The Sacred Bible:  The Book of Numbers

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[Numbers 1]

{1:1} And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the covenant, on the first day of the second month, in the year after their departure from Egypt, saying:

{1:2} “Take a total of the entire assembly of the sons of Israel, by their families and houses, and the names of each one, of whomever is of the male sex,

{1:3} from twenty years and above, of all the able-bodied men out of Israel, and you shall number them by their companies, you and Aaron.

{1:4} And there shall be with you the leaders of the tribes, as well as of the houses, in their kinships,

{1:5} the names of whom are these: of Ruben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;

{1:6} of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;

{1:7} of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;

{1:8} of Issachar, Nathanael the son of Zuar;

{1:9} of Zebulon, Eliab the son of Helon.

{1:10} And from the sons of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;

{1:11} of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;

{1:12} of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;

{1:13} of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran;

{1:14} of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Reuel;

{1:15} of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.”

{1:16} These are the very noble leaders of the multitude, by their tribes and kinships, and the heads of the army of Israel.

{1:17} Moses and Aaron took these, with all the multitude of the common people,

{1:18} and they gathered them together on the first day of the second month, taking a census of them by kinships, and houses, and families, and heads, and the names of each one from twenty years and above,

{1:19} just as the Lord had instructed Moses. And they were numbered in the desert of Sinai.

{1:20} Of Ruben, the firstborn of Israel, by their generations and families and houses, and the names of each head, of all who were of the male sex, from twenty years and above, capable of going to war,

{1:21} there were forty-six thousand five hundred.

{1:22} Of the sons of Simeon, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names and heads of each one, of all who were of the male sex, from twenty years and above, capable of going to war,

{1:23} there were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

{1:24} Of the sons of Gad, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who could go forth to war,

{1:25} there were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.

{1:26} Of the sons of Judah, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to war,

{1:27} there were counted seventy-four thousand six hundred.

{1:28} Of the sons of Issachar, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who could go forth to war,

{1:29} there were counted fifty-four thousand four hundred.

{1:30} Of the sons of Zebulon, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to war,

{1:31} there were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

{1:32} From the sons of Joseph, of the sons of Ephraim, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to war,

{1:33} there were forty thousand five hundred.

{1:34} Furthermore, of the sons of Manasseh, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to war,

{1:35} there were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

{1:36} Of the sons of Benjamin, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to war,

{1:37} there were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

{1:38} Of the sons of Dan, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to war,

{1:39} there were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

{1:40} Of the sons of Asher, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to war,

{1:41} there were forty thousand and one thousand five hundred.

{1:42} Of the sons of Naphtali, by their generations and families, and the houses of their kinships, having been counted by the names of each one, from twenty years and above, of all who were able to go forth to war,

{1:43} there were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

{1:44} These are the ones who were numbered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one by the houses of their kinships.

{1:45} And the entire number of the sons of Israel by their houses and families, from twenty years and above, who were able to go forth to war, were

{1:46} six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men.

{1:47} But the Levites in the tribes of their families were not numbered with them.

{1:48} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{1:49} “Do not number the tribe of Levi, neither shall you take a total of them with the sons of Israel.

{1:50} But appoint them over the tabernacle of the testimony, and all its vessels, and whatever pertains to the ceremonies. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its articles. And they shall be for the ministry, and they shall encamp all around the tabernacle.

{1:51} When you would depart, the Levites shall take down the tabernacle. When you are to make camp, they shall set it up. Any outsider who will approach it shall be killed.

{1:52} Now the sons of Israel shall make camp, each one by his companies and bands, as well as his army.

{1:53} Moreover, the Levites shall fix their tents all around the tabernacle, lest there be an indignation over the multitude of the sons of Israel. And they shall stand watch as guardians over the tabernacle of the testimony.”

{1:54} Therefore, the sons of Israel acted according to everything that the Lord had instructed Moses.

[Numbers 2]

{2:1} And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

{2:2} “Each one shall make camp, by their troops, as well as by their insignia and standards, and by the houses of their kinships, all around the tabernacle of the covenant.”

{2:3} To the east, Judah shall fix his tents, by the companies of his army. And the leader of his sons shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

{2:4} And the entire total of the fighting men from his stock was seventy-four thousand six hundred.

{2:5} Beside him, those of the tribe of Issachar were encamped, whose leader was Nathanael the son of Zuar.

{2:6} And the entire number of his fighting men was fifty-four thousand four hundred.

{2:7} In the tribe of Zebulon, the leader was Eliab the son of Helon.

{2:8} All the army of fighting men from his stock were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

{2:9} All who were numbered in the camp of Judah were one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred. And these, by their companies, shall go forth first.

{2:10} In the camp of the sons of Ruben, toward the south side, the leader shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.

{2:11} And the entire army of his fighting men, who were numbered, were forty-six thousand five hundred.

{2:12} Beside him, those of the tribe of Simeon were encamped, whose leader was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

{2:13} And the entire army of his fighting men, who were numbered, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

{2:14} In the tribe of Gad, the leader was Eliasaph the son of Reuel.

{2:15} And the entire army of his fighting men, who were numbered, were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.

{2:16} All who were counted in the camp of Ruben were one hundred fifty thousand and one thousand four hundred fifty, by their companies. These shall advance in the second place.

{2:17} But the tabernacle of the testimony shall be lifted up by the officers of the Levites and their companies. In the manner in which it is set up, so also shall it be taken down. Each one shall advance according to their places and ranks.

{2:18} On the west side, there shall be the camp of the sons of Ephraim, whose leader was Elishama the son of Ammihud.

{2:19} The entire army of his fighting men, who were numbered, were forty thousand five hundred.

{2:20} And with them was the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, whose leader was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

{2:21} And the entire army of his fighting men, who were numbered, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

{2:22} In the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, the leader was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

{2:23} And the entire army of his fighting men, who were counted, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

{2:24} All who were numbered in the camp of Ephraim were one hundred eight thousand one hundred, by their companies. These shall advance third.

{2:25} Toward the north side, the sons of Dan were encamped, whose leader was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

{2:26} The entire army of his fighting men, who were numbered, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

{2:27} Beside him, those of the tribe of Asher fixed their tents, whose leader was Pagiel the son of Ochran.

{2:28} The entire army of his fighting men, who were numbered, were forty thousand and one thousand five hundred.

{2:29} From the tribe of the sons of Naphtali, the leader was Ahira the son of Enan.

{2:30} The entire army of his fighting men were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

{2:31} All who were numbered in the camp of Dan were one hundred fifty-seven thousand six hundred; and these shall advance at the very end.

{2:32} This is the number of the sons of Israel, of their army divided by the houses of their kinships and their companies: six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty.

{2:33} But the Levites were not numbered among the sons of Israel. For so the Lord had instructed Moses.

{2:34} And the sons of Israel acted according to all the things that the Lord had commanded. They were encamped by their companies, and they advanced by the families and houses of their fathers.

[Numbers 3]

{3:1} These are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day when the Lord spoke to Moses on mount Sinai.

{3:2} And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.

{3:3} These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and whose hands were filled and consecrated in order to exercise the priesthood.

{3:4} For Nadab and Abihu died without children, when they offered, in the sight of the Lord, a strange fire, in the desert of Sinai. And so, Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the sight of Aaron, their father.

{3:5} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{3:6} “Bring forward the tribe of Levi, and cause them to stand in the sight of Aaron the priest, in order to minister to him. And let them keep watch outside,

{3:7} and let them observe whatever pertains to the ritual for the multitude, in front of the tabernacle of the testimony,

{3:8} and let them take care of the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in its ministry.

{3:9} And you shall give the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons; for they have been delivered to them by the sons of Israel.

{3:10} But you shall appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of the priesthood. The outsider who approaches to minister shall be put to death.”

{3:11} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{3:12} “I have taken the Levites from the sons of Israel. For the Levites, and all the firstborn who open the womb among the sons of Israel, shall be mine.

