down the Hinnom Valley along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel. [Josh 18:16]

It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth, which faces the Pass of Adummim, and ran down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. [Josh 18:17]

It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah and on down into the Arabah. [Josh 18:18]

It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary. [Josh 18:19]

The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side. These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides. [Josh 18:20]

The tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, had the following cities: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, [Josh 18:21]

Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, [Josh 18:22]

Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, [Josh 18:23]

Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba - twelve towns and their villages. [Josh 18:24]

Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, [Josh 18:25]

Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, [Josh 18:26]

Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, [Josh 18:27]

Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath - fourteen towns and their villages. This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.

1.18 Septuagint; Hebrew slope facing the Arabah

2.19 That is, the Dead Sea

Joshua 19

The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah. [Josh 19:1]

It included: Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, [Josh 19:2]

Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, [Josh 19:3]

Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, [Josh 19:4]

Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, [Josh 19:5]

Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen - thirteen towns and their villages; [Josh 19:6]

Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan - four towns and their villages - [Josh 19:7]

and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev). This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, clan by clan. [Josh 19:8]

The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah's portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah. [Josh 19:9]

The third lot came up for Zebulun, clan by clan: The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid. [Josh 19:10]

Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam. [Josh 19:11]

It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. [Josh 19:12]

Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and turned toward Neah. [Josh 19:13]

There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El. [Josh 19:14]

Included were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages. [Josh 19:15]

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun, clan by clan. [Josh 19:16]

The fourth lot came out for Issachar, clan by clan. [Josh 19:17]

Their territory included: Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, [Josh 19:18]

Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, [Josh 19:19]

Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, [Josh 19:20]

Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez. [Josh 19:21]

The boundary touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages. [Josh 19:22]

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, clan by clan. [Josh 19:23]

The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher, clan by clan. [Josh 19:24]

Their territory included: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph, [Josh 19:25]

Allammelech, Amad and Mishal. On the west the boundary touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. [Josh 19:26]

It then turned east toward Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El, and went north to Beth Emek and Neiel, passing Cabul on the left. [Josh 19:27]

It went to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. [Josh 19:28]

The boundary then turned back toward Ramah and went to the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah and came out at the sea in the region of Aczib, [Josh 19:29]

Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages. [Josh 19:30]

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, clan by clan. [Josh 19:31]

The sixth lot came out for Naphtali, clan by clan: [Josh 19:32]

Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim, passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. [Josh 19:33]

The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordan on the east. [Josh 19:34]

The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, [Josh 19:35]

Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, [Josh 19:36]

Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, [Josh 19:37]

Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and their villages. [Josh 19:38]

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, clan by clan. [Josh 19:39]

The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan, clan by clan. [Josh 19:40]

The territory of their inheritance included: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, [Josh 19:41]

Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, [Josh 19:42]

Elon, Timnah, Ekron, [Josh 19:43]

Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, [Josh 19:44]

Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, [Josh 19:45]

Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa. [Josh 19:46]

(But the Danites had difficulty taking possession of their territory, so they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named it Dan after their forefather.) [Josh 19:47]

These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, clan by clan. [Josh 19:48]

When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, [Josh 19:49]

as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for - Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there. [Josh 19:50]

These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.

1.2 Or Beersheba, Sheba; 1 Chron. 4:28 does not have Sheba.

2.28 Some Hebrew manuscripts (see also Joshua 21:30); most Hebrew manuscripts Ebron

3.34 Septuagint; Hebrew west, and Judah, the Jordan,

4.50 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9)

Joshua 20

Then the Lord said to Joshua: [Josh 20:1]

"Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, [Josh 20:2]

so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. [Josh 20:3]

"When he flees to one of these cities, he is to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state his case before the elders of that city. Then they are to admit him into their city and give him a place to live with them. [Josh 20:4]

If the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the one accused, because he killed his neighbour unintentionally and without malice aforethought. [Josh 20:5]

He is to stay in that city till he has stood trial before the assembly and till the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the town from which he fled." [Josh 20:6]

So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. [Josh 20:7]

On the east side of the Jordan of Jericho they designated Bezer in the desert on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. [Josh 20:8]

Any of the Israelites or any alien living among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

1.8 Jordan of Jericho was possibly an ancient name for the Jordan River.

Joshua 21

Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel [Josh 21:1]

at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, "The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock." [Josh 21:2]

So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance: [Josh 21:3]

The first lot came out for the Kohathites, clan by clan. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. [Josh 21:4]

The rest of Kohath's descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh. [Josh 21:5]

The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. [Josh 21:6]

The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. [Josh 21:7]

