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The heavens are telling the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.
“Speak to all the community of the Israelites, and say to them, ‘You must be holy, because I, Yahweh your God, am holy.
“Come now, and let us argue,” says Yahweh.
“Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow;
even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
crushed because of our iniquities;
the chastisement for our peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we were healed.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the man of sin his thoughts.
And let him return to Yahweh, that he may take pity on him,
and to our God, for he will forgive manifold.
Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you, from hearing.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
And he said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.
No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish as well!
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost.”
But as many as received him—to those who believe in his name—he gave to them authority to become children of God,
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless someone is born from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”
For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.
The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life—but the wrath of God remains on him.
Truly, truly I say to you that the one who hears my word and who believes the one who sent me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never throw out,
The thief comes only so that he can steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among people by which we must be saved.”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household!”
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For the compensation due sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Spirit himself confirms to our spirit that we are children of God,
that if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him.
For he says,
“At the acceptable time I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation!
For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.
for which reason also I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted until that day.
And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this, judgment,
who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we may die to sins and live to righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed.
For Christ also suffered once for sins,
the just for the unjust,
in order that he could bring you to God,
being put to death in the flesh,
but made alive in the spirit,
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, indeed I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
because you have created all things,
and because of your will they existed and were created.”
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God caused there to be a separation between the light and between the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be a vaulted dome in the midst of the waters, and let it cause a separation between the waters.” So God made the vaulted dome, and he caused a separation between the waters which were under the vaulted dome and between the waters which were over the vaulted dome. And it was so. And God called the vaulted dome “heaven.” And there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under heaven be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so. And God called the dry ground “earth,” and he called the collection of the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. And God said, “Let the earth produce green plants that will bear seed—fruit trees bearing fruit in which there is seed—according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. And the earth brought forth green plants bearing seed according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit in which there was seed according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vaulted dome of heaven to separate day from night, and let them be as signs and for appointed times, and for days and years, and they shall be as lights in the vaulted dome of heaven to give light on the earth.” And it was so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night, and the stars. And God placed them in the vaulted dome of heaven to give light on the earth and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth across the face of the vaulted dome of heaven.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kind, and every bird with wings according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle and moving things, and wild animals according to their kind.” And it was so. So God made wild animals according to their kind and the cattle according to their kind, and every creeping thing of the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, “Let us make humankind in our image and according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of heaven, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every moving thing that moves upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the likeness of God he created him, male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, and over every animal that moves upon the earth.”
And God said, “Look—I am giving to you every plant that bears seed which is on the face of the whole earth, and every kind of tree that bears fruit. They shall be yours as food.” And to every kind of animal of the earth and to every bird of heaven, and to everything that moves upon the earth in which there is life I am giving every green plant as food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.
And heaven and earth and all their array were finished. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. And God blessed the seventh day, and he sanctified it, because on it he rested from all his work of creating that there was to do.
These are the generations of heaven and earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made earth and heaven—before any plant of the field was on earth, and before any plant of the field had sprung up, because Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no human being to cultivate the ground, but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground—when Yahweh God formed the man of dust from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And Yahweh God caused to grow from the ground every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food. And the tree of life was in the midst of the garden, along with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now a river flowed out from Eden that watered the garden, and from there it diverged and became four branches. The name of the first is the Pishon. It went around all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stones are there.) And the name of the second is Gihon. It went around all the land of Cush. And the name of the third is Tigris. It flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
And Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”
Then Yahweh God said, “it is not good that the man is alone. I will make for him a helper as his counterpart.” And out of the ground Yahweh God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and he brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called that living creature was its name. And the man gave names to every domesticated animal and to the birds of heaven and to all the wild animals. But for the man there was not found a helper as his counterpart. And Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man. While he slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh where it had been. And Yahweh God fashioned the rib which he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said,
“She is now bone from my bones
and flesh from my flesh;
she shall be called ‘Woman,’
for she was taken from man.”
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh. And the man and his wife, both of them, were naked, and they were not ashamed.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God indeed say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’.” But the serpent said to the woman, “You shall not surely die. For God knows that on the day you both eat from it, then your eyes will be opened and you both shall be like gods, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, then she took from its fruit and she ate. And she gave it also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed together fig leaves and they made for themselves coverings.
Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden at the windy time of day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. And Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he replied, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked, so I hid myself.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I forbade you to eat?” And the man replied, “The woman whom you gave to be with me—she gave to me from the tree and I ate.” Then Yahweh God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Then Yahweh God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
you will be cursed
more than any domesticated animal
and more than any wild animal.
On your belly you shall go
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
And I will put hostility
between you and between the woman,
and between your offspring and between her offspring;
he will strike you on the head,
and you will strike him on the heel.”
To the woman he said,
“I will greatly increase
your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bear children.
And to your husband shall be your desire.
And he shall rule over you.”
And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate from the tree from which I forbade you to eat,
the ground shall be cursed on your account.
In pain you shall eat from it
all the days of your life.
And thorns and thistles shall sprout for you,
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your brow
you shall eat bread,
until your return to the ground.
For from it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
And the man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all life. And Yahweh God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and he clothed them.
And Yahweh God said, “Look—the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil. What if he stretches out his hand and takes also from the tree of life and eats, and lives forever?” And Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out, and placed cherubim east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming, turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain. And she said, “I have given birth to a man with the help of Yahweh.” Then she bore his brother Abel. And Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the ground. And in the course of time Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground to Yahweh, and Abel also brought an offering from the choicest firstlings of his flock. And Yahweh looked with favor to Abel and to his offering, but to Cain and to his offering he did not look with favor. And Cain became very angry, and his face fell. And Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your face fallen? If you do well will I not accept you? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. And its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out into the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And he said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand. When you till the ground it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall be a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth.” And Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Look, you have driven me out today from the face of the ground, and from your face I must hide. I will be a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth, and it will happen that whoever finds me will kill me.” Then Yahweh said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” Then Yahweh put a sign on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him. And Cain went out from the presence of Yahweh, and he settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And when he built a city he named the city after his son, Enoch. And to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. And Lamech took to himself two wives. The name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. And Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and those who have livestock. And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and wind instruments. Then Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain who forged all kinds of tools of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
Then Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice;
O wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man for injuring me.
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech will be avenged seventy and seven times.
Then Adam knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. And she called his name Seth, for she said “God has appointed to me another child in the place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” And as for Seth, he also fathered a son, and he called his name Enosh. At that time he began to call on the name of Yahweh.
This is the record of the generations of Adam. When God created Adam, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them. And he blessed them. And he called their name “Humankind” when they were created. And when Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he fathered a child in his likeness, according to his image. And he called his name Seth. And the days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years. And he fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Adam which he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
When Seth had lived one hundred and five years, he fathered Enosh. And after Seth had fathered Enosh he lived eight hundred and seven years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
When Enosh lived ninety years, he fathered Kenan. And after Enosh fathered Kenan he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
When Kenan had lived seventy years, he fathered Mahalalel. And after Kenan had fathered Mahalalel, he lived eight hundred and forty years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he fathered Jared. And after Mahalalel had fathered Jared, he lived eight hundred and thirty years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
When Jared had lived one hundred and sixty-two years, he fathered Enoch. And after Jared had fathered Enoch, he lived eight hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he fathered Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God, and he was no more, for God took him.
When Methuselah had lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, he fathered Lamech. And after Methuselah had fathered Lamech, he lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
When Lamech had lived one hundred and eighty-two years, he fathered a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one shall relieve us from our work, and from the hard labor of our hands, from the ground which Yahweh had cursed. And after Lamech had fathered Noah he lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and he fathered sons and daughters. All the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
When Noah was five hundred years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
And it happened that, when humankind began to multiply on the face of the ground, daughters were born to them. Then the sons of God saw the daughters of humankind, that they were beautiful. And they took for themselves wives from all that they chose. And Yahweh said, “My Spirit shall not abide with humankind forever in that he is also flesh. And his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were upon the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God went into the daughters of humankind, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty warriors that were from ancient times, men of renown.
And Yahweh saw that the evil of humankind was great upon the earth, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was always only evil. And Yahweh regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart. And Yahweh said, “I will destroy humankind whom I created from upon the face of the earth, from humankind, to animals, to creeping things, and to the birds of heaven, for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, without defect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupted before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth was filled with violence because of them. Now, look, I am going to destroy them along with the earth. Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood; you must make the ark with rooms, then you must cover it with pitch, inside and outside. And this is how you must make it: the length of the ark, three hundred cubits; its width fifty cubits; its height, thirty cubits. You must make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above. And as for the door of the ark, you must put it in its side. You must make it with a lower, second, and a third deck.
And I, behold, I am about to bring the flood waters over the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. And I will establish my covenant with you, and you must go into the ark—you, and your sons, and your wife, and the wives of your sons with you. And of every living thing, from all flesh, you must bring two from every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. From the birds according to their kind, and from the animals according to their kind, from every creeping thing on the ground according to its kind—two from every kind shall come to you to keep them alive. And as for you, take for yourself from every kind of food that is eaten. And you must gather it to yourself. And it shall be for you and for them for food.” And Noah did according to all that God commanded him; thus he did.
Then Yahweh said to Noah, “Go—you and all your household—into the ark, for I have seen you are righteous before me in this generation. From all the clean animals you must take for yourself seven pairs, a male and its mate. And from the animals that are not clean you must take two, a male and its mate, as well as from the birds of heaven seven pairs, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. For within seven days I will send rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. And I will blot out all the living creatures that I have made from upon the face of the ground.” And Noah did according to all that Yahweh commanded him.
Noah was six hundred years old when the flood waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife, and the wives of his sons with him, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals which are not clean, and of the birds, and everything that creeps upon the ground, two of each went to Noah, into the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. And it happened that after seven days the waters of the flood came over the earth. In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month—on that day all the springs of the great deep were split open, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain came upon the earth forty days and forty nights. On this same day, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark, they and all the living creatures according to their kind, and all the domesticated animals according to their kind, and all the creatures that creep upon the earth according to their kind, all the birds according to their kind, every winged creature. And they came to Noah to the ark, two of each, from every living thing in which was the breath of life. And those that came, male and female, of every living thing, came as God had commanded him. And Yahweh shut the door behind him. And the flood came forty days on the earth. And the waters increased, and lifted the ark, and it rose up from the earth. And the waters prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth. And the ark went upon the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed overwhelmingly upon the earth, and they covered all the high mountains which were under the entire heaven. The waters swelled fifteen cubits above the mountains, covering them. And every living thing that moved on the earth perished—the birds, and the domesticated animals, and the wild animals, and everything that swarmed on the earth, and all humankind. Everything in whose nostrils was the breath of life, among all that was on dry land, died. And he blotted out every living thing upon the surface of the ground, from humankind, to animals, to creeping things, and to the birds of heaven; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained. And the waters prevailed over the earth one hundred and fifty days.
And God remembered Noah and all the wild animals, and all the domesticated animals that were with him in the ark. And God caused a wind to blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. And the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the heavens was restrained. And the waters receded from the earth gradually, and the waters abated at the end of one hundred and fifty days. And the ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to recede to the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared. And it happened that at the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made. And he sent out a raven; it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from upon the earth. And he sent out a dove to see whether the waters had subsided from upon the face of the ground. But the dove did not find a resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him into the ark, for the waters were still on the face of all the earth. And he stretched out his hand and took her, and brought her to himself into the ark. And he waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark. And the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly-picked olive tree leaf was in her mouth. And Noah knew that the waters had subsided from upon the earth. And he waited seven more days, and he sent out the dove. But it did not return again to him. And it happened that, in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters dried up from upon the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked. And behold, the face of the ground was dried up. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. And God spoke to Noah, saying: “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you all the living things which are with you, from all the living creatures—birds, and animals, and everything that creeps on the earth, and let them swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah went out, with his sons and his wife, and the wives of his sons with him. Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, and everything that moves upon the earth, according to its families, went out from the ark. And Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and he took from all the clean animals and from all the clean birds, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And Yahweh smelled the soothing fragrance, and Yahweh said to himself, “Never again will I curse the ground for the sake of humankind, because the inclination of the heart of humankind is evil from his youth. Nor will I ever again destroy all life as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seed and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease.
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And fear of you and dread of you shall be upon every animal of the earth, and on every bird of heaven, and on everything that moves upon the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they shall be given. Every moving thing that lives shall be for you as food. As I gave the green plants to you, I now give you everything. Only you shall not eat raw flesh with blood in it. And your lifeblood I will require; from every animal I will require it. And from the hand of humankind, from the hand of each man to his brother I will require the life of humankind.
“As for the one shedding the blood of humankind,
by humankind his blood shall be shed,
for God made humankind in his own image.
“And you, be fruitful and multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply in it.” And God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, behold, I am establishing my covenant with you and with your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and every animal of the earth with you, from all that came out of the ark to all the animals of the earth. I am establishing my covenant with you, that never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, nor will there ever be a flood that destroys the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you, and between every living creature that is with you for future generations. My bow I have set in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between me and between the earth. And when I make clouds appear over the earth the bow shall be seen in the clouds. Then I will remember my covenant that is between me and you, and between every living creature, with all flesh. And the waters of a flood will never again cause the destruction of all flesh. The bow shall be in the clouds, and I will see it, so as to remember the everlasting covenant between God and between every living creature, with all flesh that is upon the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am establishing between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”
Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. And Noah began to be a man of the ground, and he planted a vineyard. And he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he exposed himself in the midst of his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, and the two of them put it on their shoulders and, walking backward, they covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see the nakedness of their father. Then Noah awoke from his drunkenness, and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. And he said,
“Cursed be Canaan,
a slave of slaves he shall be to his brothers.”
Then he said,
“Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem,
and let Canaan be a slave to them.
May God make space for Japheth,
and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,
and let Canaan be a slave for him.”
And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.
These are the generations of the sons of Noah—Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Children were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples spread out through their lands, each according to his own language by their own families, in their nations.
And the sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. And Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty warrior. He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it was said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Yahweh.” Now, the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went out to Assyria, and he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. And Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad. And the territory of the Canaanites was from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. These are the descendants of Ham, according to their families and their languages, in their lands, and in their nations.
And to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the older brother of Japheth, children were also born. The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. And Arphaxad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. And to Eber two sons were born. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan. And Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling place extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, and according to their nations.
These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations and in their nations. And from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to each other, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone and they had tar for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top reaches to the heavens. And let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
Then Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that humankind was building. And Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people with one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. So now nothing that they intend to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand each other’s language.” So Yahweh scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, for there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth, and there Yahweh scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was one hundred years old, he fathered Arphaxad, two years after the flood. And Shem lived five hundred years after he fathered Arphaxad, and he fathered other sons and daughters. When Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, he fathered Shelah. And Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years after he fathered Shelah, and he fathered other sons and daughters. When Shelah had lived thirty years, he fathered Eber. And Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he fathered Eber, and he fathered other sons and daughters. When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he fathered Peleg. And Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered other sons and daughters. When Peleg had lived thirty years, he fathered Reu. And Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he fathered Reu, and he fathered other sons and daughters. When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he fathered Serug. And Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered other sons and daughters. When Serug had lived thirty years, he fathered Nahor. And Serug lived two hundred years after he fathered Nahor, and he fathered other sons and daughters. When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he fathered Terah. And Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he fathered Terah, and he fathered other sons and daughters. When Terah had lived seventy years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of the wife of Abram was Sarai, and the name of the wife of Nahor was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. And Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. And they went to Haran, and they settled there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
And Yahweh said to Abram, “Go out from your land and from your relatives, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you.”
And Abram went out as Yahweh had told him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he went out from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and all the persons that they had acquired in Haran, and they went out to go to the land of Canaan. And they went to the land of Canaan. And Abram traveled through the land up to the place of Shechem, to the Oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time. And Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” And he built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him. And he moved on from there to the hill country, east of Bethel. And he pitched his tent at Bethel on the west, and at Ai on the east. And he built an altar there to Yahweh. And he called on the name of Yahweh. And Abram kept moving on, toward the Negev.
And there was a famine in the land. And Abram went down to Egypt to dwell as an alien there, for the famine was severe in the land. And it happened that as he drew near to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Look now, I know that you are a woman beautiful of appearance, and it shall happen that, if the Egyptians see you, then they will say, ‘This is his wife,’ then they will kill me but let you live. Please say you are my sister so that it will go well for me on your account. Then I will live on account of you.” And it happened that as Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. And the officials of Pharaoh saw her, and they praised her beauty to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh. And he dealt well with Abram on account of her, and he had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male slaves, female slaves, female donkeys, and camels.
Then Yahweh afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues on account of the matter of Sarai the wife of Abram. Then Pharaoh called for Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to myself as a wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go.” And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and then sent him and his wife and all that was with him away.
Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that was with him. And Lot went with him to the Negev. Now Abram was very wealthy in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went according to his journey from the Negev, then to Bethel, to the place where his tent was at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the beginning. And Abram called on the name of Yahweh there. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land could not support them so as to live together, because their possessions were so many that they were not able to live together. And there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of the livestock of Abram and the herdsmen of the livestock of Lot. Now at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there not be quarreling between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we men are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you want what is on the left, then I will go right; if you want what is on the right, I will go left.” And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the whole plain of the Jordan, that all of it was well-watered land—this was before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt in the direction of Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan. And Lot journeyed eastward, and so they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled in the cities of the plain. And he pitched his tent toward Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were extremely wicked sinners against Yahweh. And Yahweh said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, “Now, lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are to the north, and to the south, and to the east and to the west, for all the land which you see I will give to you, and to your descendants, forever. I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth which, if anyone were able to count the dust of the earth, your descendants would be so counted. Arise, go through the length of the land and through its breadth, for I will give it to you.” So Abram pitched his tent, and he came and settled at the oaks of Mamre, which were at Hebron. And there he built an altar to Yahweh.
And it happened that in the days of Amraphel, the king of Shinar, Arioch, the king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and Tidal, the king of Goiim, made war with Bera, the king of Sodom, and Birsha, the king of Gomorrah, Shinab, the king of Admah, and Shemeber, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these joined forces at the valley of Siddim (that is, the sea of the salt). Twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El-Paran, which is at the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-Mishpat (that is, Kadesh). And they defeated the whole territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were living in Hazazon-Tamar. Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they took up battle position in the Valley of Siddim with Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell into them, but the rest fled to the mountains. So they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and they left. And they took Lot, the son of the brother of Abram, and his possessions, and left. (Now he had been living in Sodom.) Then one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. And he was living at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. They were allies with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative was taken captive, he summoned his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them, and he went in pursuit up to Dan. And he divided his trained men against them at night, he and his servants. And he defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, which is north of Damascus. And he brought back all the possessions. And he also brought back Lot, his relative, and his possessions, and the women and the people as well.
After his return from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the Valley of the King). And Melchizedek, the king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. (He was the priest of God Most High). And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Maker of heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he gave to him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but the possessions take for yourself.” And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, that neither a thread nor a thong of a sandal would I take from all that belongs to you, that you might not say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ Nothing besides what the servants have eaten and the share of the men who went out with me will I take. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying: “Do not be afraid, Abram; I am your shield, and your reward shall be very great.” Then Abram said, “O Yahweh, my Lord, what will you give me? I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus.” And Abram said, “Look, you have not given me a descendant, and here, a member of my household is my heir.” And behold, the word of Yahweh came to him saying, “This person will not be your heir, but your own son will be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward the heavens and count the stars if you are able to count them.” And he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed in Yahweh, and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. And he said to him, “I am Yahweh, who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give this land to you, to possess it.” And he said, “O Yahweh God, how shall I know that I will possess it?” And he said to him, “Take for me a three-year-old heifer, and a three-year-old female goat, and a three-year-old ram, and a turtledove and a young pigeon.” And he took for him all these and cut them in pieces down the middle. And he put each piece opposite the other, but the birds he did not cut. And the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. And it happened, as the sun went down, then a deep sleep fell upon Abram and, behold, a great terrifying darkness fell upon him. And he said to Abram, “You must surely know that your descendants shall be as aliens in a land not their own. And they shall serve them and they shall oppress them four hundred years. And also the nation that they serve I will judge. Then afterward they shall go out with great possessions. And as for you, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And the fourth generation shall return here, for the guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete.” And after the sun had gone down and it was dusk, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between those half pieces. On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram saying, “To your offspring I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates river, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian female slave, and her name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Look, please, Yahweh has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my servant; perhaps I will have children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, her Egyptian female slave, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband as his wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, then her mistress grew small in her eyes. And Sarai said to Abram, “may my harm be upon you. I had my slave sleep with you, and when she saw that she had conceived, she no longer respected me. May Yahweh judge between me and you!” And Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your slave is under your authority. Do to her that which is good in your eyes.” And Sarai mistreated her, and she fled from her presence.
And the angel of Yahweh found her at a spring of water in the wilderness, at the spring by the road of Shur. And he said to Hagar, the female slave of Sarai, “From where have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai my mistress.” Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her authority.” And the angel of Yahweh said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, so that they cannot be counted for their abundance.” And the angel of Yahweh said to her:
“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall have a son.
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
for Yahweh has listened to your suffering.
And he shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand will be against everyone,
and the hand of everyone will be against him,
and he will live in hostility with all his brothers.”
So she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are El-Roi,” for she said, “Here I have seen after he who sees me.” Therefore the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. And Hagar had a child for Abram, a son. And Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore to him, Ishmael. And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, “I am El-Shaddai; walk before me and be blameless so that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell upon his face and God spoke with him, saying, “As for me, behold, my covenant shall be with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful. I will make you a nation, and kings shall go out from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land in which you are living as an alien, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will be to them as God.”
And God said to Abraham, “Now as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations. This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you, and also with your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. And at eight days of age you shall yourselves circumcise every male belonging to your generations and the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner who is not from your offspring. You must certainly circumcise the servant born in your house and the one bought with your money. And my covenant shall be with your flesh as an everlasting covenant. And as for any uncircumcised male who has not circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant. And God said to Abraham, “as for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her; moreover, I give to you from her a son. And I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations. Kings of peoples shall come from her.” And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, “Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old, or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” And God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time next year.” When he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham. And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all who were born of his house, and all those acquired by his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day that God spoke with him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those acquired by money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
And Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And he was sitting in the doorway of the tent at the heat of the day. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing near him. And he saw them and ran from the doorway of the tent to meet them. And he bowed down to the ground. And he said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your eyes do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest under the tree. And let me bring a piece of bread, then refresh yourselves. Afterward you can pass on, once you have passed by with your servant.” Then they said, “Do so as you have said.” Then Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and he said, “Quickly—make three seahs of fine flour for kneading and make bread cakes!” And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he made haste to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk, and the calf which he prepared, and set it before them. And he was standing by them under the tree while they ate. And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “Here, in the tent.” And he said, “I will certainly return to you in the spring, and look, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the doorway of the tent, and which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; the way of women had ceased to be for Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself saying, “After I am worn out and my husband is old, shall this pleasure be to me?” Then Yahweh said to Abraham, “What is this that Sarah laughed, saying, ‘Is it indeed true that I will bear a child, now that I have grown old?’ Is anything too difficult for Yahweh? At the appointed time I will return to you in the spring and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
Then the men set out from there, and they looked down upon Sodom. And Abraham went with them to send them on their way. Then Yahweh said, “Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am going to do? Abraham will surely become a great and strong nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed on account of him. For I have chosen him, that he will command his children and his household after him that they will keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham that which he said to him.” Then Yahweh said, “Because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very serious, I will go down and I will see. Have they done altogether according to its cry of distress which has come to me? If not, I will know.”
And the men turned from there and went toward Sodom. And Abraham was still standing before Yahweh. And Abraham drew near to Yahweh and said, “Will you also sweep away the righteous with the wicked? If perhaps there are fifty righteous in the midst of the city, will you also sweep them away and not forgive the place on account of the fifty righteous in her midst? Far be it from you to do such a thing as this, to kill the righteous with the wicked, that the righteous would be as the wicked! Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do justice?” And Yahweh said, “If I find fifty righteous in Sodom, in the midst of the city, then I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Look, please, I was bold to speak to my Lord, but I am dust and ashes. Perhaps the fifty righteous are lacking five—will you destroy the whole city on account of the five?” And he answered, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” And once again he spoke to him and said, “What if forty are found there?” And he answered, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” And he said, “Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if thirty be found there?” And he answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Please, now, I was bold to speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there?” And he answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.” And he said, “Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak only once more. What if ten are found there?” And he answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” Then Yahweh left, as he finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening. And Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. Then Lot saw them and stood up to meet them. And he bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, “Behold, my lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the square.” But he urged them strongly, and they turned aside with him and came into his house. And he made a meal for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may know them.” But Lot went out to them at the entrance, and he shut the door behind him. And he said, “No, my brothers, please do not do such a wrong thing. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please, let me bring them out to you; then do to them as it seems good in your eyes. Only to these men do not do this thing, since they came under my roof for protection.” But they said, “Step aside!” Then they said, “This fellow came to dwell as a foreigner and he acts as a judge! Now we shall do worse to you than them!” And they pressed very hard against the man, against Lot, and they drew near to break the door. Then the men reached out with their hands and brought Lot in to them, into the house, and they shut the door. And the men who were at the entrance of the house they struck with blindness, both small and great, and they were unable to find the entrance. Then the men said to Lot, “Who is here with you? Bring out from the place your sons-in-law, and your sons and your daughters, and all who are with you in the city. For we are about to destroy this place, because their cry has become great before Yahweh. Yahweh sent us to destroy it.” Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were taking his daughters and said, “Get up! Go out from this place, because Yahweh is going to destroy the city!” But it seemed like a joke in the eyes of his sons-in-law. And as the dawn came up the angels urged Lot saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are staying with you, lest you be destroyed with the punishment of the city.” But when he lingered, the men seized him by his hand and his wife’s hand, and his two daughters by hand, on account of the mercy of Yahweh upon him. And they brought him out and set him outside of the city. And after bringing them outside one said, “Flee for your life; do not look behind you, and do not stand anywhere in the plain. Flee to the mountains lest you be destroyed.” And Lot said to them, “No, please, my lords. Behold, your servant has found favor in your eyes and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot flee to the mountains, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. Behold, this city is near enough to flee there, and it is a little one. Please, let me flee there. Is it not a little one? Then my life shall be saved.” And he said to him, “Behold, I will grant this favor as well; that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. Escape there quickly, for I cannot do this thing until you get there.” Therefore, the name of the city was called Zoar.
After the sun had risen upon the earth and Lot had entered Zoar, Yahweh rained down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh. And he overthrew those cities and the whole plain, and the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground. But his wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Yahweh. And he looked down upon the surface of Sodom and Gomorrah, and upon the whole surface of the land, the plain. And he saw that, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a smelting furnace. So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out from the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
And Lot went out from Zoar and settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn daughter said to the younger one, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come in to us according to the manner of all the land. Come, let us give our father wine to drink and let us lie with him that we may secure descendants through our father.” And they gave their father wine to drink that night, and the firstborn went and lay with her father, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. And it happened that, the next day the firstborn said to the younger one, “Look, I laid with my father last night. Let us give him wine to drink also tonight, then go and lie with him that we may secure descendants through our father.” And they gave their father wine to drink again that night, and the younger got up and lay with him, but he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. And the two daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn gave birth to a son, and she called his name Moab. He is the father of Moab until this day. And the younger, she also gave birth to a son, and she called his name Ben-Ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites until this day.
And Abraham journeyed from there to the land of the Negev, and he settled between Kadesh and Shur. And he dwelled as an alien in Gerar. And Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. And God came to Abimelech in a dream at night. And he said to him, “Look, you are a dead man on account of the woman you have taken. For she is a married woman.” Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “my Lord, will you even kill a righteous people?” Did not he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ With integrity of my heart and with cleanness of my hands I did this.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you did this, and I also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore, I did not allow you to touch her. So now, return the wife of the man, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you and you will live. And if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, and all that are yours.”
So Abimelech rose early in the morning. And he called all his servants and told them all these things, and the men were very afraid. And Abimelech called for Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you that you brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? You have done things to me that should not be done.” And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking that you did this thing?” And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place; they will kill me on account of the matter of my wife. Besides, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife. And it happened that as God caused me to wander from the house of my father I said to her, ‘This is your loyal kindness that you must do for me at every place where we come: say concerning me, “He is my brother.” ’ ” And Abimelech took sheep and cattle and male slaves and female slaves, and he gave them to Abraham. And he returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, “Here is my land before you; settle where it pleases you.” And to Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother. It shall be an exoneration. You are vindicated before all who are with you.” And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female servants so that they could bear children again. For Yahweh had completely closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of the matter of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.
And Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said. And Yahweh did to Sarah as he had promised. And she conceived, and Sarah bore to Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh for me.” And she said, “Who would announce to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son to Abraham in his old age.”
And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne Abraham, mocking. Then she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be heir with my son, with Isaac.” And the matter displeased Abraham very much on account of his son. Then God said to Abraham, “Do not be displeased on account of the boy and on account of the slave woman. Listen to everything that Sarah said to you, for through Isaac your offspring will be named. And I will also make the son of the slave woman into a nation, for he is your offspring.” Then Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. And he sent her away with the child, and she went, wandering about in the wilderness, in Beersheba. And when the water was finished from the skin, she put the child under one of the bushes. And she went and she sat opposite him, at a distance, a bowshot away, for she said, “Let me not see the child’s death.” So she sat away from him and lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the cry of the boy and the angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her, “What is the matter Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the cry of the boy from where he is. Get up, take up the boy and take him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave a drink to the boy. And God was with the boy, and he grew and lived in the wilderness. And he became an expert with a bow. And he lived in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
And it happened that at that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you, in all that you do. So now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal with me falsely, or with my descendants, or my posterity. According to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall pledge to do with me and with the land where you have dwelled as an alien.” And Abraham said, “I swear.” Then Abraham complained to Abimelech on account of the well of water that servants of Abimelech had seized. And Abimelech said, “I do not know who did this thing, neither did you tell me, nor have I heard of it except for today.” And Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. And the two of them made a covenant. Then Abraham set off seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe-lambs that you have set off by themselves?” And he said, “You shall take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand as proof on my behalf that I dug this well.” Therefore that place is called Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. And they made a covenant at Beersheba. And Abimelech, and Phicol his army commander stood and returned to the land of the Philistines. And he planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the everlasting God. And Abraham dwelled as an alien in the land of the Philistines many days.
And it happened that after these things, God tested Abraham. And he said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Take your son, your only child, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains where I will tell you.” And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. And he took two of his servants with him, and Isaac his son. And he chopped wood for a burnt offering. And he got up and went to the place which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw the place at a distance. And Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go up there. We will worship, then we will return to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and placed it on Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand and the knife, and the two of them went together. And Isaac said to Abraham his father, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “God will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went together.
And they came to the place that God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood. Then he bound Isaac his son and placed him on the altar atop the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. And the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the boy; do not do anything to him. For now I know that you are one who fears God, since you have not withheld your son, your only child, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, a ram was caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place “Yahweh will provide,” for which reason it is said today, “on the mountain of Yahweh it shall be provided.” And the angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven. And he said, “I swear by myself, declares Yahweh, that because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only child, that I will certainly bless you and greatly multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the shore of the sea. And your offspring will take possession of the gate of his enemies. All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, because you have listened to my voice.” And Abraham returned to his servants, and they got up and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived in Beersheba.
And it happened that after these things, it was told to Abraham, “Look, Milcah has also borne children to your brother Nahor: Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, and Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” (Now, Bethuel fathered Rebekah). These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, the brother of Abraham. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
And Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from his dead, and he spoke to the Hittites and said, “I am a stranger and an alien among you; give to me my own burial site among you so that I may bury my dead from before me.” And the Hittites answered Abraham and said to him, “Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince in our midst. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us will withhold his burial site from you for burying your dead.” And Abraham rose up and bowed to the people of the land, to the Hittites. And he spoke with them, saying, “If you are willing that I bury my dead from before me, hear me and intercede for me with Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may sell to me the cave of Machpelah which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field. At full value let him sell it to me in your midst as a burial site.” Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city, and said, “No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field and the cave which is in it, I also give it to you in the sight of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If only you will hear me—I give the price of the field. Take it from me that I may bury my dead there.” And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, “My lord, hear me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.” Then Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver at the merchants’ current rate. So the field of Ephron which was in the Machpelah, which was near Mamre—the field and the cave which was in it, with all the trees that were in the field, which were within all its surrounding boundaries—passed to Abraham as a property in the presence of the Hittites, with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city. And thus afterward Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah near Mamre; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And the field and the cave which was in it passed to Abraham as a burial site from the Hittites.
Now Abraham was old, advanced in age, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in everything. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh that I may make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose midst I am dwelling, but that you will go to my land and to my family, and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.” And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land—must I then return your son to the land from whence you came?” Abraham said to him, “You must take care that you do not return my son there. Yahweh, the God of heaven who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘to your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you shall be released from this oath of mine—only you must not return my son there.” Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and he swore to him concerning this matter. And the servant took ten camels from his master’s camels, and he went with all kinds of his master’s good things in his hand. And he arose and went to Aram-Naharaim, to the city of Nahor. And he made the camels kneel outside the city at the well of water, at the time of evening, toward the time the women went out to draw water.And he said, “O Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show loyal love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are going out to draw water. And let it be that the girl to whom I shall say, ‘Please, offer your jar that I may drink’ and who says, ‘Drink—and I will also water your camels,’ she is the one you have chosen for your servant, for Isaac. By her I will know that you have shown loyal love to my master.” And it happened that before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah—who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham—came out, and her jar was on her shoulder. Now the girl was very pleasing in appearance. She was a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her. And he said, “Please, let me drink a little of the water from your jar.” And she said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly lowered her jar in her hand and gave him a drink. When she finished giving him a drink she said, “I will also draw water for your camels until they finish drinking.” And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water. And she drew water for all his camels. And the man was gazing at her silently to know if Yahweh had made his journey successful or not. And it happened that as the camels finished drinking the man took a gold ring of a half shekel in weight and two bracelets for her arms, ten shekels in weight, and said, “Please tell me, whose daughter are you? Is there a place at the house of your father for us to spend the night?” And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” Then she said to him, “We have both straw and fodder in abundance, as well as a place to spend the night.” And the man knelt down and worshiped Yahweh. And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his loyal love and his faithfulness from my master. I was on the way and Yahweh led me to the house of my master’s brother.” Then the girl ran and reported these things to the household of her mother.
Now Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. And Laban ran out to the man toward the spring. And when he saw the ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, who said, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing with the camels at the spring. And he said, “Come, O blessed one of Yahweh. Why do you stand outside? Now I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” And the man came to the house and unloaded the camels. And he gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. And food was placed before him to eat. And he said, “I will not eat until I have told my errand.” And he said, “Speak.” And he said, “I am the servant of Abraham. Now Yahweh has blessed my master exceedingly, and he has become great. He has given to him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male slaves and female slaves, and camels and donkeys. And Sarah, the wife of my master, has borne a son to my master after her old age. And he has given to him all that he has. And my master made me swear, saying, ‘Do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I am living. But you shall go to the house of my father, and to my family, and you shall take a wife for my son.’ And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ And he said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I have walked, shall send his angel with you and will make your journey successful. And you shall take a wife for my son from my family, and from the house of my father. Then you shall be released from my oath, when you come to my family. And if they will not give a woman to you, then you will be released from my oath.’ Then today I came to the spring, and I said, ‘O Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, if you would please make my journey successful, upon which I am going. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let it be that the young woman who comes out to draw water and to whom I say, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar,” let her say to me, “Drink; I will also draw water for your camels,” she is the woman whom Yahweh has appointed for the son of my master.’ I had not yet finished speaking to myself when, behold, Rebekah was coming out with her jar on her shoulder. And she went down to the spring and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ And she hastened and let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give a drink to your camels also.’ Then I drank and she gave a drink to the camels also. Then I asked her and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. And I knelt down and worshiped Yahweh, and I praised Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right way, to take the daughter of the brother of my master for his son. So now, if you are going to deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right or to the left.” Then Laban and Bethuel answered, and they said, “The matter has gone out from Yahweh; we are not able to speak bad or good to you. Here is Rebekah before you. Take her and go; let her be a wife for the son of your master as Yahweh has spoken.” And it happened that when the servant of Abraham heard their words he bowed down to the ground to Yahweh. And the servant brought out silver jewelry and gold jewelry, and garments, and he gave them to Rebekah. And he gave precious gifts to her brother and to her mother. And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night. And they got up in the morning, and he said, “Let me go to my master.” And her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; after that she may go.” And he said to them, “Do not delay me. Now, Yahweh has made my journey successful. Let me go. I must go to my master.” And they said, “Let us call the girl and ask her opinion.” And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” So they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and the servant of Abraham and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “You are our sister; may you become countless thousands; and may your offspring take possession of the gate of his enemies.” And Rebekah and her maidservants arose, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah and left.
Now Isaac was coming from the direction of Beer-Lahai-Roi. And he was living in the land of the Negev. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field early in the evening, and he lifted up his eyes and saw—behold, camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac. And she got down from the camel. And she said to the servant, “Who is this man walking around in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “That is my master.” And she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. And Isaac brought her to the tent of Sarah his mother. And he took Rebekah, and she became his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after the death of his mother.
Now Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bore to him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. And Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim. And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All of these were the children of Keturah. And Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of Abraham’s concubines Abraham gave gifts. And while he was still living he sent them away eastward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the east. Now these are the days of the years of the life of Abraham: one hundred and seventy-five years. And Abraham passed away and died in a good old age, old and full of years. And he was gathered to his people. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar the Hittite, that was east of Mamre, the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried and Sarah his wife. And it happened that after the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac settled at Beer-Lahai-Roi.
Now these are the generations of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, that Hagar the Egyptian, the female slave of Sarah, bore to Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names according to their family records. The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments—12 leaders according to their tribes. Now these are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. And he passed away and died, and was gathered to his people.They settled from Havilah to Shur, which was opposite Egypt, going toward Assyria; he settled opposite all his brothers.
Now these are the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac, And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, as his wife. And Isaac prayed to Yahweh on behalf of his wife, for she was barren. And Yahweh responded to his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children in her womb jostled each other, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, why be pregnant?” And she went to inquire of Yahweh. And Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from birth shall be divided. And one people shall be stronger than the other. And the elder shall serve the younger.” And when her days to give birth were completed, then—behold—twins were in her womb. And the first came out red, all his body was like a hairy coat, so they called his name Esau. And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasped the heel of Esau, so his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old at their birth. And the boys grew up. And Esau was a skilled hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he could eat of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once Jacob cooked a thick stew, and Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stuff to gulp down, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom). Then Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright first.” And Esau said, “Look, I am going to die; now what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread, and thick lentil stew, and he ate and drank. Then he got up and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, to Gerar. And Yahweh appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land which I will show to you. Dwell as an alien in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. And I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all these lands. And all nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, because Abraham listened to my voice and kept my charge: my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
So Isaac settled in Gerar. When the men of the place asked concerning his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking “the men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she was beautiful.” And it happened that, when he had been there a long time, Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked through the window, and saw—behold—Isaac was fondling Rebekah his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Surely she is your wife. Now why did you say ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I thought I would die on account of her.” And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife! Then you would have brought guilt upon us!” Then Abimelech instructed all the people, saying, “The one who touches this man or his wife shall certainly die.”
And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in that same year a hundredfold, and Yahweh blessed him. And the man became wealthier and wealthier until he was exceedingly wealthy. And he possessed sheep and cattle and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. And the Philistines stopped up all the wells that the servants of his father had dug in the days of Abraham his father. They filled them with earth. And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you have become much too powerful for us.” So Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after the death of Abraham. And he gave to them the same names which his father had given them. And when the servants of Isaac dug in the valley, they found a well of fresh water there. Then the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours.” And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. And they dug another well, and they quarreled over it also. And he called its name Sitnah. Then he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. And he called its name Rehoboth, and said, “Now Yahweh has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” And from there he went up to Beersheba. And Yahweh appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I will bless you and make your descendants numerous for the sake of my servant Abraham.” And he built an altar there and called on the name of Yahweh. And he pitched his tent there, and the servants of Isaac dug a well there. Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol his army commander. And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you.” And they said, “We see clearly that Yahweh has been with you, so we thought let there be an oath between us—between us and you—and let us make a covenant with you that you may not do us harm just as we have not touched you, but have only done good to you and sent you away in peace. You are now blessed by Yahweh.” So he made a meal for them, and they ate and drank. And they arose early in the morning and each one swore to the other, and Isaac sent them away. And they left him in peace. And it happened that on that same day the servants of Isaac came and told him about the well that they had dug. And they said, “We have found water!” And he called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
And when Esau was forty years old he took as wife Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.
And it happened that when Isaac was old and his eyesight was weak, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” And he said, “Look, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. So now, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt food for me. Then make for me tasty food like I love, and bring it to me. And I will eat it so that I can bless you before I die.
Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to Esau his son, and when Esau went to the field to hunt wild game to bring back, Rebekah said to Jacob her son, “Look, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother saying, ‘Bring wild game to me and prepare tasty food so I can eat it and bless you before Yahweh before my death.’ So now, my son, listen to my voice, to what I command you. Go to the flock and take two good young goats from it for me, and I will prepare them as tasty food for your father, just as he likes. Then you must take it to your father and he will eat it so that he may bless you before his death.” Then Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man. Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes as a mocker, and he will bring upon me a curse and not a blessing.” Then his mother said to him, “Your curse be upon me, my son, only listen to my voice—go and get them for me.” So he went and took them, and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared tasty food as his father liked. Then Rebekah took some of her older son Esau’s best garments that were with her in the house, and she put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the young goats over his hands and over the smooth part of his neck.And she put the tasty food and the bread that she had made into the hand of Jacob, her son. And he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please get up, sit up and eat from my wild game so that you may bless me.” Then Isaac said to his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because Yahweh your God caused me to find it.” Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please, come near and let me feel you, my son. Are you really my son Esau or not?” And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father. And he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother. And he blessed him. And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said, “Bring it near to me that I may eat from the game of my son, so that I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate. And he brought wine to him, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” And he drew near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his garments, and he blessed him and said,
“Look, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed!
May God give you of the dew of heaven
and of the fatness of the earth,
and abundance of grain and new wine.
Let peoples serve you,
and nations bow down to you;
Be lord of your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
Cursed be those cursing you,
and blessed be those blessing you.”
And as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, immediately after Jacob had gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came back from his hunting. He too prepared tasty food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat from the wild game of his son, that you may bless me.” And Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled violently. Then he said, “Who then was he that hunted wild game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I blessed him? Moreover, he will be blessed!” When Esau heard the words of his father he cried out with a great and exceedingly bitter cry of distress. And he said to his father, “Bless me as well, my father!” And he said, “Your brother came in deceit and took your blessing.” Then he said, “Isn’t that why he is named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times. He took my birthright and, look, now he has taken my blessing!” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. Now what can I do for you, my son?” And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me also, my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him,
“Your home shall be from the fatness of the land,
and from the dew of heaven above.
But by your sword you shall live,
and you shall serve your brother.
But it shall be that when free yourself
you shall tear off his yoke from your neck.
Then Esau held a grudge against Jacob on account of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are coming, then I will kill Jacob my brother.” But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called for her younger son Jacob. And she said to him, “Look, Esau your brother is consoling himself concerning you, intending to kill you. Now then, my son, listen to my voice; arise and flee to Haran to Laban my brother. Stay with him a few days until the wrath of your brother has turned—until the anger of your brother turns from you and he has forgotten what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I lose the two of you in one day?” Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from Hittite women like these, from the native women, what am I living for?”
Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him. And he instructed him and said to him, “You must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and take for yourself a wife from there, from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. Now, may El-Shaddai bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, so that you become an assembly of peoples. And may he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Abraham.” Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-Aram, to take for himself a wife from there, and he blessed him and instructed him, saying, “You must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” and that Jacob listened to his father and to his mother and went to Paddan-Aram. Then Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father, then Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, son of Abraham, sister of Nebaioth, as a wife, in addition to the wives he had.
Then Jacob went out from Beersheba and went to Haran. And he arrived at a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and slept at that place. And he dreamed, and behold, a stairway was set on the earth, and its top touched the heavens. And behold, angels of God were going up and going down on it. And behold, Yahweh was standing beside him, and he said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you were sleeping I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, and to the east, and to the north and to the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and through your descendants. Now behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go. And I will bring you to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely Yahweh is indeed in this place and I did not know!” Then he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is nothing else than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” And Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a stone pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; however, the name of the city was formerly Luz. And Jacob made a vow saying, “If God will be with me and protect me on this way that I am going, and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return in peace to the house of my father, then Yahweh will become my God. And this stone that I have set up as a pillar shall be the house of God, and of all that you give to me I will certainly give a tenth to you.”