{3:13} For every firstborn is mine. From the time that I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I have sanctified for myself whatever is born first in Israel. From man, even to beast, they are mine. I am the Lord.”

{3:14} And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:

{3:15} “Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and above.”

{3:16} Moses numbered them, just as the Lord had instructed,

{3:17} and there were found the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

{3:18} The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.

{3:19} The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

{3:20} The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

{3:21} From Gershon were two families: the Libnites, and the Shimeites.

{3:22} The people of these were numbered, of the male sex, from one month and above: seven thousand five hundred.

{3:23} These shall encamp behind the tabernacle, toward the west,

{3:24} under the leader Eliasaph the son of Lael.

{3:25} And they shall keep watch over the tabernacle of the covenant:

{3:26} the tabernacle itself, and its covering; the tent that is drawn before the doors of the covering of the covenant; and the curtains of the atrium; likewise, the tent that is suspended at the entrance of the atrium of the tabernacle; and whatever pertains to the ritual of the altar; the cords of the tabernacle and all its implements.

{3:27} The kinship of Kohath includes the peoples of the Amramites and Izharites and Hebronites and Uzzielites. These are the families of the Kohathites, having been counted by their names,

{3:28} all those of the male gender, from one month and above: eight thousand six hundred. They shall keep watch over the Sanctuary,

{3:29} and they shall encamp toward the south side.

{3:30} And their leader shall be Elisaphan the son of Uzziel.

{3:31} And they shall take care of the ark, and the table and the lampstand, the altars and the vessels of the Sanctuary, by which they minister, and the veil, and all the articles of this kind.

{3:32} But the leader of the leaders of the Levites, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over those who watch over the care of the Sanctuary.

{3:33} And truly, from Merari are the peoples of the Mahlites and Mushites, having been counted by their names,

{3:34} all those of the male gender, from one month and above: six thousand two hundred.

{3:35} Their leader is Suriel the son of Abihaiel. They shall make camp on the north side.

{3:36} Under their care shall be the panels of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the columns with their bases, and all the things which pertain to service of this kind,

{3:37} and the columns of the surrounding atrium with their bases, and the tent pegs with their cords.

{3:38} Moses and Aaron, with their sons, shall make camp before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is, on the east side, holding the custody of the Sanctuary in the midst of the sons of Israel. Whatever foreigner approaches it shall die.

{3:39} All the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by their families according to the precept of the Lord, of the male gender, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand.

{3:40} And the Lord said to Moses: “Number the firstborn of the male sex from the sons of Israel, from one month and above, and you shall take their total.

{3:41} And you shall bring the Levites to me, in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and you shall bring their cattle to me, in place of all the firstborn of the cattle of the sons of Israel. I am the Lord.”

{3:42} Moses took a census, just as the Lord had instructed, of the firstborn of the sons of Israel.

{3:43} And the males by their names, from one month and above, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

{3:44} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{3:45} “Take the Levites, in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites, in place of their cattle, and so the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.

{3:46} But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, which exceed the number of the Levites compared to the number of firstborn of the sons of Israel,

{3:47} you shall take five shekels for each head, by the measure of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

{3:48} And you shall give the money to Aaron and his sons as the price of those that are in excess.”

{3:49} Therefore, Moses took the money for those that were in excess, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites

{3:50} in place of the firstborn of the sons of Israel: one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according to the weight of the Sanctuary.

{3:51} And he gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word by which the Lord had instructed him.

[Numbers 4]

{4:1} And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

{4:2} “Take a total of the sons of Kohath from the midst of the Levites, by their houses and families,

{4:3} from thirty years and above, even to the fiftieth year, of all who enter so as to stand and minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

{4:4} This is the service of the sons of Kohath: the tabernacle of the covenant and the Holy of holies.

{4:5} Aaron and his sons shall enter, when the camp is going to move, and they shall take down the veil, which hangs before the entrance, and they shall wrap the ark of the testimony in it,

{4:6} and they shall cover it further with a veil of violet skins, and they shall extend over it a cloth made entirely of hyacinth, and they shall draw in the bars.

{4:7} Likewise, they shall wrap the table of the presence in a cloth of hyacinth, and they shall place with it the censers and little mortars, the cups and bowls for pouring out libations; the bread shall be always on it.

{4:8} And they shall extend over it a cloth of scarlet, which they shall further cover with a veil of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

{4:9} They shall take also a cloth of hyacinth, with which they shall cover the lampstand with the lamps, and its tongs, and the candle snuffers, and all the vessels of oil, which are necessary for the preparation of the lamps.

{4:10} And over all this they shall place a covering of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

{4:11} And certainly they shall wrap the golden altar in a hyacinth garment, and they shall extend over it a covering of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

{4:12} All the vessels with which they minister in the Sanctuary they shall wrap in a cloth of hyacinth, and they shall extend over it a covering of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

{4:13} Moreover, they shall cleanse the altar of ashes, and they shall wrap it in a purple garment,

{4:14} and they shall place it with all the vessels which they use in its ministry, that is, receptacles for fire, small hooks as well as forks, larger hooks and shovels. They shall cover all the vessels of the altar together with a veil of violet skins, and they shall draw in the bars.

{4:15} And when Aaron and his sons have wrapped the Sanctuary and its vessels at the dismantling of the camp, then the sons of Kohath shall enter, so as to carry what has been wrapped. And they shall not touch the vessels of the Sanctuary, lest they die. These are the burdens of the sons of Kohath concerning the tabernacle of the covenant.

{4:16} Over them shall be Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to whom belongs the care of the oil to prepare the lamps, and the incense compound, and the sacrifice, which is offered continually, and the oil of unction, and whatever pertains to the service of the tabernacle, and all the vessels that are in the Sanctuary.”

{4:17} And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

{4:18} “Do not be willing to lose the people of Kohath from the midst of the Levites.

{4:19} But do this for them, so that they may live, and so that they may not die by touching the Holies of holies. Aaron and his sons shall enter, and they shall assign the work of each one, and they shall determine what each one ought to carry.

{4:20} Let no others, out of curiosity, see the things that are in the Sanctuary before they are wrapped, otherwise they shall die.”

{4:21} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{4:22} “Now also take a total of the sons of Gershon, by their houses and families and kinships,

{4:23} from thirty years and above, even to fifty years. Number all those who enter and minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

{4:24} This is the duty of the family of the Gershonites:

{4:25} to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the roof of the covenant, the other covering, and the veil over everything, and the violet tent, which hangs at the entrance of the tabernacle of the covenant,

{4:26} the curtains of the atrium, and the veil at the entrance, which is before tabernacle. Everything that pertains to the altar, the cords, and the vessels of the ministry

{4:27} the sons of Gershon shall carry, under the orders of Aaron and his sons. And so shall each one know to which burden he ought to surrender.

{4:28} This is the service of the family of the Gershonites, in the tabernacle of the covenant, and they shall be under the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.

{4:29} Likewise, you shall take a census of the sons of Merari, by the families and houses of their fathers,

{4:30} from thirty years and above, even to fifty years, of all who enter to the office of their ministry and to the service of the covenant of the testimony.

{4:31} These are their burdens: They shall carry the panels of the tabernacle and its bars, the columns and their bases,

{4:32} also the columns surrounding the atrium, with their bases and tent pegs and cords. They shall accept by number all the vessels and articles, and so shall they carry them.

{4:33} This is the office of the family of the Merarites, and their ministry for the tabernacle of the covenant. And they shall be under the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.”

{4:34} Therefore, Moses and Aaron, and the leaders of the assembly, took a census of the sons of Kohath, by the kinships and houses of their fathers,

{4:35} from thirty years and above, even to the fiftieth year, of all who enter to the ministry of the tabernacle of the covenant.

{4:36} And there were found two thousand seven hundred fifty.

