Study Desk

So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gifts from the generals and captains and brought the gold to the Tabernacle as a reminder to the Lord that the people of Israel belong to him.

The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds,

Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their land. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified towns we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people.

So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the clans of Israel.

So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph. He gave them the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and the land of King Og of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and surrounding lands.

So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there.

So if someone hates another person and waits in ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder.

So Moses gave the Israelites this command from the Lord : "The claim of the men of the tribe of Joseph is legitimate.

The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe, so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property.

So I took the wise and respected men you had selected from your tribes and appointed them to serve as judges and officials over you. Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten.

"This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from each of your tribes.

"When the Lord heard your complaining, he became very angry. So he solemnly swore,

"Then you confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord ! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the Lord our God has commanded us.' So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack the hill country.

So you stayed there at Kadesh for a long time.

Give these orders to the people: "You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful.

"So we bypassed the territory of our relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We avoided the road through the Arabah Valley that comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber. "Then as we turned north along the desert route through Moab,

Moses continued, "Then the Lord said to us, ‘Get moving. Cross the Zered Brook.' So we crossed the brook.

They were also as strong and numerous and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed them so the Ammonites could occupy their land.

He had done the same for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, for he destroyed the Horites so they could settle there in their place. The descendants of Esau live there to this day.

The descendants of Esau who live in Seir allowed us to go through their country, and so did the Moabites, who live in Ar. Let us pass through until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.'