Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 Adonaisaid to Moshe,

2 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘When you have come into the land where you are going to live, which I am giving to you,

3 and want to make an offering by fire toAdonai— a burnt offering or sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, or to be a voluntary offering, or at your designated times, to make a fragrant aroma forAdonai— then, whether it is comes from the herd or from the flock,

4 the person bringing the offering is to presentAdonaiwith a grain offering consisting of two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of olive oil,

5 and one quart of wine for the drink offering. This is what you are to prepare with the burnt offering or for each lamb sacrificed.

6 “‘For a ram, prepare one gallon of fine flour mixed with one-and-one-third quarts of olive oil;

7 while for the drink offering, you are to present one-and-one-third quarts of wine as a fragrant aroma forAdonai.

(v)

8 “‘When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering, as a sacrifice to fulfill a special vow or as peace offerings forAdonai,

9 there is to be presented with the bull a grain offering of one-and-a-half gallons of fine flour mixed with two quarts of olive oil.

10 For the drink offering, present two quarts of wine for an offering made by fire, a fragant aroma forAdonai.

11 “‘Do it this way for each bull, ram, male lamb or kid.

12 For as many animals as you prepare, do this for each one, regardless of how many animals there are.

13 “‘Every citizen is to do these things in this way when presenting an offering made by fire as a fragrant aroma forAdonai.

14 If a foreigner stays with you — or whoever may be with you, through all your generations — and he wants to bring an offering made by fire as a fragrant aroma forAdonai, he is to do the same as you.

15 For this community there will be the same law for you as for the foreigner living with you; this is a permanent regulation through all your generations; the foreigner is to be treated the same way beforeAdonaias yourselves.

16 The sameTorahand standard of judgment will apply to both you and the foreigner living with you.’”

(vi)

17 Adonaisaid to Moshe,

18 “Speak to the people of Isra’el; tell them, ‘When you enter the land where I am bringing you

19 and eat bread produced in the land, you are to set aside a portion as a gift forAdonai.

20 Set aside from your first dough a cake as a gift; set it aside as you would set aside a portion of the grain from the threshing-floor.

21 From your first dough you will giveAdonaia portion as a gift through all your generations.

22 “‘If by mistake you fail to observe all thesemitzvotthatAdonaihas spoken to Moshe,

23 yes, everything thatAdonaihas ordered you to do through Moshe, from the dayAdonaigave the order and onward through all your generations,

24 then, if it was done by mistake by the community and was not known to them, the whole community is to offer one young bull for a burnt offering as a fragrant aroma toAdonai, with its grain and drink offerings, in keeping with the rule, and one male goat as a sin offering.

25 Thecohenis to make atonement for the whole community of the people of Isra’el; and they will be forgiven; because it was a mistake; and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire, toAdonai, and their sin offering beforeAdonaifor their mistake.

26 The whole community of the people of Isra’el will be forgiven, likewise the foreigner staying with them; because for all the people it was a mistake.

(vii)

27 “‘If an individual sins by mistake, he is to offer a female goat in its first year as a sin offering.

28 Thecohenwill make atonement beforeAdonaifor the person who makes a mistake by sinning inadvertently; he will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven —

29 no matter whether he is a citizen of Isra’el or a foreigner living with them. You are to have one law for whoever it is that does something wrong by mistake.

30 “‘But an individual who does something wrong intentionally, whether a citizen or a foreigner, is blasphemingAdonai. That person will be cut off from his people.

31 Because he has had contempt for the word ofAdonaiand has disobeyed his command, that person will be cut off completely; his offense will remain with him.’”

32 While the people of Isra’el were in the desert, they found a man gathering wood onShabbat.

33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moshe, Aharon and the whole congregation.

34 They kept him in custody, because it had not yet been decided what to do to him.

35 ThenAdonaisaid to Moshe, “This man must be put to death; the entire community is to stone him to death outside the camp.”

36 So the whole community brought him outside the camp and threw stones at him until he died, asAdonaihad ordered Moshe.

(Maftir)

37 Adonaisaid to Moshe,

38 “Speak to the people of Isra’el, instructing them to make, through all their generations,tzitziyoton the corners of their garments, and to put with thetzitziton each corner a blue thread.

39 It is to be atzitzitfor you to look at and thereby remember all ofAdonai’smitzvotand obey them, so that you won’t go around wherever your own heart and eyes lead you to prostitute yourselves;

40 but it will help you remember and obey all mymitzvotand be holy for your God.

41 I amAdonaiyour God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to be your God. I amAdonaiyour God.”

Haftarah Shlach L’kha: Y’hoshua (Joshua) 2:1–24

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Shlach L’kha: Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 3:7–19

Parashah 38: Korach (Korah) 16:1–18:32

1 Now Korach the son of Yitz’har, the son of K’hat, the son of Levi, along with Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli’av, and On, the son of Pelet, descendants of Re’uven, took men and

2 rebelled against Moshe. Siding with them were 250 men of Isra’el, leaders of the community, key members of the council, men of reputation.