{4:37} This is the number of the people of Kohath, who enter the tabernacle of the covenant. These Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

{4:38} The sons of Gershon also were numbered by the kinships and houses of their fathers,

{4:39} from thirty years and above, even to the fiftieth year, all who enter so as to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

{4:40} And there were found two thousand six hundred thirty.

{4:41} This is the people of the Gershonites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord.

{4:42} The sons of Merari also were numbered by the kinships and houses of their fathers,

{4:43} from thirty years and above, even to the fiftieth year, all who enter to fulfill the rituals of the tabernacle of the covenant.

{4:44} And there were found three thousand two hundred.

{4:45} This is the number of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

{4:46} All who were counted from the Levites, and whom, by name, Moses and Aaron, and the leaders of Israel, counted by the kinships and houses of their fathers,

{4:47} from thirty years and above, until the fiftieth year, entering for the ministry of the tabernacle and carrying the burdens,

{4:48} were together eight thousand five hundred eighty.

{4:49} Moses took a census of them, according to the word of the Lord, each one according to their office and their burdens, just as the Lord had instructed him.

[Numbers 5]

{5:1} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{5:2} “Instruct the sons of Israel to cast out of the camp every leper, and those who have a flow of seed, and those who have been polluted because of the dead;

{5:3} cast out of the camp both male and female, lest they contaminate it while I am dwelling with you.”

{5:4} And the sons of Israel did so, and they cast them out, beyond the camp, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

{5:5} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{5:6} “Say to the sons of Israel: A man or a woman, when they have done anything out of all the sins that often befall men, or if, by negligence, they have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and so have committed an offense,

{5:7} they shall confess their sin, and they shall restore the principle itself, plus a fifth part above it, to any against whom they have sinned.

{5:8} But if there would be no one to receive it, they shall give it to the Lord, and it shall be for the priest, except for the ram, which is offered for expiation, in order to be a pleasing victim.

{5:9} Likewise, all the first-fruits, which the sons of Israel offer, belong to the priest,

{5:10} with whatever is offered by each one at the Sanctuary, and which is delivered into the hands of the priest; it shall be his.”

{5:11} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{5:12} “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: The man whose wife will have gone astray, and, disdaining her husband,

{5:13} will have slept with another man, and if her husband cannot discover it, but the adultery is secret, and if it cannot be proved by witnesses, because she was not caught in the shameful act,

{5:14} if the spirit of jealousy stirs up the husband against his wife, who either has been polluted or is being assailed with a false suspicion,

{5:15} he shall bring her to the priest, and he shall offer an oblation for her, a tenth part of native barley meal. He shall not pour oil over it, nor shall he place frankincense on it, because it is a sacrifice for jealousy, or an oblation investigating adultery.

{5:16} Therefore, the priest shall offer it, and he shall set it in the sight of the Lord.

{5:17} And he shall take up holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall cast a little earth from the pavement of the tabernacle into it.

{5:18} And while the woman stands before the Lord, he shall uncover her head, and he shall place over her hands the sacrifice of recollection and oblation of jealousy. But he shall take hold of the most bitter waters, in which he has gathered curses with loathing.

{5:19} And he shall bind her by an oath, and he shall say: ‘If another man has not slept with you, and if you have not been polluted by forsaking the bed of your husband, these most bitter waters, into which I have gathered curses, shall not harm you.

{5:20} But if you have turned away from your husband, and also have been defiled, and have lain together with another man,

{5:21} these curses shall be thrown upon you: May the Lord turn you into a curse and an example among all his people. May he cause your thigh to rot, and may your abdomen swell up and burst out.

{5:22} May the cursed waters enter into your stomach, and may your womb swell and your thigh rot.’ And the woman shall respond: ‘Amen, amen.’

{5:23} And the priest shall write these curses in a little book, and then he shall erase them with the very bitter waters, into which he had gathered the curses,

{5:24} and he shall give it to her to drink. And when she has emptied it,

{5:25} the priest shall take from her hand the sacrifice of jealousy, and he shall elevate it before the Lord, and he shall impose it upon the altar. Yet only after he first

{5:26} takes a handful of the sacrifice from that which is offered, and burns it upon the altar, and then he may give the most bitter waters to the woman as a drink.

{5:27} And when she drinks it, if she has been defiled, and, having despised her husband, is guilty of adultery, the curse shall pass through her, and as her belly swells up, her thigh shall decay, and the woman shall become a curse and an example to all the people.

{5:28} But if she has not been defiled, she shall be unharmed and she shall bear children.

{5:29} This is the law for jealousy. If a woman has turned aside from her husband, and if she has been polluted,

{5:30} and if the husband, being stirred up by the spirit of jealousy, has brought her before the sight of the Lord, and the priest has acted toward her according to all that has been written:

{5:31} then the husband shall be without guilt, and she shall bear her iniquity.”

[Numbers 6]

{6:1} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{6:2} “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: A man or a woman, when they have made a vow so that they may be sanctified, and when they are willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord,

{6:3} shall abstain from wine and from anything which is able to inebriate. They shall not drink vinegar made from wine or from any other drink, nor anything pressed from the grape. They shall not eat grapes, neither fresh nor dried.

{6:4} During all the days that they are consecrated to the Lord by vow, they shall not eat whatever may be from the vineyard, from raisins, even to grape seeds.

{6:5} During all the time of his separation, no razor shall pass over his head, even until the completion of the day when he is consecrated to the Lord. He shall be holy, letting the hair of his head grow long.

{6:6} During all the time of his consecration, he shall not enter because of a death,

{6:7} nor shall he contaminate himself, even over the funeral of his father, or his mother, or his brother, or his sister. For the consecration of his God is upon his head.

{6:8} During all the days of his separation, he shall be holy to the Lord.

{6:9} But if anyone will have died unexpectedly before him, the head of his consecration shall be polluted, and he shall shave it in that very place, on the same day of his purification, and again on the seventh day.

{6:10} Then, on the eighth day, he shall offer two turtledoves or two young pigeons, to the priest at the entrance to the covenant of the testimony.

{6:11} And the priest shall effect one for sin, and the other as a holocaust, and he shall pray for him, because he has sinned on account of the dead. And he shall sanctify his head on that day.

{6:12} And he shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, offering a one-year-old lamb for sin, yet in such a manner that the former days will be made null and void, because his sanctification was polluted.

{6:13} This is the law of consecration. When the days that he had decreed by vow have been completed, he shall bring him to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant,

{6:14} and he shall offer his oblation to the Lord: an immaculate one-year-old male lamb as a holocaust, and an immaculate one-year-old female lamb for sin, and an immaculate ram, a peace-offering victim,

{6:15} also, a basket of unleavened bread, which has been sprinkled with oil, and cakes without leaven, anointed with oil, as well as the libations of each one.

{6:16} And the priest shall offer them before the Lord, and he shall perform both the sin offering and the holocaust.

{6:17} Yet truly, the ram he shall immolate as a peace-offering victim to the Lord, offering at the same time the basket of unleavened bread, and the libations which are required by custom.

{6:18} Then the Nazarite shall be shaved of the long hair of his consecration, before the door of the tabernacle of the covenant. And he shall take his hair, and he shall place it upon the fire, which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.

{6:19} And he shall take the cooked shoulder of the ram, and one twist of bread without leaven from the basket, and one unleavened cake, and he shall deliver them into the hands of the Nazarite, after his head has been shaven.

{6:20} And receiving them again from him, he shall elevate them in the sight of the Lord. And having been sanctified, these shall be for the priest, as also the breast, which was ordered to be separated, and the leg. After this, the Nazarite is able to drink wine.

{6:21} This is the law of the Nazarite, when he has vowed his oblation to the Lord in the time of his consecration, aside from those things which his hand shall find. According to what he had vowed in his mind, so shall he do, to the perfection of his sanctification.”

{6:22} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{6:23} “Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them:

{6:24} ‘May the Lord bless you and keep you.

