Parashat Matot

² Whenever a man makes a vow to Adonai or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he is not to violate his word but do everything coming out of his mouth.^[a]

³ “Suppose a woman in her youth vows to Adonai or obligates herself by a pledge in her father’s house. ⁴ If her father should hear her vow or her pledge with which she obligated herself and her father says nothing to her, all her vows and every pledge by which she has obligated herself will stand. ⁵ But if her father should forbid it on the day of his hearing it, none of her vows or pledges by which she has obligated herself will stand. Adonai will forgive her because her father has forbidden her.

⁶ “Suppose she should marry, after her vow or a rash promise of her lips by which she obligated herself. ⁷ Now if her husband hears about it but says nothing to her on the day he hears about it, her vows will stand and her pledges by which she has obligated herself will stand. ⁸ But if her husband should hear about it and on the day he hears it he forbids it, he thereby nullifies her vow and her rash promise by which her lips have obligated her, and Adonai will forgive her.

⁹ “Any vow or obligation of a widow or a divorced woman will be binding on her. ¹⁰ If in her husband’s house she vowed or obligated herself by pledge under oath, ¹¹ and her husband should hear it and say nothing to her, not forbidding her, all her vows and every pledge by which she has obligated herself will stand. ¹² But if her husband should nullify them on the day when he hears of them, nothing from her lips, whether vow or pledge, will stand. Her husband has nullified them and Adonai will forgive her. ¹³ Her husband may ratify or veto any vow or sworn oath to deny herself.

¹⁴ “But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he is confirming all her vows and all her oaths that are on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her on the day of his hearing about it. ¹⁵ But if he nullifies them after hearing about it, he will bear her guilt.”

¹⁶ These are the statutes that Adonai gave to Moses relevant to relationships between a man and his wife, as well as between a father and his young daughter still living in his house.

Vengeance on Midian and Balaam

31 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “Take vengeance on the Midianites for Bnei-Yisrael. Afterward you will be gathered to your people.”

³ So Moses spoke to the people saying, “Mobilize some of your men for battle. They will go out against Midian to carry out Adonai’s vengeance on Midian. ⁴ Send into the battle 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel.”

⁵ So from the thousands of Israel 1,000 from each tribe were assigned, 12,000 in all. ⁶ Moses sent them into battle, 1,000 from each tribe, and with them Phinehas son of Eleazar the kohen, who took with him articles from the Sanctuary and trumpets for signaling. ⁷ They fought Midian just as Adonai had commanded Moses, and killed every male. ⁸ Among the slain they also killed the Midianite kings: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

⁹ Bnei-Yisrael also captured women and sons of Midian, along with all their herds and flocks, and plundered all their goods. ¹⁰ They burned with fire all the Midianite cities, settlements, as well as all their camps. ¹¹ They seized all the plunder and all the spoil, both people and animals. ¹² They brought the captives, plunder and spoils to Moses, Eleazar the kohen and to the assembly of Bnei-Yisrael at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan at Jericho.

¹³ Moses, Eleazar the kohen, and all the princes of the community went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, those returning from the campaign of the war. ¹⁵ Moses said to them, “You let all the women live? ¹⁶ Why, they are the ones—because of Balaam’s advice—who caused Bnei-Yisrael to be unfaithful to Adonai in the matter of Peor, so that the plague was on the community of Adonai! ¹⁷ So now, kill all the boys and kill every woman who has been intimate with a man. ¹⁸ But save for yourselves every girl who has not been intimate with a man.

¹⁹ “Any of you who has killed anyone or touched the body of anyone who has been killed must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves, on the third and seventh days—you and your captives. ²⁰ Also purify every item of clothing as well as every item made of leather or wood.”

²¹ Eleazar said to the men of the army who had gone to war, “This is the regulation of the Torah Adonai gave to Moses: ²² The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead, ²³ and anything able to pass through fire is to be put through the fire and will then be clean. It is also to be purified with the water of cleansing. Anything that cannot stand the fire is to be put through the water. ²⁴ You are to wash your clothes also on the seventh day. You will then be clean and may then come into the camp.”

²⁵ Adonai said to Moses saying, ²⁶ “Count the total spoil from the captive people and animals—you, Eleazar the kohen and the princes of the fathers of the community. ²⁷ You are to divide the spoil between those fighting in the war, taking part in the battle, and the rest of the community. ²⁸ You are also to set apart from the men of war going into battle tribute to Adonai, one item from every 500, whether persons, cattle, donkeys or flock. ²⁹ From their half share, take and give it to Eleazar the kohen as Adonai’s part. ³⁰ From the half of Bnei-Yisrael, you are to take one in 50, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, flock, or any other animals, and give them to the Levites, those charged with the care of Adonai’s Tabernacle.”