And Jacob continued his journey and went to the land of the Easterners. And he looked, and behold, there was a well in the field, and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. And the stone on the mouth of the well was large. And when all the flocks were gathered there, they rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well. And they watered the sheep and returned the stone upon the mouth of the well to its place. And Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” And he said to them, “Do you know Laban, son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” And he said to them, “Is he well?” And they said, “He is well. Now look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.” And he said, “Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not the time for the livestock to be gathered. Give water to the sheep and go, pasture them.” And they said, “We are not able, until all the flocks are gathered. Then the stone is rolled away from the mouth of the well, and we water the sheep.” While he was speaking with them, Rachel came with the sheep which belonged to her father, for she was pasturing them. And it happened that, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob drew near and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was the relative of her father, and that he was the son of Rebekah. And she ran and told her father.And it happened that when Laban heard the message about Jacob, the son of his sister, he ran to meet him. And he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, “Surely you are my flesh and my bone!” And he stayed with him a month.
Then Laban said to Jacob, “Just because you are my brother should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wage should be.” Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Now the eyes of Leah were dull, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. And Jacob loved Rachel and said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.” Then Laban said, “Better that I give her to you than I give her to another man. Stay with me.” And Jacob worked for Rachel seven years, but they were as a few days in his eyes because he loved her. And Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered all the men of the place and prepared a feast. And it happened that in the evening he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him, and he went in to her. And Laban gave Zilpah his female slave to her, to Leah his daughter as a female servant. And it happened that in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Now why did you deceive me?” Then Laban said, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, then I will also give you the other, on the condition that you will work for me another seven years.” And Jacob did so. So he completed the week of this one, then he gave Rachel his daughter to him as a wife. And Laban gave Bilhah his female slave to Rachel his daughter as a female servant. Then he also went in to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with him yet another seven years.
When Yahweh saw that Leah was unloved he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Then Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because Yahweh has noticed my misery. Surely now my husband will love me.” And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, “It is because Yahweh has heard that I am unloved that he gave me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, for I have borne him three sons.” Therefore, she called his name Levi. And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, “This time I will praise Yahweh.” Therefore she called his name Judah. And she ceased bearing children.
When Rachel saw that she could not bear children to Jacob, Rachel envied her sister. And she said to Jacob, “Give me children—if not, I will die!” And Jacob became angry with Rachel. And he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” Then she said, “Here is my servant girl Bilhah; go in to her that she may bear children as my surrogate. Then I will even have children by her.” Then she gave him Bilhah, her female slave, as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son for Jacob. Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan. And Bilhah, Rachel’s female slave, conceived again and bore a second son to Jacob. And Rachel said, “I have struggled a mighty struggle with my sister and have prevailed.” And she called his name Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took Zilpah her female slave and gave her to Jacob as a wife. And Zilpah, the female slave of Leah, bore a son to Jacob. Then Leah said, “Good fortune!” And she called his name Gad. And Zilpah, Leah’s female slave, bore a second son to Jacob. Then Leah said, “How happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.
And in the days of the wheat harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and he brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” And she said to her, “Is your taking my husband such a small thing that you will also take the mandrakes of my son?” Then Rachel said, “Then he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him. And she said, “Come in to me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he slept with her that night. And God listened to Leah and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. Then Leah said, “God has given me my wage since I gave my slave girl to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar. And Leah conceived again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift. This time my husband will acknowledge me, because I bore him six sons.” And she called his name Zebulun. And afterward she gave birth to a daughter. And she called her name Dinah. Then God remembered Rachel and listened to her, and God opened her womb. And she conceived and gave birth to a son. And she said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” And she called his name Joseph, saying, “Yahweh has added to me another son.”
And it happened that as soon as Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away that I may go to my place and my land. Give me my wives and my children for which I have served you, and let me go. For you yourself know my service that I have rendered to you.” But Laban said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, I have learned by divination that Yahweh has blessed me because of you.” And he said, “Name your wage to me and I will give it.” Then he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have been with me. For you had little before me, and it has increased abundantly. And Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned. So then, when shall I provide for my own family also?” And he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “Do not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flocks and keep them. Let me pass through all your flocks today, removing all the speckled and spotted sheep from them, along with every dark-colored sheep among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. That shall be my wages. And my righteousness will answer for me later when you come concerning my wages before you. Every one that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or dark-colored among the sheep shall be stolen if it is with me.” Then Laban said, “Look! Very well. It shall be according to your word.” But that day he removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, all that had white on it, and every dark-colored ram, and put them in the charge of his sons. And he put a journey of three days between him and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the remainder of Laban’s flock. Then Jacob took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled white strips on them, exposing the white which was on the branches. And he set the branches that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in the troughs that were in the water containers, where the flocks came to drink. And they were in heat when they came to drink. And the flocks mated by the branches, so the flocks bore streaked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs and turned the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark-colored in Laban’s flocks. And he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with the flocks of Laban. And whenever any of the stronger of the flocks were in heat, Jacob put the branches in full view of the flock in the troughs that they might mate among the branches. But with the more feeble of the flock he would not put them there. So the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger were Jacob’s. And the man became exceedingly rich and had large flocks, female slaves, male slaves, camels, and donkeys.
Now he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying, “Jacob has taken all that our father has,” and “From that which was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.” Then Jacob saw the face of Laban and, behold, it was not like it had been in the past. And Yahweh said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your ancestors and to your family, and I will be with you.” So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flocks, and he said to them, “Look, I see the face of your father, that it is not like it has been toward me in the past. But the God of my father is with me. Now you yourselves know that I have served your father with all my strength, and your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not allowed him to harm me. If thus he said, ‘Speckled shall be your wage,’ then all the flock bore speckled. And if he said, ‘Streaked shall be your wage,’ then all the flock bore streaked. God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. Now it happened that at the time of the mating of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams mounting the flock were streaked, speckled, and dappled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see—all the rams mounting the flock are streaked, speckled, and dappled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel where you anointed a stone pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now get up, go out from this land and return to the land of your birth.’ ” Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there yet a portion for us, and an inheritance in the house of our father? Are we not regarded as foreigners by him, because he has sold us and completely consumed our money? For all the wealth that God has taken away from our father, it belongs to us and to our sons. So now, all that God has said to you, do.” Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on the camels. And he drove all his livestock and his possessions that he had acquired, the livestock of his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-Aram, in order to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.
Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole the idols that belonged to her father. And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he intended to flee. Then he fled with all that he had, and arose and crossed the Euphrates and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. And on the third day it was told to Laban that Jacob had fled. Then he took his kinsmen with him and pursued after him, a seven-day journey, and he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Take care that you not speak with Jacob, whether good or evil.” And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban and his kinsmen pitched their tents in the hill country of Gilead. Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done that you tricked me and have carried off my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you hide your intention to flee and trick me, and did not tell me so that I would have sent you away with joy and song and tambourine and lyre? And why did you not give me opportunity to kiss my grandsons and my daughters goodbye? Now you have behaved foolishly by doing this. It is in my power to do harm to you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night saying, ‘Take care from speaking with Jacob, whether good or evil.’ Now, you have surely gone because you desperately longed for the house of your father, but why did you steal my gods?” Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought, ‘Lest you take your daughters from me by force.’ But with whomever you find your gods, he shall not live. In the presence of your kinsmen now identify what is with me that is yours and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. Then Laban went into Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent and the tent of the two female servants and did not find his gods. And he came out of Leah’s tent and went into Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them in the saddle bag of the camel and sat on them. And Laban searched the whole tent thoroughly but did not find them. And she said to her father, “Let there not be anger in the eyes of my lord, for I am not able to rise before you, for the way of women is with me. And he searched carefully and did not find the idols. Then Jacob became angry and quarreled with Laban. Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin that you pursued after me? For you have searched all my possessions, and what did you find of all the possessions of your household? Set it before my kinsmen and your kinsmen that they may decide between the two of us! These twenty years I was with you; your ewes and your female goats did not miscarry, and the rams of your flocks I did not eat. I brought no mangled carcass to you—I bore its loss. From my hand you sought it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was, during the day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac had not been with me, indeed now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my misery and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.” Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters and the grandsons are my grandsons, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see, it is mine. Now, what can I do for these my daughters today, or for their children whom they have borne? So now, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between me and you.” And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a stone pillar. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a pile of stones, and they ate there by the pile of stones. And Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Then Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness between me and you today.” Therefore its name is called Galeed, and Mizpah, because he said, “Yahweh watch between me and you when we are out of sight of each other. If you mistreat my daughters, and if you take wives besides my daughters, when there is no man with us, see—God is a witness between me and you.” And Laban said to Jacob, “See, this pile of stones, and see the pillar that I have set up between me and you. This pile of stones is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile of stones to you, and that you will not pass beyond this pile of stones and this pillar to me intending harm. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father judge between us.” Then Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. And Jacob sacrificed a sacrifice on the hill, and he called his kinsmen to eat the meal. And they ate the meal and spent the night on the hill. And Laban arose early in the morning and kissed his grandsons and his daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his homeland.
And Jacob went on his way, and angels of God met him. And when he saw them, Jacob said, “This is the camp of God!” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the territory of Edom. And he instructed them, saying, “Thus you must say to my lord, to Esau, ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, I have dwelled as an alien with Laban, and I have remained there until now. And I have acquired cattle, male donkeys, flocks, and male and female slaves, and I have sent to tell my lord, to find favor in your eyes.’ ” And the messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” Then Jacob was very frightened and distressed. So he divided the people, flocks, cattle, and camels that were with him into two companies. And he thought, “If Esau comes to one company and destroys it, the remaining company will be able to escape.” Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your family, and I will deal well with you.’ I am not worthy of all the loyal love and all the faithfulness that you have shown your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and attack me, mother and children alike. Now you yourself said, ‘I will surely deal well with you and make your offspring as the sand of the sea that cannot be counted for abundance.’ ”
And he lodged there that night. Then he took from what he had with him a gift for Esau his brother: two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. And he put them under the hand of his servants, herd by herd, and said to his servants, “Cross on ahead before me, and put some distance between herds. And he instructed the foremost, saying, “When Esau my brother comes upon you and asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you and where are you going? To whom do these animals belong ahead of you?’ Then you must say, ‘To your servant, to Jacob. It is a gift sent to my lord, to Esau. Now behold, he is also coming after us.’ ” And he also instructed the second servant and the third, and everyone else who was behind the herds, saying, “You must speak to Esau according to this word when you find him. And moreover, you shall say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he thought, “Let me appease him with the gift going before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will show me favor.” So the gift passed on before him, but he himself spent that night in the camp.
That night he arose and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. And he took them and sent them across the stream. Then he sent across all his possessions. And Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. And when he saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck his hip socket, so that Jacob’s hip socket was sprained as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Then he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me your name.” And he said, “Why do you ask this—for my name?” And he blessed him there. Then Jacob called the name of the place Peniel which means “I have seen God face to face and my life was spared.” Then the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the sciatic nerve that is upon the socket of the hip unto this day, because he struck the socket of the thigh of Jacob at the sinew of the sciatic nerve.
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, Esau was coming and four hundred men were with him. And he divided the children among Leah and among Rachel, and among the two of his female slaves. And he put the female slaves and their children first, then Leah and her children next, then Rachel with Joseph last. And he himself passed on before them and bowed down to the ground seven times until he came to his brother. But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept. Then Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, “Who are these with you?” And he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Then the female slaves drew near, they and their children, and they bowed down. Then Leah and her children drew near and bowed down, and afterward Joseph and Rachel drew near and they bowed down. And he said, “What do you mean by all this company that I have met?” Then he said, “To find favor in the eyes of my lord.” Then Esau said, “I have enough my brother; keep what you have.” And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, you must take my gift from my hand, for then I have seen your face which is like seeing the face of God, and you have received me. Please take my gift which has been brought to you, for God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” And he urged him, so he took it. Then he said, “Let us journey and go on, and I will go ahead of you.” But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and the flocks and the cattle which are nursing are a concern to me. Now if they drove them hard for a day all the flocks would die. Let my lord pass on before his servant and I will move along slowly at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me, and at the pace of the children until I come to my lord in Seir.” And Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.” So Esau turned that day on his way to Seir. But Jacob traveled on to Succoth, and he built for himself a house, and he made shelters for his livestock. Therefore he called the name of the place Succoth. And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-Aram. And he camped before the city. And he bought a piece of land where he pitched his tent for one hundred pieces of money from the hand of the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem. And there he erected an altar and called it “El Elohe Israel.”
Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. And he took her and lay with her and raped her. And his soul clung to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to the girl. So Shechem said to Hamor his father, saying, “Get this girl for me as a wife.”
And Jacob heard that Dinah his daughter had been defiled, but his sons were with his flocks in the field. And Jacob kept silent until they came. And Hamor, father of Shechem, went out to Jacob to speak with him. And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. And the men were distressed and very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by having sexual relations with the daughter of Jacob—something that should not be done. And Hamor spoke with them saying, “Shechem my son is in love with your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife. Make marriages with us. Give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us and the land shall be before you; settle and trade in it, and acquire property in it.” Then Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will do. Make the bride price and gift as high as you like; I will give what you say to me. But give me the girl as a wife.” Then the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor speaking deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for that is a disgrace for us. Only on this condition will we give consent to you; if you will become like us—every male among you to be circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take for ourselves your daughters, and we will live with you and become one family. But if you will not listen to us, to be circumcised, then we will take our daughters and we will go.” And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem, the son of Hamor. And the young man did not delay to do the thing, for he wanted the daughter of Jacob. Now he was the most honored of his father’s house. Then Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the men of their city, saying, “These men are at peace with us. Let them dwell in the land and let them trade in it. Now, behold, the land is broad enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give our daughters to them. Only on this condition will the men give consent to us, to live with us and to become one family—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock and their property and all their animals be ours? Only let us give consent to them so they will live among us.” And all those who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male was circumcised, all those who went out of the gate of his city. And it happened that on the third day, while they were in pain, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, each took his sword and came against the unsuspecting city and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and they took Dinah from the house of Shechem and went out. The other sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks and their cattle and their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and whatever was in the field. They captured and plundered all that was in the houses—all their wealth, their little ones, and their women. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, making me stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites! I am few in number! If they gather against me and attack me, I will be destroyed—I and my household!” But they said, “Shall he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
And God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from before Esau your brother.” Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are in your midst and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us make ready and let us go up to Bethel, so that I can make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my trouble, and who has been with me on the way that I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands, and the ornamental rings that were in their ears. And Jacob buried them under the oak which was near Shechem. Then they set out on their journey, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, so that they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came to Luz which was in the land of Canaan (that is Bethel), he and all the people that were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El-Bethel, for there God had appeared to him when he fled before his brother. And Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, died. And she was buried below Bethel, under the oak. And its name was called Allon-Bacuth. And God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-Aram, and he blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” Then his name was called Israel. And God said to him, “I am El-Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assemblage of nations shall be from you, and kings shall go out from your loins. And as for the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I will give it to you. And to your descendants after you I will give the land. And God went up from him at the place where he spoke with him. And Jacob set up a pillar at the place where God had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. And he poured out a drink offering upon it, and poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. And she had hard labor. And when her labor was the most difficult the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid for you have another son.” And it happened that when her life was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-Oni. But his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob erected a pillar at her burial site. That is the pillar of the burial site of Rachel unto this day. And Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. And while Israel was living in that land Reuben went and had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father’s concubine. And Israel heard about it.
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: The firstborn of Jacob was Reuben. Then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, the female slave of Rachel: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, the female slave of Leah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-Aram.
And Jacob came to Isaac his father at Mamre, or Kiriath-Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac dwelled as aliens. Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. And Isaac passed away and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Now these are the descendants of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah, daughter of Elon, the Hittite, and Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, the Hivite, and Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebaioth. And Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz; and Basemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush and Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. And Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughters, and all the persons of his household, and his sheep and goats, and all his cattle, and all the goods that he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to a land away from his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too many to live together, so that the land of their sojourning was not able to support them on account of their livestock. So Esau dwelled in the hill country of Seir (Esau, that is Edom).
Now these are the descendants of Esau, the father of Edom, in the hill country of Seir. These are the names of the sons of Esau: Eliphaz, the son of Adah, the wife of Esau; Reuel, the son of Basemath, the wife of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. (Now Timnah was the concubine of Eliphaz, the son of Esau. And she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, the wife of Esau. Now these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, the wife of Esau. Now these are the sons of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, daughter of Zibeon, the wife of Esau: She bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs of Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah. Now these are the sons of Reuel, the son of Esau: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Basemath, the wife of Esau. Now these are the sons of Oholibamah, the wife of Esau: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the chiefs born of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the wife of Esau. These are the sons of Esau, and these are their chiefs (that is, Edom). These are the sons of Seir, the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. And Lotan’s sister was Timna. Now these are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. Now these are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah—he is Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father. Now these are the sons of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. Now these are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.
Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites. Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom. And the name of his city was Dinhabah. And Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zerah from Bozrah, reigned in his place. And Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. And Husham died, and Hadad, son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the field of Moab reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith. And Hadad died, and Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. And Samlah died, and Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place. And Shaul died, and Baal-Hanan, the son of Acbor, reigned in his place. And Baal-Hanan the son of Acbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Pau, and the name of his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab. Now these are the names of the chiefs of Esau according to their families, according to their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom) according to their settlements in the land of their possession.
And Jacob settled in the land of the sojourning of his father, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers. Now he was a helper with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, for he was a son of his old age. And he made a robe with long sleeves for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and were not able to speak peaceably to him.
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers. And they hated him even more. And he said to them, “Listen now to this dream that I dreamed. Now behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field and, behold, my sheaf stood up and it remained standing. Then behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” Then his brothers said to him, “Will you really reign over us? Or will you truly rule over us?” And they hated him even more on account of his dream and because of his words. Then he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream again, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the ground to you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Now his brothers went to pasture the flock of their father in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem? Come, let me send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” Then he said to him, “Go now, see if it goes well for your brothers and for the flock, then return word to me.” And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he arrived at Shechem. And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering about in a field. And the man asked him, “What do you seek?” And he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing.” And the man said, “They have moved on from here, for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Then Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. And they saw him from a distance. And before he drew near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. And each said to his brothers, “Look, this master of dreams is coming. Now then, come, let us kill him and throw him in one of the pits. Then we will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams become.” And Reuben heard it and delivered him from their hand and said, “We must not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “You must not shed blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the desert, but do not lay a hand on him”—so that he might rescue him from their hand to return him to his father. And it happened that as Joseph came to his brothers they stripped Joseph of his robe, the robe with long sleeves, that was upon him. And they took him and threw him into the pit (the pit was empty; there was no water in it). Then they sat down to eat some food. And they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead. And their camels were carrying aromatic gum and balm and spices on the way to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but our hand shall not be against him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and brought him up from the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt. Then Reuben returned to the pit and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes. And he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! Now I, what can I do?” Then they took the robe of Joseph and slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. Then they sent the robe with long sleeves and they brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please examine it. Is it the robe of your son or not?” And he recognized it and said, “The robe of my son! A wild animal has devoured him! Joseph is surely torn to pieces!” And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters tried to console him, but he refused to be consoled. And he said, “No, I shall go down to my son, to Sheol, mourning.” And his father wept for him. And the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, a court official of Pharaoh, a commander of the guard.
And it happened that at that time Judah went down from his brothers and pitched his tent near a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite there whose name was Shua. And he took her and went in to her. And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. And she conceived again and bore a son, and he called his name Onan. And once again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. And he was in Chezib when she bore him. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh killed him. Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to the wife of your brother and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be for him, so whenever he went in to the wife of his brother he would waste it on the ground so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so he killed him also. Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Stay a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up,” for he feared he would also die like his brother. So Tamar went and stayed in the house of her father. And in the course of time the daughter of Shua, the wife of Judah, died. When Judah was consoled he went up to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite, to Timnah. And it was told to Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” So she removed the clothes of her widowhood and covered herself with the veil and disguised herself. And she sat at the entrance to Eynayim, which is on the way to Timnah, for she saw that Shelah was grown but she had not been given to him as a wife. And Judah saw her and reckoned her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face. And he turned aside to her at the roadside and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give to me that you may come in to me?” And he said, “I will send a kid from the goats of the flock.” And she said, “Only if you give a pledge until you send it.” And he said, “What is the pledge that I must give to you?” And she said, “your seal, your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” And he gave them to her and went in to her. And she conceived by him. And she arose and left, and she removed her veil from herself and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sent the kid from the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the hand of the woman, but he could not find her. So he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is that cult prostitute that was at Eynayim by the roadside?” And they said, “There is no cult prostitute here.” Then he returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her. Morever, the men of the place said, ‘There is no cult prostitute here.’ ” And Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be laughed at. Behold, I sent this kid, but you could not find her.” And about three months later it was told to Judah, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the whore, and now, behold, she has conceived by prostitution.” And Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned.” She was brought out, but she sent to her father-in-law saying, “By the man to whom these belong I have conceived.” And she said, “Now discern to whom these belong: the seal and cord and the staff.” Then Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again. And it happened that at the time she gave birth that, behold, twins were in her womb. And it happened that at her labor one child put out a hand. And the midwife took it and tied a crimson thread on his hand saying, “This one came out first.” Then his hand drew back and, behold, his brother came out, and she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” And she called his name Perez. And afterward his brother who had the crimson thread on his hand came out. And his name was called Zerah.
Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, a court official of Pharaoh, commander of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. And Yahweh was with Joseph, and he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his master observed that Yahweh was with him, and everything that was in his hand to do Yahweh made successful. And Joseph found favor in his eyes and he served him. Then he appointed him over his house and all that he owned he put into his hand. And it happened that from the time he appointed him over his house and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the house of the Egyptian on account of Joseph. And the blessing of Yahweh was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in the hand of Joseph, and he did not worry about anything except the food that he ate. Now Joseph was well built and handsome. And it happened that after these things his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not worry about what is in the house, and everything he owns he has put in my hand. He has no greater authority in this house than me, and he has not withheld anything from me except you, since you are his wife. Now how could I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And it happened that as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not heed her to lie beside her or to be with her. But one particular day he came into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house were there in the house, she seized him by his garment and said, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and he went outside. And it happened that when she saw that he left his garment in her hand and fled outside, she called to the men of her house and said to them, “Look! He brought a Hebrew man to us to mock us! He came to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And when he heard me, that I raised my voice and called out, he left his garment beside me and fled, and he went outside.” Then she put his garment beside her until his master came to his house. Then she spoke to him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew slave that you brought to us came to me to make fun of me. And it happened that as I raised my voice and called out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” And when his master heard the words of his wife that she spoke to him, “This is what your servant did to me,” he became very angry. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into prison, the place that the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in prison. And Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed loyal love to him, and gave him favor in the eyes of the chief of the prison. And the chief of the prison put all the prisoners that were in the prison into the hand of Joseph. And everything that was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief of the prison did not worry about anything in his hand, since Yahweh was with him. And whatever he did Yahweh made it successful.
And it happened that after these things the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker did wrong against their lord, against the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, with the chief cupbearer and chief baker. And he put them in custody in the house of the commander of the guard, into the prison where Joseph was confined. And the commander of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. And they were in custody many days. And the two of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, dreamed a dream one night, each his own dream, with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning he looked at them, and behold, they were troubled. And he asked the court officials of Pharaoh that were with him in the custody of his master’s house, “Why are your faces sad today?” And they said to him, “We each dreamed a dream, but there is no one to interpret it.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” Then the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and he said to him, “In my dream, now behold, there was a vine before me, and on the vine were three branches. And as it budded, its blossoms came up, and its clusters of grapes grew ripe. And the cup of Pharaoh was in my hand, and I took the grapes and squeezed them into the cup of Pharaoh. Then I placed the cup into the hand of Pharaoh.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: The three branches, they are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and will restore you to your office. And you shall put the cup of Pharaoh into his hand as was formerly the custom, when you were his cupbearer. But remember me when it goes well with you, and please may you show kindness with respect to me, and mention me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. For I was surely kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me in this pit.” And when the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good he said to Joseph, “I also dreamed. In my dream, now behold, there were three baskets of bread upon my head. And in the upper basket were all sorts of baked foods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket upon my head.” Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: The three baskets, they are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift your head from you and hang you on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh from you.” And it happened that on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. And he restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearing position. And he placed the cup in the hand of Pharaoh. But the chief baker he hanged as Joseph had interpreted to them. But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
And it happened that after two full years Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. And behold, seven cows, well built and fat, were coming up from the Nile, and they grazed among the reeds. And behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood beside those cows on the bank of the Nile. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate the seven well built and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time, and behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were coming out of one stalk. And behold, seven thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven plump and full ears of grain. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And it happened that in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called all of the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men, and Pharaoh told his dream to them. But they had no interpretation for Pharaoh. Then the chief of the cupbearers spoke with Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my sins today. Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the house of the commander of the guard. And we dreamed a dream one night, I and he, each with a dream that had a meaning. And there with us was a young man, a Hebrew servant of the commander of the guard, and we told him the dream, and he interpreted our dreams for us, each according to his dream he interpreted. And it happened just as he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office, and him he hanged.” Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they brought him quickly from the prison. And he shaved and changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I dreamed a dream, but there is none to interpret it. Now, I have heard concerning you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Then Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, “It is not in my power; God will answer concerning the well-being of Pharaoh.” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now in my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile, and behold, seven cows, well built and fat, were coming up from the Nile, and they grazed among the reeds. And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly looking and gaunt—never have I seen any as them in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. And the thin and ugly cows ate the former seven healthy cows. But when they went into their bellies it could not be known that they went into their bellies, for their appearance was as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. Then I saw in my dream and behold, seven ears of grain were coming out of one stalk, full and good. And behold, seven withered ears of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven good ears of grain. And I told the magicians, but there was none to explain it to me.” Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows, they are seven years, and the seven good ears of grain, they are seven years. The dreams are one. And the seven thin and ugly cows coming up after them, they are seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, they are also seven years of famine. This is the word that I have spoken to Pharaoh; God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. Then seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will consume the land. Abundance in the land will not be known because of the famine that follows, for it will be very heavy. Now concerning the repetition of the dream twice to Pharaoh, it is because the matter is established by God, and God will do it quickly. Now then, let Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise, and let him set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint supervisors over the land, and let him take one-fifth from the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. Then let them gather all the food of these coming good years and let them pile up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. Then the food shall be as a deposit for the land for the seven years of the famine that will be in the land of Egypt, that the land will not perish on account of the famine.”
And the plan was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this in whom is the spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all of this known to you there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and to your word all my people shall submit. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and put it on the finger of Joseph. And he clothed him with garments of fine linen, and he put a chain of gold around his neck. And he had him ride in his second chariot. And they cried out before him, “Kneel!” And Pharaoh set him over all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your consent no one will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” And Pharaoh called the name of Joseph Zaphenath-paneah and gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as a wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and traveled through the whole land of Egypt. And the land produced a plenty in the seven years of abundance. And he gathered all the food of the seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt. And he stored the food in the cities. The food of the field that surrounded each city he stored in its midst. And Joseph piled up grain like the sand of the sea in great abundance until he stopped counting it, for it could not be counted. Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, for he said, “God has caused me to forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” And the name of the second he called Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune.” And the seven years of abundance which were in the land of Egypt came to an end. And the seven years of famine began to come as Joseph had said. And there was famine in all of the countries, but in all the land of Egypt there was food. And when all the land of Egypt was hungry the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. And Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; what he says to you, you must do.” And the famine was over the whole land, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold food to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. And every land came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, for the famine was severe in every land.
When Jacob realized that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” Then he said, “Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us there that we may live and not die.” And the ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, with his brothers, for he feared harm would come to him. Then the sons of Israel went to buy grain amid those other people who went as well, for there was famine in the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was the governor over the land. He was the one who sold food to all the people of the land. And the brothers of Joseph came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them. And he spoke with them harshly and said to them, “From where have you come?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed concerning them, and he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!” And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. We all are sons of one man. We are honest men. We, your servants, are not spies.” Then he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” Then they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, but behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.” But Joseph said to them, “It is what I said to you—you are spies. By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh you will not go out from here unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, but you will be kept in prison so that your words might be tested to see if there is truth with you. And if not, by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.” Then he gathered them into the prison for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live; I fear God. If you are honest, let one of your brothers be kept in prison where you are now being kept, but the rest of you go, carry grain for the famine for your households. You must bring your youngest brother to me, and then your words will be confirmed and you will not die.” And they did so. Then each said to his brother, “Surely we are guilty on account of our brother when we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded for mercy to us and we would not listen. Therefore this trouble has come to us.” Then Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not say to you, do not sin against the boy? But you did not listen, and now, behold, his blood has been sought.” Now they did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them. And he turned away from them and wept. Then he returned to them and spoke to them, and took Simeon from them and tied him up in front of them. Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to return their money to each sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. Then they loaded their grain upon their donkeys and went away from there. And one of them later opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodging place and saw his money—behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. And he said to his brothers, “My money was returned and moreover, behold, it is in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and each of them trembled and said, “What is this God has done to us?”
And when they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan they told him everything that had happened to them, saying, “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us as if we were spying out the land. But we said to him, ‘We are honest; we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, the sons of our father. One is no more and the youngest is with our father now in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take food for the famine in your households and go. And bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies but you are honest. I will give your brother back to you, and you will trade in the land.’ ” And it happened that when they emptied their sacks, behold, each one’s pouch of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw the pouches of their money, they were greatly distressed. And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me—Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and Benjamin you would take! All of this is against me! Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hand and I myself will return him to you.” But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone remains. If harm meets him on the journey that you would take, you would bring down my gray head in sorrow to Sheol.”
Now the famine in the land was severe. And it happened that as they finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt their father said to them, “Return and buy a little food for us.” Then Judah said to him, “The man solemnly admonished us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you, but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ” Then Israel said, “Why did you bring trouble to me by telling the man you still had a brother?” And they said, “The man asked explicitly about us and about our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have a brother?’ And we answered him according to these words. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring down your brother’?” Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and let us arise and go, so that we will live and not die—you, we, and our children. I myself will be surety for him. You may seek him from my hand. If I do not bring him back to you and present him before you, then I will stand guilty before you forever. Surely if we had not hesitated by this time we would have returned twice.” Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so then do this. Take some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, and pistachios and almonds. And take double the money with you. Take back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. And take your brother. Now arise and return to the man. And may El-Shaddai grant you compassion before the man that he may release your other brother to you and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
So the men took this gift, and they took double money in their hands, and Benjamin, and they rose up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them he said to the one who was over his household, “Bring the men into the house and slaughter and prepare an animal, for the men shall eat with me at noon.” And the man did as Joseph had said, and the man brought the men into the house of Joseph. And the men were afraid when they were brought into the house of Joseph. And they said “We were brought here on account of the money that was returned to our sacks the first time, that he might attack us and fall upon us to take us as slaves with our donkeys.” So they approached the man who was over Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the doorway of the house. And they said, “Please, my lord, we surely came down once before to buy food, but when we came to the place of lodging and we opened our sacks, then behold, each one’s money was in the mouth of his sack—our money in its full weight—so we have returned with it in our hands. Now, other money we have brought down in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” And he said, “Peace to you; do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father must have given you a treasure in your sacks; your money came to me.” And he brought Simeon out to them. Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and he gave them water and washed their feet, and gave fodder to their donkeys. Then they laid out the gift until Joseph came at noon, for they had heard that they were to eat food there. And when Joseph came into the house they brought the gift that was in their hand into the house to him, and they bowed down before him to the ground. And he greeted them and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” And they said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they knelt and bowed down. Then he lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, and said, “Is this your youngest brother of whom you told me?” And he continued, “God be gracious to you, my son.” Then Joseph hurried away, being overcome with emotion toward his brother, and sought for a place to cry. Then he went into a room and wept there. Then he washed his face and went out, now controlling himself, and said, “Serve the food.” And they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, for Egyptians could not dine with Hebrews, because that was a detestable thing to Egyptians. And they were seated before him from the firstborn according to his birthright to the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another amazed. And portions were served to them from his table, and the portion of Benjamin was five times greater than the portion of any of them. And they drank and became drunk with him.
Then he commanded the one who was over his household, saying, “Fill the sacks of the men with food as much as they are able to carry, and put each one’s money in the mouth of his sack. And my cup—the cup of silver—you shall put into the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and the money for his grain. And he did according to the word of Joseph that he had commanded. When the morning light came the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. They went out of the city, and had not gone far when Joseph said to the one who was over his house, “Arise! Pursue after the men and overtake them. Then you shall say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? Is this not that from which my master drinks? Now he himself certainly practices divination with it. You have done evil in what you have done.’ ” When he overtook them he spoke these words to them. And they said to him, “Why has my lord spoken according to these words? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! Behold, the money that we found in the mouth of our sacks we returned to you from the land of Canaan. Now why would we steal silver or gold from the house of my lord? Whoever is found with it from among your servants shall die. And moreover, we will become slaves to my lord.” Then he said, “Now also according to your words, thus will it be. He who is found with it shall be my slave, but you shall be innocent.” Then each man quickly brought down his sack to the ground, and each one opened his sack. And he searched, beginning with the oldest and finishing with the youngest. And the cup was found in the sack of Benjamin. Then they tore their clothes, and each one loaded his donkey and they returned to the city.
And Judah and his brothers came to the house of Joseph—now he was still there—they fell before him to the ground. Then Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Did you not know that a man who is like me surely practices divination?” And Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? Now how can we show ourselves innocent? God has found the guilt of your servants! Behold, we are slaves to my lord, both we and also he in whose hand the cup was found.” But he said, “Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found, he will become my slave. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.” But Judah drew near to him and said, “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord had asked his servants, saying, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ And we said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and a younger brother, the child of his old age, and his brother died, and he alone remains from his mother, and his father loves him.’ Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes upon him.’ Then we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, then he would die.’ Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not again see my face.’ And it happened that we went up to your servant, my father, and told him the words of my lord. And when our father said, ‘Go back, buy a little food for us,’ then we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we shall go down. For we will not be able to see the face of the man unless our youngest brother is with us.’ Then your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You yourselves know that my wife bore two sons to me. One went out from me, and I said, “Surely he must have been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since. And if you take this one also from me, and he encounters harm, you will bring down my gray head in sorrow to Sheol.’ So now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us—now his life is bound up with his life—it shall happen that when he sees that the boy is gone, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray head of your servant, our father, to Sheol with sorrow. For your servant is pledged as surety for the boy by my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you, then I shall be culpable to my father forever. So then, please let your servant remain in place of the boy as a slave to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers. For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I do not want to see the misery which will find my father.”
Then Joseph was not able to control himself before all who were standing by him. And he cried out, “Make every man go out from me!” So no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept loudly, so that the Egyptians heard it and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” And his brothers were unable to answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they drew near. And he said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. So now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for God sent me as deliverance before you. For these two years the famine has been in the midst of the land, but there will be five more years where there is no plowing or harvest. And God sent me before you all to preserve for you a remnant in the land and to keep alive among you many survivors. So now, you yourselves did not send me here, but God put me here as father to Pharaoh and as master of all his household, and a ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry, and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me and do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen so that you will be near me, you and your children and your grandchildren, and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. And I will provide for you there, because there are still five years of famine—lest you and your household and all that you have become destitute.’ Now behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is I who am speaking to you. And you must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt and all that you have seen. Now hurry and bring my father here.” Then he fell upon the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. And afterward his brothers spoke with him. Then the report was heard in the house of Pharaoh, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” And it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers: ‘Do this—load your donkeys and go back to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’ And you Joseph, are commanded to say this: ‘Do this! Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives, and bring your father and come! Do not worry about your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”
And the sons of Israel did so. And Joseph gave them wagons at the word of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. To each and to all of them he gave sets of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of clothing. And to his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys carrying the best of Egypt, and ten donkeys carrying grain and food and provisions for his father for the journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and when they departed he said to them, “Do not be agitated on the journey.” So they went up from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. And they spoke to him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart went numb, because he did not believe them. Then they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them. And when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, then the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
So Israel journeyed with all that he had, and he came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I myself will also bring you up. And Joseph will place his hand over your eyes.” So Jacob arose from Beersheba. And the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, and their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to transport him. And they took their livestock and their possessions that they had acquired in the land of Canaan. And they came to Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him: his sons and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob and the sons of Reuben: Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. The sons of Issachar: Tolah, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron. The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. These are the sons of Leah that she bore to Jacob in Paddan-Aram, and Dinah his daughter. His sons and his daughters were thirty-three persons in all. The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister Serah. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel. These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob—sixteen persons. The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin. And Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him, were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. These are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all. The sons of Dan: Hushim. The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. These are the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob—seven persons in all. All the persons belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt who were his descendants, not including the wives of the sons of Jacob were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came to Egypt were seventy.
He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to appear before him in Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. Then Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell upon his neck and wept upon his neck a long time. Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die since I have seen your face, for you are still alive.” Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and report to Pharaoh, and I will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. And the men are shepherds, for they are men of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their cattle and all that they have.’ And it shall be that when Pharaoh calls you he will say, ‘What is your occupation?’ Then you must say, ‘Your servants are men of livestock from our childhood until now, both we and also our ancestors,’ so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is a detestable thing to Egyptians.”
So Joseph went and reported to Pharaoh. And he said, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan. Now they are here in the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our ancestors.” And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servant’s flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen, and if you know there are among them men of ability, then appoint them overseers of my own livestock.” Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty years. Few and hard have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not reached the days of the years of the lives of my ancestors in the days of their sojourning.” And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and he went out from the presence of Pharaoh. And Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and he gave them property in the land of Egypt in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed. And Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all the household of his father with food, according to the number of their children.
Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe. And the land of Egypt languished, with the land of Canaan, on account of the famine. And Joseph collected all the money found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain that they were buying. And Joseph brought the money into the house of Pharaoh. And when the money was spent in the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan, all of Egypt came to Joseph, saying, “Give us food! Why should we die before you? For the money is used up.” And Joseph said, “Give your livestock and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock if your money is used up.” So they brought their herds to Joseph, and Joseph gave food to them in exchange for horses, their flocks, and their cattle and donkeys. And he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. When that year ended, they came to him in the following year and said to him, “We cannot hide from my lord that our money and livestock belong to my lord. Nothing remains before my lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we die in front of you, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, then we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Then give us seed and we shall live and not die, and the land will not become desolate.” So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for each Egyptian sold his field, for the famine was severe upon them. And the land became Pharaoh’s. As for the people, he transferred them to the cities, from one end of the territory of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for there was an allotment for the priests from Pharaoh, and they lived on the allotment that Pharaoh gave to them. Therefore they did not sell their land. And Joseph said to the people, “Look, I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you so you can sow the land. And it shall happen that at the harvest, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh and four-fifths shall be yours, as seed for the field and for your food and for those who are in your households, and as food for your little ones.” And they said, “You have saved our lives. If we have found favor in the eyes of my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” So Joseph made it a statute unto this day concerning the land of Egypt: one fifth to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests alone did not belong to Pharaoh. So Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they acquired possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. And the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years. When the time of Israel’s death drew near, he called to his son, to Joseph. And he said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, that you might vow to deal kindly and faithfully with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my ancestors. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial site.” And he said, “I will do according to your word.” Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
And it happened that after these things, it was said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is ill.” And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim. And it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel strengthened himself and he sat up in the bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph, “El-Shaddai appeared to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and make you numerous, and will make you a company of nations. And I will give this land to your offspring after you as an everlasting possession.’ And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before my coming to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are. And your children whom you father after them shall be yours. By the name of their brothers they shall be called, with respect to their inheritance. As for me, when I came from Paddan-Aram, Rachel died to my sorrow in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” When Israel saw the sons of Joseph he said, “Who are these?” Then Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Please bring them to me that I may bless them.” Now the eyes of Israel were dim on account of old age; he was not able to see. So he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face and behold, God has also shown me your offspring.” Then Joseph removed them from his knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. And Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim at his right to the left of Israel, and Manasseh at his left to the right of Israel. And he brought them near to him. And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim (now he was the younger), and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked,
The God who shepherded me all my life unto this day,
The angel who redeemed me from all evil,
may he bless the boys.
And through them let my name be perpetuated,
and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
And let them multiply into many in the midst of the earth.
When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he was displeased. And he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim over to the head of Manasseh. And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father; because this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son; I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than him, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” So he blessed them that day, saying,
Through you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’ ”
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. And Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors. And I have given to you one slope of land rather than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorites by my sword and with my bow.”
Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together so that I can tell you what will happen with you in days to come.
Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob!
Listen to Israel your father!
Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my strength, and the firstfruit of my vigor,
excelling in rank and excelling in power.
Unstable as water, you shall not excel any longer,
for you went up upon the bed of your father,
then defiled it. You went up upon my couch!
Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons of violence are their swords.
Let me not come into their council.
Let not my person be joined to their company.
For in their anger they killed men,
and at their pleasure they hamstrung cattle.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob,
and I will scatter them in Israel.
Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you.
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies.
The sons of your father shall bow down to you.
Judah is a lion’s cub.
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bowed down; he crouched like a lion and as a lioness.
Who shall rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff between his feet,
until Shiloh comes.
And to him shall be the obedience of nations.
Binding his donkey to the vine
and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he washes his clothing in the wine
and his garment in the blood of grapes.
The eyes are darker than wine,
and the teeth whiter than milk.
Zebulun shall settle by the shore of the sea.
He shall become a haven for ships,
and his border shall be at Sidon.
Issachar is a strong donkey,
crouching between the sheepfolds.
He saw a resting place that was good,
and land that was pleasant.
So he bowed his shoulder to the burden
and became a servant of forced labor.
Dan shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent on the way,
a viper on the road
that bites the heels of a horse,
so that its rider falls backward.
I wait for your salvation, O Yahweh.
Bandits shall attack Gad,
but he shall attack their heels.
Asher’s food is delicious,
and he shall provide from the king’s delicacies.
Naphtali is a doe running free
that puts forth beautiful words.
Joseph is the bough of a fruitful vine,
a fruitful bough by a spring.
His branches climb over the wall.
The archers fiercely attacked him.
They shot arrows at him and were hostile to him.
But his bow remained in a steady position;
his arms were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob.
From there is the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
Because of the God of your father he will help you
and by Shaddai he will bless you
with the blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that crouches beneath,
blessings of the breasts and the womb.
The blessings of your father
are superior to the blessings of my ancestors,
to the bounty of the everlasting hills.
May they be on the head of Joseph,
and on the forehead of the prince of his brothers.
Benjamin is a devouring wolf,
devouring the prey in the morning,
and dividing the plunder in the evening.
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them; each according to his blessing he blessed them. Then he instructed them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me among my ancestors in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah that is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife. And there I buried Leah—the purchase of the field and the cave which was in it from the Hittites.” When Jacob finished instructing his sons he drew his feet up to the bed. Then he took his last breath and was gathered to his people.
Then Joseph fell on the face of his father and wept upon him and kissed him. And Joseph instructed his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for it, for thus are the days required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days. When the days of his weeping had passed, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die. In my tomb that I have hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan—there you must bury me.” So then, please let me go up and let me bury my father; then I will return.’ ” Then Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father as he made you swear.” So Joseph went up to bury his father. And all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, went up with him, with all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and the household of his father. They left only their little children and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. And there also went up with him chariots and horsemen. The company was very great. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which was beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful wailing. And he made a mourning ceremony for his father seven days. And when the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, saw the mourning ceremony at the threshing floor of Atad they said, “This is a severe mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel-Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.Thus his sons did to him just as he had instructed them. And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which field Abraham had bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite before Mamre. And after burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
And when the brothers of Joseph saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hold a grudge against us and pay us back dearly for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent word to Joseph saying, “Your father commanded us before his death, saying, “Thus you must say to Joseph, ‘O, please now forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you.’ So now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers went also and fell before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you planned evil against me, but God planned it for good, in order to do this—to keep many people alive—as it is today. So then, do not be afraid. I myself will provide for you and your little ones. And he consoled them and spoke kindly to them.
So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and the house of his father. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. Moreover, the children of Makir, son of Manasseh, were born on the knees of Joseph. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will certainly visit you and bring you up from this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall bring up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old. They embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt; with Jacob, they each came with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. And all those who descended from Jacob were seventy individuals, and Joseph was in Egypt. And Joseph died and all of his brothers and all of that generation. And the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied and were many and were very, very numerous, and the land was filled with them.
