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Numbers 31 -33 Israel has a war with the Midianite people |
Numbers 31
The Israelites have a war with the
Midianites.
The Midianites were another group of people.
The Midianites were not part of
the Israelites. In the past, the Midianites had joined with the Moabite people.
They did not worship God. They worshiped idols and statues. They had influenced
some of the Israelites to commit sin and worship idols, too. God was very angry
with the Midianites.
God talked to Moses. He said that Moses would soon die. But
before he died, the Israelites should punish the Midianites. Moses should send
some men to go fight the Midianites.
[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
[2] Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites:
afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
[3] And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of
yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the
LORD of Midian.
Each tribe sent 1,000 men. A total of 12,000 men went to
fight the Midianites. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar the priest. Phinehas was
the leader of the army. Phinehas took the holy objects and trumpets with him. He
took trumpets to
give signals to the army. The holy objects may have been the Ark of the Covenant
and the Urim and Thummin.
[4] Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of
Israel, shall ye send to the war.
[5] So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a
thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
[6] And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every
tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the
holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
The Israelites fought the Midianites the way God told them to
do. The Israelites killed all of the Midian males. They killed the Midian kings:
Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, They also killed Balaam who was Beor’s son. Balaam
was the greedy prophet who was riding the talking donkey (back in Numbers
22-24). He
was also one of the Midianites who caused the Israelites to sin. To read
about Balaam again, click
here.
[7] And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD
commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
[8] And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of
them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five
kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
The Israelites caught all the of Midianite women and children. They took the Midianites’ cows, animals, and everything they owned.
They burned the houses and buildings.
[9] And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian
captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all
their flocks, and all their goods.
[10] And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and
all their goodly castles, with fire.
They took all of the people, animals, and things back to
Moses and Eleazar the priest. At that time, the Israelites were
camped in the plains of Moab. This is near the Jordan River.
[11] And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of
men and of beasts.
[12] And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the
spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the
children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan
near Jericho.
Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders met the army
before they got back to the Israelites’ camp. Moses was mad at the army’s
leaders. He was mad because they did not kill the Midianite women.
[13] And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes
of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.
[14] And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with
the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the
battle.
[15] And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women
alive?
Moses said the Midianite women caused the
Israelites to sin at Peor. This had caused a plague (sickness) in the
Israelites. Moses told the army to kill all of the male Midianite children. They should
also kill every woman
who was not a virgin. The women who were still virgins could stay alive. This
was done to make sure that no Midianite women would ever have more Midianite babies.
[16] Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the
counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor,
and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
[17] Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and
kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
[18] But all the women children, that have not known a man by
lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Any of the soldiers who killed someone or touched a dead
person was unclean. They must stay outside the camp for 3 days. On the 3rd
and 7th days, they must go through a special ceremony to clean
themselves. The women they brought back must go through the ceremony, too.
[19] And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever
hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both
yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.
They must also clean all of their clothes that were made of
leather or goat’s hair. They must also clean anything made of wood.
[20] And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of
skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood.
Eleazar talked to the soldiers. He told them the law that God
told Moses. They must clean the things they brought back from the Midians. They
must clean everything made of gold, silver, brass, iron, tin, or lead. They
should put the items in fire and then clean them with special water. Anything
that could not be put in the fire should be washed in special water. On the 7th
day, they should wash their clothes. Then they are clean, and they can come back
into the camp.
[21] And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which
went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded
Moses;
[22] Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the
tin, and the lead,
[23] Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go
through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with
the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go
through the water.
[24] And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and
ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.
The Israelites give part of the Midianites’ possessions to
God.
God talked to Moses about the people and animals that the
soldiers brought back from the Midianites. Eleazar the priest and the other
leaders of the Israelites should count all of the people and animals. Then they
should divide everything into 2 parts. 1 part should go to the soldiers who went
and fought in the war. The other part should go to the rest of the Israelites.
[25] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
[26] Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and
of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the
congregation:
[27] And divide the prey into two parts; between them that
took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the
congregation:
The Israelites must pay a tribute (tax). That means they
must give part of everything they get to
God.
The soldiers who fought in the war got part of the Midianites' animals and people.
From this part,
they should give 1 out of every 500 people and
animals to God. They should give the tax to the priest Eleazar.
That is God's part.
The other Israelites got the other part of the Midianites' people and animals.
From this part, 1 out of every 50 people or animals should be given to
God. They should give this tax to the
Levites (the group in charge of the tabernacle) for God. Moses and Eleazar did
what God told them to do.
