(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)
Masei
33.1. These are the journeys of the children of Israel when they went out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2. And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD*, and these are their journeys according to their goings out.
33:3. And they departed from Rameses in the first month on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. 4. For the Egyptians buried all the firstborn that the LORD* had smitten among them: the LORD* also executed judgments upon their gods. 5. And the children of Israel left Rameses and pitched in Sukkot. 6. Then they left Sukkot and pitched in Itam, which is in the edge of the wilderness. 7. And they left Itam and turned again to Pi Hakhirot, which isbefore Baal Zephon, and they pitched before Migdol. 8. And they left Pi Hakhirot and crossed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness and went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Itam and pitched in Marah. 9. And they left Marah and came to Elim and in Elim there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees, and they pitched there. 10. Then they left Elim and camped by the Reed Sea. 11. And they left the Reed Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12. And they took their journey from the wilderness of Sin and camped in Dafkah. 13. And they left Dafkah and camped in Alush. 14. And they left Alush and camped at Refidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 15. And they left Refidim and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai. 16. Then they left the desert of Sinai and pitched at Kibrot Hattaavah. 17. And they left Kibrot Hattaavah and camped at Hazerot, 18. and they left Hazerot and pitched in Ritmah. 19. And they left Ritmah and pitched at Rimmon Perez. 20. And they left Rimmon Perez and pitched in Libnah. 21. And they left Libnah and pitched at Rissah. 22. And they traveled from Rissah and pitched in Keheletah. 23. Then they went from Keheletah and pitched at Mount Shefer. 24. And they left Mount Shefer and camped at Haradah. 25. And they left Haradah and pitched in Makehelot. 26. Then they left Makehelot and camped at Tahat. 27. And they departed from Tahat and pitched at Terah. 28. And they left Terah and pitched in Mitkah. 29. And they went from Mitkah and pitched in Hashmonah. 30. And they departed from Hashmonah and camped at Moserot. 31. And they left Moserot and pitched in Benai Jaakan. 32. And they traveled from Benai Jaakan and camped at Hor Hagidgad. 33. And they went from Hor Hagidgad and pitched in Jotbah. 34. And they left Jotbah and camped at Avronah. 35. And they left Avronah and camped at Ezion-geber. 36. And they left Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh. 37. And they left Kadesh and pitched at Mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.
33:38. And Aaron the priest went up on Mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD* and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, on the first of the fifth month. 39. And Aaron was a hundred twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.
33:40. And king Arad the Canaanite, who dwelled in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel. 41. And they departed from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah. 42. And they left Zalmonah and camped in Punon. 43. And they left Punon and pitched in Obot. 44. And they left Obot and camped in Ije Haavarim, in the border of Moab. 45. And they left Ijim and camped in Dibon Gad. 46. And they traveled from Dibon Gad and camped in Almon Diblathaim. 47. And they left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Avarim, before Nebo. 48. And they left the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho. 49. And they camped by the Jordan from Beit Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab.
Marching Orders
33:50. And the LORD* spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho saying, 51. “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them,
‘When you have crossed over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52. then you will drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their wood and stone images, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places. 53. And you will dispossess the inhabitants of the land and live there, for I have given you the land to possess it. 54. And you will divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families. To the more numerous you will give more inheritance, and to the fewer you will give less inheritance: every man’s inheritance will be in the place where his lot falls. You will inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. 55. But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it will be that those that you let remain of them will be pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides and will trouble you in the land in which you live. 56. And it will be that I shall do to you as I thought to do to them.’”
Future Borders of Israel
34.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 2. “Command the children of Israel and say to them,
“‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that will fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its borders. 3. Then your south side will be from the wilderness of Zin along by the border of Edom and your south border will be the outermost end of the Salt Sea eastward, 4. and your border will turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim and pass on to Zin and from there it will be from the south to Kadesh Barnea, and will go on to Hazaraddar and pass on to Azmonah. 5. And the border will turn about from Azmonah to the river of Egypt, and from there it will go to the sea. 6. And as the western border, you will even have the Great Sea for a border: this will be your west border. 7. And this will be yournorth border, from the Great Sea you will point out for yourselves Mount Hor, 8. from Mount Hor you will point out to the entrance of Hamat, and from there the border will be to Zedadah, 9. and the border will go on to Ziphronah, and from there it will be at Hazar-Enan: this will be your north border. 10. And you will point out your east border from Hazar-Enan to Shefamah, 11. and the border will go down from Shefamah to Riblah, on the east side of Ayin, and the border will descend and will reach to the side of the lake of Kinneret eastward 12. and the border will go down to the Jordan, and from there it will go to the Salt Sea: this will be your land according to its borders all around.’”
