Study Desk

If you touch the body of someone who was killed or who died of old age, or if you touch a human bone or a grave, you will be unclean for seven days.

and said, "Moses, get your walking stick. Then you and Aaron call the people together and command that rock to give you water. That's how you will provide water for the people of Israel and their livestock."

Moses sent messengers from Israel's camp near Kadesh with this message for the king of Edom: We are Israelites, your own relatives, and we're sure you have heard the terrible things that have happened to us.

and when we begged our Lord for help, he answered our prayer and brought us out of that land. Now we are camped at the border of your territory, near the town of Kadesh.

Moses sent back this message: "We promise to stay on the main road, and if any of us or our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. We just want to pass through."

the people knew that Aaron had died, and they mourned his death for thirty days.

You Moabites are done for! Your god Chemosh deserted your people; they were captured, taken away by King Sihon the Amorite.

They are too powerful for us to defeat, so would you come and place a curse on them? Maybe then we can run them off. I know that anyone you bless will be successful, but anyone you curse will fail.

The leaders of Moab and Midian left and took along money to pay Balaam for his work. When they got to his house, they gave him Balak's message.

The angel moved once more and stood in a spot so narrow that there was no room for the donkey to go around.

"It's all right for you to go," the Lord 's angel answered. "But you must say only what I tell you." So Balaam went on with Balak's officials.

They are living alone in peace. And though they are many, they don't bother the other nations. "I hope to obey God for as long as I live and to die in such peace."

Balak said to Balaam, "Let's go somewhere else. Maybe if you see a smaller part of the Israelites, you will be able to curse them for me."

No magic charms can work against them— just look what God has done for his people.

So he said to Moses, "Take the Israelite leaders who are responsible for this and have them killed in front of my sacred tent where everyone can see. Maybe then I will stop being angry with the Israelites."

"The Midianites are now enemies of Israel, so attack and defeat them! They tricked the people of Israel into worshiping their god at Peor, and they are responsible for the death of Cozbi, the daughter of one of their own leaders."

You know that our father died in the desert. But it was for something he did wrong, not for joining with Korah in rebelling against the Lord . Our father left no sons

to carry on his family name. But why should his name die out for that reason? Give us some land like the rest of his relatives in our clan, so our father's name can live on.

"You are the Lord God, and you know what is in everyone's heart. So I ask you to appoint a leader for Israel.

Offer two quarts of wine as a drink offering with each bull, one and a half quarts with the ram, and one quart with each of the young rams. Finally, you must offer a goat as a sacrifice for sin. These sacrifices are to be offered on the first day of each month, in addition to the regular daily sacrifices.