3 They assembled themselves against Moshe and Aharon and said to them, “You take too much on yourselves! After all, the entire community is holy, every one of them, andAdonaiis among them. So why do you lift yourselves up aboveAdonai’s assembly?”

4 When Moshe heard this he fell on his face.

5 Then he said to Korach and his whole group, “In the morning,Adonaiwill show who are his and who is the holy person he will allow to approach him. Yes, he will bring whomever he chooses near to himself.

6 Do this: take censers, Korach and all your group;

7 put fire in them; and put incense in them beforeAdonaitomorrow. The one whomAdonaichooses will be the one who is holy! It is you, you sons of Levi, who are taking too much on yourselves!”

8 Then Moshe said to Korach, “Listen here, you sons of Levi!

9 Is it for you a mere trifle that the God of Isra’el has separated you from the community of Isra’el to bring you close to himself, so that you can do the work in the tabernacle ofAdonaiand stand before the community serving them?

10 He has brought you close and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you. Now you want the office ofcohentoo!

11 That’s why you and your group have gathered together againstAdonai! After all, what is Aharon that you complain against him?”

12 Then Moshe sent to summon Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli’av. But they replied, “We won’t come up!

13 Is it such a mere trifle, bringing us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that now you arrogate to yourself the role of dictator over us?(ii)

14 You haven’t at all brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, and you haven’t put us in possession of fields and vineyards. Do you think you can gouge out these men’s eyes and blind them? We won’t come up!”

15 Moshe was very angry and said toAdonai, “Don’t accept their grain offering! I haven’t taken one donkey from them, I’ve done nothing wrong to any of them.”

16 Moshe said to Korach, “You and your group, be there beforeAdonaitomorrow — you, they and Aharon.

17 Each of you take his fire pan and put incense in it; every one of you, bring beforeAdonaihis fire pan, 250 fire pans, you too, and Aharon — each one his fire pan.”

18 Each man took his fire pan, put fire in it, laid incense on it and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting with Moshe and Aharon.

19 Korach assembled all the group who were against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then the glory ofAdonaiappeared to the whole assembly.

(iii)

20 Adonaisaid to Moshe and Aharon,

21 “Separate yourselves from this assembly; I’m going to destroy them right now!”

22 They fell on their faces and said, “Oh God, God of the spirits of all humankind, if one person sins, are you going to be angry with the entire assembly?”

23 Adonaianswered Moshe,

24 “Tell the assembly to move away from the homes of Korach, Datan and Aviram.”

25 Moshe got up and went to Datan and Aviram, and the leaders of Isra’el followed him.

26 There he said to the assembly, “Leave the tents of these wicked men! Don’t touch anything that belongs to them, or you may be swept away in all their sins.”

27 So they moved away from all around the area where Korach, Datan and Aviram lived.

Then Datan and Aviram came out and stood at the entrance to their tents with their wives, sons and little ones.

28 Moshe said, “Here is how you will know thatAdonaihas sent me to do all these things and that I haven’t done them out of my own ambition:

29 if these men die a natural death like other people, only sharing the fate common to all humanity, thenAdonaihas not sent me.

30 But ifAdonaidoes something new — if the ground opens up and swallows them with everything they own, and they go down alive to Sh’ol — then you will understand that these men have had contempt forAdonai.”

31 The moment he finished speaking, the ground under them split apart —

32 the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all the people who had sided with Korach and everything they owned.

33 So they and everything they owned went down alive into Sh’ol, the earth closed over them and their existence in the community ceased.

34 All Isra’el around them fled at their shrieks, shouting, “The earth might swallow us too!”

35 Then fire came out fromAdonaiand destroyed the 250 men who had offered the incense.

1 Adonaisaid to Moshe,

2 “Tell El‘azar the son of Aharon thecohento remove the fire pans from the fire, and scatter the smoldering coals at a distance, because they have become holy.

3 Also the fire pans of these men, whose sin cost them their lives, have become holy, because they were offered beforeAdonai. Therefore, have them hammered into plates to cover the altar. This will be a sign for the people of Isra’el.”

4 El‘azar thecohentook the brass fire pans which the men who had been burned to death had offered, and they hammered them into a covering for the altar,

5 to remind the people of Isra’el that an ordinary person, not descended from Aharon, is not to approach and burn incense beforeAdonai, if he wants to avoid the fate of Korach and his group — asAdonaihad said to him through Moshe.

6 But the very next day, the whole community of the people of Isra’el complained against Moshe and Aharon: “You have killedAdonai’s people!”

7 However, as the community was assembling against Moshe and Aharon, they looked in the direction of the tent of meeting and saw the cloud cover it and the glory ofAdonaiappear.

