Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)

1 And they set out and made camp in the plains of Moab, across the Jordan, where Jericho is situated.

2 Then Balak, the son of Zippor, seeing all that Israel had done to the Amorite,

3 and that the Moabites had great fear of him, and that they were not able to bear his assault,

4 said to those greater by birth of Midian: “So will this people wipe away all those who are dwelling within our borders, in the same way that the ox is accustomed to tear out grass, all the way to the roots.” At that time, he was king of Moab.

5 Therefore, he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, a seer who lived above the river of the land of the sons of Ammon, to call him, and to say: “Behold, a people has gone forth from Egypt, which has covered the face of the earth. They are encamped opposite me.

6 Therefore, come and curse this people, for they are stronger than I am. If only, in some way, I might be able to strike them and to drive them from my land. For I know that he whom you bless shall be blessed, and he whom you curse shall be cursed.”

7 And the elders of Moab, and those greater by birth of Midian, continued on, holding the price of divination in their hands. And when they had come to Balaam, and had explained to him all the words of Balak,

8 he responded, “Remain for this night, and I will answer with whatever the Lord will say to me.” And while they stayed with Balaam, God came and said to him,

9 “What do these men want with you?”

10 He responded, “Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of the Moabites has sent to me,

11 saying: ‘Behold, a people, which has gone forth from Egypt, has covered the face of the earth. Come and curse them, so that, in some way, I may be able to fight them and drive them away.’ “

12 And God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them, and do not curse the people, for they are blessed.”

13 And he, rising up in the morning, said to the leaders, “Go into your own land, for the Lord has prohibited me from going with you.”

14 Returning, the leaders said to Balak, “Balaam was not willing to come with us.”

15 Again, he sent many more persons, and these were more noble than those he had sent before.

16 And when these had come to Balaam, they said: “So says Balak, the son of Zippor. Do not hesitate to come to me.

17 For I am ready to honor you, and whatever you would want, I shall give to you. Come and curse this people.”

18 Balaam responded: “Even if Balak were to give to me his own house, filled with silver and gold, I still would not be able to change the word of the Lord my God, neither to say more, nor to say less.

19 I beg you to remain for this night also, so that I may know what the Lord will answer me again.”

20 Therefore, God came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: “If these men have arrived to call you, then rise up and go with them; yet only in so far as you shall do what I will command you.”

21 Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddling his donkey, he set out with them.

22 And God was angry. And an Angel of the Lord stood in the way opposite Balaam, who was sitting on the donkey, and he had two servants with him.

23 The donkey, discerning that the Angel was standing in the way with a drawn sword, turned herself from the road and went through a field. And when Balaam beat her and intended to return her to the path,

24 the Angel stood in a narrow place between the two walls, with which the vineyards were enclosed.

25 And the donkey, seeing this, drew herself close to the wall and scraped the foot of the rider. So he beat her again.

26 And, nevertheless, the Angel passing on to a narrow place, where one would not be able to deviate either to the right or to the left, stood to meet him.

27 And when the donkey had seen the Angel standing there, she fell under the feet of the rider, who, being angry, struck her sides more vehemently with a club.

28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said: “What have I done to you? Why do strike you me, behold now, for the third time?”

29 Balaam responded, “Because you have deserved it, and you have mistreated me. If only I had a sword, so that I might pierce you.”

30 The donkey said: “Am not I your animal, on which you have always been accustomed to sit, even until this present day? Tell me, when did I ever do the same thing to you.” But he said, “Never.”

31 Immediately, the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he reverenced him prone on the ground.

32 And the Angel said to him: “Why did you beat your donkey three times? I have come to be an adversary to you, because your way is perverse and contrary to me.

33 And unless the donkey had turned aside from the way, allowing a place for my opposition, I would have killed you, and she would have lived.”

34 Balaam said: “I have sinned, not knowing that you stood against me. And now, if it displeases you for me to continue on, I will return.”

35 The Angel said, “Go with them, but be careful not to speak anything other than what I shall instruct you.” And so, he went with the leaders.

36 And when Balak had heard it, he went out to meet him in a town of the Moabites, which is situated at the furthest borders of Arnon.

37 And he said to Balaam: “I sent messengers to call you. Why did you not come to me immediately? Was it because I am not able to pay the cost for your arrival?”

