Numbers 19

• 1. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
• 2. "Here is another ritual law required by the LORD: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer that has no physical defects and has never been yoked to a plow.
• 3. Give it to Eleazar the priest, and it will be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.
• 4. Eleazar will take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle.
• 5. As Eleazar watches, the heifer must be burned--its hide, meat, blood, and dung.
• 6. Eleazar the priest must then take cedarwood, a hyssop branch, and scarlet thread and throw them into the fire where the heifer is burning.
• 7. "Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. Afterward he may return to the camp, though he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.
• 8. The man who burns the animal must also wash his clothes and bathe in water, and he, too, will remain unclean until evening.
• 9. Then someone who is ceremonially clean will gather up the ashes of the heifer and place them in a purified place outside the camp. They will be kept there for the people of Israel to use in the water for the purification ceremony. This ceremony is performed for the removal of sin.
• 10. The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel and any foreigners who live among them.
• 11. "All those who touch a dead human body will be ceremonially unclean for seven days.
• 12. They must purify themselves on the third and seventh days with the water of purification; then they will be purified. But if they do not do this on the third and seventh days, they will continue to be unclean even after the seventh day.
• 13. All those who touch a dead body and do not purify themselves in the proper way defile the LORD's Tabernacle and will be cut off from the community of Israel. Since the water of purification was not sprinkled on them, their defilement continues.
• 14. "This is the ritual law that applies when someone dies in a tent: Those who enter that tent, and those who were inside when the death occurred, will be ceremonially unclean for seven days.
• 15. Any container in the tent that was not covered with a lid is also defiled.
• 16. And if someone outdoors touches the corpse of someone who was killed with a sword or who died a natural death, or if someone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be unclean for seven days.
• 17. "To remove the defilement, put some of the ashes from the burnt purification offering in a jar and pour fresh water over them.
• 18. Then someone who is ceremonially clean must take a hyssop branch and dip it into the water. That person must sprinkle the water on the tent, on all the furnishings in the tent, and on anyone who was in the tent, or anyone who has touched a human bone, or has touched a person who was killed or who died naturally, or has touched a grave.
• 19. On the third and seventh days the ceremonially clean person must sprinkle the water on those who are unclean. Then on the seventh day the people being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe themselves, and that evening they will be cleansed of their defilement.
• 20. "But those who become defiled and do not purify themselves will be cut off from the community, for they have defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. Since the water of purification has not been sprinkled on them, they remain defiled.
• 21. This is a permanent law. Those who sprinkle the water of purification must afterward wash their clothes, and anyone who touches the water of purification will remain defiled until evening.
• 22. Anything and anyone that a defiled person touches will be ceremonially defiled until evening."

Numbers 20

• 1. In early spring the people of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried.
• 2. There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.
• 3. The people blamed Moses and said, "We wish we had died in the LORD's presence with our brothers!
• 4. Did you bring the LORD's people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock?
• 5. Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, figs, grapes, or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"
• 6. Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to them,
• 7. and the LORD said to Moses,
• 8. "You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, command the rock over there to pour out its water. You will get enough water from the rock to satisfy all the people and their livestock."
• 9. So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the LORD.
• 10. Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. "Listen, you rebels!" he shouted. "Must we bring you water from this rock?"
• 11. Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So all the people and their livestock drank their fill.
• 12. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!"
• 13. This place was known as the waters of Meribah, because it was where the people of Israel argued with the LORD, and where he demonstrated his holiness among them.
• 14. While Moses was at Kadesh, he sent ambassadors to the king of Edom with this message: "This message is from your relatives, the people of Israel: You know all the hardships we have been through,
• 15. and that our ancestors went down to Egypt. We lived there a long time and suffered as slaves to the Egyptians.
• 16. But when we cried out to the LORD, he heard us and sent an angel who brought us out of Egypt. Now we are camped at Kadesh, a town on the border of your land.
• 17. Please let us pass through your country. We will be careful not to go through your fields and vineyards. We won't even drink water from your wells. We will stay on the king's road and never leave it until we have crossed the opposite border."
• 18. But the king of Edom said, "Stay out of my land or I will meet you with an army!"
• 19. The Israelites answered, "We will stay on the main road. If any of our livestock drinks your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through your country and nothing else."
• 20. But the king of Edom replied, "Stay out! You may not pass through our land." With that he mobilized his army and marched out to meet them with an imposing force.
• 21. Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their country, Israel was forced to turn around.
• 22. The whole community of Israel left Kadesh as a group and arrived at Mount Hor.
• 23. Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom,
• 24. "The time has come for Aaron to join his ancestors in death. He will not enter the land I am giving the people of Israel, because the two of you rebelled against my instructions concerning the waters of Meribah.
• 25. Now take Aaron and his son Eleazar up Mount Hor.
• 26. There you will remove Aaron's priestly garments and put them on Eleazar, his son. Aaron will die there and join his ancestors."
• 27. So Moses did as the LORD commanded. The three of them went up Mount Hor together as the whole community watched.
• 28. At the summit, Moses removed the priestly garments from Aaron and put them on Eleazar, Aaron's son. Then Aaron died there on top of the mountain, and Moses and Eleazar went back down.
• 29. When the people realized that Aaron had died, all Israel mourned for him thirty days.