34:13. And Moses commanded the children of Israel saying, “This is the land which you will inherit by lot, which the LORD* commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe. 14. For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers have taken their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have taken their inheritance. 15. The two tribes and the half tribe have taken their inheritance on this side of the Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.”
34:16. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 17. “These are the names of the men who will divide the land for you: Elazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun. 18. And you will take one prince of every tribe to divide the land for inheritance. 19. And these are the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 20. And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud. 21. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon. 22. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli. 23. The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod. 24. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiftan. 25. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnah. 26. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan. 27. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. 28. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud. 29. These are they to whom the LORD* commanded to divide the inheritance to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.”
Levites Given Cities
35.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho saying, 2. “Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in and you will give to the Levites open land around the cities. 3. And they will have the cities to live in, and the open land around them will be for their cattle, for their goods, and for all their beasts. 4. And the open land around the cities, which you will give to the Levites, from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits all around. 5. And you will measure from outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, and the city will be in the middle: this will be to them the open land around the cities. 6. And among the cities which you will give to the Levites there will be six cities for refuge, which you will appoint for the man-slayer, so he may flee there, and to them you will add forty-two cities. 7. So all the cities which you will give the Levites will be forty-eight cities. You will give them with their open land. 8. And the cities which you will give will be of the possession of the children of Israel, from many you will give many; but from few you will give few: everyone will give of his cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which he inherits.”
Cities of Refuge
35:9. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 10. “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you have come over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11. then you will appoint for yourselves cities to be cities of refuge for you, so the slayer can flee there, the one who kills any person unawares. 12. And they will be cities for refuge from the avenger for you, so the man-slayer does not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment. 13. And of these cities which you will give you will have six cities for refuge. 14. You will give three cities on this side of the Jordan and you will give three cities in the land of Canaan, cities of refuge. 15. These six cities will be a refuge, for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, so everyone who kills any person unawares may flee there. 16. And if he strikes him with an instrument of iron so that he dies, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death. 17. And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which he may die and he dies, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death. 18. Or if he strikes him with a hand weapon of wood from which he may die and he dies, he is a murderer: the murderer will surely be put to death. 19. The avenger of blood himself will slay the murderer when he meets him, he will slay him. 20. But if he thrusts him from hatred or hurls at him by lying in wait, for that he dies, 21. or strikes him in enmity with his hand so he dies: he that struck him will surely be put to death, he is a murderer: the avenger of blood will slay the murderer when he meets him. 22. But if he thrusts him suddenly without enmity or has cast upon him anything without lying in wait 23. or with any stone, by which a man may die, not seeing him, and casts it upon him so he dies, and was not his enemy, nor sought his harm, 24. then the congregation will judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. 25. And the congregation will deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood and the congregation will restore him to the city of his refuge where he fled, and he will stay in it to the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. 26. But if the slayer will at any time come outside the border of the city of his refuge where he fled, 27. and the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the city of his refuge and the avenger of blood kills the slayer, he will not be guilty of blood 28. because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the slayer will return to the land of his possession. 29. So these things will be for a statute of judgment for you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.’
35:30. “Whoever kills any person, the murderer will be put to death by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness will not testify against any person to cause him to die. 31. Moreover you will take redemption money for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he will surely be put to death. 32. And you will take no redemption money for him who fled to the city of his refuge, so he could come again to live in the land until the death of the priest. 33. So you will not pollute the land in which you are, for blood defiles the land. And no atonement can be made to the land for the blood that is shed in it, but by the blood of him that shed it. 34. Therefore do not defile the land which you will inhabit, in which I dwell, for I the LORD* dwell among the children of Israel.”
Daughters of Zelophehad Inheritance
36.1. And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph came near and spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel. 2. And they said, “The LORD* commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the LORD* to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3. And if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and will be put to the inheritance of the tribe where they are received, so it will be taken from the lot of our inheritance, 4. and when there is a jubilee of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be placed with the inheritance of the tribe where they are received, so their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”
36:5. And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD* saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph has said well. 6. This is the thing which the LORD* commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad saying, ‘Let them marry to whom they think best, only to the family of the tribe of their father will they marry. 7. So the inheritance of the children of Israel will not remove from tribe to tribe, for each one of the children of Israel will keep for himself the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8. And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, will be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so every man of the children of Israel may enjoy the inheritance of his fathers. 9. So no inheritance will remove from one tribe to another tribe, but everyone from the tribes of the children of Israel will keep himself to his own inheritance.’”
36:10. The LORD* commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did. 11. For Mahlah, Tirzah, Haglah, Milkah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to their father’s brothers’ sons, 12. and they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.
36:13. These are the commandments and the judgments, which the LORD* commanded by the hand of Moses to the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho.
Next week’s Torah readings: D’varim