38 He answered him: “Behold, here I am. Am I able to speak anything other than what God will put into my mouth?”

39 Therefore, they continued on together, and they arrived at a city, which was at the furthest borders of his kingdom.

40 And after Balak had killed oxen and sheep, he sent the gifts to Balaam, and to the leaders who were with him.

41 Then, when morning arrived, he led him to the heights of Baal, and he gazed upon the most distant portions of the population.

1 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”

2 And when he had acted according to the words of Balaam, they placed a calf and a ram together on each altar.

3 And Balaam said to Balak: “Stand for a little while next to your holocaust, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet with me. And whatever he will command, I shall speak to you.”

4 And after he had quickly departed, God met with him. And Balaam, speaking to him, said: “I have set up seven altars, and I have placed a calf and a ram on each.”

5 Then the Lord placed the word in his mouth, and he said: “Return to Balak, and you shall say this.”

6 Returning, he found Balak standing next to his holocaust, with all the leaders of the Moabites.

7 And taking up his parable, he said: “Balak, king of the Moabites, has led me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come forth,’ he said, ‘and curse Jacob. Hurry and condemn Israel.’

8 How shall I curse him, whom God has not cursed? For what reason would I condemn him, whom the Lord does not condemn?

9 I will look upon him from the tops of the stones, and I will consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and they shall not be counted among the nations.

10 Who can number the dust that is Jacob, and who can know the number of the stock of Israel? May my soul die a just death, and may my end be like theirs.”

11 And Balak said to Balaam: “What is this that you are doing? I called for you, in order to curse my enemies, and to the contrary, you bless them.”

12 He answered him, “How can I say anything other than what the Lord orders?”

13 Therefore, Balak said: “Come with me to another place, from where you may see a portion of Israel, though you cannot see them all. Curse them from there.”

14 And when he had led him to a lofty place, on the top of mount Pisgah, Balaam built seven altars, and placing upon each a calf and a ram,

15 he said to Balak, “Stand here next to your holocaust, while I continue on to meet him.”

16 And when the Lord had met him, and had put the word in his mouth, he said, “Return to Balak, and you shall say this to him.”

17 Returning, he found him standing next to his holocaust, and the leaders of the Moabites were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

18 But, taking up his parable, he said: “Stand, Balak, and pay attention. Listen, you son of Zippor.

19 God is not like a man, so that he would lie, nor is he like a son of man, so that he would be changed. Therefore, having spoken, will he not act? Has he ever spoken, and not fulfilled?

20 I was led here to bless, and I have no strength to hinder the blessing.

21 There is no idol in Jacob; neither is there a false image to be seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the resound of royal victory is in him.

22 God has led him away from Egypt; his strength is like that of the rhinoceros.

23 There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor any divination in Israel. In their times, it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what God has wrought.

24 Behold, the people will rise up like a lioness, and lie down like a lion. But they will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.”

25 And Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse him, nor bless him.”

26 And he said, “Have I not told you that whatever God would command of me, I would do?”

27 And Balak said to him: “Come and I will lead you to another place. If perhaps it may please God, then you may curse them from there.”

28 And when he had led him on to the top of mount Peor, which looks out toward the wilderness,

29 Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”

30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and he placed on each altar a calf and a ram.

1 And when Balaam had seen that it was pleasing to the Lord that he should bless Israel, he by no means went out as he had gone before, to seek divination. But directing his face opposite the desert,

2 and lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel dwelling in tents by their tribes. And with the Spirit of God rushing into him,

3 taking up his parable, he said: “Balaam, the son of Beor, the man whose eye has been obstructed,

4 the hearer of the sermon of God, he who has gazed upon a vision of the Almighty, he who falls down and so his eyes are opened, has declared:

5 ‘How beautiful are your tabernacles, O Jacob, and your tents, O Israel!

6 They are like forested valleys, like gardens irrigated next to rivers, like tabernacles which the Lord has fixed, like cedars close to waters.

7 Water shall flow from his jar, and his offspring shall be amid many waters, because Agag, his king, shall be taken, and his kingdom shall be removed.

8 Away from Egypt, God has led him, whose strength is like the rhinoceros. They shall devour the nations that are his enemies, and break their bones, and pierce them with arrows.

9 Lying down, he has slept like a lion, and like a lioness, whom no one would dare to awaken. He who blesses you, shall himself also be blessed. He who curses you, shall be considered cursed.”

