Numbers, Chapters 20-25: BIBLE, New American Standard Bible == BIBLE-CENTER

Numbers, Chapter 20

¹ Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

² There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. ³ The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD! ⁴ Why then have you brought the LORD’S assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die^ahere? ⁵ Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of^bgrain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.” ⁶ Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them; ⁷ and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

⁸ “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

⁹ So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; ¹⁰ and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. ¹² But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” ¹³ Those were the waters of^cMeribah,^dbecause the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

¹⁴ From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us; ¹⁵ that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. ¹⁶ But when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. ¹⁷ Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”

¹⁸ Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through^eus, or I will come out with the sword against you.” ¹⁹ Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will^fpay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet,^gnothing else.” ²⁰ But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy^hforce and with a strong hand. ²¹ Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

²² Now when they set out from Kadesh, the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

²³ Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying, ²⁴ “Aaron will be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against Myⁱcommand at the waters of Meribah. ²⁵ Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up to Mount Hor; ²⁶ and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron will be gathered to his people, and will die there.” ²⁷ So Moses did just as the LORD had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. ²⁸ After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. ²⁹ When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Numbers, Chapter 21

¹ When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the^aNegev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of^bAtharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. ² So Israel made a vow to the LORD and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will^cutterly destroy their cities.” ³ The LORD heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they^dutterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called^eHormah.

⁴ Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the^fRed Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the^gpeople became impatient because of the journey. ⁵ The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no^hfood and no water, andⁱwe loathe this miserable food.”

⁶ The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. ⁷ So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. ⁸ Then the LORD said to Moses, “^jMake a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” ⁹ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

¹⁰ Now the sons of Israel moved out and camped in Oboth. ¹¹ They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, to the^keast. ¹² From there they set out and camped in^lWadi Zered. ¹³ From there they journeyed and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴ Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD,“Waheb in Suphah,
And the wadis of the Arnon,

¹⁵And the slope of the wadis
That extends to the site of Ar,
And leans to the border of Moab.”

¹⁶ From there they continued to^mBeer, that is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Assemble the people, that I may give them water.”

¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song:“Spring up, O well! Sing to it!

¹⁸“The well, which the leaders sank,
Which the nobles of the people dug,
With the scepter and with their staffs.”

And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,

¹⁹ and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, ²⁰ and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks theⁿwasteland.

²¹ Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, ²² “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s highway until we have passed through your border.” ²³ But Sihon would not permit Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. ²⁴ Then Israel^ostruck him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon was^pJazer. ²⁵ Israel took all these cities and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her^qvillages. ²⁶ For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. ²⁷ Therefore those who use proverbs say,“Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
So let the city of Sihon be established.

²⁸“For a fire went forth from Heshbon,
A flame from the town of Sihon;
It devoured Ar of Moab,
The^rdominant^sheights of the Arnon.

²⁹“Woe to you, O Moab!
You are ruined, O people of Chemosh!
He has given his sons as fugitives,
And his daughters into captivity,
To an Amorite king, Sihon.

³⁰“But we have cast them down,
Heshbon is ruined as far as Dibon,
Then we have laid waste even to Nophah,
Which reaches to Medeba.”

³¹ Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. ³² Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

³³ Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out^twith all his people, for battle at Edrei. ³⁴ But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” ³⁵ So they^ukilled him and his sons and all his people, until there was no remnant left him; and they possessed his land.

Numbers, Chapter 22

¹ Then the sons of Israel journeyed, and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.

² Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³ So Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous; and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel. ⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this^ahorde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. ⁵ So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the^bRiver, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me. ⁶ Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too^cmighty for me; perhaps I may be able to^ddefeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and^erepeated Balak’s words to him. ⁸ He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you as the LORD may speak to me.” And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. ⁹ Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” ¹⁰ Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, ¹¹ ‘Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt and they cover the surface of the land; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” ¹² God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” ¹³ So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.” ¹⁴ The leaders of Moab arose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

¹⁵ Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more distinguished than^fthe former. ¹⁶ They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, hinder you from coming to me; ¹⁷ for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Please come then, curse this people for me.’” ¹⁸ Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the^gcommand of the LORD my God. ¹⁹ Now please, you also stay here tonight, and I will find out what else the LORD will speak to me.” ²⁰ God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.”

²¹ So Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.

²² But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. ²⁴ Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. ²⁶ The angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. ²⁸ And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” ²⁹ Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.” ³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”

³¹ Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed^hall the way to the ground. ³² The angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way wasⁱcontrary to me. ³³ But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.” ³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” ³⁵ But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I^jtell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.