So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses. [Josh 21:8]

From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name [Josh 21:9]

(these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them): [Josh 21:10]

They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) [Josh 21:11]

But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession. [Josh 21:12]

So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah, [Josh 21:13]

Jattir, Eshtemoa, [Josh 21:14]

Holon, Debir, [Josh 21:15]

Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands - nine towns from these two tribes. [Josh 21:16]

And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, [Josh 21:17]

Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands - four towns. [Josh 21:18]

All the towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were thirteen, together with their pasturelands. [Josh 21:19]

The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim: [Josh 21:20]

In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer, [Josh 21:21]

Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands - four towns. [Josh 21:22]

Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon, [Josh 21:23]

Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands - four towns. [Josh 21:24]

From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands - two towns. [Josh 21:25]

All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans. [Josh 21:26]

The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: from the half- tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshtarah, together with their pasturelands - two towns; [Josh 21:27]

from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion, Daberath, [Josh 21:28]

Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands - four towns; [Josh 21:29]

from the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon, [Josh 21:30]

Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands - four towns; [Josh 21:31]

from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands - three towns. [Josh 21:32]

All the towns of the Gershonite clans were thirteen, together with their pasturelands. [Josh 21:33]

The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given: from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam, Kartah, [Josh 21:34]

Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands - four towns; [Josh 21:35]

from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz, [Josh 21:36]

Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands - four towns; [Josh 21:37]

from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim, [Josh 21:38]

Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands - four towns in all. [Josh 21:39]

All the towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, were twelve. [Josh 21:40]

The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands. [Josh 21:41]

Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns. [Josh 21:42]

So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. [Josh 21:43]

The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. [Josh 21:44]

Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

Joshua 22

Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half- tribe of Manasseh [Josh 22:1]

and said to them, "You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. [Josh 22:2]

For a long time now - to this very day - you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. [Josh 22:3]

Now that the Lord your God has given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. [Josh 22:4]

But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." [Josh 22:5]

Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes. [Josh 22:6]

(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them, [Josh 22:7]

saying, "Return to your homes with your great wealth - with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing - and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies." [Josh 22:8]

So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses. [Josh 22:9]

When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. [Josh 22:10]

And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, [Josh 22:11]

the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them. [Josh 22:12]

So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead - to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. [Josh 22:13]

With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans. [Josh 22:14]

When they went to Gilead - to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh - they said to them: [Josh 22:15]

"The whole assembly of the Lord says: "How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? [Josh 22:16]

Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! [Josh 22:17]

And are you now turning away from the Lord? ""If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. [Josh 22:18]

If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord's land, where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. [Josh 22:19]

When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come on the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.'" [Josh 22:20]

Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: [Josh 22:21]

"The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. [Josh 22:22]

If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account. [Josh 22:23]

"No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, "What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? [Josh 22:24]

The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you - you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord." So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord. [Josh 22:25]

"That is why we said, "Let us get ready and build an altar - but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices." [Josh 22:26]

On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, "You have no share in the Lord." [Josh 22:27]

"And we said, "If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord's altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you." [Josh 22:28]

"Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle." [Josh 22:29]

When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community - the heads of the clans of the Israelites - heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. [Josh 22:30]

And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord's hand." [Josh 22:31]

Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. [Josh 22:32]

They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived. [Josh 22:33]

And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God.

1.20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

2.23 Traditionally peace offerings; also in verse 27

Joshua 23

After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in years, [Josh 23:1]

summoned all Israel - their elders, leaders, judges and officials - and said to them: "I am old and well advanced in years. [Josh 23:2]

You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. [Josh 23:3]

Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain - the nations I conquered - between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west. [Josh 23:4]

The Lord your God himself will drive them out of your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you. [Josh 23:5]

"Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. [Josh 23:6]

Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. [Josh 23:7]

But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have till now. [Josh 23:8]

"The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day none has been able to withstand you. [Josh 23:9]

One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. [Josh 23:10]

So be very careful to love the Lord your God. [Josh 23:11]

"But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, [Josh 23:12]

then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, till you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you. [Josh 23:13]

"Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. [Josh 23:14]

But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, till he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. [Josh 23:15]

If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."