10 And Balak, being angry against Balaam, clapped his hands together and said: “I called you to curse my enemies, and, to the contrary, you have blessed them three times.

11 Return to your place. I had decided, indeed, to honor you greatly, but the Lord has deprived you of the designated honor.”

12 Balaam responded to Balak: “Did I not say to your messengers, whom you sent to me:

13 Even if Balak would give me his house, filled with silver and gold, I still could not go away from the word of the Lord my God, so as to offer anything, either good or evil, from my own heart; but whatever the Lord will speak, this, too, I shall speak.

14 Yet truly, as I continue on to my own people, I will give you counsel as to what this people shall do to your people in the end times.”

15 Therefore, taking up his parable, he again spoke: “Balaam the son of Beor, the man whose eye has been obstructed,

16 the hearer of the sermon of God, he who knows the doctrine of the Most High, and who sees the visions of the Almighty, who, falling down, has his eyes opened, has declared:

17 I shall see him, but not presently. I shall gaze upon him, but not soon. A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a rod shall spring up from Israel. And he shall strike down the commanders of Moab, and he shall devastate all the sons of Seth.

18 And he shall possess Idumea; the inheritance of Seir shall fall to their enemies. Yet truly, Israel shall act with strength.

19 From Jacob will be he who shall be ruler. And he shall perish the remnants of the city.”

20 And when he saw Amalek, taking up his parable, he said: “Amalek, first among the Gentiles, whose very end shall be perdition.”

21 Likewise, he saw the Kainites, and taking up his parable, he said: “Robust, indeed, is your habitation. But though you will set your nest in a rock,

22 and you will be elect among the stock of Kain, how long will you be able to remain? For Assur shall take you captive.”

23 And taking up his parable once more he said: “Alas! Who will be able to survive, when God will do these things?

24 They shall arrive in Greek warships from Italy. They shall overcome the Assyrians, and they shall devastate the Hebrews, and yet, at the very end, even they themselves shall perish.”

25 And Balaam rose up, and he returned to his place. Likewise, Balak went back, along the way by which he had arrived.

1 Now Israel, at that time, dwelt in Shittim, and the people were fornicating with the daughters of Moab,

2 who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate, and they adored their gods.

3 And Israel was initiated into Baal of Peor. And so the Lord, being angry,

4 said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, and hang them on gallows against the sun, so that my fury may be averted from Israel.”

5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Let each one kill his neighbors, who have been initiated into Baal of Peor.”

6 And behold, one of the sons of Israel entered, in the sight of his brothers, to a prostitute of Midian, within view of Moses and of all the crowd of the sons of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.

7 And when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, had seen it, he rose up from the midst of the multitude, and, seizing a dagger,

8 he entered after the Israelite man, into the brothel, and he pierced both of them at the same time, specifically, the man and the woman at the location of their genitals. And the scourge ceased from among the sons of Israel.

9 And there were slain twenty-four thousand men.

10 And the Lord said to Moses:

11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has averted my wrath from the sons of Israel. For he was moved against them by my zeal, so that I myself, in my zeal, might not wipe away the sons of Israel.

12 Because of this, say to him: Behold, I give to him the peace of my covenant.

13 And the covenant of the everlasting priesthood shall be as much for him as for his offspring. For he was zealous on behalf of his God, and he has made expiation for the wickedness of the sons of Israel.”

14 Now the name of the Israelite man, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader from the kinship and tribe of Simeon.

15 Moreover, the Midianite woman, who was put to death together with him, was called Cozbi the daughter of Zur, a most noble leader among the Midianites.

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

17 “Let the Midianites perceive you as enemies, and strike them down,

18 for they, too, have behaved with hostility against you, and they have deceived you insidiously by means of the idol Peor, and by Cozbi, the daughter of a commander of Midian, their sister, who was struck down in the day of the scourge because of the sacrilege of Peor.”

1 After the blood of the guilty was shed, the Lord said to Moses, and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest:

2 “Number the entire sum of the sons of Israel, from twenty years and above, by their houses and kinships, all who are able to go forth to war.”

3 And so, Moses and Eleazar the priest, who were in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho, spoke to those who were

4 from twenty years and above, just as the Lord had commanded. And this is their number:

5 Ruben, the firstborn of Israel; his son, Hanoch, from whom is the family of the Hanochites; and Pallu, from whom is the family of the Palluites;

6 and Hezron, from whom is the family of the Hezronites; and Carmi, from whom is the family of the Carmites.