³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the kohen did just as Adonai commanded Moses. ³² The remaining plunder taken by the people of the army was 675,000 sheep, ³³ 72,000 cattle, ³⁴ 61,000 donkeys, ³⁵ and from the human spoil were 32,000 women who had never been intimate with a man.

³⁶ The half share of those going into battle was 337,500 sheep, ³⁷ of which Adonai’s tribute was 675, ³⁸ 36,000 cattle, of which Adonai’s tribute was 72, ³⁹ 30,500 donkeys, of which Adonai’s tribute was 61, ⁴⁰ 16,000 persons, of which the tribute to Adonai was 32.

⁴¹ Moses gave the tribute, Adonai’s part, to Eleazar the kohen just as Adonai had commanded Moses. ⁴² From the half belonging to Bnei-Yisrael, which Moses had set apart from that of the fighting men, ⁴³ half belonging to the community was: 337,500 of the sheep, ⁴⁴ 36,000 cattle, ⁴⁵ 30,500 donkeys, ⁴⁶ 16,000 persons. ⁴⁷ From this half, Moses took one out of very 50 persons and animals, as Adonai had commanded him, and gave them to the Levites, those charged with the care of the Tabernacle of Adonai, just as Adonai had commanded Moses.

⁴⁸ Then the officers over the units of the army, the commanders over thousands and hundreds, came to Moses. ⁴⁹ They said to him, “Your servants have counted the heads of the men of war under our command, and not one is missing. ⁵⁰ So we have brought as an offering to Adonai the gold items each of us acquired—armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces to atone for ourselves before Adonai.”

⁵¹ Moses and Eleazar the kohen received the gold from them, all the crafted items. ⁵² All of the gold presented as a gift to Adonai came to 16,750 shekels from the commanders of thousands and hundreds. ⁵³ Each of the men of the army had taken plunder for himself. ⁵⁴ Moses and Eleazar the kohen received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for Bnei-Yisrael before Adonai.

Settling the East Side

32 The sons of Reuben and Gad had very large herds and flocks, and, they saw that the territory of Jazer and Gilead were ideal for livestock. ² So the sons of Reuben and Gad came and said to Moses, Eleazar the kohen, and the princes of the community saying, ³ “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon— ⁴ the territory Adonai conquered before the community of Israel—are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”

⁵ Then they said, “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this territory be given to your servants as a possession. Don’t make us cross the Jordan.”

⁶ Moses replied to the sons of Gad and Reuben, “Should your countrymen go to war while you dwell here? ⁷ Why do you dishearten Bnei-Yisrael from going across to the land that Adonai has given to them? ⁸ Your fathers did this when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. ⁹ They went up to the Valley of Eshcol and viewed the land, but they discouraged the hearts of Bnei-Yisrael not to enter the land which Adonai had given them. ¹⁰ The anger of Adonai was aroused that day, and He swore an oath saying: ¹¹ ‘The men who came out of Egypt, from 20 years old and upward, will not see the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they have not followed after Me with a whole heart— ¹² except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they were wholehearted after Adonai.’ ¹³ The anger of Adonai burned against Israel and He caused them to wander in the wilderness 40 years until all the generation doing that evil in Adonai’s sight was gone.

¹⁴ “Now look, here you stand in the place of your fathers as a brood of sinful men to add more to Adonai’s great wrath against Israel! ¹⁵ If you turn away from Him, He will repeat again leaving this people in the wilderness, you being the cause of this people’s destruction.”

¹⁶ Then they came up to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds for our livestock and cities for our children. ¹⁷ But we are prepared to arm ourselves and go ahead of Bnei-Yisrael until we have brought them to their place. Our children will live in the cities fortified against the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until each one of Bnei-Yisrael has received his inheritance. ¹⁹ Yet we will not inherit with them on the side beyond the Jordan, since our inheritance has come on the east side of the Jordan.”

²⁰ Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves for battle for Adonai, ²¹ and if all of you cross the Jordan until Adonai has driven His enemies from before Him ²² and the land is subdued before Adonai—then afterward you may return and be free before Adonai and Israel. Then this territory will be your possession before Adonai.

²³ “But if you don’t do this, behold, you sin against Adonai! Be assured! Your sin will find you out! ²⁴ Build for yourselves cities for your children and pens for your flocks. Then do what has come out of your mouth.”

²⁵ The sons of Gad and Reuben said to Moses saying, “Your servants will do just as my lord is commanding. ²⁶ Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all of our herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. ²⁷ But your servants, every one armed for battle, will cross over for the war before Adonai, just as my lord says.”