8 Moshe and Aharon came to the front of the tent of meeting.

(iv)

9 Adonaisaid to Moshe,

10 “Get away from this assembly, and I will destroy them at once!” But they fell on their faces.

11 Moshe said to Aharon, “Take your fire pan, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it, and hurry with it to the assembly to make atonement for them, because anger has gone out fromAdonai, and the plague has already begun!”

12 Aharon took it, as Moshe had said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. There the plague had already begun among the people, but he added the incense and made atonement for the people.

13 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

14 Those dying from the plague numbered 14,700 — besides those who died in the Korach incident.

15 Aharon returned to Moshe at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the plague was stopped.

(v)

16 Adonaisaid to Moshe,

17 “Speak to the people of Isra’el, and take from them staffs, one for each ancestral tribe from each leader of a tribe, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff;

18 and write Aharon’s name on the staff of Levi, for each tribe’s leader is to have one staff.

19 Put them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you.

20 The staff of the man I am going to choose will sprout buds — in this way I will put a stop to the complaints the people of Isra’el keep making against you.”

21 Moshe spoke to the people of Isra’el, and all their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their ancestral tribes, twelve staffs. Aharon’s staff was among their staffs.

22 Moshe put the staffs beforeAdonaiin the tent of the testimony.

23 The next day Moshe went into the tent of the testimony, and there he saw that Aharon’s staff for the house of Levi had budded — it had sprouted not only buds but flowers and ripe almonds as well.

24 Moshe brought out all the staffs from beforeAdonaito all the people of Isra’el, and they looked, and each man took back his staff.

(vi)

25 Adonaisaid to Moshe, “Return Aharon’s staff to its place in front of the testimony. It is to be kept there as a sign to the rebels, so that they will stop grumbling against me and thus not die.”

26 Moshe did this; he did asAdonaihad ordered him.

27 But the people of Isra’el said to Moshe, “Oh no! We’re dead men! Lost! We’re all lost!

28 Whenever anyone approaches the tabernacle ofAdonai, he dies! Will we all perish?”

1 Adonaisaid to Aharon, “You, your sons and your father’s family line will be responsible for anything that goes wrong in the sanctuary. You and your sons with you will be responsible for anything wrong in your service ascohanim.

2 But you are to bring your kinsmen, the tribe of Levi, along with yourselves, to work together with you and help you — you and your sons with you — when you are there before the tent of meeting.

3 They are to be at your disposal and perform all kinds of tasks related to the tent; only they are not to come near the holy furnishings or the altar, so that neither they nor you will die.

4 They will work together with you in your duties related to the tent of meeting, whatever the service in the tent may be; but an unauthorized person is not to come near you.

5 You will take charge of all the holy things and the altar, so that there will no longer be anger against the people of Isra’el.

6 I myself have taken your kinsmen theL’vi’imfrom among the people of Isra’el; they have been given as a gift toAdonaifor you, so that you can perform the service in the tent of meeting.

7 You and your sons with you will exercise your prerogatives and duties ascohanimin regard to everything having to do with the altar and within the curtain. I entrust the service required ofcohanimto you; the unauthorized person who tries to perform it is to be put to death.”

8 Adonaisaid to Aharon, “I myself have put you in charge of the contributions given to me. Everything consecrated by the people of Isra’el I have given and set aside for you and your sons; this is a perpetual law.

9 Here is what is to be yours of the especially holy things taken from the fire: every offering they make — that is, every grain offering, sin offering and guilt offering of theirs that they turn over to me — will be especially holy for you and your sons.

10 You are to eat it in an especially holy place; every male may eat it; it will be set apart for you.

11 “Also yours is the contribution the people of Isra’el give in the form of wave offerings. I have given these to you, your sons and your daughters with you; this is a perpetual law. Everyone in your family who is clean may eat it.

12 All the best of the olive oil, wine and grain, the first portion of what they give toAdonai, I have given to you.

13 The first produce to turn ripe of all that is in their land, which they bring toAdonai, is to be yours; every clean person in your family may eat it.

14 “Everything in Isra’el which has been consecrated unconditionally is to be yours.

15 “Everything that comes first out of the womb, of all living things which they offer toAdonai, whether human or animal, will be yours. However, the firstborn of a human being you must redeem, and the firstborn of an unclean beast you are to redeem.

16 The sum to be paid for redeeming anyone a month old or over is to be fiveshekels of silver [two ounces], as you value it, using the sanctuaryshekel(this is the same as twentygerahs).

17 But the firstborn of an ox, sheep or goat you are not to redeem; they are holy — you are to splash their blood against the altar and make their fat go up in smoke as an offering made by fire, as a fragrant aroma forAdonai.

