Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)

1 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of his wife, an Ethiopian,

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,

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

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,

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,

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.

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

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?”

9 And being angry against them, he went away.

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,

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

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.”

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

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.”

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.

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

2 And there, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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.”

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

5 from the tribe of Ruben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;

6 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;

7 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;

8 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;

9 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hosea the son of Nun;

10 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;

11 from the tribe of Zebulon, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;

12 from the tribe of Joseph, of the scepter of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;

13 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;

14 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;

15 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;

16 from the tribe of Gad, Guel the son of Machi.

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

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,

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,

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

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.

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

1 And so, crying out, the entire crowd wept throughout that night.

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

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?”

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.”

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.

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?

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.”

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

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,

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

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

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

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.’

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.”

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

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

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,

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.

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.

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.”

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

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

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

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,

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.

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.

32 Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.

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.

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.

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.”

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,

37 suffered death and were struck down in the sight of the Lord.

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.

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

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.”

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?

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

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.”

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.

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.

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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,

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:

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,

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

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.

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

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,

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,

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

11 So shall you do

12 for each ox, and ram, and lamb, and young goat.

13 Both natives and sojourners

14 shall offer sacrifices by the same rituals.

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

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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

18 When you will arrive in the land which I will give to you,

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.”

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,

33 they brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to the whole multitude.

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

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.”

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

37 The Lord also said to Moses:

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,

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,

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

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

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,

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.

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?”

4 When Moses had heard this, he fell prone on his face.

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.

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

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.”

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

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?

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,

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

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

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?

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.”

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

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.”

18 When they had done this, Moses and Aaron stood up,

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.

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

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

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?”

23 And the Lord said to Moses:

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

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

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.”

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.

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:

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.

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.”

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

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

33 And they descended alive, the ground closing around them, into the underworld, and they perished from the midst of the mulititude.

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.”

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

36 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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

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.”

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,

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.

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.”

42 And when there arose a sedition, and the tumult increased,

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.

44 And the Lord said to Moses:

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

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.”

47 When Aaron had done this, and he ran into the midst of the multitude, which the burning fire was now destroying, and he offered the incense.

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

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.

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

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and receive from each of them a rod by their kinships, from all the leaders of the tribes, twelve rods, and write the name of each one on his rod.

3 But the name of Aaron shall be for the tribe of Levi, and one rod separately shall contain all their families.

4 And you shall place these in the tabernacle of the covenant before the testimony, where I will speak to you.

5 Whomever of these I will choose, his rod will germinate, and so shall I restrain the complaints of the sons of Israel before me, by which they murmur against you.”

6 And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel. And all the leaders gave him rods, one for each tribe. And there were twelve rods, aside from the rod of Aaron.

7 And when Moses had placed these before the Lord, in the tabernacle of the testimony,

8 returning on the following day, he found that the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi, had germinated, and that the swelling buds had opened into flowers, which, spreading their petals, were formed into those of an almond tree.

9 Therefore, Moses brought out all the rods, from the sight of the Lord, to all the sons of Israel. And they saw, and each one received their rods.

10 And the Lord said to Moses: “Carry back the rod of Aaron into the tabernacle of the testimony, so that it may be kept there as a sign of the rebellion of the sons of Israel, and so that their complaints may be quieted before me, lest they die.”

11 And Moses did just as the Lord had instructed.

12 Then the sons of Israel said to Moses: “Behold, we have been consumed; we have been ruined.

13 Whoever approaches to the tabernacle of the Lord dies. Will we all be wiped away, even to total annihilation?”

1 And the Lord said to Aaron: “You, and your sons, and the house of your father with you, shall carry the iniquity of the Sanctuary. And you and your sons together shall bear the sins of your priesthood.

2 But take to yourselves also your brothers from the tribe of Levi, and the scepter of your father, and may they be prepared, and may they minister to you. Then you and your sons shall minister in the tabernacle of the testimony.

3 And the Levites shall stand watch by your precepts, and for all the works of the tabernacle; yet in such a manner that they shall not approach the vessels of the Sanctuary and of the altar, lest both they die, and you perish, at the same time.

4 But they may be with you, and they may watch over the care of the tabernacle and all its ceremonies. A foreigner shall not be mixed with you.

5 Watch over the care of the Sanctuary, and over the ministry of the altar, lest an indignation may rise over the sons of Israel.

6 I have given your brothers, the Levites, to you from the midst of the sons of Israel, and I have delivered them as a gift to the Lord, in order to serve in the ministries of his tabernacle.

7 But as for you and your sons: guard the priesthood. For all that pertains to the service of the altar and of what is beyond the veil shall be exercised by the priests. If any outsider will approach, he shall be killed.”