{6:25} May the Lord reveal his face to you and take pity on you.

{6:26} May the Lord turn his countenance toward you and grant peace to you.’

{6:27} And they shall invoke my name over the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.”

[Numbers 7]

{7:1} Now it happened in the day when Moses completed the tabernacle, and he set it up, and he anointed and sanctified it with all of its vessels, and similarly the altar and all of its vessels,

{7:2} that the leaders of Israel and the heads of the families, who were in each tribe and who were in charge of those who had been numbered, offered

{7:3} their gifts in the sight of the Lord: six covered wagons with twelve oxen. Two leaders offered one wagon, and each offered one ox, and they offered these in the sight of the tabernacle.

{7:4} Then the Lord said to Moses:

{7:5} “Receive these things from them, in order to serve in the ministry of the tabernacle, and you shall deliver them to the Levites, according to the order of their ministry.”

{7:6} And so Moses, having received the wagons and the oxen, delivered them to the Levites.

{7:7} Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to what they needed.

{7:8} The other four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their offices and service, under the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.

{7:9} But to the sons of Kohath he gave no wagons or oxen, because they serve in the Sanctuary and they carry their burdens on their shoulders.

{7:10} Therefore, the leaders offered, at the dedication of the altar on the day when it was anointed, their oblation before the altar.

{7:11} And the Lord said to Moses: “Let each of the leaders, on each of the days, offer their gifts for the dedication of the altar.”

{7:12} On the first day, Nahshon, the son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah, offered his oblation.

{7:13} And in it were these: a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, according to the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:14} a little mortar made from ten shekels of gold, filled with incense,

{7:15} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and a one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:16} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:17} and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

{7:18} On the second day, Nathanael, the son of Zuar, the leader of the tribe of Issachar, offered:

{7:19} a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, according to the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:20} a little mortar of gold having ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:21} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:22} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:23} and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Nathanael, the son of Zuar.

{7:24} On the third day, the leader of the sons of Zebulon, Eliab the son of Helon,

{7:25} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:26} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:27} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:28} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:29} and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This is the oblation of Eliab the son of Helon.

{7:30} On the fourth day, the leader of the sons of Ruben, Elizur the son of Shedeur,

{7:31} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:32} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:33} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and a one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:34} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:35} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

{7:36} On the fifth day, the leader of the sons of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai,

{7:37} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:38} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:39} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and a one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:40} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:41} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.

{7:42} On the sixth day, the leader of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Reuel,

{7:43} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:44} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:45} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:46} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:47} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Eliasaph, the son of Reuel.

{7:48} On the seventh day, the leader of the sons of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud,

{7:49} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:50} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:51} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:52} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:53} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Elishama, the son of Ammihud.

{7:54} On the eighth day, the leader of the sons of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur,

{7:55} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:56} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:57} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and a one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:58} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:59} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur.

{7:60} On the ninth day, the leader of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni,

{7:61} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:62} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:63} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and a one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:64} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:65} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Abidan, the son of Gideoni.

{7:66} On the tenth day, the leaders of the sons of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai,

{7:67} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:68} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:69} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and a one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:70} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:71} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai.

{7:72} On the eleventh day, the leader of the sons of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran,

{7:73} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:74} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:75} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and a one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:76} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:77} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Pagiel, the son of Ochran.

{7:78} On the twelfth day, the leader of the sons of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan,

{7:79} offered a silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels, a silver bowl having seventy shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary, and both were filled with fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil as a sacrifice,

{7:80} a little mortar of gold weighing ten shekels, filled with incense,

{7:81} an ox from the herd, and a ram, and a one-year-old lamb as a holocaust,

{7:82} and a he-goat for sin;

{7:83} and for victims of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five one-year-old lambs. This was the oblation of Ahira, the son of Enan.

{7:84} These were the oblations from the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar on the day when it was consecrated: twelve dishes of silver, twelve bowls of silver, twelve little mortars of gold,

{7:85} such that each dish had one hundred thirty shekels of silver, and each bowl had seventy shekels, that is, putting all of the vessels from silver together, two thousand four hundred shekels, by the weight of the Sanctuary,

{7:86} and twelve little mortars of gold, filled with incense, weighing ten shekels by the weight of the Sanctuary, that is, all together one hundred twenty shekels of gold,

{7:87} and twelve oxen from the herd as a holocaust, twelve rams, twelve one-year-old lambs, with their libations, and twelve he-goats for sin;

{7:88} and for victims of peace offerings: twenty-four oxen, sixty rams, sixty he-goats, and sixty one-year-old lambs. These were the oblations for the dedication of the altar, when it was anointed.

{7:89} And when Moses entered into the tabernacle of the covenant, to consult the oracle, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from the propitiatory, which is over the ark of the testimony between the two cherubims, and there he also spoke to him.

[Numbers 8]

{8:1} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{8:2} “Speak to Aaron, and you shall say to him: When you place the seven lamps, let the lampstand be set up on the south side. Therefore, give this instruction: that the lamps should look out from the region opposite the north, toward the table of the bread of the presence; they shall give light opposite that area, toward the area that the lampstand faces.”

{8:3} And Aaron did so, and he placed the lamps on the lampstand, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

{8:4} Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand: it was of ductile gold, both the main shaft and all that originated from both sides of the branches. According to the example that the Lord revealed to Moses, so did he make the lampstand.

{8:5} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{8:6} “Take the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, and you shall purify them

{8:7} according to this ritual: Let them be sprinkled with the water of illumination, and let them shave off all the hairs of their body. And when they have washed their garments and have been cleansed,

{8:8} they shall take an ox from the herd, with its libation of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil; then you shall receive another ox from the herd for sin.

{8:9} And you shall bring forward the Levites before the tabernacle of the covenant, calling together all the multitude of the sons of Israel.

{8:10} And when the Levites are before the Lord, the sons of Israel shall place their hands upon them.

{8:11} And Aaron shall offer the Levites as a gift in the sight of the Lord, from the sons of Israel, so that they may serve in his ministry.

{8:12} Likewise, the Levites shall place their hands upon the heads of the oxen; you shall make use of one of these for sin, and the other as a holocaust to the Lord, so that you may intercede for them.

{8:13} And you shall set the Levites in the sight of Aaron and his sons, and you shall consecrate those being offered to the Lord,

{8:14} and you shall separate them from the midst of the sons of Israel, so that they may be for me.

{8:15} And after this, they shall enter the tabernacle of the covenant, in order to serve me. And so shall you purify and consecrate them as an oblation to the Lord. For they were given to me as a gift from the sons of Israel.

{8:16} I have accepted them in place of the firstborn which open every womb in Israel.

{8:17} For all the firstborn of the sons of Israel, as much from men as from beasts, are mine. From the day when I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I have sanctified them to myself.

{8:18} And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the sons of Israel.

{8:19} And I have delivered them as a gift to Aaron and his sons, from the midst of the people, in order to serve me, for Israel, in the tabernacle of the covenant, and in order to pray for them, lest there be a scourge among the people, if they were to dare to approach to my Sanctuary.”

{8:20} And Moses and Aaron, and all the multitude of the sons of Israel, accomplished all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.

{8:21} And they were purified, and they washed their garments. And Aaron lifted them up in the sight of the Lord, and he prayed for them,

{8:22} so that, having been purified, they might enter to their duties in the tabernacle of the covenant before Aaron and his sons. Just as the Lord had instructed Moses about the Levites, so was it done.

{8:23} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{8:24} “This is the law of the Levites: From twenty-five years and above, they shall enter to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.

{8:25} And when they will have completed the fiftieth year of age, they shall cease to serve.

{8:26} And they shall be the ministers of their brothers in the tabernacle of the covenant, in order to care for the things that have been commended to them, but not to perform the works themselves. So shall you assign the Levites in their duties.”

