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By now Balaam knew that the LORD wanted him to bless the people of Israel, so he did not go to look for omens, as he had done before. He turned toward the desert
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and saw the people of Israel camped tribe by tribe. The spirit of God took control of him,
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and he uttered this prophecy: "The message of Balaam son of Beor, The words of the man who can see clearly,
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Who can hear what God is saying. With staring eyes I see in a trance A vision from Almighty God.
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The tents of Israel are beautiful,
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Like long rows of palms Or gardens beside a river, Like aloes planted by the LORD Or cedars beside the water.
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They will have abundant rainfall And plant their seed in well-watered fields. Their king shall be greater than Agag, And his rule shall be extended far and wide.
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God brought them out of Egypt; He fights for them like a wild ox. They devour their enemies, Crush their bones, smash their arrows.
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The nation is like a mighty lion; When it is sleeping, no one dares wake it. Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, And whoever curses Israel will be cursed."
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Balak clenched his fists in anger and said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, but three times now you have blessed them instead.
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Now get on home! I promised to reward you, but the LORD has kept you from getting the reward."
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Balaam answered, "I told the messengers you sent to me that
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even if you gave me all the silver and gold in your palace, I could not disobey the command of the LORD by doing anything of myself. I will say only what the LORD tells me to say."
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Balaam said to Balak, "Now I am going back to my own people, but before I go, I am warning you what the people of Israel will do to your people in the future."
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Then he uttered this prophecy: "The message of Balaam son of Beor, The words of the man who can see clearly,
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Who can hear what God is saying And receive the knowledge that comes from the Most High. With staring eyes I see in a trance A vision from Almighty God.
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I look into the future, And I see the nation of Israel. A king, like a bright star, will arise in that nation. Like a comet he will come from Israel. He will strike the leaders of Moab And beat down all the people of Seth.
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He will conquer his enemies in Edom And make their land his property, While Israel continues victorious.
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The nation of Israel will trample them down And wipe out the last survivors."
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Then in his vision Balaam saw the Amalekites and uttered this prophecy: "Amalek was the most powerful nation of all, But at the end it will perish forever."
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In his vision he saw the Kenites, and uttered this prophecy: "The place where you live is secure, Safe as a nest set high on a cliff,
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But you Kenites will be destroyed When Assyria takes you captive."
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Balaam uttered this prophecy: "Who are these people gathering in the north?
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Invaders will sail from Cyprus; They will conquer Assyria and Eber, But they, in turn, will perish forever."
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Then Balaam got ready and went back home, and Balak went on his way.
1
When the Israelites were camped at Acacia Valley, the men began to have sexual intercourse with the Moabite women who were there.
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These women invited them to sacrificial feasts, where the god of Moab was worshiped. The Israelites ate the food and worshiped the god
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Baal of Peor. So the LORD was angry with them
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and said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of Israel and, in obedience to me, execute them in broad daylight, and then I will no longer be angry with the people."
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Moses said to the officials, "Each of you is to kill every man in your tribe who has become a worshiper of Baal of Peor."
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One of the Israelites took a Midianite woman into his tent in the sight of Moses and the whole community, while they were mourning at the entrance of the Tent of the LORD's presence.
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When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up and left the assembly. He took a spear,
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followed the man and the woman into the tent, and drove the spear through both of them. In this way the epidemic that was destroying Israel was stopped,
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but it had already killed twenty-four thousand people.
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The LORD said to Moses,
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"Because of what Phinehas has done, I am no longer angry with the people of Israel. He refused to tolerate the worship of any god but me, and that is why I did not destroy them in my anger.
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So tell him that I am making a covenant with him that is valid for all time to come.
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He and his descendants are permanently established as priests, because he did not tolerate any rivals to me and brought about forgiveness for the people's sin."
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The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the head of a family in the tribe of Simeon.
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The woman's name was Cozbi. Zur, her father, was chief of a group of Midianite clans.
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The LORD commanded Moses,
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"Attack the Midianites and destroy them,
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because of the evil they did to you when they deceived you at Peor, and because of Cozbi, who was killed at the time of the epidemic at Peor."
1
After the epidemic the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron,
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"Take a census by families of the whole community of Israel, of all men twenty years old or older who are fit for military service."
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Moses and Eleazar obeyed and called together all the men of that age group. They assembled in the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
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The tribe of Reuben (Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob): the clans of Hanoch, Pallu,
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These clans numbered 43,730 men.
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The descendants of Pallu were Eliab
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and his sons Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. (These are the Dathan and Abiram who were chosen by the community. They defied Moses and Aaron and joined the followers of Korah when they rebelled against the LORD.
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The ground opened and swallowed them, and they died with Korah and his followers when fire destroyed 250 men; they became a warning to the people.