²⁸ Moses then gave orders about them to Eleazar the kohen, Joshua son of Nun, and to the chiefs of the fathers of the tribes of Bnei-Yisrael. ²⁹ Moses said to them, “If the sons of Gad and Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, everyone armed for battle before Adonai, when the land is subdued before you, then give them the territory of Gilead as a possession. ³⁰ However, if they do not cross over fully armed, they are to possess the land of Canaan with you.”

³¹ The sons of Gad and Reuben answered saying, “What Adonai has said to your servants, so we will do. ³² We will cross fully armed before Adonai into Canaan, but our inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan.”

³³ Moses then gave to them—the sons of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph—the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan—the land with its cities and the territory around the cities. ³⁴ The sons of Gad built up Dibon, Ataroth and Aroer, ³⁵ as well as Atroh-shophan, Jazer and Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran as fortified cities, as well as sheep pens.

³⁷ The sons of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸ Nebo, Baal Meon, (cities whose names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave other names to the rebuilt cities.

³⁹ The sons of Machir son of Manasseh went up to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and he lived there. ⁴¹ Jair, a son of Manasseh, went and captured their settlements and named them Jair’s Villages.

⁴² Nobah went and conquered Kenath and its settlements and named them Nobah after his own name.

Saul Turns from Murder to Messiah

9 Now Saul, still breathing out threats and murder against the Lord’s disciples, went to the kohen gadol. ² He requested letters of introduction from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

³ As he was traveling, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

⁵ “Who are You, Lord?” Saul said.

“I am Yeshua—whom you are persecuting. ^{[a] 6} But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”^[b]

⁷ The men travelling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ^{[c] 8} Saul got up from the ground—but opening his eyes, he could see nothing. They led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he could not see, and he did not eat or drink.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple named Ananias in Damascus. The Lord said to him, “Ananias.”

He said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street named Straight, and ask in the house of Judah for someone from Tarsus named Saul. For look, he is praying; ¹² and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man—how much harm he has done to your kedoshim in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the ruling kohanim to tie up all who call on Your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a choice instrument to carry My name before nations and kings and Bnei-Yisrael. ¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

¹⁷ So Ananias left and entered into the house. Laying hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Yeshua, the One who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—has sent me, so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh.”

¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was immersed; ¹⁹ and when he had taken food, he was strengthened. Now for several days, he was with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰ Immediately he began proclaiming Yeshua in the synagogues, saying, “He is Ben-Elohim.”

²¹ All those hearing him were amazed. They were saying, “Isn’t this the one who made havoc in Jerusalem for all those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to bring them as prisoners before the ruling kohanim?” ²² But Saul kept growing stronger, and he was confounding the Jewish people living in Damascus by proving that Yeshua is the Messiah.

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The Son Glorifies the Father

17 Yeshua spoke these things; then, lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so the Son may glorify You. ² Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, so may He give eternal life to all those You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah, the One You sent. ⁴ I glorified You on earth by finishing the work that You have given Me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world came to be.”

Yeshua Prays for His Disciples

⁶ “I have made Your name known to the men of this world that You gave Me. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷ Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You. ⁸ The words, which You gave Me, I have given to them. They received them and truly understood that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me. ⁹ I ask on their behalf. Not on behalf of the world do I ask, but on behalf of those You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰ All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹ I am no longer in the world; but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. ¹² While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name that You have given Me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the son of destruction,^[a] so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

¹³ “But now I am coming to You. I say these words while I am still in the world, so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

¹⁷ “Make them holy in the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ Just as You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I make Myself holy, so that they also may be made holy in truth.”

Interceding for All Believers

²⁰ “I pray not on behalf of these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their message, ²¹ that they all may be one. Just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You, so also may they be one in Us, so the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² The glory that You have given to Me I have given to them, that they may be one just as We are one— ²³ I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me.

²⁴ “Father, I also want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory—the glory You gave Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ Righteous Father, the world did not know You, but I knew You; and these knew that You sent Me. ²⁶ I made your Name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Betrayed and Arrested

18 When Yeshua had said these things, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley,^[b] where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. ² Now Judah, who was betraying Him, also knew the place, because Yeshua had often met there with His disciples. ³ So Judah, having taken a band of soldiers and some officers from the ruling kohanim and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. ⁴ Then Yeshua, knowing all the things coming upon Him, went forward. He said to them, “Who are you looking for?”

⁵ “Yeshua ha-Natzrati,” they answered Him.

Yeshua tells them, “I am.” Now Judah, the one betraying Him, was also standing with them. ⁶ So when Yeshua said to them, “I am,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

⁷ So again He asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

And they said, “Yeshua ha-Natzrati.”