18 Their meat will be yours, like the breast that is waved and the right thigh — they will be yours.

19 All the contributions of holy things which the people of Isra’el offer toAdonaiI have given to you, your sons and your daughters with you; this is a perpetual law, an eternal covenant of salt beforeAdonaifor you and your descendants with you.”

20 Adonaisaid to Aharon, “You are not to have any inheritance or portion in their land; I am your portion and inheritance among the people of Isra’el.

(vii)

21 “To the descendants of Levi I have given the entire tenth of the produce collected in Isra’el. It is their inheritance in payment for the service they render in the tent of meeting.

22 From now on, the people of Isra’el are not to approach the tent of meeting, so that they will not bear the consequences of their sin and die.

23 Only theL’vi’imare to perform the service in the tent of meeting, and they will be responsible for whatever they do wrong. This is to be a permanent regulation through all your generations. They are to have no inheritance among the people of Isra’el,

24 because I have given to theL’vi’imas their inheritance the tenths of the produce which the people of Isra’el set aside as a gift forAdonai. This is why I have said to them that they are to have no inheritance among the people of Isra’el.”

25 Adonaisaid to Moshe,

26 “Tell theL’vi’im, ‘When you take from the people of Isra’el the tenth of the produce which I have given you from them as your inheritance, you are to set aside from it a gift forAdonai, one tenth of the tenth.

27 The gift you set aside will be accounted to you as if it were grain from the threshing-floor and grape juice from the wine vat.

28 In this way you will set aside a gift forAdonaifrom all your tenths that you receive from the people of Isra’el, and from these tenths you are to give to Aharon thecohenthe gift set aside forAdonai.

29 From everything given to you, you are to set aside all that is dueAdonai, the best part of it, its holy portion.’

(Maftir)

30 “Therefore you are to tell them, ‘When you set aside from it its best part, it will be accounted to theL’vi’imas if it were grain from the threshing-floor and grape juice from the wine vat.

31 You may eat it anywhere, you and your households; because it is your payment in return for your service in the tent of meeting.

32 Moreover, because you will have set aside from it its best parts, you will not be committing any sin because of it; for you are not to profane the holy things of the people of Isra’el, or you will die.’”

Haftarah Korach: Sh’mu’el Alef (1 Samuel) 11:14 – 12:22

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Korach: 2 Timothy 2:8–21; Y’hudah (Jude) 1–25

Parashah 39: Hukkat (Regulation) 19:1–22:1

[In regular years read with Parashah 40, in leap years read separately]

1 Adonaisaid to Moshe and Aharon,

2 “This is the regulation from theTorahwhichAdonaihas commanded. Tell the people of Isra’el to bring you a young red female cow without fault or defect and which has never borne a yoke.

3 You are to give it to El‘azar thecohen; it is to be brought outside the camp and slaughtered in front of him.

4 El‘azar thecohenis to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle this blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times.

5 The heifer is to be burned to ashes before his eyes — its skin, meat, blood and dung is to be burned to ashes.

6 Thecohenis to take cedar-wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn and throw them onto the heifer as it is burning up.

7 Then thecohenis to wash his clothes and himself in water, after which he may re-enter the camp; but thecohenwill remain unclean until evening.

8 The person who burned up the heifer is to wash his clothes and himself in water, but he will remain unclean until evening.

9 A man who is clean is to collect the ashes of the heifer and store them outside the camp in a clean place. They are to be kept for the community of the people of Isra’el to prepare water for purification from sin.

10 The one who collected the ashes of the heifer is to wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. For the people of Isra’el and for the foreigner staying with them this will be a permanent regulation.

11 “Anyone who touches a corpse, no matter whose dead body it is, will be unclean for seven days.

12 He must purify himself with [these ashes] on the third and seventh days; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself the third and seventh days, he will not be clean.

13 Anyone who touches a corpse, no matter whose dead body it is, and does not purify himself has defiled the tabernacle ofAdonai. That person will be cut off from Isra’el, because the water for purification was not sprinkled on him. He will be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.

14 “This is the law: when a person dies in a tent, everyone who enters the tent and everything in the tent will be unclean for seven days.

15 Every open container without a cover closely attached is unclean.

16 Also whoever is in an open field and touches a corpse, whether of someone killed by a weapon or of someone who died naturally, or the bone of a person, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.

17 “For the unclean person they are to take some of the ashes of the animal burned up as a purification from sin and add them to fresh water in a container.(LY: ii)

18 A clean person is to take a bunch of hyssop leaves, dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the containers, on the people who were there, and on the person who touched the bone or the person killed or the one who died naturally or the grave.

19 The clean person will sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day he will purify him; then he will wash his clothes and himself in water; and he will be clean at evening.

20 The person who remains unclean and does not purify himself will be cut off from the community because he has defiled the sanctuary ofAdonai.The water for purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.