8 And the Lord said to Aaron: “Behold, I have given you custody of my first-fruits. Everything that is sanctified by the sons of Israel I have delivered to you and your sons, for the office of the priesthood, by everlasting ordinances.

9 Therefore, you shall receive these, from the things that are sanctified and offered to the Lord. Every offering, and sacrifice, and whatever is repaid to me, on behalf of sin and also for offenses, and which becomes the Holy of holies, shall be for you and for your sons.

10 You shall eat it in the Sanctuary. Only the males shall eat from it, because it has been consecrated for you.

11 But the first-fruits, which the sons of Israel shall vow and offer, I have given to you, and to your sons, as well as to your daughters, by a perpetual right. Whoever is clean in your house shall eat them.

12 All the innermost of the oil, and of the wine, and of the grain, whatever first-fruits they offer to the Lord, I have given to you.

13 All the first of the crops, which the soil produces and which are carried to the Lord, shall fall to your use. Whoever is clean in your house shall eat them.

14 All that the sons of Israel shall repay by vow shall be yours.

15 Whatever goes out first from the womb, of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether from men or from cattle, shall be your right; yet only in so far as, for the firstborn of man, you shall accept a price. And every animal that is unclean you shall cause to be redeemed.

16 And its redemption shall be, after one month, five shekels of silver, by the weight of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols.

17 But the firstborn of a cow, or of a sheep, or of a goat, you shall not cause to be redeemed, because they have been sanctified to the Lord. Thus, their blood you shall pour out upon the altar, and their fat you shall burn as a most sweet odor to the Lord.

18 Yet truly, the flesh shall fall to your use, just as the consecrated breast and the right shoulder shall be yours.

19 All the first-fruits of the Sanctuary, which the sons of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and to your sons as well as to your daughters, as a perpetual right. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord, for you and for your sons.”

20 And the Lord said to Aaron: “In their land, you shall possess nothing; neither shall you have a portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the sons of Israel.

21 But I have given, to the sons of Levi, all the tithes of Israel as a possession, for the ministry by which they serve me in the tabernacle of the covenant,

22 so that the sons of Israel may no longer approach to the tabernacle, nor commit deadly sin.

23 Only the sons of Levi may serve me in the tabernacle and may carry the sins of the people. It shall be an everlasting ordinance in your generations. They shall possess nothing else;

24 being content with the oblation of tithes, which I have separated for their uses and necessities.”

25 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

26 “Instruct the Levites, and also declare to them: When you will receive, from the sons of Israel, the tithes, which I have given to you, offer their first-fruits to the Lord, that is, the tenth part of a tenth,

27 so that it may be accounted to you as an oblation of the first-fruits, as much from the threshing floors as from the oil and wine presses.

28 And offer the first-fruits of everything, from which you receive tithes, to the Lord, and give them to Aaron the priest.

29 Everything which you shall offer from the tithes, and which you shall separate as gifts to the Lord, shall be the finest and most select.

30 And you shall say to them: ‘If you offer the noble and the better of the tithes, it shall be accounted to you as if you had given from the first-fruits of the threshing floor and of the oil and wine presses.’

31 And you shall eat these in all your places, both you and your families, because it is your price for the ministry, by which you serve in the tabernacle of the testimony.

32 And you shall not sin in this way: by reserving the excellent and fat things for yourselves, lest you pollute the oblations of the sons of Israel, and lest you die.”

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

2 “This is the ritual that the Lord has appointed for a victim. Instruct the sons of Israel, so that they may bring to you a red cow of full maturity, in which there is no blemish, and which has not carried a yoke.

3 And you shall deliver it to Eleazar the priest, who, having led it out beyond the camp, shall immolate it in the sight of all.

4 And dipping his finger in its blood, he shall sprinkle it seven times, opposite the door of the tabernacle.

5 And he shall burn it, while all are watching, delivering into the flame, not only its skin and flesh, but also the blood and dung.

6 Likewise, cedar wood, and hyssop, and twice-dyed scarlet he shall cast into the flame, by which the cow is consumed.

7 And then finally, having washed his garments and his body, he shall enter into the camp, and he shall be deeply stained until evening.

8 Then he also who had burned it shall wash his garments and his body, and he shall be unclean until evening.

9 Then a clean man shall gather the ashes of the cow, and he shall pour them out beyond the camp, in a very pure place, so that they may be preserved for the multitude of the sons of Israel, and for the water of aspersion, because the cow was burned for sin.

10 And when he who had carried the ashes of the cow will have washed his garments, he shall be unclean until evening. The sons of Israel, and the newcomers who live among them, shall have this as a holy and perpetual right.

