Numbers 32; Numbers 33; Numbers 34; Mark 9:30-50

1 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had a lot of livestock. When they saw how suitable the land of Jazer and Gilead was for cattle,

2 they went to Moses, Eleazar, and the other leaders of the community and said,

3 "This region which the Lord has helped the Israelites occupy - the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon - is good land for livestock, and we have so much livestock.

5 Please give us this land as our property, and do not make us cross the Jordan River and settle there."

6 Moses replied, "Do you want to stay here while the other Israelites go to war?

7 How dare you try to discourage the people of Israel from crossing the Jordan into the land which the Lord has given them?

8 That is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land.

9 They went as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, but when they returned, they discouraged the people from entering the land which the Lord had given them.

10 The Lord became angry that day and made a promise:

11 "I swear that because they did not remain loyal to me, none of the men twenty years old or older who came out of Egypt will enter the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'

12 This included everyone, except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun; they remained loyal to the Lord.

13 The Lord became angry with the people and made them wander in the wilderness forty years until that whole generation that had displeased him was dead.

14 And now you have taken your ancestors' place, a new generation of sinful people ready to bring down the fierce anger of the Lord on Israel again.

15 If you people of Reuben and Gad refuse to follow him now, he will once again abandon all these people in the wilderness, and you will be responsible for their destruction."

16 They approached Moses and said, "First, allow us to build stone enclosures here for our sheep and fortified towns for our dependents.

17 Then we will be ready to go with the other Israelites into battle and lead the attack until we have settled them in the land that will be theirs. In the meantime, our dependents can live here in the fortified towns, safe from the people of this land.

18 We will not return to our homes until all the other Israelites have taken possession of the land assigned to them.

19 We will not take possession of any property among them on the other side of the Jordan, because we have received our share here east of the Jordan."

20 Moses answered, "If you really mean what you say, then here in the presence of the Lord get ready to go into battle.

21 All your fighting men are to cross the Jordan and under the command of the Lord they are to attack our enemies until the Lord defeats them

22 and takes possession of the land. After that, you may return, because you will have fulfilled your obligation to the Lord and to the other Israelites. Then the Lord will acknowledge that this land east of the Jordan is yours.

23 But if you do not keep your promise, I warn you that you will be sinning against the Lord. Make no mistake about it; you will be punished for your sin.

24 So build your towns and the enclosures for your sheep, but do what you have promised!"

25 The men of Gad and Reuben said, "Sir, we will do as you command.

26 Our wives and children and our cattle and sheep will remain here in the towns of Gilead.

27 But all of us are ready to go into battle under the Lord's command. We will cross the Jordan and fight, just as you have said."

28 So Moses gave these commands to Eleazar, Joshua, and the other leaders of Israel:

29 "If the men of Gad and Reuben cross the Jordan ready for battle at the Lord's command and if with their help you are able to conquer the land, then give them the land of Gilead as their property.

30 But if they do not cross the Jordan and go into battle with you, they are to receive their share of the property in the land of Canaan, as you do."

31 The men of Gad and Reuben answered, "Sir, we will do as the Lord has commanded.

32 Under his command we will cross into the land of Canaan and go into battle, so that we can retain our property here east of the Jordan."

33 So Moses assigned to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and to half the tribe of Manasseh all the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan, including the towns and the country around them.

34 The tribe of Gad rebuilt the fortified towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran.

37 The tribe of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

38 Nebo, Baal Meon (this name was changed), and Sibmah. They gave new names to the towns they rebuilt.

39 The clan of Machir son of Manasseh invaded the land of Gilead, occupied it, and drove out the Amorites who were there.

40 So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir, and they lived there.

41 Jair, of the tribe of Manasseh, attacked and captured some villages and named them "Villages of Jair."

42 Nobah attacked and captured Kenath and its villages, and he renamed it Nobah, after himself.

1 The following account gives the names of the places where the Israelites set up camp after they left Egypt in their tribes under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

2 At the command of the Lord, Moses wrote down the name of the place each time they set up camp.

3 The people of Israel left Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month of the year, the day after the first Passover. Under the Lord's protection they left the city of Rameses in full view of the Egyptians,

4 who were burying the first-born sons that the Lord had killed. By doing this, the Lord showed that he was more powerful than the gods of Egypt.

