Numbers 24; Numbers 25; Numbers 26:1-34

1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and saw Israel encamping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,

3 and he took up his discourse, and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Be'or, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes uncovered:

5 how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!

6 Like valleys that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.

7 Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

8 God brings him out of Egypt; he has as it were the horns of the wild ox, he shall eat up the nations his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them through with his arrows.

9 He couched, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed be every one who blesses you, and cursed be every one who curses you."

10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times.

11 Therefore now flee to your place; I said, 'I will certainly honor you,' but the LORD has held you back from honor."

12 And Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me,

13 'If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the LORD speaks, that will I speak'?

14 And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days."

15 And he took up his discourse, and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Be'or, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes uncovered:

17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth.

18 Edom shall be dispossessed, Se'ir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed, while Israel does valiantly.

19 By Jacob shall dominion be exercised, and the survivors of cities be destroyed!"

20 Then he looked on Am'alek, and took up his discourse, and said, "Am'alek was the first of the nations, but in the end he shall come to destruction."

21 And he looked on the Ken'ite, and took up his discourse, and said, "Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock;

22 nevertheless Kain shall be wasted. How long shall Asshur take you away captive?"

23 And he took up his discourse, and said, "Alas, who shall live when God does this?

24 But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he also shall come to destruction."

25 Then Balaam rose, and went back to his place; and Balak also went his way.

1 While Israel dwelt in Shittim the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.

2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods.

3 So Israel yoked himself to Ba'al of Pe'or. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel;

4 and the LORD said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel."

5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Every one of you slay his men who have yoked themselves to Ba'al of Pe'or."

6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Mid'ianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting.

7 When Phin'ehas the son of Elea'zar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation, and took a spear in his hand

8 and went after the man of Israel into the inner room, and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman, through her body. Thus the plague was stayed from the people of Israel.

9 Nevertheless those that died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10 And the LORD said to Moses,

11 "Phin'ehas the son of Elea'zar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.

12 Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace;

13 and it shall be to him, and to his descendants after him, the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the people of Israel.'"

14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was slain with the Mid'ianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, head of a fathers' house belonging to the Simeonites.

15 And the name of the Mid'ianite woman who was slain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the head of the people of a fathers' house in Mid'ian.

16 And the LORD said to Moses,

17 "Harass the Mid'ianites, and smite them;

18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Pe'or, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Mid'ian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague on account of Pe'or."

1 After the plague the LORD said to Moses and to Elea'zar the son of Aaron, the priest,

2 "Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go forth to war."

3 And Moses and Elea'zar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

4 "Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward," as the LORD commanded Moses. The people of Israel, who came forth out of the land of Egypt, were:

5 Reuben, the first-born of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Ha'nochites; of Pallu, the family of the Pal'luites;

6 of Hezron, the family of the Hez'ronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.

7 These are the families of the Reubenites; and their number was forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.

8 And the sons of Pallu: Eli'ab.

9 The sons of Eli'ab: Nem'uel, Dathan, and Abi'ram. These are the Dathan and Abi'ram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the LORD,

10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; and they became a warning.

11 Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah did not die.

12 The sons of Simeon according to their families: of Nem'uel, the family of the Nem'uelites; of Jamin, the family of the Ja'minites; of Jachin, the family of the Ja'chinites;

13 of Zerah, the family of the Zer'ahites; of Sha'ul, the family of the Sha'ulites.

14 These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred.

15 The sons of Gad according to their families: of Zephon, the family of the Ze'phonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites;

16 of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites;

17 of Ar'od, the family of the Ar'odites; of Are'li, the family of the Are'lites.

18 These are the families of the sons of Gad according to their number, forty thousand five hundred.

19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

20 And the sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shela'nites; of Perez, the family of the Per'ezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zer'ahites.

21 And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hez'ronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamu'lites.

22 These are the families of Judah according to their number, seventy-six thousand five hundred.

23 The sons of Is'sachar according to their families: of Tola, the family of the To'laites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites;

24 of Jashub, the family of the Jash'ubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shim'ronites.

25 These are the families of Is'sachar according to their number, sixty-four thousand three hundred.

26 The sons of Zeb'ulun, according to their families: of Sered, the family of the Ser'edites; of Elon, the family of the E'lonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jah'leelites.

27 These are the families of the Zeb'ulunites according to their number, sixty thousand five hundred.

28 The sons of Joseph according to their families: Manas'seh and E'phraim.

29 The sons of Manas'seh: of Machir, the family of the Ma'chirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.

30 These are the sons of Gilead: of Ie'zer, the family of the Ie'zerites; of Helek, the family of the He'lekites;

31 and of As'riel, the family of the As'rielites; and of Shechem, the family of the She'chemites;

32 and of Shemi'da, the family of the Shemi'daites; and of Hepher, the family of the He'pherites.

33 Now Zeloph'ehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zeloph'ehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

34 These are the families of Manas'seh; and their number was fifty-two thousand seven hundred.