Study Desk

Again the donkey saw the Lord 's angel. So the donkey walked very close to one wall. This crushed Balaam's foot against the wall. So Balaam hit his donkey again.

The donkey saw the Lord 's angel. So the donkey lay down with Balaam sitting on top of it. Balaam was very angry at the donkey. So he hit it with his walking stick.

Then the Lord allowed Balaam to see the angel. The Lord 's angel was standing in the road, holding a sword in his hand. Balaam bowed low to the ground.

Balak heard that Balaam was coming. So Balak went out to meet him at the Moabite town near the Arnon River. This was at the northern border of his country.

Balak killed some cattle and some sheep as his sacrifice. He gave some of the meat to Balaam and some to the leaders who were with him.

Then Balaam spoke, and this was his message: "Balak, the king of Moab, brought me here from the eastern mountains of Aram. Balak said to me, ‘Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, speak against the Israelites.'

God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.

When Balak heard this, he angrily struck his fist against his hand and said to Balaam, "I called you to come and curse my enemies. But you have blessed them. You have blessed them three times.

‘Even if Balak gives me his most beautiful house filled with silver and gold, I can still say only what the Lord commands me to say. I cannot do anything myself, good or bad. I must say what the Lord commands.'

Israel will grow strong! He will get the land of Edom. He will get the land of Seir, his enemy.

Then Balaam got up and went back home, and Balak went his own way.

The Lord said to Moses, "Get all the leaders of these people. Then kill them so that all the people can see. Lay their bodies before the Lord . Then the Lord will not show his anger against all the Israelites."

At the time Moses and all the elders of Israel were gathered together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. An Israelite man brought a Midianite woman home to his brothers. He did this where Moses and all the leaders could see. Moses and the leaders were very sad.

Phinehas was the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron the priest. Phinehas saw this man bring the woman into camp. So he left the meeting and got his spear.

This is the agreement: He and all of his family who live after him will always be priests, because he had strong feelings for his God. And he did what was needed to make the Israelites pure."

That was the time when the earth opened and swallowed Korah and all of his followers. And 250 men died! That was a warning to all the Israelites.

Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. But he had no sons—only daughters. His daughters' names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

This means that our father's name will not continue. It is not fair that our father's name will not continue. His name will end because he had no sons. So we ask you to give us some of the land that our father's brothers will get."

"So tell the Israelites, ‘If a man has no son, when he dies everything he owns will be given to his daughter.

If he has no daughter, everything he owns will be given to his brothers.