⁸ Yeshua answered, “I told you, I am! If you’re looking for Me, let these men go their way.” ⁹ This was so the word would be fulfilled that He spoke: “I did not lose one of those You have given Me.”^[c]

¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the kohen gadol, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant’s name was Malchus. ¹¹ So Yeshua said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath! The cup the Father has given Me—shall I never drink it?”

Interrogated and Tried

¹² Then the band of soldiers, with the captain and the officers of the Judeans, seized Yeshua and tied Him up. ¹³ They led Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the kohen gadol that year. ¹⁴ Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Judean leaders that it was better for one man to die on behalf of the people.

¹⁵ Simon Peter was following Yeshua with another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the kohen gadol, so he went with Yeshua into the court of the kohen gadol. ¹⁶ But Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the kohen gadol, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.

¹⁷ The maidservant at the door says to Peter, “Aren’t you one of this Man’s disciples too?”

He says, “No, I’m not.” ¹⁸ The servants and officers were standing around a fire they had made, because it was cold and they were warming themselves. And Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.

¹⁹ The kohen gadol then questioned Yeshua about His disciples and His teaching. ²⁰ “I have spoken openly to the world,” Yeshua answered him. “I always taught in the synagogues and the Temple, where all the Jewish people come together. I spoke nothing in secret. ²¹ Why question Me? Ask those who have heard what I spoke to them. Look, they know what I said.”

²² When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby gave Yeshua a slap, saying, “Is that the way you answer the kohen gadol?”

²³ Yeshua answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, give evidence of the wrong; but if rightly, why hit Me?” ²⁴ Then Annas sent Him, still tied up, to Caiaphas, the kohen gadol.

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing outside and warming himself. So they said to him, “Aren’t you one of His disciples too?”

He denied it and said, “No, I’m not!”

²⁶ One of the servants of the kohen gadol, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with Him?”

²⁷ Again Peter denied it, and immediately a rooster crowed.

²⁸ Then they led Yeshua from Caiaphas to the Praetorium.^[d] It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so they would not become unclean but might eat the Passover. ²⁹ Therefore Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?”

³⁰ They answered, “If He weren’t an evildoer, we wouldn’t have handed Him over to you.”

³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him by your Torah!”

The Judean leaders responded, “We are not authorized to put anyone to death.” ³² This happened so that the word Yeshua spoke would be fulfilled, signifying what kind of death He was about to die.

³³ So Pilate went back into the Praetorium, called for Yeshua, and asked Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

³⁴ “Are you saying this on your own,” Yeshua answered, “or did others tell you about Me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and ruling kohanim handed You over to me! What have You done?”

³⁶ Yeshua answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Judean leaders. But as it is, My kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷ So Pilate said to Him, “Are you a king, then?”

Yeshua answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, so that I might testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

³⁸ Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out again to the Judean leaders. He said to them, “I find no case against Him. ³⁹ But it’s your custom that I release someone for you at Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

⁴⁰ They shouted back, “Not this One, but Bar-Abba!” Now Bar-Abba^[e] was a revolutionary.

Parashat Masei

Israel’s Journeys Reviewed

33 These are the journeys of Bnei-Yisrael when they came out of Egypt by their divisions under the hand of Moses and Aaron. ² Moses recorded the stages of their journeys at Adonai’s command. These then are their journeys by stages.

³ Bnei-Yisrael set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the first day after Passover. They went out with a high hand in the sight of all Egypt. ^{[a] 4} Now the Egyptians were burying those whom Adonai had struck down among them. Adonai had brought judgments on all their first-born and their gods.

⁵ Bnei-Yisrael left Rameses and encamped at Succoth. ⁶ They departed from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. ⁷ They left from Etham and turned back toward Pi-Hahiroth, east of Baal-Zephon, and camped before Migdol. ⁸ They left from before Pi-Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the wilderness. They traveled three days journey into the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. ⁹ They departed from Marah and went to Elim. There were twelve water springs and 70 palm trees in Elim, so they camped there. ¹⁰ They left Elim and camped by the Sea of Reeds.

¹¹ They set out from the Sea of Reeds and camped in the wilderness of Sin. ¹² They left from the wilderness of Sin and camped in Dophkah. ¹³ They then left Dophkah and camped at Alush. ¹⁴ They left from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

¹⁵ They set out from Rephidim and encamped in the Sinai wilderness. ¹⁶ They departed from the Sinai wilderness and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. ¹⁷ They left from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. ¹⁸ Departing Hazeroth, they camped at Rithmah. ¹⁹ Leaving Rithmah, they camped at Rimmon-perez. ²⁰ They left from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. ²¹ They departed Libnah and camped at Rissah. ²² They left Rissah and camped at Kehelah. ²³ They left Kehelah and camped at Mount Shepher. ²⁴ They departed Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. ²⁵ They departed from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. ²⁶ They left Makheloth and camped in Tahath.