[Numbers 9]

{9:1} The Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the second year after they departed from the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying:

{9:2} “Let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its proper time,

{9:3} on the fourteenth day of this month, in the evening, according to all of its ceremonies and justifications.”

{9:4} And Moses instructed the sons of Israel, so that they would observe the Passover.

{9:5} And they observed it at its proper time: on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, at mount Sinai. The sons of Israel acted according to all the things that the Lord had commanded Moses.

{9:6} But behold, certain ones, who were not able to observe the Passover on that day, being unclean because of the life of a man, approaching Moses and Aaron,

{9:7} said to them: “We are unclean because of the life of a man. Why have we been cheated, in that we are not permitted to offer, at its proper time, the oblation to the Lord among the sons of Israel?”

{9:8} And Moses responded to them: “Remain, so that I may consult the Lord, as to what he will rule about you.”

{9:9} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{9:10} “Say to the sons of Israel: The man who becomes unclean because of a life, or if he is on a distant journey within your nation, let him observe the Passover to the Lord.

{9:11} In the second month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, they shall eat it with unleavened bread and wild lettuce.

{9:12} They shall not leave behind any of it until morning, and they shall not break a bone of it; they shall observe all the rituals of the Passover.

{9:13} But if any man was both clean, and not on a journey, and yet he did not observe the Passover, that soul shall be exterminated from among his people, because he did not offer the sacrifice to the Lord in its time. He shall bear his sin.

{9:14} Likewise, the sojourner and the newcomer, if they are among you, shall observe the Passover to the Lord according to its ceremonies and justifications. The same precept shall be with you, as much for the newcomer as for the native.”

{9:15} And so, on the day when the tabernacle was raised, a cloud covered it. But over the tabernacle, from evening until morning, there was, as it seemed, the appearance of fire.

{9:16} This was so continually: throughout the day a cloud covered it, and throughout the night, the appearance of fire.

{9:17} And when the cloud that was protecting the tabernacle had been taken up, then the sons of Israel advanced forward, and in the place where the cloud had remained standing, there they made camp.

{9:18} Upon the order of the Lord they advanced, and upon his order they fixed the tabernacle. All the days during which the cloud was standing over the tabernacle, they remained in the same place.

{9:19} And if it happened that it remained for a long time over it, the sons of Israel kept the night watches of the Lord, and they did not advance,

{9:20} during as many days as the cloud remained over the tabernacle. At the command of the Lord they raised their tents, and at his command they took them down.

{9:21} If the cloud remained from evening until morning, and immediately, at first light, it left the tabernacle, they set out. And if it withdrew after a day and a night, they dismantled their tents.

{9:22} Yet truly, whether it remained over the tabernacle for two days, or one month, or a longer time, the sons of Israel remained in the same place, and they did not set out. Then, as soon as it withdrew, they moved the camp.

{9:23} By the word of the Lord they fixed their tents, and by his word they advanced. And they kept the night watches of the Lord, according to his command by the hand of Moses.

[Numbers 10]

{10:1} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{10:2} “Make for yourself two trumpets of ductile silver, with which you may be able to call together the multitude when the camp is to be moved.

{10:3} And when you sound the trumpets, all the multitude shall gather to you at the door of the tabernacle of the covenant.

{10:4} If you sound it only once, the leaders and the heads of the multitude of Israel shall come to you.

{10:5} But if the sound of the trumpets is prolonged, but with interruptions, those who are toward the east side shall move the camp first.

{10:6} Then, at the second sounding of the trumpet with the same cadence, those who live toward the south shall take up their tents. And the remainder shall act in like manner, when the trumpets shall reverberate for a departure.

{10:7} But when the people are to be gathered together, the sound of the trumpets shall be simple, and the sounds shall not be separated.

{10:8} Now it is the sons of Aaron the priest who shall sound the trumpets. And this shall be an everlasting ordinance, in your generations.

{10:9} If you go forth to war from your land, against the enemies who set out against you, you shall sound the trumpets repeatedly, and there shall be a remembrance of you before the Lord your God, so that you may be rescued from the hands of your enemies.

{10:10} If at any time you will have a banquet, and on feast days, and on the first days of the months, you shall sound the trumpets over the holocausts and the peace-offering victims, so that they may be for you as a remembrance by your God. I am the Lord your God.”

{10:11} In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle of the covenant.

{10:12} And the sons of Israel set out by their companies from the desert of Sinai, and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.

{10:13} And the first to move their camp, according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses,

{10:14} were the sons of Judah by their companies, whose leader was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

{10:15} In the tribe of the sons of Issachar, the leader was Nathanael the son of Zuar.

{10:16} In the tribe of Zebulon, the leader was Eliab the son of Helon.

{10:17} And the tabernacle was taken down, because the sons of Gershon and Merari, who carry it, were departing.

{10:18} And the sons of Ruben also set out, by their companies and ranks, whose leader was Elizur the son of Shedeur.

{10:19} And in the tribe of Simeon, the leader was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

{10:20} And in the tribe of Gad, the leader was Eliasaph the son of Reuel.

{10:21} Then the Kohathites also set out, carrying the Sanctuary. The tabernacle was carried, all the while, until they arrived at the place for setting it up.

{10:22} The sons of Ephraim also moved their camp by their companies, and the leader of their army was Elishama the son of Ammihud.

{10:23} And in the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, the leader was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

{10:24} And in the tribe of Benjamin, the leader was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

{10:25} The last of all the camp to set out were the sons of Dan by their companies, and the leader of their army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

{10:26} And in the tribe of the sons of Asher, the leader was Pagiel the son of Ochran.

{10:27} And in the tribe of the sons of Naphtali, the leader was Ahira the son of Enan.

{10:28} These were the camps and departures of the sons of Israel by their companies, when they went forth.

{10:29} And Moses said to Hobab the son of Raguel the Midianite, his kinsman: “We are setting out to the place which the Lord will give to us. Come with us, so that we may do good to you. For the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”

{10:30} And he answered him, “I will not go with you, but I will return to my own land, in which I was born.”

{10:31} And he said: “Do not choose to leave us. For you know in which places in the desert we ought to make camp, and so you shall be our guide.

{10:32} And if you come with us, whatever will be best among the riches which the Lord will deliver to us, we will give to you.”

{10:33} Therefore, they set out from the Mountain of the Lord on a journey of three days. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord preceded them, for three days, in order to provide a place for the camp.

{10:34} Likewise, the cloud of the Lord was over them, throughout the day, while they proceeded.

{10:35} And when the ark was lifted up, Moses said, “Rise up, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee from your face.”

{10:36} And when it was set down, he said: “Return, O Lord, to the multitude of the army of Israel.”

[Numbers 11]

{11:1} Meanwhile, there arose a murmur among the people against the Lord, as if they were grief-stricken because of their labors. And when the Lord had heard it, he was angry. And when the fire of the Lord was enflamed against them, it devoured those who were at the extreme end of the camp.

{11:2} And when the people had cried out to Moses, Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire was consumed.

{11:3} And he called the name of that place, ‘The Burning,’ because the fire of the Lord had burned against them.

{11:4} So then, the mix of common people, who had ascended with them, were enflamed with desire, and sitting and weeping, with the sons of Israel joining them, they said, “Who will give us flesh to eat?

{11:5} We remember the fish that we ate freely in Egypt; we call to mind the cucumbers, and melons, and leeks, and onions, and garlic.

{11:6} Our life is dry; our eyes look out to see nothing but manna.”

{11:7} Now the manna was like coriander seed, but with the color of bdellium.

{11:8} And the people wandered about, gathering it, and they crushed it with a millstone, or ground it with a mortar; then they boiled it in a pot, and made biscuits out of it, with a taste like bread made with oil.

{11:9} And when the dew descended in the night over the camp, the manna descended together with it.

{11:10} And so, Moses heard the people weeping by their families, each one at the door of his tent. And the fury of the Lord was greatly enflamed. And to Moses also the matter seemed intolerable.