And a new king rose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the Israelites are greater and more numerous than us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them, lest they become many, and when war happens, they also will join our enemies and will fight against us and go up from the land.” And they appointed commanders of forced labor over them in order to oppress them with their forced labor, and they built storage cities for Pharaoh—Pithom and Rameses. And as he oppressed them, so they became many, and so they spread out, and the Egyptians were afraid because of the presence of the Israelites. And the Egyptians ruthlessly compelled the Israelites to work. And they made their lives bitter with hard work with mortar and with bricks and with all sorts of work in the field—with all their work in which they ruthlessly enslaved them.
And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives—of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah and the name of the second was Puah—and he said, “When you help the Hebrews give birth, you will look upon the pairs of testicles; if he is a son, you will put him to death, and if she is a daughter, she will live.” But the midwives feared God, and they did not do as the king of Egypt had said to them. They let the boys live. And the king of Egypt summoned the midwives, and he said to them, “Why have you done this thing and let the boys live?” And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, because they are vigorous; before the midwife comes to them, they have given birth.” And God did the midwives good, and the Israelite people became many and were very numerous. And so because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you will throw into the Nile, and every daughter you will let live.”
And a man from the family of Levi went, and he took a descendent of Levi. And the woman conceived, and she gave birth to a son, and she saw him, that he was a fine baby, and she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him, and she coated it with tar and with pitch, and she placed the boy in it, and she placed it among the reeds on the bank of the Nile. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh went down to wash at the Nile, while her maidservants were walking alongside the Nile, and she saw the basket in the midst of the reeds, and she sent her slave woman for it and took it and opened it and saw him—the boy—and it was a lad weeping, and she had compassion for him and said, “This must be from the boys of the Hebrews.” And his sister said to the daughter of Pharaoh, “Shall I go and call for you a woman from the Hebrews who is nursing so that she will nurse the boy for you?” And the daughter of Pharaoh said to her, “Go.” And the girl went, and she called the mother of the boy. And the daughter of Pharaoh said, “Take this boy and nurse him for me, and I myself will give you wages, and the woman took the boy, and she nursed him. And the boy grew, and she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he became her son, and she called his name Moses, and she said, “Because I drew him out from the water.”
And then in those days when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers, and he saw their forced labor, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers. And he turned here and there, and he saw no one, and he struck the Egyptian, and he hid him in the sand. And he went out on the second day, and there were two Hebrew men fighting, and he said to the guilty one, “Why do you strike your neighbor?” And he said, “Who appointed you as a commander and a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?” And Moses was afraid, and he said, “Surely the matter has become known.” And Pharaoh heard this matter, and he sought to kill Moses, and Moses fled from Pharaoh, and he lived in the land of Midian, and he lived at a certain well.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. And they came to Reuel, their father, and he said, “Why have you come so quickly today?” And they said, “An Egyptian man delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” And he said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why then have you left the man? Call him so that he can eat some food.” And Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom because he said, “I am an alien in a foreign land.”
And then during those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned because of the work, and they cried out, and their cry for help because of the work went up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and God saw the Israelites, and God took notice.
And Moses was a shepherd with the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the west of the desert, and he came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush, and he looked, and there was the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not being consumed. And Moses said, “Let me turn aside and see this great sight. Why does the bush not burn up?” And Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, and God called to him from the midst of the bush, and he said, “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “You must not come near to here. Take off your sandals from on your feet, because the place on which you are standing, it is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face because he was afraid of looking at God.
And Yahweh said, “Surely I have seen the misery of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry of distress because of their oppressors, for I know their sufferings. And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from this land to a good and wide land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. And now, look, the cry of distress of the Israelites has come to me, and also I see the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and you must bring my people, the Israelites, out from Egypt.”
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out from Egypt?” And he said, “Because I am with you, and this will be the sign for you that I myself have sent you: When you bring the people out from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.” But Moses said to God, “Look, if I go to the Israelites and I say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is his name?’ then what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And he said, “So you must say to the Israelites, ‘I am sent me to you.’ ”
And God said again to Moses, “So you must say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my remembrance from generation to generation.’ Go and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, “I have carefully attended to you and what has been done to you in Egypt.” And I said, “I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ And they will listen to your voice, and you will go, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews has met with us, and now let us please go on a journey of three days into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God.’
But I myself know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless compelled by a strong hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and I will strike Egypt with all of my wonders that I will do in its midst, and afterward he will release you. And I will give this people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and then when you go, you will not go empty-handed. And a woman will ask from her neighbor and from the woman dwelling as an alien in her house for objects of silver and objects of gold and garments, and you will put them on your sons and on your daughters; and you will plunder Egypt.”
And Moses answered, and he said, “And if they do not believe me and they do not listen to my voice, but they say, ‘Yahweh did not appear to you?’ ” And Yahweh said to him, “What is this in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it onto the ground.” And he threw it onto the ground, and it became a snake, and Moses fled from it. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—” (And he reached out his hand and grabbed it, and it became a staff in his palm.)—“so that they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, appeared to you, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
And Yahweh said to him again, “Put your hand into the fold of your garment.” And he put his hand into the fold of his garment, and he took it out, and, to his surprise, his hand was afflicted with a skin disease, like snow. And he said, “Return your hand to the fold of your garment.” And he returned his hand to the fold of his garment, and he took it out from the fold of his garment, and, to his surprise, it was restored like the rest of his body. “And if they do not believe you and they will not listen to the voice of the former sign, then they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And if they also do not believe the second of these signs and they will not listen to your voice, then you must take water from the Nile and pour it onto the dry ground, and the water that you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
And Moses said to Yahweh, “Please, Lord, I am not a man of words, neither recently nor in the past nor since your speaking to your servant, because I am heavy of mouth and of tongue.” And Yahweh said to him, “Who gave a mouth to humankind, or who makes mute or deaf or sighted or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? So then go, and I myself will be with your mouth, and I will teach you what you must speak.” And he said, “Please, Lord, do send anyone else whom you wish to send.” And Yahweh was angry with Moses and said, “Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite? I know that he certainly can speak, and also there he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart. And you will speak to him, and you will put words in his mouth, and I myself will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you must do. And he will speak for you to the people, and then he will be to you as a mouth, and you will be to him as a god. And you must take this staff in your hand, with which you will do the signs.”
And Moses went, and he returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and he said to him, “Please let me go, and let me return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and let me see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” And Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt because all the men have died who were seeking your life.”
And Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on the donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand. And Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go to return to Egypt, see all of the wonders that I have put in your hand, and do them before Pharaoh, and I myself will harden his heart, and he will not release the people. And you must say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Israel is my son, my firstborn.” And I said to you, “Release my son and let him serve me,” but you refused to release him. Look, I am about to kill your son, your firstborn.’ ”
And on the way, at the place of overnight lodging, Yahweh encountered him and sought to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, and she cut off the foreskin of her son, and she touched his feet, and she said, “Yes, you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” And he left him alone. At that time she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
And Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go to the desert to meet Moses.” And he went and encountered him at the mountain of God and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh, who had sent him—and all the signs that he had commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron went, and they gathered all of the elders of the Israelites. And Aaron spoke all the words that Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and he did the signs before the eyes of the people. And the people believed when they heard that Yahweh had attended to the Israelites and that he had seen their misery, and they knelt down and they worshiped.
And afterward, Moses and Aaron went, and they said to Pharaoh, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘Release my people so that they may hold a festival for me in the desert.’ ” And Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh that I should listen to his voice to release Israel? I do not know Yahweh, and also I will not release Israel.”
And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day journey into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with plague or with sword.” And the king of Egypt said, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people from their work? Go to your forced labor!” And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you want to stop them from their forced labor.”
And on that day Pharaoh commanded the slave drivers over the people and his foremen, saying, “You must no longer give straw to the people to make the bricks like before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the quota of the bricks that they were making before you must require of them. You must not reduce from it, because they are lazy. Therefore they are crying out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Let the work be heavier on the men so that they will do it and not pay attention to words of deception.”
And the slave drivers of the people and their foremen went out, and they spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I am not giving you straw. You go, get straw for yourselves from whatever you find because not a thing is being reduced from your work.’ ” And the people spread out in all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for the straw. And the slave drivers were insisting, saying, “Finish your work for each day on its day, as when there was straw.” And the foremen of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh’s slave drivers had appointed over them, were beaten by men who were saying, “Why have you not completed your portion of brickmaking as before, both yesterday and today?”
And the foremen of the Israelites came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you treat your servants like this? Straw is not being given to your servants, but they are saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ and, look, your servants are being beaten, but it is the fault of your people.” And he said, “You are lazy, lazy! Therefore you are saying, ‘Let us go; let us sacrifice to Yahweh.’ And now go, work, but straw will not be given to you, and you must give the full quota of bricks.”
And the foremen of the Israelites saw they were in trouble with the saying, “You will not reduce from your bricks for each day on its day.” And they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting to meet them when they were going out from Pharaoh. And they said to them, “May Yahweh look upon you and judge because you have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants so as to put a sword into their hand to kill us.” And Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble to this people? Why ever did you send me? And from the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble to this people, and you have certainly not delivered your people.”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, because with a strong hand he will release them, and with a strong hand he will drive them out from his land.”
And God spoke to Moses, and he said to him, “I am Yahweh. And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Shaddai, but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them. And I not only established my covenant with them to give to them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, in which they dwelt as aliens, but also I myself heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are making to work, and I remembered my covenant. Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the forced labor of Egypt, and I will deliver you from their slavery, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great punishments. And I will take you as my people, and I will be your God, and you will know that I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from under the forced labor of Egypt. And I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh.”
And Moses spoke thus to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses, because of discouragement and because of hard work.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Go, speak to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and let him release the Israelites from his land.” And Moses spoke before Yahweh, saying, “Look, the Israelites do not listen to me, and how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am a poor speaker?” And Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and he commanded them to go to the Israelites and to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out from the land of Egypt.
These are the heads of their families.
The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, are Enoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the clans of Reuben.
And the sons of Simeon are Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jakin and Zohar and Shaul the son of the Canaanitess. These are the clans of Simeon.
And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their genealogies: Gershon and Kohath and Merari, and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven years.
The sons of Gershon are Libni and Shimei according to their clans.
And the sons of Kohath are Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel, and the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three years.
And the sons of Merari are Mahli and Mushi. These are clans of the Levites according to their genealogies.
And Amram took Jochebed his aunt for himself as a wife, and she bore for him Aaron and Moses, and the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven years.
And the sons of Izhar are Korah and Nepheg and Zikri.
And the sons of Uzziel are Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri.
And Aaron took Elisheba the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, for himself as a wife, and she bore for him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
And the sons of Korah are Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph. These are the clans of the Korahites.
And Eleazar the son of Aaron took for himself one from the daughters of Putiel as a wife, and she bore for him Phinehas. These are the heads of the families of the Levites according to their clans.
It was that Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, “Bring the Israelites out from the land of Egypt according to their divisions.” They were those who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, in order to bring the Israelites out from Egypt. It was that Moses and Aaron.
And so it was on a certain day Yahweh spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt. And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “I am Yahweh. Speak to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, all that I am speaking to you.” And Moses said before Yahweh, “Look, I am a poor speaker. And how will Pharaoh listen to me?”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “See, I have made you as a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. You will speak all that I will command you, and Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh, and he will release the Israelites from his land. And I myself will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and I will make my signs and my wonders numerous in the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will put my hand into Egypt and bring out my divisions, my people, the Israelites, from the land of Egypt with great punishments. And the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I stretch out my hand over Egypt and bring the Israelites out from their midst.”
And Moses and Aaron did it; as Yahweh commanded them, so they did. (And Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.)
And Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Do a wonder for yourselves,’ you will say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it before Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.’ ” And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded. And Aaron threw his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a snake.
And Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did likewise with their secret arts. Each threw down his staff, and they became snakes, and Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. And Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had said.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is insensitive; he refuses to release the people. Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Look, he is going out to the water, and you must wait to meet him on the bank of the Nile, and you must take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. And you must say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Release my people that they may serve me in the desert, and, look, you have not listened until now.” Thus says Yahweh, “By this you will know that I am Yahweh. Look, I am about to strike with the staff that is in my hand the water that is in the Nile, and it will be changed to blood. And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from the Nile.” ’ ”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch your hand out over the waters of Egypt and over their rivers, over their canals, and over their pools and over all of their reservoirs of water, so that they become blood,’ and blood will be in all the land of Egypt and in vessels of wood and of stone.”
And Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh had commanded, and he raised the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all of the water that was in the Nile was changed to blood. And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, and the Egyptians were not able to drink water from the Nile, and the blood was in all the land of Egypt.
And the magicians of Egypt did likewise with their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken. And Pharaoh turned and went to his house, and this also he did not take to heart. And all of the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they were unable to drink from the water of the Nile.
And seven days passed after Yahweh struck the Nile.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Release my people so that they may serve me.” And if you are refusing to release, look, I am going to plague all of your territory with frogs. And the Nile will swarm with frogs, and they will go up and come into your house and into your bedroom and onto your bed and into the house of your servants and among your people and into your ovens and into your kneading troughs. And the frogs will go up against you and against your people and against all of your servants.’ ”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and bring up the frogs on the land of Egypt.’ ” And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs went up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did likewise with their secret arts, and they brought up frogs over the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to Yahweh, and let him remove the frogs from me and from my people, and let me release the people so that they can sacrifice to Yahweh.” And Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor over me. When shall I pray for you and for your servants and for your people to cut off the frogs from you and from your houses? They will be left only in the Nile.” And he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word so that you will know that there is no one like Yahweh our God. And the frogs will depart from you and from your house and from your servants. They will be left only in the Nile.”
And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to Yahweh over the matter of the frogs that he had brought on Pharaoh. And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. And they piled them in countless heaps, and the land stank. And Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and he made his heart insensitive, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the land, and it will become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’ ” And he did so, and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and he struck the dust of the land, and it became gnats on the humans and on the animals; all of the dust of the land became gnats in all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring out the gnats, but they were not able, and the gnats were on the humans and on the animals. And the magicians said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God.” But the heart of Pharaoh was hard, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Start early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Look, he is going out to the water, and you must say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Release my people so that they may serve me.” But if you are not about to release my people, look, I am about to send out flies among you and among your servants and among your people and in your houses; and the houses of Egypt will fill up with the flies and also the ground that they are on. But on that day I will distinguish the land of Goshen, where my people are staying, by there not being flies there, so that you will know that I am Yahweh in the midst of the land. And I will put a distinction between my people and your people; this sign will be tomorrow.’ ”
And Yahweh did so, and a severe swarm of flies came to the house of Pharaoh and the house of his servants and in all the land of Egypt; the land was ruined because of the flies. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and he said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.” And Moses said, “To do so is not right, because we will sacrifice to Yahweh our God a thing detestable to the Egyptians. Look, if we sacrifice before their eyes the thing detestable to the Egyptians, will they not stone us? We will go a journey of three days into the desert, and we will sacrifice to Yahweh our God according to what he says to us.”
And Pharaoh said, “I myself will release you, and you will sacrifice to Yahweh your God in the desert. Only surely you must not go far. Pray for me.” And Moses said, “Look, I am going out from you, and I will pray to Yahweh so that the flies depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh again deceive us by not releasing the people to sacrifice to Yahweh.”
And Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses and removed the flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one was left. And Pharaoh made his heart insensitive also this time, and he did not release the people.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, “Release my people so that they may serve me.” But if you are refusing to release and you still are keeping hold of them, look, the hand of Yahweh is about to be present with a very severe plague on your livestock that are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the cattle, and on the sheep and goats. But Yahweh will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, and not a thing will die from all that belongs to the Israelites.’ ” And Yahweh set an appointed time, saying, “Tomorrow Yahweh will do this thing in the land.”
And Yahweh did this thing the next day; all the livestock of Egypt died, but from the livestock of the Israelites not one died. And Pharaoh sent to check, and it turned out not even one from the livestock of Israel had died, but Pharaoh’s heart was insensitive, and he did not release the people.
And Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take for yourselves full handfuls of soot from a smelting furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heavens before the eyes of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and it will become on humans and on animals a skin sore sprouting blisters in all the land of Egypt.” And they took the soot of the smelting furnace, and they stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it toward the heavens, and it became skin sores sprouting blisters on humans and on animals. And the magicians were not able to stand before Moses because of the skin sores, for the skin sores were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. And Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken to Moses.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Start early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Look, he is going out to the water, and you must say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, “Release my people so that they may serve me. For at this time I am sending all of my plagues to you personally and among your servants and among your people so that you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For now I could have stretched out my hand, and I could have struck you and your people with the plague, and you would have perished from the earth. But for the sake of this I have caused you to stand—for the sake of showing you my strength and in order to proclaim my name in all the earth. Still you are behaving haughtily to my people by not releasing them. Look, about this time tomorrow, I am going to cause very severe hail to rain, the like of which has not been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. And now send word; bring into safety your livestock and all that belongs to you in the field. The hail will come down on every human and animal that is found in the field and not gathered into the house, and they will die.” ’ ”
Anyone from the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of Yahweh caused his servants and livestock to flee to the houses. But whoever did not give regard to the word of Yahweh abandoned his servants and his livestock in the field.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand to the heavens, and let there be hail in all the land of Egypt, on human and on animal and on all the vegetation of the field in the land of Egypt.” And Moses stretched out his staff to the heavens, and Yahweh gave thunder and hail, and fire went to the earth, and Yahweh caused hail to rain on the land of Egypt. And there was hail, and fire was flashing back and forth in the midst of the very severe hail, the like of which was not in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. And the hail struck in all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, from human to animal, and the hail struck all the vegetation of the field and smashed every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were, there was no hail.
And Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time. Yahweh is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. Pray to Yahweh. The thunder of God and hail are enough, and I will release you, and you will no longer have to stay.” And Moses said to him, “At my leaving the city, I will spread out my hands to Yahweh. The thunder will stop, and the hail will be no more, so that you will know that the earth belongs to Yahweh. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the presence of Yahweh God.”
And the flax and the barley were struck, because the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, because they are late-ripening.
And Moses went from Pharaoh out of the city, and he spread his hands to Yahweh, and the thunder and the hail stopped, and rain did not pour on the earth. And Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder stopped, and he again sinned and made his heart insensitive, he and his servants. And Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not release the Israelites, as Yahweh had said by the agency of Moses.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart insensitive and the heart of his servants in order to put these signs of mine in his midst, so that you will tell in the ears of your child and your grandchild that I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and so that you will tell about my signs that I have done among them, and so you will know that I am Yahweh.”
And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Until when will you refuse to submit before me? Release my people so that they may serve me. But if you are refusing to release my people, look, I am about to bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. And they will cover the surface of the land, and no one will be able to see the land, and they will eat the remainder of what is left—what is left over for you from the hail—and they will eat every sprouting tree belonging to you from the field. And your houses will be full, and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all Egypt, something that your fathers and your grandfathers never saw from the day they were on the earth until this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
And the servants of Pharaoh said to him, “Until when will this be a snare for us? Release the men so that they may serve Yahweh their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” And Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Serve Yahweh your God. Who are the ones going? And Moses said, “With our young and with our old we will go; with our sons and with our daughters, with our sheep and goats and with our cattle we will go because it is the feast of Yahweh for us.” And he said to them, “Let Yahweh be thus with you as soon as I release you and your dependents. See that evil is before your faces. No indeed; just the men go and serve Yahweh, since this is what you are seeking.” And he drove them out from the presence of Pharaoh.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt with the locusts so that they may come up over the land of Egypt, and let them eat all the vegetation of the land, all that the hail left behind.” And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh drove an east wind into the land all that day and all night. The morning came, and the east wind had brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and they settled in all the territory of Egypt, very severe. Before it there were not locusts like them, nor will there be after it. And they covered the surface of all the land, and the land was dark with them, and they ate all the vegetation of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left, and no green was left in the trees nor in the vegetation of the field in all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh hurried to call Moses and Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you. And now forgive my sin surely this time, and pray to Yahweh your God so that he may only remove from me this death.” And he went out from Pharaoh, and he prayed to Yahweh. And Yahweh turned a very strong west wind and lifted up the locusts and thrust them into the Red Sea, and not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. And Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt and so that a person can feel darkness.” And Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens, and there was darkness of night in all the land of Egypt for three days. No one could see his brother, and because of it no one could move from where they were for three days, but there was light for the Israelites in their dwellings.
And Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve Yahweh. Only your sheep and goats and your cattle must be left behind. Your dependents may also go with you.” And Moses said, “Even if you yourself put into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings and we offer them to Yahweh our God, our livestock must also go with us. Not a hoof can be left because we must take from them to serve Yahweh our God. And we will not know with what we are to serve Yahweh until we come there.” And Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to release them. And Pharaoh said to him, “Go from me. Be careful not to see my face again, because on the day of your seeing my face you will die.” And Moses said, “That is right. I will not again see your face.”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Still one plague I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterward he will release you from here. At the moment of his releasing, he will certainly drive you completely out from here. Speak in the ears of the people, and let them ask, a man from his neighbor and a woman from her neighbor, for objects of silver and objects of gold.” And Yahweh gave the people favor in the eyes of Egypt. Also the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh and in the eyes of the people.
And Moses said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘About the middle of the night I will go out through the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave woman who is behind the pair of millstones and every firstborn animal. And there will be a great cry of distress in all the land of Egypt, the like of which has not been nor will be again. But against all the Israelites, from a man to an animal, a dog will not even bark, so that you will know that Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ And all of these your servants will come down to me and bow to me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who are at your feet.’ And afterward I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders may multiply in the land of Egypt.” And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites from his land.
And Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month will be the beginning of months; it will be for you the first of the months of the year. Speak to all the community of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month, they will each take for themselves a lamb for the family, a lamb for the household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, he and the neighbor nearest to his house will take one according to the number of persons; you will count out portions of the lamb according to how much each one can eat. The lamb for you must be a male, without defect, in its first year; you will take it from the sheep or from the goats.
“You will keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and all the assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter it at twilight. And they will take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel on the houses in which they eat it. And they will eat the meat on this night; they will eat it fire-roasted and with unleavened bread on bitter herbs. You must not eat any of it raw or boiled, boiled in the water, but rather roasted with fire, its head with its legs and with its inner parts. And you must not leave any of it until morning; anything left from it until morning you must burn in the fire. And this is how you will eat it—with your waists fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand, and you will eat it in haste. It is Yahweh’s Passover.
“And I will go through the land of Egypt during this night, and I will strike all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human to animal, and I will do punishments among all of the gods of Egypt. I am Yahweh. And the blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and I will see the blood, and I will pass over you, and there will not be a destructive plague among you when I strike the land of Egypt.
“And this day will become a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a religious feast for Yahweh throughout your generations; you will celebrate it as a lasting statute. You will eat unleavened bread for seven days. Surely on the first day you shall remove yeast from your houses, because anyone who eats food with yeast from the first day until the seventh day—that person will be cut off from Israel. It will be for you on the first day a holy assembly and on the seventh day a holy assembly; no work will be done on them; only what is eaten by every person, it alone will be prepared for you.
“And you will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought out your divisions from the land of Egypt, and you will keep this day for your generations as a lasting statute. On the first day, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you will eat unleavened bread until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month. For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, because anyone eating food with yeast will be cut off from the community of Israel—whether an alien or a native of the land. You will eat no food with yeast; in all of your dwellings you will eat unleavened bread.”
And Moses called all the elders of Israel, and he said to them, “Select and take for yourselves sheep for your clans and slaughter the Passover sacrifice. And take a bunch of hyssop and dip it into the blood that is in the basin and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts. And you will not go out, anyone from the doorway of his house, until morning. And Yahweh will go through to strike Egypt, and he will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, and Yahweh will pass over the doorway and will not allow the destroyer to come to your houses to strike you.
“And you will keep this event as a rule for you and for your children forever. And when you come into the land that Yahweh will give to you, as he said, you will keep this religious custom. And when your children say to you, ‘What is this religious custom for you?’ you will say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice for Yahweh, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he struck Egypt; and he delivered our houses.’ ” And the people knelt down and they worshiped. And the Israelites went, and they did as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron; so they did.
And in the middle of the night, Yahweh struck all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the prison house and every firstborn of an animal. And Pharaoh got up at night, he and all his servants and all Egypt, and a great cry of distress was in Egypt because there was not a house where there was no one dead. And he called Moses and Aaron at night, and he said, “Get up, go out from the midst of my people, both you as well as the Israelites, and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said. Take both your sheep and goats as well as your cattle, and go, and bless also me.”
And the Egyptians urged the people in order to hurry their release from the land, because they said, “All of us will die!” And the people lifted up their dough before it had yeast; their kneading troughs were wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulder. And the Israelites did according to the word of Moses, and they asked from the Egyptians for objects of silver and objects of gold and for clothing. And Yahweh gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they granted their requests, and they plundered the Egyptians.
And the Israelites set out from Rameses to Succoth; the men were about six hundred thousand on foot, besides dependents. And also a mixed multitude went up with them and sheep and goats and cattle, very numerous livestock. And they baked the dough that they had brought out from Egypt as cakes, unleavened bread, because it had no yeast when they were driven out from Egypt, and they were not able to delay, and also they had not made provisions for themselves.
And the period of dwelling of the Israelites that they dwelled in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on this exact day, all of Yahweh’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of vigils belonging to Yahweh for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; it is this night belonging to Yahweh with vigils for all of the Israelites throughout their generations.
And Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner may eat it. But any slave of a man, an acquisition by money, and you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A temporary resident and a hired worker may not eat it. It will be eaten in one house; you will not bring part of the meat out from the house to the outside; and you will not break a bone of it. All of the community of Israel will prepare it. And when an alien dwells with you and he wants to prepare the Passover for Yahweh, every male belonging to him must be circumcised, and then he may come near to prepare it, and he will be as the native of the land, but any uncircumcised man may not eat it. One law will be for the native and for the alien who is dwelling in your midst.”
And all the Israelites did as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron; so they did. And it was on exactly this day Yahweh brought the Israelites out from the land of Egypt by their divisions.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Consecrate to me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the Israelites, among humans and among domestic animals; it belongs to me.” And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you went out from Egypt, from a house of slaves, because with strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from here, and food with yeast will not be eaten. Today you are going out in the month of Abib. And when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites—which he swore to your ancestors to give to you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you will perform this service in this month. Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day will be a feast for Yahweh. Unleavened bread will be eaten the seven days; food with yeast will not be seen for you; and yeast will not be seen for you in all your territory. And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘This is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out from Egypt.’ And it will be as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes so that the law of Yahweh will be in your mouth, that with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out from Egypt. And you will keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
“And when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your ancestors, and he gives it to you, you will hand over every first offspring of a womb to Yahweh, and every first offspring dropped by a domestic animal that will belong to you, the males will be for Yahweh. And every first offspring of a donkey you will redeem with small livestock, and if you will not redeem it, then you will break its neck, and every firstborn human among your sons you will redeem. And when your son asks you in the future, saying, ‘What is this?’ you will say to him, ‘With strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from a house of slaves. And when Pharaoh was stubborn to release us, Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from firstborn human to firstborn domestic animal. Therefore I am sacrificing to Yahweh every first offspring of a womb, the males, and every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ And it will be as a sign on your hand and as symbolic ornaments between your eyes that with strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt.”
And when Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them the way of the land of the Philistines, though it was nearer, because God said, “Lest the people change their mind when they see war and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea, and the Israelites went up in battle array from the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear an oath, saying, “God will surely attend to you, and you will take up my bones from here with you.” And they set out from Succoth, and they encamped at Etham on the edge of the desert. And Yahweh was going before them by day in a column of cloud to lead them on the way and by night in a column of fire to give light to them to go by day and night. The column of cloud by day and the column of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites so that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; before Baal Zephon, which is opposite it, you will camp by the sea. And Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering around in the land. The desert has closed in on them.’ And I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and he will chase after them, and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and through all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” And they did so.
And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh was changed and that of his servants toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have released Israel from serving us!” And he harnessed his chariot and took with him his people. And he took six hundred select chariots and all the chariots of Egypt and officers over all of them. And Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he chased after the Israelites. (Now the Israelites were going out boldly.) And the Egyptians chased after them, and they overtook them encamped at the sea—all the horses of the chariots of Pharaoh and his charioteers and his army—at Pi-hahiroth before Baal Zephon.
And Pharaoh approached, and the Israelites lifted their eyes, and there were the Egyptians traveling after them! And they were very afraid, and the Israelites cried out to Yahweh. And they said to Moses, “Because there are no graves in Egypt? Is that why you have taken us to die in the desert? What is this you have done to us by bringing us out from Egypt! Isn’t this the word we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone so that we can serve Egypt!’ because serving Egypt is better for us than our dying in the desert.” And Moses said to the people, “You must not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will accomplish for you today, because the Egyptians whom you see today you will see never again. Yahweh will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites so that they set out. And you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it so that the Israelites can go in the middle of the sea on the dry land. And as for me, look, I am about to harden the heart of the Egyptians so that they come after them, and I will display my glory through Pharaoh and through all of his army, through his chariots and through his charioteers. And the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I display my glory through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his charioteers.”
And the angel of God who was going before the camp of Israel set out and went behind them. And the column of cloud set out ahead of them, and it stood still behind them, so that it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. And it was a dark cloud, but it gave light to the night, so that neither approached the other all night.
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh moved the sea with a strong east wind all night, and he made the sea become dry ground, and the waters were divided. And the Israelites entered the middle of the sea on the dry land. The waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left. And the Egyptians gave chase and entered after them—all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his charioteers—into the middle of the sea. And during the morning watch, Yahweh looked down to the Egyptian camp from in the column of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian camp into a panic. And he removed the wheels of their chariots so that they drove them with difficulty, and the Egyptians said, “We must flee away from Israel because Yahweh is fighting for them against Egypt.”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, and let the waters return over the Egyptians, over their chariots, and over their charioteers.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned at daybreak to its normal level, and the Egyptians were fleeing because of it, and Yahweh swept the Egyptians into the middle of the sea. And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the charioteers—all the army of Pharaoh coming after them into the sea. Not even one survived among them. But the Israelites walked on the dry land in the middle of the sea. The waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left. And Yahweh saved Israel on that day from the hand of Egypt, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. And Israel saw the great hand that Yahweh displayed against Egypt, and the people feared Yahweh, and they believed in Yahweh and in Moses his servant.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to Yahweh, and they said,
“Let me sing to Yahweh because he is highly exalted;
the horse and its rider he hurled into the sea.
Yah is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him—the God of my father—and I will exalt him.
Yahweh is a man of war; Yahweh is his name.
The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he cast into the sea,
and his choice adjutants were sunk in the Red Sea.
The deep waters covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.
Yahweh, your right hand is glorious in power;
Yahweh, your right hand destroyed the enemy.
And in the greatness of your majesty you overthrew those standing up to you;
you released your fierce anger, and it consumed them like stubble.
And by the breath of your nostrils waters were piled up;
waves stood like a heap;
deep waters in the middle of the sea congealed.
The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide plunder,
my desire will be full of them, I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
You blew with your breath; the sea covered them;
they dropped like lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like you among the gods, Yahweh?
Who is like you—glorious in holiness, awesome in praiseworthy actions, doing wonders?
You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
In your loyal love you led the people whom you redeemed;
in your strength you guided them to the abode of your holiness.
Peoples heard; they trembled;
anguish seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
Then the chiefs of Edom were horrified; great distress seized the leaders of Moab;
all of the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
Terror and dread fell on them;
at the greatness of your arm they became silent like the stone,
until your people passed by, Yahweh,
until the people whom you bought passed by.
You brought them and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance,
a place you made for yourself to inhabit, Yahweh,
a sanctuary, Lord, that your hands established.
Yahweh will reign as king forever and ever.”
When the horses of Pharaoh came into the sea with his chariots and with his charioteers, Yahweh brought back upon them the waters of the sea, and the Israelites traveled on dry ground through the middle of the sea. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took her tambourine in her hand, and all of the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. And Miriam answered, “Sing to Yahweh because he is highly exalted; the horse and its rider he hurled into the sea.”
And Moses caused Israel to set out from the Red Sea, and they went out into the desert of Shur, and they traveled three days in the desert, and they did not find water. And they came to Marah, and they were not able to drink water from Marah because it was bitter. Therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him a piece of wood, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There he made a rule and regulation for them, and there he tested them. And he said, “If you carefully listen to the voice of Yahweh your God and you do what is right in his eyes and give heed to his commands and you keep all his rules, then I will not bring about on you any of the diseases that I brought about on Egypt, because I am Yahweh your healer.
And they came to Elim, and twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees were there, and they encamped there at the water.
And they set out from Elim, and all the community of the Israelites came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, in the fifteenth day of the second month of their going out from the land of Egypt. And all the community of the Israelites grumbled against Moses and against Aaron in the desert. And the Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full, because you have brought us out to this desert to kill all of this assembly with hunger.” And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to rain down for you bread from the heavens, and the people will go out and gather enough for the day on its day; in that way I will test them: Will they go according to my law or not? And then on the sixth day, they will prepare what they bring, and it will be twice over what they will gather every other day.”
And Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening, you will know that Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt, and in the morning, you will see the glory of Yahweh, for he hears your grumblings against Yahweh, and what are we that you grumble against us?” And Moses said, “When in the evening Yahweh gives you meat to eat and bread in the morning to fill up on, for he hears your grumblings that you grumble against him—and what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Yahweh.” And Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community of the Israelites, ‘Come near before Yahweh because he has heard your grumblings.’ ”
And at the moment of Aaron’s speaking to all the community of the Israelites, they turned to the desert, and just then the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud. And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the grumblings of the Israelites. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be full with bread, and you will know that I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
And so it was, in the evening, the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning, a layer of dew was all around the camp. And the layer of dew came up, and there on the face of the desert was a fine granular substance, fine like frost on the ground. And the Israelites saw, and they said to each other, “What is this?” because they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread that Yahweh has given to you as food. This is the word that Yahweh commanded, ‘Gather from it, each according to what he can eat, an omer per person according to the number of you. You each shall take enough for whoever is in his tent.’ ”
And the Israelites did so, and they gathered, some more and some less. And when they measured with the omer, the one gathering more had no surplus, and the one gathering less had no lack; they gathered each according to what he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some people left some of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. And they gathered it morning by morning, each according to what he could eat, and it melted when the sun was hot.
And when it was the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one person, and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses. And he said to them, “This is what Yahweh has said. Tomorrow is a rest period, a holy Sabbath for Yahweh. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Put aside all the surplus for yourselves for safekeeping until the morning.” And they put it aside until the morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not make a stench, and not a maggot was in it. And Moses said, “Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath for Yahweh. Today you will not find it in the field. Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be present on it.”
And on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they did not find any. And Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep my commands and my laws? See, because Yahweh has given to you the Sabbath, therefore he is giving to you on the sixth day bread for two days. Stay, each in his location; let no one go from his place on the seventh day.” And the people rested on the seventh day.
And the house of Israel called its name “manna.” And it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like a wafer with honey. And Moses said, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded. ‘A full omer of it is for safekeeping for your generations so that they will see the bread that I fed you in the desert when I brought you from the land of Egypt.’ ” And Moses said to Aaron, “Take one jar and put there a full omer of manna. Leave it before Yahweh for safekeeping for your generations.” As Yahweh had commanded Moses, so Aaron left it before the testimony for safekeeping. And the Israelites ate the manna forty years, until their coming to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until their coming to the border of the land of Canaan. (And an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
And all the community of the Israelites set out from the desert of Sin for their journeys according to the command of Yahweh, and they camped in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. And the people quarreled with Moses, and they said, “Give us water so that we can drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?” And the people thirsted for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why ever did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me and my sons and my cattle with thirst?”
And Moses cried out to Yahweh, saying, “What will I do with this people? A little longer and they will stone me.” And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go on before the people and take with you some from the elders of Israel, and the staff with which you struck the Nile take in your hand, and go. Look, I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out from it, and the people will drink.”
And Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the Israelites and because of their testing Yahweh by saying, “Is Yahweh in our midst or not?”
And Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out, fight against Amalek tomorrow. I will be standing on the top of the hill, and the staff of God will be in my hand.”
And Joshua did as Moses had said to him to fight with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And when Moses raised his hand, Israel would prevail, but when he rested his hand, Amalek would prevail. But the hands of Moses were heavy, and they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it; Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on each side, and his hands were steady until sundown. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the scroll and recite it in the hearing of Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.”
And Moses built an altar, and he called its name Yahweh Is My Banner. And he said, “Because a hand was against the throne of Yah, a war will be for Yahweh with Amalek from generation to generation.”
And Jethro, the priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, his people, that Yahweh had brought Israel out from Egypt. And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah the wife of Moses after her sending away, and her two sons—the one whose name was Gershom, for he had said, “I have been an alien in a foreign land,” and the one whose name was Eliezer, for “the God of my father was my help, and he delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.” And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, came and his sons and his wife to Moses, to the desert where he was camping there at the mountain of God. And he said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you and your wife and her two sons with her.” And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed, and he kissed him, and they each asked about the other’s welfare, and they came into the tent.
And Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt on account of Israel, all the hardship that had found them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced over all the good that Yahweh had done for Israel when he delivered them from the hand of Egypt. And Jethro said, “Blessed be Yahweh, who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh—who has delivered the people from under the hand of Egypt. Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods, even in the matter where they the Egyptians dealt arrogantly against the Israelites.” And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat bread with the father-in-law of Moses before God.
And the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening. And the father-in-law of Moses saw all that he was doing for the people, and he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting alone and all the people are standing by you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to seek God. When they have an issue, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make known God’s rule and his instructions.”
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Surely you will wear out, both you and this people who are with you, because the thing is too difficult for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now listen to my voice; I will advise you, and may God be with you. You be for the people before God, and you bring the issues to God. And you warn them of the rules and the instructions, and you make known to them the way in which they must walk and the work that they must do. And you will select from all the people men of ability, fearers of God, trustworthy men, haters of dishonest gain, and you will appoint such men over them as commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens. And let them judge the people all the time, and every major issue they will bring to you, and every minor issue they will judge themselves. And so lighten it for yourself, and they will bear it with you. If you will do this thing and God will command you, then you will be able to endure, and also each of the people will go to his home in peace.”
And Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and he did all that he had said. And Moses chose men of ability from all Israel, and he appointed them as heads over the people, as commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens. And they judged the people all the time; the difficult issues they would bring to Moses, and every minor issue they would judge themselves. And Moses let his father-in-law go, and he went to his land.
In the third month after the Israelites went out from the land of Egypt, on this day they came to the Sinai desert. They set out from Rephidim, and they came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.
And Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you will say to the house of Jacob and you will tell the Israelites, ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and I brought you to me. And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, for all the earth is mine, but you, you will belong to me as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”
And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he placed before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. And all the people together answered and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to come to you in a thick cloud in order that the people will hear when I speak with you and will also trust in you forever.” And Moses told the words of the people to Yahweh.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes, and they must be prepared for the third day, because on the third day, Yahweh will go down on Mount Sinai before the eyes of all the people. And you must set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Guard yourselves against going up to the mountain and touching its edge. Anyone touching the mountain will certainly be put to death. Not a hand will touch it, because he will certainly be stoned or certainly be shot; whether an animal or a man, he will not live.’ At the blowing of the ram’s horn they may go up to the mountain.”
And Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and he consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near to a woman.”
And on the third day, when it was morning, there was thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain and a very loud ram’s horn sound, and all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out from the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke because Yahweh went down on it in the fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a smelting furnace, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And the sound of the ram’s horn became louder and louder, and Moses would speak, and God would answer him with a voice.
And Yahweh went down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to see and many from them fall. And even the priests who come near Yahweh must consecrate themselves, lest Yahweh break out against them.” And Moses said to Yahweh, “The people are not able to go up to Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” And Yahweh said to him, “Go, go down, and come up, you and Aaron with you and the priests, but the people must not break through to go up to Yahweh, lest he break out against them.” And Moses went down to the people, and he told them.
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.
“There shall be for you no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself a divine image with any form that is in the heavens above or that is in the earth below or that is in the water below the earth. You will not bow down to them, and you will not serve them, because I am Yahweh your God, a jealous God, punishing the guilt of the parents on the children on the third and on the fourth generations of those hating me, and showing loyal love to thousands of generations of those loving me and of those keeping my commandments.
“You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, because Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name.
“Remember the day of the Sabbath, to consecrate it. Six days you will work, and you will do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God; you will not do any work—you or your son or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your animal, or your alien who is in your gates—because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and on the seventh day he rested. Therefore Yahweh blessed the seventh day and consecrated it.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days can be long on the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not testify against your neighbor with a false witness.
“You shall not covet the house of your neighbor; you will not covet the wife of your neighbor or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
And all the people were seeing the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the ram’s horn and the mountain smoking, and the people saw, and they trembled, and they stood at a distance. And they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen, but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that his fear will be before you so that you do not sin.” And the people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the very thick cloud where God was.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you will say to the Israelites, ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from the heavens. You will not make alongside me gods of silver, and gods of gold you will not make for yourselves. An altar of earth you will make for me, and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you, and I will bless you. And if you make an altar of stones for me, you will not build them as hewn stone, because if you use your chisel on it, you have defiled it. You will not go up with steps onto my altar, that your nakedness not be exposed on it.’
“And these are the regulations that you will set before them.
‘If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years, and in the seventh he will go out as free for nothing. If he comes in single, he will go out single. If he is the husband of a wife, his wife will go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears for him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and the slave will go out single. But if the slave explicitly says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” his master will present him to God and bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve him forever.
“ ‘And if a man sells his daughter as a slave woman, she will not go out as male slaves go out. If she does not please her master who selected her, he will allow her to be redeemed; he has no authority to sell her to foreign people, since he has dealt treacherously with her. And if he selects her for his son, he shall do for her according to the regulations for daughters. If he takes for himself another, he will not reduce her food, her clothing, or her right of cohabitation. And if he does not do for her these three, she shall go out for nothing; there will not be silver paid for her.
“ ‘Whoever strikes someone and he dies will surely be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait and it was an accident, I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. But if a man schemes against his neighbor to kill him by treachery, you will take him from my altar to die. And whoever strikes his father or his mother will surely be put to death.
“ ‘And whoever kidnaps someone and sells him, or he is found in his possession, he will surely be put to death.
“ ‘And one who curses his father or his mother will surely be put to death.
“ ‘And if men quarrel and a man strikes his neighbor with a stone or with a fist and he does not die, but he is confined to bed, if he stands and walks about in the outside on his staff, the striker will be unpunished; he will only pay for his inactivity toward his full recovery.” And if a man strikes his male slave or his female slave with the rod and he dies under his hand, he will surely be avenged. Yet if he survives a day or two days, he will not be avenged, because he is his money.
“ ‘And if men fight and they injure a pregnant woman, and her children go out and there is not serious injury, he will surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands concerning him and as the judges determine. And if there is serious injury, you will give life in place of life, eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth, hand in place of hand, foot in place of foot, burn in place of burn, wound in place of wound, bruise in place of bruise.
“ ‘And if a man strikes the eye of his male slave or the eye of his female slave and destroys it, he shall release him as free in place of his eye. And if he causes the tooth of his male slave or the tooth of his female slave to fall out, he will release him as free in place of his tooth.
“ ‘And if an ox gores a man or a woman and he dies, the ox will surely be stoned, and its meat will not be eaten, and the owner of the ox is innocent. But if it was a goring ox before and its owner was warned and did not restrain it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox will be stoned, and the owner also will be put to death. If a ransom is set on him, he will pay the redemption money for his life according to all that is set on him. If it gores a son or it gores a daughter, according to this regulation it shall be done to him. If the ox gores a male slave or a female slave, he will give thirty shekels of silver to his master, and the ox will be stoned.
“ ‘If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and he does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit will pay restitution; he will pay silver to its owner, but the dead animal will be for him. And if a man’s ox injures the ox of his neighbor and it dies, they will sell the living ox and divide the money, and they will also divide the dead one. Or if it was known that it was a goring ox before and its owner did not restrain it, he will surely make restitution, an ox in place of the ox, and the dead one will be for him.
“ ‘If a man steals an ox or small livestock and slaughters it or sells it, he will make restitution with five cattle in place of the ox and with four sheep or goats in place of the small livestock. “ ‘If a thief is found in the act of breaking in and he is struck and he dies, there is not bloodguilt for him. (If the sun has risen over him, there is bloodguilt for him. He will make full restitution. If he does not have enough, he will be sold for his theft. If indeed the stolen item is found in his possession alive, from ox to donkey to small livestock, he will make double restitution.