[28] And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which
went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the
beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:
[29] Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the
priest, for an heave offering of the LORD.
[30] And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take
one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the
flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the
charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.
[31] And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD
commanded Moses.
This is a list of everything the soldiers brought back from
the Midianites: 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 women
who were virgins.
[32] And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men
of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five
thousand sheep,
[33] And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,
[34] And threescore and one thousand asses,
[35] And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of woman
that had not known man by lying with him.
Everything was divided in half. The
soldiers' half had: 337,500 sheep,
36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 young women who were virgins.
[36] And the half, which was the portion of them that went
out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand
and five hundred sheep:
The soldiers gave part of their half to
God. They gave God: 675 sheep, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 young women.
[37] And the LORD's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and
threescore and fifteen.
[38] And the beeves were thirty and six thousand; of which
the LORD's tribute was threescore and twelve.
[39] And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of
which the LORD's tribute was threescore and one.
[40] And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the
LORD's tribute was thirty and two persons.
[41] And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD's heave
offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
The other Israelites also got half.
Their half had: 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 3,500 donkeys, and
16,000 virgins.
[42] And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses
divided from the men that warred,
[43] (Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was
three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred
sheep,
[44] And thirty and six thousand beeves,
[45] And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,
[46] And sixteen thousand persons;)
The other Israelites gave part of their half to
God. They
[47] Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
The Israelite army thanks God for protecting them.
The men who were the leaders of the army talked to Moses.
They had counted all of the troops. None of the Israelites had died in the war.
Not one man was missing.
[48] And the officers which were over thousands of the host,
the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:
[49] And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the
sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man
of us.
The soldiers wanted to thank God for protecting them. Every
man gave God all of the gold jewelry they took from the Midianites in the war.
The total of this gold was 16,750 shekels (about 400 pounds). The leaders of the
army gave the gold to Moses and Eleazar. Moses and Eleazar took the gold into
the tabernacle.
[50] We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what
every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings,
earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.
[51] And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them,
even all wrought jewels.
[52] And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to
the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was
sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.
[53] (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for
himself.)
[54] And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the
captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the
congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD
Numbers 32
Some of the Israelites ask for land outside of Canaan
The people who were in the tribes of Reuben and Gad (the
descendants of Jacob’s sons Reuben and Gad) owned a lot of cattle. They knew
that all of the Israelites would soon be moving west and crossing over the Jordan
River into Canaan. But they preferred to stay on the east side of the river.
That land was called Gilead. They thought Gilead was a good place for cattle.
God had helped the Israelites fight the people in Gilead and win the land.
Reuben’s and Gad’s tribes asked Moses if they could stay there. They wanted
that land to be their land from God.
[1] Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a
very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the
land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
[2] The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and
spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the
congregation, saying,
[3] Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon,
and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
[4] Even the country which the LORD smote before the
congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:
[5] Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy
sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us
not over Jordan.
Moses asked them if they planned to sit there and let all of
the other Israelite tribes go to war in Canaan. If they did that, the other
tribes would want to stay there, too. They wouldn’t cross over the river to
enter Canaan, the land that God promised them.
[6] And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the
children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?
[7] And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of
Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?
Moses reminded them that their ancestors did something
similar in the past. Moses sent some of the ancestors to spy on
Canaan. They explored Canaan for 40 days. Then they came back to the Israelite
camp. They told the Israelites that the people living in Canaan were too strong.
They thought the Israelites couldn’t defeat them. The Israelites did not trust
God enough, and they believed the spies. They were afraid to enter into Canaan.
This made God mad. He said that none of the Israelites who were age 20 or older
(except for Joshua and Caleb) would be able to enter Canaan. The Israelites
would travel around in the wilderness for 40 years until all of the adults died.
To read that part of the Bible again, please
click here.
[8] Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from
Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
[9] For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw
the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should
not go into the land which the LORD had given them.
[10] And the LORD's anger was kindled the same time, and he
sware, saying,
[11] Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from
twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto
Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:
[12] Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua
the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.
[13] And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he
made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that
had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.
Moses said that Reuben and Gad’s tribes would make God mad
like before. He would make the Israelites continue to wander in the wilderness.
[14] And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an
increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward
Israel.
[15] For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again
leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.
The two tribes told Moses that they would build their cities,
homes, and places for the cattle. Then the men would leave their new homes and
go into Canaan with the other Israelites. They would help the other Israelites fight the
people who live in Canaan now. They would not inherit any land in
Canaan on the west side of the Jordan River. Their land would be on the east
side of
the river.