1.4 That is, the Mediterranean

Joshua 24

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. [Josh 24:1]

Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. [Josh 24:2]

But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, [Josh 24:3]

and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. [Josh 24:4]

Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. [Josh 24:5]

When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. [Josh 24:6]

But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time. [Josh 24:7]

I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. [Josh 24:8]

When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. [Josh 24:9]

But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand. [Josh 24:10]

Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. [Josh 24:11]

I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you - also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. [Josh 24:12]

So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant." [Josh 24:13]

"Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. [Josh 24:14]

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." [Josh 24:15]

Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! [Josh 24:16]

It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. [Josh 24:17]

And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God." [Josh 24:18]

Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. [Josh 24:19]

If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you." [Josh 24:20]

But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the Lord." [Josh 24:21]

Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord." "Yes, we are witnesses," they replied. [Josh 24:22]

"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel." [Josh 24:23]

And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God and obey him." [Josh 24:24]

On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. [Josh 24:25]

And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord. [Josh 24:26]

"See!" he said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God." [Josh 24:27]

Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. [Josh 24:28]

After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. [Josh 24:29]

And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. [Josh 24:30]

Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel. [Josh 24:31]

And Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants. [Josh 24:32]

And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

1.2 That is, the Euphrates; also in verses 3, 14 and 15

2.6 Or charioteers

3.6 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

4.30 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9)

5.32 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.

Judges - 21 chaps

Judges 1

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, "Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?" [Judg 1:1]

The Lord answered, "Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands." [Judg 1:2]

Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers, "Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours." So the Simeonites went with them. [Judg 1:3]

When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. [Judg 1:4]

It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. [Judg 1:5]

Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. [Judg 1:6]

Then Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. [Judg 1:7]

The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. [Judg 1:8]

After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. [Judg 1:9]

They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. [Judg 1:10]

From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). [Judg 1:11]

And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." [Judg 1:12]

Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. [Judg 1:13]

One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?" [Judg 1:14]

She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." Then Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. [Judg 1:15]

The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the men of Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad. [Judg 1:16]

Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their brothers and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah. [Judg 1:17]

The men of Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron - each city with its territory. [Judg 1:18]

The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots. [Judg 1:19]

As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. [Judg 1:20]

The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites. [Judg 1:21]

Now the house of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them. [Judg 1:22]

When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz), [Judg 1:23]

the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well." [Judg 1:24]

So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family. [Judg 1:25]

He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day. [Judg 1:26]

But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. [Judg 1:27]

When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. [Judg 1:28]

Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. [Judg 1:29]

Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but they did subject them to forced labor. [Judg 1:30]

Nor did Asher drive out those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob, [Judg 1:31]

and because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. [Judg 1:32]

Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. [Judg 1:33]

The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. [Judg 1:34]

And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the house of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. [Judg 1:35]

The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion [Judg 1:6] Pass to Sela and beyond.

1.14 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate Othniel, he urged her

2.16 That is, Jericho

3.17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

4.17 Hormah means destruction.

5.18 Hebrew; Septuagint Judah did not take

6.36 Hebrew Akrabbim

Judges 2

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, "I will never break my covenant with you, [Judg 2:1]

and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars." Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? [Judg 2:2]

Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be [Judg 2:thorns] in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you." [Judg 2:3]

When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, [Judg 2:4]

and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord. [Judg 2:5]

After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. [Judg 2:6]

The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. [Judg 2:7]

Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. [Judg 2:8]

And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. [Judg 2:9]

After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. [Judg 2:10]

Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. [Judg 2:11]

They forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the Lord to anger [Judg 2:12]

because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. [Judg 2:13]

In his anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. [Judg 2:14]

Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. [Judg 2:15]

Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. [Judg 2:16]

Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the Lord's commands. [Judg 2:17]

Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. [Judg 2:18]

But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. [Judg 2:19]

Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, [Judg 2:20]

I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. [Judg 2:21]

I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did." [Judg 2:22]

The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

1.5 Bokim means weepers.

2.9 Also known as Timnath Serah (see Joshua 19:50 and 24:30)

3.16 Or leaders; similarly in verses 17-19

Judges 3

These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan [Judg 3:1]

(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): [Judg 3:2]

the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. [Judg 3:3]

They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses. [Judg 3:4]

The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. [Judg 3:5]

They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. [Judg 3:6]

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. [Judg 3:7]

The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. [Judg 3:8]

But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. [Judg 3:9]

The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. [Judg 3:10]

So the land had peace for forty years, till Othniel son of Kenaz died. [Judg 3:11]

Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. [Judg 3:12]

Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. [Judg 3:13]

The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. [Judg 3:14]

Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer - Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. [Judg 3:15]

Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. [Judg 3:16]

He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. [Judg 3:17]

After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it. [Judg 3:18]

At the idols [Judg 3:6] near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." The king said, "Quiet!" And all his attendants left him. [Judg 3:19]

Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace [Judg 3:7] and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat, [Judg 3:20]

Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly. [Judg 3:21]

Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. [Judg 3:22]

Then Ehud went out to the porch [Judg 3:8]; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. [Judg 3:23]

After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house." [Judg 3:24]

They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead. [Judg 3:25]

While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. [Judg 3:26]

When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them. [Judg 3:27]

"Follow me," he ordered, "for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands." So they followed him down and, taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed none to cross over. [Judg 3:28]

At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped. [Judg 3:29]

That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years. [Judg 3:30]

After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

1.3 Or to the entrance to

2.8 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

3.10 Or leader

4.13 That is, Jericho

5.16 Hebrew a cubit (about 0.5 meter)

6.19 Or the stone quarries; also in verse 26

7.20 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

8.23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Judges 4

After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord. [Judg 4:1]

So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. [Judg 4:2]

Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help. [Judg 4:3]

Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. [Judg 4:4]

She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. [Judg 4:5]

She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: "Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. [Judg 4:6]

I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.'" [Judg 4:7]

Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you do not go with me, I will not go." [Judg 4:8]

"Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh, [Judg 4:9]

where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him. [Judg 4:10]

Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. [Judg 4:11]

When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, [Judg 4:12]

Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River. [Judg 4:13]

Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men. [Judg 4:14]

At Barak's advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. [Judg 4:15]

But Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left. [Judg 4:16]

Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. [Judg 4:17]

Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my lord, come right in. Do not be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him. [Judg 4:18]

"I am thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. [Judg 4:19]

"Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, "Is anyone here?" say "No.'" [Judg 4:20]

But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. [Judg 4:21]

Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you are looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple - dead. [Judg 4:22]

On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites. [Judg 4:23]

And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, till they destroyed him.

1.4 Traditionally judging

2.9 Or But on the expedition you are undertaking

3.11 Or father-in-law

Judges 5

On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: [Judg 5:1]

"When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves - praise the Lord! [Judg 5:2]

"Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the Lord, I will sing; I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel. [Judg 5:3]

"Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. [Judg 5:4]

The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel. [Judg 5:5]

"In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. [Judg 5:6]

Village life in Israel ceased, ceased till I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. [Judg 5:7]

When they chose new gods, war came to the city gates, and not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. [Judg 5:8]

My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord! [Judg 5:9]

"You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider [Judg 5:10]

the voice of the singers at the watering places. They recite the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous acts of his warriors [Judg 5:6] in Israel. "Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates. [Judg 5:11]

"Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam." [Judg 5:12]

"Then the men who were left came down to the nobles; the people of the Lord came to me with the mighty. [Judg 5:13]

Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander's staff. [Judg 5:14]

The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, rushing after him into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. [Judg 5:15]

Why did you stay among the campfires [Judg 5:7] to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. [Judg 5:16]

Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves. [Judg 5:17]

The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the heights of the field. [Judg 5:18]

"Kings came, they fought; the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they carried off no silver, no plunder. [Judg 5:19]

From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. [Judg 5:20]

The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong! [Judg 5:21]

Then thundered the horses' hoofs - galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds. [Judg 5:22]

"Curse Meroz," said the angel of the Lord. "Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty." [Judg 5:23]

"Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. [Judg 5:24]

He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk. [Judg 5:25]

Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman's hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. [Judg 5:26]

At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell - dead. [Judg 5:27]

"Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she cried out, "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?" [Judg 5:28]

The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, [Judg 5:29]

"Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a girl or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck - all this as plunder?" [Judg 5:30]

"So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength." Then the land had peace forty years.

1.3 Or of

2.3 Or with song I will praise

3.7 Or Warriors

4.7 Or you

5.11 Or archers; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

6.11 Or villagers

7.16 Or saddlebags

Judges 6

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. [Judg 6:1]

Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. [Judg 6:2]

Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. [Judg 6:3]

They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. [Judg 6:4]

They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. [Judg 6:5]

Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help. [Judg 6:6]

When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, [Judg 6:7]

he sent them a prophet, who said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Judg 6:8]

I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. [Judg 6:9]

I said to you, "I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live." But you have not listened to me." [Judg 6:10]

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. [Judg 6:11]

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." [Judg 6:12]

"But sir," Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, "Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?" But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian." [Judg 6:13]

The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" [Judg 6:14]

"But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." [Judg 6:15]

The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." [Judg 6:16]

Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. [Judg 6:17]

Please do not go away till I come back and bring my offering and set it before you." And the Lord said, "I will wait till you return." [Judg 6:18]

Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. [Judg 6:19]

The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. [Judg 6:20]

With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. [Judg 6:21]

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!" [Judg 6:22]

