Study Desk

They traveled from the mountains of Abarim, and stayed in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho.

And they stayed by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.

Drive out the people who live in the land in front of you. If you do not, then those who are allowed to stay will be like sharp pieces in your eyes and like thorns in your sides. They will trouble you in the land where you live.

"Tell the people of Israel to give the Levites cities to live in from the land they receive. And give the Levites fields around the cities.

The cities you give the Levites will be the six cities where people can go to be safe. They will be where a man may run to if he has killed another person. And give them forty-two other cities, added to these.

Give three cities on the east side of the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan. They will be the cities where you can go to be safe.

The people will save the killer from the man who wants to punish him. And they will return him to his city where he had gone to be safe. He will live in it until the death of the head religious leader who was set apart with the holy oil.

The heads of the fathers' houses of the family group of the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near. They spoke in front of Moses and the leaders, the heads of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel.

They said, "The Lord told my lord to give the land to the people of Israel by drawing names. And my lord was told by the Lord to give the land of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

But if they marry one of the sons of the other family groups of Israel, then their land would be taken away from what was given to our fathers and would be added to the land of the family group they marry into. So it would be taken from the land that had been given to us.

They married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph. And their land stayed with their father's family group.

Then all of you came to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, to spy out the land for us. They will return and tell us which way we should go and which cities we will come to.'

They went up into the hill country, came to the valley of Eshcol, and saw what was there.

They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. And they told us that it is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.

Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you. They came at you like bees, and crushed you from Seir to Hormah.

The Horites once lived in Seir also. But the sons of Esau took their place. They destroyed them and took the land for themselves, as Israel did to the land which the Lord gave them for their own.)

And the Caphtorim who came from Caphtor destroyed the Avvim who lived in towns as far as Gaza. Then they lived in their place.)

This day I will begin to put much fear of you upon the nations everywhere under the heavens. When they hear about you, they will shake with fear and be filled with trouble because of you.'

They will stay until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as He has to you, and until they own the land the Lord your God will give them on the other side of the Jordan. Then every one of you may return to what is his, which I have given you.'

Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai. The Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people together before Me, so I may let them hear My words. Then they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and they may teach their children.'