11 Whoever touches the corpse of a man, and is, because of this, unclean for seven days,

12 shall be sprinkled from this water on the third and seventh days, and so shall he be cleansed. But if he was not sprinkled on the third day, he is not able to be cleansed on the seventh.

13 Anyone who will have touched the dead body of a human life, and who has not been sprinkled with this mixture, pollutes the tabernacle of the Lord, and he shall perish out of Israel. For not having been sprinkled with the water of expiation, he shall be unclean, and his filth shall remain upon him.

14 This is the law of a man who dies in a tent. All who enter into his tent, and all the vessels which are there, shall be polluted for seven days.

15 The vessel that has no cover or binding over it shall be unclean.

16 If anyone in the field will have touched the corpse of a man, who was killed or who died on his own, or his bone, or his grave, he shall be unclean for seven days.

17 And they shall take some of the ashes from the burning and the sin offering, and they shall pour living waters over them into a vessel.

18 And into it a man who is clean shall dip hyssop, and he shall sprinkle from it the entire tent, and all its articles, and the men who were polluted by means of contact.

19 And so, in this manner, what is clean shall purify what is unclean, on the third and seventh days. And have been expiated on the seventh day, he shall wash both himself and his garments, and he shall be unclean until evening.

20 If anyone has not been expiated by this ritual, his soul shall perish from the midst of the Church. For he has polluted the Sanctuary of the Lord, and he has not been sprinkled with purifying waters.

21 This precept shall be an everlasting ordinance. Likewise, the one who has sprinkled the waters shall wash his garments. All who will have touched the waters of expiation shall be unclean until evening.

22 Whatever has been touched by something unclean will itself be made unclean. And the soul who touches any of these things shall become unclean until evening.”

1 And the sons of Israel, and the entire multitude, went into the desert of Sin, in the first month. And the people stayed at Kadesh. And Miriam died there, and she was buried in the same place.

2 And when the people were in need of water, they came together against Moses and Aaron.

3 And as it turned into sedition, they said: “If only we had perished among our brothers in the sight of the Lord.

4 Why have you led away the Church of the Lord, into the wilderness, so that both we and our cattle would die?

5 Why did you cause us to ascend from Egypt, and why have you led us into this most wretched place, which is not able to be sown, which does not produce figs, or vines, or pomegranates, and which, moreover, does not even have water to drink?”

6 And Moses and Aaron, dismissing the multitude, entered the tabernacle of the covenant, and they fell prone on the ground, and they cried out to the Lord, and they said: “O Lord God, listen to the outcry of this people, and open for them, from your storehouse, a fountain of living water, so that, being satisfied, their murmuring may cease.” And the glory of the Lord appeared over them.

7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

8 “Take the rod, and gather the people, you and your brother Aaron, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall bestow waters. And when you have brought forth water from the rock, the entire multitude and their cattle shall drink.”

9 Therefore, Moses took the rod, which was in the sight of the Lord, just as he had instructed him.

10 And having gathered the multitude before the rock, he said to them: “Listen, you who are rebellious and unbelieving. Would we be able to cast out water from this rock?”

11 And when Moses had lifted up his hand, striking the stone twice with the rod, very great waters went forth, so much so that the people and their cattle were able to drink.

12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me, so as to sanctify me before the sons of Israel, you shall not lead this people into the land, which I will give to them.”

13 This is the Water of Contradiction, where the sons of Israel were quarreling against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

14 Meanwhile, Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. They said: “Your brother Israel says this: You know of all the hardships which have overtaken us,

15 how our fathers descended into Egypt, and we lived there for a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted both us and our fathers,

16 and how we cried out to the Lord, and he heeded us and sent an Angel, who led us away from Egypt. Behold, we are situated in the city of Kadesh, which is at the extremity of your borders.

17 And we beg you to permit us to cross through your land. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards; we will not drink the waters of your wells, but we will travel by the public ways, neither turning aside to the right, nor to the left, until we have passed your borders.”

18 Edom responded to them: “You shall not cross through me, otherwise, I will meet you armed.”

19 And the sons of Israel said: “We will travel by the well-trodden path. And if we or our cattle drink from your waters, we will give you what is just. There shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us cross through quickly.”

20 But he answered, “You shall not cross.” And immediately he went out to meet them with a countless multitude and a strong hand;

21 neither was he willing to agree to their petition to concede passage through his borders. For this reason, Israel diverted away from him.

22 And when they had moved the camp from Kadesh, they arrived at mount Hor, which is at the borders of the land of Edom,

23 where the Lord spoke to Moses:

24 “Let Aaron,” he said, “go to his people. For he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because he did not believe my mouth at the Waters of Contradiction.

