Numbers 33–35

Stages in Israel’s Journey

Here are the stages in the journey^a of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt^b by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.^c At the Lord’s command Moses recorded^d the stages in their journey^e. This is their journey by stages:

The Israelites set out^f from Rameses^g on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover.^h They marched out defiantlyⁱ in full view of all the Egyptians, who were burying all their firstborn,^j whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment^k on their gods.^l

The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Sukkoth.^m

They left Sukkoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.ⁿ

They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon,^o and camped near Migdol.^p

They left Pi Hahiroth^q and passed through the sea^r into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah.^s

They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped^t there.

They left Elim^u and camped by the Red Sea.

They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.^v

They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.^w

They left Rephidim^x and camped in the Desert of Sinai.^y

They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.^z

They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.^a

They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.

They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.^b

They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

They left Terah and camped at Mithkah.

They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.^c

They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.^d

They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.

They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.^e

They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.^f

They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.^g

They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor,^h on the border of Edom.ⁱ At the Lord’s command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died^j on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year^k after the Israelites came out of Egypt.^l Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

The Canaanite king^m of Arad,ⁿ who lived in the Negev^o of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.

They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

They left Punon and camped at Oboth.^p

They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.^q

They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.

They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.

They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim,^r near Nebo.^s

They left the mountains of Abarim^t and camped on the plains of Moab^u by the Jordan^v across from Jericho.^w There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth^x to Abel Shittim.^y

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho^z the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,^a 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.^b Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.^c Distribute the land by lot,^d according to your clans.^e To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one.^f Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.^g

“ ‘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^h in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.ⁱ’ ”

Boundaries of Canaan

The Lord said to Moses, “Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan,^a the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance^b is to have these boundaries:^c

“ ‘Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin^d along the border of Edom. Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea,^e cross south of Scorpion Pass,^f continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea.^g Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon,^h where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egyptⁱ and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

“ ‘Your western boundary will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.^j This will be your boundary on the west.^k

“ ‘For your northern boundary,^l run a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor^m and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath.ⁿ Then the boundary will go to Zedad, continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north.

“ ‘For your eastern boundary,^o run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah^p on the east side of Ain^q and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee.^r Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea.

“ ‘This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.’ ”

Moses commanded the Israelites: “Assign this land by lot^s as an inheritance.^t The Lord has ordered that it be given to the nine and a half tribes, because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance.^u These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance east of the Jordan across from Jericho, toward the sunrise.”

The Lord said to Moses, “These are the names of the men who are to assign the land for you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua^v son of Nun. And appoint one leader from each tribe to help^w assign the land.^x These are their names:^y

Caleb^z son of Jephunneh,

from the tribe of Judah;^a

Shemuel son of Ammihud,

from the tribe of Simeon;^b

Elidad son of Kislon,

from the tribe of Benjamin;^c

Bukki son of Jogli,

the leader from the tribe of Dan;

Hanniel son of Ephod,

the leader from the tribe of Manasseh^d son of Joseph;

Kemuel son of Shiphtan,

the leader from the tribe of Ephraim^e son of Joseph;

Elizaphan son of Parnak,

the leader from the tribe of Zebulun;^f

Paltiel son of Azzan,

the leader from the tribe of Issachar;

Ahihud son of Shelomi,

the leader from the tribe of Asher;^g

Pedahel son of Ammihud,

the leader from the tribe of Naphtali.”

These are the men the Lord commanded to assign the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.^h

Towns for the Levites

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho,^a the Lord said to Moses, “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in^b from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands^c around the towns. Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other animals.^d

“The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the town wall. Outside the town, measure two thousand cubits^e on the east side, two thousand on the south side, two thousand on the west and two thousand on the north, with the town in the center. They will have this area as pastureland for the towns.^f

Cities of Refuge

35:6-34^Ref — Dt 4:41–43; 19:1–14; Jos 20:1–9

“Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee.^a In addition, give them forty-two other towns. In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. 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.”^b

Then the Lord said to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,^c select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone^d accidentally^e may flee. They will be places of refuge from the avenger,^f so that anyone accused of murder^g may not die before standing trial before the assembly.^h These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.ⁱ Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.

“ ‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death.^j Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. Or if anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. The avenger of blood^k shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.^l If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally^m so that they die or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death;ⁿ that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood^o shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

“ ‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally^p or, without seeing them, drops on them a stone heavy enough to kill them, and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, the assembly^q must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. The assembly must protect the one accused of murder…