²⁷ They left from Tahath and camped in Terah. ²⁸ They left Terah and camped in Mithkah. ²⁹ They departed Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. ³⁰ They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

³¹ They left Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. ³² Departing Bene-jaakan, they camped at Hor-haggidgad. ³³ Leaving Hor-haggidgad, they camped at Jotbah. ³⁴ They left Jotbah and camped at Abronah. ³⁵ They departed from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. ³⁶ They left Ezion-geber and encamped at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

³⁷ Leaving Kadesh, they camped at Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom. ³⁸ Aaron the kohen went up Mount Hor at Adonai’s command and died there, in the fortieth year since the departure of Bnei-Yisrael from the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. ³⁹ Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰ The Canaanite king of Arad, who was living in the Negev in the territory of Canaan, heard of the coming of Bnei-Yisrael. ⁴¹ They departed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. ⁴² They left Zalmonah and encamped at Punon. ⁴³ Departing Punon, they camped at Oboth. ⁴⁴ Leaving Oboth, they camped at Ije-abarim on the border of Moab. ⁴⁵ They moved on from Ijim and camped at Dibon-gad. ⁴⁶ They moved on from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. ⁴⁷ They departed from Almon-diblathaim and camped at the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.

⁴⁸ They moved on from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ⁴⁹ They camped along the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.

⁵⁰ Adonai spoke to Moses along the Jordan in the plains of Moab across from Jericho saying, ⁵¹ “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ⁵² You must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. You must destroy all their idols and cast images, and demolish their high places. ⁵³ You will take possession of the land, so you will settle in it, because I have given it to you to possess.

⁵⁴ “You are to divide the land by lot according to your families. To the large, make their inheritance larger, and to the small, make their inheritance smaller. Whatever comes out of the lot will be theirs. You are to distribute the inheritance according to your ancestral tribes.

⁵⁵ “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, whoever you allow to remain will become to you barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land in which you will be living. ⁵⁶ Then what I had intended to do to them, I will do to you.”

Borders of Israel

34 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “Command Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, these are the boundaries of the land being allotted to you as an inheritance. ³ Your southern side will run from the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom to the southern end of the Dead Sea on the east. ⁴ Your border will cross south of the Scorpion Pass and continue to Zin and south of Kadesh-barnea, then go on to Hazar-addar and on to Azmon. ⁵ Then the border will turn from Azmon to the Wadi of Egypt and end at the sea.

⁶ “Your western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. This will be your western border.

⁷ “Your northern boundary will be by running a line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor, ⁸ then from Mount Hor to Levo-Hamath^[b], then the boundary will go to Zedad. ⁹ The border will continue on to Ziphron, ending at Hazar-Enan. This will be your northern border.

¹⁰ “For your eastern border, run a line from Hazar-Enan to Shepham. ¹¹ From Shepham, the boundary will descend to Riblah on the east side of Ain, continuing along the eastern slopes of Kinneret^[c]. ¹² From there the border will go down along the Jordan, ending at the Dead Sea. This will be your territory with its surrounding borders.”

¹³ Moses commanded Bnei-Yisrael, saying, “This is the land which Adonai has commanded that you are to assign by lot to the nine and a half tribes. ¹⁴ For the tribe of the sons of Reuben by their ancestral houses, the tribe of the sons of Gad by their ancestral houses, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance. ¹⁵ These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan at Jericho, toward the sunrise.”

¹⁶ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹⁷ “These are the names of the men who will allot the land to you: Eleazar the kohen and Joshua son of Nun. ¹⁸ Also you are to select one prince from each tribe to allot the land. ¹⁹ These are their names: from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh. ²⁰ From the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Shemuel son of Ammihud. ²¹ From the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Chislon. ²² From the tribe of the sons of Dan, the prince is Bukki son of Jogli. ²³ From the sons of Joseph, from the tribe of the sons of Manasseh, the prince is to be Hanniel son of Ephod. ²⁴ The prince from the tribe of the sons of Ephraim is to be Kemuel son of Shiphtan.

²⁵ “The prince from the tribe of the sons of Zebulun is Elizaphan son of Parnach. ²⁶ The prince from the tribe of the sons of Issachar is Paltiel son of Azzan. ²⁷ The prince from the tribe of the sons of Asher is Ahihud son of Shelomi. ²⁸ The prince from the tribe of the sons of Naphtali is Pedahel son of Ammihud.” ²⁹ These were those Adonai commanded to apportion to Bnei-Yisrael the land of Canaan.