Numbers 21

• 1. The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that the Israelites were approaching on the road to Atharim. So he attacked the Israelites and took some of them as prisoners.
• 2. Then the people of Israel made this vow to the LORD: "If you will help us conquer these people, we will completely destroy all their towns."
• 3. The LORD heard their request and gave them victory over the Canaanites. The Israelites completely destroyed them and their towns, and the place has been called Hormah ever since.
• 4. Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient along the way,
• 5. and they began to murmur against God and Moses. "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?" they complained. "There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this wretched manna!"
• 6. So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among them, and many of them were bitten and died.
• 7. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes." So Moses prayed for the people.
• 8. Then the LORD told him, "Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to the top of a pole. Those who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!"
• 9. So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to the top of a pole. Whenever those who were bitten looked at the bronze snake, they recovered!
• 10. The Israelites traveled next to Oboth and camped there.
• 11. Then they went on to Iye-abarim, in the wilderness on the eastern border of Moab.
• 12. From there they traveled to the valley of Zered Brook and set up camp.
• 13. Then they moved to the far side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness adjacent to the territory of the Amorites. The Arnon is the boundary line between the Moabites and the Amorites.
• 14. For this reason The Book of the Wars of the LORD speaks of "the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the ravines; and the Arnon River
• 15. and its ravines, which extend as far as the settlement of Ar on the border of Moab."
• 16. From there the Israelites traveled to Beer, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, "Assemble the people, and I will give them water."
• 17. There the Israelites sang this song: "Spring up, O well! Yes, sing about it!
• 18. Sing of this well, which princes dug, which great leaders hollowed out with their scepters and staffs." Then the Israelites left the wilderness and proceeded on through Mattanah,
• 19. Nahaliel, and Bamoth.
• 20. Then they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah Peak overlooks the wasteland.
• 21. The Israelites now sent ambassadors to King Sihon of the Amorites with this message:
• 22. "Let us travel through your land. We will stay on the king's road until we have crossed your territory. We will not trample your fields or touch your vineyards or drink your well water."
• 23. But King Sihon refused to let them cross his land. Instead, he mobilized his entire army and attacked Israel in the wilderness, engaging them in battle at Jahaz.
• 24. But the Israelites slaughtered them and occupied their land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River. They went only as far as the Ammonite border because the boundary of the Ammonites was fortified.
• 25. So Israel captured all the towns of the Amorites and settled in them, including the city of Heshbon and its surrounding villages.
• 26. Heshbon had been the capital of King Sihon of the Amorites. He had conquered a former Moabite king and seized all his land as far as the Arnon River.
• 27. For this reason the ancient poets wrote this about him: "Come to Heshbon, city of Sihon! May it be restored and rebuilt.
• 28. A fire flamed forth from Heshbon, a blaze from the city of Sihon. It burned the city of Ar in Moab; it destroyed the rulers of the Arnon heights.
• 29. Your destruction is certain, O people of Moab! You are finished, O worshipers of Chemosh! Chemosh has left his sons as refugees, and his daughters as captives of Sihon, the Amorite king.
• 30. We have utterly destroyed them, all the way from Heshbon to Dibon. We have completely wiped them out as far away as Nophah and Medeba. "
• 31. So the people of Israel occupied the territory of the Amorites.
• 32. After Moses sent men to explore the Jazer area, they captured all the towns in the region and drove out the Amorites who lived there.
• 33. Then they turned and marched toward Bashan, but King Og of Bashan and all his people attacked them at Edrei.
• 34. The LORD said to Moses, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have given you victory over Og and his entire army, giving you all his land. You will do the same to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon."
• 35. And Israel was victorious and killed King Og, his sons, and his subjects; not a single survivor remained. Then Israel occupied their land.

New Living Translation: 47 of 324 days.