{11:11} And so he said to the Lord: “Why have you afflicted your servant? Why do I not find favor before you? And why have you imposed the weight of this entire people upon me?

{11:12} Could I have conceived this entire multitude, or have given birth to them, so that you might say to me: Carry them in your bosom, as a nursemaid usually carries a little infant, and bring them into the land, about which you have sworn to their fathers?

{11:13} From where would I obtain the flesh to give to so great a multitude? They weep against me, saying, ‘Give us flesh, so that we may eat.’

{11:14} I alone am unable to sustain this entire people, because it is too heavy for me.

{11:15} But if it seems to you otherwise, I beg you to put me to death, and so may I find grace in your eyes, lest I be afflicted with such evils.”

{11:16} And the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be elders, as well as teachers, of the people. And you shall lead them to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, and you shall cause them to stand there with you,

{11:17} so that I may descend and speak to you. And I will take from your spirit, and I will deliver it to them, so that, with you, they may sustain the burden of the people, and so that you will not be weighed down alone.

{11:18} You shall also say to the people: Be sanctified. Tomorrow you will eat flesh. For I have heard you say: ‘Who will give us flesh to eat? It was well with us in Egypt.’ So then, may the Lord give you flesh. And you will eat,

{11:19} not for one day, nor for two, nor for five, nor for ten, nor even for twenty,

{11:20} but for up to a month of days, until it exits from your nostrils, and until it turns into nausea for you, because you have slipped away from the Lord, who is in your midst, and because you have wept before him, saying: ‘Why did we go forth out of Egypt?’ ”

{11:21} And Moses said: “There are six hundred thousand footmen of this people, and yet you say, ‘I will give them flesh to eat for a whole month.’

{11:22} Could a multitude of sheep and oxen be slain, so that there would be enough food? Or will the fishes of the sea be gathered together, in order to satisfy them?”

{11:23} And the Lord answered him: “Can the hand of the Lord be ineffective? Soon now, you shall see whether my word will be fulfilled in this work.”

{11:24} And so, Moses went and explained the words of the Lord to the people. Gathering together seventy men from the elders of Israel, he caused them to stand around the tabernacle.

{11:25} And the Lord descended in a cloud, and he spoke to him, taking from the Spirit which was in Moses, and giving to the seventy men. And when the Spirit had rested in them, they prophesied; nor did they cease afterwards.

{11:26} Now there had remained in the camp two of the men, of whom one was called Eldad, and the other Medad, upon whom the Spirit rested; for they also had been enrolled, but they did not go forth to the tabernacle.

{11:27} And when they were prophesying in the camp, a boy ran and reported to Moses, saying: “Eldad and Medad prophesy in the camp.”

{11:28} Promptly, Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses and chosen from many, said: “My lord Moses, prohibit them.”

{11:29} But he said, “Why are you jealous on my behalf? Who decides that any of the people may prophesy and that God may give to them his Spirit?”

{11:30} And Moses returned, with those greater by birth of Israel, into the camp.

{11:31} Then a wind, going out from the Lord and moving forcefully across the sea, brought quails and cast them into the camp, across a distance of one day’s journey, in every part of the camp all around, and they flew in the air two cubits high above the ground.

{11:32} Therefore, the people, rising up, gathered quails all that day and night, and the next day; he who did least well gathered ten homers. And they dried them throughout the camp.

{11:33} The flesh was still between their teeth, neither had this kind of food ceased, and behold, the fury of the Lord was provoked against the people, and he struck them with an exceedingly great scourge.

{11:34} And that place was called, ‘The Graves of Lust.’ For there, they buried the people who had desired. Then, departing from the Graves of Lust, they arrived in Hazeroth, and they stayed there.

[Numbers 12]

{12:1} And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of his wife, an Ethiopian,

{12:2} and they said: “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not also spoken similarly to us?” And when the Lord had heard this,

{12:3} (for Moses was a man exceedingly meek, beyond all the men who were living upon the earth)

{12:4} immediately he spoke to him, and to Aaron and Miriam, “Go out, you three only, to the tabernacle of the covenant.” And when they had gone out,

{12:5} the Lord descended in a column of cloud, and he stood at the entrance of the tabernacle, calling to Aaron and Miriam. And when they had advanced,

{12:6} he said to them: “Listen to my words. If there will be among you a prophet of the Lord, I will appear to him in a vision, or I will speak to him through a dream.

{12:7} But it is not so with my servant Moses, who is the most faithful in all my house.

{12:8} For I speak with him mouth to mouth, and plainly. And not through enigmas and figures does he perceive the Lord. Therefore, why were you not afraid to disparage my servant Moses?”

{12:9} And being angry against them, he went away.

{12:10} Likewise, the cloud which was over the tabernacle withdrew. And behold, Miriam appeared to be white with a leprosy, like snow. And when Aaron had looked upon her, and he had seen the spreading of the leprosy,

{12:11} he said to Moses: “I beg you, my lord, not to impose upon us this sin, which we have committed foolishly.

{12:12} Do not let this one be like one who is dead, or like an abortion that has been cast from the womb of her mother. Behold, half of her flesh is already consumed by leprosy.”

{12:13} And Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “O God, I beg you: heal her.”

{12:14} And the Lord answered him: “If her father had spit on her face, should she not have been filled with shame for at least seven days? Let her be separated, outside the camp, for seven days, and after that, she will be called back.”

{12:15} And so Miriam was excluded from the camp for seven days. And the people did not move from that place, until Miriam was called back.

[Numbers 13]

{13:1} And the people set out from Hazeroth, and they pitched their tents in the desert of Paran.

{13:2} And there, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{13:3} “Send men, who may examine the land of Canaan, which I will give to the sons of Israel, one from the rulers of each tribe.”

{13:4} Moses did what the Lord had commanded, sending, from the desert of Paran, leading men, whose names are these:

{13:5} from the tribe of Ruben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;

{13:6} from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;

{13:7} from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;

{13:8} from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;

{13:9} from the tribe of Ephraim, Hosea the son of Nun;

{13:10} from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;

{13:11} from the tribe of Zebulon, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;

{13:12} from the tribe of Joseph, of the scepter of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;

{13:13} from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;

{13:14} from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;

{13:15} from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;

{13:16} from the tribe of Gad, Guel the son of Machi.

{13:17} These are the names of the men, whom Moses sent to examine the land. And he called Hosea, the son of Nun, Joshua.

{13:18} And so, Moses sent them to examine the land of Canaan, and he said to them: “Ascend by the south side. And when you arrive at the mountains,

{13:19} consider the land, as to what kind it may be, and the people, who are its inhabitants, whether they may be strong or weak, whether they may be few in number or many,

{13:20} and the land itself, whether it is good or bad, what kind of cities, walled or without walls,

{13:21} the soil, rich or barren, forested or without trees. Be strong, and bring us some of the fruits of the land.” Now it was the time when the first ripe grapes were ready to be eaten.

{13:22} And when they had ascended, they explored the land from the desert of Sin, all the way to Rehob, as one enters into Hamath.

{13:23} And they ascended by the south side. And they arrived at Hebron, where there were Ahiman and Shishai and Talmai, the sons of Anak. For Hebron was founded seven years before Tanis, the city of Egypt.

{13:24} And continuing on as far as the Torrent of the Cluster of Grapes, they cut off a vine with its grapes, which two men carried on a board. Likewise, they took from the pomegranates and the figs of that place,

{13:25} which was called Nehel Eshcol, that is, the Torrent of the Cluster of Grapes, because the sons of Israel had carried a cluster of grapes from there.

{13:26} And those exploring the land returned after forty days, having circulated through the entire region.

{13:27} And they went to Moses and Aaron, and to the entire assembly of the sons of Israel in the desert of Paran, which is in Kadesh. And speaking to them, and to the entire multitude, they showed them the fruits of the land.

{13:28} And they explained, saying: “We went into the land, to which you sent us, which, it is true, flows with milk and honey, as one can know by these fruits.