21 This is to be a permanent regulation for them. The person who sprinkles the water for purification is to wash his clothes. Whoever touches the water for purification will be unclean until evening.

22 Anything the unclean person touches will be unclean, and anyone who touches him will be unclean until evening.”

1 The people of Isra’el, the whole community, entered the Tzin Desert in the first month, and they stayed in Kadesh. There Miryam died, and there she was buried.

2 Because the community had no water, they assembled themselves against Moshe and Aharon.

3 The people quarreled with Moshe and said, “We wish we had died when our brothers died beforeAdonai.

4 Why did you bringAdonai’s community into this desert? To die there, we and our livestock?

5 Why did you make us leave Egypt? To bring us to this terrible place without seed, figs, grapevines, pomegranates or even water to drink?”

6 Moshe and Aharon left the assembly, went to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces; and the glory ofAdonaiappeared to them.

(RY: ii, LY: iii)

7 Adonaisaid to Moshe,

8 “Take the staff, assemble the community, you and Aharon your brother; and before their eyes, tell the rock to produce its water. You will bring them water out of the rock and thus enable the community and their livestock to drink.”

9 Moshe took the staff from the presence ofAdonai, as he had ordered him.

10 But after Moshe and Aharon had assembled the community in front of the rock, he said to them, “Listen here, you rebels! Are we supposed to bring you water from this rock?”

11 Then Moshe raised his hand and hit the rock twice with his staff. Water flowed out in abundance, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 ButAdonaisaid to Moshe and Aharon, “Because you did not trust in me, so as to cause me to be regarded as holy by the people of Isra’el, you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.”

13 This is M’rivah Spring [Disputation Spring], where the people of Isra’el disputed withAdonai, and he was caused to be regarded as holy by them.

(LY: iv)

14 Moshe sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “This is what your brother Isra’el says: you know all the troubles we have gone through —

15 that our ancestors went down into Egypt, we lived in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors badly.

16 But when we cried out toAdonai, he heard us, sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. Now here we are in Kadesh, a city at the edge of your territory.

17 Please let us pass through your land. We will not go through fields or vineyards, and we won’t drink any water from the wells. We will go along the King’s Highway, not turning aside either to the right or to the left until we have left your territory.”

18 But Edom answered, “You are not to pass through my land; if you do, I will come out against you with the sword.”

19 The people of Isra’el replied, “We will keep to the highway; if we do drink the water, either we or our livestock, we will pay for it. Just let us pass through on foot — it’s nothing.”

20 But he said, “You are not to pass through”; and Edom came out against them with many people and much force.

21 Thus Edom refused to allow Isra’el passage through its territory, so Isra’el turned away.

(RY: iii, LY: v)

22 They traveled on from Kadesh; and the people of Isra’el, the whole community, arrived at Mount Hor.

23 At Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom,Adonaisaid to Moshe and Aharon,

24 “Aharon is about to be gathered to his people, because he is not to enter the land I have given to the people of Isra’el, inasmuch as you rebelled against what I said at the M’rivah Spring.

25 Take Aharon and El‘azar his son, bring them up to Mount Hor,

26 remove the garments from Aharon and put them on El‘azar his son. Aharon will be gathered to his people — he will die there.”

27 Moshe did asAdonaihad ordered. They went up onto Mount Hor before the eyes of the whole community.

28 Moshe removed the garments from Aharon, and put them on El‘azar his son, and Aharon died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moshe and El‘azar came down the mountain.

29 When the entire community saw that Aharon was dead, they mourned Aharon thirty days, the whole house of Isra’el.

1 Then the king of ‘Arad, a Kena‘ani who lived in the Negev, heard that Isra’el was approaching by way of Atarim, so he attacked Isra’el and took some of them captive.

2 Isra’el made a vow toAdonai, “If you will hand this people over to me, I will completely destroy their cities.”

3 Adonailistened to what Isra’el said and handed over the Kena‘anim, so they completely destroyed them and their cities and named the place Hormah [complete destruction].

4 Then they traveled from Mount Hor on the road toward the Sea of Suf in order to go around the land of Edom; but the people’s tempers grew short because of the detour.

5 The people spoke against God and against Moshe: “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt? To die in the desert? There’s no real food, there’s no water, and we’re sick of this miserable stuff we’re eating!”

(LY: vi)

6 In response,Adonaisent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit the people, and many of Isra’el’s people died.

7 The people came to Moshe and said, “We sinned by speaking againstAdonaiand against you. Pray toAdonaithat he rid us of these snakes.” Moshe prayed for the people,

8 andAdonaianswered Moshe: “Make a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten sees it, he will live.”

9 Moshe made a bronze snake and put it on the pole; if a snake had bitten someone, then, when he looked toward the bronze snake, he stayed alive.