“ ‘If a man grazes his livestock in a field or a vineyard and he releases his livestock and it grazes in the field of another, he will make restitution from the best of his field and the best of his vineyard.
“ ‘If a fire is started and finds thorn bushes and a stack of sheaves or the standing grain or the field is consumed, the one who started the fire will surely make restitution.
“ ‘If a man gives to his neighbor money or objects to watch over and it is stolen from the house of the man, if the thief is found, he will make double restitution. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house will be brought to the sanctuary to learn whether or not he reached out his hand to his neighbor’s possession. Concerning every account of transgression—concerning an ox, concerning a donkey, concerning small livestock, concerning clothing, concerning all lost property—where someone says, “This belongs to me,” the matter of the two of them will come to God; whomever God declares guilty will make double restitution to his neighbor.
“ ‘If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or small livestock or any beast to watch over and it dies or is injured or is captured when there is no one who sees, the oath of Yahweh will be between the two of them concerning whether or not he has reached out his hand to his neighbor’s possession, and its owner will accept this, and he will not make restitution. But if indeed it was stolen from him, he will make restitution to its owner. If indeed it was torn to pieces, he will bring it as evidence—the mangled carcass; he will not make restitution.
“ ‘If a man borrows from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he will make restitution. If its owner was with it, he will not make restitution; if it was hired, it came with its hiring fee.
“ ‘If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged and he lies with her, he surely will give her bride price to have her as his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he will weigh out money according to the bride price for the virgin.
“ ‘You will not let a witch live.
“ ‘Anyone lying with an animal will surely be put to death.
“ ‘Whoever sacrifices to the gods—not to Yahweh, to him alone—will be destroyed.
“ ‘You will not mistreat an alien, and you will not oppress him, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
“ ‘You will not afflict any widow or orphan. If you indeed afflict him, yes, if he cries out at all to me, I will certainly hear his cry of distress. And I will become angry, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.
“ ‘If you lend money to my people, to the needy with you, you will not be to him as a creditor; you will not charge him interest. If indeed you require the cloak of your neighbor as a pledge, you will return it to him at sundown, because it is his only garment; it is his cloak for his skin. In what will he sleep? And when he cries out to me, I will hear, because I am gracious.
“ ‘You will not curse God, and you will not curse a leader among your people.
“ ‘You will not delay the fullness of your harvest and the juice from your press; you will give me the firstborn of your sons. You will do likewise for your ox and for your sheep and goats; seven days it will be with its mother; on the eighth, you will give it to me. And you will be men of holiness for me; and you will not eat meat from a carcass mangled in the field; you will throw it to the dog.
“ ‘You will not spread a false report. Do not lift your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness. You will not follow a majority for evil, and you will not testify concerning a legal dispute to turn aside after a majority to pervert justice. You will not be partial to a powerless person in his legal dispute.
“ ‘If you come upon the ox of your enemy or his donkey going astray, you will certainly bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of your enemy lying down under its burden, you will refrain from abandoning him. You will surely arrange it with him.
“ ‘You will not pervert the justice of your poor in his legal dispute. You will stay far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and the righteous, because I will not declare the wicked righteous. And you will not take a bribe, because the bribe makes the sighted blind and ruins the words of the righteous. And you will not oppress an alien; you yourselves know the feelings of the alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
“ ‘And six years you will sow your land and gather its yield. But the seventh you will let it rest and leave it fallow, and the poor of your people will eat, and their remainder the animals of the field will eat. You will do likewise for your vineyard and for your olive trees.
“ ‘Six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you will stop so that your ox and your donkey will rest and the son of your slave woman and the alien will be refreshed.
“ ‘And you will be attentive to all that I have said to you, and you will not profess the name of other gods; it will not be heard in your mouth.
“ ‘Three times in the year you will hold a festival for me. You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you at the appointed time, the month of Abib, because in it you came out from Egypt, and no one will appear before me empty-handed. And you will keep the Feast of Harvest, with the firstfruits of your work, what you sow in the field. And you will keep the Feast of Harvest Gathering when the year goes out, when you gather your work from the field. Three times in the year all your men will appear before the Lord Yahweh.
“ ‘You will not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice together with food with yeast, and you will not leave the fat of my feast overnight until morning.
“ ‘The best of the firstfruits of your land you will bring to the house of Yahweh your God.
“ ‘You will not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
“ ‘Look, I am about to send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, because he will not forgive your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, I will wipe them out.
“ ‘You will not bow to their gods, and you will not serve them, and you will not act according to their actions, because you will utterly demolish them, and you will utterly break their stone pillars. And you will serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from among you. There will be no one suffering miscarriage or infertile in your land. I will make full the number of your days.
“ ‘I will release my terror before you, and I will throw into confusion all the people against whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their back to you. And I will send the hornet before you, and it will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become a desolation and the wild animals multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you until you are fruitful and take possession of the land.
“ ‘And I will set your boundary from the Red Sea and up to the sea of the Philistines and from the desert up to the river, because I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out from before you. You will not make a covenant with them and with their gods. They will not live in your land, lest they cause you to sin against me when you serve their gods, for it will be a snare to you.’ ”
And to Moses he said, “Go up to Yahweh—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel—and you will worship at a distance. And Moses alone will come near to Yahweh, and they will not come near, and the people will not go up with him.”
And Moses came, and he told the people all the words of Yahweh and all the regulations. And all the people answered with one voice, and they said, “All the words that Yahweh has spoken we will do.”
And Moses wrote all the words of Yahweh, and he rose early in the morning, and he built an altar at the base of the mountain and set up twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men from the Israelites, and they offered burnt offerings, and they sacrificed sacrifices as fellowship offerings to Yahweh using bulls. And Moses took half of the blood, and he put it in bowls, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the scroll of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will listen.” And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and he said, “Look, the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
And Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel went up. And they saw the God of Israel, and what was under his feet was like sapphire tile work and like the very heavens for clearness. And toward the leaders of the Israelites he did not stretch out his hand, and they beheld God, and they ate, and they drank.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and be there, and I will give you the tablets of stone and the law and the commandments that I have written to instruct them.” And Moses got up, and Joshua, his assistant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
And to the elders he said, “Wait for us here until we return to you. And look, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute will bring it to you.”
And Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. And the glory of Yahweh settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days, and he called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud. And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain to the eyes of the Israelites. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and he went up the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and let them bring to me a contribution. You will receive my contribution from every man whose heart prompts him. And this is the contribution that you will receive from them—gold and silver and bronze, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine linen and goat hair, and red-dyed ram skins, and fine leather, and acacia wood, oil for the lamp, balsam oils for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones and stones for mountings on the ephod and the breast piece. And make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell in the midst of them, according to all that I show you—the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its equipment—and so you will do.
“And they will make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width and a cubit and a half its height. And you will overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you will overlay it, and you will make on it a gold molding all around. And you will cast for it four gold rings, and you will put them on its four feet, with two rings on its one side and two rings on its second side. And you will make poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. And you will put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark with them. In the rings of the ark will be the poles; they will not be removed from it. And you will put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you.
“And you will make an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you will make two cherubim of gold; you will make them of hammered work at the two ends of the atonement cover. And make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end of the atonement cover; you will make the cherubim on its two ends. And the cherubim will be with outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover and facing each other; the faces of the cherubim will be toward the atonement cover. And you will put the atonement cover above onto the ark, and into the ark you will put the testimony that I will give you. And I will meet you there, and I will speak with you from over the atonement cover, from between the two cherubim that are to be on the ark of the testimony—all that I will command you to the Israelites.
“And you will make a table of acacia wood, two cubits its length and a cubit its width and a cubit and a half its height. And you will overlay it with pure gold, and you will make for it a gold molding all around. And you will make for it a handbreadth rim all around, and you will make a gold molding for its rim all around. And you will make four gold rings for it, and you will put the rings on the four corners where its four legs are. The rings will be near the rim as holders for poles to carry the table. And you will make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table will be carried with them. And you will make its plates and its ladles and its pitchers and its bowls with which libations will be poured; of pure gold you will make them. And you will put on the table the bread of presence to be before me continually.
“And you will make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand will be made of hammered work—its base and its branch, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms will be from it. And six branches will be going out from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its second side. Three almond-flower cups will be on the one branch with a bud and a blossom, and three almond-flower cups will be on the one branch with a bud and a blossom—likewise for the six branches going out from the lampstand. And on the lampstand will be four almond-flower cups, with its buds and its blossoms. And a bud will be under the two branches that come from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, likewise for the six branches coming out from the lampstand. Their buds and their branches will be from it, all of it one piece of pure gold hammered work. And you will make its seven lamps, and its lamps will be set up, and it will give light in the space in front of it. And its snuffers and its fire pans will be pure gold. It will be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these pieces of equipment. And see and make all according to their pattern, which you were shown in the mountain.
“And the tabernacle you will make with ten curtains; you will make them of finely twisted linen and blue and purple and crimson yarns, with cherubim, the work of a skilled craftsman. The length of the one curtain will be twenty-eight cubits, and the width will be four cubits for the one curtain; one measure will be for all the curtains. Five curtains will be joined to one another, and five curtains joined to one another. And you will make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain, at the end in the set; and you will do so on the edge of the end curtain in the second set. You will make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you will make fifty loops on the end of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops are to be opposite to one another. And you will make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle will be one.
“And you will make curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you will make them eleven curtains. The length of the one curtain will be thirty cubits, and the width will be four cubits for the one curtain; one measure will be for the eleven curtains. And you will join five curtains together and six curtains together, and you will fold double the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. And you will make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain at the end of the first set and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain in the second set. And you will make fifty bronze clasps, and you will put the clasps in the loops and join the tent, so that it will be one.
“And the surplus in the curtains of the tent will be an overhang; the surplus half curtain will hang over the back of the tabernacle. And a cubit from one side and a cubit from the other side in the surplus in the length of the curtains of the tent will be hung over the sides of the tabernacle equally to cover it.
“And you will make a covering for the tent of red-dyed ram skins and a covering of fine leather to go above.
“And you will make the frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood as uprights. The length of the frame will be ten cubits, and the width of the one frame will be one and a half cubits. You will make two pegs for the one frame for joining each to another and likewise for all the frames of the tabernacle. And you will make the frames for the tabernacle with twenty frames for the south side. And you will make forty silver bases under the twenty frames, with two bases under the one frame for its two pegs and two bases under the next frame for its two pegs. And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there will be twenty frames and their forty silver bases, with two bases under the one frame and two bases under the next frame.
“And for the rear of the tabernacle on the west you will make six frames. And you will make two frames for the tabernacle corners at the rear. They will be double at the bottom, and they will be completely together on its top to the one ring; it will be likewise for the two of them; they will be for the two corners. And there will be eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, with two bases under the one frame and two bases under the next frame.
“You will make five bars of acacia wood for the frames on the one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames on the side of the tabernacle at the rear on the west. And the bar in the middle, in the midst of the frames will run from end to end. And you will overlay the frames with gold, and you will make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and you will overlay the bars with gold. And you will erect the tabernacle according to its plan, which you have been shown on the mountain.
“And you will make a curtain of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman; he will make it with cherubim. And you will put it on four acacia pillars overlaid with gold with their gold hooks on four silver bases. And you will put the curtain under the clasps, and you will bring the ark of the testimony there inside the curtain, and the curtain will separate for you between the holy and the most holy place. And you will put the atonement cover on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. And you will place the table outside the curtain and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, and you will put the table on the north side.
“And you will make for the entrance of the tent a screen of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. And you will make for the screen five acacia pillars, and you will overlay them with gold with their gold hooks, and you will cast for them five bronze bases.
“And you will make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar will be square, and its height will be three cubits. And you will make its horns on its four corners; its horns will be of one piece with it, and you will overlay it with bronze. And you will make its pots for removing its fat-soaked ashes and its shovels and its sprinkling bowls and its forks and its fire pans; you will make all its equipment with bronze. And you will make for it a grating, a work of bronze network, and you will make on the network four bronze rings on its four ends. And you will put it under the ledge of the altar, below, and the network will be up to the middle of the altar. And you will make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with bronze. And the poles will be put into the rings, and the poles will be on the two sides of the altar when carrying it. You will make it hollow with boards. As it was shown you on the mountain, so they will do.
“You will make the courtyard of the tabernacle; for the south side will be hangings for the courtyard of finely twisted linen, one hundred cubits long for the one side. And its twenty pillars and their twenty bases will be bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands will be silver. And likewise for the north side along the length will be hangings one hundred cubits long; and its twenty pillars and their bases will be bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands will be silver. And the width of the courtyard for the west side will be hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars and their ten bases. And the width of the courtyard for the east side, toward sunrise, will be fifty cubits. And hangings for the shoulder will be fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three bases. And fifteen cubits of hangings will be for the second shoulder with their three pillars and their three bases. And for the gate of the courtyard there will be a screen of twenty cubits of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer; with their four pillars and their four bases.
“All the pillars of the courtyard all around will be banded with silver, and their hooks will be silver, and their bases will be bronze. The length of the courtyard will be one hundred cubits and the width fifty cubits and the height five cubits, of finely twisted linen, with their bronze bases. Bronze will be for all the equipment of the tabernacle in all its service and all its pegs and all the pegs of the courtyard.
“And you will command the Israelites, and they will bring to you pure, beaten olive oil for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the tent of assembly outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons will arrange it, from evening until morning, before Yahweh as a lasting statute throughout their generations from the Israelites.
“And bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him from the midst of the Israelites to serve as priests for me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. And you will make holy garments for Aaron, your brother, for glory and for splendor. And you will speak to all the skilled of heart, whom I have given a gift of skill, and they will make the garments of Aaron to consecrate him for his serving as my priest. And these are the garments that they will make: A breast piece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of specially woven fabric, a turban and a sash. And they will make holy garments for Aaron your brother, and for his sons to serve as priests for me.
“And they will take the gold and the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns and the fine linen, and they will make the ephod of gold, blue and purple, and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman. It will have two joining shoulder pieces at its two edges, so that it can be fastened. And the waistband of his ephod, which is on it, will be of like work to it—gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen.
“And you will take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the Israelites, with six of their names on the one stone and the remaining six on the second, according to their genealogies. As the work of a skilled stone craftsman, with seal engravings you will engrave on the two stones the names of the Israelites; you will make them mounted in gold filigree settings. And you will set the two stones on the ephod’s shoulder pieces as stones of remembrance for the Israelites, and Aaron will bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulder pieces for remembrance.
“And you will make gold filigree settings. And you will make two braided chains of pure gold ornamental cord work, and you will put the chains of the ornamental cords on the filigree settings. And you will make a breast piece of judgment, a work of a skilled craftsman; you will make it like the work of the ephod; you will make it of gold, blue and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. It will be squared, doubled, a span its length and a span its width. And you will fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone, a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald is the first row; and the second row is a malachite, a sapphire, and a moonstone; and the third row is a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row is a turquoise and an onyx and a jasper. Their settings will be woven with gold. The stones will be according to the names of the Israelites, twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name they will be for the twelve tribes.
“And you will make on the breast piece braided chains, a work of pure gold ornamental cord. And you will make on the breast piece two gold rings, and you will put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. And you will put the two gold ornamental cords on the two rings on the edges of the breast piece. And you will put the two ends of the two ornamental cords on the two filigree settings, and you will put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. And you will make two gold rings, and you will place them on the two ends of the breast piece, on its edge that is on the other side of the ephod, to the inside. And you will make two rings and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below at its front near its seam above the waistband of the ephod. And they will tie the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord to be on the waistband of the ephod, and the breast piece will not come loose from the ephod. And Aaron will bear the names of the Israelites in the breast piece of judgment on his heart, when he comes to the sanctuary, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually. And you will put the Urim and the Thummim on the breast piece of judgment, and they will be on the heart of Aaron when he comes before Yahweh, and Aaron will bear the judgment of the Israelites on his heart before Yahweh continually.
“And you will make the robe of the ephod totally of blue yarn. And the opening for his head will be in the middle of it; its opening will have an edge all around, the work of a weaver; it will be like the opening of a sturdy garment for it, so that it will not be torn. And you will make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and crimson yarns on its hem all around and bells of gold in the midst of them all around, a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around. And it will be on Aaron for serving, and its sound will be heard at his coming into the sanctuary before Yahweh and at his going out, so that he will not die.
“And you will make a pure gold rosette, and you will engrave on it with seal engravings: “A holy object for Yahweh.” And you will place it on a blue cord, and it will be on the turban, at the front of the turban it will be. And it will be on the forehead of Aaron, and Aaron will bear the guilt of the holy objects that the Israelites will consecrate for all their holy gifts, and it will be on his forehead continually for acceptance for them before Yahweh.
“And you will weave the tunic of fine linen, and you will make a turban of fine linen, and you will make a sash, the work of an embroiderer. And for the sons of Aaron you will make tunics, and you will make for them sashes and headdresses; you will make them for glory and for splendor. And you will clothe them—Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him—and you will anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, and they will serve as priests for me. And make for them undergarments of linen to cover naked flesh; they will be from loins to thigh. And they will be on Aaron and on his sons when they come to the tent of assembly or when they approach the altar to serve in the sanctuary, so that they will not bear guilt and die. It is a lasting statute for him and for his offspring after him.
“And this is the thing that you will do for them to consecrate them to serve as a priest for me: Take one young bull and two rams without defect and unleavened bread and unleavened, ring-shaped bread cakes mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened breads smeared with oil. You will make them with finely milled wheat flour, and you will put them on one basket, and you will bring them on the basket and bring the bull and the two rams. And you will bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of assembly, and you will wash them with water. And you will take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic and the robe of the ephod, and you will fasten to him the ephod and the breast piece with the waistband of the ephod. And you will set the turban on his head, and you will put the holy diadem on the turban. And you will take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. And you will bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. And you will gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and wrap headdresses on them. And priesthood will be theirs as a lasting rule, and you will ordain Aaron and his sons.
“And you will bring the bull before the tent of assembly, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the bull. And you will slaughter the bull before Yahweh at the entrance of the tent of assembly. And you will take some of the blood of the bull and with your finger put it on the horns of the altar, and you will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. And you will take and turn into smoke on the altar all the fat covering the inner parts and the lobe on the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them. And the flesh of the bull and its skin and its offal you will burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.
“And you will take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram. And you will slaughter the ram and take its blood and sprinkle it on the altar all around. And you will cut the ram into pieces and wash its inner parts, and you will put its legs with its pieces and with its head. And you will turn into smoke on the altar all of the ram; it is a burnt offering for Yahweh; it is a smell of appeasement, an offering by fire for Yahweh.
“And you will take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram. And you will slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe and on the right earlobe of his sons and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and you will sprinkle the blood at the base of the altar all around. And you will take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and you will spatter it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him, and he will be sacred, and his garments and his sons and his sons’ garments with him. And you will take from the ram the fat and the fat tail and the fat covering the inner parts and the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh, because it is the ram of ordination.
“And one loaf of bread and one ring-shaped bread cake of oiled bread and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before Yahweh— you will put them all on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and you will wave them as a wave offering before Yahweh. And you will take them from their hand and turn them to smoke on the altar beside the burnt offering as a fragrance of appeasement before Yahweh; it is an offering made by fire before Yahweh.
“And you will take the breast section from the ram of ordination that is for Aaron, and you will wave it as a wave offering before Yahweh. It will be your portion. And you will consecrate the wave offering breast section and the thigh of the contribution that was waved and that was presented from the ram of the ordination that is for Aaron and for his sons. And it will be for Aaron and for his sons as a lasting rule from the Israelites, because it is a contribution, and it will be a contribution from the Israelites from their sacrifices of fellowship, their contribution to Yahweh.
“And the holy garments that are for Aaron will be for his sons after him in which to anoint them and to ordain them. Seven days the priest who replaces him from among his sons will wear them, who comes to the tent of assembly to serve in the sanctuary. And you will take the ram of ordination and boil its meat in a holy place. And Aaron and his sons will eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance of the tent of assembly. And they will eat them—the things by which atonement was made for them to ordain them to consecrate them—and a stranger will not eat them because they are holy objects. If any remains until morning from the ordination meat or from the bread, you will burn the remainder in fire; it will not be eaten, because it is a holy object. And you will do so for Aaron and for his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; seven days you will ordain them.
“And you will offer a bull for a sin offering every day for the atonement; and you will offer a sin offering on the altar when you make atonement for it, and you will anoint it to consecrate it. Seven days you will make atonement for the altar, and you will consecrate it, and the altar will be a most holy thing. Anyone who touches the altar will be holy.
“And this is what you shall offer on the altar: Two one-year-old male lambs every day continually. The first lamb you will offer in the morning, and the second lamb you will offer at twilight. And a tenth of finely milled flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine as a libation with the first lamb. And the second lamb you will offer at twilight; you will offer a grain offering and its libation like that of the morning for a fragrance of appeasement, an offering made by fire for Yahweh. It will be a burnt offering of continuity throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of assembly before Yahweh, where I will meet with you to speak to you there.
“And I will meet with the Israelites there, and it will be consecrated by my glory. And I will consecrate the tent of assembly and the altar, and Aaron and his sons I will consecrate to serve as priests for me. And I will dwell in the midst of the Israelites, and I will be their God. And they will know that I am Yahweh, their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt in order to dwell in their midst. I am Yahweh their God.
“And you will make an altar for burning incense; you will make it of acacia wood, a cubit its length and a cubit its width—it will be square—and two cubits its height, its horns of one piece with it. And you will overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around and its horns, and you will make for it a gold molding all around. And you will make two gold rings for it; under its molding on two opposite sides you will make them as holders for poles to carry it with them. You will make the poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. And you will put it before the curtain that is upon the ark of the testimony, before the atonement cover, which is on the testimony, there where I will meet with you.
“And on it Aaron will turn fragrant incense into smoke; each morning when he tends the lamps, he will turn it into smoke. And when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he will turn it into smoke—incense of continuity—before Yahweh throughout your generations. You will not offer on it strange incense or a burnt offering or a grain offering, and you will not pour a libation on it. And Aaron will make atonement on its horns one time in the year from the blood of the sin offering of the atonement; one time in the year he will make atonement on it throughout your generations; it is a most holy thing for Yahweh.”
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, they will each give the ransom of his life for Yahweh when counting them, and a plague will not be among them when counting them. This they will give, everyone who is counted, the half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs per shekel. The half shekel is a contribution for Yahweh. Everyone who is counted from twenty years old and above will give the contribution of Yahweh. The rich will not give more, and the poor will not give less than the half shekel to give the contribution of Yahweh to make atonement for their lives. And you will take the atonement money from the Israelites and give it to the service of the tent of assembly, and it will be as a memorial for the Israelites before Yahweh to make atonement for your lives.”
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “And you will make a basin of bronze and its bronze stand for washing, and you will put it between the tent of assembly and the altar, and you will put water there. And Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and their feet with it. When they come to the tent of assembly, they will wash with water so that they do not die, or when they approach the altar to serve by turning to smoke an offering made by fire to Yahweh. And they will wash their hands and their feet so that they do not die, and it will be a lasting rule for them—to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “And take for yourself top quality balsam oils, five hundred shekels of flowing myrrh, half as much—two hundred and fifty shekels of fragrant cinnamon, and two hundred and fifty shekels of fragrant reed, and five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the sanctuary shekel, and a hin of olive oil. And you will make it into holy anointing oil, a spice blend of a fragrant ointment the work of a perfumer; it will be holy anointing oil. And you will anoint with it the tent of assembly and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all its equipment and the lampstand and its equipment and the incense altar, and the altar of burnt offering and all its equipment and the basin and its stand. And you will consecrate them, and they will be most holy things; anyone who touches them will be holy. And you will anoint Aaron and his sons, and you will consecrate them to serve as priests for me.
“And you will speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. It will not be poured on human flesh, and with its measurements you will not make any like it; it is holy; it will be holy to you. Anyone who compounds perfume like it and who puts it on a stranger will be cut off from his people.’ ”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Take for yourself fragrant perfumes—stacte resin and onycha and galbanum—fragrant perfumes and pure frankincense, an equal part of each, and make it into a compound of incense, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, holy. And you will grind part of it to powder, and you will put part of it before the testimony in the tent of assembly where I will meet with you; it will be a most holy thing to you. And the incense that you will make with its measurements you will not make for yourselves; it will be holy to you for Yahweh. Anyone who makes any like it to smell it will be cut off from his people.”
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill and with knowledge and with every kind of craftsmanship, to devise designs, to work with gold and with silver and with bronze, and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every kind of craftsmanship. And, look, I have given with him Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, and I have put skill in the heart of all the skilled of heart, and they will make all that I have commanded you— the tent of assembly and the ark of the testimony and the atonement cover that is on it and all the equipment of the tent, and the table and all its equipment, and the pure gold lampstand and all its equipment, and the incense altar, and the altar of burnt offering and all its equipment, and the basin and its stand, and the garments of woven material, and the garments of the sanctuary for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons to serve as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. According to all that I have commanded you, they will make it.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, “And you, speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, because it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, in order to know that I am Yahweh, who consecrates you. And you must keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; defilers of it will surely be put to death, because anyone who does work on it—that person will be cut off from among his people. On six days work can be done, and on the seventh is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy day for Yahweh; anyone doing work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death. The Israelites will pay attention to the Sabbath in order to fulfill the Sabbath throughout their generations as a lasting covenant. It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever, because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh he ceased and recovered.”
And when he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave to Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God.
And the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, and the people gathered opposite Aaron, and they said to him, “Come, make for us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
And Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring it to me.” And all the people took off the rings of gold that were on their ears and brought it to Aaron. And he took from their hand, and he shaped it with a tool, and he made it a cast-image bull calf, and they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
And Aaron saw, and he built an altar before it, and Aaron called, and he said, “A feast for Yahweh tomorrow.” And they started early the next day, and they offered burnt offerings, and they presented fellowship offerings, and the people sat to eat and drink, and they rose up to revel.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, go down because your people behave corruptly, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt. They have turned aside quickly from the way that I commanded them; they have made for themselves a cast-image bull calf, and they bowed to it, and they sacrificed to it, and they said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ ”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and, indeed, they are a stiff-necked people. And now leave me alone so that my anger may blaze against them, and let me destroy them, and I will make you into a great nation.”
And Moses implored Yahweh his God, and he said, “Why, Yahweh, should your anger blaze against your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them out to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning the disaster for your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by yourself, and you told them, ‘I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and all this land that I promised I will give to your offspring, and they will inherit it forever.’ ”
And Yahweh relented concerning the disaster that he had threatened to do to his people. And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand, tablets written on their two sides; on the front and on the back they were written. And the tablets, they were the work of God; and the writing, it was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.
And Joshua heard the sound of the people in their shouting, and he said to Moses, “A sound of war is in the camp.”
But he said, “There is not a sound of shouting of victory, and there is not a sound of shouting of defeat. I hear a sound of singing.”
And as he came near to the camp, he saw the bull calf and dancing, and Moses became angry, and he threw the tablets from his hand, and he broke them under the mountain. And he took the bull calf that they had made, and he burned it with the fire, and he crushed it until it became fine, and he scattered it on the surface of the water, and he made the Israelites drink.
And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought on them such a great sin?” And Aaron said, “Let not my lord become angry. You yourself know the people, that they are intent on evil. And they said to me, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off.’ And they gave it to me, and I threw it in the fire, and out came this bull calf.”
And Moses saw the people, that they were running wild because Aaron had allowed them to run wild, for a laughingstock among their enemies. And Moses stood at the entrance of the camp, and he said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, to me.” And all the sons of Levi were gathered to him. And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Put each his sword on his side. Go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill, each his brother and each his friend and each his close relative.’ ” And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and from the people on that day about three thousand persons fell. And Moses said, “You are ordained today for Yahweh, because each has been against his son and against his brother and so bringing on you today a blessing.”
And the next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
And Moses returned to Yahweh, and he said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin and made for themselves gods of gold. And now if you will forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me from your scroll that you have written.” And Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot him from my scroll. And now go, lead the people to where I spoke to you. Look, my angel will go before you, and on the day when I punish I will punish them for their sin.” And Yahweh afflicted the people because they had made the bull calf that Aaron had made.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land that I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, and the Hittites and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, Go to a land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go up among you, because you are a stiff-necked people, lest I destroy you on the way.” And the people heard this troubling word, and they mourned, and they each did not put their ornaments on themselves.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if one moment I were to go up among you, I would destroy you. And now take down your ornaments from on you, and I will decide what I will do to you.” And the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward.
And Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp far from the camp, and he called it the tent of assembly, and all seeking Yahweh would go out to the tent of assembly, which was outside the camp. And at the going out of Moses to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each at the opening of his tent, and gaze after Moses until his entering the tent. And at the entering of Moses into the tent the column of cloud would descend and stand at the opening of the tent, and he would speak with Moses. And all the people would see the column of cloud standing at the opening of the tent, and all the people would rise and bow in worship, each at the opening of his tent. And Yahweh would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his neighbor. And he would return to the camp, and his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the middle of the tent.
And Moses said to Yahweh, “See, you are saying to me, ‘Take this people up.’ But you have not let me know whom you will send with me, and you yourself have said, ‘I know you by name, and you also have found favor in my eyes.’ And now if I have found favor in your eyes, make known to me, please, your way, and so I may know you so that I can find favor in your eyes. And see that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence is not going, do not bring us up from here. And by what will it be known then that I have found favor in your eyes, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us? And so we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the ground.”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Also I will do this thing that you have spoken, because you have found favor in my eyes and I have known you by name.”
And he said, “Please show me your glory.”
And he said, “I myself will cause all my goodness to pass over before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” But he said, “You are not able to see my face, because a human will not see me and live.” And Yahweh said, “There is a place with me, and you will stand on the rock. And when my glory passes over, I will put you in the rock’s crevice, and I will cover you with my hand until I pass over. And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be visible.”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. And be ready for the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself to me there on the top of the mountain. And no one will go up with you, and neither let anyone be seen on all the mountain, nor let the sheep and goats and the cattle graze opposite that mountain.”
And Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and he started early in the morning, and he went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two stone tablets. And Yahweh descended in the cloud, and he stood with him there, and he proclaimed the name of Yahweh. And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations.”
And Moses hurried and knelt down to the earth and worshiped. And he said, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, Lord, let my Lord, please, go among us—indeed it is a stiff-necked people—and forgive our iniquity and our sin and take us as your possession.”
And he said, “Look, I am about to make a covenant. In front of all your people I will do wonders that have not been created on all the earth and among all the nations, and all the people among whom you are will see Yahweh’s work, because what I am about to do with you will be awesome.
“Keep for yourself what I myself have commanded you today. Look, I am about to drive from before you the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Be careful for yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, lest it be a snare among you. Rather, you will tear down their altars, and you will break their stone pillars, and you will cut off their Asherah poles. For you will not bow in worship to another god, for ‘Yahweh Is Jealous’ is his name, he is a jealous God, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they prostitute themselves after their gods, and they sacrifice to their gods, and they invite you, and you eat their sacrifice, and you take from their daughters for your sons, and their daughters prostitute themselves after their gods, and they cause your sons to prostitute themselves after their gods. You will not make gods of cast metal for yourself.
“You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt. Every first offspring of a womb is for me—all of your male livestock, the first offspring of cattle and small livestock. But the first offspring of a donkey you will redeem with small livestock, and if you will not redeem it, you will break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you will redeem, and you will not appear before me empty-handed. Six days you will work, and on the seventh day you will rest; in the time of plowing and in the time of harvest you will rest. And you yourself will observe the Feast of Weeks—the firstfruits of the wheat harvest—and the Feast of Harvest Gathering at the turn of the year. Three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel, because I will evict nations before you, and I will enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh your God three times in the year.
“You will not slaughter the blood of my sacrifice on food with yeast, and the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover will not stay overnight to the morning. The beginning of the firstfruits of your land you will bring to the house of Yahweh your God. You will not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Write for yourself these words, because according to these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights. He ate no food and drank no water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words. And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony were in the hand of Moses at his coming down from the mountain; and Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with him. And Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, and, to their amazement, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid of coming near to him. And Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. And afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them all that Yahweh had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. And Moses finished speaking with them, and he put a veil on his face. And when Moses came before Yahweh to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he went out, and he would go out and would speak to the Israelites what he had been commanded. And the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of the face of Moses shone, and Moses would put back the veil on his face until his coming to speak with him.
And Moses assembled all the community of the Israelites, and he said to them, “These are the words that Yahweh has commanded for us to do them. On six days work can be done, and on the seventh there will be for you a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest, for Yahweh; anyone doing work on it will be put to death. You will not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the day of the Sabbath.”
And Moses said to all the community of the Israelites, saying, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded, saying, ‘Take from among you a contribution for Yahweh, anyone willing of heart, let him bring Yahweh’s contribution—gold and silver and bronze, and blue and purple and crimson yarns, and fine linen and goat hair, and red-dyed ram skins, and fine leather, and acacia wood, and oil for the lamp, balsam oils for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones and stones for mountings on the ephod and the breast piece.
“And let all the skilled of heart among you come and make all that Yahweh has commanded: The tabernacle, its tent, and its covering; its clasps and its frames; its bars, its pillars, and its bases; the ark and its poles; the atonement cover and the curtain of the screen; the table and its poles and all its equipment; and the bread of the presence; and lampstand of the light and its equipment and its lamps and the oil for the light; and the altar of incense and its poles; and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense and the entrance curtain for the entrance of the tabernacle; the altar of the burnt offering and the bronze grating that is for it, its poles and all its equipment; the basin and its stand; the hangings of the courtyard, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the courtyard gate; the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the courtyard and their cords; the woven garments for serving in the sanctuary—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons to serve as priests.”
And all the community of the Israelites went out from before Moses. And they came—every man whose heart lifted him and every man whose spirit impelled him—they brought Yahweh’s contribution for the work of the tent of assembly and for all its service and for the holy garments. And they came, the men in addition to the women, all who were willing of heart; they brought brooches and jewelry rings and signet rings and ornaments—every variety of gold object—every man who waved a wave offering of gold for Yahweh, and every man with whom was found blue and purple and crimson yarns and fine linen and goat hair and red-dyed ram skins and fine leather brought it. All who were presenting a contribution of silver and bronze brought Yahweh’s contribution, and all with whom was found acacia wood for all the work of service brought it. And every woman who was skilled of heart with her hands they spun, and they brought yarn—the blue and the purple, the crimson and the fine linen. And all the women whose heart lifted them with skill spun the goat hair. And the leaders brought the onyx stones and stones for mountings for the ephod and for the breast piece and the balsam oils and the oil for light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. Every man and woman whose heart impelled them to bring for all the work to be done that Yahweh had commanded by the agency of Moses—the Israelites brought freely to Yahweh.
And Moses said to the Israelites, “See, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill and with knowledge and with every kind of craftsmanship, and to devise designs, to work with the gold and with the silver and with the bronze, and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every kind of design craftsmanship. And he has put it in his heart to teach—he and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill of heart to do every work of a craftsman and a designer and an embroiderer with the blue and with the purple, with the crimson yarns and with the fine linen and a weaver; they are doers of every kind of craftsmanship and devisers of designs.
And Bezalel and Oholiab and everyone who is skilled of heart in whom Yahweh has put wisdom and skill to know and to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary—they will do it, according to all that Yahweh has commanded.”
And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and everyone skilled of heart, in whose heart Yahweh had put skill, all whose heart lifted him to come near to the work in order to do it. And they took from Moses all the contributions that the Israelites had brought for the work of the service for the sanctuary in order to do it, and they still brought to him voluntary offerings every morning. And all the skilled workers who were doing all the work for the sanctuary came, each from his work that they were doing. And they said to Moses, saying, “The people are bringing more than enough for the service of the work that Yahweh has commanded to be done.” And Moses commanded, and they proclaimed the message in the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman again make anything for the sanctuary contribution.” And so the people were restrained from bringing. And the material was enough for doing all the work, and it was left over.
And all who were skilled of heart among the doers of the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue and purple and crimson yarns, with cherubim; he made them, the work of a skilled craftsman. The length of the one curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width was four cubits for the one curtain; one measurement was for all the curtains. And he joined five of the curtains one to another, and five curtains he joined one to another. And he made loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain, at the end in the set; so he did on the edge of the end curtain in the second set. He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the end of the curtain that was in the second set; the loops were opposite one to another. And he made fifty gold clasps and joined the curtains one to another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle was one.
And he made curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made them eleven curtains. The length of the one curtain was thirty cubits, and the width was four cubits for the one curtain; one measure was for the eleven curtains. And he joined five curtains together and six curtains together. And he made fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain in the set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain in the second set. And he made fifty bronze clasps for joining the tent to become one.
And he made a covering for the tent of red-dyed ram skin and a covering of fine leather to go above.
And he made the frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood as uprights. The length of the frame was ten cubits, and the width of the one frame was one and a half cubits. He made two pegs for the one frame for joining one to another and likewise for all the frames of the tabernacle. And he made the frames for the tabernacle with twenty frames for the south side. And he made forty silver bases under the twenty frames, with two bases under the one frame for its two pegs and two bases under the next frame for its two pegs. And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty frames and their forty silver bases, with two bases under the one frame and two bases under the next frame.
And for the rear of the tabernacle on the west he made six frames. And he made two frames for the tabernacle corners at the rear. And they were double at the bottom, and they were completely together on its top to the one ring; he did likewise for the two of them, for the two corners. And there were eight frames and their sixteen silver bases, two bases, two bases under the one frame.
And he made five bars of acacia wood for the frames on the one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames at the rear on the west. And he made the middle bar to run in the midst of the frames from end to end. And he overlaid the frames with gold, and he made their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and he overlaid the bars with gold. And he made the curtain of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of a craftsman; he made it with cherubim. And he made for it four acacia pillars, and he overlaid them with gold, with their gold hooks, and he cast for them four silver bases.
And he made for the entrance of the tent a screen of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer, and the five pillars and their hooks, and he overlaid their tops and their connections with gold, and their five bases were bronze.
And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width and a cubit and a half its height. And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and he made for it a gold molding all around. And he cast for it four gold rings on its four feet; and two rings were on its one side, and two rings were on its second side. And he made poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with gold. And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
And he made an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width. And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the atonement cover. One cherub was at one end, and one cherub was at the other end of the atonement cover; he made the cherubim at its two ends. And the cherubim were with outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover and facing each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the atonement cover.
And he made the table of acacia wood, two cubits its length and a cubit its width and a cubit and a half its height. And he overlaid it with pure gold, and he made for it a gold molding all around. And he made for it a handbreadth rim all around, and he made a gold molding for its rim all around. And he cast for it four gold rings, and he put the rings on the four corners where its four legs were. The rings were near the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. And he made the poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with gold to carry the table. And he made the vessels that were on the table—its plates and its ladles, and its bowls and its pitchers with which libations were poured—of pure gold.
And he made the lampstand of pure gold; he made the lampstand of hammered work—its base and its branch, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were all part of it. And six branches were going out from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its second side. Three almond-flower cups were on the one branch with a bud and a blossom, and three almond-flower cups were on the one branch with a bud and a blossom—likewise for the six branches going out from the lampstand. And on the lampstand were four almond-flower cups, with its buds and its blossoms. And a bud was under the two branches that came from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, likewise for the six branches coming out from the lampstand. Their buds and their branches were from it, all of it one piece of pure gold, hammered work. And he made its seven lamps and its snuffers and its fire pans of pure gold. He made it from a talent of pure gold and all its pieces of equipment.
And he made the incense altar of acacia wood, a cubit its length and a cubit its width—a square—and two cubits its height; its horns were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with pure gold—its top and its sides all around and its horns—and he made for it a gold molding all around. And he made for it two gold rings under its molding on two opposite sides as holders for poles to carry it with them. And he made the poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with gold. And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense—work of a perfumer.
And he made the burnt-offering altar of acacia wood; its length was five cubits, and its width was five cubits—it was square—and its height was three cubits. And he made its horns on its four corners; its horns were of one piece with it; and he overlaid it with bronze. And he made all the equipment of the altar—the pots and the shovels and the sprinkling bowls and the forks and the fire pans—all its equipment he made with bronze. And he made for the altar a grating, a work of bronze network under its ledge, below, up to its middle. And he cast four rings on the four ends of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. And he made the poles of acacia wood, and he overlaid them with bronze. And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow with boards.
And he made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the entrance of the tent of assembly.
And he made the courtyard; for the south side were the hangings of the court of finely twisted linen, one hundred cubits, with their twenty pillars and their twenty bases of bronze and with the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver. And for the north side the hangings were one hundred cubits with their twenty pillars and their twenty bases of bronze and with the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver. And for the west side fifty cubits of hangings with their ten pillars and their ten bases and with the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver. And for the eastward side, toward sunrise, fifty cubits; fifteen cubits of hangings were to the shoulder, with their three pillars and their three bases, and for the second shoulder on each side of the gate of the courtyard were fifteen cubits of hangings, with their three pillars and their three bases. All the hangings of the courtyard all around were finely twisted linen, and the bases for the pillars were bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver, and the overlay of their tops was silver, and all the pillars of the courtyard were banded with silver.
And the screen of the gate of the courtyard was the work of an embroiderer, with blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen; it was twenty cubits long and five cubits high, like the hangings of the courtyard, and with their four pillars and their four bases of bronze, with their silver hooks and with their tops and their bands of silver. And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard all around were bronze.
These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, which were recorded at the command of Moses, the work of the Levites, in the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. And Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, did all that Yahweh commanded Moses. And with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, a skilled craftsman and a designer and an embroiderer with the blue and with the purple and with the crimson yarns and with the linen.
And all the gold used for the work, in the work of the sanctuary, it was the gold of the wave offering—twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
And the silver recorded from the community was a hundred talents and a thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. It was a bekah for the individual, the half shekel according to the sanctuary shekel, for everyone who was counted, from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. And it was one hundred talents of the silver to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the curtain—one hundred bases for one hundred talents of silver, a talent for each base. And from the thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and he overlaid their tops, and he made bands for them.
And the bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. And he made with it the bases of the entrance of the tent of assembly and the bronze altar and the bronze grating that belonged to it and all the equipment of the altar and the bases of the courtyard all around and the bases of the gate of the courtyard and all the pegs of the tabernacle and all the pegs of the courtyard all around.
And from the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary, and they made the holy garments that were for Aaron, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. And he hammered out the leaves of gold, and he cut off cords to weave in the midst of the blue and in the midst of the purple and in the midst of the crimson and in the midst of the linen—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made joined shoulder pieces for it; it was joined on its two edges. And the waistband of his ephod, which was of one piece with it, was of like work, gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And they made onyx stones mounted in gold filigree settings, engraved with seal engravings according to the names of the Israelites. And he set them on the ephod’s shoulder pieces as stones of remembrance for the Israelites, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
And he made the breast piece, the work of a skilled craftsman, like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. It was squared; they made the breast piece doubled; its length was a span, and its width was a span when doubled. And they filled it with four rows of stone; a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald was the first row; and the second row was a malachite, a sapphire, and a moonstone; and the third row was a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row was a turquoise, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set with gold filigree settings in their mountings. And the stones were according to the names of the Israelites; they were twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name for the twelve tribes.
