Numbers 33–35

The Journey from Egypt to Moab

33The following account gives the names of the places where the Israelites set up camp after they left Egypt in their tribes under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. ²At the command of the Lord, Moses wrote down the name of the place each time they set up camp.

³The people of Israel left Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month of the year, the day after the first Passover. Under the Lord’s protection they left the city of Rameses in full view of the Egyptians, ⁴who were burying the firstborn sons that the Lord had killed. By doing this, the Lord showed that he was more powerful than the gods of Egypt.

⁵The people of Israel left Rameses and set up camp at Sukkoth. ⁶Their next camp was at Etham on the edge of the desert. ⁷From there they turned back to Pi Hahiroth, east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol. ⁸They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the Red Sea^h into the desert of Shur; after a three days’ march they camped at Marah. ⁹From there they went to Elim, where they camped, because there were twelve springs of water and 70 palm trees there.

¹⁰They left Elim and camped near the Gulf of Suez. ¹¹Their next camp was in the desert of Sin. ¹²Then they camped at Dophkah, ¹³and after that at Alush. ¹⁴Next was Rephidim, where there was no water for them to drink.

¹⁵From Rephidim to Mount Hor they set up camp at the following places: the Sinai Desert, ¹⁶Kibroth Hattaavah (or “Graves of Craving”), ¹⁷Hazeroth, ¹⁸Rithmah, ¹⁹Rimmon Perez, ²⁰Libnah, ²¹Rissah, ²²Kehelathah, ²³Mount Shepher, ²⁴Haradah, ²⁵Makheloth, ²⁶Tahath, ²⁷Terah, ²⁸Mithkah, ²⁹Hashmonah, ³⁰Moseroth, ³¹Bene Jaakan, ³²Hor Haggidgad, ³³Jotbathah, ³⁴Abronah, ³⁵Eziongeber, ³⁶the wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh), ³⁷and Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

^38–39*At the command of the Lord, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor. At the age of 123 he died there on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites had left Egypt.

^40*The king of Arad in southern Canaan heard that the Israelites were coming.

⁴¹From Mount Hor to the plains of Moab the Israelites set up camp at the following places: Zalmonah, ⁴²Punon, ⁴³Oboth, ⁴⁴the ruins of Abarim in the territory of Moab, ⁴⁵Dibon Gad, ⁴⁶Almon Diblathaim, ⁴⁷the Abarim Mountains near Mount Nebo, ⁴⁸and in the plains of Moab across the River Jordan from Jericho, ⁴⁹between Beth Jeshimoth and the Valley of Acacia.

Instructions before Crossing the Jordan

⁵⁰There in the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho the Lord gave Moses ⁵¹the following instructions for Israel: “When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ⁵²you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land. Destroy all their stone and metal idols and all their places of worship. ⁵³Occupy the land and settle in it, because I am giving it to you. ^54*Divide the land among the various tribes and clans by drawing lots, giving a large piece of property to a large clan and a small one to a small clan. ⁵⁵But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those that are left will be as troublesome as splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will fight against you. ⁵⁶If you do not drive them out, I will destroy you, as I planned to destroy them.”

The Boundaries of the Land

34The Lord gave Moses ²the following instructions for the people of Israel: “When you enter Canaan, the land which I am giving you, the borders of your territory will be as follows. ³The southern border will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. It will begin on the east at the southern end of the Dead Sea. ⁴Then it will turn southwards towards Akrabbim Pass and continue on through Zin as far south as Kadesh Barnea. Then it will turn north-west to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, ⁵where it will turn towards the valley at the border of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean.

⁶“The western border will be the Mediterranean Sea.

⁷“The northern border will follow a line from the Mediterranean to Mount Hor ⁸and from there to Hamath Pass. It will continue to Zedad ⁹and to Ziphron, and will end at Hazar Enan.

¹⁰“The eastern border will follow a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. ¹¹It will then go south to Harbel, east of Ain, and on to the hills on the eastern shore of Lake Galilee, ¹²then south along the River Jordan to the Dead Sea.

“These will be the four borders of your land.”