{13:29} But it has very strong occupants, and the cities are great and also walled. We saw the race of Anak there.

{13:30} Amalek lives in the south. The Hethite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite live in the mountains. And truly, the Canaanite stays near the sea and around the streams of the Jordan.”

{13:31} During these events, Caleb, to restrain the murmuring of the people who rose up against Moses, said, “Let us ascend and possess the land, for we will be able to obtain it.”

{13:32} Yet truly, the others, who had been with him, were saying, “By no means are we able to ascend to this people, because they are stronger than we are.”

{13:33} And before the sons of Israel they disparaged the land, which they had inspected, saying: “The land, which we viewed, devours its inhabitants. The people, upon whom we gazed, were of lofty stature.

{13:34} There, we saw some monsters among the sons of Anak, of the race of giants; by comparison with them, we seemed like locusts.”

[Numbers 14]

{14:1} And so, crying out, the entire crowd wept throughout that night.

{14:2} And all the sons of Israel were murmuring against Moses and Aaron, saying:

{14:3} “If only we had died in Egypt,” and, “If only we would perish in this vast wilderness,” and, “May the Lord not lead us into this land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives, as well as our children, be led away as captives. Is it not better to return to Egypt?”

{14:4} And they said to one another, “Let us appoint our leader, and so return to Egypt.”

{14:5} And when Moses and Aaron heard this, they fell prone on the ground in the sight of the multitude of the sons of Israel.

{14:6} Yet truly, Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who themselves had also viewed the land, tore their garments,

{14:7} and they said to the entire multitude of the sons of Israel: “The land that we circled through is very good.

{14:8} If the Lord will be gracious to us, he will lead us into it, and he will give us the land flowing with milk and honey.

{14:9} Do not choose to be rebellious against the Lord. And do not fear the people of this land, for, like bread, so are we able to devour them. All protection has withdrawn from them. The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid.”

{14:10} And when the entire multitude cried out, and they wanted to crush them with stones, the glory of the Lord appeared, over the roof of the covenant, to all the sons of Israel.

{14:11} And the Lord said to Moses: “How long will this people disparage me? How long will they refuse to believe me, despite all the signs that I have wrought before them?

{14:12} Therefore, I will strike them with a pestilence, and so I will consume them. But you I will make the ruler over a great nation, and one which is mightier than this one.”

{14:13} And Moses said to the Lord: “But then the Egyptians, from whose midst you led out this people,

{14:14} and the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that you, O Lord, are among this people, and that you are seen face to face, and that your cloud protects them, and that you go before them with a column of cloud by day, and a column of fire by night,

{14:15} may hear that you have killed so great a multitude, as if they were one man, and they may say:

{14:16} ‘He was not able to lead the people into the land about which he had sworn. Therefore, he slew them in the wilderness.’

{14:17} Therefore, may the strength of the Lord be magnified, just as you swore, saying:

{14:18} ‘The Lord is patient and full of mercy, taking away iniquity and wickedness, and forsaking no one who is harmless. He visits the sins of the fathers upon the sons, to the third and fourth generation.’

{14:19} Forgive, I beg you, the sins of this people, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have been gracious to them in their journey from Egypt to this place.”

{14:20} And the Lord said: “I have forgiven them according to your word.

{14:21} Also, as I live, the entire world shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

{14:22} And yet, all the men who have seen my majesty, and the signs that I have wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who have tested me ten times already, and yet have not obeyed my voice,

{14:23} these shall not see the land, about which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who detracted me gaze upon it.

{14:24} My servant Caleb, who, being full of another spirit, has followed me, I will lead into this land, through which he has wandered, and his offspring shall possess it.

{14:25} For the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys. Tomorrow, move the camp and return into the wilderness, by the way of the Red Sea.”

{14:26} And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

{14:27} “How long will this very wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel.

{14:28} Therefore, say to them: As I live, says the Lord, as you spoke in my hearing, so will I do to you.

{14:29} In the wilderness, here shall your carcasses lie. All you who were numbered from twenty years and above, and who have murmured against me,

{14:30} you shall not enter into the land, over which I lifted up my hand to cause you to live there, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

{14:31} But your little ones, about whom you said that they would be a prey to the enemies, I will lead them in, so that they may see the land that has displeased you.

{14:32} Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.

{14:33} Your sons shall wander in the desert for forty years, and they shall bear your fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers are consumed in the desert.

{14:34} According to the number of the forty days, during which you examined the land, one year shall be charged for each day. And so, for forty years you shall take back your iniquities, and you shall know my retribution.

{14:35} For just as I have spoken, so shall I do, to this entire most wicked multitude, which has risen up together against me. In the wilderness, here shall it fade away and die.”

{14:36} Therefore, all the men, whom Moses had sent to contemplate the land, and who, having returned, had caused the entire multitude to murmur against him, disparaging the land as if it were evil,

{14:37} suffered death and were struck down in the sight of the Lord.

{14:38} But only Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, out of all those who had journeyed to examine the land.

{14:39} And Moses spoke all these words to all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.

{14:40} And behold, rising up at first light, they climbed to the top of the mountain, and they said, “We are prepared to ascend to the place, about which the Lord has spoken, for we have sinned.”

{14:41} And Moses said to them: “Why do you transgress the word of the Lord, merely because it will not result in prosperity for you?

{14:42} Do not ascend, for the Lord is not with you, lest you be overthrown before your enemies.

{14:43} The Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, by whose sword you shall be ruined, for you were not willing to consent to the Lord, and so the Lord is not with you.”

{14:44} But they, having been darkened, ascended to the top of the mountain. But the ark of the testament of the Lord, and Moses, did not withdraw from the camp.

{14:45} And the Amalekites descended, along with those Canaanites who were living in the mountains. And so, striking and cutting them down, they pursued them all the way to Hormah.

[Numbers 15]

{15:1} The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{15:2} “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: When you will have entered into the land of your habitation, which I will give you,

{15:3} and you make an offering to the Lord, as a holocaust or as a victim, paying your vows, or as a voluntary offering of gifts, or in your solemnities, burning a sweet odor to the Lord, whether from the oxen or from the sheep:

{15:4} whoever immolates the victim shall offer a sacrifice of fine wheat flour, the tenth part of an ephah, sprinkled with oil, which shall have the measure of the fourth part of a hin,

{15:5} and he shall give the same measure of wine, poured out as libations, whether as a holocaust or as a victim.

{15:6} With each lamb and each ram, there shall be a sacrifice of fine wheat flour, of two tenths, which shall be sprinkled with one third part of a hin of oil.

{15:7} And he shall offer the same measure, one third part of wine, for the libation, as a sweet odor to the Lord.

{15:8} Yet truly, when you will offer, from the oxen, a holocaust or a victim, in order to fulfill your vow or for peace-offering victims,

{15:9} you shall give, for each ox, three tenths of fine wheat flour, sprinkled with oil, which has the measure of one half of one hin,

{15:10} and the wine, poured out as libations, shall be of the same measure, as an oblation of most sweet odor to the Lord.

{15:11} So shall you do

{15:12} for each ox, and ram, and lamb, and young goat.

{15:13} Both natives and sojourners

{15:14} shall offer sacrifices by the same rituals.

{15:15} There shall be one precept and one judgment, as much for yourselves as for newcomers to the land.”

{15:16} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{15:17} “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them:

{15:18} When you will arrive in the land which I will give to you,

{15:19} and when you will eat from the bread of that region, you shall separate the first-fruits to the Lord

{15:20} from the foods that you eat. Just as you separate the first-fruits of your threshing floors,

{15:21} so also shall you give the first-fruits of your cooked grains to the Lord.

{15:22} And if, through ignorance, you neglect any of these things, which the Lord has spoken to Moses,

{15:23} and which he has commanded through him for you, from the day that he began to command and thereafter,

{15:24} and if the multitude will have forgotten to do it, then they shall offer a calf from the herd, a holocaust as a most sweet odor to the Lord, and its sacrifice and libations, just as the ceremonies ask, and a he-goat for sin.