And they made on the breast piece braided chains, a work of pure gold ornamental cord. And they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. And they put the two gold ornamental cords on the two rings on the edges of the breast piece. And they put the two ends of the two ornamental cords on the two filigree settings, and they put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. And they made two gold rings, and they placed them on the two edges of the breast piece, on its lip that is on the other side of the ephod, to the inside. And they made two gold rings and put them on the ephod’s two shoulder pieces below, at its front near its seam above the waistband of the ephod. And they tied the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord so that the breast piece would be on the waistband of the ephod and not come loose from the ephod, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
And he made the robe of the ephod, weaver’s work, totally of blue yarn. And the opening of the robe in the middle of it was like the opening of a sturdy garment, with an edge for its opening all around so that it would not be torn. And they made on the hem of the robe pomegranates of finely twisted blue and purple and crimson. And they made pure gold bells and put the bells in the midst of the pomegranates on the hem of the robe all around in the midst of the pomegranates, a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate on the hem of the robe all around for serving, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
And they made the tunics of fine linen, a weaver’s work, for Aaron and for his sons, and the turban of fine linen and the headdresses of the headbands of fine linen and undergarments of the linen cloth, finely twisted, and the sash of finely twisted linen and blue and purple and crimson yarns, the work of an embroiderer, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
And they made the rosette of the holy diadem of pure gold, and they wrote on it with the writing of seal engravings: “A holy object for Yahweh.” And they put a blue cord on it to put it above on the turban, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
And all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of assembly was finished, and the Israelites had done according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses; so they did. And they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its equipment, its hooks, its frames, its bars, and its pillars and its bases; and the covering of the red-dyed ram skins and the covering of fine leather and the curtain of the screen; the ark of the testimony and its poles and the atonement cover; the table, all its equipment, and the bread of the presence; the pure gold lampstand, its lamps—the lamps of the row—and all its equipment and the oil of the light; the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the screen of the entrance of the tent; the bronze altar, and the bronze grating that is for it, its poles, and all its equipment, the basin and its stand, the hangings of the courtyard, its pillars, and its bases; and the screen for the courtyard gate, its tent cords and its pegs; and all the equipment of the service of the tabernacle for the tent of assembly, the woven garments for serving in the sanctuary—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests. According to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did all the work. And Moses saw all the work, and, indeed, they had done it as Yahweh had commanded; so they did, and Moses blessed them.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “On the first day of the month, you will set up the tabernacle of the tent of assembly. And you will put there the ark of the testimony, and you will cover over the ark with the curtain. And you will bring the table, and you will arrange its setting, and you will bring the lampstand, and you will set up its lamps. And you will put the gold altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and you will set up the entrance screen for the tabernacle. And you will put the altar of the burnt offering before the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of assembly. And you will put the basin between the tent of assembly and the altar, and you will put water in it. And you will set up the courtyard all around, and you will put up the screen of the gate of the courtyard.
“And you will take the anointing oil, and you will anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and you will consecrate all of its equipment, and it will be holy. And you will anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all of its equipment, and you will consecrate the altar, and the altar will be a most holy thing. And you will anoint the basin and its stand, and you will consecrate it. And you will bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of assembly, and you will wash them with the water. And you will clothe Aaron with the holy garments, and you will anoint him, and you will consecrate him, and he will serve as a priest for me. And you will bring his sons, and you will clothe them with tunics. And you will anoint them as you anointed their father, and they will serve as priests for me. And their anointing will be for them to be a lasting priesthood throughout their generations.” And Moses did according to all that Yahweh had commanded him; so he did.
In the first month of the second year, on the first of the month, the tabernacle was set up. And Moses raised the tabernacle, and he placed its bases, and he set up its frames, and he placed its bars, and he raised its pillars. And he spread the tent over the tabernacle; he placed the covering of the tent over it, above it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And he took and he put the testimony into the ark, and he placed the poles on the ark, and he put the atonement cover on the ark, above it. And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and he set up the curtain of the screening, and he shielded the ark of the testimony, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
And he put the table in the tent of assembly on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain. And he arranged on it an arrangement of bread before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And he placed the lampstand in the tent of assembly opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle. And he set up the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And he placed the gold altar in the tent of assembly before the curtain. And he turned fragrant incense into smoke on it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
And he set up the entrance screen for the tabernacle. And the altar of burnt offering he placed at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of assembly, and he offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. And he placed the basin between the tent of assembly and the altar, and he put there water for washing. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet from it. At their going into the tent of assembly and at their approaching the altar, they washed, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
And he set up the courtyard all around the tabernacle and the altar, and he put up the screen of the gate of the courtyard, and Moses completed the work. And the cloud covered the tent of assembly, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. And Moses was unable to go into the tent of assembly because the cloud settled on it and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was lifted from the tabernacle, the Israelites set out on all their journeys. But if the cloud was not lifted, they did not set out until the day of its being lifted. For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night before the eyes of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
Then Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of assembly, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘When a person from you presents an offering to Yahweh, you shall present your offering from domestic animals, from the cattle or from the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the cattle, then he must present an unblemished male; he must present it at the door of the tent of assembly for his acceptance before Yahweh.
“ ‘He must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted for him in order to make atonement for him. He must slaughter the young bull before Yahweh, then Aaron’s sons, the priests, will present the blood and sprinkle the blood all around the altar that is at the door of the tent of assembly. Then he must remove the skin of the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest will put fire on the altar and arrange the wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, will arrange the pieces of meat, the head, and the suet on the wood that is on the fire that is on the altar. Then he must wash its inner parts and its lower leg bones with water, and the priest will turn into smoke the whole animal on the altar as a burnt offering by fire, as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.
“ ‘But if his offering is from the flock, from the sheep or from the goats for a burnt offering, he must present an unblemished male. He must slaughter it on the north side of the altar before Yahweh; then Aaron’s sons, the priests, will sprinkle its blood all around the altar. Then he must cut it into pieces along with its head and its suet; and the priest will arrange them on the wood that is on the fire that is on the altar. Then he must wash the inner parts and the lower leg bones with water and the priest shall present the whole animal and will turn it into smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering by fire as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.
“ ‘But if his offering for Yahweh is a burnt offering from the birds, then he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from the young doves. The priest will present it at the altar and must wring off its head and turn it into smoke on the altar, and its blood will be drained out on the wall of the altar. He must remove its crop with its plumage and throw it to the east beside the altar on the place of the fatty ashes. Then he must tear it apart by its wings but must not sever it; then the priest will turn it into smoke on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering by fire as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.’ ”
“ ‘When a person brings a grain offering to Yahweh, his offering must be finely milled flour, and he must pour out oil on it and place frankincense on it. And he shall bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and he shall take his handful from its finely milled flour and from its oil in addition to all its frankincense. The priest shall turn its token portion into smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire, as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons—it is a most holy thing from the offerings made by fire for Yahweh.
“ ‘But if you bring a grain offering of something oven-baked, it must be of finely milled flour as ring-shaped unleavened bread mixed with oil or wafers of unleavened bread smeared with oil. If your offering is a grain offering baked on a flat baking pan, it must be finely milled flour, unleavened bread mixed with oil; break it into pieces and pour out oil on it; it is a grain offering.
“ ‘If your offering is a grain offering prepared in a cooking pan, it must be with finely milled flour in oil. And you shall bring the grain offering that is made from these things to Yahweh, and the offerer shall bring it to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar. And the priest shall take away from the grain offering its token portion, and he shall turn it into smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire, as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. And the remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons—it is a most holy thing from the offerings made by fire for Yahweh.
“ ‘Every grain offering you bring to Yahweh must not be made of yeasted food, because you must not turn into smoke any yeast or any honey from an offering made by fire for Yahweh. As an offering of the choicest portion, you may bring them to Yahweh, but they must not be offered on the altar as an appeasing fragrance. Also all of your grain offerings you must season with salt; you must not omit the salt of your God’s covenant from your offering. With all your offerings you shall present salt.
“ ‘And if you bring to Yahweh a grain offering of firstfruits, you must bring an ear of new grain roasted by fire, coarsely crushed ripe grain, as the grain offering of your firstfruits. And you shall put oil on it and place frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. The priest shall turn into smoke its token portion from its coarsely crushed grain and from its oil together with all of its frankincense—it is an offering made by fire for Yahweh.’ ”
“ ‘Now if his offering is a sacrifice of fellowship offering, if he brings it from the cattle, whether male or female, he must bring it without defect before Yahweh. He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the tent of assembly, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood on the altar all around. He shall present from the sacrifice of the fellowship offering an offering made by fire for Yahweh consisting of the fat covering the inner parts and all the fat that is on the inner parts, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and he must remove the lobe on the liver in addition to the kidneys. Aaron’s sons shall turn it to smoke on the altar in addition to the burnt offering that is on the wood, which is on the fire; it is an offering made by fire as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.
“ ‘But if his offering for a sacrifice of fellowship offering for Yahweh is from the flock, he must bring a male or a female without defect. If he brings a sheep as his offering, then he shall present it before Yahweh, and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and he shall slaughter it before the tent of assembly, and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on the altar all around. He shall present from the sacrifice of the fellowship offering an offering made by fire for Yahweh: he must remove its fat, the entire fat tail near the tailbone, and the fat covering the inner parts and all the fat that is on the inner parts, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and he must remove the lobe on the liver in addition to the kidneys. The priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar as a food offering made by fire for Yahweh.
“ ‘And if his offering is a goat, then he shall bring it before Yahweh, and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and he shall slaughter it before the tent of assembly, and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on the altar all around. He shall present his offering from it as an offering made by fire for Yahweh: the fat covering the inner parts and all the fat that is on the inner parts, the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and he must remove the lobe on the liver in addition to the kidneys. The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar as a food offering; all the fat is an offering made by fire as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. This is a lasting statute for your generations in all your dwellings: you must not eat any fat or any blood.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘If a person sins by an unintentional wrong from any of Yahweh’s commands that should not be violated, and he violates any of them— if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then, concerning the sin that he has committed, he shall bring a young bull without defect for Yahweh as a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the tent of assembly’s entrance before Yahweh, place his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter the bull before Yahweh. The anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and shall bring it to the tent of assembly, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and shall spatter some of the blood seven times before Yahweh in front of the sanctuary’s curtain. The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before Yahweh, which is in the tent of assembly, and all the rest of the bull’s blood he must pour out on the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the entrance of the tent of assembly.
“ ‘He must remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the inner parts and all of the fat that is on the inner parts, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is at the loins, and the liver’s lobe that he must remove in addition to the kidneys— just as it is removed from the ox of the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice—and the priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar of the burnt offering. But the bull’s skin and its meat, in addition to its head, its lower leg bones, its inner parts, and its offal— he shall carry all of the bull outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place, to the fatty ashes’ dump, and he shall burn it on wood in the fire; it must be burned up on the fatty ashes’ dump.
“ ‘If Israel’s whole assembly did wrong unintentionally and the matter was concealed from the assembly’s eyes, and they acted against any of Yahweh’s commands that should not be violated, so that they incur guilt, when the sin that they have committed against that command becomes known, the assembly shall present a young bull as a sin offering, and they shall bring it before the tent of assembly. And the elders of the community shall place their hands on the bull’s head before Yahweh, and he shall slaughter the bull before Yahweh. Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the tent of assembly, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and shall spatter it seven times before Yahweh in front of the curtain. He must put some of the blood on the altar’s horns before Yahweh in the tent of assembly, and all the rest of the blood he must pour out on the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the tent of assembly’s entrance. He must remove all its fat from it, and he shall turn it into smoke on the altar. He shall do to the bull just as he did to the sin offering’s bull, so he must do to it. The priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. He shall bring the rest of the bull outside the camp, and he shall burn it just as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.
“ ‘When a leader sins and commits an unintentional wrong against any of the commands of Yahweh his God that should not be violated, so that he incurs guilt, or his sin he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring a male goat without defect as his offering. He shall place his hand on the he-goat’s head and slaughter it in the place where he slaughtered the burnt offering before Yahweh; it is a sin offering. The priest shall take some of the sin offering’s blood with his finger, and he shall put it on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out the rest of its blood on the base of the altar of the burnt offering. He must turn all of its fat into smoke on the altar like the fat of the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice, and the priest shall make atonement for him because of his sin, and he will be forgiven.
“ ‘If anyone of the people of the land sins by an unintentional wrong by violating one of Yahweh’s commands that should not be violated, so that he incurs guilt, or his sin he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a female goat without defect as his offering for his sin that he committed. He shall place his hand on the sin offering’s head and slaughter the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering. The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and he shall put it on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its blood on the altar’s base. He must remove all of its fat just as the fat was removed from the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice, and the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. The priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
“ ‘But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he must bring a female without defect. He shall place his hand on the sin offering’s head, and he shall slaughter it as a sin offering in the place where he slaughtered the burnt offering. The priest shall take some of the sin offering’s blood with his finger, and he shall put it on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its blood on the altar’s base. He must remove all of its fat just as the lamb’s fat from the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice was removed, and the priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar upon Yahweh’s offerings made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him because of his sin that he committed, and he will be forgiven.’ ”
“ ‘When a person sins in that he hears the utterance of a curse and he is a witness or he sees or he knows, if he does not make it known, then he shall bear his guilt. Or if a person touches anything unclean, whether an unclean wild animal’s dead body or an unclean domestic animal’s dead body or an unclean swarmer’s dead body, but he is unaware of it, he is unclean and he is guilty. Or when he touches human uncleanness, namely any uncleanness of his by which he might become unclean, but he is unaware of it, and he himself finds out, then he will be guilty. Or when a person swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips, to do evil or to do good with regard to anything that the person in a sworn oath speaks thoughtlessly, but he is unaware of it, and he finds out, he will be guilty in any of these. When he becomes guilty in any of these, he shall confess what he has sinned regarding it, and he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for his sin that he has committed: a female from the flock, a ewe-lamb or a she-goat, as a sin offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.
“ ‘If he cannot afford a sheep, he shall bring as his guilt offering for what he sinned two turtledoves or two young doves for Yahweh, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. He shall bring them to the priest, and he shall present that which is for the sin offering first, and the priest shall wring its head off at the back of its neck, but he must not sever it, and he shall spatter some of the sin offering’s blood on the altar’s side, and the leftover blood must be drained out on the altar’s base; it is a sin offering. The second bird he must prepare as a burnt offering according to the regulation, and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.
“ ‘But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young doves, then, because he has sinned, he shall bring as his offering a tenth of an ephah of finely milled flour as a sin offering. He must not put oil on it, nor should he put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take a handful of it for its token portion, and he shall turn it to smoke on the altar in addition to the offerings made by fire to Yahweh; it is a sin offering. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him because of the sin that he has committed in any of these, and he shall be forgiven. It shall be for the priest, like the grain offering.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “When a person displays infidelity and he sins in an unintentional wrong in any of Yahweh’s holy things, then he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh: a ram without defect from the flock as a guilt offering by your valuation in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel. And he shall make restitution for what he sinned because of a holy thing and shall add one-fifth of its value onto it and shall give it to the priest. The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.
“If a person when he sins violates one from all of Yahweh’s commands that should not be violated, but he did not know, then he is guilty and he shall bear his guilt. He shall bring to the priest a ram without defect from the flock as a guilt offering by your valuation, and the priest shall make atonement for him because of his unintentional wrong (although he himself did not know), and he will be forgiven. It is a guilt offering; he certainly was guilty before Yahweh.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “When a person displays infidelity against Yahweh and he deceives his fellow citizen regarding something entrusted or a pledge or stealing or he exploits his fellow citizen, or he finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely in regard to any one of these things by which a person might commit sin, and when he sins and is guilty, then he shall bring back the things he had stolen or what he had extorted or something with which he had been entrusted or the lost property that he had found, or regarding anything about which he has sworn falsely, then he shall repay it according to its value and shall add one-fifth of its value to it—he must give it to whom it belongs on the day of his guilt offering. And he must bring as his guilt offering to Yahweh a ram without defect from the flock by your valuation as a guilt offering to the priest, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh, and he shall be forgiven anything from all that he might do by which he might incur guilt.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the regulation of the burnt offering: The burnt offering must remain on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the altar’s fire must be kept burning on it. And the priest shall put on his linen robe, and he must put his linen undergarments on his body, and he shall take away the fatty ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall place them beside the altar. And he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and he shall bring out the fatty ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place, but the fire on the altar must be kept burning on it; it must not be quenched. And the priest must burn wood every morning on it, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it, and he shall turn into smoke the fat portions of the fellowship offerings on it. A perpetual fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not be quenched.
“ ‘And this is the regulation of the grain offering. Aaron’s sons shall present it before Yahweh in front of the altar, and he in his fist shall take away from it some of the grain offering’s finely milled flour, and some of its oil and all of the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and he shall turn into smoke its token portion on the altar as an appeasing fragrance to Yahweh. And Aaron and his sons must eat the remainder of it; they must eat it as unleavened bread in a holy place—in the tent of assembly’s courtyard they must eat it. It must not be baked with yeast. I have given it as their share from my offerings made by fire. It is a most holy thing, like the sin offering and like the guilt offering. Every male among Aaron’s sons may eat it as a lasting rule among your generations from the offerings made by fire belonging to Yahweh. Anything that touches them will become holy.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “This is the offering of Aaron and his sons that they shall present to Yahweh on the day of his being anointed: a tenth of an ephah of finely milled flour as a perpetual grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. It must be made in oil on a flat baking pan; you must bring it well-mixed; you must present pieces of a grain offering’s baked goods as an appeasing fragrance to Yahweh. And the anointed priest taking his place from among his sons must do it. As a lasting rule, it must be turned into smoke totally for Yahweh. And every grain offering of a priest must be a whole burnt offering; it must not be eaten.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the regulation of the sin offering: In the place where the sin offering is slaughtered, the sin offering must be slaughtered before Yahweh; it is a most holy thing. The priest who offers the sin offering must eat it in a holy place—in the tent of assembly’s courtyard. Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and when some of its blood spatters on a garment, what was spattered on it you shall wash in a holy place. And a clay vessel in which it was boiled must be broken, but if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then it shall be thoroughly scoured and rinsed with water. Any male among the priests may eat it; it is a most holy thing. But any sin offering from which some of its blood is brought to the tent of assembly to make atonement in the sanctuary must not be eaten; it must be burned in the fire.’ ”
“ ‘And this is the regulation of the guilt offering; it is a most holy thing. In the place where they slaughter the burnt offering, they must slaughter the guilt offering, and he must sprinkle its blood upon the altar all around. And he must present all of its fat: the fat tail and the fat that covers the inner parts, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and he must remove the lobe on the liver in addition to the kidneys. And the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar as a food offering made by fire for Yahweh; it is a guilt offering. Every male among the priests may eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place; it is a most holy thing. The instruction is the same for the guilt offering as for the sin offering; it belongs to the priest, who makes atonement with it.
“ ‘And the priest who presents a person’s burnt offering, to that priest belongs the skin of the burnt offering that he presented. And every grain offering that is baked in the oven and all that is prepared in a cooking pan or on a flat baking pan belongs to the priest who presented it. And every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, shall be for all of Aaron’s sons equally.
“ ‘And this is the regulation of the fellowship offerings that he must present to Yahweh: If he presents it for thanksgiving, in addition to the thanksgiving sacrifice he shall present ring-shaped unleavened bread mixed with oil and unleavened bread wafers smeared with oil and well-mixed ring-shaped bread cakes of finely milled flour mixed with oil. In addition to ring-shaped cakes of bread with yeast, he must present his grain offering together with his sacrifice of thanksgiving peace offerings. And he shall present one of each kind of grain offering as a contribution for Yahweh; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the fellowship offerings’ blood. And the meat of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving fellowship offerings must be eaten on the day of his offering; he must not leave it until morning.
“ ‘But if his sacrifice is for a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be eaten on the day of his presenting his sacrifice, and on the next day the remainder from it may be eaten, but the remainder from the sacrifice’s meat must be burned up in the fire on the third day. And if indeed some of the meat of his fellowship offerings’ sacrifice is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted; it will not be considered of benefit for the one who presented it—it shall be unclean meat, and the person who eats it shall bear his guilt. And the meat that touches anything unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned with fire, and as for the clean meat, anyone who is clean may eat the meat. And the person who eats meat from the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice, which is for Yahweh, and whose uncleanness is upon him—that person shall be cut off from his people. And when a person touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean detestable thing, and he eats from the meat of the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice, which is for Yahweh, then that person shall be cut off from his people.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘You must not eat any fat of ox, or sheep, or goat; and a dead body’s fat or mangled carcass’s fat may be used for any purpose, but you certainly must not eat it. When anyone eats fat from the domestic animal from which he presented an offering made by fire for Yahweh, then that person who ate shall be cut off from his people. And in any of your dwellings, you must not eat any blood belonging to birds or domestic animals. Any person who eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘The one who presents his fellowship offerings’ sacrifice for Yahweh shall bring his offering to Yahweh from his fellowship offerings’ sacrifice. His own hands must bring Yahweh’s offerings made by fire. He must bring the fat in addition to the breast section to wave the breast section as a wave offering before Yahweh, and the priest shall turn the fat into smoke on the altar, and the breast section shall be for Aaron and his sons. And the right upper thigh you must give as a contribution for the priest from your fellowship offerings’ sacrifice. As for the one from Aaron’s sons who presents the blood of the fellowship offerings and the fat, the right upper thigh shall belong to him as his share, because I have taken the wave offering’s breast section and the contribution offering’s upper thigh from the Israelites out of their fellowship offerings’ sacrifices, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons from the Israelites as a lasting rule.’ ”
This is Aaron’s allotted portion and his sons’ allotted portion from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire when he brought them forward to serve as priests for Yahweh. This is what Yahweh commanded to give them from the Israelites on the day of his anointing them; it is a lasting statute for their generations.
This is the regulation for the burnt offering, for the grain offering and for the sin offering and for the guilt offering and for the consecration offering and for the fellowship offerings’ sacrifice, which Yahweh commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day of his commanding the Israelites to present their offerings to Yahweh in the desert of Sinai.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of the unleavened bread, and summon all of the community to the entrance to the tent of assembly.” So Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him, and the community gathered by the entrance to the tent of assembly.
Then Moses said to the community, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded to be done.”
So Moses brought Aaron and his sons near, and he washed them with water. Then he put the tunic on him and tied the sash around him; then he clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him; then he tied the ephod’s waistband around him and fastened the ephod to him with it. Then he placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and the Thummim into the breastpiece; and he placed the turban on his head, and on the front of the turban he placed the gold rosette, the holy diadem, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and he consecrated them. And he spattered part of it on the altar seven times—thus he anointed the altar and all of its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them. Then he poured out part of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head—thus he anointed him in order to consecrate him. Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons near and clothed them with tunics and tied a sash around each one, and he bound headbands on them, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Then he brought forth the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering, and he slaughtered it, and Moses took the blood and put it with his finger on the altar’s horns all around and purified the altar; then he poured the blood out on the altar’s base—thus he consecrated it in order to make atonement for it. Then he took all the fat that was on the inner parts and the lobe on the liver and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses turned them into smoke on the altar, but he burned the bull and its skin and its meat and its offal in the fire outside the camp, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Then he brought the ram of the burnt offering near, and Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the ram’s head, and he slaughtered it. Then Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar all around. Then he cut the ram into pieces, and Moses turned into smoke the head and the pieces and the suet, but he washed the inner parts and the lower leg bones with water, and Moses turned into smoke all of the ram on the altar; it was a burnt offering as an appeasing fragrance, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Then he brought the second ram near, the ram of the consecration, and Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the ram’s head, and he slaughtered it. Then Moses took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right ear lobe and on his right hand’s thumb and on his right foot’s big toe. Then he brought Aaron’s sons near, and Moses put some of the blood on their right ear lobe and on their right hand’s thumb and on their right foot’s big toe, and Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar all around.
Then he took the fat and the fat tail and all of the fat that was on the inner parts and the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and their fat and the right upper thigh; and from the basket of the unleavened bread that was before Yahweh he took one ring-shaped unleavened bread and one ring-shaped bread with oil and one wafer, and he placed them on the fat parts and on the right upper thigh. Then he put all of these on Aaron’s palms and on his sons’ palms, and he waved them as a wave offering before Yahweh. Then Moses took them from upon their palms, and he turned them into smoke upon the burnt offering on the altar; they were a consecration offering as an appeasing fragrance—it was an offering made by fire for Yahweh. Then Moses took the breast section, and he waved it as a wave offering before Yahweh from the ram of the consecration offering; it was Moses’ share, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, and he spattered them on Aaron, on his garments, and on Aaron’s sons and on his sons’ garments with him—thus he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.
Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat in the entrance to the tent of assembly, and there you must eat it and the bread that is in the basket of the consecration offering, just as I have commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons must eat it,’ but the remainder of the meat and the bread you must burn in the fire. And you must not go out from the entrance to the tent of assembly for seven days, until the day of fulfilling the days of your consecration, because it will take seven days to ordain you. Just as was done on this day, Yahweh commanded to be done in order to make atonement for you. And you must stay at the entrance to the tent of assembly day and night for seven days, and you shall keep the obligation from Yahweh, so you might not die, for thus I have been commanded.” So Aaron and his sons did all the things that Yahweh had commanded through Moses.
Then on the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and Israel’s elders, and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without defect, and present them before Yahweh. Then you must speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Take a he-goat as a sin offering and a bull calf and a male sheep, yearlings without defect, as a burnt offering, and an ox and a ram as fellowship offerings to sacrifice before Yahweh, and a grain offering mixed with oil, because today Yahweh will appear to you.” So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of assembly, and the whole community presented themselves, and they stood before Yahweh.
Then Moses said, “This is the word that Yahweh commanded you to do so that the glory of Yahweh might appear to you.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. And sacrifice the people’s offering and make atonement for them, just as Yahweh has commanded.”
Then Aaron approached the altar, and he slaughtered the bull calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood, and he put it on the altar’s horns, and he poured out the blood on the altar’s base. And the fat and the kidneys and the lobe from the sin offering’s liver he turned into smoke on the altar, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses, but the meat and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.
Then he slaughtered the burnt offering, and Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar all around; and they brought the burnt offering to him by its pieces, as well as the head, and he turned them into smoke on the altar; and he washed the inner parts and the lower leg bones, then he turned them into smoke upon the burnt offering on the altar.
Then he presented the people’s offering, and he took the goat of the sin offering, which was for the people, and he slaughtered it and offered it as a sin offering like the first one. Then he presented the burnt offering, and he sacrificed it according to the regulation. Then he presented the grain offering, and he filled his palm with some of it, and he turned it into smoke on the altar besides the morning’s burnt offering. Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the fellowship offerings that are for the people, and Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar all around. And as for the fat portions from the ox and from the ram (the fat tail and the layer of fat and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver), they placed the fat portions on the breast sections, and he turned the fat portions into smoke on the altar. Then Aaron waved the breast sections and the right upper thigh as a wave offering before Yahweh, just as Moses had commanded.
Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, and he blessed them, and he came down after sacrificing the sin offering and the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings. Then Moses and Aaron entered the tent of assembly. When they came out, they blessed the people, and Yahweh’s glory appeared to all the people. Then a fire went out from before Yahweh, and it consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And all the people saw it, so they shouted for joy, and they fell on their faces.
And Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his censer, and they put fire in them and placed incense on it; then they presented before Yahweh illegitimate fire, which he had not commanded them. So fire went out from before Yahweh, and it consumed them so that they died before Yahweh. Therefore Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh spoke, saying, ‘Among those who are close to me I will show myself holy, and in the presence of all the people I will display my glory.’ ” So Aaron was silent.
Then Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan the sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and he said to them, “Come forward. Carry your brothers from the front of the sanctuary to outside the camp.” So they came forward, and they carried them outside the camp in their tunics, just as Moses had ordered.
Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “You must not let your hair hang loosely, and you must not tear your garments, so that you will not die and he will be angry with all the community. But your brothers, all the house of Israel, may weep because of the burning that Yahweh caused, but you must not go out from the entrance to the tent of assembly lest you die, because Yahweh’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did according to Moses’ word.
Then Yahweh spoke to Aaron, saying, “You and your sons with you may not drink wine or strong drink when you come to the tent of assembly, so that you will not die—it is a lasting statute for your generations— and to distinguish between the holy and the unholy, as well as between the unclean and the clean, and to teach the Israelites all the rules that Yahweh has spoken to them through Moses.”
Then Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “As for the remaining parts, take the remainder of the grain offering from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire and eat it, the unleavened bread, beside the altar, because it is a most holy thing. And you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your allotted portion and the allotted portion of your sons from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire, for so I have been commanded. And the wave offering’s breast section and the upper thigh of the contribution offering you must eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, because they are given as your allotted portion and your sons’ allotted portion from the sacrifices of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings. They must bring the thigh of the contribution offering and the breast section of the wave offering in addition to the offerings made by fire, consisting of the fat portions, to wave as a wave offering before Yahweh; and it will be for you and for your sons with you as a lasting rule, just as Yahweh had commanded.”
Then Moses sought all over for the goat of the sin offering and behold, it was burned up. So he was angry with Aaron’s remaining sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying, “Why did you not eat the sin offering on the sanctuary’s site, because it is a most holy thing? And he gave it to you to remove the community’s guilt, to make atonement for them before Yahweh. Look, its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary. Certainly you should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.”
So Aaron said to Moses, “Look, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before Yahweh, and things such as these have happened to me, and if I were to eat a sin offering today, would it have been good in Yahweh’s eyes?” When Moses heard, it was good in his eyes.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘These are the animals that you may eat from all the animals that are on the land: Any among the animals that has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in the hoof and that chews cud, such you may eat. However, these you may not eat from those that chew the cud and from those that have a divided hoof: the camel, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; and the coney, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; and the hare, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; and the pig, because it has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in the hoof but it does not chew cud—it is unclean for you. You must not eat from their meat, and you must not touch their dead body—they are unclean for you.
“ ‘These you may eat from all that are in the water: any in the water that has a fin and scales, whether in the seas or in the streams—such you may eat. But any that does not have a fin and scales, whether in the seas or in the streams, among all the water’s swarmers among all the living creatures that are in the water—they are a detestable thing to you. And they shall be detestable to you; you must not eat from their meat, and you must detest their dead body. Any that does not have a fin and scales in the water—it is a detestable thing to you.
“ ‘And these you must detest from the birds; they must not be eaten—they are detestable: the eagle and the vulture and the short-toed eagle, and the red kite and the black kite according to its kind, every crow according to its kind, and the ostrich and the short-eared owl and the seagull and the hawk according to its kind, and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, and the barn owl and the desert owl and the carrion vulture, and the stork, the heron according to its kind and the hoopoe and the bat.
“ ‘Any winged insect that walks on all fours is detestable to you. Only this may you eat from any of the winged insects that walk on all fours—that which has jointed legs above its feet for leaping upon the land. From these you may eat the locust according to its kind and the bald locust according to its kind and the cricket according to its kind and the grasshopper according to its kind. But any other winged insect that has four legs is detestable to you. And by these you shall become unclean—anyone who touches their dead body shall become unclean until the evening, and anyone who carries their dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening.
“ ‘With regard to any animal that has a divided hoof but does not split the hoof, or does not have a cud for chewing—they are unclean for you; anyone who touches them shall become unclean. And anything that walks upon its paws among any of the animals that walks on all fours—they are unclean for you; anyone who touches their dead body shall become unclean until the evening, and the one who carries their dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening—they are unclean for you.
“ ‘And these are the unclean for you among the swarmers that swarm on the land: the weasel and the mouse and the thorn-tailed lizard according to its kind, and the gecko and the land crocodile and the lizard and the sand lizard and the chameleon. These are the unclean for you among all the swarmers; anyone who touches them at their death shall become unclean until the evening. And anything on which one of them falls at their death shall become unclean: any object of wood or garment or skin or sackcloth—any object that has performed work—must be placed in water, and it shall be unclean until the evening, and then it shall be clean. And any clay vessel into which one of them falls, all that is in it shall become unclean, and you must break it. Any of the food that could be eaten on which water from such a vessel comes shall become unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk in any such vessel shall become unclean. And anything on which one of their dead bodies falls shall become unclean: an oven or a stove must be broken—they are unclean and shall be unclean for you. Surely a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, but that which touches their dead body shall become unclean. And when one of their dead bodies falls on any seed for sowing, it is clean. But when water is put on the seed and one of their dead bodies falls on it, it is unclean for you.
“ ‘And when one of the animals dies that is for you to eat, the one who touches its dead body shall become unclean until the evening. And the one who eats some of its dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening; and the one who carries its dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening.
“ ‘And any swarmer that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten. You must not eat anything that moves upon its belly or that walks on all fours, even any with numerous feet belonging to any swarmer that swarms on the land, because they are detestable. You must not defile yourselves with any swarmer that swarms, and you must not make yourselves unclean by them and so be made unclean by them, because I am Yahweh your God, and you must keep yourselves sanctified, so that you shall be holy, because I am holy. And you must not make yourselves unclean with any swarmer that moves along on the land, because I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be for you as God. Thus you shall be holy, because I am holy.
“ ‘This is the regulation of the animals and the birds and all living creatures that move along in the water and concerning all the creatures that swarm on the land, to distinguish between the unclean and the clean and between the animal that is to be eaten and the animal that must not be eaten.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘When a woman becomes pregnant and she gives birth to a male, then she shall be unclean seven days—as in the time of her menstrual bleeding, she shall become unclean. And on the eighth day his foreskin’s flesh shall be circumcised. And for thirty-three days she shall stay in the blood of her cleansing; she must not touch any holy object, and she may not come to the sanctuary until the fulfilling of the days of her cleansing. But if she gives birth to a female, then she shall be unclean for two weeks as in her menstruation, and for sixty-six days she shall stay through the blood of her cleansing. And at the fulfilling of the days of her cleansing, whether for a son or for a daughter, she must bring to the priest at the tent of assembly’s entrance a yearling male lamb as a burnt offering and young dove or a turtledove as a sin offering. And the priest shall present it before Yahweh, and he shall make atonement for her, so that she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the regulation of childbearing for the male or for the female. And if she cannot afford a sheep, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young doves—one as a burnt offering and one as a sin offering—and the priest shall make atonement for her, so that she shall be clean.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “When a person has on his body’s skin a swelling or an epidermal eruption or a spot and it becomes an infectious skin disease on his body’s skin, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. And the priest shall examine the infection on his body’s skin, and if the hair in the infection turns white and the appearance of the infection is deeper than his body’s skin, it is an infectious skin disease, and the priest shall examine it, and he shall declare him unclean. But if a spot is white on his body’s skin and its appearance is not deeper than the skin and its hair does not turn white, then the priest shall confine the afflicted person for seven days. And the priest shall examine it on the seventh day, and if, in his eyes, the infection has stayed unchanged, the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall confine him for seven days a second time. And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day for a second time, and if the infection has faded and the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall declare him clean—it is an epidermal eruption; and he shall wash his garments, and so he shall be clean. But if the epidermal eruption spreads further on the skin after showing himself to the priest for his cleansing, then he shall appear a second time to the priest. And the priest shall examine it, and if the epidermal eruption has spread on the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean—it is an infectious skin disease.
“When an infectious skin disease is on a person and he is brought to the priest, the priest shall examine it, and if a white swelling is on the skin and it turns the hair white and raw flesh is in the swelling, it is a chronic infectious skin disease on his body’s skin, and the priest shall declare him unclean; he shall not confine him, because he is unclean. And if the infectious skin disease breaks out all over on the skin and the infectious skin disease covers all of the afflicted person’s skin from his head to his feet, so far as the priest can see, then the priest shall examine it, and if the infectious skin disease covers his whole body, then he shall pronounce the afflicted person clean—all of it has turned white; he is clean. But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he shall become unclean. And the priest shall examine the raw flesh, and he shall pronounce him unclean—the raw flesh is unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. Or, when the raw flesh returns and it has changed to white, then he shall come to the priest, and the priest shall examine him, and if the infection has changed to white, then the priest shall pronounce the afflicted person clean—he is clean.
“And when someone’s body has a skin sore on his skin and it is healed and a white swelling or a pinkish spot appears in the skin sore’s place, then he shall show himself to the priest. And the priest shall examine it, and if its appearance is deeper than the skin and its hair has changed to white, then the priest shall declare him unclean—it is an infectious skin disease; it has broken out in the skin sore. And if the priest examines it and if there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin and it is faded, then the priest shall confine him for seven days. But if it has spread further on the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean—it is an infection. But if the spot has stayed unchanged, it has not spread, it is the skin sore’s scar, so the priest shall declare him clean.
“Or when a body has a burn-spot from fire on its skin and the raw flesh of the burn-spot is pinkish or white, then the priest shall examine it, and if the hair turns white in the spot and its appearance is deeper than the skin, it is an infectious skin disease—it has broken out in the burn-spot; so the priest shall declare him unclean—it is an infectious skin disease. But if the priest examines it and if there is not white hair in the spot and it is not deeper than the skin and it is faded, then the priest shall confine him for seven days. And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; if it has spread further on the skin, then the priest shall declare him unclean—it is an infectious skin disease. But if it the spot has stayed unchanged in its place, it has not spread on the skin and it is faded, then it is the burn-spot’s swelling, so the priest shall declare him clean, because it is the burn-spot’s scar.
“And when a man or a woman has an infection on the head or in the beard, then the priest shall examine the infection, and if its appearance is deeper than the skin and in it is thin bright red hair, then the priest shall declare it unclean—it is a diseased area of skin; it is an infectious skin disease of the head or the beard. But if the priest examines the diseased area of the skin’s infection and if its appearance is not deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall confine the afflicted person with the diseased area of skin for seven days. And the priest shall examine the infection on the seventh day, and if the diseased area of skin has not spread and it does not have bright red hair in it and the diseased area of the skin’s appearance is not deeper than the skin, then he shall shave himself, but he shall not shave the diseased area of skin, and the priest shall confine the person with the diseased area of skin a second time for seven days. And the priest shall examine the diseased area of skin on the seventh day, and if the diseased area has not spread on the skin and its appearance is not deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean, and he shall wash his garments, and he shall be clean. But if the diseased area of skin has not spread further on the skin after his cleansing, then the priest shall examine him, and if the diseased area of skin has spread on the skin, the priest shall not inspect for bright red hair—he is unclean. But if, in his eyes, the diseased area of skin has stayed unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the diseased area of skin is healed—he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
“And when a man or a woman has spots on their body’s skin, white spots, then the priest shall examine them, and if the spots on their body’s skin are a faded white, it is a skin rash; it has broken out on the skin—it is clean.
“And if a man becomes bald, his head is bald, he is clean. And if he becomes bald from his forehead, his head is bald, he is clean. But if a pinkish infection occurs on the bald spot or on the bald forehead, it is an infectious skin disease that sprouts on his bald spot or on his bald forehead. So the priest shall examine him, and if the infection’s swelling is pinkish on his bald spot or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of an infectious skin disease on the body, he is a man afflicted with a skin disease—he is unclean; the priest certainly shall declare him unclean—his infection is on his head.
“As for the person who is afflicted with a skin disease, his garments must be torn and his hair must be allowed to hang loosely, and he must cover his upper lip, and he must call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ For all the days during which the infection is on him, he shall be unclean; he must live alone; his dwelling must be outside the camp.”
“And when the garment has an infectious skin disease on it, on a wool garment or on a linen garment, or on woven material or on a linen fabric, or on wool or on leather or on any work of leather, and if the infection is yellowish green or reddish on the garment or on the leather or on the woven material or on the fabric or on any leather object, it is an infectious skin disease and it shall be shown to the priest. And the priest shall examine the infection, and he shall confine the infected article for seven days. And he shall examine the infection on the seventh day; if the infection has spread on the garment or on the woven material or on the fabric or on the leather, for any work for which the leather is used, the infection is a destructive skin disease—it is unclean. And he shall burn the garment or the woven material or the fabric, whether wool or linen, or any leather object that has the infection, because it is an infectious skin disease, which is destructive—it must be burned in the fire.
“But if the priest examines it and if the infection has not spread on the garment or on the woven material or on the fabric or on any leather object, then the priest shall command, and someone shall wash that on which the infection is, and he shall confine it a second time for seven days. And the priest shall examine it after the infection has been washed off, and if the infection has not changed its outward appearance and the infection has not spread, it is unclean; he must burn it in the fire; it is a fungus on its back or on its front. But if the priest examines it and if the infection is faded after it has been washed off, then he shall tear it from the garment or from the leather or from the woven material or from the fabric. And if it appears again on the garment or on the woven material or on the fabric or on any leather object, it is spreading; you must burn in the fire that which has the infection in it. And the garment or the woven material or the fabric or any leather object that he might wash and the infection is removed from them then shall be washed a second time, and it shall be clean.”
This is the regulation of the infectious skin disease in the wool garment or the linen or the woven material or the fabric or any leather object to declare it clean or to declare it unclean.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “This is the regulation of the person afflicted with a skin disease at the time of his cleansing. And he shall be brought to the priest, and the priest shall go outside the camp, and the priest shall examine him, and if the skin disease’s infection is healed on the afflicted person, then the priest shall command, and he shall take two living, clean birds and cedar wood and a crimson thread and hyssop for the one who presents himself for cleansing. Then the priest shall command someone to slaughter one bird over fresh water in a clay vessel. He must take the living bird and the cedar wood and the crimson thread and the hyssop, and he shall dip them and the living bird in the bird’s blood slaughtered over the fresh water. And he shall spatter the blood seven times on the one who presents himself for cleansing from the infectious skin disease, and he shall declare him clean, and he shall send the living bird into the open field. Then the one who presents himself for cleansing shall wash his garments, and he shall shave off all his hair, and he shall wash himself in the water; thus he shall be clean, and afterward he shall enter the camp, but he shall stay outside his tent for seven days. And then on the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—he must shave his head and his beard and his eyebrows and all the rest of his hair—and he shall wash his garments, and he shall wash his body in the water; thus he shall be clean.
“And on the eighth day he must take two male lambs without defect and one ewe-lamb in its first year without defect and three-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering and one log of oil. And the priest who cleanses him shall present the man who presents himself for cleansing and these things before Yahweh at the entrance of the tent of assembly. Then the priest shall take the one male lamb, and he shall present it as a guilt offering, and the log of oil, and he shall wave them as a wave offering before Yahweh. And he shall slaughter the male lamb in the place where he slaughters the sin offering and the burnt offering in the sanctuary’s space, because as the sin offering belongs to the priest, so also the guilt offering—it is a most holy thing. And the priest shall take some of the guilt offering’s blood, and the priest shall put it on the right ear’s lobe of the one who presents himself for cleansing and on his right hand’s thumb and on his right foot’s big toe. And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and he shall pour it on his left palm; and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is on his left palm, and he shall spatter some of the oil with his finger seven times before Yahweh. Then the priest shall put some of the remaining oil, which is on his palm, on the right ear’s lobe of the one to be cleansed and on his right hand’s thumb and on his right foot’s big toe, on top of the guilt offering’s blood. And the remaining oil that is on the priest’s palm he shall put on the head of the one who presents himself for cleansing, and the priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh. Thus the priest shall sacrifice the sin offering, and he shall make atonement for the one who presents himself for cleansing from his uncleanness, and afterward he shall slaughter the burnt offering. Then the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar, and the priest shall make atonement for him, and so he shall be clean.
“But if he is poor and he cannot afford it, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering as a wave offering to make atonement for himself and one-tenth of an ephah of finely milled flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil, and two turtledoves or two young doves that he can afford, and one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. And he shall bring them to the priest at the tent of assembly’s entrance before Yahweh on the eighth day for his cleansing. And the priest shall take the male lamb for the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before Yahweh; and he shall slaughter the male lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest shall take some of the guilt offering’s blood, and he shall put it on the right ear’s lobe of the one who presents himself for cleansing and on his right hand’s thumb and on his right foot’s big toe. Then the priest shall pour out some of the oil on his own left palm, and with his right finger the priest shall spatter some of the oil that is on his left palm seven times before Yahweh. Then the priest shall put some of the oil that is on his palm on the right ear’s lobe of the one who presents himself for cleansing and on his right hand’s thumb and on his right foot’s big toe on the place of the guilt offering’s blood. And the remaining oil that is on the priest’s palm he shall put on the head of the one who presents himself for cleansing to make atonement for him before Yahweh. And he shall sacrifice one of the turtledoves or the young doves that he can afford, even what he can afford, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering in addition to the grain offering, and the priest shall make atonement for the one who presents himself for cleansing before Yahweh. This is the regulation of the one on whom is an infectious skin disease who cannot afford the cost for his cleansing.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am about to give to you as your possession, and I put mildew in a house in the land of your possession, then the one who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘It appears to me that an infection is in the house.’ And the priest shall issue a command, and they shall clear out the house before the priest comes to examine the infection, so that all that is in the house might not become unclean; and afterward the priest shall go to examine the house. And he shall examine the infection, and if the infection on the house’s wall has yellowish-green or reddish spots and its appearance is deeper than the surface of the wall, then the priest shall go out from the house to the house’s entrance, and he shall confine the house for seven days. And the priest shall return on the seventh day, and he shall examine the infection, and if the infection has spread on the house’s wall, the priest shall issue a command and they shall remove the stones on which is the infection, and they shall throw them outside the city on an unclean place. Then they shall scrape off the plaster from all around the house, and they shall pour out the plaster, which they scraped off, outside the city on an unclean place. And they shall take other stones, and they shall put them in place of those stones, and they shall take other plaster, and they shall replaster the house.