Cities for the Levites

35 Adonai spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho saying, ² “Command Bnei-Yisrael to give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possessions cities in which to live. They are also to give the Levites pasturelands around the cities. ³ Thus they will have cities to live in and pastures for their cattle, flocks and all their livestock. ⁴ The pastures you give the Levites will extend out from the walls around the cities for 1,000 cubits. ⁵ You are to measure outside the cities 2,000 cubits on the east side, 2,000 cubits on the south side, on the west side 2,000 cubits, and on the north side 2,000 cubits. These are to be pasturelands for the cities.

⁶ “Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be cities of refuge, to which anyone who kills anyone may flee. Besides these, you are to give the Levites 42 more cities. ⁷ In all, you are to give the Levites 48 cities with their pastures. ⁸ The cities that you are to give to the Levites from the possession of Bnei-Yisrael should be proportionate to the inheritance of each tribe—give many from the one who has many and few from the one who has few.”

⁹ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael saying: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ¹¹ You are to select cities which will be cities of refuge, to which one might flee if he has killed someone by accident. ¹² They are to be cities for refuge from the avenger, so the manslayer may not die before standing trial before the assembly. ¹³ The six cities you designate are to be your cities of refuge. ¹⁴ Designate three cities on this side of the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.

¹⁵ “These six cities of refuge are to be for Bnei-Yisrael as well as for the outsider and the visitor in their midst, for anyone killing a person by accident. ¹⁶ Now if the manslayer strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer and the murderer must die. ¹⁷ If anyone has a stone in his hand that could be deadly and strikes anyone with it so that he dies, he is a murderer and the murderer must die. ¹⁸ Or if someone has a wooden object that could kill and strikes anyone so that he dies, he is a murderer and the murderer must be put to death. ¹⁹ The blood avenger himself may put the murderer to death. When he finds him, he is to kill him.

²⁰ “If anyone pushes someone maliciously, or throws anything at him with deadly intent, ²¹ or with hostility hits him with his fist so that he dies, the one hitting him is a murderer. The blood avenger may put the murderer to death when he finds him. ²² But if he pushes him suddenly or throws an object at him with no intent, ²³ or without seeing him should drop a stone on him resulting in his death, but he was not his enemy and intended him no harm, ²⁴ the assembly must judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. ²⁵ The assembly must protect the manslayer from the avenger of blood. The assembly should send him back to the city of refuge to which he had fled and he is to remain there until the death of the kohen gadol who was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶ “But if the manslayer should go outside the city limit of his city of refuge to which he had fled, ²⁷ and should the blood avenger find him outside the city limits of the refuge city, the blood avenger may put him to death without being guilty of his blood. ²⁸ The manslayer must stay within the limits of his city of refuge until the kohen gadol dies, and after the death of the kohen gadol, the manslayer may return to his property.

²⁹ “These are to be statutes of justice for your generations in all your dwelling places. ³⁰ Everyone killing anyone shall be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of more than one witness. No one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

³¹ “You are not to accept ransom for the life of a murderer. He deserves to die and he is to die. ³² Do not receive a ransom for one who has fled to his city of refuge, allowing him to return to his land before the kohen gadol’s death. ³³ You are not to pollute the land in which you are. Blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for land polluted by bloodshed except by the blood of the one who sheds it. ³⁴ You are not to defile the land where you live, where I dwell, for I dwell among Bnei-Yisrael.”

Further Ruling About Daughters’ Inheritance

36 The heads of the ancestral family of the children of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, from the sons of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and before the princes of the chiefs of the fathers of Bnei-Yisrael. ² They said, “My lord, Adonai commanded to give the land by lot as an inheritance to Bnei-Yisrael. My lord was also commanded by Adonai to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

³ “If they become wives of men from other tribes of Israel, their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be deducted from the allotment of our inheritance. ⁴ When the Jubilee year comes, their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry and deducted from the inheritance of our ancestral tribe.”

⁵ Then Moses commanded Bnei-Yisrael at the mouth of Adonai, “What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is correct. ⁶ This is the word that Adonai commands for the daughters of Zelophehad saying: They may become wives to whomever they please, as long as they marry within the family of the tribe of their father. ⁷ So no inheritance may be passed from tribe to tribe among Bnei-Yisrael—each one of Bnei-Yisrael will each keep the inheritance of the tribe of his ancestors. ⁸ Every daughter receiving an inheritance in one of the tribes of Bnei-Yisrael should marry within the family of her father’s tribe, so that Bnei-Yisrael will each possess the inheritance of his fathers. ⁹ No inheritance may pass from tribe to another tribe, for each tribe of Bnei-Yisrael is to keep its inheritance.”

¹⁰ So Zelophehad’s daughters did just as Adonai commanded Moses. ¹¹ Zelophehad’s daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah—married sons of their uncles. ¹² They married within the families of the sons of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their ancestral family.