[16] And they came near unto him, and said, We will build
sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
[17] But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children
of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones
shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
[18] We will not return unto our houses, until the children
of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.
[19] For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan,
or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan
eastward.
Moses agreed to this. The men of the Reuben and Gad tribes
would fight in the war with the other Israelites. Then after everyone had their land in Canaan,
they would go back to their homes in Gilead. Moses told them that if they did not do what
they promised, they would be sinning against God.
[20] And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if
ye will go armed before the LORD to war,
[21] And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the
LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,
[22] And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward
ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this
land shall be your possession before the LORD.
[23] But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against
the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
[24] Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for
your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.
The men of Gad and Reuben promised. They would go build their
cities and places for their animals. Then they would help the other Israelites fight in
Canaan.
[25] And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake
unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.
[26] Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our
cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead:
[27] But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for
war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith.
Moses told Eleazar the priest, Joshua,
and the other leaders about the promise of the Reuben and Gad tribes. He told
them that if the tribes keep their promises and help the others, they can have
the land they want on the east side of the Jordan River.
[28] So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest,
and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children
of Israel:
[29] And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the
children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle,
before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give
them the land of Gilead for a possession:
But if they do not keep their promises and they do not help
fight in Canaan, they will not get land on the east side of the Jordan River.
Instead, they will get part of the land on the west side of the Jordan
River.
[30] But if they will not pass over with you armed, they
shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.
The Reuben and Gad tribes promised that they would help
fight. Moses agreed and gave them their land in Gilead on the east side of the
Jordan River. Moses also gave land
there to the half-tribe of Manasseh (the descendants of Joseph’s son
Manasseh). Moses gave the tribes these areas: the land of the Amorites (Sihon
was their king) and the land of Bashan (Og was their king).
[31] And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben
answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
[32] We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of
Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.
[33] And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad,
and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of
Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of
Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the
country round about.
The tribe of Gad built new cities. The city names were: Dibon,
Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth, Shophan, Jaazer, Jogbehah, Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran.
They built walls around the cities and made places for their sheep.
[34] And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
[35] And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah,
[36] And Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fenced cities: and
folds for sheep.
The tribe of Reuben built the cities named Heshbon, Elealeh,
Kirjathaim, Nebo, Baal-meon, and Shibmah.
[37] And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh,
and Kirjathaim,
[38] And Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,)
and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded.
Part of Manasseh’s tribe (the descendants of Joseph’s
grandson, Machir) fought some of the people living in Gilead. These people were
the Amorites. Machir’s group won, and the Amorites were gone. Moses gave that
part of Gilead to Machir’s group.
[39] And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to
Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.
[40] And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh;
and he dwelt therein.
Another part of Manasseh’s tribe (the descendants of Joseph’s
grandson, Jair) moved into some small towns and renamed them Havoth-jair. This
means "the towns of Jair.
[41] And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small
towns thereof, and called them Havoth-jair.
Nobah moved into the towns of Kenath. He renamed them Nobah
for himself.
[42] And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages
thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
They left Marah and camped at Elim. Elim had 12 springs of
water and 70 palm trees. They left Elim, then camped by the Red Sea. Next they camped
in the desert of Sin. Then they camped at Dophkah, then Alush, then Rephidim.
There was no water at Rephidim for the people to drink. Then they left Rephidim
and camped in the desert at Sinai. This is a list of the places where they camped next:
Kibroth-hattaavah, Hazeroth, Rithmah, Rimmon-parez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah,
Mount Shapher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Tarah, Mithcah, Hasmonah, Moseroth,
Bene-jaakan, Hor-hagidgad, Jotbathah, Ebronah, Ezion-gaber, Kadesh, and Mount
Hor which is near Edom. A king in Canaan, Arad, heard that the Israelites were coming
to his area. After they left Mount Hor, the Israelites went to Zalmonah,
Punon, Oboth, Ije-abarim on the border of Moab, Dibon-gad, Almon-diblathaim, and
the mountains of Abarim before Nebo. They left the mountains of Abarim and camped in the flat
lands of Moab. This was by the Jordan River across from Jericho. The Israelite
camp was big. It stretched from Beth-jesimoth to Abel-shittim. The Israelites should divide the Canaan
land so that every
tribe gets land. The bigger tribes should get more land than the smaller tribes.
They will divide the land by lot–by chance, like flipping a coin, drawing
straws, or choosing a number.
Numbers 33
Moses records the history of the Israelites since they left
Egypt.