“But if the infection should return and it breaks out in the house after they have removed the stones and after scraping off the plaster of the house and after it has been replastered, then the priest shall come, and he shall examine the infection, and if the infection has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew in the house—it is unclean. So he shall break down the house, its stones and its wood and all of the house’s plaster, and he shall bring it all outside the city to an unclean place. And the person who enters into the house during all the days that he confined it shall become unclean until the evening. And the person who sleeps in the house must wash his garments, and the person who eats in the house shall wash his garments.
“And if the priest comes again and examines the house and if the infection has not spread in the house after being replastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the infection is healed. And he shall take two birds and cedar wood and a crimson thread and hyssop to cleanse the house; and he shall slaughter the first bird over fresh water on a clay vessel. Then he shall take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the crimson thread and the living bird, and he shall dip them in the slaughtered bird’s blood and in the fresh water, and he shall spatter them on the house seven times. Thus he shall purify the house with the bird’s blood and with the fresh water and with the living bird and with the cedar wood and with the hyssop and with the crimson thread. And he shall send the living bird outside the city into the open field; and so he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.
“This is the instruction for any infectious skin disease and for the diseased area of skin, and for a mildew of the garment and for the house, and for the swelling and for the epidermal eruption and for the spot, to teach when something is unclean and when something is clean. This is the regulation of the infectious skin disease.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and you shall say to them, ‘Any man when a fluid discharge occurs from his body, his fluid discharge is unclean. And this becomes his uncleanness in his fluid discharge: whether his body secretes his fluid discharge or his body blocks his fluid discharge, it is his uncleanness. Any bed upon which the person who discharges lies down becomes unclean, and any object upon which he sits becomes unclean. And anyone who touches his bed must wash his garments and shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until evening. And the person who sits on the object upon which the person who discharges has sat must wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening. And the person who touches the body of the person who discharges must wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening. And if the person who discharges spits on one who is clean, then that one shall wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening. And any saddle upon which the person who discharges rides becomes unclean. And any person who touches anything that happened to be under him becomes unclean until the evening, and the person who carries them must wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening. And anyone whom the person who discharges might touch without rinsing off his hands with water shall wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening. But a clay vessel that the person who discharges touches must be broken, and any wood object must be rinsed with water.
“ ‘And when the person who discharges becomes clean from his body fluid discharge, he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing; then he shall wash his garments, and he shall wash his body with fresh water, and he shall be clean. Then on the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young doves, and he shall come before Yahweh at the tent of assembly’s entrance, and he shall give them to the priest. And the priest shall sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and so the priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh from his body fluid discharge.
“ ‘And if an emission of semen goes out from anyone, then he shall wash all of his body with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening. And any garment and anything leather on which is an emission of semen shall be washed with water, and it shall be unclean until the evening. If there is a woman with whom a man lies down and there is an emission of semen, then they shall wash themselves with water, and they shall be unclean until the evening.
“ ‘And when a woman is menstruating, her body fluid discharge occurs in her body; for seven days she shall be in her menstruation, and any person who touches her shall become unclean until the evening. And anything upon which she lies down during her menstruation shall become unclean, and anything upon which she sits shall become unclean. And any person who touches her bed must wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening. And any person who touches any object on which she sat must wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening. And if it is on the bed or on the object on which she sits, at his touching it he becomes unclean until the evening. And if a man indeed lies with her and her menstruation occurs on him, then he shall be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies down becomes unclean.
“ ‘And when a woman discharges a body fluid consisting of her blood for many days, but not at the time of her menstruation, or when she discharges in addition to her menstruation, all the days of her unclean body fluid discharge she shall become unclean as in the days of her menstruation. Any bed on which she lies during all the days of her body fluid discharge shall become for her as her bed of menstruation, and any object on which she sits becomes unclean as her menstruation’s uncleanness. And any person who touches them becomes unclean, and he shall wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening.
“ ‘And if she is clean from her body fluid discharge, then she shall count for herself seven days, and afterward she becomes clean. And on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young doves, and she shall bring them to the priest at the tent of assembly’s entrance. And the priest shall sacrifice the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and so the priest shall make atonement for her before Yahweh from her unclean body fluid discharge.’
“And you shall keep the Israelites separate from their uncleanness so that they might not die because of their uncleanness by their making my tabernacle, which is in their midst, unclean.
“This is the regulation of the one with the body fluid discharge and the one from whom an emission of semen goes out so that he becomes unclean by it and concerning the menstruating woman in her bleeding and the person who discharges his body fluid, for the male and for the female and for a man who lies with an unclean woman.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, when they had come near before Yahweh and they died. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that he should not enter at any time into the sanctuary behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover that is on the ark, so that he might not die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
“Aaron must enter the sanctuary with this: a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering. He must put on a holy linen tunic, and linen undergarments must be on his body, and he must fasten himself with a linen sash, and he must wrap a linen turban around his head—they are holy garments, and he shall wash his body with water, then he shall put them on. And he must take from the Israelites’ community two he-goats as a sin offering and one ram as a burnt offering.
“And Aaron shall present the sin offering’s bull, which is for himself, and so he shall make atonement for himself and for his family. And he shall take the two goats, and he shall present them before Yahweh at the tent of assembly’s entrance. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for Yahweh and one for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot for Yahweh fell, and he shall sacrifice it as a sin offering. But he must present alive before Yahweh the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell to make atonement for himself, to send it away into the desert to Azazel.
“And Aaron shall present the sin offering’s bull, which is for himself, and so he shall make atonement for himself and for his family; then he shall slaughter the sin offering’s bull, which is for himself. And he shall take a censer full of burning charcoal from upon the altar from before Yahweh and two handfuls of incense of powdered fragrant perfumes, and he shall bring it from behind the curtain, and he shall put the incense on the fire before Yahweh so that the cloud of incense might cover the atonement cover, which is on the covenant text, so that he might not die. And he shall take some of the bull’s blood, and he shall spatter it with his finger on the atonement cover’s surface on the eastern side, and before the atonement cover he shall spatter some of the blood with his finger seven times.
“And he shall slaughter the sin offering’s goat, which is for the people, and he shall bring its blood from behind the curtain, and he shall do with its blood as that which he did with the bull’s blood, and he shall spatter it on the atonement cover and before the atonement cover. Thus he shall make atonement for the sanctuary from the Israelites’ impurities and from their transgressions for all their sins; and so he must do for the tent of assembly, which dwells with them in the midst of their impurities. And no person shall be in the tent of assembly when he enters to make atonement in the sanctuary until he comes out, and so he shall make atonement for himself and for his family and for all of Israel’s assembly.
“Then he shall go out to the altar that is before Yahweh, and he shall make atonement for it; and he shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood, and he shall put it all around on the altar’s horns. And he shall spatter some of the blood on it seven times with his finger, and he shall cleanse it and consecrate it from the Israelites’ impurities.
“And he shall finish making atonement for the sanctuary and the tent of assembly and the altar; then he shall present the living goat. And Aaron shall place his two hands on the living goat’s head, and he shall confess over it all the Israelites’ iniquities and all their transgressions for all their sins, and he shall put them on the goat’s head, and he shall send it away into the desert with a man standing ready. Thus the goat shall bear on it to a barren region all their guilt, and he shall send the goat away into the desert.
“And Aaron shall enter the tent of assembly, and he shall take off the linen garments that he put on at his coming to the sanctuary, and he shall leave them there. And he shall wash his body with water in a holy place, and he shall put on his garments and go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering, and so he shall make atonement for himself and for people. And he must turn into smoke the sin offering’s fat on the altar.
“And the person who sends out the goat for Azazel shall wash his garments, and he shall wash his body with water, and afterward he shall come to the camp. And the sin offering’s bull and the sin offering’s goat, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the sanctuary, shall be brought outside the camp, and they shall burn their hide and their flesh and their offal in the fire. And the person who burns them shall wash his garments, and he shall wash his body with water, and afterward he must come to the camp.
“And this shall be a lasting statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you must deny yourselves and you must not do any work, whether the native or the alien who is dwelling in your midst, because on this day he shall make atonement for you to cleanse you; you must be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves—it is a lasting statute. And the priest who is anointed and who is ordained to serve as a priest in place of his father shall make atonement; thus he shall put on the linen garments, the holy garments, and he shall make atonement for the sanctuary’s holy place, and he shall make atonement for the tent of assembly and the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all of the assembly’s people. And this shall be a lasting statute for you to make atonement for the Israelites one time in a year from all their sins.” And he did as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the Israelites, and you shall say to them, ‘This is the word that Yahweh has commanded, saying, “Any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a sheep or a goat in the camp or who slaughters it outside the camp and he does not bring it to the tent of assembly’s entrance to present an offering to Yahweh before Yahweh’s tabernacle, then that man shall be accounted bloodguilty—he has poured out blood, and that man shall be cut off from the midst of his people. This is so that the Israelites may bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field and bring them for Yahweh to the tent of assembly’s entrance to the priest, and they shall sacrifice fellowship offerings for Yahweh with them. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on Yahweh’s altar at the tent of assembly’s entrance, and he shall burn the fat as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. And they may no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat-idols after which they were prostituting. This is a lasting statute for them throughout their generations.” ’
“And you shall say to them, ‘if there is anyone from the house of Israel or from the alien who dwells in their midst who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice and he does not bring it to the tent of assembly’s entrance to sacrifice it for Yahweh, then that man shall be cut off from his people. And if there is anyone from the house of Israel or from the alien who is dwelling in their midst who eats any blood, then I will set my face against the person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people. Indeed the flesh’s life is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, because it is the blood with the life that makes atonement. Therefore I said to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may the alien who is dwelling in your midst eat blood.’
“And if there is anyone from the Israelites or from the alien who is dwelling in their midst who hunts a wild game animal or a bird that may be eaten, then he shall pour out its blood, and he shall cover it with the soil. Indeed, the life of all flesh, its blood, is in its life, so I said to the Israelites, ‘You may not eat the blood of any flesh, because the life of all flesh is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.’
“And if there is any person who eats a dead body or a mangled carcass, whether among the native or among the alien, then he shall wash his garments, and he shall wash himself with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening, and he shall be clean. But if he does not wash his garments and he does not wash his body, then he shall bear his guilt.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘I am Yahweh your God. You must not carry out the practices of the land of Egypt, in which you lived, and you must not carry out the practices of the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you; and you must not follow their statutes. You must carry out my regulations, and you must observe my statutes by following them; I am Yahweh your God. And you shall observe my statutes and my regulations by which the person doing them shall live; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘None of you shall approach anyone who is his close relative to expose nakedness; I am Yahweh. You must not expose your father’s nakedness or your mother’s nakedness—she is your mother; you must not expose her nakedness. You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s wife—it is your father’s nakedness. As for your sister’s nakedness, whether your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born abroad, you must not expose their nakedness. As for the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, you must not expose their nakedness, because they are your nakedness. As for the nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife, she is your sister, a relative of your father; you must not expose her nakedness. You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative. You must not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative. You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not have sex with his wife—she is your aunt. You must not expose your daughter-in-law’s nakedness; she is your son’s wife; you must not expose her nakedness. You must not expose the nakedness of your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness. You must not expose the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, or her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter; you must not take her as wife to expose her nakedness; they are close relatives—that is wickedness. And you must not take as wife a woman with her sister, to be a rival-wife, to expose her nakedness before her during her life.
“ ‘And you must not have sex with a woman to expose her nakedness during her menstrual uncleanness. And you must not have sex with your fellow citizen’s wife, becoming unclean with her.
“ ‘And you shall not give any of your offspring in order to sacrifice them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am Yahweh. And you shall not lie with a male as lying with a woman; that is a detestable thing. And you shall not have sexual relations with any animal, becoming unclean with it; and a woman shall not stand before an animal to copulate with it—that is a perversion.
“ ‘You must not make yourself unclean in any of these things, because the nations whom I am driving out from your presence were made unclean by all of these. So the land became unclean, and I have brought the punishment of its guilt upon it, and the land has vomited out its inhabitants. But you (neither the native nor the alien who is dwelling in your midst) shall keep my statutes and my regulations, and you shall not practice any of these detestable things (because the people of the land, who were before you, did all these detestable things, so the land became unclean), so that the land will not vomit you out when you make it unclean just as it vomited out the nation that was before you. Indeed, anyone who does any of these detestable things, even those persons who do so shall be cut off from the midst of their people. Thus you shall keep my obligation to not do any of the statutes regarding the detestable things that they did before you, so that you will not make yourselves unclean by them; I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the community of the Israelites, and say to them, ‘You must be holy, because I, Yahweh your God, am holy. Each of you must revere your mother and your father, and you must keep my Sabbaths; I am Yahweh your God. You must not turn to idols, and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal; I am Yahweh your God.
“ ‘And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Yahweh, you must sacrifice it for your acceptance. It must be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and the next day; but the remainder must be burned up in the fire by the third day. And if it is indeed eaten on the third day, it is unclean meat; it shall not be regarded as accepted. And the one who eats it shall bear his guilt, because he has profaned Yahweh’s holiness, and that person shall be cut off from his people.
“ ‘And at your reaping the harvest of your land you must not finish reaping the edge of your field, and you must not glean the remnants of your harvest. And you must not glean your vineyard, and you must not gather your vineyard’s fallen grapes; you must leave them behind for the needy and for the alien; I am Yahweh your God.
“ ‘You shall not steal, and you shall not deceive, and you shall not lie to one another; and you shall not swear falsely in my name, and so one of you profane the name of your God; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘You shall not exploit your neighbor, and you shall not rob him; a hired worker’s wage you shall not withhold overnight until morning. You shall not curse the deaf, and you shall not put a stumbling block before a blind person, but you shall revere your God; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘You shall not do injustice in judgment; you shall not show partiality to the powerless; you shall not give preference to the powerful; you shall judge your fellow citizen with justice. You shall not go about with slander among your people; you shall not endanger your neighbor’s life; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall surely rebuke your fellow citizen, so that you do not incur sin along with him. You shall not seek vengeance, and you shall not harbor a grudge against your fellow citizens; and you shall love your neighbor like yourself; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘You must keep my statutes: as for your domestic animals, you shall not cause two differing kinds to breed; as for your field, you shall not sow two differing kinds of seed; and, a garment of two differing kinds of woven material should not be worn on you.
“ ‘And when a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen and she is a female slave promised to a man, but she indeed has not been ransomed or freedom has not been given to her, there shall be an obligation to compensate; they shall not be put to death, because she has not been freed. And he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh at the tent of assembly’s entrance: a ram for a guilt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh with the ram of the guilt offering for his sin that he committed, and so his sin that he committed shall be forgiven him.
“ ‘And when you have come into the land and you plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as unharvestable; for three years it shall be forbidden for you; it shall not be eaten. But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, offerings of praise for Yahweh. And in the fifth year you shall eat its fruit to increase its yield for you; I am Yahweh your God.
“ ‘You must not eat anything with the blood; you shall not practice divination, nor shall you interpret signs. You shall not round off the corner hair of your head, and you shall not trim the corner of your beard. And you shall not make a slash in your body for a dead person, nor shall you make on yourselves a tattoo’s mark; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘You shall not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land be prostituted and the land fill up with depravity. You shall keep my Sabbaths, and you shall revere my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘You shall not turn to the mediums and to the soothsayers; you shall not seek them to become unclean with them; I am Yahweh your God.
“ ‘Before old age you shall get up, and you shall show respect for an old person; and you shall revere your God; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘And when an alien dwells with you in your land, you shall not oppress him. The alien who is dwelling with you shall be like a native among you, and you shall love him like yourself, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.
“ ‘You shall not commit injustice in regulation, in measurement, in weight, or volume. You must have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin; I am Yahweh your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt.
“ ‘Thus you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations, and you shall do them; I am Yahweh.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “And to the Israelites you shall say, ‘If there is anyone from the Israelites or from the alien who is dwelling in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech, he must surely be put to death; the people of the land must stone him with stones. And I myself will set my face against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so that he makes my sanctuary unclean and profanes my holy name. And if the people of the land ever shut their eyes from that man at his giving some of his offspring to Molech, not putting him to death, then I myself will set my face against that man and against his clan, and I will cut him off and all those from the midst of their people who prostitute after Molech. As for the person who turns to the mediums and the soothsayers to prostitute after them, I will set my face against that person, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people.
“ ‘And you shall consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy, because I am Yahweh your God. And you shall keep my statutes, and you shall do them; I am Yahweh who consecrates you.
“ ‘If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father and his mother—his blood is upon him.
“ ‘As for a man who commits adultery with a man’s wife, who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the man who commits adultery and the woman who commits adultery shall surely be put to death. As for a man who lies with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness; both of them shall be put to death—their blood is on them. As for a man who lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed a perversion—their blood is on them.
“ ‘As for the man who lies with a male as lying with a woman, they have committed a detestable thing; they shall surely be put to death—their blood is on them.
“ ‘As for a man who marries a woman and her mother, that is depravity; they shall burn him and them, so that it shall not become depravity in the midst of you all.
“ ‘As for a man who has sexual relations with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you must kill the animal. As for a woman who approaches any animal to copulate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death—their blood is on them.
“ ‘As for a man who takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and he sees her nakedness and she herself sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off before the eyes of their people; he has exposed his sister’s nakedness—he must bear his guilt. As for a man who lies with a menstruating woman, he exposes her nakedness—her source he exposes and she herself reveals her blood’s source—both of them shall be cut off from the midst of their people. And you shall not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister, and you shall not expose your father’s sister, because such a person has dishonored his close relative—they must bear their guilt. As for a man who lies with his aunt, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness—they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. As for a man who marries his brother’s wife, it is an abomination; he has exposed his brother’s nakedness—they shall be childless.
“ ‘And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations, and you shall do them, so that the land, to which I am bringing you to inhabit it, shall not vomit you out. And you shall not follow the statutes of the nation that I am driving out from before you, because they did all these things, and I detested them. So I said to you, “You yourselves shall take possession of their land, and I myself shall give it to you to possess it—a land flowing with milk and honey”; I am Yahweh your God, who has set you apart from the nations. And you shall distinguish between the clean and the unclean animal and between the unclean and the clean bird; and you shall not defile yourselves with the animal or with the bird or with anything that moves along the ground that I have set apart for you as unclean. And you shall be holy for me, because I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have singled you out from the nations to be mine.
“ ‘And a man or a woman, if a spirit of the dead or a spirit of divination is in them, they shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones—their blood is on them.’ ”
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and say to them, ‘One must not make himself unclean for a dead person among his own people, except for his direct relative closest to him: his mother and his father, and his son and his daughter, and his brother, and for his sister, a virgin, who is closest to him, who has not had a husband—for her he may defile himself. He must not make himself unclean as a kinsman by marriage, defiling himself.
“ ‘And they shall not shave bald patches on their head, and they shall not shave off the corner of their beard, and they shall not make a cut in their body. They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God, because they are bringing near the offerings made by fire to Yahweh—their God’s food—and they shall be holy.
“ ‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute and defiled, nor shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, because each priest is holy for his God. And you shall consecrate him, because he is bringing near your God’s food; he shall be holy to you, since I, Yahweh, who consecrates you, am holy.
“ ‘As for the daughter of any priest, if she is defiled by prostituting, she is disgracing her father—she shall be burned in the fire.
“ ‘As for the priest who is higher than his brothers, on whose head the oil of anointment is poured and he was ordained to wear the garments, he shall not dishevel his head, and he shall not tear his garments. And he shall not go near any dead person, nor shall he make himself unclean for his father or for his mother. And he shall not go out from the sanctuary, and he shall not profane his God’s sanctuary, because the dedication of his God’s oil of anointment is on him; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘And he himself must take a wife in her virginity. A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman, a prostitute—these he must not take; he shall take only a virgin from his people as wife. And he shall not profane his offspring among his people, because I am Yahweh, who consecrates him.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘A man from your offspring throughout their generations, in whom is a physical defect, shall not come near to present your God’s food. Indeed, any man in whom is a physical defect shall not come near: a blind man or lame or disfigured or deformed, or a man in whom is a broken foot or a broken hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf, or a spot in his eye or a skin disorder or a skin eruption or a crushed testicle. Any man from Aaron the priest’s offspring in whom is a physical defect shall not come near to present offerings made by fire to Yahweh; a physical defect is in him; he shall not come near to present his God’s food. He may eat his God’s food, from the most holy things and from the holy things. But he must not enter the curtain, and he must not come near to the altar, because a physical defect is in him, and he must not profane my sanctuary, because I am Yahweh, who consecrates them.’ ”
Thus Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the Israelites.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must deal respectfully with the Israelites’ votive offerings, and they must not profane my holy name, which they are consecrating to me; I am Yahweh.
“Say to them, ‘Throughout your generations, any man from any of your offspring who comes near the votive offerings that the Israelites consecrate to Yahweh with his uncleanness on him, that person shall be cut off from before me; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘Anyone from Aaron’s offspring, if he is afflicted with a skin disease or a fluid discharge, shall not eat in the sanctuary until he is clean; and the one who touches any unclean person or a man from whom an emission of semen goes out, or a man who touches any swarmer that is unclean for him or who touches a person who is unclean for him due to whatever his uncleanness, a person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening, and he shall not eat from the votive offerings, except when he washes his body with water and the sun sets, and he shall be clean; then afterward he may eat from the votive offerings, because it is his food. He shall not eat a naturally dead body or a mangled carcass, so that he becomes unclean by it; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘And they shall keep my obligation, and they shall not incur guilt because of it, so that they die through it, because they have profaned it; I am Yahweh who consecrates them.
“ ‘No stranger shall eat the votive offering; nor shall a temporary resident with a priest or a hired worker eat the votive offering. But a priest, if with his money he buys a person as his possession, that one may eat it, and the descendants of his house themselves may eat his food. And a priest’s daughter, when she marries a layman, she herself may not eat the votive offering. But a priest’s daughter, when she becomes a widow or divorced or there is no offspring for her, and she returns to her father’s house as in her childhood, she may eat from her father’s food, but no layman may eat it. And if a man eats the votive offering unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it, and he shall give the votive offering to the priest. And they shall not profane the Israelites’ votive offerings that they present to Yahweh, and so cause them, by their eating their votive offerings, to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, because I am Yahweh, who consecrates them.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the Israelites, and say to them, ‘Anyone from the house of Israel or from the alien in Israel who presents his offering for any of their vows or for any of their freewill offerings that they present to Yahweh as a burnt offering, it must be without defect to be acceptable for you: a male among the cattle, among the sheep, or among the goats. You shall not present any animal in which is a physical defect, because it shall not be acceptable for you. And if anyone brings a sacrifice of fellowship offerings for Yahweh to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the cattle or from the flock, it must be without defect to be acceptable; there must not be any physical defect in it. The blind or the injured or the maimed or the seeping or one with a skin disorder or one with a skin eruption—these you shall not present to Yahweh, nor shall you give from them an offering made by fire on the altar for Yahweh. As for an ox or sheep that is deformed or that is stunted, you may present it as a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. And you shall not present anything for Yahweh with bruised or shattered or torn or cut-off testicles, and you shall not sacrifice such in your land. And you shall not present your God’s food from any of these by the hand of a foreigner, because their deformity is in them; a physical defect is in them; they shall not be accepted for you.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, then it shall be under its mother for seven days, and from the eighth day and beyond it is acceptable as an offering made by fire for Yahweh. And you shall not slaughter an ox or a sheep and its young on the same day. And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Yahweh, you must sacrifice it to be acceptable for you. It must be eaten on that day; you must not leave over anything from it until morning; I am Yahweh.
“Thus you shall keep my commands, and you shall do them; I am Yahweh.
“And you shall not profane my holy name, so that I may be consecrated in the midst of the Israelites; I am Yahweh, who consecrates you, the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be as God for you; I am Yahweh.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘The festivals of Yahweh that you shall proclaim are holy assemblies; these are my appointed times.
“ ‘For six days work is to be done, and on the seventh day shall be a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy assembly; you shall not do any work; it shall be a Sabbath for Yahweh in all your dwellings.
“ ‘These are Yahweh’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you shall proclaim at their appointed time. In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening is Yahweh’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of this month is Yahweh’s Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do any regular work. And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall not do any regular work.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘When you come to the land that I am about to give to you and you reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it on the day after the Sabbath. And on the day of your waving the sheaf you shall offer a yearling male lamb without defect as a burnt offering to Yahweh. And its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, an appeasing fragrance; and its libation shall be a fourth of a hin of wine. And you shall not eat bread or roasted grain or ripe grain until this very same day, until you present your God’s offering. This must be a lasting statute for your generations in all your dwellings.
“ ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering’s sheaf—there shall be seven full weeks. Until the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; then you shall present a new grain offering for Yahweh. You shall bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread made with two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour; they must be baked with leaven—the firstfruits belonging to Yahweh. And, in addition to the bread, you shall present seven yearling male lambs without defects and one young bull and two rams—they shall be a burnt offering for Yahweh with their grain offering and their libations, an offering made by fire, an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. And you shall offer one he-goat as a sin offering and two yearling male lambs as a sacrifice of fellowship offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before Yahweh; in addition to the two male lambs, they shall be holy for Yahweh for the priest. And you shall make a proclamation on this very same day; it shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do any regular work; this is a lasting statute in all your dwellings throughout your generations. And when you reap the harvest of your land, you must not finish the edge of your field at your reaping, and you must not glean the remnants of your harvest—you shall leave them behind for the needy and for the alien; I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a rest period, a remembrance of the trumpet blast, a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely the Day of Atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. And you must not do any regular work on this very same day, because it is the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you before Yahweh your God. If there is any person who does not deny himself on this very same day, then he shall be cut off from his people. As for any person who does any work on this very same day, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people. You must not do any work; it is a lasting statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening—from evening to evening you must observe your extraordinary Sabbath.”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, this shall be the Feast of Booths for seven days for Yahweh. On the first day there shall be a holy assembly; you must not do any regular work. For seven days you must present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh; it is a celebration; you must not do any regular work.
“ ‘These are Yahweh’s festivals, which you must proclaim, holy assemblies to present an offering made by fire to Yahweh—burnt offering and grain offering, sacrifice and libations, each on its proper day— besides Yahweh’s Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides your vows and besides all your freewill offerings that you give to Yahweh.
“ ‘Surely on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, at your gathering the land’s produce, you shall hold Yahweh’s festival for seven days; on the first day there shall be a rest period and on the eighth day a rest period. And on the first day you shall take for yourselves the first fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees and branches of a leafy tree and of a brook’s poplar trees, and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God for seven days. And you must hold it as a festival for Yahweh for seven days in the year; it shall be a lasting statute throughout your generations; in the seventh month you must hold it. You must live in the booths for seven days; all the natives in Israel must live in the booths, so that your generations shall know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them from the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
Thus Moses announced to the Israelites Yahweh’s appointed times.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the Israelites that they should bring to you pure olive oil from beaten olives for the light to present a lamp continually. Aaron shall arrange for it outside the curtain of the testimony in the tent of assembly from evening until morning before Yahweh continually; it shall be a lasting statute throughout your generations. On the pure golden lampstand he shall arrange for the lamps before Yahweh continually.
“And you shall take finely milled flour, and you shall bake with it twelve ring-shaped bread cakes: each one shall be two-tenths of an ephah. And you shall place them in two rows, six to the row, on the pure gold table before Yahweh. And you shall put pure frankincense on each row so that it shall be for the bread as a memorial offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh. On every Sabbath he shall arrange it in rows before Yahweh continually; they are from the Israelites as an everlasting covenant. And it shall be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy thing for him from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire—a lasting rule.”
And an Israelite woman’s son, and he was an Egyptian man’s son, went out in the midst of the Israelites; and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man fought in the camp. Then the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name, and he cursed, so they brought him to Moses—and the name of his mother was Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. Then they put him in custody so that the matter might be made clear to them in accordance with the mouth of Yahweh.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the curser outside the camp, and all the hearers shall place their hands on his head, and the whole community shall stone him. And you shall speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Any man when he curses his God shall bear his sin. And he who blasphemes Yahweh’s name certainly shall be put to death; the whole community certainly shall stone him. As the alien, so the native shall be put to death at blaspheming his name.
“ ‘And when a man kills any human being, he certainly shall be put to death. And he who kills a domestic animal must repay for it life in place of life. And when a man causes a physical defect in his fellow citizen according to what he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture in place of fracture, eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth—according to the physical defect he causes to the person, likewise it shall be caused to him. And a killer of a domestic animal must repay for it, and a killer of a human shall be put to death. You must have one norm; as for the alien, so it must be for the native, because I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
Thus Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they brought the curser outside the camp, and they stoned him with stones, and the Israelites did just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land that I am about to give to you, then the land shall observe a Sabbath for Yahweh. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and you shall gather its yield. But in the seventh year it shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath for Yahweh; you must not sow your field, and you must not prune your vineyard. You must not reap your harvest’s aftergrowth, and you must not harvest the grapes of your unpruned vines—it shall be a year of complete rest for the land. And a Sabbath of the land shall be for food for you: for you and for your slave and for your slave woman and for your hired worker and for your temporary residents who are dwelling as aliens with you; and all its yield shall be for your domestic animal and for the wild animal, which are in your land to eat.
“ ‘And you shall count for yourself seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years, and they shall be for you time periods of seven Sabbaths of years: forty-nine years. And you shall cause a loud horn blast to be heard on the seventh month on the tenth of the month; on the Day of Atonement you shall cause a ram’s horn to be heard in all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and you shall proclaim a release in the land for all its inhabitants. It is a Jubilee; it shall be for you, and you shall return. You must return—everyone to his property and everyone to his clan. You shall have the fiftieth year as a Jubilee; you must not sow and you must not reap its aftergrowth, and you must not harvest its unpruned vines. Because it is a Jubilee, it shall be holy to you. You must eat its produce from the field.
“ ‘In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his property. And when you sell something to your fellow citizen or you buy from your neighbor’s hand, you must not oppress one another. You must buy from your fellow citizen according to the number of years after the Jubilee; he must sell to you according to the number of years of yield. You must increase its price according to a greater number of years, but you must decrease its price according to a lesser number of years, because he is selling its yields to you. And you must not oppress one another, but you shall revere your God, because I am Yahweh, your God.
“ ‘And you shall do my statutes, and you must keep my regulations, and you shall do them, so that you shall live securely on the land. And the land shall give its fruit, and you shall eat your fill, and you shall live securely on it. And if you should say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we do not sow and we do not gather its yield?” then I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will make the yield for three years. And you will sow in the eighth year, and you shall eat from the old yield; until the ninth year, until the coming of its yield, you shall eat the old yield.
“ ‘But the land must not be sold in perpetuity, because the land is mine, because you are aliens and temporary residents with me. And in all your property’s land you must provide redemption for the land.
“ ‘When your brother becomes poor and he sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come, and he shall redeem the thing sold by his brother. But if a man does not have a redeemer, then he prospers and he finds enough for his redemption, then he shall calculate the years of its selling, and he shall refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and he shall return to his property. But if his hand does not find enough to refund to him, then what he has sold shall be in the buyer’s hand until the Year of Jubilee; and it shall go out of the buyer’s hand in the Jubilee, and he shall return to his property.
“ ‘And if a man sells a residential house in a walled city, then it shall be his redemption until completing a year after his selling; its redemption shall last a year. But if it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, then the house that is in the walled city shall belong to the buyer in perpetuity throughout his generations; it shall not go out of the buyer’s hand in the Jubilee. However, village houses that have no surrounding wall shall be considered open country; there is redemption for it, and in the Jubilee it shall go out of the buyer’s hand.
“ ‘As for the cities of the Levites, that is, the houses in their property’s cities, it shall be a lasting redemption for the Levites. And whatever anyone redeems from the Levites then must go out of the buyer’s hand in the Jubilee, including a house’s selling in his city’s property, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the Israelites. But a field of their cities’ pastureland must not be sold, because it is their property for all time.
“ ‘And if your countryman becomes poor and if he becomes dependent on you, then you shall support him like an alien and like a temporary resident, and he shall live with you. You must not take interest or usury from him, but you shall revere your God, and your countryman shall live with you. You must not give your money to him with interest or give your food for profit. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, to be as God for you.
“ ‘And if your countryman who is with you becomes poor, and he is sold to you, you shall not treat him as a slave. He shall be with you like a hired worker, like a temporary resident; he shall work with you until the Year of Jubilee. And he and his sons with him shall go out from you, and he shall return to his clan, and to the property of his ancestors he shall return. Because they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they shall not be sold as a slave. You shall not rule over him with ruthlessness, but you shall revere your God.
“ ‘As for your slave and your slave woman who are yours, from the nations that are all around you, from them you may buy a slave or a slave woman. And you may buy also from the children of the temporary residents who are dwelling with you as aliens and from their clan who are with you, who have children in your land; indeed, they may be as property for you. And you may pass them on as an inheritance to your sons after you to take possession of as property for all time—you may let them work. But as for your countrymen, the Israelites, you shall not rule with ruthlessness over one another.
“ ‘And if the alien or the temporary resident who are with you prosper, but your countryman who is with him becomes poor and he is sold to an alien, a temporary resident who is with you, or to a descendant of an alien’s clan, after he is sold redemption shall be for him; one of his brothers may redeem him, or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him, or one of his close relatives from his clan may redeem him; or if he prospers, he may redeem himself. And he shall calculate with his buyer from the year of his selling himself until the Jubilee; and the value of his selling shall be according to the number of years—it shall be with him like a hired worker’s days. If there are still many years, in keeping with them he shall restore his redemption in proportion to his purchase price. And if there are a few years left until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall calculate for himself; he shall restore his redemption according to the number of his years. He shall be with him as a yearly hired worker; he shall not rule over him with ruthlessness in your sight. And if he is not redeemed by any of these ways, then he and his sons with him shall go out in the Year of Jubilee. Indeed, the Israelites are servants for me; they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
“ ‘You shall not make for yourselves idols and divine images, and you shall not raise up stone pillars for yourselves, and you shall not put a sculptured stone in your land in order to worship before it, because I am Yahweh your God.
“ ‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and you shall revere my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.
“ ‘If you walk in my statutes and you keep my commands and you do them, then I will give you rains in their time, and the land shall give its produce, and the trees of the field shall give their fruit. And for you the threshing season shall overtake the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall overtake the sowing, and you shall eat your food to your fill and you shall live securely in your land. And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and there shall not be anybody who makes you afraid, and I will remove harmful animals from the land, and no sword shall pass through your land. And you shall pursue your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. And five of you shall pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you shall pursue a myriad; and your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. And I will turn to you, and I will make you fruitful, and I will make you numerous; and I will keep my covenant with you. And you shall eat old grain, and you shall clear away the old before the new. And I will put my dwelling place in your midst, and my inner self shall not abhor you. And I will walk about in your midst, and I shall be your God, and you shall be my people. I am Yahweh, your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke, and I caused you to walk erectly.
“ ‘But if you do not listen to me and you do not carry out all these commands, and if you reject my statutes and if your inner self abhors my regulations, to not carry out all my commands by your breaking my covenant, I in turn will do this to you: then I will summon onto you horror, the wasting disease, and the fever that wastes eyes and that drains away life; and you shall sow your seed in vain, and your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and you shall be defeated before your enemies; and your haters shall rule over you, and you shall flee away, but there shall not be anybody who is pursuing you.
“ ‘And if in spite of these things you do not listen to me, then I will continue to discipline you seven times for your sins. And I will break the pride of your strength; and I will make your heaven like iron and your land like copper. And your strength shall be consumed in vain; and your land shall not give its produce, and the land’s trees shall not give their fruit.
“ ‘And if you go against me in hostility and you are not willing to listen to me, then I will add a plague onto you seven times according to your sins. And I will send wild animals out among you, and they shall make you childless, and they shall cut down your domestic animals, and they shall make you fewer; and your roads shall be desolate.
“ ‘And if you do not accept correction from me through these things, but you go against me in hostility, then I myself will also go against you in hostility, and I myself also will strike you seven times for your sins. And I will bring upon you a sword that seeks vengeance for the covenant, and you shall be gathered to your cities; and I will send a plague in your midst, and you shall be given into the hand of an enemy. At my breaking the supply of bread for you, then ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall return your bread by weight; and you shall eat it, and you shall not be satisfied.
“ ‘And if through this you do not listen to me and you go against me in hostility, then I will go against you in hostile anger, and also I myself will discipline you seven times for your sins. And you shall eat the flesh of your sons; and the flesh of your daughters you shall eat. And I will destroy your high places, and I will cut down your incense altars, and I will place your corpses on your idols’ corpses; and my inner self shall abhor you. And I will lay your cities in ruins, and I will lay waste your sanctuaries; and I shall not smell your sacrifices’ appeasing fragrance. And I myself will lay waste the land, and your enemies who are living in it shall be appalled over it. And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw a sword behind you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a ruin. Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of its lying desolate, and you shall be in the land of your enemies; then the land shall rest, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths. All the days of its lying desolate it shall rest for the time that it had not rested during your Sabbaths while you were living on it. As for the ones who remain among you, I will bring fearfulness in their hearts in the land of their enemies; and a sound of a windblown leaf shall pursue them, and they shall flee like flight before a sword, and they shall fall, but there shall not be a pursuer. And they shall stumble over one another as from before a sword, but there shall not be a pursuer; and you shall have no resistance before your enemies. And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you. And because of their guilt, the ones among you who remain shall decay in the land of their enemies; and also because of the iniquities of their ancestors, they shall decay with them.
“ ‘But when they confess their guilt and the guilt of their ancestors in their infidelity that they displayed against me, and moreover that they went against me in hostility— I myself also went against them in hostility, and I brought them into the land of their enemies—or if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and then they pay for their guilt, I will remember my covenant with Jacob; and I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. And the land shall be deserted by them, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths in its being desolate from them, and they themselves must pay for their guilt, simply because they rejected my regulations, and their inner self abhorred my statutes. And in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not reject them, and I will not abhor them to destroy them, to break my covenant with them, because I am Yahweh their God. And I will remember the first covenant for them—whom I brought out from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am Yahweh.’ ”
These are the rules and the regulations and the laws that Yahweh gave between himself and the Israelites on Mount Sinai through Moses.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘When a man makes a vow according to your proper value of persons to Yahweh, if your proper value is for a male from twenty years of age up to sixty years of age, then your proper value shall be fifty shekels of money according to the sanctuary’s shekel. But if it is for a female, then your proper value shall be thirty shekels. And if from five years of age up to twenty years of age, then your proper value shall be twenty shekels for the male and ten shekels for the female. And if from a month of age up to five years of age, then your proper value shall be five shekels of money for the male, and your proper value for the female shall be three shekels of money. And if from sixty years of age and above: if a male, then your proper value shall be fifteen shekels; and for the female, ten shekels. But if he is poorer than your proper value, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall set a value on him; the priest shall value him according to what the person who made a vow can afford.
“ ‘And if it is a domestic animal from which they present an offering for Yahweh, all that he gives from it for Yahweh shall be a holy object. He shall not replace it, nor shall he exchange it, either good with bad or bad with good; and if he indeed exchanges a domestic animal with a domestic animal, then it and its substitution shall be a holy object. But if it is any unclean animal from which they may not present an offering for Yahweh, then he shall present the animal before the priest. And the priest shall set a value on it, either good or bad; as the priest sets your proper value, so it shall be. And if he indeed wants to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth of it onto your proper value.
“ ‘And if a man consecrates his house as a holy object for Yahweh, then the priest shall set a value on it, either good or bad; just as the priest sets a value on it, so it shall remain. But if the one who consecrates it wants to redeem his house, then he shall add a fifth of your proper value’s money onto it, and it shall be his.
“ ‘And if a man consecrates some of his property’s fields for Yahweh, then your proper value shall be in accordance with its seed requirements: a homer of barley seed for fifty shekels of money. If he consecrates his field from the Year of Jubilee, it shall stand as your proper value. But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall calculate the money for him according to the number of years that are left over until the Year of Jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your proper value. And if he indeed redeems the field that is consecrated, then he shall add a fifth of your proper value’s money onto it, and it shall stand for him. And if he does not redeem the field and if he sells the field to another man, it may not be redeemed again, and the field shall be a holy object for Yahweh when it goes out in the Jubilee, like a devoted field; it shall be the priest’s property.
“ ‘And if he consecrates for Yahweh his acquired field that is not the field of his inherited possession, then the priest shall calculate for him the amount of your proper value until the year of the Jubilee, and he shall give your proper value on that day as a holy object for Yahweh. In the Year of the Jubilee the field shall return to the one who bought it from him, to the one whose property the land is. And every proper value of yours shall be in the sanctuary’s shekel—the shekel shall be twenty gerahs.
“ ‘However, a man shall not consecrate a firstborn among livestock, which belongs as firstborn to Yahweh; whether an ox or small livestock, it is for Yahweh. And if it is among the unclean animals, then he shall ransom it according to your proper value, and he shall add a fifth of its value onto it; and if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your proper value. However, anything devoted that a man has devoted to Yahweh from all that he has, from human or animal, or from the field of his property, may not be sold, and it may not be redeemed; anything devoted is a most holy thing for Yahweh. Anyone devoted who is devoted from human beings cannot be ransomed—he shall surely be put to death.
“ ‘And any tithe of the land from the land’s seed or from the fruit of the trees is for Yahweh; it is a holy object for Yahweh. And if a man indeed redeems from his tithe, he shall add a fifth of its value onto it. As for every tithe of cattle or of the flock, all which crosses under the rod, the tenth shall be a holy object for Yahweh. He shall not inspect between the good and the bad, and he shall not exchange it; but if he indeed exchanges it, then it and its substitution shall be a holy object—it shall not be redeemed.’ ”
These are the commands that Yahweh commanded Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.
Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tent of assembly, on the first of the month, in the second year after they came out of the land of Egypt, saying, “Take a census of the entire community of the Israelites according to their clans and their families, according to the number of names, every male individually from twenty years old and above, everyone in Israel who is able to go to war. You and Aaron must muster them for their wars. A man from each tribe will be with you, each man the head of his family. And these are the names of the men who will assist you: from Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur; from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab; from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar; from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon. From the descendants of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. From Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni; from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai; from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran; from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel; and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.” These are the ones summoned from the community, the leaders of their ancestors’ tribes; they are the heads of Israel’s clans.
So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, and they summoned the entire community on the first day of the second month. And they registered themselves among their clans according to their families, according to the number of names from those twenty years old and above individually, just as Yahweh commanded Moses. And he counted them in the desert of Sinai.
The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, every male individually from twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.
From the descendants of Simeon, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, those who were counted according to the number of their names, every individual male from twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
From the descendants of Gad, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
From the descendants of Judah, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.
From the descendants of Issachar, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
From the descendants of Zebulun, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
From the descendants of Joseph: from the descendants of Ephraim, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred.
From the descendants of Manasseh, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
From the descendants of Benjamin, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
From the descendants of Dan, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
From the descendants of Asher, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.
From the descendants of Naphtali, their genealogies according to their clans, according to their families, according to the number of names, from those twenty years old and above, everyone who is able to go to war: those who were counted from the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
These are the ones counted whom Moses and Aaron mustered, with the twelve leaders of Israel, each one from his family. So all those who were counted from the Israelites according to their families, from those twenty years old and above, everyone in Israel who is able to go to war. All of the ones counted were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. The Levites from their ancestors’ tribe were not mustered in their midst.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “You will not muster the tribe of Levi, and you will not take a census of them in the midst of the Israelites. You will appoint them over the tabernacle of the testimony, over all its vessels, and over all that belongs to it. They will carry the tabernacle and all its vessels, and they will care for it; and they will camp around the tabernacle. And when the tabernacle is set out, the Levites will take it down, and when encamping the tabernacle the Levites will set it up; the stranger that approaches it will be put to death. The Israelites will encamp, each in their own camp, and each by their own banner according to their divisions. But the Levites will encamp around the tabernacle of the testimony, and there will not be wrath on the community of the Israelites; and the Levites will keep the requirements of the tabernacle of the testimony.” And the Israelites did thus; they did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses.
Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “The Israelites will encamp each with his standard, with a banner according to their families; they will encamp around the tent of assembly. The ones who encamp on the eastern side, toward the sunrise, will be of the standard of the camp of Judah according to their divisions; and the leader of the descendants of Judah will be Nahshon son of Amminadab, and his division and the ones counted are seventy-four thousand six hundred. And the ones who encamp next to him will be the tribe of Issachar. And the leader of the descendants of Issachar will be Nethanel son of Zuar, and his division are fifty-four thousand four hundred. For the tribe of Zebulun: the leader of the descendants of Zebulun will be Eliab son of Helon, and his division and the ones counted are fifty-seven thousand four hundred. All those counted from the camp of Judah are one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred. They will set out first according to their divisions.