10 The people of Isra’el traveled on and camped at Ovot.

11 From Ovot they traveled and camped at ‘Iyei-Ha‘avarim, in the desert fronting Mo’av on the east.

12 From there they traveled and camped inVadiZered.

13 From there they traveled and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the desert; this river comes out of the territory of the Emori; for the Arnon is the boundary between Mo’av and the Emori.

14 This is why it says, in the Book of the Wars ofAdonai, “. . . Vahev at Sufah, thevadis of Arnon,

15 and the slope of thevadis extending as far as the site of ‘Ar, which lie next to the territory of Mo’av.”

16 From there they went on to Be’er [well]; that is the well about whichAdonaisaid to Moshe, “Assemble the people, and I will give them water.”

17 Then Isra’el sang this song:

“Spring up, oh well!

Sing to the well

18 sunk by the princes,

dug by the people’s leaders

with the scepter,

with their staffs!”

From the desert they went to Mattanah,

19 from Mattanah to Nachali’el, from Nachali’el to Bamot,

20 and from Bamot to the valley by the plain of Mo’av at the start of the Pisgah range, where it overlooks the desert.

(RY: iv, LY: vii)

21 Isra’el sent messengers to Sichon, king of the Emori, with this message:

22 “Let me pass through your land. We won’t turn aside into fields or vineyards, and we won’t drink any water from the wells. We will go along the King’s Highway until we have left your territory.”

23 But Sichon would not allow Isra’el to pass through his territory. Instead, Sichon mustered all his people and went out into the desert to fight Isra’el. On reaching Yachatz, he fought Isra’el.

24 Isra’el defeated him by force of arms and took control of his land from the Arnon to the Yabok River, but only as far as the people of ‘Amon, because the territory of the people of ‘Amon was well defended.

25 Isra’el took all these cities — Isra’el lived in all the cities of the Emori, in Heshbon and all its surrounding towns.

26 Heshbon was the city of Sichon, the king of the Emori, who had fought against the former king of Mo’av and conquered all his land up to the Arnon.

27 This is why the storytellers say,

“Come to Heshbon! Let it be rebuilt!

Let Sichon’s city be restored!

28 “For fire burst out of Heshbon,

a flame from the city of Sichon.

It consumed ‘Ar of Mo’av,

the lords of Arnon’s high places.

29 “Woe to you, Mo’av!

You are destroyed, people of K’mosh!

He let his sons be fugitives and his daughters captives

of Sichon, king of the Emori.

30 “We shot them down; Heshbon is destroyed,

all the way to Divon.

We even laid waste to Nofach,

which extends as far as Meidva.”

31 Thus Isra’el lived in the land of the Emori.

32 Moshe sent men to reconnoiter Ya‘zer; they captured its towns and drove out the Emori who were there.

33 Then they turned and went up along the road to Bashan; and ‘Og, the king of Bashan, marched out against them, he with all his people, to fight at Edre‘i.(LY: Maftir)

34 Adonaisaid to Moshe, “Don’t be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you with all his people and his land. You will treat him just as you did Sichon, king of the Emori, who lived at Heshbon.”

35 So they struck him down, with his sons and all his people, until there was no one left alive; and then they took control of his land.

1 Then the people of Isra’el traveled on and camped in the plains of Mo’av beyond the Yarden River, opposite Yericho.

Haftarah Hukkat: Shof’tim (Judges) 11:1–33

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Hukkat: Yochanan (John) 3:9–21; 4:3–30; 12:27–50

Parashah 40: Balak 22:2–25:9

[In regular years read with Parashah 39, in leap years read separately]

2 Now Balak the son of Tzippor saw all that Isra’el had done to the Emori.

3 Mo’av was very afraid of the people, because there were so many of them; Mo’av was overcome with dread because of the people of Isra’el.

4 So Mo’av said to the leaders of Midyan, “This horde will lick up everything around us, the way an ox licks up grass in the field.”

Balak the son of Tzippor was king of Mo’av at that time.

5 He sent messengers to Bil‘am the son of B‘or, at P’tor by the [Euphrates] River in his native land, to tell him, “Listen, a people has come out of Egypt, spread over all the land and settled down next to me.

6 Therefore, please come, and curse this people for me, because they are stronger than I am. Maybe I will be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land, for I know that whomever you bless is in fact blessed, and whomever you curse is in fact cursed.”

7 The leaders of Mo’av and Midyan left, taking with them the payment for divining, came to Bil‘am and spoke to him the words of Balak.

8 He said to them, “Stay here tonight, and I will bring you back whatever answerAdonaitells me.” So the princes of Mo’av stayed with Bil‘am.

9 God came to Bil‘am and said, “Who are these men with you?”

10 Bil‘am said to God, “Balak the son of Tzippor, king of Mo’av, has sent me this message:

11 ‘The people who came out of Egypt have spread over the land; now, come and curse them for me; maybe I will be able to fight against them and drive them out.’”