Moses kept a record of the journey of the Israelites after
they left Egypt. God told him to do this. This is what he wrote.
[1] These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which
went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses
and Aaron.
[2] And Moses wrote their goings out according to their
journeys by the commandment of the LORD: and these are their journeys according
to their goings out.
The Israelites left the city of Rameses (the name of the
Pharoah) on the 15th day of the 1st month. They left the
day after the Lord killed all of the firstborn in Egypt. But the Lord did not
kill the Israelites’ firstborn. The Lord proved that He was more powerful than
the Egyptians’ gods. While the Egyptians were burying their dead, they watched
the Israelites leaving Egypt. To read this part of the Bible again, please
click here.
[3] And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the
fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children
of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.
[4] For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the
LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.
The Israelites stopped in Succoth first. Then they stopped in
Etham which is on the edge of the wilderness.
[5] And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and
pitched in Succoth.
[6] And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham,
which is in the edge of the desert.
They left Etham and turned to Pi-hahiroth which is east of
Baal-zephon. They camped near Migdol.
[7] And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pi-hahiroth,
which is before Baal-zephon: and they pitched before Migdol.
They went through the Red Sea and went into the Etham desert.
They traveled for 3 days and then camped in Marah.
[8] And they departed from before Pi-hahiroth, and passed
through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey
in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.
[9] And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in
Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they
pitched there.
[10] And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea.
[11] And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the
wilderness of Sin.
[12] And they took their journey out of the wilderness of
Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.
[13] And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.
[14] And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim,
where was no water for the people to drink.
[15] And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the
wilderness of Sinai.
[16] And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched
at Kibroth-hattaavah.
[17] And they departed from Kibroth-hattaavah, and encamped
at Hazeroth.
[18] And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah.
[19] And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmon-parez.
[20] And they departed from Rimmon-parez, and pitched in Libnah.
[21] And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at Rissah.
[22] And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah.
[23] And they went from Kehelathah, and pitched in mount Shapher.
[24] And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.
[25] And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.
[26] And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.
[27] And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah.
[28] And they removed from Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah.
[29] And they went from Mithcah, and pitched in Hashmonah.
[30] And they departed from Hashmonah, and encamped at Moseroth.
[31] And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-jaakan.
[32] And they removed from Bene-jaakan, and encamped at Hor-hagidgad.
[33] And they went from Hor-hagidgad, and pitched in Jotbathah.
[34] And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah.
[35] And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at Ezion-gaber.
[36] And they removed from Ezion-gaber, and pitched in the
wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.
[37] And they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor,
in the edge of the land of Edom.
At Mount Hor, God told Aaron to go up on the mountain. Aaron
died on the mountain. This was 40 years after the Israelites left Egypt. It was
the 1st day of the 5th month. Aaron was 123 years old when
he died.
[38] And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the
commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children
of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth
month.
[39] And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old
when he died in mount Hor.
[40] And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in
the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.
[41] And they departed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah.
[42] And they departed from Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon.
[43] And they departed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth.
[44] And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ije-abarim,
in the border of Moab.
[45] And they departed from Iim, and pitched in Dibon-gad.
[46] And they removed from Dibon-gad, and encamped in Almon-diblathaim.
[47] And they removed from Almon-diblathaim, and pitched in
the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.
[48] And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and
pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
[49] And they pitched by Jordan, from Beth-jesimoth even unto
Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.
God’s instructions about Canaan
God talked to Moses while they were camped by the Jordan
River. He told Moses to tell the Israelites that after they crossed the river
Jordan, they would be in Canaan. This is the land that God promised to them.
There were people living in Canaan now. The Israelites should make the
people leave. The people now in Canaan do not worship God. They worship idols,
statues and pictures of things they think have special power. The Israelites
should destroy all of the pictures, statues, things, and places where the Canaanites
worship.
[50] And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by
Jordan near Jericho, saying,
[51] Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them,
When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
[52] Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land
from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten
images, and quite pluck down all their high places:
[53] And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and
dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.
[54] And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance
among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to
the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be
in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye
shall inherit.
If the Israelites do not make the Canaanites leave, God will
be angry. The Canaanites who do not leave will cause trouble for the Israelites.
They will be like splinters in their eyes or thorns in their sides. If the
Israelites do not make the Canaanites leave, God will destroy the Israelites the
same way He plans to destroy the Canaanites.
[55] But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land
from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of
them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you
in the land wherein ye dwell.
[56] Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto
you, as I thought to do unto them.
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