But the Lord said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." [Judg 6:23]

So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. [Judg 6:24]

That same night the Lord said to him, "Take the second bull from your father's herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. [Judg 6:25]

Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second [Judg 6:6] bull as a burnt offering." [Judg 6:26]

So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. [Judg 6:27]

In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal's altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar! [Judg 6:28]

They asked each other, "Who did this?" When they carefully investigated, they were told, "Gideon son of Joash did it." [Judg 6:29]

The men of the town demanded of Joash, "Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it." [Judg 6:30]

But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, "Are you going to plead Baal's cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar." [Judg 6:31]

So that day they called Gideon "Jerub-Baal, [Judg 6:7]" saying, "Let Baal contend with him," because he broke down Baal's altar. [Judg 6:32]

Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. [Judg 6:33]

Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. [Judg 6:34]

He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. [Judg 6:35]

Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised - [Judg 6:36]

look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." [Judg 6:37]

And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew - a bowlful of water. [Judg 6:38]

Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." [Judg 6:39]

That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

1.15 Or sir

2.19 That is, probably about 3/5 bushel (about 22 liters)

3.25 Or Take a full-grown, mature bull from your father's herd

4.25 That is, a symbol of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in Judges

5.26 Or build with layers of stone an

6.26 Or full-grown; also in verse 28

7.32 Jerub-Baal means let Baal contend.

Judges 7

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. [Judg 7:1]

The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, [Judg 7:2]

announce now to the people, "Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. [Judg 7:3]

But the Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, "This one shall go with you," he shall go; but if I say, "This one shall not go with you," he shall not go." [Judg 7:4]

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." [Judg 7:5]

Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. [Judg 7:6]

The Lord said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." [Judg 7:7]

So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. [Judg 7:8]

During that night the Lord said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. [Judg 7:9]

If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah [Judg 7:10]

and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. [Judg 7:11]

The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. [Judg 7:12]

Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed." [Judg 7:13]

His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands." [Judg 7:14]

When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands." [Judg 7:15]

Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. [Judg 7:16]

"Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. [Judg 7:17]

When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, "For the Lord and for Gideon.'" [Judg 7:18]

Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. [Judg 7:19]

The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!" [Judg 7:20]

While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. [Judg 7:21]

When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. [Judg 7:22]

Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. [Judg 7:23]

Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah." So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. [Judg 7:24]

They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

Judges 8

Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why did not you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply. [Judg 8:1]

But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? [Judg 8:2]

God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided. [Judg 8:3]

Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. [Judg 8:4]

He said to the men of Succoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." [Judg 8:5]

But the officials of Succoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?" [Judg 8:6]

Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers." [Judg 8:7]

From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. [Judg 8:8]

So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower." [Judg 8:9]

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. [Judg 8:10]

Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell on the unsuspecting army. [Judg 8:11]

Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army. [Judg 8:12]

Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. [Judg 8:13]

He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Succoth, the elders of the town. [Judg 8:14]

Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'" [Judg 8:15]

He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. [Judg 8:16]

He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town. [Judg 8:17]

Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince." [Judg 8:18]

Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you." [Judg 8:19]

Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. [Judg 8:20]

Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. "As is the man, so is his strength.'" So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks. [Judg 8:21]

The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us - you, your son and your grandson - because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian." [Judg 8:22]

But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you." [Judg 8:23]

And he said, "I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder." (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.) [Judg 8:24]

They answered, "We will be glad to give them." So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. [Judg 8:25]

The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks. [Judg 8:26]

Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. [Judg 8:27]

Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon's lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years. [Judg 8:28]

Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. [Judg 8:29]

He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. [Judg 8:30]

His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech. [Judg 8:31]

Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. [Judg 8:32]

No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and [Judg 8:33]

did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. [Judg 8:34]

They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for them.

1.8 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel; also in verses 9 and 17

2.26 That is, about 43 pounds (about 19.5 kilograms)

Judges 9

Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother's brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother's clan, [Judg 9:1]

"Ask all the citizens of Shechem, "Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal's sons rule over you, or just one man?" Remember, I am your flesh and blood." [Judg 9:2]

When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother." [Judg 9:3]

They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers. [Judg 9:4]

He went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. [Judg 9:5]

Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelech king. [Judg 9:6]

When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, "Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. [Judg 9:7]

One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, "Be our king." [Judg 9:8]

"But the olive tree answered, "Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honored, to hold sway over the trees?" [Judg 9:9]

"Next, the trees said to the fig tree, "Come and be our king." [Judg 9:10]

"But the fig tree replied, "Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?" [Judg 9:11]

"Then the trees said to the vine, "Come and be our king." [Judg 9:12]