12 God answered Bil‘am, “You are not to go with them; you are not to curse the people, because they are blessed.”

(RY: v; LY: ii)

13 Bil‘am got up in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Return to your own land, becauseAdonairefuses to give me permission to go with you.”

14 The princes of Mo’av got up, returned to Balak and said, “Bil‘am refuses to come with us.”

15 Balak again sent princes, more of them and of higher status than the first group.

16 They went to Bil‘am and said to him, “Here is what Balak the son of Tzippor says: ‘Please don’t let anything keep you from coming to me.

17 I will reward you very well, and whatever you say to me I will do. So please come, and curse this people for me.’”

18 Bil‘am answered the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word ofAdonaimy God to do anything, great or small.

19 Now, please, you too, stay here tonight; so that I may find out what elseAdonaiwill say to me.”

20 God came to Bil‘am during the night and said to him, “If the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only what I tell you.”

(LY: iii)

21 So Bil‘am got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Mo’av.

22 But God’s anger flared up because he went, and the angel ofAdonaistationed himself on the path to bar his way. He was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

23 The donkey saw the angel ofAdonaistanding on the road, drawn sword in hand; so the donkey turned off the road into the field; and Bil‘am had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road.

24 Then the angel ofAdonaistood on the road where it became narrow as it passed among the vineyards and had stone walls on both sides.

25 The donkey saw the angel ofAdonaiand pushed up against the wall, crushing Bil‘am’s foot against the wall. So he beat it again.

26 The angel ofAdonaimoved ahead and stood in a place so tight that there was no room to turn either right or left.

27 Again the donkey saw the angel ofAdonaiand lay down under Bil‘am, which made him so angry that he hit the donkey with his stick.

28 ButAdonaienabled the donkey to speak, and it said to Bil‘am, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

29 Bil‘am said to the donkey, “It’s because you’ve been making a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand; I would kill you on the spot!”

30 The donkey said to Bil‘am, “I’m your donkey, right? You’ve ridden me all your life, right? Have I ever treated you like this before?” “No,” he admitted.

31 ThenAdonaiopened Bil‘am’s eyes, so that he could see the angel ofAdonaistanding in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and he bowed his head and fell on his face.

32 The angel ofAdonaisaid to him, “Why did you hit your donkey three times like that? I have come out here to bar your way, because you are rushing to oppose me.

33 The donkey saw me and turned aside these three times; and indeed, if she hadn’t turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and saved it alive!”

34 Bil‘am said to the angel ofAdonai, “I have sinned. I didn’t know that you were standing on the road to block me. Now, therefore, if what I am doing displeases you, I will go back.”

35 But the angel ofAdonaisaid to Bil‘am, “No, go on with the men; but you are to say only what I tell you to say.” So Bil‘am went along with the princes of Balak.

36 When Balak heard that Bil‘am had come, he went out to meet him in the city of Mo’av at the Arnon border, in the farthest reaches of the territory.

37 Balak said to Bil‘am, “I sent more than once to summon you! Why didn’t you come to me? Did you think I couldn’t pay you enough?”

38 Bil‘am replied to Balak, “Here, I’ve come to you! But I have no power of my own to say anything. The word that God puts in my mouth is what I will say.”

(RY: vi, LY: iv)

39 Bil‘am went with Balak. When they arrived at Kiryat-Hutzot,

40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, then sent to Bil‘am and the princes with him.

41 In the morning Balak took Bil‘am and brought him up to the high places of Ba‘al; from there he could see a portion of the people.

1 Bil‘am said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams here.”

2 Balak did as Bil‘am said; then Balak and Bil‘am offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

3 Bil‘am said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering while I go off; maybeAdonaiwill come and meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” He went off to a bare hill.

4 God met Bil‘am, who said to him, “I prepared the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.”

5 ThenAdonaiput a word in Bil‘am’s mouth and said, “Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you.”

6 He went back to him, and there, standing by his burnt offering, he with all the princes of Mo’av,

7 he made his pronouncement:

“Balak, the king of Mo’av,

brings me from Aram, from the eastern hills, saying,

‘Come, curse Ya‘akov for me;

come and denounce Isra’el.’

8 “How am I to curse

those whom God has not cursed?

How am I to denounce

those whomAdonaihas not denounced?

9 “From the top of the rocks I see them,

from the hills I behold them —

yes, a people that will dwell alone

and not think itself one of the nations.

10 “Who has counted the dust of Ya‘akov

or numbered the ashes of Isra’el?

May I die as the righteous die!

May my end be like theirs!”

11 Balak said to Bil‘am, “What have you done to me?! To curse my enemies is why I brought you; and, here, you have totally blessed them!”