¹³ These are the mitzvot and judgments that Adonai gave by Moses’s hand to Bnei-Yisrael, on the plains of Moab at Jericho along the Jordan.

⁴ Hear the word of Adonai, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. ⁵ Thus says Adonai:

It is a declaration of Adonai.

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Resist Pride and Evil

4 Where do quarrels and conflicts among you come from? Don’t they come from this, namely your passions that battle within your body parts? ² You crave and have not. You murder and you envy, yet you cannot get it. You fight and you wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives so you may spend it on your passions. ⁴ You adulteresses!^[a] Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that in vain the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit which He made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says,

⁷ Therefore submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded! ^{[c] 9} Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of Adonai, and He shall lift you up. ^{[d] 11} Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the Torah and judges the Torah. But if you judge the Torah, you are not a doer of the Torah, but a judge. ¹² There is only one lawgiver and judge^[e]—the One who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you who judges your neighbor?

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Bound and Sentenced

19 Then Pilate took Yeshua and had Him scourged. ² The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe. ³ They kept coming up to Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him over and over.

⁴ Pilate came out again. He said to them, “Look, I’m bringing Him out to you, to let you know that I find no case against Him.” ⁵ So Yeshua came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. “Behold, the Man!” Pilate said to them.

⁶ When the ruling kohanim and officers saw Him, they yelled out, “Execute Him! Execute Him!”^[a]

Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and execute Him! For I don’t find a case against Him.”

⁷ The Judean leaders answered him, “We have a law,^[b] and according to the Torah He must die, because He claimed to be Ben-Elohim!”

⁸ When Pilate heard this word, he became even more fearful. ⁹ He went into the Praetorium again and said to Yeshua, “Where are You from?” But Yeshua gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to Him, “You aren’t speaking to me? Don’t You know that I have the authority to release You, and I have the authority to crucify You?”

¹¹ Yeshua answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it hadn’t been given to you from above. For this reason, the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.”

¹² Pilate tried to let Him go after this; but the Judean leaders cried out, saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar!”

¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Yeshua out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place called the Stone Pavement (but in Aramaic,^[c] Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was the Day of Preparation for Passover, about the sixth hour.^[d] And Pilate said to the Judean leaders, “Behold, your king!”

¹⁵ They shouted back, “Take Him away! Take Him away! Execute Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Should I execute your king?”

The ruling kohanim answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

¹⁶ Finally, Pilate handed Yeshua over to be crucified.

A Sacrificial Death

¹⁷ Then they took Yeshua. He went out, carrying His own crossbar, to the Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic^[e] is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side and Yeshua in between.

¹⁹ Pilate also wrote a sign and put it on the execution stake. It was written, “YESHUA HA-NATZRATI, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁰ Many Judeans read this sign, because the place where Yeshua was executed was near the city; it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

²¹ The ruling kohanim of the Judeans were saying to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’”

²² “What I have written, I have written,” Pilate answered.

²³ So the soldiers, when they executed Yeshua, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part for each soldier. They took His tunic also, but it was seamless, woven top to bottom in one piece. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be.” This was so the Scripture would be fulfilled,

²⁵ Standing near the execution stake of Yeshua were His mother, His mother’s sister, Miriam the wife of Clopas, and Miriam from Magdala. ²⁶ Yeshua saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby. He tells His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then He tells the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that very hour, the disciple took her into his own home.

²⁸ After this, when Yeshua knew that all things were now completed, to fulfill the Scripture He said, “I am thirsty.” ^{[g] 29} A jar full of sour wine was sitting there, so they put a sponge soaked with the sour wine on a hyssop branch and brought it to His mouth. ³⁰ When Yeshua tasted the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

³¹ It was the Day of Preparation, and the next day was a festival Shabbat. So that the bodies should not remain on the execution stake during Shabbat, the Judean leaders asked Pilate to have the legs broken and to have the bodies taken away.

³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then the other who had been executed with Yeshua. ³³ Now when they came to Yeshua and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. ³⁵ He who has seen it has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of His shall be broken.” ^{[h] 37} And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.”^[i]

Buried in a Rich Man’s Tomb

³⁸ After these things, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take Yeshua’s body away. Joseph was a disciple of Yeshua, but secretly for fear of the Judean leaders. Pilate gave permission, so Joseph came and took the body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus, who had first visited Yeshua at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. ^{[j] 40} Then they took the body of Yeshua and wrapped it in linen with the spices, as is the Jewish burial custom.

⁴¹ Now in the place where He was executed, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb^[k] where no one had yet been buried. ⁴² Because it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Yeshua there.

