Study Desk

Build cities for your children and barns for your animals. But then, you must do what you promised."

Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran. They built cities with strong walls, and they built barns for their animals.

They left Pi Hahiroth and walked through the middle of the sea. They went toward the desert. Then they traveled for three days through the desert of Etham. The people camped at Marah.

They left Alush and camped at Rephidim. There was no water for the people to drink at that place.

Measure off an area around the city for the Levites. Start at the northeast corner and measure 3000 feet to the south. Then from this corner, measure 3000 feet to the west. From there measure 3000 feet to the north and from that corner, 3000 feet to the east. The city will be in the center of this area.

Six of those cities will be cities of safety. If a person accidentally kills someone, that person can run to those towns for safety. In addition to those six cities, you will also give 42 more cities to the Levites.

You must choose towns to be cities of safety. If someone accidentally kills another person, that person can run to one of those towns for safety.

These cities will be places of safety for citizens of Israel and for foreigners and travelers. Any of these people will be able to run to one of these cities if they accidentally kill someone.

"Don't let your land be polluted with innocent blood. If a person murders someone, the only payment for that crime is that the murderer must be killed! There is no other payment that will free the land from that crime.

"So I took the wise, experienced men you chose from your tribes, and I made them your leaders. In this way I gave you leaders over 1000 people, over 100 people, over 50 people, and over 10 people. I also gave you officers for each of your tribes.

You must treat everyone the same when you judge. You must listen carefully to everyone—whether they are important or not. Don't be afraid of anyone, because your decision is from God. But if there is a case too hard for you to judge, bring it to me and I will judge it.'

Look, there it is! Go up and take the land for your own. The Lord , the God of your ancestors, told you to do this, so don't be afraid or worry about anything.'

The Lord your God is in front, leading you. He will fight for you just as he did in Egypt.

But he was always in front, going ahead to find a place for you to camp. At night, he was in the fire that showed you where to go. And during the day, he was in the cloud.

But your helper, Joshua son of Nun, will go into the land. Encourage Joshua, because he will lead the Israelites to take the land for their own.

You thought your little children would be taken by your enemies. But those children, who are still too young to know right from wrong, will go into the land. I will give it to them. Your children will take the land for their own.

Then you came back crying to the Lord for help, but the Lord refused to listen to you.

So you stayed at Kadesh for such a long time.

"Then we did what the Lord told me to do. We went back into the desert on the road that leads to the Red Sea. We traveled for many days to go around the mountains of Seir.

You must pay the people of Esau for any food you eat or water you drink there.