12 He answered, “Mustn’t I take care to say just whatAdonaiputs in my mouth?”

(LY: v)

13 Balak said to him, “All right, come with me to another place where you can see them. You will see only some of them, not all; but you can curse them for me from there.”

14 He took him through the field of Tzofim to the top of the Pisgah Range, built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

15 Bil‘am said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go over there for a meeting.”

16 Adonaimet Bil‘am, put a word in his mouth and said, “Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you.”

17 He came to him and stood by his burnt offering, with all the princes of Mo’av. Balak asked him, “What didAdonaisay?”

18 Then Bil‘am made his pronouncement:

“Get up, Balak, and listen!

Turn your ears to me, son of Tzippor!

19 “God is not a human who lies

or a mortal who changes his mind.

When he says something, he will do it;

when he makes a promise, he will fulfill it.

20 Look, I am ordered to bless;

when he blesses, I can’t reverse it.

21 “No one has seen guilt in Ya‘akov,

or perceived perversity in Isra’el;

Adonaitheir God is with them

and acclaimed as king among them.

22 “God, who brought them out of Egypt,

gives them the strength of a wild ox;

23 thus one can’t put a spell on Ya‘akov,

no magic will work against Isra’el.

It can now be said of Ya‘akov and Isra’el,

‘What is this that God has done?!’

24 “Here is a people rising up like a lioness;

like a lion he rears himself up —

he will not lie down till he eats up the prey

and drinks the blood of the slain.”

25 Balak said to Bil‘am, “Obviously, you won’t curse them. But at least don’t bless them!”

26 However, Bil‘am answered Balak, “Didn’t I warn you that I must do everythingAdonaisays?”

(RY: vii, LY: vi)

27 Balak said to Bil‘am, “Come, I will take you now to another place; maybe it will please God for you to curse them for me from there.”

28 Balak took Bil‘am to the top of P‘or, overlooking the desert.

29 Bil‘am said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams.”

30 Balak did as Bil‘am said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

1 When Bil‘am saw that it pleasedAdonaito bless Isra’el, he didn’t go, as at the other times, to make use of divination, but looked out toward the desert.

2 Bil‘am raised his eyes and saw Isra’el encamped tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him,

3 and he made his pronouncement:

“This is the speech of Bil‘am, son of B‘or;

the speech of the man whose eyes have been opened;

4 the speech of him who hears God’s words;

who sees whatShaddaisees,

who has fallen, yet has open eyes:

5 “How lovely are your tents, Ya‘akov;

your encampments, Isra’el!

6 They spread out like valleys,

like gardens by the riverside,

like succulent aloes planted byAdonai,

like cedar trees next to the water.

7 “Water will flow from their branches,

their seed will have water aplenty.

Their king will be higher than Agag

and his kingdom lifted high.

8 God, who brought them out of Egypt,

gives them the strength of a wild ox.

They will devour the nations opposing them,

break their bones, pierce them with their arrows.

9 “When they lie down they crouch like a lion,

or like a lioness — who dares to rouse it?

Blessed be all who bless you!

Cursed be all who curse you!”

10 Balak blazed with fury against Bil‘am. He struck his hands together and said to Bil‘am, “I summoned you to curse my enemies. But here, you have done nothing but bless them — three times already!

11 Now you had better escape to your own place! I had planned to reward you very well, but nowAdonaihas deprived you of payment.”

12 Bil‘am answered Balak, “Didn’t I tell the messengers you sent me

13 that even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not of my own accord go beyond the word ofAdonaito do either good or bad? that whatAdonaisaid is what I would say?(LY: vii)

14 But now that I am going back to my own people, come, I will warn you what this people will do to your people in theacharit-hayamim.

15 So he made his pronouncement:

“This is the speech of Bil‘am, son of B‘or;

the speech of the man whose eyes have been opened;

16 the speech of him who hears God’s words;

who knows what ‘Elyonknows,

who sees whatShaddaisees,

who has fallen, yet has open eyes:

17 “I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not soon —

a star will step forth from Ya‘akov,

a scepter will arise from Isra’el,

to crush the corners of Mo’av

and destroy all descendants of Shet.

18 His enemies will be his possessions —

Edom and Se‘ir, possessions.

Isra’el will do valiantly,

19 From Ya‘akov will come someone who will rule,

and he will destroy what is left of the city.”

20 He saw ‘Amalek and made this pronouncement:

“First among nations was ‘Amalek,

but destruction will be its end.”

21 He saw the Keini and made this pronouncement:

“Though your dwelling is firm,

your nest set on rock,

22 Kayin will be wasted

while captive to Ashur.”

23 Finally, he made this pronouncement:

“Oh no! Who can live when God does this?

24 But ships will come from the coast of Kittim

to subdue Ashur and subdue ‘Ever,

but they too will come to destruction.”

25 Then Bil‘am got up, left and returned to his home; and Balak too went his way.