The Lamb of God is Resurrected

20 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it is still dark, Miriam from Magdala comes to the tomb. She sees that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. ² So she comes running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Yeshua loved. She tells them, “They’ve taken the Master out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put Him!”

³ Then Peter and the other disciple set out, going to the tomb. ⁴ The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. ⁵ Leaning in, he sees the linen strips lying there. But he didn’t go in.

⁶ Then Simon Peter comes following him, and he entered the tomb. He looks upon the linen strips lying there, ⁷ and the face cloth that had been on His head. It was not lying with the linen strips, but was rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸ So then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also entered. He saw and believed. ⁹ For they did not yet understand from Scripture that Yeshua must rise from the dead. ^{[l] 10} So the disciples went back to their own homes.

Yeshua Appears to Miriam

¹¹ But Miriam stood outside the tomb weeping. As she was weeping, she bent down to look into the tomb. ¹² She sees two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where Yeshua’s body had been lying.

¹³ “Woman, why are you crying?” they say to her.

She says to them, “Because they took away my Master, and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.” ¹⁴ After she said these things, she turned around. And she sees Yeshua standing there. Yet she didn’t know that it was Yeshua.

¹⁵ Yeshua says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

Thinking He’s the gardener, she says to Him, “Sir, if You’ve carried Him away, tell me where You’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”

¹⁶ Yeshua says to her, “Miriam!”

Turning around, she says to Him in Aramaic,^[m] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

¹⁷ Yeshua says to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet gone up to the Father. Go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am going up to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Miriam from Magdala comes, announcing to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord,” and what He had said to her.

Yeshua Appears to the Disciples

¹⁹ It was evening on that day, the first of the week. When the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Judean leaders, Yeshua came and stood in their midst! And He said to them, “Shalom aleichem!” ²⁰ After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Yeshua said to them again, “Shalom aleichem! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

²² And after He said this, He breathed on them. And He said to them, “Receive the Ruach ha-Kodesh! ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; but if you hold back, they are held back.”

²⁴ One of the Twelve, Thomas called the Twin, was not with them when Yeshua came. ²⁵ The other disciples were saying to him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”

But he replied to them, “Unless I see the nail prints in His hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand in His side, I will never believe!”

²⁶ Eight days later the disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Yeshua comes, despite the locked doors. He stood in their midst and said, “Shalom aleichem!” ²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe!”

²⁸ Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Yeshua said to Him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed!”

The Reason for Signs and Wonders

³⁰ Yeshua performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹ But these things have been written so that you may believe that Yeshua is Mashiach Ben-Elohim, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

Fish for Breakfast with the Risen One

21 After these things, Yeshua revealed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. Now here is how He appeared. ² Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in the Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two of the other disciples were together.

³ Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’re coming with you too,” they said. They went out and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

⁴ At dawn, Yeshua stood on the beach; but the disciples didn’t know that it was Yeshua. ⁵ So Yeshua said to them, “Boys, you don’t happen to have any fish, do you?”

“No,” they answered Him.

⁶ He said to them, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat, and you’ll find some.” So they threw the net, and they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

⁷ Therefore the disciple whom Yeshua loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer garment around himself—for he was stripped down for work—and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ But the other disciples came in the boat from about two hundred cubits^[n] offshore, dragging the net full of fish.

⁹ So when they got out onto the land, they saw a charcoal fire with fish placed on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Yeshua said to them, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” ¹¹ Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to shore. There were 153 fish, many of them big; but the net was not broken. ¹² Yeshua said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing it was the Lord. ¹³ Yeshua comes and takes the bread and gives it to them, and likewise the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time that Yeshua was revealed to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Love Restores Peter

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Yeshua said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love you.”

He said to him, “Feed My lambs!”

¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Take care of My sheep!”

¹⁷ He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

Peter was grieved because He said to him for a third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You!”

Yeshua said to him, “Feed My sheep!”^[o]

¹⁸ “Amen, amen I tell you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Now this He said to indicate by what kind of death Peter was going to glorify God. And after this, Yeshua said to him, “Follow Me!”

²⁰ Peter, turning around, sees the disciple following. This was the one whom Yeshua loved, who also had reclined against Yeshua’s chest at the seder meal and said, “Master, who is the one who is betraying You?” ²¹ Seeing him, Peter said to Yeshua, “Lord, what about him?”

²² Yeshua said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” ²³ Therefore this saying went out among the brothers and sisters, that this disciple would not die. Yet Yeshua did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

John’s Witness

²⁴ This is the disciple who is an eyewitness of these things and wrote these things. We know that his testimony is true. ²⁵ There are also many other things that Yeshua did. If all of them were to be written one by one, I suppose that not even the world itself will have room for the books being written!