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But the sons of Korah were not killed.)
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The tribe of Simeon: the clans of Nemuel, Jamin, Jachin,
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These clans numbered 22,200 men.
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The tribe of Gad: the clans of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni,
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These clans numbered 40,500 men.
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The tribe of Judah: the clans of Shelah, Perez, Zerah, Hezron, and Hamul. (Two of Judah's sons, Er and Onan, had died in the land of Canaan.)
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These clans numbered 76,500 men.
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The tribe of Issachar: the clans of Tola, Puah,
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These clans numbered 64,300 men.
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The tribe of Zebulun: the clans of Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
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These clans numbered 60,500 men.
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The tribes of Joseph, who was the father of two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
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The tribe of Manasseh. Machir son of Manasseh was the father of Gilead, and the following clans traced their ancestry to Gilead:
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the clans of Iezer, Helek,
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Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
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These clans numbered 52,700 men.
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The tribe of Ephraim: the clans of Shuthelah, Becher, and Tahan.
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The clan of Eran traced its descent from Shuthelah.
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These clans numbered 32,500 men. These are the clans descended from Joseph.
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The tribe of Benjamin: the clans of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram,
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Shephupham, and Hupham.
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The clans of Ard and Naaman traced their descent from Bela.
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These clans numbered 45,600 men.
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The tribe of Dan: the clan of Shuham,
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which numbered 64,400 men.
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The tribe of Asher: the clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah.
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The clans of Heber and Malchiel traced their descent from Beriah.
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Asher had a daughter named Serah.
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These clans numbered 53,400 men.
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The tribe of Naphtali: the clans of Jahzeel, Guni,
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These clans numbered 45,400 men.
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The total number of the Israelite men was 601,730.
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The LORD said to Moses,
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"Divide the land among the tribes, according to their size.
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Divide the land by drawing lots, and give a large share to a large tribe and a small one to a small tribe."
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The tribe of Levi consisted of the clans of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
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Their descendants included the subclans of Libni, Hebron, Mahli, Mushi, and Korah. Kohath was the father of Amram,
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who was married to Levi's daughter Jochebed, who was born in Egypt. She bore Amram two sons, Aaron and Moses, and a daughter, Miriam.
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Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
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Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unholy fire to the LORD.
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The male Levites who were one month old or older numbered 23,000. They were listed separately from the rest of the Israelites, because they were not given any property in Israel.
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All these clans were listed by Moses and Eleazar when they took a census of the Israelites in the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho.
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There was not even one man left among those whom Moses and Aaron had listed in the first census in the Sinai Desert.
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The LORD had said that all of them would die in the wilderness, and except for Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun they all did.
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Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah were the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph.
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They went and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole community at the entrance of the Tent of the LORD's presence and said,
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"Our father died in the wilderness without leaving any sons. He was not among the followers of Korah, who rebelled against the LORD; he died because of his own sin.
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Just because he had no sons, why should our father's name disappear from Israel? Give us property among our father's relatives."
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Moses presented their case to the LORD,
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and the LORD said to him,
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"What the daughters of Zelophehad request is right; give them property among their father's relatives. Let his inheritance pass on to them.
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Tell the people of Israel that whenever a man dies without leaving a son, his daughter is to inherit his property.
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If he has no daughter, his brothers are to inherit it.
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If he has no brothers, his father's brothers are to inherit it.
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If he has no brothers or uncles, then his nearest relative is to inherit it and hold it as his own property. The people of Israel are to observe this as a legal requirement, just as I, the LORD, have commanded you."
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The LORD said to Moses, "Go up the Abarim Mountains and look out over the land that I am giving to the Israelites.
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After you have seen it, you will die, as your brother Aaron did,
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because both of you rebelled against my command in the wilderness of Zin. When the whole community complained against me at Meribah, you refused to acknowledge my holy power before them." (Meribah is the spring at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
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" LORD God, source of all life, appoint, I pray, a man who can lead the people
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and can command them in battle, so that your community will not be like sheep without a shepherd."
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The LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a capable man, and place your hands on his head.
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Have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the whole community, and there before them all proclaim him as your successor.
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Give him some of your own authority, so that the whole community of Israel will obey him.
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He will depend on Eleazar the priest, who will learn my will by using the Urim and Thummim. In this way Eleazar will direct Joshua and the whole community of Israel in all their affairs."
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Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He had Joshua stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole community.
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As the LORD had commanded, Moses put his hands on Joshua's head and proclaimed him as his successor.
1
I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.
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I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains---but if I have no love, I am nothing.
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I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned ---but if I have no love, this does me no good.
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Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud;
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love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs;
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love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.
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Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.
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Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass.
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For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial;
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but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear.
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When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways.
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What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete---as complete as God's knowledge of me.
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Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.