7 These are the families of the stock of Ruben, whose number was found to be forty-three thousand and seven hundred thirty.

8 The son of Phallu: Eliab;

9 his sons, Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are Dathan and Abiram, the leaders of the people, who rose up against Moses and Aaron in the sedition at Korah, when they rebelled against the Lord.

10 And the earth, opening its mouth, devoured Korah, with many others dying, when the fire burned two hundred fifty men. And a great miracle was wrought,

11 so that, when Korah perished, his sons did not perish.

12 The sons of Simeon, by their kinships: Nemuel, from him is the family of the Nemuelites; Jamin, from him is the family of the Jaminites; Jachin, from him is the family of the Jachinites;

13 Sohar, from him is the family of the Soharites; Shaul, from him is the family of the Shaulites.

14 These are the families of the stock of Simeon, whose entire number was twenty-two thousand two hundred.

15 The sons of Gad, by their kinships: Zephon, from him is the family of the Zephonites; Haggi, from him is the family of the Haggites; Shuni, from him is the family of the Shunites;

16 Ozni, from him is the family of the Oznites; Eri, from him is the family of the Erites;

17 Arod, from him is the family of the Arodites; Areli, from him is the family of the Arelites.

18 These are the families of Gad, whose entire number was forty thousand five hundred.

19 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan, who both died in the land of Canaan.

20 And these were the sons of Judah, by their kinships: Shelah, from whom is the family of the Shelahites; Perez, from whom is the family of the Perezites; Zerah, from whom is the family of the Zerahites.

21 Moreover, the sons of Phares were: Hezron, from whom is the family of the Hezronites; and Hamul, from whom is the family of the Hamulites.

22 These are the families of Judah, whose entire number was seventy-six thousand five hundred.

23 The sons of Issachar, by their kinships: Tola from whom is the family of the Tolaites; Puvah, from whom is the family of the Puvahites;

24 Jashub, from whom is the family of the Jashubites; Shimron, from whom is the family of the Shimronites.

25 These are the kinships of Issachar, whose number was sixty-four thousand three hundred.

26 The sons of Zebulon by their kinships: Sered, from whom is the family of the Seredites; Elon, from whom is the family of the Elonites; Jahleel, from whom is the family of the Jahleelites.

27 These are the kinships of Zebulun, whose number was sixty thousand five hundred.

28 The sons of Joseph by their kinships: Manasseh and Ephraim.

29 From Manasseh was born Machir, from whom is the family of the Machirites. Machir conceived Gilead, from whom is the family of the Gileadites.

30 Gilead had sons: Jezer, from whom is the family of the Jezerites; and Helek, from whom is the family of the Helekites;

31 and Asriel, from whom is the family of the Asrielites; and Shechem, from whom is the family of the Shechemites;

32 and Shemida, from whom is the family of the Shemidaites; and Hepher, from whom is the family of the Hepherites.

33 Now Hepher was the father of Zelophehad, who had no sons, but only daughters, whose names are these: Mahlah, and Noa, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.

34 These are the families of Manasseh, and their number was fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

35 Now the sons of Ephraim by their kinships were these: Shuthelah, from whom is the family of the Shuthelahites; Becher, from whom is the family of the Becherites; Tahan, from whom is the family of the Tahanites.

36 Furthermore, the son of Shuthelah was Eran, from whom is the family of the Eranites.

37 These are the kinships of the sons of Ephraim, whose number was thirty-two thousand five hundred.

38 These are the sons of Joseph by their families: the sons of Benjamin in their kinships: Bela, from whom is the family of the Belaites; Ashbel, from whom is the family of the Ashbelites; Ahiram, from whom is the family of the Ahiramites;

39 Shupham, from whom is the family of the Shuphamites; Hupham, from whom is the family of the Huphamites.

40 The sons of Bela: Arad and Naaman. From Arad, the family of the Aradites; from Naaman, the family of the Naamanites.

41 These are the sons of Benjamin by their kinships, whose number was forty-five thousand six hundred.

42 The sons of Dan by their kinships: Shuham, from whom is the family of the Shuhamites. These are the kinships of Dan by their families.

