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Moab Seduces Israel

While Israel was staying in Shittim,^(a) the men began to indulge in sexual immorality^(b) with Moabite^(c) women,^(d)

who invited them to the sacrifices^(e) to their gods.^(f) The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods.

So Israel yoked themselves to^(g) the Baal of Peor.^(h) And the Lord 's anger burned against them.

The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders⁽ⁱ⁾ of these people, kill them and expose^(j) them in broad daylight before the Lord ,^(k) so that the Lord 's fierce anger^(l) may turn away from Israel."

So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death^(m) those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor."⁽ⁿ⁾

Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite^(o) woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping^(p) at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

When Phinehas^(q) son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear^(r) in his hand

and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman's stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;^(s)

but those who died in the plague^(t) numbered 24,000.^(u)

The Lord said to Moses,

"Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites.^(v) Since he was as zealous for my honor^(w) among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal.

Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace^(x) with him.

He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood,^(y) because he was zealous^(z) for the honor^(aa) of his God and made atonement^(ab) for the Israelites."^(ac)

The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman^(ad) was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.^(ae)

And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi^(af) daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.^(ag)

The Lord said to Moses,^(ah)

"Treat the Midianites^(ai) as enemies^(aj) and kill them.^(ak)

They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident^(al) involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident."

The Second Census

After the plague^(a) the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest,

"Take a census^(b) of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army^(c) of Israel."

So on the plains of Moab^(d) by the Jordan across from Jericho,^(e) Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said,

"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:^(f)

The descendants of Reuben,^(g) the firstborn son of Israel, were: through Hanok,^(h) the Hanokite clan; through Pallu,⁽ⁱ⁾ the Palluite clan;

through Hezron,^(j) the Hezronite clan; through Karmi,^(k) the Karmite clan.

These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.

The son of Pallu was Eliab,

and the sons of Eliab^(l) were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community^(m) officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah's followers when they rebelled against the Lord .⁽ⁿ⁾

The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them^(o) along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men.^(p) And they served as a warning sign.^(q)

The line of Korah,^(r) however, did not die out.^(s)

The descendants of Simeon by their clans were: through Nemuel,^(t) the Nemuelite clan; through Jamin,^(u) the Jaminite clan; through Jakin, the Jakinite clan;

through Zerah,^(v) the Zerahite clan; through Shaul, the Shaulite clan.

These were the clans of Simeon;^(w) those numbered were 22,200.^(x)

The descendants of Gad by their clans were: through Zephon,^(y) the Zephonite clan; through Haggi, the Haggite clan; through Shuni, the Shunite clan;

through Ozni, the Oznite clan; through Eri, the Erite clan;

through Arodi,^[a] the Arodite clan; through Areli, the Arelite clan.

These were the clans of Gad;^(z) those numbered were 40,500.

Er^(aa) and Onan^(ab) were sons of Judah, but they died^(ac) in Canaan.

The descendants of Judah by their clans were: through Shelah,^(ad) the Shelanite clan; through Perez,^(ae) the Perezite clan; through Zerah, the Zerahite clan.^(af)

The descendants of Perez^(ag) were: through Hezron,^(ah) the Hezronite clan; through Hamul, the Hamulite clan.

These were the clans of Judah;^(ai) those numbered were 76,500.

The descendants of Issachar by their clans were: through Tola,^(aj) the Tolaite clan; through Puah, the Puite^[b] clan;

through Jashub,^(ak) the Jashubite clan; through Shimron, the Shimronite clan.

These were the clans of Issachar;^(al) those numbered were 64,300.

The descendants of Zebulun^(am) by their clans were: through Sered, the Seredite clan; through Elon, the Elonite clan; through Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan.

These were the clans of Zebulun;^(an) those numbered were 60,500.

The descendants of Joseph^(ao) by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim^(ap) were:

The descendants of Manasseh:^(aq) through Makir,^(ar) the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead^(as)); through Gilead, the Gileadite clan.

These were the descendants of Gilead:^(at) through Iezer,^(au) the Iezerite clan; through Helek, the Helekite clan;

through Asriel, the Asrielite clan; through Shechem, the Shechemite clan;

through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan; through Hepher, the Hepherite clan.