³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border,^kat the extreme end of the border. ³⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really unable to honor you?” ³⁸ So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come now to you! Am I able to speak anything at all? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I shall speak.” ³⁹ And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. ⁴⁰ Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.

⁴¹ Then it came about in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to^lthe high places of Baal, and he saw from there^ma portion of the people.

Numbers, Chapter 23

¹ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” ² Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. ³ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.

⁴ Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.” ⁵ Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.” ⁶ So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. ⁷ He took up his^adiscourse and said,“From Aram Balak has brought me,
Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,
‘Come curse Jacob for me,
And come, denounce Israel!’

⁸“How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

⁹“As I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
Behold, a people who dwells apart,
And will not be reckoned among the nations.

¹⁰“Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let^bme die the death of the upright,
And let my end be like his!”

¹¹ Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!” ¹² He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

¹³ Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴ So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵ And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the Lord over there.” ¹⁶ Then the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” ¹⁷ He came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?” ¹⁸ Then he took up his^cdiscourse and said,“Arise, O Balak, and hear;
Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!

¹⁹“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

²⁰“Behold, I have received a command to bless;
When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.

²¹“He has not observed^dmisfortune in Jacob;
Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
The LORD his God is with him,
And the shout of a king is among them.

²²“God brings them out of Egypt,
He is for them like the horns of the wild ox.

²³“For there is no omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel;
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what God has done!

²⁴“Behold, a people rises like a lioness,
And as a lion it lifts itself;
It will not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.”

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” ²⁶ But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘^eWhatever the LORD speaks, that I must do’?”

²⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be^fagreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.” ²⁸ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the^gwasteland. ²⁹ Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” ³⁰ Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

Numbers, Chapter 24

¹ When Balaam saw that it^apleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to^bseek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness. ² And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel^ccamping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him. ³ He took up his^ddiscourse and said,“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;

⁴The oracle of him who hears the^ewords of God,
Who sees the vision of^fthe Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,

⁵How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!

⁶“Like^gvalleys that stretch out,
Like gardens beside the river,
Like aloes planted by the LORD,
Like cedars beside the waters.

⁷“Water will flow from his buckets,
And his seed will be by many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.

⁸“God brings him out of Egypt,
He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.
He will devour the nations who are his adversaries,
And will crush their bones in pieces,
And shatter them with his arrows.

⁹“He^hcouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as aⁱlion, who^jdares rouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his^khands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times! ¹¹ Therefore,^lflee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the LORD has held you back from honor.” ¹² Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying, ¹³ ‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the^mcommand of the LORD, either good or bad, of my ownⁿaccord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak’? ¹⁴ And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the^odays to come.”

¹⁵ He took up his discourse and said,“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

¹⁶The oracle of him who hears the^pwords of God,
And knows the knowledge of the^qMost High,
Who sees the vision of^rthe Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.

¹⁷“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the^sforehead of Moab,
And^ttear down all the sons of^uSheth.

¹⁸“Edom shall be a possession,
Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.

¹⁹“One from Jacob shall have dominion,
And will destroy the remnant from the city.”

²⁰ And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said,“Amalek was the first of the nations,
But his end shall be^vdestruction.”

²¹ And he looked at the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,“Your dwelling place is enduring,
And your nest is set in the cliff.

²²“Nevertheless Kain will be consumed;
How long will Asshur^wkeep you captive?”

²³ Then he took up his discourse and said,“Alas, who can live except God has ordained it?

²⁴“But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber;
So they also will come to destruction.”

²⁵ Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Numbers, Chapter 25

¹ While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. ² For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. ³ So Israel joined themselves to^aBaal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel. ⁴ The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them^bin broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” ⁵ So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to^cBaal of Peor.”

⁶ Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his^drelatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. ⁷ When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, ⁸ and he went after the man of Israel into the^etent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the^fbody. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked. ⁹ Those who died by the plague were 24,000.

¹⁰ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ¹¹ “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy. ¹² Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; ¹³ and it shall be for him and his^gdescendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”

¹⁴ Now the name of the^hslain man of Israel who wasⁱslain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites. ¹⁵ The name of the Midianite woman who was^jslain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur,^kwho was head of the people of a father’s household in Midian.

¹⁶ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁷ “Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them; ¹⁸ for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor.”


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