43 All these were Shuhamites, whose number was sixty-four thousand four hundred.

44 The sons of Asher by their kinships: Imnah, from whom is the family of the Imnahites; Ishvi, from whom is the family of the Ishvites; Beriah, from whom is the family of the Beriahites.

45 The sons of Beriah: Heber, from whom is the family of the Heberites; and Malchiel, from whom is the family of the Malchielites.

46 Now the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.

47 These are the kinships of the sons of Asher, and their number was fifty-three thousand four hundred.

48 The sons of Naphtali by their kinships: Jahzeel, from whom is the family of the Jahzeelites; Guni, from whom is the family of the Gunites;

49 Jezer, from whom is the family of the Jezerites; Shillem, from whom is the family of the Shillemites.

50 These are the kinships of the sons of Naphtali by their families, whose number was forty-five thousand four hundred.

51 This is the sum of the sons of Israel, who were counted: six hundred thousand and one thousand seven hundred thirty.

52 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

53 “The land shall be divided to these, as their possessions, according to the number of their names.

54 To the greater number you shall give a greater portion, and to the lesser number, a lesser portion. To each one, just as they have now been counted, a possession shall be delivered.

55 Yet only in so far as the land is divided by lot to a tribe and to families.

56 Whatever the lot will happen to be, it shall be accepted, either by the greater, or by the lesser.

57 Likewise, this is the number of the sons of Levi by their families: Gershon, from whom is the family of the Gershonites; Kohath, from whom is the family of the Kohathites; Merari, from whom is the family of the Merarites.

58 These are the families of Levi: The family of Libni, the family of Hebroni, the family of Mahli, the family of Mushi, the family of Korah. Yet truly, Kohath conceived Amram,

59 who had a wife, Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to him in Egypt. She bore, to her husband Amram: sons, Aaron and Moses, as well as their sister, Miriam.

60 From Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, and Eleazar and Ithamar.

61 Of these, Nadab and Abihu died, when they had offered strange fire before the Lord.

62 And these were all who were numbered: twenty-three thousand of the male gender, from one month and above. For they were not counted among the sons of Israel, neither was a possession given to them with the others.

63 This is the number of the sons of Israel, who were enrolled by Moses and by Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab, above the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

64 Among these, not one of them was numbered before, by Moses and Aaron in the desert of Sinai.

65 For the Lord had foretold that all would die in the wilderness. And not one of them remained, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

1 Then there approached the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph: and their names are Mahlah, and Noa, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.

2 And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the people, at the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, and they said:

3 “Our father died in the desert, and was not with the sedition, which was stirred up against the Lord under Korah, but he died in his own sin; he had no male sons. Why is his name taken away from his family, because he had no son? Give us a possession among the kinsmen of our father.”

4 And Moses referred their case to the judgment of the Lord.

5 And the Lord said to him:

6 “The daughters of Zelophehad are asking for something just. So give them a possession among the kinsmen of their father, and let them succeed him in his inheritance.

7 And to the sons of Israel, you shall speak these things:

8 When a man dies without a son, his inheritance shall be transferred to his daughter.

9 If he has no daughter, his brothers shall succeed him.

10 But if there were also no brothers, you shall give the inheritance to the brothers of his father.

11 But if he has no paternal uncles, the inheritance shall be given to those who are closest to him. And this shall be, for the sons of Israel, consecrated as a perpetual law, just as the Lord has instructed Moses.”

12 The Lord also said to Moses: “Ascend onto this mountain, Abarim, and contemplate from there the land, which I will give to the sons of Israel.

13 And when you have seen it, you shall then go to your people, just as your brother Aaron went.

14 For you offended me in the desert of Sin at the Contradiction of the multitude; neither were you willing to sanctify me in their sight over the waters. These are the Waters of Contradiction at Kadesh in the desert of Sin.”

15 Moses answered him:

16 “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, provide a man, who may be over this multitude,

17 and who may be able to exit and enter before them, and who may lead them out or lead them in: lest the people of the Lord be like sheep without a shepherd.”

18 And the Lord said to him: “Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom the Spirit is, and place your hand upon him.

19 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire multitude.

20 And you shall give him the precepts in the sight of all, and a portion of your glory, so that the entire congregation of the sons of Israel may listen to him.

21 On his behalf, if anything is to be done, Eleazar the priest shall consult the Lord. He, and all the sons of Israel with him, and the rest of the multitude, shall go out and enter in at his word.”