(Zelophehad^(av) son of Hepher had no sons;^(aw) he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.)^(ax)

These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700.^(ay)

These were the descendants of Ephraim^(az) by their clans: through Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan; through Beker, the Bekerite clan; through Tahan, the Tahanite clan.

These were the descendants of Shuthelah: through Eran, the Eranite clan.

These were the clans of Ephraim;^(ba) those numbered were 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.

The descendants of Benjamin^(bb) by their clans were: through Bela, the Belaite clan; through Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan; through Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan;

through Shupham,^[c] the Shuphamite clan; through Hupham, the Huphamite clan.

The descendants of Bela through Ard^(bc) and Naaman were: through Ard,^[d] the Ardite clan; through Naaman, the Naamite clan.

These were the clans of Benjamin;^(bd) those numbered were 45,600.

These were the descendants of Dan^(be) by their clans:^(bf) through Shuham,^(bg) the Shuhamite clan. These were the clans of Dan:

All of them were Shuhamite clans; and those numbered were 64,400.

The descendants of Asher^(bh) by their clans were: through Imnah, the Imnite clan; through Ishvi, the Ishvite clan; through Beriah, the Beriite clan;

and through the descendants of Beriah: through Heber, the Heberite clan; through Malkiel, the Malkielite clan.

(Asher had a daughter named Serah.)

These were the clans of Asher;^(bi) those numbered were 53,400.

The descendants of Naphtali^(bj) by their clans were: through Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan; through Guni, the Gunite clan;

through Jezer, the Jezerite clan; through Shillem, the Shillemite clan.

These were the clans of Naphtali;^(bk) those numbered were 45,400.^(bl)

The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.^(bm)

The Lord said to Moses,

"The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names.^(bn)

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^(bo) of those listed.^(bp)

Be sure that the land is distributed by lot.^(bq) What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe.

Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups."

These were the Levites^(br) who were counted by their clans: through Gershon, the Gershonite clan; through Kohath, the Kohathite clan; through Merari, the Merarite clan.

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;^(bs)

the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed,^(bt) a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites^[e] in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses^(bu) and their sister^(bv) Miriam.^(bw)

Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^(bx)

But Nadab and Abihu^(by) died when they made an offering before the Lord with unauthorized fire.)^(bz)

All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000.^(ca) They were not counted^(cb) along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance^(cc) among them.^(cd)

These are the ones counted^(ce) by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab^(cf) by the Jordan across from Jericho.^(cg)

Not one of them was among those counted^(ch) by Moses and Aaron^(ci) the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai.

For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness,^(cj) and not one of them was left except Caleb^(ck) son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.^(cl)

Zelophehad's Daughters^(a)

The daughters of Zelophehad^(b) son of Hepher,^(c) the son of Gilead,^(d) the son of Makir,^(e) the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward

and stood before Moses,^(f) Eleazar the priest, the leaders^(g) and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting^(h) and said,

"Our father died in the wilderness.⁽ⁱ⁾ He was not among Korah's followers, who banded together against the Lord ,^(j) but he died for his own sin and left no sons.^(k)

Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives."

So Moses brought their case^(l) before the Lord ,^(m)

and the Lord said to him,

"What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance⁽ⁿ⁾ among their father's relatives and give their father's inheritance to them.^(o)

"Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter.

If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers.

If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers.

If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law^(p) for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.'"

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go up this mountain^(q) in the Abarim Range^(r) and see the land^(s) I have given the Israelites.^(t)

After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people,^(u) as your brother Aaron^(v) was,

for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin,^(w) both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy^(x) before their eyes." (These were the waters of Meribah^(y) Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

Moses said to the Lord ,

"May the Lord , the God who gives breath to all living things,^(z) appoint someone over this community

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."^(aa)

So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership,^[a](ab) and lay your hand on him.^(ac)

Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him^(ad) in their presence.^(ae)

Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.^(af)

He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring^(ag) of the Urim^(ah) 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."

Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly.

Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him,^(ai) as the Lord instructed through Moses.