{15:25} And the priest shall pray for the entire multitude of the sons of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, because they did not sin willfully. Nevertheless, they shall offer incense to the Lord for themselves, and for sin, as well as for their error.

{15:26} And it shall be forgiven all the people of the sons of Israel, as well as the newcomers who sojourn among them, for it is the culpability of all the people through neglect.

{15:27} But if one soul will have sinned by not knowing, he shall offer a one-year-old she-goat for his sin.

{15:28} And the priest shall pray for him, because he sinned unknowingly before the Lord. And he shall obtain pardon for him, and it will be forgiven him.

{15:29} One law shall be for all who sin by ignorance, as much for natives as for newcomers.

{15:30} Yet truly, the soul who commits any of these acts through arrogance, whether he is a citizen or a sojourner, because he has rebelled against the Lord, shall perish from among his people.

{15:31} For he has despised the word of the Lord, and he has nullified his precept. For this reason, he shall be destroyed, and he shall bear his iniquity.”

{15:32} And it happened that, when the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, and they had found a man collecting wood on the day of the Sabbath,

{15:33} they brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to the whole multitude.

{15:34} And they enclosed him in a prison, not knowing what they should do with him.

{15:35} And the Lord said to Moses, “Let that man be put to death; let the entire crowd crush him with stones, outside the camp.”

{15:36} And when they had led him out, they overwhelmed him with stones, and he died, just as the Lord had instructed.

{15:37} The Lord also said to Moses:

{15:38} “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall tell them to make for themselves hems at the corners of their cloaks, placing in them ribbons of hyacinth,

{15:39} so that, when they see these, they may remember all the commandments of the Lord, and they may not follow their own thoughts and eyes, fornicating in various ways,

{15:40} but instead, they, being more mindful of the precepts of the Lord, may do them and may be holy to their God.

{15:41} I am the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, so that I may be your God.”

[Numbers 16]

{16:1} Then, behold, Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and also On the son of Peleth, of the sons of Ruben,

{16:2} rose up against Moses, with two hundred fifty others of the sons of Israel, leading men of the assembly, and who, at the time of a council, would be called by name.

{16:3} And when they had stood against Moses and Aaron, they said: “Let it be sufficient for you that the entire multitude is of holy ones, and that the Lord is among them. Why do you elevate yourselves above the people of the Lord?”

{16:4} When Moses had heard this, he fell prone on his face.

{16:5} And speaking to Korah, and to the entire multitude, he said: “In the morning, the Lord will cause it to be known who belongs to him, and which holy ones he will join to himself. And whomever he will choose, they shall be close to him.

{16:6} Therefore, do this: Each one of you, Korah and all your associates, take your censer,

{16:7} and drawing fire into it tomorrow, place incense upon it before the Lord. And whomever he will choose, the same shall be holy. You sons of Levi have been raised up greatly.”

{16:8} And he said again to Korah: “Listen, sons of Levi.

{16:9} Is it a small thing to you, that the God of Israel has separated you from all the people, and has joined you to himself, so that you would serve him in the rituals of the tabernacle, and stand before gatherings of the people, and minister to him?

{16:10} Was the reason that he caused you and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, to approach him, so that you would even claim for yourselves the priesthood too,

{16:11} and so that your entire group would stand against the Lord? For what is Aaron that you should murmur against him?”

{16:12} Therefore, Moses sent to call for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, who responded: “We will not come.

{16:13} Is it a small matter to you, that you have led us away from a land that was flowing with milk and honey, so as to kill us in the desert, unless you could also be a ruler over us?

{16:14} You have led us, it is true, to a land that flows with streams of milk and honey, and you have given us possession of fields and vineyards. But will you also tear out our eyes? We will not come.”

{16:15} And Moses, being very angry, said to the Lord: “Do not look with favor on their sacrifices. You know that I have not accepted from them, at any time, so much as a young donkey, nor have I afflicted any of them.”

{16:16} And he said to Korah: “You and your congregation, stand alone before the Lord, and apart from Aaron, tomorrow.

{16:17} Let each one of you take censers, and place incense in them, offering to the Lord two hundred fifty censers. Let Aaron also hold his censer.”

{16:18} When they had done this, Moses and Aaron stood up,

{16:19} and, having crowded the entire multitude close to them at the door of the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord appeared to them all.

{16:20} And the Lord, speaking to Moses and Aaron, said:

{16:21} “Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation, so that I may suddenly destroy them.”

{16:22} But they fell prone on their faces, and they said, “O most strong One, the God of the spirits of all flesh, should your anger rage against all, for the sin of one?”

{16:23} And the Lord said to Moses:

{16:24} “Instruct the entire people to separate from the tents of Korah, and Dathan, and Abiram.”

{16:25} And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram. And the elders of Israel followed him,

{16:26} and he said to the crowd, “Withdraw from the tabernacles of these impious men, and touch nothing which pertains to them, lest you become involved in their sins.”

{16:27} And when they had withdrawn from their tents all around, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their pavilions, with their wives and children, and with all their associates.

{16:28} And Moses said: “By this shall you know that the Lord has sent me to do all that you discern, and that I have not brought these things out of my own heart:

{16:29} If these men pass away by the common death of men, or if they will be visited by a scourge, of a kind by which others are often visited, then the Lord did not send me.

{16:30} But if the Lord accomplishes something new, so that the earth opens its mouth and swallows them whole, along with everything that belongs to them, and they descend alive into the underworld, then you shall know that they have blasphemed the Lord.”

{16:31} Therefore, as soon as he had ceased to speak, the earth broke open under their feet.

{16:32} And opening its mouth, it devoured them with their tabernacles and their entire substance.

{16:33} And they descended alive, the ground closing around them, into the underworld, and they perished from the midst of the multitude.

{16:34} Yet truly, all of Israel, which was standing all around, took flight at the clamor of those who were perishing, saying, “Lest perhaps the earth may swallow us whole also.”

{16:35} Then, too, a fire, going forth from the Lord, put to death the two hundred fifty men who were offering the incense.

{16:36} And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

{16:37} “Instruct Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to take up the censers which lie in the burning, and to scatter the fire to one side and another, because they were sanctified

{16:38} in the deaths of these sinners. And let him form them into plates, and affix them to the altar, because incense had been offered in them to the Lord, and they were sanctified, and so that the sons of Israel may discern in them a sign and a memorial.”

{16:39} Therefore, Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, by which those whom the burning devoured had made an offering, and he formed them into plates, affixing them to the altar,

{16:40} so that the sons of Israel would have, thereafter, something to admonish them, lest any stranger, or anyone who is not of the offspring of Aaron, might approach to offer incense to the Lord, and lest he endure what happened to Korah, and to all his congregation, when the Lord spoke to Moses.

{16:41} Then, the following day, the entire multitude of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying: “You have put to death the people of the Lord.”

{16:42} And when there arose a sedition, and the tumult increased,

{16:43} Moses and Aaron fled to the tabernacle of the covenant. But after they had entered it, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.

{16:44} And the Lord said to Moses:

{16:45} “Withdraw from the midst of this multitude, and I will destroy them immediately.” And while they were lying on the ground,

{16:46} Moses said to Aaron: “Take the censer, and draw fire into it from the altar; place incense upon it, and continue on, quickly, to the people, to pray for them. For already wrath has gone forth from the Lord, and the scourge rages.”

{16:47} When Aaron had done this, and he had run into the midst of the multitude, which the burning fire was now destroying, he offered the incense.

{16:48} And standing between the dead and the living, he prayed for the people, and the scourge ceased.

{16:49} But the number of those who were struck down was fourteen thousand men, and seven hundred, aside from those who had perished in the sedition of Korah.

{16:50} And Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, after the destruction quieted.