22 Moses did just as the Lord had instructed. And when he had brought Joshua, he set him before Eleazar the priest, and before the entire gathering of the people.

23 And imposing his hands upon his head, he repeated all that the Lord had commanded.

1 The Lord also said to Moses:

2 “Instruct the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: Offer my oblation and bread, and the incense of most sweet odor, at their proper times.

3 These are the sacrifices which you must offer: Two immaculate one-year-old lambs each day as a perpetual holocaust.

4 You shall offer one in morning, and the other in the evening,

5 and the tenth part of an ephah of fine wheat flour, which has been sprinkled with the purest oil, and which has the measure of the fourth part of a hin.

6 It is the continual holocaust which you offered at mount Sinai as a most sweet odor of incense to the Lord.

7 And you shall offer a libation of wine, of the fourth part of a hin for each lamb, in the Sanctuary of the Lord.

8 And you shall offer the other lamb similarly, in the evening, according to all the rites of the morning sacrifice and its libations, as an oblation of most sweet odor to the Lord.

9 Then, on the Sabbath day, you shall offer two immaculate one-year-old lambs, and two tenths of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil, as sacrifice, as well as the libations

10 that are usually poured out on each Sabbath as a perpetual holocaust.

11 Then, on the first day of the month, you shall offer a holocaust to the Lord: two calves from the herd, one ram, seven immaculate one-year-old lambs,

12 and three tenths of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil, as sacrifice, for each calf, and two tenths of fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil, for each ram,

13 and one tenth of fine wheat flour with oil, as a sacrifice, for each lamb. It is a holocaust of most sweet odor and also an incense to the Lord.

14 Now these shall be the libations of wine, which are to be poured out for each victim: one half portion of a hin for each calf, one third for a ram, and one fourth for a lamb. This shall be the holocaust for all the months, as they succeed one another in the turning of the year.

15 Likewise, a he-goat shall be offered to the Lord for sin, with the perpetual holocaust and its libations.

16 Then, in the first month, the fourteenth day of the month shall be the Passover of the Lord.

17 And the fifteenth day shall be a solemnity. For seven days, they shall eat unleavened bread.

18 And the first day of these days shall be venerable and holy; you shall not do any servile work in it.

19 And you shall offer the incense of a holocaust to the Lord, two calves from the herd, one ram, seven immaculate one-year-old lambs;

20 and with each sacrifice, from fine wheat flour which has been sprinkled with oil, three tenths for each calf, and two tenths for each ram,

21 and one tenth for each lamb, that is, for the seven lambs;

22 and one he-goat for sin, as an expiation for you,

23 aside from the morning holocaust, which you shall always offer.

24 You shall do this on each day of the seven days, as fuel for the fire, and as a most sweet odor to the Lord, which shall rise up from the holocaust and from each of the libations.

25 Likewise, the seventh day shall be very honored and holy for you. Any servile work, you shall not do in it.

26 And also the day of the first-fruits, after the weeks have been fulfilled, when you shall offer new fruits to the Lord, shall be venerable and holy. You shall not do any servile work in it.

27 And you shall offer a holocaust as a most sweet odor to the Lord: two calves from the herd, one ram, and seven immaculate one-year-old lambs,

28 and also, as their sacrifices, fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil, three tenths for each calf, two for each ram,

29 one tenth for each lamb, which all together are seven lambs; likewise, a he-goat,

30 which is slain for expiation, aside from the perpetual holocaust and its libations.

31 You shall offer only what is immaculate, with their libations.”

1 “Now the first day of the seventh month also shall be venerable and holy to you. In it, you shall not do any servile work, because it is the day of the sounding of the trumpets.

2 And you shall offer a holocaust, as a most sweet odor to the Lord: one calf from the herd, one ram, and seven immaculate one-year-old lambs;

3 and, as their sacrifices, fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil: three tenths for each calf, two tenths for a ram,

4 one tenth for a lamb, which all together are seven lambs;

5 and a he-goat for sin, which is offered as an expiation for the people,

6 aside from the holocaust of the first day of the month with its sacrifices, and the perpetual holocaust with the usual libations. By these same ceremonies, you shall offer incense as a most sweet odor to the Lord.

7 Likewise, the tenth day of this seventh month shall be for you holy and venerable, and you shall afflict your souls. You shall do no servile work in it.

