The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
4. By way of prayer and petition for grace and relief in all
108606 words | Chapter 2
necessities. In the New Law we have but one sacrifice, viz., that of the
body and blood of Christ: but this one sacrifice of the New Testament
perfectly answers all these four ends; and both priest and people, as
often as it is celebrated, ought to join in offering it up for these
four ends.
1:4. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the victim: and it shall
be acceptable, and help to its expiation.
1:5. And he shall immolate the calf before the Lord: and the priests the
sons of Aaron shall offer the blood thereof, pouring it round about the
altar, which is before the door of the tabernacle.
1:6. And when they have flayed the victim, they shall cut the joints
into pieces:
1:7. And shall put fire on the altar, having before laid in order a pile
of wood.
1:8. And they shall lay the parts that are cut out in order thereupon:
to wit, the head, and all things that cleave to the liver;
1:9. The entrails and feet being washed with water. And the priest shall
burn them upon the altar for a holocaust, and a sweet savour to the
Lord.
1:10. And if the offering be of the flocks, a holocaust of sheep or of
goats, he shall offer a male without blemish.
1:11. And he shall immolate it at the side of the altar that looketh to
the north, before the Lord: but the sons of Aaron shall pour the blood
thereof upon the altar round about.
1:12. And they shall divide the joints, the head, and all that cleave to
the liver: and shall lay them upon the wood, under which the fire is to
be put.
1:13. But the entrails and the feet they shall wash with water. And the
priest shall offer it all and burn it all upon the altar for a
holocaust, and most sweet savour to the Lord.
1:14. But if the oblation of a holocaust to the Lord be of birds, of
turtles, or of young pigeons:
1:15. The priest shall offer it at the altar: and twisting back the
neck, and breaking the place of the wound, he shall make the blood run
down upon the brim of the altar.
1:16. But the crop of the throat, and the feathers he shall cast beside
the altar at the east side, in the place where the ashes are wont to be
poured out.
1:17. And he shall break the pinions thereof, and shall not cut, nor
divide it with a knife: and shall burn it upon the altar, putting fire
under the wood. It is a holocaust and oblation of most sweet savour to
the Lord.
Leviticus Chapter 2
Of offerings of flour, and firstfruits.
2:1. When any one shall offer an oblation of sacrifice to the Lord, his
offering shall be of fine flour: and he shall pour oil upon it, and put
frankincense,
2:2. And shall bring it to the sons of Aaron the priests. And one of
them shall take a handful of the flour and oil, and all the
frankincense; and shall put it a memorial upon the altar for a most
sweet savour to the Lord.
2:3. And the remnant of the sacrifice shall be Aaron's, and his sons',
holy of holies of the offerings of the Lord.
Holy of holies... That is, most holy, as being dedicated to God, and set
aside by his ordinance for the use of his priests.
2:4. But when thou offerest a sacrifice baked in the oven of flour, to
wit, loaves without leaven, tempered with oil, and unleavened wafers,
anointed with oil:
2:5. If thy oblation be from the fryingpan, of flour tempered with oil,
and without leaven:
2:6. Thou shalt divide it into little pieces, and shalt pour oil upon
it.
2:7. And if the sacrifice be from the gridiron, in like manner the flour
shall be tempered with oil.
2:8. And when thou offerest it to the Lord, thou shalt deliver it to the
hands of the priest.
2:9. And when he hath offered it, he shall take a memorial out of the
sacrifice, and burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour to the Lord.
2:10. And whatsoever is left, shall be Aaron's, and his sons': holy of
holies of the offerings of the Lord.
2:11. Every oblation that is offered to the Lord shall be made without
leaven: neither shall any leaven or honey be burnt in the sacrifice to
the Lord.
Without leaven or honey... No leaven nor honey was to be used in the
sacrifice offered to God; to signify that we are to exclude from the
pure worship of the gospel, all double dealing and affection to carnal
pleasures.
2:12. You shall offer only the firstfruits of them and gifts: but they
shall not be put upon the altar, for a savour of sweetness.
2:13. Whatsoever sacrifice thou offerest, thou shalt season it with
salt: neither shalt thou take away the salt of the covenant of thy God
from thy sacrifice. In all thy oblations thou shalt offer salt.
Salt... In every sacrifice salt was to be used, which is an emblem of
wisdom and discretion, without which none of our performances are
agreeable to God.
2:14. But if thou offer a gift of the firstfruits of thy corn to the
Lord, of the ears yet green, thou shalt dry it at the fire, and break it
small like meal; and so shalt thou offer thy firstfruits to the Lord:
2:15. Pouring oil upon it and putting on frankincense, because it is the
oblation of the Lord.
