Thursday 13 April 2017

Day 44: Numbers 24 - 26


NUMBERS 24 

1 Now Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 
Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him, 
3 and he uttered his oracle, saying: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is clear, 
4 the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, but with eyes uncovered: 
5 how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! 
6 Like palm groves that stretch far away, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. 
7 Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall have abundant water, his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 
God who brings him out of Egypt, is like the horns of a wild ox for him; he shall devour the nations that are his foes and break their bones. He shall strike with his arrows. 
9 He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, and cursed is everyone who curses you." 
10 Then Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. 
11 Now be off with you! Go home! I said, "I will reward you richly,' but the Lord has denied you any reward." 
12 And Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 
13 "If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the Lord says, that is what I will say'? 
14 So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come." 
15 So he uttered his oracle, saying: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is clear, 
16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered: 
17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near— a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the borderlands of Moab, and the territory of all the Shethites. 
18 Edom will become a possession, Seir a possession of its enemies, while Israel does valiantly. 
19 One out of Jacob shall rule, and destroy the survivors of Ir." 
20 Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying: "First among the nations was Amalek, but its end is to perish forever." 
21 Then he looked on the Kenite, and uttered his oracle, saying: "Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock; 
22 yet Kain is destined for burning. How long shall Asshur take you away captive?" 
23 Again he uttered his oracle, saying: "Alas, who shall live when God does this? 
24 But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he also shall perish forever." 
25 Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.

NUMBERS 25 

1 While Israel was staying at Shittim, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab. 
2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 
3 Thus Israel yoked itself to the Baal of Peor, and the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel. 
4 The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people, and impale them in the sun before the Lord, in order that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel." 
5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you shall kill any of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor." 
6 Just then one of the Israelites came and brought a Midianite woman into his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 
7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he got up and left the congregation. Taking a spear in his hand, 
8 he went after the Israelite man into the tent, and pierced the two of them, the Israelite and the woman, through the belly. So the plague was stopped among the people of Israel. 
9 Nevertheless those that died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. 
10 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 
11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites by manifesting such zeal among them on my behalf that in my jealousy I did not consume the Israelites. 
12 Therefore say, "I hereby grant him my covenant of peace. 
13 It shall be for him and for his descendants after him a covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the Israelites.' " 
14 The name of the slain Israelite man, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, head of an ancestral house belonging to the Simeonites. 
15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was the head of a clan, an ancestral house in Midian. 
16 The Lord said to Moses, 
17 "Harass the Midianites, and defeat them; 
18 for they have harassed you by the trickery with which they deceived you in the affair of Peor, and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister; she was killed on the day of the plague that resulted from Peor."

NUMBERS 26 

1 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, 
2 "Take a census of the whole congregation of the Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their ancestral houses, everyone in Israel able to go to war." 
3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 
4 "Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward," as the Lord commanded Moses. The Israelites, who came out of the land of Egypt, were: 
5 Reuben, the firstborn of Israel. The descendants of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites; 
6 of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites. 
7 These are the clans of the Reubenites; the number of those enrolled was forty-three thousand seven hundred thirty. 
8 And the descendants of Pallu: Eliab. 
9 The descendants of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the same Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they rebelled against the Lord, 
10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred fifty men; and they became a warning. 
11 Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah did not die. 
12 The descendants of Simeon by their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites; 
13 of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites. 
14 These are the clans of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred. 
15 The children of Gad by their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites; 
16 of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites; 
17 of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites. 
18 These are the clans of the Gadites: the number of those enrolled was forty thousand five hundred. 
19 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 
20 The descendants of Judah by their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites. 
21 The descendants of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites.
22 These are the clans of Judah: the number of those enrolled was seventy-six thousand five hundred. 
23 The descendants of Issachar by their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites; 
24 of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites. 
25 These are the clans of Issachar: sixty-four thousand three hundred enrolled. 
26 The descendants of Zebulun by their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites. 
27 These are the clans of the Zebulunites; the number of those enrolled was sixty thousand five hundred. 
28 The sons of Joseph by their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim. 
29 The descendants of Manasseh: of Machir, the clan of the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites. 
30 These are the descendants of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites; 
31 and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites; 
32 and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites. 
33 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 
34 These are the clans of Manasseh; the number of those enrolled was fifty-two thousand seven hundred. 
35 These are the descendants of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites. 
36 And these are the descendants of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites. 
37 These are the clans of the Ephraimites: the number of those enrolled was thirty-two thousand five hundred. These are the descendants of Joseph by their clans. 
38 The descendants of Benjamin by their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites; 
39 of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites. 
40 And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites. 
41 These are the descendants of Benjamin by their clans; the number of those enrolled was forty-five thousand six hundred. 
42 These are the descendants of Dan by their clans: of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These are the clans of Dan by their clans. 
43 All the clans of the Shuhamites: sixty-four thousand four hundred enrolled. 
44 The descendants of Asher by their families: of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites.
45 Of the descendants of Beriah: of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites. 
46 And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 
47 These are the clans of the Asherites: the number of those enrolled was fifty-three thousand four hundred. 
48 The descendants of Naphtali by their clans: of Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites; 
49 of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites. 
50 These are the Naphtalites by their clans: the number of those enrolled was forty-five thousand four hundred. 
51 This was the number of the Israelites enrolled: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred thirty. 
52 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 
53 To these the land shall be apportioned for inheritance according to the number of names. 
54 To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance according to its enrolment. 
55 But the land shall be apportioned by lot; according to the names of their ancestral tribes they shall inherit. 
56 Their inheritance shall be apportioned according to lot between the larger and the smaller. 
57 This is the enrolment of the Levites by their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites. 
58 These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. Now Kohath was the father of Amram. 
59 The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 
60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 
61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unholy fire before the Lord. 
62 The number of those enrolled was twenty-three thousand, every male one month old and upward; for they were not enrolled among the Israelites because there was no allotment given to them among the Israelites. 
63 These were those enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who enrolled the Israelites in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 
64 Among these there was not one of those enrolled by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had enrolled the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai. 
65 For the Lord had said of them, "They shall die in the wilderness." Not one of them was left, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

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