8 And you shall offer a holocaust to the Lord, as a most sweet odor: one calf from the herd, one ram, seven immaculate one-year-old lambs;

9 and for their sacrifices, fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil: three tenths for each calf, two tenths for a ram,

10 one tenth for each lamb, which are all together seven lambs;

11 and a he-goat for sin, apart from those things which are usually offered for offenses as an expiation, and as a perpetual holocaust, with their sacrifice and libations.

12 Yet truly, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, which shall be for you holy and venerable, you shall not do any servile work in it, but you shall celebrate a solemnity to the Lord for seven days.

13 And you shall offer a holocaust, as a most sweet odor to the Lord: thirteen calves from the herd, two rams, fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs;

14 and as their libations, fine wheat flour sprinkled with oil: three tenths for each calf, which is all together thirteen calves, and two tenths for each ram, that is, all together two rams,

15 and one tenth for each lamb, which is all together fourteen lambs;

16 and a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and the sacrifice and its libation.

17 On the next day, you shall offer twelve calves from the herd, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

18 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

19 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and the sacrifice and its libation.

20 On the third day, you shall offer eleven calves, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

21 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

22 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and the sacrifice and its libation.

23 On the fourth day, you shall offer ten calves, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

24 And the sacrifices and the libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

25 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

26 On the fifth day, you shall offer nine calves, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

27 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

28 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

29 On the sixth day, you shall offer eight calves, two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

30 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

31 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

32 On the seventh day, you shall offer seven calves, and two rams, and fourteen immaculate one-year-old lambs.

33 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

34 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

35 On the eighth day, which is most honored, you shall not do any servile work,

36 offering a holocaust as a most sweet odor to the Lord: one calf, one ram, and seven immaculate one-year-old lambs.

37 And the sacrifices and libations for each of the calves and the rams and the lambs, you shall celebrate according to the rite,

38 with a he-goat for sin, apart from the perpetual holocaust, and its sacrifice and libation.

39 These things you shall offer to the Lord in your solemnities, aside from the vowed and voluntary oblations, as a holocaust, as a sacrifice, as a libation, or as peace-offering victims.”

1 And Moses explained to the sons of Israel all that the Lord had commanded him.

2 And he said to the leaders of the tribes of the sons of Israel: “This is the word, which the Lord has instructed:

3 If any man makes a vow to the Lord, or binds himself by an oath, he shall not make his word null and void, but all that he has promised, he shall fulfill.

4 If a woman, who is in her father’s house, vows anything, or binds herself by an oath, and she is still in a state of childhood, if her father knew of the vow which she has promised or of the oath by which she has obligated her soul, and he kept silent, she shall be liable to the vow:

5 whatever she has promised or swore, she shall complete in deed.

6 But if her father, as soon as he had heard it, had contradicted it, both her vows and her oaths shall be nullified, neither shall she be held liable to the promise, because her father had contradicted it.

7 If she has a husband, and she has vowed anything, then, once the word has gone out of her mouth, she will have obligated her soul by an oath.

8 On the day that her husband will hear of it, and yet not contradict it, she shall be liable to the vow, and she shall repay whatever she has promised.

9 But if, as soon as he hears it, he contradicts it, then he will have caused her promises, and the words by which she had bound her soul, to be null and void. The Lord will be favorable to her.

10 Widows and divorced women shall repay whatever they have vowed.

11 If a wife in the house of her husband has bound herself by a vow or an oath,

12 if her husband heard it and remained silent, and he did not contradict the promise, she shall repay what she had promised.

13 But if he promptly contradicts it, she shall not be held liable to the promise. For her husband has contradicted it. And the Lord will be favorable to her.

14 If she has vowed or bound herself by oath, in order to afflict her soul by fasting, or by abstaining from other things, it shall be for the arbitration of her husband, as to whether or not she may do it.

15 But if the husband, upon hearing it, remains silent, and he delays judgment until another day, whatever she had vowed or promised, she shall repay, because when he first heard it, he remained silent.

16 And if he contradicted it only sometime after he had known about it, he shall bear his iniquity.”

17 These are the laws which the Lord has appointed to Moses, between a husband and a wife, between a father and a daughter, who is still in the state of childhood or who remains in her father’s house.

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 “First, avenge the sons of Israel from the Midianites, and then you shall be gathered to your people.”