“The standard of the camp of Reuben will be to the south according to their divisions. The leader of the descendants will be Elizur son of Shedeur. And his division and the ones counted are forty-six thousand five hundred. Those encamped next to him will be the tribe of Simeon. The leader of the descendants of Simeon will be Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. And his division and the ones counted are fifty-nine thousand three hundred. For the tribe of Gad: the leader of the descendants of Gad will be Eliasaph son of Reuel. And his division and the ones counted are forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. All those counted from the camp of Reuben are one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty. They will set out second according to their divisions.
“The tent of assembly the camp of the Levites will set out in the midst of the camps; they will set out just as they encamped, each according to their standards.
“The standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their divisions will be to the west. The leader of the descendants of Ephraim will be Elishama son of Ammihud. And his division and the ones counted are forty thousand five hundred. The tribe of Manasseh will be next to him. The leader of the descendants of the tribe of Manasseh will be Camaliel son of Pedahzur. And his division and the ones counted are thirty-two thousand two hundred. For the tribe of Benjamin: the leader of the descendants of Benjamin will be Abidan son of Gideoni. And his division and the ones counted are thirty-five thousand four hundred. All those counted from the camp of Ephraim are one hundred and eight thousand one hundred. They will set out third according to their divisions.
“The standard of the camp of Dan according to their divisions will be to the north. The leader of the descendants of Dan will be Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. And his division and the ones counted are sixty-two thousand seven hundred. Those encamped next to him will be the tribe of Asher. The leader of the descendants of Asher will be Pagiel son of Ocran. And his division and the ones counted are forty-one thousand five hundred. For the tribe of Naphtali: the leader of the descendants of Naphtali will be Ahira son of Enan. And his division and the ones counted are fifty-three thousand four hundred. All the ones counted from the camp of Dan are one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They will set out last according to their divisions.”
These were the ones counted of the Israelites according to their families; all those counted from the camps according to their divisions were six hundred and three thousand five hundred. The Levites were not counted in the midst of the Israelites, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
And the Israelites did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses. They encamped according to their standards, and they set out each one according to their clans among their families.
These are the genealogies of Aaron and Moses at the time when Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. These are the names of the descendants of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of the descendants of Aaron, the priests, the anointed ones whom he consecrated as priests. Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh when they presented a strange fire before Yahweh in the desert of Sinai, and they had no children. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priest during the presence of Aaron their father.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring near the tribe of Levi, and set the tribe before Aaron the priest, and they will minister to him. They shall observe his duties and the duties of the entire community before the tent of assembly, to do the work of the tabernacle. And they will keep all the vessels of the tent of assembly and the responsibilities of the Israelites, to do the work of the tabernacle. You will give the Levites to Aaron and to his descendants; they are surely assigned to him from among the Israelites. But you will count Aaron and his descendants; they will keep their priesthood, and the stranger who approaches will be put to death.”
Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, “I myself receive the Levites from the midst of the Israelites in the place of all the firstborn of the offspring of the womb from the Israelites. The Levites will be mine because all the firstborn are mine; on the day of my killing all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both humankind and animal; they will be mine. I am Yahweh.”
Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying, “Muster the descendants of Levi according to their families, according to their clans. You will count every male from one month and above.” So Moses mustered them according to the command of Yahweh, just as he commanded. These were the sons of Levi according to their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And these are the names of the sons of Gershon according to their clans: Libni and Shimei. And the sons of Kohath according to their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The sons of Merari according to their tribes: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their families.
To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these are the clans of the Gershonites. The ones counted according to the number of every male from one month and above were seven thousand five hundred. The clans of the Gershonites will camp behind the tabernacle to the west, and the leader of the family of the Gershonites is Eliasaph son of Lael. And the responsibility of the descendants of Gershon in the tent of assembly is the tabernacle, and the tent covering it and the curtain of the doorway of the tent of the assembly, and the hangings of the courtyard and the curtain of the doorway of the courtyard that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its tent cords, all of its use.
To Kohath belonged the clan of Amramites, the clan of the Izharites, the clan of the Hebronites, and the clan of the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites. According to the number of every male from one month and above there were eight thousand six hundred keeping the responsibility of the sanctuary. The clan of the descendants of Kohath will encamp on the side of the tabernacle to the south. The leader of his family according to the clans of the Kohathites is Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. Their responsibility was the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary, with which they ministered, and the curtain, and all of its use. The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest who had oversight of those keeping the responsibility of the sanctuary.
To Merari belonged the clan of Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari. The ones counted according to the number of every male from one month and above were six thousand two hundred. The leader of the family according to the clans of Merari is Zuriel son of Abihail; they will encamp of the side of the tabernacle to the north. The responsibility of the sons of Merari was the supervision of the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, pillars, bases, and all its vessels and all its service, and the pillars around the courtyard, and their bases, pegs, and cords.
Those encamped before the tabernacle to the east—before the tent of assembly to the east—were Moses and Aaron and his sons; they will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary for the Israelites; and the stranger who approaches will be put to death. All those counted from the Levites whom Moses and Aaron mustered according to the word of Yahweh, according to their clans, every male from one month and above were twenty-two thousand.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Muster every firstborn male from the Israelites from one month and above and count their names. And you will receive the Levites for me—I am Yahweh—in the place of all the firstborn among the Israelites, and the animals of the Levites in the place of all the firstborn among the animals among the Israelites.” So Moses mustered all the firstborn among the Israelites just as Yahweh commanded him. And all the firstborn males among the number of names from one month and above, the ones counted, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Receive the Levites in the place of all the firstborn among the Israelites, and the animals of the Levites in the place of their animals; the Levites will be mine. I am Yahweh. And the ransom of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the Israelites who are excessive over the Levites, you will receive five shekels a person, in the sanctuary shekel; you will collect twenty gerahs per shekel. You will give the money to Aaron, and to his sons the ransom of the ones who are excessive among them.” And Moses received the money of the redemption from the ones who were excessive from those redeemed of the Levites. From the firstborn of the Israelites he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, in the sanctuary shekel. And Moses gave the money of the ransom to Aaron and to his sons according to the word of Yahweh just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from the midst of the descendants of Levi, according to their clans and their families, from thirty years old and above, up to fifty years old, everyone who comes to the service to do the work in the tent of assembly. This is the work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of assembly, concerning the holiness of the sanctuary: When setting out the camp, Aaron and his sons will go and lower the curtain of the covering and cover with it the ark of the testimony. They will put on it a covering of fine leather, and they will spread a cloth of perfect blue over it, and they will place its poles. And over the table of the presence they will spread out a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes, and libation bowls, and the pitchers of the libation; and the bread of continuity will be on it. They will spread over it a scarlet cloth, and they will cover it with a covering of fine leather, and they will place its poles. They will take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light source, its lamps, a pair of its tongs, its small pans, and all the vessels of its oil with which they attend to it. They will put it and all its vessels inside a covering of fine leather and put it on the carrying frame. Over the altar of gold they will spread a blue cloth, and they will cover it with a covering of fine leather and place its poles. They will take all the vessels of the cultic service with which they serve in the sanctuary and put them on a blue cloth, and they will cover them with a covering of fine leather; and they will put them on the carrying frame. They will remove the fat-soaked ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it; they will put on it all the vessels with which they serve, the fire pans, forks, shovels, and bowls—all the vessels of the altar. They will spread on it a covering of fine leather; and they will place its poles. And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary when the camp sets out, the descendants of Kohath will come after to carry these, but they must not touch the sanctuary, or they will die. These are the load of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of assembly.
“Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is to supervise the oil of the light source, the incense, the regular grain offering, the oil of anointment, the supervision of all the tabernacle and all that is in it, in the sanctuary and in its vessels.”
Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “You must not cut off the tribe of the clan of the Kohathites from the midst of the Levites. Do this to them and they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go and appoint them, each one to his task and burden. But they must not go and look for a moment at the holy objects.”
Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Take a census of the descendants of Gershon also, according to their families and clans, from those thirty years old and above until fifty years old; you will muster them, all who come to help to do the work of the tent of assembly. This is the work of the clans of the Gershonites: to serve and to carry. They will carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of assembly and its covering and the covering of fine leather, which is on top of it, and the curtain of the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the curtains of the courtyard, and the covering for the doorway of the gate of the courtyard, which is all around on the tabernacle and altar, and their cords and all the vessels of their work; and all that is done to them they will do. And all the work of the descendants of the Gershonites will be at the command of Aaron and his sons, for all they are to carry and for all their work, and you will appoint to them responsibility for all they are to carry. This is the work of the clan of the descendants of the Gershonites in the tent of assembly, and their responsibility lies under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
“For the descendants of Merari according to their clans, according to their families, you will muster them; from those thirty years old and above until fifty years old; you will muster them, all who come to do the work of the tent of assembly. And this is the responsibility of those who are to carry, all their work in the tent of assembly: the frames of the tabernacle and its bars, pillars, and bases, and the pillars of the courtyard all around, and their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their vessels and for all their work. You will appoint by name the vessels that they are responsible to carry. This is the work of the clan of the descendants of Merari, for all their work in the tent of assembly under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”
And Moses and Aaron mustered the leaders of the community according to the house of their families, from those thirty years old and above until fifty years old; everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly, the ones counted were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. These were those counted of the clans of the Kohathites, everyone who served in the tent of assembly whom Moses and Aaron mustered according to the command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
And the descendants of Gershon counted according to their clans and according to their families, from those thirty years old and above until fifty years old, everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly; the ones counted, according to their clans, according to their families, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. These were those counted of the clans of the descendants of Gershon, everyone who serves in the tent of assembly whom Moses and Aaron mustered according to the command of Yahweh.
Those counted of the clans of the descendants of Merari according to their clans, according to their families, from those thirty years old and above until fifty years old, everyone who comes to the service to work in the tent of assembly, the ones counted, according to their clans, were three thousand two hundred. These were those counted of the clans of the descendants of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron mustered according to the command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
All those counted of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and all the leaders of Israel mustered according to their clans, according to their families, from those thirty years old and above until fifty years old, everyone who comes to the service to do the work of the service carrying in the tent of assembly, the ones counted were eight thousand five hundred and eighty. According to the command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses they were mustered, each man according to his service and according to his burden; and so they were counted by him just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the Israelites: they must send everyone from the camp who is afflicted with a rash, everyone with a fluid discharge, and everyone unclean through contact with a corpse. You will send away both male and female; you will send them outside the camp. They must not make unclean their camps where I am dwelling in their midst.” So the Israelites did so. They sent them away outside the camp; just as Yahweh spoke to Moses, so did the Israelites.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman commits any of the sins of humankind by acting unfaithfully, it is a sin against Yahweh, and that person will be guilty; they will confess their sin that they did and will make restitution for their guilt by adding a fifth to it and giving it to whomever was wronged. But if the man does not have a redeemer to make restitution to him for the reparation, the reparation is to be given to Yahweh for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement by which atonement is made for him. And every contribution of all the holy objects of the Israelites that they bring to the priest for him will be his. The holy objects of a man will be for him; whatever he gives to the priest will be for him.’ ”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and acts unfaithfully to him, and a man sleeps with her and ejaculates and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and she is concealed, although she is defiled, and there is no witness against her and she was not caught, if a spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife and she is defiled; or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife but she is not defiled, he will bring his wife to the priest. And he will bring her offering for her, one-tenth of an ephah of flour. He will not pour oil on it, and he will not put frankincense on it because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembering, a reminding of guilt.
“ ‘Then the priest will bring her near and present her before Yahweh; the priest will take holy waters in a clay vessel, and from the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and the priest will put it into the waters. And the priest will present the woman before Yahweh, and he will uncover the head of the woman; he will then put in her hands the grain offering of the remembering—which is the grain offering of jealousy—and in the hand of the priest will be the waters of bitterness that brings a curse. Then the priest will make her swear an oath, and he will say to the woman, “If a man has not slept with you, and if you have not had an impurity affair under your husband, go unpunished from the waters of bitterness that brings this curse. But if you have had an affair under your husband, and if you are defiled and a man other than your husband had intercourse with you,” the priest will make the woman swear an oath of the sworn oath of the curse, the priest will say to the woman, “May Yahweh give you a curse and a sworn oath in the midst of your people with Yahweh making your hip fall away and your stomach swollen; and these waters that bring a curse will go into your intestines to cause your womb to swell and to make your hip fall away.” And the women will say, “Amen. Amen.”
“ ‘And the priests will write these curses on the scroll, and he will wipe them off into the waters of the bitterness. He will make the woman drink the waters of the bitterness that brings a curse, and the waters of bitterness that bring a curse will go into her. The priest will take the grain offering of jealousy from the hand of the woman, and he will wave the grain offering before Yahweh, and he will present it to the altar; the priest will grasp her memorial offering from the grain offering, and he will turn it into smoke on the altar, and afterward he will make the woman drink the waters. When he has made her drink the waters, it will come about, if she has defiled herself and acted unfaithfully to her husband and the waters of bitterness that bring a curse go into her and her stomach swells and her hip falls away, the woman will be as a curse in the midst of her people. And if the woman is not defiled, and she is pure, she will go unpunished and be able to conceive children.
“ ‘This is the regulation of jealousy, when a woman has an affair under her husband and she is defiled, or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife, he will present the woman before Yahweh ,and the priest will do to her all of this law. The man will go unpunished from guilt, and the woman, she will bear her guilt.’ ”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When a man or a woman takes a special vow, a vow of a Nazirite, to keep separate for Yahweh, he will abstain from wine and fermented drink; he will not drink wine vinegar or vinegar of fermented drink; he will not drink the fruit juice of grapes or eat fresh or dry grapes. All the days of his separation you will not eat from anything that is made from the grapevine, from sour grapes to the skin of grapes.
“ ‘All the days of the vow of his separation a razor will not pass over his head. Until fulfilling the days that he separated himself to Yahweh he will be holy and grow long the locks of the hair of his head.
“ ‘All the days of keeping himself separated for Yahweh he will not go to a person who is dead; for even his father, mother, brother, or sister he will not make himself unclean by their death, because the separation to his God is on his head. He will be holy for Yahweh all the days of his separation.
“ ‘If someone dies suddenly and makes the head of his separation unclean, he will shave off the hair of his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he will shave it off. On the eighth day he will bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest by the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the priest will offer one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering, and he will make atonement for him because he sinned concerning the corpse. He will consecrate his head on that day. He will rededicate to Yahweh the days of his separation and bring a ram-lamb in its first year as a guilt offering. The former days of his vow will fall away because his separation was defiled.
“ ‘This is the regulation of the Nazirite for the day of the fulfilling of the days of his separation: one will bring him to the doorway of the tent of the assembly. He will present his offering to Yahweh, one ram-lamb in its first year without defect as a burnt offering, and one ewe-lamb in its first year without defect as a sin offering, and one ram without defect as a fellowship offering; and a basket of unleavened bread, finely milled flour of ring-shaped bread cakes mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their libations. The priest will present before Yahweh and offer his sin offering, his burnt offering; he will offer a ram as a sacrifice of a fellowship offering to Yahweh, in addition to the basket of the unleavened bread; the priest will offer his grain offering and his libation. The Nazirite will shave off the hair of his consecrated head at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and he will take the hair of his consecrated head, and he will put it on the fire that is beneath the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. The priest will take the shoulder from the ram that is boiled, and one ring-shaped bread cake of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and he will put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head. The priest will wave them as a wave offering before the presence of Yahweh; they are a holy object to the priest, in addition to the breast section of the wave offering, and in addition to the upper thigh of the contribution; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.
“ ‘This is the regulation of the Nazirite who has made a vow of his offering to Yahweh according to his separation, in addition to what he can afford. In accordance to the word of his vow that he vowed, he will do, concerning the instruction of his separation.’ ”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘You will bless the Israelites: You will say to them:
Yahweh will bless you
and keep you;
Yahweh will make shine his face on you
and be gracious to you;
Yahweh will lift up his face upon you,
and he will give you peace.’
And they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle and appointed and consecrated it and all its vessels, and the altar and its vessels, and he appointed them and consecrated them, the leaders of Israel, the heads of the families, presented an offering; they were the leaders of the tribes and were the ones in charge of the counting. They brought their offering before the presence of Yahweh, six covered utility carts and twelve cattle, a utility cart for two of the leaders, and a bull for each; and they presented them before the tabernacle. Yahweh said to Moses, saying, “Take them, and they will be used to do the work of the tent of the assembly; and you will give them to the Levites, each according to his required service.” So Moses took the utility carts and the cattle, and he gave them to the Levites. Two utility carts and four cattle he gave to the descendants of Gershon according to their required service; and four utility carts and eight cattle he gave to the descendants of Merari according to their required service, under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. But to the descendants of Kohath he did not give anything because the work of the sanctuary they carried upon them on their shoulders.
The leaders presented offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day of its anointing, and the leaders presented their offerings before the altar. Yahweh said to Moses, “One leader for each day will present their offering for the dedication of the altar.”
And it happened, the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah. His offering was one plate of silver—its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, one male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and as a sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.
On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering. He presented as his offering one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking wine weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering. One dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.
On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the descendants of Zebulun: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking wine weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.
On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the descendants of Reuben: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.
On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the descendants of Simeon: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the descendants of Gad: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.
On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the descendants of Ephraim: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.
On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the descendants of Manasseh: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the descendants of Benjamin: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.
On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the descendants of Dan: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, leader of the descendants of Asher: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.
On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, leader of the descendants of Naphtali: his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; one young bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year as a burnt offering; one he-goat as a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.
This was the dedication of the altar on the day of anointing it, from the leaders of Israel: twelve silver plates, twelve silver bowls for drinking wine, twelve golden dishes; each plate of silver weighed one hundred and thirty shekels, and each bowl for drinking seventy, all the silver of the vessels two thousand four hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel; the twelve golden dishes filled with incense, each dish weighing ten shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, all the gold of the dishes one hundred and twenty; all the cattle for the burnt offering twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve male lambs in their first year, and their grain offering; and twelve he-goats as a sin offering; and all the cattle of the sacrifice of the fellowship offering twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty he-goats, sixty male lambs in their first year. These were the dedication of the altar after its anointing.
And when Moses came to the tent of assembly to speak with him, he would hear the voice speaking to him from the atonement cover, which is on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, and he would speak to him.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron, and say to him: ‘When you are setting up the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in front of the face of the lampstand.’ ” And Aaron did so; he set up the lampstand in front of the face of its lamps, just as Yahweh commanded Moses. And this is how the lampstand was made, a hammered-work of gold; from its base up to its blossom, it was hammered-work according to the pattern that Yahweh showed Moses; so he made the lampstand.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the Levites from the midst of the Israelites and purify them. So you will do to them, to purify them: sprinkle on them waters of purification, and they will shave their whole body and wash their garments. And they will take a young bull and its grain offering of finely milled flour mixed with oil, and you will take a second young bull as a sin offering. You will bring the Levites before the tent of assembly, and you will summon the entire community of the Israelites. And you will bring the Levites before Yahweh, and the Israelites will lay their hands on the Levites, and Aaron will offer the Levites as a wave offering before Yahweh from the Israelites, and they will do the work of Yahweh. And the Levites will lay their hands on the head of the one bull and offer it as a sin offering and the other one as a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites. And you will present the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and he will offer them as a wave offering to Yahweh.
“And you will separate the Levites from the midst of the Israelites, and the Levites will be for me. And after this the Levites will come to serve at the tent of assembly, and you will purify them, and you will offer them as a wave offering. For they are given to me exclusively from the midst of the Israelites. I have taken them for myself in place of the firstborn of every womb, every firstborn from the Israelites. For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both humankind and animal. On the day I destroyed every firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them to me, and I have taken the Levites in the place of every firstborn among the Israelites. And I have given the Levites; they are given to Aaron and his sons from the midst of the Israelites to do the work of the Israelites in the tent of the assembly and to make atonement for the Israelites, so a plague will not be among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary.”
And Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites did to the Levites; everything that Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the Israelites did to them. And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their garments, and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before Yahweh; and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them. After this the Levites came to do their work in the tent of assembly before Aaron and his sons. Just as Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “This is what is for the Levites: those twenty-five years old and above will come to help with the service in the work of the tent of assembly; and those fifty years old will return from the service of the work and will serve no longer. They can attend their brothers in the tent of assembly to keep their responsibilities, but they will not do work. This is what you will do concerning the Levites and their responsibilities.”
Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the second year after they came out from the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying, “Let the Israelites observe the Passover at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month at twilight you will perform it at its appointed time according to all its decrees; and according to all its stipulations you will observe it.” So Moses spoke to the Israelites to observe the Passover. And they observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight in the desert of Sinai. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, thus the Israelites did.
And it happened, men who were unclean by a dead person were not able to perform the Passover on that day. And they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. And those men said to him, “Although we are unclean by a dead person, why are we hindered from presenting the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time in the midst of the Israelites?” Moses said to them, “Stay. I will hear what Yahweh commands to you.”
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Each man that is unclean by a dead person or is on a far journey, you or your descendants, he will observe the Passover of Yahweh. On the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they will observe it; they will eat it with unleavened bread and bitter plants. They will leave none of it until morning, and they will not break a bone in it; they will observe it according to every decree of the Passover. But the man who is clean and not on a journey, and he fails to observe the Passover, that person will be cut off from the people because he did not present the offering of Yahweh on its appointed time. That man will bear his guilt. If an alien dwells with you he will observe the Passover of Yahweh according to the decree of the Passover and according to its stipulation; thus you will have one decree for you, for the alien and for the native of the land.’ ”
And on a day setting up the tabernacle, the cloud covered the tent of the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; in the evening it was on the tabernacle as an appearance of fire until morning. So it was continually; the cloud would cover it and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud lifted up from on the tent, after that the Israelites would set out, and in the place where the cloud dwelled, there the Israelites camped. On the command of Yahweh the Israelites would set out, and on the command of Yahweh they encamped; all the days that the cloud dwelled on the tabernacle they encamped. And when the cloud prolonged on the tabernacle many days the Israelites kept the kept requirement of Yahweh and did not set out. When the cloud remained a number of days on the tabernacle, on the command of Yahweh they encamped; and on the command of Yahweh they set out. When the cloud remained from evening until morning, and the cloud lifted up in the morning, they would set out, or if it remained in the daytime and at night, when the cloud lifted up they set out. When it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud prolonged to dwell on the tabernacle, the Israelites encamped, and they did not set out; when it lifted up they set out. On the command of Yahweh they encamped, and on the command of Yahweh they set out. They kept the requirement of Yahweh, on the command of Yahweh in the hand of Moses.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Make yourself two silver trumpets; make them of hammered-work. You will use them for calling the community and for breaking the camp. You will blow them, and all the community will assemble to the doorway of the tent of assembly. But if they blow only one, the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will assemble to you. When you will blow a blast, the camps that are camping on the east will set out; when you blow a second blast, the camps that are camping on the south will set out; they will blow a blast for their journeys. But when summoning the assembly, you will blow, but you will not signal with a loud noise. The sons of Aaron, the priests, will blow on the trumpets; this will be an eternal decree for your generations. If you go to war in your land against the enemy who attacks you, you will signal with a loud noise on the trumpets. You will be remembered before Yahweh your God, and you will be rescued from your enemies.
“And on the day of your joy and in your appointed times, at the beginning of your months, you will blow on the trumpets in addition to your burnt offerings and in addition to the sacrifices of your fellowship offerings. And they will be as a memorial for you before your God; I am Yahweh your God.”
And it happened, in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month the cloud was lifted from upon the tabernacle of the testimony. And the Israelites set out for their journey from the desert of Sinai, and the cloud dwelled in the desert of Paran. They set out for the first time on the command of Yahweh in the hand of Moses. The standard of the camp of the descendants of Judah set out for the first time according to their divisions, with Nahshon son of Amminadab over its division. And Nathanel son of Zuar was over the division of the descendants of Issachar; Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of the descendants of Zebulun.
The tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, the bearers of the tabernacle, set out. And the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their divisions; Elizur son of Shedeur was over their division. Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the sons of the tribe of Simeon. Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of the descendants of Gad.
The Kohathites, the bearers of the sanctuary, set out, and they set up the tabernacle before they arrived. And the stand of the camp of the descendants of Ephraim set out according to their divisions; Elishama son of Ammihud was over its division. Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of the descendants of Manasseh. Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of the descendants of Benjamin.
Then the standard of the camp of the descendants of Dan, who formed a rear guard for all the camps, set out according to their divisions; Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was over its division. Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of the descendants of Asher. Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of the descendants of Naphtali. These were the departures of the Israelites according to their divisions; and so they set out.
Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses, “We are setting out to the place that Yahweh said, ‘I will give it to you’; go with us, and we will treat you well because Yahweh promised good concerning Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go. I will only go to my land and to my family.” He said, “Please, do not abandon us because you know our encampment in the desert, and you should be our guide. Moreover, if you go with us, the good that Yahweh will do to us we will do to you.”
And so they set out from the mountain of Yahweh a journey of three days, with the ark of the covenant of Yahweh setting out ahead of them three days’ journey to search out a resting place for them; and the cloud of Yahweh was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
And whenever the ark was setting out Moses would say,
“Rise up, Yahweh!
May your enemies be scattered;
may the ones that hate you flee from your presence.”
And when it rested he would say,
“Return, Yahweh,
to the countless thousands of Israel.”
And it happened, the people were like those who complain of hardship in the hearing of Yahweh, and Yahweh became angry, and the fire of Yahweh burned among them, and it consumed the edge of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire died down. And he called the name of that place Taberah because the fire of Yahweh burned among them.
The riff-raff that were in their midst had a strong desire; and the Israelites turned back and also wept, and they said, “Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumber, melon, leek, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up; there is nothing whatsoever except for the manna before us.”
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its outward appearance was like that of bdellium-gum. The people went about and gathered it, and they ground it with mills or crushed it with mortar. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into bread-cakes; and it tasted like olive oil cakes. When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna came down with it.
Moses heard the people weeping according to their clans, each at the doorway of their tents. Then Yahweh became very angry, and in the eyes of Moses it was bad. And Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you brought trouble to your servant? Why have I not found favor in your eyes, that the burdens of all these people have been placed on me? Did I conceive all these people? If I have fathered them, that you could say to me, ‘Carry them in your lap, just as a foster-father carries the suckling on the land that you swore an oath to their ancestors?’ From where do I have meat to give all these people? They weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat and let us eat!’ I am not able to carry all these people along alone; they are too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please kill me immediately if I find favor in your eyes, and do not let me see my misery.”
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know are elders of the people and their officials; take them to the tent of assembly, and they will stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there; I will take away from the spirit that is on you, and I will place it on them; and they will bear the burdens of the people with you; you will not bear it alone. And you will say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves tomorrow, for you will eat meat because you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, “Who will feed us good meat? It was good for us in Egypt.” Yahweh will give to you meat, and you will eat. You will eat, not one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but for a whole month, until it comes out from your nose and becomes as nausea to you; because you have rejected Yahweh, who is in your midst, and you wept before his presence, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ’ ” But Moses said, “There are six hundred thousand on foot, among whom I am in the midst, and you yourself said, ‘I will give meat to them, and they will eat for a whole month.’ Should flocks and cattle be slaughtered for them? Should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be enough for them?” And Yahweh said to Moses, “Is Yahweh’s power limited? Now you will see if my word will happen or not.”
So Moses went out, and he spoke the words of Yahweh to the people, and he gathered together seventy men from the elders of the people, and he made them stand all around the tent. Then Yahweh went down in the cloud and spoke to him, and he took away the spirit that was on him, and he put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the spirit was resting on them they prophesied, but they did not do it again.
But two men were left in the camp; the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the second was Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those who were written down, but they did not go out to the tent, so they prophesied in the camp. So a boy ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from time of his youth, answered, “Moses, my lord, stop them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that he give all Yahweh’s people prophets, that Yahweh put his spirit on them!” Then Moses and the elders of Israel were gathered to the camp.
Then a wind set out from Yahweh, and it drove quails from the west, and he spread them out on the camp about a day’s journey on one side and about a day’s journey on the other, all around the camp, about two cubits on the surface of the land. And so the people worked all day and all night and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the least of the ones collecting gathered ten homers). While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was consumed, Yahweh was angry with the people, and Yahweh struck a very great plague among the people. And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah because they buried the people that were greedy. From Kibroth Hattaavah the people set out to Hazeroth; and they stayed in Hazeroth.
And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he took (because he took a Cushite wife); and they said, “Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has not Yahweh also spoken through us?” And Yahweh heard it. Now the man, Moses, was more humble than any other person on the face of the earth, and Yahweh said suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Go out, you three, to the tent of assembly.” So the three of them went out. And Yahweh went down in a column of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and he called Aaron and Miriam, and the two of them went, and he said,
“Please hear my words:
If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh,
will make myself known to him in a vision.
I will speak to him in a dream.
Not so with my servant Moses;
in all my house he is faithful.
I will speak to him mouth to mouth,
in clearness, not in riddles;
and he will look at the form of Yahweh.
Why were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”
And Yahweh became very angry with them, and he went away. And the cloud departed from on the tent, and behold, Miriam was infected with a skin disease white like snow; when Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was afflicted with a skin disease. So Aaron said to Moses, “Please, my lord, please do not put on us this sin in which we were foolish and in which we have sinned. Please do not let her be like the dead, whose flesh is half consumed when coming out from the womb of its mother.” And Moses cried to Yahweh, saying, “God, please heal her!” But Yahweh said to Moses, “If her father had surely spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be confined for seven days to an outside place of the camp, and afterward she may be gathered.” So Miriam was confined to the outside place of the camp seven days, and the people did not set out until Miriam was gathered. And afterward the people set out from Hazeroth, and they encamped in the desert of Paran.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Send for yourself men, and let them explore the land of Canaan, which I am about to give to the Israelites; from each tribe of his father send one man, everyone a leader among them.” So Moses sent them from the desert of Paran on the command of Yahweh; all of the men were leaders of the Israelites. And these are their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun; from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu; from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi son of Susi; from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli; from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki. These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to explore the land. And Moses called Hoshea son of Nun Joshua.
Moses sent them to explore the land of Canaan, and he said to them, “Go up like this to the Negev, and go up into the hill country, and you will see what the land is like and if the people who inhabit it are strong or weak, or whether they are few or many, and whether the land that they are inhabiting is good or bad, and whether the cities they are inhabiting are camps or fortifications, and whether the land is fertile or lean, and whether there are trees on it or not. You will show yourself courageous, and you will take some of the fruit of the land.” It was the time of first ripe grapes.
So they went up and explored the land from the desert of Zin until Rehob, at Lebo Hamath. They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai the descendants of the Anakites were. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came up to the valley of Eshcol, and they cut off a vine branch and one cluster of grapes from there; they carried it on a pole between two men, with pomegranates and figs. That place he called the valley of Eshcol on account of the cluster of grapes that the Israelites cut off from there.
They returned from exploring the land at the end of forty days. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to the entire community of the Israelites in the desert of Paran at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the community, and they showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, “We came to the land that you sent us, and it is flowing of milk and honey; this is its fruit. Yet the people who are inhabiting it are strong and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the descendants of the Anakites there. The Amalekites are living in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and the Amorites are living in the hill country; and the Canaanites are living at the sea and on the banks of the Jordan.”
And Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “Surely, let us go up and let us take possession of it because surely we will be able to prevail over it.” And the men who went up with him said, “We are not able to go up to the people because they are stronger than us.” And they presented the report of the land that they explored to the Israelites, saying, “The land that we went through to explore is a land that eats its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in its midst are men of great size. There we saw the Nephilim (the descendants of Anak came from the Nephilim), and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their eyes.”
Then all the community lifted up their voices, and the people wept during that night. And all the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and all the community said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt or in this desert! Why did Yahweh bring us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little children will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” They said to each other, “Let us appoint a leader, and we will return to Egypt.”
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembly of the community of the Israelites. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the explorers of the land, tore their garments. And they said to all the community of the Israelites, “The land that we went through to explore is an exceptionally good land. If Yahweh delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and he will give it to us, a land that is flowing with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against Yahweh, and you will not fear the people of the land, because they will be our food. Their protection has been turned from them; Yahweh is with us. You should not fear them.” And all the community said to stone them with stones, but the glory of Yahweh appeared in the tent of assembly among the Israelites.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “How long until this people will despise me, and how long until they will not believe in me, and in all the signs that I have done in their midst? I will strike them with disease, and I will dispossess them; I will make you into a greater and stronger nation than them.”
And Moses said to Yahweh, “Then the Egyptians will hear that you brought up this people from their midst in your power, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They heard that you, Yahweh, are in the midst of this people, that you are seen eye to eye, and your cloud is standing over them, and in a column of cloud you go before them by day and in a column of fire at night. But if you destroy this people all at once, the nations that will have heard your message will say, ‘Yahweh was unable to bring this people in the land that he swore by an oath, and he slaughtered them in the desert.’ But now, please, let the power of my Lord be great, just as you spoke,
‘Yahweh is slow to anger
and great of loyal love,
forgiving sin and rebellion;
but surely he leaves nothing unpunished,
visiting the sin of the fathers on the sons
to the third and fourth generations.’
Please forgive the sin of this people according to the greatness of your loyal love, just as you forgave this people, from Egypt until now.”
Yahweh said, “I have forgiven them according to your word; but as I am alive, the glory of Yahweh will fill all the earth. But because all the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the desert yet tested me these ten times and did not listen to my voice, they will not see the land that I swore by oath to their ancestors, and all those who despised me will not see it. But my servant Caleb, because another spirit was with him, he remained true after me, and I will bring him into the land that he entered, and his offspring will take possession of it. And the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; tomorrow turn and set out for the desert by way of the Red Sea.”
And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “How long will I bear this evil community who are grumbling against me? I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites which they are making against me. Say to them, ‘Surely as I live,’ declares Yahweh, ‘just as you spoke in my hearing, so I will do to you; in this desert your corpses will fall, and all your counted ones, according to all your number, from twenty years old and above who grumbled against me. You yourselves will not come into the land that I swore by oath to make you to dwell in it, but Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. But your little children, whom you said would be plunder, I will bring them, and they will know the land that you rejected. But for you, all your corpses will fall in this desert. And your children will be shepherds in the desert forty years, and you will bear your unfaithfulness until all your corpses have fallen in the desert. According to the number of the days that you explored the land, forty days, a day for each year, you will bear your sins forty years, and you will know my opposition.’ I, Yahweh, have spoken; I will surely do this to all this evil community who has banded together against me. In this desert they will come to an end, and there they will die.”
As for the men whom Moses sent to explore the land, who returned and made the community grumble against him by spreading a report over the land, the men who spread the evil report of the land died by the plague before Yahweh. But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh lived from among the men who went to explore the land.
And Moses spoke words to all the Israelites, and the people mourned greatly. They rose early in the morning and went to the top of the mount, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that Yahweh said, because we have sinned.” But Moses said, “Why are you going against the command of Yahweh? It will not succeed. You should not go up because Yahweh is not in your midst; do not let yourselves be defeated in the presence of your enemies, because the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword; because you have turned back from Yahweh, and Yahweh will not be with you.” But they dared to go to the top of the mountain, and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and Moses did not depart from the midst of the camp. So the Amalekites and the Canaanites who were living on the mountain descended, and they beat them down, up to Hormah.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of your dwellings that I am about to give to you, you will make an offering by fire for Yahweh from the cattle or from the flock, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering or at your feasts, to make a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. And the one who presents an offering for Yahweh, he will present a grain offering of finely milled flour; a tenth will be mixed with a fourth of the liquid measure of oil; and you will add a fourth of wine for the libation upon the burnt offering, or to the sacrifice for each ram-lamb. Or for the ram you will make a grain offering of two-tenths of finely milled flour mixed into a third of a liquid measure of oil. You will present a third of the liquid measure of wine for the libation, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or a fellowship offering for Yahweh, you will present with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with half a liquid measure of oil, and you will present half a liquid measure of wine as a libation, as an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh.
“ ‘This is how it should be done for each bull, or for the each ram, or for the small four-footed mammal, or ram-lambs, or goats. According to the number that you prepare, so should you do to each according to their number. Every native must do these things to present an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. If an alien dwells among you, or whoever is in your midst throughout your generations, and prepares an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, he should do as you do. For the assembly, there will be one decree for you and for the alien who dwells among you; it is an eternal decree for all your generations. You as well as the alien will be before Yahweh. There will be one law and one stipulation for you and for the alien dwelling among you.’ ”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you come into the land to which I am about to bring you, whenever you eat from the food of the land, you will lift up a contribution to Yahweh. You must lift up a contribution of the first batch of your ring-shaped dough bread; you must lift it up as a contribution of the threshing floor. You will give to Yahweh a contribution from the first of your dough throughout your generations.
“ ‘But if you go astray and you do not follow all these commandments that Yahweh commanded to Moses, all that Yahweh commanded you by the hand of Moses from the day that Yahweh commanded and beyond, throughout your generations, and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the community, then the entire community must prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, and its grain offering and its libation, according to the stipulation, and one male goat as a sin offering. The priest will make atonement for all of the community of the Israelites, and they will be forgiven because it was unintentional; they will bring their offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, their sin offering before Yahweh for their unintentional sin. All of the community of the Israelites will be forgiven, as well as the alien that dwells in their midst, because the whole community was involved in the unintentional wrong.
“ ‘If one person sins unintentionally, that person will present a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for the person who sinned unintentionally before Yahweh, to make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. For the native among the Israelites and the alien that dwells in their midst, there will be one law for anyone who commits an unintentional wrong. But the one who acts presumptuously from among the native or alien blasphemes against Yahweh, and that person must be cut off from the midst of the people. Because he despised the word of Yahweh and broke his command, that person will be surely cut off and bear the guilt.’ ”
When the Israelites were in the desert, they found a man who was gathering wood on the day of the Sabbath. The ones who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and to all the community. And they put him under watch because it was not made clear what should be done to him. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Surely the man must be put to death by stoning him; all the community must stone him with stones from outside the camp.” So the entire community brought him out to a place outside the camp, and they stoned him to death just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to make for themselves tassels on the hems of their garments throughout their generations and to put a blue cord on the tassel of the hem. You will have a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commands of Yahweh and do them, and not follow after the unfaithfulness of your own heart and eyes, so that you will remember and do all my commandments, and you will be holy for your God. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am Yahweh your God.”
Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, the descendants of Reuben, took two hundred and fifty men from the Israelites, leaders of the community summoned from the assembly, renowned men, and they confronted Moses. They were assembled in front of Moses and Aaron, and they said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves! All of the community is holy, every one of them, and Yahweh is in their midst, so why do you raise yourselves over the assembly of Yahweh?”
When Moses heard this, he fell on his face. And he said to Korah and to his entire company, saying, “Tomorrow morning Yahweh will make known who is his and who is holy, and he will bring him near to him, whomever he chooses he will bring near to him. Do this: take for yourselves censers, Korah and all of your company; tomorrow put fire in them and place incense on them before Yahweh; the man whom Yahweh chooses will be the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi!”
And Moses said to Korah, “Please listen, sons of Levi! Is it too little for you that the God of Israel set you apart from the community of Israel to allow you to approach him to do the work of the tabernacle of Yahweh, to stand before the community to serve them? He has allowed you to approach him, you with all your brothers, the descendants of Levi, but yet you also seek the priesthood. Therefore you and your company have banded together against Yahweh. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”
Moses sent to call for Dathan and Abiram son of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! Is it too little that you have brought us from a land that flows with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, and that you also appoint yourself as a ruler over us? Surely, you have not brought us to a land that flows with milk and honey, and you have not given us the inheritance of fields and a vineyard. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!”
Then Moses became angry, and he said to Yahweh, “Do not notice their grain offering. I have not offered one donkey from them, and I have not mistreated one of them.” And Moses said to Korah, “You and your entire company will be before Yahweh tomorrow, you and they and Aaron. Each one take his censer, and put incense on it and you will present it before Yahweh, and each of you bring his censer, two hundred and fifty censers, you and Aaron, each his censer.” So each of them took his censer, and they put fire on them, and they placed incense on them; they stood at the doorway of the tent of the assembly of Moses and Aaron. And Korah summoned them, the entire community, by the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the community.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from the midst of this community, that I can destroy them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces, and they said, “God, God of the spirits of all flesh, will one man sin and you become angry toward the entire community?”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the community, saying, ‘Move away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ” So Moses stood up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed after him. He said to the community, saying, “Please turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be destroyed with all their sins.” And so they moved away from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out standing at the doorway of their tents, with their wives, sons, and little children. And Moses said, “In this you will know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works; it is not from my heart. If they die a natural death or if a natural fate is visited upon them, Yahweh has not sent me. But if Yahweh creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up and all that belongs to them, and they go down alive to Sheol, and you will know that these men have despised Yahweh.”
And it happened, as soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open. The land opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their houses and every person that belonged to Korah and all the property. They went down alive to Sheol, they and all that belonged to them, and the land covered over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. All Israel who were around them fled at their cry, because they said, “Lest the land swallow us up!” And fire went out from Yahweh, and it consumed the two hundred and fifty men presenting the incense.
And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, ‘Take out the censers from among the place of burning because they are sacred, and scatter the fire outside. The censers of these who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into gilded leafing plating for the altar; because they presented them before Yahweh, they are holy; and they will be a sign for the Israelites.’ ” Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that the ones who were burned presented, and they hammered them out thinly as plating for the altar; it was a memorial for the Israelites, so that no strange man who is not from the offspring of Aaron should approach the presence of Yahweh to burn a smoke offering; he will not be like Korah and his company, just as Yahweh had spoken to him by the hand of Moses.
The next day all the community of the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of Yahweh!” Then, when the community had gathered against Moses and Aaron, they turned to the tent of assembly, and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared. And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of assembly, and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from the midst of this community, and I will finish them in an instant,” but they fell on their faces. And Moses and Aaron said, “Take the censer, and put fire on it from the altar. Place incense on it, and bring it quickly to the community, and make atonement for them, because wrath went out from the presence of Yahweh, and a plague has begun.” And so Aaron took it just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people; so he gave the incense and made atonement for the people. He stood between the dead and between the living, and the plague was stopped. Those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died on account of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the plague was stopped.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and take from among them twelve staffs, a staff from each family from among all their leaders according to their families’ households. Write the name of each man on his staff, and the name of Aaron on the staff of Levi, because one staff is for the head of each of their families. You must then put them in the tent of assembly before the testimony where I meet with you. And it will happen, the man whom I will choose, his staff will blossom, and so I will rid from upon myself the grumblings of the Israelites, who are grumbling against you.” Moses spoke to the Israelites, and all their leaders gave him a staff for each leader, one from each of their families, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was in the midst of their tribes. And Moses put the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of testimony.
Then the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi blossomed and put forth a flower and produced blossoms, and it produced almonds. Then Moses brought out to all the Israelites all the staffs before the presence of Yahweh, and they saw, and each man took his staff. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring back the staff of Aaron before the testimony as a guard and sign for the children of rebellion, and let them finish their grumblings before me and not die.” So Moses did; just as Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
And the Israelites said to Moses, saying, “Look! We will die! We will be destroyed! All of us will perish! Anyone who approaches the tabernacle of Yahweh will die. Will we all die?”
Yahweh said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your family with you will bear the guilt of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will bear the guilt of your priesthood. Moreover, bring your brothers with you, the tribe of Levi the tribe of your father, that they may be joined to you and minister to you, you and your sons with you before the tent of testimony. They will keep your responsibility and the responsibility of all the tent, only they may not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, so both you and they will not die. They will be joined to you, and they will keep the responsibility of the tent of assembly for the entire service of the tent; a stranger may not come near you. You will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, and there will no longer be wrath on the Israelites. Look, I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from the midst of the children. They are a gift to you given from Yahweh to perform the work of the tent of assembly. But you with your sons will keep your priesthood to perform your priestly duties for everything at the altar and for the area behind the curtain. I give you the priesthood as a gift, but the stranger who approaches will be put to death.”