25 Take Aaron, and his son with him, and lead them on to mount Hor.

26 And when you have stripped the father of his vestments, you shall put them on Eleazar, his son. Aaron shall be gathered and shall die there.”

27 Moses did just as the Lord had instructed. And they ascended mount Hor, in the sight of the entire multitude.

28 And when he had despoiled Aaron of his vestments, he clothed his son Eleazar with them.

29 And when Aaron had died at the top of the mountain, Moses came down with Eleazar.

30 And the entire multitude, seeing that Aaron lay dead, wept over him for thirty days, throughout all their families.

1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, who was living toward the south, had heard this, namely, that Israel had arrived by the way of spies, he fought against them. And proving to be the victor, he led away prey from them.

2 But Israel, obliging himself by a vow to the Lord, said: “If you deliver this people into my hand, I will wipe away their cities.”

3 And the Lord heard the prayers of Israel, and he delivered the Canaanite, who they put to death, overthrowing his cities. And they called the name of that place Hormah, that is, Anathema.

4 Then they set out from mount Hor, by the way that leads to the Red Sea, to circle around the land of Edom. And the people began to tire of their journey and hardships.

5 And speaking against God and Moses, they said: “Why did you lead us away from Egypt, so as to die in the wilderness? Bread is lacking; there are no waters. Our soul is now nauseous over this very light food.”

6 For this reason, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, which wounded or killed many of them.

7 And so they went to Moses, and they said: “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray, so that he may take away these serpents from us.” And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said to him: “Make a bronze serpent, and place it as a sign. Whoever, having been struck, gazes upon it, shall live.”

9 Therefore, Moses made a bronze serpent, and he placed it as a sign. When those who had been struck gazed upon it, they were healed.

10 And the sons of Israel, setting out, made camp at Oboth.

11 Having departed from there, they pitched their tents at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness, which looks out toward Moab, opposite the eastern region.

12 And moving from there, they arrived at the Torrent of Zared.

13 Having left that place behind, they then made camp opposite Arnon, which is in the desert, and which juts out at the borders of the Amorite. For certainly Arnon is at the limit of Moab, dividing the Moabites and the Amorites.

14 About this place, it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord: “As he did at the Red Sea, so will he do at the Torrents of Arnon.”

15 The stones of the torrents were bent, so that they might rest in Ar and lie back within the borders of the Moabites.

16 Beyond that place appeared a well, about which the Lord said to Moses: “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”

17 Then Israel sang this verse: “Let the well rise up.” They sang:

18 “The well, the leaders dug it, and the commanders of the multitude prepared it, at the direction of the lawgiver, and with their staffs.”

19 They went from the wilderness to Mattanah, from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth,

20 from Bamoth, a valley in the region of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks out opposite the desert.

21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, saying:

22 “I beg you to permit me to cross through your land. We will not turn aside into the fields or the vineyards. We will not drink waters from the wells. We will travel by the royal way, until we have passed your borders.”

23 And he was not willing to allow Israel to cross through his borders. But instead, gathering an army, he went out to meet them in the desert, and he arrived at Jahaz and fought against them.

24 And he was struck down by them with the edge of the sword, and they possessed his land from Arnon, even to Jabbok and the sons of Ammon. For the borders of the Ammonites were held by a strong fortress.

25 Therefore, Israel took all his cities and lived in the cities of the Amorite, namely, in Heshbon and its villages.

26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who fought against the king of Moab. And he took all the land, which had been under his sovereignty, as far as Arnon.

27 About this, it is said in the proverb: “Enter into Heshbon. Let the city of Sihon be established and built.

28 A fire has gone forth from Heshbon, a flame from the town of Sihon, and it has devoured Ar of the Moabites, and the inhabitants of the heights of Arnon.

29 Woe to you, Moab! You are perishing, O people of Chemosh. He gave flight to his sons, and he gave the daughters into captivity, to the king of the Amorites, Sihon.

30 Their yoke has been scattered from Heshbon even to Dibon. They have passed through, wearily, into Nophah, and as far as Medeba.”

31 And so Israel lived in the land of the Amorite.

32 And Moses sent some to explore Jazer. These captured its villages and possessed its inhabitants.

33 And they turned themselves and ascended, along the way of Bashan. And Og, the king of Bashan, met them with all his people, to fight at Edrei.

34 And the Lord said to Moses: “Do not be afraid of him. For I have delivered him, and all his people, as well as his land, into your hand. And you shall do to him just as you did to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, the inhabitant of Heshbon.”

35 Therefore, they struck him down also, with his sons, and all his people, even to utter destruction, and they possessed his land.