3 And immediately Moses said: “Arm the men among you for a battle, so that they may be able to fulfill the retribution of the Lord on the Midianites.

4 Let one thousand men be chosen from each tribe of Israel, who shall be sent to war.”

5 And they gave one thousand from each tribe, that is, twelve thousand foot soldiers for battle.

6 And Moses sent them with Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest; also, he delivered to him the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound.

7 And when they had fought against the Midianites and had prevailed, they killed all the men.

8 And they put to death by the sword their kings: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five leaders of the nation, and also Balaam the son of Beor.

9 And they seized their women and little ones, and all their cattle, and all their goods; whatever they were able to have, they despoiled.

10 Both their cities and their villages, as well as their fortresses, they burned.

11 And they carried away prey from everything that they had seized, both of men and of beasts.

12 And they led these to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to all the multitude of the sons of Israel. But the remainder of the articles they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, next to the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

13 Then Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the assembly went out to meet them beyond the camp.

14 And Moses, being angry with the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions, who had arrived from the battle,

15 said: “Why have you spared the females?

16 Are not these the ones who deceived the sons of Israel at the suggestion of Balaam, and who caused you betray the Lord by the sin of Peor, because of which the people also were struck down?

17 Therefore, put to death all of them: whatever is of the male sex, even among the little ones, and cut the throats of those women who have known men by sexual relations.

18 But the young girls, and all female virgins, reserve for yourselves.

19 And remain beyond the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed a man, or who has touched one that was killed, shall be purified on the third day and on the seventh day.

20 And all of the spoils, whether it is a garment, or a vessel, or another useful thing, made from the pelts or hair of goats, or from wood, shall be expiated.”

21 Likewise, Eleazar the priest spoke in this manner to the men of the army who had fought: “This is the precept of the law, which the Lord has commanded Moses:

22 Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin,

23 and all that may be able to pass through fire, shall be purified by fire. But whatever is not able to sustain fire shall be sanctified with the waters of expiation.

24 And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day, and, after having been purified, you shall enter the camp.”

25 And the Lord also said to Moses:

26 “Take the sum of those things which were captured, from man even to beast, you and Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the common people.

27 And you shall divide the prey equally, among those who went out to war and fought, and among the remainder of the multitude.

28 And you shall separate a portion for the Lord from the portion of those who fought and were in the battle: one soul out of five hundred, as much from humans, as from oxen and donkeys and sheep.

29 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, because these are the first-fruits of the Lord.

30 Likewise, from the half of the portion belonging to the sons of Israel, you shall receive the fiftieth head of humans, and of oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and of all living things, and you shall give these to the Levites who stand watch over the care of the tabernacle of the Lord.”

31 And Moses and Eleazar did just as the Lord had instructed.

32 Now the prey which the army had seized was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 seventy-two thousand oxen,

34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,

35 and thirty-two thousand human lives, of the female sex, who had not known men.

36 And one half of the portion was given to those who had been in the battle: three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep.

37 From these, for the portion of the Lord, there were accounted: six hundred seventy-five sheep;

38 and from the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen;

39 from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, sixty-one donkeys.

40 From the sixteen thousand human souls, there fell to the portion of the Lord thirty-two souls.

41 And Moses delivered the number of the first-fruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, just as had been commanded of him,

42 from the one half portion belonging to the sons of Israel, which he had separated from the portion of those who had been in the battle.

43 Yet truly, from the one half portion which fell to the remainder of the multitude, that is, from the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 and from the thirty-six thousand oxen,

45 and from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

46 and from the sixteen thousand persons,

47 Moses took the fiftieth head, and gave it to the Levites who stand watch at the tabernacle of the Lord, just as the Lord had instructed.

48 And when the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions had approached Moses, they said:

49 “We, your servants, have taken a census of the number of the fighting men, whom we had under our hand, and indeed not one was lacking.

50 For this reason, we offer as gifts to the Lord whatever gold each one was able to find amid the spoils, in anklets and arm bands, rings and bracelets, and little chains, so that you may intercede for us to the Lord.”

51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in its various kinds,

52 weighing sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels, from the tribunes and the centurions.

53 For whatever each one had taken away in the spoils was his own.

54 And having been accepted, they took it into the tabernacle of the testimony, as a memorial of the sons of Israel before the Lord.