5 The people of Israel left Rameses and set up camp at Sukkoth.

6 Their next camp was at Etham on the edge of the desert.

7 From there they turned back to Pi Hahiroth, east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol.

8 They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the Red Sea into the desert of Shur; after a three days' march they camped at Marah.

9 From there they went to Elim, where they camped, because there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees there.

10 They left Elim and camped near the Gulf of Suez.

11 Their next camp was in the desert of Sin.

12 Then they camped at Dophkah,

13 and after that at Alush.

14 Next was Rephidim, where there was no water for them to drink.

15 From Rephidim to Mount Hor they set up camp at the following places: the Sinai Desert, Kibroth Hattaavah (or "Graves of Craving"), Hazeroth, Rithmah, Rimmon Perez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, Mount Shepher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Terah, Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene Jaakan, Hor Haggidgad, Jotbathah, Abronah, Eziongeber, the wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh), and Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

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

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

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

50 There in the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho the Lord gave Moses

51 the following instructions for Israel: "When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

52 you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land. Destroy all their stone and metal idols and all their places of worship.

53 Occupy the land and settle in it, because I am giving it to you.

54 Divide the land among the various tribes and clans by drawing lots, giving a large piece of property to a large clan and a small one to a small clan.

55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those that are left will be as troublesome as splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will fight against you.

56 If you do not drive them out, I will destroy you, as I planned to destroy them."

1 The Lord gave Moses

2 the following instructions for the people of Israel: "When you enter Canaan, the land which I am giving you, the borders of your territory will be as follows.

3 The southern border will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. It will begin on the east at the southern end of the Dead Sea.

4 Then it will turn southward toward Akrabbim Pass and continue on through Zin as far south as Kadesh Barnea. Then it will turn northwest to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon,

5 where it will turn toward the valley at the border of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean.

6 "The western border will be the Mediterranean Sea.

7 "The northern border will follow a line from the Mediterranean to Mount Hor

8 and from there to Hamath Pass. It will continue to Zedad

9 and to Ziphron, and will end at Hazar Enan.

10 "The eastern border will follow a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham.

11 It will then go south to Harbel, east of Ain, and on to the hills on the eastern shore of Lake Galilee,

12 then south along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. "These will be the four borders of your land."

13 So Moses said to the Israelites, "This is the land that you will receive by drawing lots, the land that the Lord has assigned to the nine and one-half tribes.

14 The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the eastern half of Manasseh have received their property, divided according to their families,

15 on the eastern side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho."

16 The Lord said to Moses,

17 "Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun will divide the land for the people.

18 Take also one leader from each tribe to help them divide it."

19 These are the men the Lord chose:

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

30 Jesus and his disciples left that place and went on through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where he was,

31 because he was teaching his disciples: "The Son of Man will be handed over to those who will kill him. Three days later, however, he will rise to life."

32 But they did not understand what this teaching meant, and they were afraid to ask him.

33 They came to Capernaum, and after going indoors Jesus asked his disciples, "What were you arguing about on the road?"

34 But they would not answer him, because on the road they had been arguing among themselves about who was the greatest.

35 Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all."

36 Then he took a child and had him stand in front of them. He put his arms around him and said to them,

37 "Whoever welcomes in my name one of these children, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not only me but also the one who sent me."

38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man who was driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he doesn't belong to our group."

39 "Do not try to stop him," Jesus told them, "because no one who performs a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to say evil things about me.

40 For whoever is not against us is for us.

41 I assure you that anyone who gives you a drink of water because you belong to me will certainly receive a reward.

42 "If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around the neck and be thrown into the sea.

43 So if your hand makes you lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand than to keep both hands and go off to hell, to the fire that never goes out.

45 And if your foot makes you lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot than to keep both feet and be thrown into hell.

47 And if your eye makes you lose your faith, take it out! It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into hell.

48 There "the worms that eat them never die, and the fire that burns them is never put out.'

49 "Everyone will be purified by fire as a sacrifice is purified by salt.

50 "Salt is good; but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? "Have the salt of friendship among yourselves, and live in peace with one another."