"But the vine answered, "Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to hold sway over the trees?" [Judg 9:13]

"Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, "Come and be our king." [Judg 9:14]

"The thornbush said to the trees, "If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!" [Judg 9:15]

"Now if you have acted honorably and in good faith when you made Abimelech king, and if you have been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family, and if you have treated him as he deserves - [Judg 9:16]

and to think that my father fought for you, risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian [Judg 9:17]

(but today you have revolted against my father's family, murdered his seventy sons on a single stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave girl, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is your brother) - [Judg 9:18]

if then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too! [Judg 9:19]

But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelech!" [Judg 9:20]

Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech. [Judg 9:21]

After Abimelech had governed Israel three years, [Judg 9:22]

God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who acted treacherously against Abimelech. [Judg 9:23]

God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal's seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers. [Judg 9:24]

In opposition to him these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelech. [Judg 9:25]

Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his brothers into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him. [Judg 9:26]

After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelech. [Judg 9:27]

Then Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should be subject to him? Is not he Jerub-Baal's son, and is not Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech? [Judg 9:28]

If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelech, "Call out your whole army!'" [Judg 9:29]

When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry. [Judg 9:30]

Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. [Judg 9:31]

Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields. [Judg 9:32]

In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do whatever your hand finds to do." [Judg 9:33]

So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies. [Judg 9:34]

Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate just as Abimelech and his soldiers came out from their hiding place. [Judg 9:35]

When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!" Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men." [Judg 9:36]

But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers' tree." [Judg 9:37]

Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, "Who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him?" Are not these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!" [Judg 9:38]

So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech. [Judg 9:39]

Abimelech chased him, and many fell wounded in the flight - all the way to the entrance to the gate. [Judg 9:40]

Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. [Judg 9:41]

The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech. [Judg 9:42]

So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. [Judg 9:43]

Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance to the city gate. Then two companies rushed on those in the fields and struck them down. [Judg 9:44]

All that day Abimelech pressed his attack against the city till he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it. [Judg 9:45]

On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. [Judg 9:46]

When Abimelech heard that they had assembled there, [Judg 9:47]

he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you have seen me do!" [Judg 9:48]

So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died. [Judg 9:49]

Next Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it. [Judg 9:50]

Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women - all the people of the city - fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. [Judg 9:51]

Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, [Judg 9:52]

a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. [Judg 9:53]

Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they cannot say, "A woman killed him.'" So his servant ran him through, and he died. [Judg 9:54]

When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. [Judg 9:55]

Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. [Judg 9:56]

God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.

1.4 That is, about 1 3/4 pounds (about 0.8 kilogram)

2.29 Septuagint; Hebrew him." Then he said to Abimelech, "Call out your whole army!"

3.39 Or Gaal went out in the sight of

Judges 10

After the time of Abimelech a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. [Judg 10:1]

He led Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir. [Judg 10:2]

He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years. [Judg 10:3]

He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair. [Judg 10:4]

When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon. [Judg 10:5]

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, [Judg 10:6]

he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, [Judg 10:7]

who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. [Judg 10:8]

The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great distress. [Judg 10:9]

Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, "We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals." [Judg 10:10]

The Lord replied, "When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, [Judg 10:11]

the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? [Judg 10:12]

But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. [Judg 10:13]

Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!" [Judg 10:14]

But the Israelites said to the Lord, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now." [Judg 10:15]

Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel's misery no longer. [Judg 10:16]

When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. [Judg 10:17]

The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all those living in Gilead."

1.2 Traditionally judged; also in verse 3

2.4 Or called the settlements of Jair

3.12 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts Midianites

Judges 11

Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. [Judg 11:1]

Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." [Judg 11:2]

So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him. [Judg 11:3]

Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, [Judg 11:4]

the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. [Judg 11:5]

"Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites." [Judg 11:6]

Jephthah said to them, "Did not you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?" [Judg 11:7]

The elders of Gilead said to him, "Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead." [Judg 11:8]

Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me - will I really be your head?" [Judg 11:9]

The elders of Gilead replied, "The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." [Judg 11:10]

So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah. [Judg 11:11]

Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: "What do you have against us that you have attacked our country?" [Judg 11:12]

The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah's messengers, "When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably." [Judg 11:13]

Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king, [Judg 11:14]

saying: "This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. [Judg 11:15]

But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the desert to the Red Sea and on to Kadesh. [Judg 11:16]

Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, "Give us permission to go through your country," but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. [Judg 11:17]

"Next they traveled through the desert, skirted the lands of Edom and Moab, passed along the eastern side of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon. They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border. [Judg 11:18]

"Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, "Let us pass through your country to our own place." [Judg 11:19]

Sihon, however, did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He mustered all his men and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. [Judg 11:20]

"Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country, [Judg 11:21]

capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan. [Judg 11:22]

"Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over? [Judg 11:23]

Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the Lord our God has given us, we will possess. [Judg 11:24]

Are you better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them? [Judg 11:25]

For three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why did not you retake them during that time? [Judg 11:26]

I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites." [Judg 11:27]

The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him. [Judg 11:28]

Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. [Judg 11:29]

And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, [Judg 11:30]

whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering." [Judg 11:31]

Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. [Judg 11:32]

He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon. [Judg 11:33]

When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. [Judg 11:34]

When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break." [Judg 11:35]

"My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. [Judg 11:36]

But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry." [Judg 11:37]

"You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. [Judg 11:38]

After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin. From this comes the Israelite custom [Judg 11:39]

that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

1.16 Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

2.20 Or however, would not make an agreement for Israel

3.27 Or Ruler

Judges 12

The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We are going to burn down your house over your head." [Judg 12:1]

Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you did not save me out of their hands. [Judg 12:2]

When I saw that you would not help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?" [Judg 12:3]

Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh." [Judg 12:4]

The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he replied, "No," [Judg 12:5]

they said, "All right, say "Shibboleth.'" If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time. [Judg 12:6]

Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in a town in Gilead. [Judg 12:7]

After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel. [Judg 12:8]

He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. [Judg 12:9]

Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem. [Judg 12:10]

After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years. [Judg 12:11]

Then Elon died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. [Judg 12:12]

After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel. [Judg 12:13]

He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years. [Judg 12:14]

Then Abdon son of Hillel died, and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

1.7 Traditionally judged; also in verses 8-14

Judges 13

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. [Judg 13:1]

A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. [Judg 13:2]

The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. [Judg 13:3]

Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, [Judg 13:4]

because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." [Judg 13:5]

Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. [Judg 13:6]

But he said to me, "You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth till the day of his death.'" [Judg 13:7]

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: "O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born." [Judg 13:8]

God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. [Judg 13:9]

The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He is here! The man who appeared to me the other day!" [Judg 13:10]

Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?" "I am," he said. [Judg 13:11]

So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?" [Judg 13:12]

The angel of the Lord answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. [Judg 13:13]

She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her." [Judg 13:14]

Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "We'd like you to stay till we prepare a young goat for you." [Judg 13:15]

The angel of the Lord replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the Lord.) [Judg 13:16]

Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?" [Judg 13:17]

He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." [Judg 13:18]

Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: [Judg 13:19]

As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. [Judg 13:20]

When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord. [Judg 13:21]

"We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!" [Judg 13:22]

But his wife answered, "If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this." [Judg 13:23]

The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, [Judg 13:24]

and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

1.18 Or is wonderful

Judges 14

Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. [Judg 14:1]

When he returned, he said to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." [Judg 14:2]

His father and mother replied, "Is not there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She is the right one for me." [Judg 14:3]

(His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.) [Judg 14:4]

Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. [Judg 14:5]

The Spirit of the Lord came on him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. [Judg 14:6]

Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her. [Judg 14:7]

Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, [Judg 14:8]

which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass. [Judg 14:9]

Now his father went down to see the woman. And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms. [Judg 14:10]

When he appeared, he was given thirty companions. [Judg 14:11]

"Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. [Judg 14:12]

If you cannot tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes." "Tell us your riddle," they said. "Let us hear it." [Judg 14:13]

He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet." For three days they could not give the answer. [Judg 14:14]

On the fourth day, they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father's household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?" [Judg 14:15]

Then Samson's wife threw herself on him, sobbing, "You hate me! You do not really love me. You have given my people a riddle, but you have not told me the answer." "I have not even explained it to my father or mother," he replied, "so why should I explain it to you?" [Judg 14:16]

She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people. [Judg 14:17]

Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Samson said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle." [Judg 14:18]

Then the Spirit of the Lord came on him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house. [Judg 14:19]

And Samson's wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.