^13*So Moses said to the Israelites, “This is the land that you will receive by drawing lots, the land that the Lord has assigned to the nine and a half tribes. ^14*The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the eastern half of Manasseh have received their property, divided according to their families, ^15*on the eastern side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho.”

The Leaders Responsible for Dividing the Land

¹⁶The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷“Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun will divide the land for the people. ¹⁸Take also one leader from each tribe to help them divide it.” ^19–28These are the men the Lord chose:

TribeLeader

JudahCaleb son of Jephunneh

SimeonShelumiel son of Ammihud

BenjaminElidad son of Chislon

DanBukki son of Jogli

ManassehHanniel son of Ephod

EphraimKemuel son of Shiphtan

ZebulunElizaphan son of Parnach

IssacharPaltiel son of Azzan

AsherAhihud son of Shelomi

NaphtaliPedahel son of Ammihud

²⁹These are the men that the Lord assigned to divide the property for the people of Israel in the land of Canaan.

The Cities Assigned to the Levites

35^*In the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho the Lord said to Moses, ^2*“Tell the Israelites that from the property they receive they must give the Levites some cities to live in and pasture land round the cities. ^3*These cities will belong to the Levites, and they will live there. The pasture land will be for their cattle and all their other animals. ^4*The pasture land is to extend outwards from the city walls 450 metres in each direction, ^5*so that there is a square area measuring 900 metres on each side, with the city in the middle. ^6*You are to give the Levites six cities of refuge to which a man can escape if he kills someone accidentally. In addition, give them forty-two other cities ^7*with their pasture land, making a total of forty-eight. ^8*The number of Levite cities in each tribe is to be determined according to the size of its territory.”

The Cities of Refuge

^9*The Lord told Moses ^10*to say to the people of Israel: “When you cross the River Jordan and enter the land of Canaan, ^11*you are to choose cities of refuge to which a man can escape if he kills someone accidentally. ^12*There he will be safe from the dead person’s relative who seeks revenge. No one accused of manslaughter is to be put to death without a public trial. ^13*Choose six cities, ^14*three east of the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. ^15*These will serve as cities of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners who are temporary or permanent residents. Anyone who kills someone accidentally can escape to one of them.

^16–18*“If, however, anyone uses a weapon of iron or stone or wood to kill someone, he is guilty of murder and is to be put to death. ^19*The dead person’s nearest relative has the responsibility for putting the murderer to death. When he finds him, he is to kill him.

^20*“If anyone hates someone and kills him by pushing him down or by throwing something at him ^21*or by striking him with his fist, he is guilty of murder and is to be put to death. The dead man’s nearest relative has the responsibility for putting the murderer to death. When he finds him, he is to kill him.

^22*“But suppose anyone accidentally kills someone he does not hate, whether by pushing him down or by throwing something at him. ^23*Or suppose that, without looking, anyone throws a stone that kills someone whom he did not intend to hurt and who was not his enemy. ^24*In such cases the community shall judge in favour of the one who caused the death and not in favour of the dead person’s relative who is seeking revenge. ^25*The community is to rescue the one guilty of manslaughter from the dead person’s relative, and they are to return him to the city of refuge to which he had escaped. He must live there until the death of the man who is then High Priest. ^26*If the one guilty of manslaughter leaves the city of refuge to which he has escaped ^27*and if the dead person’s relative finds him and kills him, this act of revenge is not murder. ^28*The person guilty of manslaughter must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest, but after that he may return home. ²⁹These rules apply to you and your descendants wherever you may live.

^30*“Anyone accused of murder may be found guilty and put to death only on the evidence of two or more witnesses; the evidence of one witness is not sufficient to support an accusation of murder. ³¹A murderer must be put to death. He cannot escape this penalty by the payment of money. ³²If someone has fled to a city of refuge, do not allow him to make a payment in order to return home before the death of the High Priest. ³³If you did this, you would defile the land where you are living. Murder defiles the land, and except by the death of the murderer there is no way to perform the ritual of purification for the land where someone has been murdered. ³⁴Do not defile the land where you are living, because I am the Lord and I live among the people of Israel.”