Yahweh spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I myself have given to you the responsibility of my contributions for all the holy objects of the Israelites; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons as an eternal decree. This will be for you from the sanctuary of the holy things from the fire; all of their offerings, from every grain offering, from every sin offering, and from every guilt offering which they will bring to me is a most holy thing for you and your sons. You will eat it in the most holy place; every male will eat it. It will be a holy object to you. This is also for you: the contribution of their gift of the wave offerings of the children Israel. I have given them to you and your sons and your daughters with you as an eternal decree; whoever is clean in your house may eat it. All the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and their best grain that they have given to Yahweh, I have given them to you. The firstfruits of all that is in their land that they present to Yahweh will be for you; whoever is clean in your house may eat it. All consecrated possessions in Israel will be for you. All the first offspring of a womb of any creature that they offer to Yahweh, whether human or animal, will be yours; you will surely redeem the firstborn of the human and the unclean firstborn of the animal. As to their price of redemption, from a one-month-old you will redeem them according to your proper value, five shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerah. Only the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat you will not redeem; they are holy. Their blood you will sprinkle over the altar, and their fat you will turn into smoke as an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. But their flesh will be for you like the breast section of the wave offering, and it will be for you like the right upper thigh. All the contributions of holiness that the Israelites offer to Yahweh I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you as an eternal decree; it is an eternal covenant of salt before Yahweh to you and your offspring with you.” Then Yahweh said to Aaron, “You will not receive an inheritance in their land, and there will not be a plot of ground for you in the midst of the Israelites.
“Behold, I have given to the descendants of Levi every tithe in Israel as an inheritance in return for their service, which they are doing, the work of the tent of assembly. The Israelites will not come near again to the tent of assembly, or they will bear sin and die. The Levites will perform the service of the tent of assembly, and they will bear their guilt, an eternal decree for all your generations. But they will not receive an inheritance in the midst of the Israelites because the tithes of the Israelites that are offered to Yahweh as a contribution, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I said to them, ‘They will not receive an inheritance in the midst of the Israelites.’ ”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “You will speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you receive the tithe from the Israelites that I have given to you from them for your inheritance, you will present a contribution from it to Yahweh, a tithe from a tithe. Your contribution will be credited to you like the grain from the threshing floor and like the produce from the press. So you will present your own contribution to Yahweh from all your tithes that you receive from the Israelites; from it you will give the contribution of Yahweh to Aaron the priest. From all your gifts you will present every contribution of Yahweh, from all its fat, the part that is sacred.’ You will say to them, ‘When you are presenting its fat, the rest will be credited to the Levites like a yield of the threshing floor and like a yield from the press. You may eat it anywhere, you and your household, because it is a wage in return for your service in the tent of assembly. You will not bear any sin because you have presented its fat; you will not defile the holy objects of the Israelites, or you will die.’ ”
And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “This is the decree of the law that Yahweh has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the Israelites and let them take to you a red heifer without a physical defect, on which a yoke has not been placed. And you will give it to Eleazar the priest, and it will be brought out to a place outside the camp, and it will be slaughtered in his presence. Then Eleazar the priest will take some of its blood on his finger and spatter it toward the mouth of the tent of assembly seven times. The heifer will be burned in his sight; its skin, its meat, and its blood, in addition to its offal, will burn. The priest will take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson thread, and he will throw them in the midst of the burning heifer. The priest will wash his garments and his body in the water, and afterward he will come to the camp; the priest will be unclean until the evening. The one who burns it will wash his garments and his body in water; he will be unclean until the evening. A clean man will gather the ashes of the heifer, and he will put them in a clean place outside the camp; it will be for the community of the Israelites as a requirement for waters of impurity; it is a purification offering. The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer will wash his garments; he will be unclean until evening. It will be an eternal decree for the Israelites and for one who dwells as an alien in their midst.
“ ‘The one who touches a corpse of any person will be unclean for seven days. He will purify himself on the third day, and on the seventh day he will be clean. If he does not purify himself on the third day, he will not be clean on the seventh day. Anyone who touches a corpse, the person of a human being who died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of Yahweh, and that person will be cut off from Israel because the waters of impurity were not sprinkled on him. He will still be unclean, and uncleanness is on him.
“ ‘This is the law of a person who dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and all who are in the tent will be unclean seven days. Every container that is opened that does not have a lid cord on it is unclean. Anyone in the open field who touches one who has been slain, or a corpse, or a bone of a person, or a burial site, he will be unclean for seven days. For the unclean person they will take from the powder of the burnt purification offering, and they will put running water into a container. A clean person will take hyssop and dip it into the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the objects and persons who were there, and on one who touched the bone, or the one slain, or the dead, or the burial site. The clean person will spatter the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he will purify him, and he will wash his garments; he will bathe in the waters, and in the evening he will be clean. But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from the midst of the assembly because he defiled the sanctuary of Yahweh; the water of impurity was not sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
“ ‘It will be an eternal decree for them. The one who spatters the waters of impurity will wash his garments, and the one who touches the waters of impurity will be unclean until the evening. Anything that the unclean person touches will be unclean, and the person who touches it will be unclean until the evening.’ ”
Then the entire community of the Israelites came to the desert of Zin on the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; Miriam died and was buried there.
There was no water for the community, and they were gathered before Moses and Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we died when our brothers were dying before Yahweh! Why have you brought the assembly of Yahweh, us and our livestock, into this desert to die here? Why have you brought us from Egypt to bring us to this bad place? It is not a place of seed or figs or vines or pomegranate trees, and there is not water to drink.” And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of assembly. They fell on their faces, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to them. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the staff and summon the community, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give water. Bring out for them water from the rock, and let the community and their livestock drink.”
So Moses took the staff from before Yahweh just as he command him, and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly to the presence of the rock, and he said to them, “Please listen, you rebels; can we bring out water for you from this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice. And abundant water went out, and the community and their livestock drank. But Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not trusted in me, to regard me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given to them.” Those were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with Yahweh, and he showed himself holy among them.
From Kadesh Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has found us; our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors. Then we cried to Yahweh, and he heard our voice; he sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt. And look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. Please let us go through your land. We will not go through a field or vineyard, and we will not drink water from a well. We will go along the road of the king; we will not turn aside right or left until we have gone through your territory.’ ”
Then Edom said to him, “You will not pass through us lest we will go out to meet you with the sword.” The Israelites said to him, “We will go up on the main road, and if we and our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. It is only a small matter; let us pass through on our feet.” But he said, “You will not go through.” And Edom went out to meet them with a large army and a strong hand. So Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, and Israel turned aside from him.
And they set out from Kadesh. The Israelites, the whole community, came to Mount Hor. Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron on Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom, saying, “Let Aaron be gathered to his people; he will not come into the land that I have given to the Israelites because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and take them up Mount Hor. Strip off Aaron’s garments, and put them on Eleazar his son; Aaron will be gathered to his people, and he will die there.” So Moses did just as Yahweh commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor before the eyes of all the community. And Moses stripped off Aaron’s garments and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain; and Moses and Eleazar went down from the mountain. All the community saw that Aaron died; so all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.
The Canaanite king of Arad, who was dwelling in the Negev, heard that Israel came along the way of Atharim; he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. Israel made a vow to Yahweh, and they said, “If you will surely give this people into our hand, then we will destroy their cities.” Yahweh heard the voice of Israel; he gave to them the Canaanites, and they destroyed them and their cities. They called the name of the place Hormah.
They set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient along the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us from Egypt to die in the desert? There is no food and no water, and our hearts detest this miserable food.”
And Yahweh sent among the people poisonous snakes; they bit the people, and many people from Israel died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh and let him remove the snakes from among us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Make for yourself a snake and place it on a pole. When anyone is bitten and looks at it, that person will live.” So Moses made a snake of bronze, and he placed it on the pole; whenever a snake bit someone, and that person looked at the snake of bronze, he lived.
The Israelites set out and encamped at Oboth. They set out from Oboth and encamped at Iye Abarim in the desert, which was in front of Moab toward the sunrise. From there they set out and encamped at the valley of Zered. From there they set out and encamped beyond Arnon, which is in the desert that goes out from the boundary of the Amorites, because Arnon is the boundary of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. Therefore thus it is said in the scroll of the Wars of Yahweh,
“Waheb in Suphah,
and the wadis of Arnon,
and the slope of the wadis
that spreads out to the dwelling of Ar
and lies at the boundary of Moab.”
From there they went to Beer, which is the water well where Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Gather the people, that I may give them water.” Then Israel sang this song, “Arise, well water! Sing to it! Well water that the princes dug, that the leaders of the people dug, with a staff and with their rods.” And from the desert they continued to Mattanah, and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the territory of Moab, by the top of Pisgah, which overlooks the surface of the wasteland.
Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, saying, “Let us go through your land; we will not turn aside into a field or vineyard; we will not drink well water along the way of the king until we have gone through your territory.” But Sihon did not allow Israel to go through his territory. Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel; he came to the desert, to Jahaz, and he fought against Israel. But Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and they took possession of his land from Arnon to Jabbok, until the Ammonites, because the boundary of the Ammonites was strong. Israel took all these cities, and Israel inhabited all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its environs. Because Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land from his hand until Arnon. Thus the ones who quote proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
And let the city of Sihon be established.
Because fire went out from Heshbon,
a flame from the city of Sihon;
it consumed Ar of Moab,
the lords of the high places of Arnon.
Woe to you, Moab!
You have perished, people of Chemosh.
He has given his sons as fugitives,
and his daughters into captivity,
to the king of the Amorites, Sihon.
We destroyed them;
Heshbon has perished up to Dibon;
we laid waste up to Nophah,
which reaches Medeba.”
Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. Moses sent to explore Jaazer; they captured its environs and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
Then they turned and went up by the way of the Bashan, and Og king of the Bashan and all his people went out to meet them for battle at Edrei. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Do not fear him because I will give him and all his people and all his land into your hand. You will do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who was living in Heshbon.” And so they destroyed him and his sons, and all his people until they had not spared a survivor; and they took possession of his land.
The Israelites set out, and they encamped on the desert-plateau of Moab, across from Jericho beyond the Jordan. Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel did to the Amorites, and Moab was very terrified in the presence of the people because they were numerous; and Moab dreaded the presence of the Israelites. And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now the crowd will lick up all around us, like a bull devours the grass of the field.” And Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the river, in the land of the children of his people, to summon him, saying, “Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land; they are about to dwell opposite me. Now, please go, curse this people for me because they are stronger than me; perhaps I will be able to strike them and drive them out from the land because I know whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you cursed is cursed.”
So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with a fee for divination in their hand; they came to Balaam and spoke the words of Balak to him. He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will return, and I will return word to you, just as Yahweh speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” And Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent word to me, ‘Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land. Now, go, curse them for me. Perhaps I will be able to attack them and drive them out.” God said to Balaam, “You will not go with them; you will not curse the people, because they are blessed.” Balaam got up in the morning, and he said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, because Yahweh refused to allow me to go with you.” The princes of Moab got up and went to Balak, and they said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Balak again sent many princes, who were more honored than the former. They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor, ‘Please, let nothing keep you from coming to me because I will surely honor you greatly, and all that you say to me I will do. Please, come; curse this people for me.’ ” Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Even though Balak gives to me his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond the command of Yahweh my God to do a little or a lot. And now please, you also stay here the night, and let me find out again what Yahweh will say with me.” And God came to Balaam at night, and he said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but only the word that I will speak to you, you will do.” So Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey, and he went with the princes of Moab.
But God became angry because he was going, and the angel of Yahweh stood in the road as an adversary to him; he was riding on his donkey, and two servants were with him. The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back to the road. The angel of Yahweh stood in the narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on either side. When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she pressed herself into the wall, and she pressed the foot of Balaam into the wall, so he struck her again. Then the angel of Yahweh went further ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was not a way to turn aside to the right or left. When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she lay down under Balaam, so Balaam became angry, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What did I do to you that you struck me these three times?” Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you made a mockery of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life until this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” He said, “No.”
Then Yahweh exposed the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down and worshiped to his face. The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck this donkey three times? Look, I have come out as an adversary because your conduct is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from my face, then I would have killed you and kept her alive.” Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “I have sinned because I did not know that you were standing to meet me in the road. Now, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” The angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I will speak to you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him by the city of Moab, which was on the boundary of Arnon at the end of the territory. And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to meet with you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to honor you?” Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I came to you now. Am I really able to speak anything at all? I speak the word that God puts in my mouth.” Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-Huzoth. And Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he sent them to Balaam and to the princes who were with him. And it happened, in the morning Balak took Balaam and took him up to Bamoth-Baal, and he saw from there the end of the nation.
Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me this: seven altars. And prepare for me this: seven bulls and seven rams.” And Balak did just as Balaam spoke, and Balak offered Balaam a bull and a ram on the altar. And Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself at your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell to you.” So he went to a barren height.
And God met with Balaam, and he said to him, “I have arranged seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.” Yahweh put a word in the mouth of Balaam and said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. And he lifted up his oracle and said,
“From Aram Balak lead me,
from the mountains of the east the king of Moab,
‘Go for me, curse Jacob,
and go, denounce Israel.’
How can I curse whom God has not cursed,
and how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?
Because from the top of the rocks I see him,
from hilltops I watch him.
Behold, a people who dwell alone,
they do not consider themselves among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob,
or as a number the fourth part of Israel?
Let my life die the death of an upright person,
and let my end be like his!”
And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have surely blessed them!” He answered and said, “Should I not speak what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”
Then Balak said, “Please walk with me to another place where you will see them, but you will only see part of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” So he took him to the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself here at the burnt offering while I myself meet with Yahweh there.” Then Yahweh met with Balaam, and he put a word in his mouth, and he said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” He came to him, and behold, he was standing at his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” Then he uttered his oracle, and said,
“Stand up, Balak, and hear;
listen to me, son of Zippor!
God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of humankind,
that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
And has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Behold, I have received a command to bless;
when he has blessed, I cannot cause it to return.
He has no regard for evil in Jacob,
and he does not see trouble in Israel;
Yahweh his God is with him,
and a shout of a king is among them.
God, who brings them out from Egypt,
is like the strength of a wild ox for them.
Because there is no sorcery against Jacob,
and there is no divination against Israel.
Now it will be said to Jacob and Israel,
what God has done!
Look! the people will rise like the lion;
he raises himself and will not lie down
until he eats the prey
and drinks the blood of the slain.”
Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, nor bless them at all!” But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Whatever Yahweh speaks I will do’?”
Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please, come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be acceptable to God, and you will curse for me from there.” So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks down on the face of the Jeshimon. And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me these seven altars, and prepare for me these seven bulls and seven rams.” Balak did just as Balaam said, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
And Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, and he did not go as other times to seek out sorcery; instead, he set his face toward the desert. Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes, and the spirit of God was upon him. He uttered his oracle and said,
“The declaration of Balaam son Beor,
the declaration of the man whose eyes are closed,
the declaration of the hearer of God’s words,
who sees the revelation of Shaddai,
falling down but whose eyes are uncovered.
How good are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwellings, O Israel!
They are spread out like valleys,
like gardens on a river,
like aloes planted by Yahweh,
like cedars at the waters.
He will pour water from his buckets,
and his offspring will be like many waters;
his king will be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom will be exalted.
God, who brings him out from Egypt,
is like the strength of a wild ox for him.
He will devour the nations who are his enemies;
he will break their bones;
he will pierce them with his arrows.
He crouches, he lies down like a lion,
and like a lioness, who will rouse him?
They who bless you will be blessed,
and they who curse you will be cursed.”
Then Balak became angry with Balaam, and he clapped his hands and said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but look, you have surely blessed them these three times. Flee to your place now. I said I would richly honor you, but look, Yahweh has withheld honor from you.” Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, ‘If Balak gave to me the fullness of his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond the command of Yahweh to do good or evil, from my heart; what Yahweh speaks, I will speak’? And now, look, I am about to go to my people; I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the following days.”
And he uttered his oracle and said,
“The declaration of Balaam son of Beor,
and the declaration of the man whose eye is closed,
the declaration of the hearer of God’s words,
and the knower of the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of Shaddai,
who is falling, and his eyes are revealed.
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
a star will go out from Jacob,
and a scepter will rise from Israel;
it will crush the foreheads of Moab
and destroy all the children of Seth.
Edom will be a captive;
Seir, its enemies, will be a captive,
and Israel will be acting courageously.
Someone from Jacob will rule
and will destroy a remnant from the city.”
And he looked at Amalek, uttered his oracle, and said,
“Amalek is first of the nations,
but his future will be forever ruin.”
And he looked at the Kenites, uttered his oracle, and said,
“Steady is your dwelling place;
in the rock is your nest.
Nevertheless, the Kenite will be burned;
how long will Asshur keep you captive?”
Again he uttered his oracle and said,
“Woe, who will live when God establishes this?
The ships will come from the hand of the Kittim,
and they will afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber;
also he will be forever ruin.”
Then Balaam got up and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.
When Israel dwelled in Shittim, the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab. And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods. So Israel was joined together to Baal Peor, and Yahweh became angry with Israel. Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them before Yahweh in the sun, so the fierce anger of Yahweh will turn from Israel.” So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who are joined together with Baal Peor.”
And behold, a man from the Israelites came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all of the community of the Israelites, and they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of assembly. When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest saw, he got up from the midst of the community and took a spear in his hand. He went after the man of Israel into the woman’s section of the tent, and he drove the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, into her belly. And the plague among the Israelites stopped. The ones who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, turned away my anger from among the Israelites when he was jealous with my jealousy in their midst, and I did not destroy the Israelites with my jealousy. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I am giving to him my covenant of peace, and it will be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of an eternal priesthood because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.’ ”
The name of the man of Israel who was struck with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of the family of the Simeonites. The name of the Midianite woman who was struck was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a leader of a tribe of the family in Midian.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Attack the Midianites and strike them because they were attacking you with their deception, with which they have deceived you on the matter of Peor and on the matter of Cozbi the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was struck on the day of the plague because of the matter of Peor.”
And it happened after the plague, Yahweh said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, saying, “Take a census of the community of the Israelites from those twenty years old and above, according to their families, all who are able to go out to war in Israel.” So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them on the desert-plateau of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying, “Take a census of the community from those twenty years old and above, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.”
The Israelites who went out from the land of Egypt were:
Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, the descendants of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites; of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites. These are the clans of the Reubenites, and the ones counted of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty. The children of Pallu: Eliab. The children of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the same Dathan and Abiram who were appointed of the community, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they rebelled against Yahweh, and the land opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, when that company died, when the fire consumed two hundred and fifty men, and they were a sign. The children of Korah, however, did not die.
The descendants of Simeon, according to their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jakin, the clan of the Jakinites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites. These were the clans of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred.
The descendants of Gad according to their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites; of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites; of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites; These were the clans of the descendants of Gad according to the ones counted of them, forty thousand five hundred.
The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The descendants of Judah according to their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites. The children of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites. These were the clans of Judah according to the ones counted of them, seventy-six thousand five hundred.
The descendants of Issachar according to their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites; of Jashub, the clans of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites. These were the clans of Issachar according to the ones counted of them, sixty-four thousand three hundred.
The descendants of Zebulun according to their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites. These were the clans of the Zebulunites according to the ones counted of them, sixty thousand five hundred.
The descendants of Joseph according to their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim. The descendants of Manasseh: of Makir, the clan of the Makirites. And Makir fathered Gilead; of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites. These were the descendants of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites; and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites; and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites. Zelophehad son of Hepher did not have sons, but only daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. These were the clans of Manasseh, and the ones counted of them were fifty-two thousand seven hundred.
These were the descendants of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Beker, the clan of the Bekerites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites. And these were the descendants of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. These were the clans of the descendants of Ephraim according to the ones counted of them, thirty-two thousand five hundred. These were the descendants of Joseph according to their clans.
The descendants of Benjamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites; of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites. The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites. These were the descendants of Benjamin according to their clans. And the ones counted of them were forty-five thousand six hundred.
These were the descendants of Dan according to their clans: of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These were the clans of Dan according to their clans. All the clans of the Shuhamites, according to the ones counted of them, were sixty-four thousand four hundred.
The descendants of Asher according to their clans: of Imnah, the clan of the Imnahites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriahites. The descendants of Beriah: of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malkiel, the clan of the Malkielites. The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. These were the clans of the descendants of Asher according to the ones counted of them, fifty-three thousand four hundred.
The descendants of Naphtali according to their clans: of Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites; of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites. These were the clans of Naphtali according to their clans, the ones counted of them, forty-five thousand four hundred.
These were the ones counted of the Israelites, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “For these the land must be divided as an inheritance according to the number of names. For the larger group you must increase their inheritance, and for the smaller group you must make smaller their inheritance; each must be given their inheritance according to the number of the ones counted of them. Surely the land will be divided by lot. They will inherit according to the names of the tribes of their ancestors. Their inheritance must be divided according to the lot between the larger and smaller groups.”
These are the ones counted of the Levites according to their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites. 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. Kohath fathered Amram. The name of the wife of Amram was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whose mother bore her for Levi in Egypt; she bore to Amram: Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they presented strange fire before Yahweh. The ones counted were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and above, because they were not counted in the midst of the Israelites since no inheritance was given to them in the midst of the Israelites.
These were the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who counted the Israelites on the desert-plateau of Moab on the Jordan across Jericho. And among these there was not a man of those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest, who counted the Israelites in the desert of Sinai. For Yahweh said to them, “They will surely die in the desert.” And not a man was left over from them, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, of the clan of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came near; and these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders of the entire community at the doorway of the tent of assembly, saying, “Our father died in the desert; he was not in the midst of the company of those who banded together against Yahweh in the company of Korah, but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from the midst of his clan because he does not have a son? Give us property in the midst of the brothers of our father.” So Moses brought their case before Yahweh. And Yahweh said to Moses, saying, “The statements of the daughters of Zelophehad are right. You must surely give them the property of an inheritance in the midst of their father’s brothers, and you must transfer the inheritance of their father to them. And you must speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, you must transfer his inheritance to his daughter. And if he has no daughter, you must give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, then you must give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. If his father has no brothers, then you must give his inheritance to his nearest relative from his own clan, and he will take possession of it. It will be as a decree of stipulation for the Israelites, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.’ ”
Yahweh said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land that I have given to the Israelites. When you see it, you will be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother was gathered, because you rebelled against my word in the desert of Zin when the community quarreled regarding my holiness at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah-Kadesh in the desert of Zin.)
Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying, “Let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community who will go out before them and will come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so the community of Yahweh will not be like a flock that does not have a shepherd.” Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and place your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the entire community, and commission him in their sight. You will give to him from your authority so that the entire community of Israel will obey him. He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will ask for him by the decision of the Urim before Yahweh. On his command they will go out, and at his command they will come in, both he and all of the Israelites with him, the entire community.” Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before the entire community. And he placed his hands on him and commissioned him just as Yahweh spoke by the hand of Moses.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the Israelites and say to them, ‘You will be careful to present my offering, my food of my offerings made by fire, of a fragrance of appeasement to me, at its appointed time.’ You will say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you will offer to Yahweh: two male lambs without defect in their first year as a continual burnt offering each day. You will offer one male lamb in the morning, and the second male lamb you will offer at twilight, and a tenth of an ephah of finely milled flour as a grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a measure of beaten oil. It is a continual burnt offering that was ordained on Mount Sinai as a fragrance of appeasement, an offering made by fire for Yahweh. The libation with it will be a fourth of a liquid measure for each male lamb; in the sanctuary you will pour out the libation of fermented drink for Yahweh. And the second male lamb you will offer at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its libation you will offer it, an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh.
“ ‘On the day of the Sabbath, two male lambs without defect in their first year, and two-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with oil for a grain offering and its libation. This is the burnt offering every Sabbath in addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation.
“ ‘And at the beginning of each of your months, you will present a burnt offering for Yahweh: two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs without defect in their first year; and three-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, for each bull; and two-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with oil for a grain offering for the one ram; and a tenth of finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each male lamb, for a burnt offering of a fragrance of appeasement, an offering of fire for Yahweh. Their libations will be half a liquid measure of wine for the bull and a third of a liquid measure of wine for the ram and a fourth of a liquid measure of wine for the male lamb; this is the burnt offering for every month for the months of the year. And one male goat as a sin offering for Yahweh; it will be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation.
“ ‘On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover for Yahweh. On the fifteenth day of this month is a religious feast, unleavened bread must be eaten for seven days. On the first day there will be a holy convocation; you will not do any regular work. You will present an offering by fire, a burnt offering for Yahweh: two bulls and one ram and seven male lambs in their first year; they will be for you without defect. For their grain offering, you will offer finely milled flour mixed with oil: three-tenths for the bull and two-tenths for the ram. You will offer a tenth for each of the seven male lambs; and a goat for one sin offering to make atonement for you. You will offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for the continual burnt offering. Like this you will offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh; it will be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation. On the seventh day you will have a holy convocation; you will not do any regular work.
“ ‘And on the day of firstfruits, when you are presenting a new offering for Yahweh during your Festival of Weeks, you will have a holy convocation; you will not do any regular work. You will present a burnt offering for a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh: two bulls, one ram, seven male lambs in their first year; and their grain offering will be finely milled flour mixed with oil: three-tenths for each bull, two-tenths for one ram, a tenth for each of the male lambs; and one male goat to make atonement for you. In addition to the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, you will offer them without defect with their libation.
“ ‘On the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you will have a holy convocation; you will not do any regular work. It will be a day for you of blowing trumpets. You will offer a burnt offering as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs in their first year; they will be without defect. Their grain offering will be finely milled flour mixed with oil: three-tenths for the bull, two-tenths for the ram; and one-tenth for each of the seven male lambs; with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, in addition to the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their libations, according to their stipulations, as a fragrance of appeasement by fire for Yahweh.
“ ‘And on the tenth of this seventh month you will have a holy convocation, and you will afflict yourselves; you will not do any work. You will present a burnt offering for Yahweh, a fragrance of appeasement: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs in their first year; they will be without defect. And their grain offering will be of finely milled flour mixed with oil: three-tenths for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, one-tenth for each of the seven male lambs; one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their libations.
“ ‘Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you will have a holy convocation; you will not do any regular work, and you will hold a religious feast for Yahweh for seven days. You will present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year; they will be without defect. And their grain offering will be of finely milled flour mixed with oil: three-tenths for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, one-tenth for each of the seven male lambs; and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation.
“ ‘On the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs in their first year; they will be without defect; and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs, by their number according to the stipulation; and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their libations.
“ ‘On the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect in their first year; and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs, by their number according to the stipulation; and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation.
“ ‘On the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect in their first year; and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation.
“ ‘On the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect in their first year; and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation.
“ ‘On the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect in their first year; and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation.
“ ‘On the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs without defect in their first year; and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation.
“ ‘On the eighth day you will have an assembly; you will not do any regular work. You will present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs without defect in their first year; and their grain offering and their libations for the bulls, for the rams, and for the male lambs by their number according to the stipulation; and one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its libation.
“ ‘You will present these to Yahweh at your appointed time, in addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings and for your libations and for your fellowship offerings.’ ”
So Moses said to the Israelites in accordance with all that Yahweh commanded Moses.
Then Moses spoke to the leaders of the tribes concerning the Israelites, saying, “This is the word that Yahweh commanded: if a man makes a vow for Yahweh or swears an oath with a binding pledge on himself, he must not render his word invalid; he must do all that went out from his mouth.
“If a woman makes a vow to Yahweh, and she binds a pledge on herself in her father’s house in your childhood, but if her father hears her vow or her pledge that she bound on herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows will stand, and every pledge that she binds on her life will stand. If her father forbids her on the day he hears of it, all her vows or her pledges that she bound on herself will not stand, and Yahweh will forgive her because her father has forgiven her.
“If she has a husband while bound by her vows or a rash promise of her lips, and her husband hears of it and is silent on the day he hears it, her vows will stand, and her pledge that she bound upon herself will stand. But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he will nullify her vow that she is under, and the rash promise of her lips that she bound on herself; and Yahweh will forgive her.
“But the vow of a widow or a woman who is divorced, all that she binds on herself will stand on her. But if she made a vow in her husband’s house, or bound herself on a pledge with a sworn oath, and her husband heard it but was silent to her, and he did not forbid her, all her vows will stand and every pledge that she bound on herself will stand. But if her husband nullified them on the day he hears them, all her vows going out of her lips concerning her vows or the pledge on herself will not stand; her husband has nullified them, and Yahweh will forgive her.
“Any vow and any sworn oath of a pledge to inflict on herself, her husband can confirm it or her husband can nullify it. But if her husband is completely silent from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her pledges that are on her; he confirms them because he was silent to her on the day he heard them. But if he indeed nullifies them after he hears them, then he will bear her guilt.”
These are the decrees that Yahweh commanded Moses, as between a husband and his wife, and between a father and his daughter, while her childhood is in her father’s house.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Seek vengeance for the Israelites on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people.” Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm yourself from among your men for the battle, so that they will go against Midian to mete out the vengeance of Yahweh on Midian. A thousand from each tribe of every tribe of Israel you will send to battle.” So they were assigned from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand equipped for battle. Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the battle, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the battle with them, and the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets of the blast were in his hand. And they fought against Midian just as Yahweh commanded Moses, and they killed every male. They killed the kings of Midian in addition to the ones they had slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam son of Beor by the sword. The Israelites took captive the women of Midian and their children, and they plundered all their domestic animals and all their livestock and all their wealth. They burned all their cities where they dwelled and all their camps with fire. They took all the plunder and all the war-booty with the humans and domestic animals. They brought the captives, the war-booty, and the plunder to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the community of the Israelites, to the camp to the desert-plateau of Moab, which was on the Jordan across Jericho.
And Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went out to meet them outside the camp. But Moses was angry toward the leaders of the troops, the commanders of the thousands and the commanders of the hundreds, who came from the battle of the war. And Moses said to them, “You have kept alive every female? Behold, these women caused the Israelites, by the word of Balaam, to be in apostasy against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, so that the plague was among the community of Yahweh. Now kill every male among the little children, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man. But all the females who have not had sexual intercourse with a man, keep alive for yourselves. And you, camp outside the camp seven days; all who killed a person and all who touched the slain purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives. You will purify yourselves and every garment and every object of hide and all the work of goats’ hair, and every object of wood.”
Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of the battle who came from the war, “This is the decree of the law that Yahweh commanded Moses. Only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead—everything that will go through the fire—you will pass through the fire, and it will be clean, and only in waters of impurity will it be purified. Whatever does not go into the fire you will pass through the waters. And you will wash your garments on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you will come into the camp.”
Yahweh said to Moses, saying, “You and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the families of the community, take count of the war-booty that was captured, both humans and the domestic animals; divide the war-booty between those who engaged in the war, who went out to the battle, and all the community. Exact a tribute for Yahweh from the men of the war, those who went out to the battle, one from five hundred persons, and from the cattle and from the male donkeys and from the flock; take from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to Yahweh. From half of the Israelites, take one share drawn by lot from the fifty from the humans, from the cattle, from the male donkeys, from the flock, from all the domestic animals, and give them to the Levites who keep the responsibilities of the tabernacle of Yahweh.” Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Thus the war-booty that remained of the plunder that the people of the battle plundered was six hundred and seventy-five thousand flocks of sheep, seventy-two thousand cattle, sixty-one thousand male donkeys, and the life of humankind, from the women who did not have sexual intercourse with a man, all the persons were thirty-two thousand.
The half of the share that was going out to the battle: the number of the flock of sheep was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred; the tribute to Yahweh from the flock was six hundred and seventy-five; and the cattle were thirty-six thousand; and the tribute to Yahweh was seventy-two. Of the male donkeys there were thirty thousand five hundred, and the tribute to Yahweh was sixty-one; the humans were sixteen thousand, and the tribute to Yahweh was thirty-two persons. And Moses gave away the tribute of the contribution of Yahweh to Eleazar the priest, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
From the half of the Israelites, which Moses divided from the men who were fighting, the half that belonged to the community was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred from the flock, and thirty-six thousand cattle, and thirty thousand five hundred male donkeys, and sixteen thousand humans. From the half that belonged to the Israelites, Moses took one share drawn by lot out of every fifty humans and domestic animals, and he gave them to the Levites, who keep the responsibility of the tabernacle of Yahweh, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Then the leaders of the thousands of the army, the commanders of the thousands and the commanders of the hundreds, approached Moses, and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken count of the men of war who were in our charge, and no man is missing from us. So we brought the offering of Yahweh, what each man found, objects of gold, bangles, bracelets, rings, earrings, and female ornaments, to make atonement for ourselves before Yahweh.” Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all objects of work. All the gold of the contribution that they raised up to Yahweh, from the commanders of the thousands and the commanders of the hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. The men of battle plundered each for himself. So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of the thousands and hundreds, and they brought it to the tent of the assembly as a memorial for the Israelites before Yahweh.
The descendants of Reuben and the descendants of Gad had a very large number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold it was a place for livestock. The descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben came, and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, saying, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land that Yahweh struck before the community of Israel, is a land of livestock, and your servants have livestock.” They said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as property; do not lead us across the Jordan.”
But Moses said to the descendants of Gad and to the descendants of Reuben, “Will your brothers go to war while you yourselves live here? Why are you discouraging the hearts of the Israelites from crossing into the land that Yahweh gave to them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. When they went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the Israelites so that they did not come to the land that Yahweh gave to them. So Yahweh’s anger burned on that day, and he swore an oath, saying, ‘The men who went up from Egypt, from those twenty years old and above, will not see the land that I swore with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because they have not wholly followed me, except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they followed Yahweh wholly.’ And Yahweh became angry, and he made them wander in the desert forty years until the entire generation who did evil in the sight of Yahweh had died. Behold, you stand in the place of your fathers, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more Yahweh’s fierce anger against Israel. If you turn from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you would have destroyed all these people.”
They came near to him and said, “We will build sheep pens here for the flock of our livestock and cities for our little children; but we ourselves will become armed and ready before the Israelites until we have brought them to their place, and our little children will live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our houses until the Israelites each obtain their inheritance for themselves. For we will not take possession with them from across the Jordan and beyond because our inheritance has come to us from across the Jordan to the east.”
So Moses said to them, “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before Yahweh for the war, and everyone of you armed cross the Jordan before Yahweh until he has driven out his enemies from before him, and the land is subdued before Yahweh, then afterward you will return and be free of obligation from Yahweh and from Israel, and this land will be your property before Yahweh. But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and know that your sin will find you. Build for yourselves cities for your little children and sheep pens for your flocks; what has gone out from your mouth you will do.”
So the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben said to Moses, saying, “Your servants will do just as my lord commands. Our little children, our wives, our livestock, and all of our animals will remain in the cities of Gilead, but your servants, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross over before Yahweh to the war, just as my lord says.”
So Moses commanded them, Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of the Israelites. Moses said to them, “If the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben, everyone who is armed for the war, cross over the Jordan before Yahweh, and the land is subdued before you, you will give them the land of Gilead as property. But if they will not cross over with you armed, they will acquire land in your midst in Canaan.” The descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben answered and said, “What Yahweh has commanded your servants, we will do. We ourselves will cross over armed before Yahweh to the land of Canaan, and the property of our inheritance will remain with us beyond the Jordan.”
So Moses gave to them, to the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben, and to half of the tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon the king of Amorites and the kingdom of Og the king of the Bashan, the land with its cities and their territories, the cities of the surrounding land. The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, and Aroer, and Atroth Shophan, Jazer, and Jogbehah, and Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, the cities of Mibzar, and the sheep pens for flocks. The descendants of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, and Nebo, Baal Meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah, and they renamed the cities that they rebuilt. The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and they captured it and drove out the Amorites who were in it. So Moses gave Gilead to Makir son of Manasseh, and he lived in it. And Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their unwalled villages, and he called them Havvoth Jair. Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah after his own name.
These were the journeys of the Israelites, who went out from the land of Egypt according to their divisions, by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote down their movements according to their journeys on the command of Yahweh, and these are their journeys according to their movements. They set out from Rameses on the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the next day after the Passover the Israelites went out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians while the Egyptians were burying all the firstborn among them whom Yahweh struck. Yahweh also executed punishments among their gods.
Then the Israelites set out from Rameses, and they camped in Succoth. They journeyed from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the desert. Then they set out from Etham and returned to Pi-Hahiroth, which faces Baal Zephon, and they camped before Migdol. They set out from Pi-Hahiroth and went through the midst of the sea into the desert; and they went a journey of three days into the desert of Etham and camped at Marah. They set out from Marah and came to Elim, and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. They set out from Elim, and they camped at the Red Sea. They set out from the Red Sea and camped at the desert of Sin. They set out from the desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah. They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush. They set out from Alush and encamped at Rephidim; and it was there that the people had no water to drink. They set out from Rephidim and camped in the desert of Sinai. They set out from the desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.
They set out from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez. They set out from Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah. They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah. They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shapher. They set out from Mount Shapher and camped at Haradah. They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah. They set out from Terah and camped at Mithcah. They set out from Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah. They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moserah. They set out from Moserah and camped at Bene-Jaakan. They set out from Bene-Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad. They set out from Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. They set out from Ezion Geber and camped in the desert of Zin, that is, Kadesh. They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.
Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of Yahweh, and he died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites had gone out from the land of Egypt, in the fifth month on the first day of the month. Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.
Now the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who was living in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the Israelites.
Then they set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth. They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, the boundary of Moab. They set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon Gad. They set out from Dibon Gad and camped at Almon-Diblatayim. They set out from Almon-Diblatayim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. They set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped on the desert-plateau of Moab by the Jordan across Jericho. They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-Jeshimoth up to Abel Shittim, on the desert-plateau of Moab.
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses on the desert-plateau of Moab by the Jordan across Jericho, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you will drive out the inhabitants of the land from your presence, and you will destroy all their idols and all the images of their molten idols, and you will demolish all their high places; you will dispossess the land and live in it because I have given the land to you to possess it. You will distribute the land by lot according to your clans; to the larger group you will give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller group you will give less inheritance. However the lot falls for him, there the lot will be. You will distribute it according to the tribes of your ancestors. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from your presence, then it will happen that whomever you let remain of them will be like irritants in your eyes and like thorns in your sides; they will be your enemies in the land in which you live. And just as I planned to do to them, I will do to you.’ ”
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that was allotted to you as an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its boundaries. Your southern edge will be from the desert of Zin toward the side of Edom, and your southern border will be from the end of the Salt Sea to the east; your boundary will turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim and will pass over to Zin, and its limits will be from the south of Kadesh Barnea; it will continue to Hazar Addar and pass over to Azmon. The boundary will turn from Azmon to the valley of Egypt, and its limits will be to the sea.
“ ‘Your western boundary will be the Great Sea; this will be your western boundary. Your northern border will be from the Great Sea; you will make a boundary from the Great Sea to Mount Hor. From Mount Hor you will make a boundary to reach Hamath; the limits of the territory will be at Zedad. The boundary will go out to Ziphron, and its limits will be at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary to the north.
“ ‘You will mark out your eastern boundary from Hazar Enan to Shepham; the boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah from the east side of Ain, and the boundary will go down and border on the eastern side of the Sea of Kinnereth. The boundary will go down to the Jordan, and its limits will be at the Salt Sea. This will be your land according to its boundaries all around.’ ”
So Moses commanded the Israelites, saying, “This is the land that you will obtain as an inheritance for yourself by lot, which Yahweh commanded to give to the nine and a half tribes. For the tribe of the children of the Reubenites, the children of the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh took their inheritance according to the house of their families. The two and a half tribes have taken their inheritance from beyond the Jordan across Jericho, east toward the sunrise.”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “These are the names of the men who will divide up the land for you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. You will take one leader from every tribe to divide up the land for inheritance. These are the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; of the tribe of the descendants of Simeon, Samuel son of Ammihud; of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Chislon; of the tribe of the descendants of Dan, the leader Bukki son of Jogli; of the descendants of Joseph, the tribe of the descendants of Manasseh, the leader Hanniel son of Ephod. Of the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim, the leader Kemuel son of Shiphtan; of the tribe of the descendants of Zebulun, the leader Elizaphan son of Parnach; of the tribe of the descendants of Issachar, the leader Paltiel son of Azzan; of the tribe of the descendants of Asher, the leader Ahihud son of Shelomi; of the tribe of the descendants of Naphtali, the leader Pedahel son of Ammihud.” These are those whom Yahweh commanded to allot to the Israelites the land of Canaan.
Yahweh spoke to Moses on the desert plains of Moab beyond the Jordan across Jericho, saying, “Command the Israelites that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their property cities to live in; and you will give to the Levites pastureland all around the cities. The cities will be theirs to live in, and their pasturelands will be for their domestic animals, for their possessions, and their animals.
“The pasturelands of the cities that you will give to the Levites will extend from the wall of the city to a distance of a thousand cubits all around. You will measure outside the city the eastern edge two thousand cubits, for the southern edge two thousand cubits, for the western edge two thousand cubits, and for the northern edge two thousand cubits, with the city in the middle; this will be for them the pasturelands of the cities.
“All the cities that you will give the Levites will be six cities of refuge, to which the killer can flee; in addition to them you will give forty-two cities. All the cities that you will give to the Levites will be forty-eight cities, them with their pasturelands. And the cities that you will give from the property of the Israelites, you will take more from the larger group and less from the smaller group; each of them will give according to the portion of their inheritance according to the portion that he inherits.”
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you will select for yourselves cities for your cities of refuge, that a killer who has killed a person unintentionally can flee there. The cities will be to you a refuge from a redeemer, so that the killer will not die until he stands before the community for judgment. The cities that you are to give will be your six cities of refuge. You will give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan; they will be cities of refuge. To the Israelites, to the alien, and to the temporary resident in their midst there will be these six cities as a refuge to which anyone who unintentionally kills a person may flee.
“ ‘But if he hit him with an object of iron, so that he dies, the killer must surely be put to death. And if he hit him with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and he does die, he is a killer; the killer must surely be put to death. Or if he hit him with a wooden object, by which he will die, and he does die, he is a killer; the killer must surely be put to death. The blood avenger himself will put the killer to death; he must put him to death when meeting him. If he shoves him in hatred, or he throws something at him with intention, and he dies, or if he hits him in hostility with his hand, and he dies, the one that struck him will put to death the killer when meeting him.
“ ‘Or if in an instant he shoved him, not in hostility, or threw something at him without intention, or with any stone, without seeing it dropped on him so that he dies, while he was not seeking his injury, then the community will judge between the striker and between the blood avenger according to these ordinances. The community will deliver the killer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the community will restore him to the city of his refuge to which he fled; and he will live there in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with holy oil. But if the killer surely goes out of the territory of the city of his refuge to which he fled, and the blood avenger finds him outside the territory of the city of his refuge, and the blood avenger kills the killer, he will not be guilty of blood because he must live in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the killer will return to the land of his property. These things will be as a decree of justice for you for your generations in all your dwellings.
“ ‘If anyone kills a person, the killer will be put to death according to the testimony of witnesses, but someone cannot die on testimony of one person. Also, you will not take a ransom payment for the life of a killer who is guilty of death; indeed, he must surely be put to death. You will not take a ransom payment for the one that flees to the city of his refuge, so that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest. So you will not pollute the land in which you are; because blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is poured out on it except with the blood of the one who poured it out. You will not defile the land on which you are living because I am living in the midst of it; I am Yahweh; I am living in the midst of the Israelites.’ ”
The leaders of the families of the clans of descendants of Gilead the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, of the clans of the descendants of Joseph came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders of the families of the Israelites. And they said, “Yahweh commanded my lord to give the land by lot as an inheritance to the Israelites, and my lord was commanded by Yahweh to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. But if they become wives to one of the sons from another tribe of the Israelites, their inheritance will disappear from the inheritance of our ancestors, and it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; the lot of our inheritance would disappear. When the Jubilee of the Israelites comes, it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; and their inheritance will disappear from the tribe of our father.”
Then Moses commanded the Israelites by the command of Yahweh, saying, “The tribe of the descendants of Joseph is right regarding what they are speaking. This is the word that Yahweh commanded the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry whomever they like; only they must marry from within the clan of the tribe of their father. Thus an inheritance of the Israelites will not go around from tribe to tribe. Rather, the inheritance of each tribe of his father will remain with the Israelites. Every daughter who possesses an inheritance from the tribes of the Israelites will marry one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that the Israelites will possess the inheritance of his ancestors. Therefore an inheritance will not go around from one tribe to another tribe because the tribes of the Israelites will each hold to their own inheritance.’ ”
Just as Yahweh commanded to Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did: Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, married the sons of their uncles. They married those from the sons of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained among the tribe of the clan of their ancestors.
These were the commands and the stipulations that Yahweh commanded by the hand of Moses to the Israelites on the desert-plateaus of Moab by the Jordan across Jericho.