1.15 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew seventh

Judges 15

Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, "I am going to my wife's room." But her father would not let him go in. [Judg 15:1]

"I was so sure you thoroughly hated her," he said, "that I gave her to your friend. Is not her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead." [Judg 15:2]

Samson said to them, "This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them." [Judg 15:3]

So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, [Judg 15:4]

lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves. [Judg 15:5]

When the Philistines asked, "Who did this?" they were told, "Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because his wife was given to his friend." So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death. [Judg 15:6]

Samson said to them, "Since you have acted like this, I will not stop till I get my revenge on you." [Judg 15:7]

He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam. [Judg 15:8]

The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. [Judg 15:9]

The men of Judah asked, "Why have you come to fight us?" "We have come to take Samson prisoner," they answered, "to do to him as he did to us." [Judg 15:10]

Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, "Do not you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?" He answered, "I merely did to them what they did to me." [Judg 15:11]

They said to him, "We have come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines." Samson said, "Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves." [Judg 15:12]

"Agreed," they answered. "We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. [Judg 15:13]

As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came on him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. [Judg 15:14]

Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men. [Judg 15:15]

Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men." [Judg 15:16]

When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi. [Judg 15:17]

Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" [Judg 15:18]

Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi. [Judg 15:19]

Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

1.16 Or made a heap or two; the Hebrew for donkey sounds like the Hebrew for heap.

2.17 Ramath Lehi means jawbone hill.

3.19 En Hakkore means caller's spring.

4.20 Traditionally judged

Judges 16

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. [Judg 16:1]

The people of Gaza were told, "Samson is here!" So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, "At dawn we will kill him." [Judg 16:2]

But Samson lay there only till the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. [Judg 16:3]

Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. [Judg 16:4]

The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver." [Judg 16:5]

So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued." [Judg 16:6]

Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man." [Judg 16:7]

Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. [Judg 16:8]

With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are on you!" But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. [Judg 16:9]

Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied." [Judg 16:10]

He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man." [Judg 16:11]

So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are on you!" But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads. [Judg 16:12]

Delilah then said to Samson, "Till now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied." He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric [Judg 16:on the loom] and tighten it with the pin, I will become as weak as any other man." So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric [Judg 16:13]

and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are on you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric. [Judg 16:14]

Then she said to him, "How can you say, "I love you," when you will not confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and have not told me the secret of your great strength." [Judg 16:15]

With such nagging she prodded him day after day till he was tired to death. [Judg 16:16]

So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." [Judg 16:17]

When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. [Judg 16:18]

Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. [Judg 16:19]

Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are on you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I will go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had left him. [Judg 16:20]

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. [Judg 16:21]

But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. [Judg 16:22]

Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands." [Judg 16:23]

When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain." [Judg 16:24]

While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, [Judg 16:25]

Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them." [Judg 16:26]

Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. [Judg 16:27]

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, "O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." [Judg 16:28]

Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, [Judg 16:29]

Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. [Judg 16:30]

Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.

1.5 That is, about 28 pounds (about 13 kilograms)

2.7 Or bowstrings; also in verses 8 and 9

3.[Judg 13,14] Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew "[Judg I can] if you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric [Judg on the loom]." So she

4.19 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and he began to weaken

5.31 Traditionally judged

Judges 17

Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim [Judg 17:1]

said to his mother, "The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse - I have that silver with me; I took it." Then his mother said, "The Lord bless you, my son!" [Judg 17:2]

When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, "I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol. I will give it back to you." [Judg 17:3]

So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into the image and the idol. And they were put in Micah's house. [Judg 17:4]

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest. [Judg 17:5]

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. [Judg 17:6]

A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, [Judg 17:7]

left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. [Judg 17:8]

Micah asked him, "Where are you from?" "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah," he said, "and I am looking for a place to stay." [Judg 17:9]

Then Micah said to him, "Live with me and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food." [Judg 17:10]

So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man was to him like one of his sons. [Judg 17:11]

Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. [Judg 17:12]

And Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest."

1.2 That is, about 28 pounds (about 13 kilograms)

2.4 That is, about 5 pounds (about 2.3 kilograms)

3.8 Or To carry on his profession

4.10 That is, about 4 ounces (about 110 grams)

Judges 18

In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. [Judg 18:1]

So the Danites sent five warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all their clans. They told them, "Go, explore the land." The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. [Judg 18:2]

When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?" [Judg 18:3]

He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest." [Judg 18:4]

Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful." [Judg 18:5]

The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the Lord's approval." [Judg 18:6]

So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, unsuspecting and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. [Judg 18:7]

When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, "How did you find things?" [Judg 18:8]

They answered, "Come on, let us attack them! We have seen that the land is very good. Are not you going to do something? Do not hesitate to go there and take it over. [Judg 18:9]

When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever." [Judg 18:10]

Then six hundred men from the clan of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. [Judg 18:11]

On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. [Judg 18:12]

From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house. [Judg 18:13]

Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their brothers, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, other household gods, a carved image and a cast idol? Now you know what to do." [Judg 18:14]

So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him. [Judg 18:15]