2:16. Whereof the priest shall burn for a memorial of the gift, part of
the corn broken small and of the oil, and all the frankincense.
Leviticus Chapter 3
Of peace offerings.
3:1. And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offerings, and he will
offer of the herd, whether male or female: he shall offer them without
blemish before the Lord.
Peace offerings... Peace, in the scripture language, signifies
happiness, welfare or prosperity; in a word, all kind of blessings.-Such
sacrifices, therefore, as were offered either on occasion of blessings
received, or to obtain new favours, were called pacific or peace
offerings. In these, some part of the victim was consumed with fire on
the altar of God; other parts were eaten by the priests and by the
persons for whom the sacrifice was offered.
3:2. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his victim, which shall
be slain in the entry of the tabernacle of the testimony: and the sons
of Aaron the priests shall pour the blood round about upon the altar.
3:3. And they shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings, for an
oblation to the Lord: the fat that covereth the entrails, and all the
fat that is within,
3:4. The two kidneys with the fat wherewith the flanks are covered, and
the caul of the liver with the two little kidneys.
3:5. And they shall burn them upon the altar, for a holocaust, putting
fire under the wood: for an oblation of most sweet savour to the Lord.
3:6. But if his oblation and the sacrifice of peace offering be of the
flock, whether he offer male or female, they shall be without blemish.
3:7. If he offer a lamb before the Lord:
3:8. He shall put his hand upon the head of the victim. And it shall be
slain in the entry of the tabernacle of the testimony: and the sons of
Aaron shall pour the blood thereof round about upon the altar.
3:9. And they shall offer of the victim of peace offerings, a sacrifice
to the Lord: the fat and the whole rump,
3:10. With the kidneys, and the fat that covereth the belly and all the
vitals and both the little kidneys, with the fat that is about the
flanks, and the caul of the liver with the little kidneys.
3:11. And the priest shall burn them upon the altar, for the food of the
fire, and of the oblation of the Lord.
3:12. If his offering be a goat, and he offer it to the Lord:
3:13. He shall put his hand upon the head thereof: and shall immolate it
in the entry of the tabernacle of the testimony. And the sons of Aaron
shall pour the blood thereof round about upon the altar.
3:14. And they shall take of it for the food of the Lord's fire, the fat
that covereth the belly, and that covereth all the vital parts:
3:15. The two little kidneys with the caul that is upon them which is by
the flanks, and the fat of the liver with the little kidneys.
3:16. And the priest shall burn them upon the altar, for the food of the
fire, and of a most sweet savour. All the fat shall be the Lord's.
3:17. By a perpetual law for your generations, and in all your
habitations: neither blood nor fat shall you eat at all.
Fat... It is meant of the fat, which by the prescription of the law was
to be offered on God's altar; not of the fat of meat, such as we
commonly eat.
Leviticus Chapter 4
Of offerings for sins of ignorance.
4:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
4:2. Say to the children of Israel: The soul that sinneth through
ignorance, and doth any thing concerning any of the commandments of the
Lord, which he commanded not to be done:
Ignorance... To be ignorant of what we are bound to know is sinful; and
for such culpable ignorance, these sacrifices, prescribed in this and
the following chapter, were appointed.
4:3. If the priest that is anointed shall sin, making the people to
offend, he shall offer to the Lord for his sin a calf without blemish.
4:4. And he shall bring it to the door of the testimony before the Lord:
and shall put his hand upon the head thereof, and shall sacrifice it to
the Lord.
4:5. He shall take also of the blood of the calf: and carry it into the
tabernacle of the testimony.
The blood... As the figure of the blood of Christ shed for the remission
of our sins, and carried by him into the sanctuary of heaven.
4:6. And having dipped his finger in the blood, he shall sprinkle with
it seven times before the Lord, before the veil of the sanctuary.
4:7. And he shall put some of the same blood upon the horns of the altar
of the sweet incense most acceptable to the Lord, which is in the
tabernacle of the testimony. And he shall pour all the rest of the blood
at the foot of the altar of holocaust in the entry of the tabernacle.
4:8. And he shall take off the fat of the calf for the sin offering, as
well that which covereth the entrails, as all the inwards:
4:9. The two little kidneys, and the caul that is upon them, which is by
the flanks, and the fat of the liver with the little kidneys:
4:10. As it is taken off from the calf of the sacrifice of peace
offerings. And he shall burn them upon the altar of holocaust.
4:11. But the skin and all the flesh with the head and the feet and the
bowels and the dung:
4:12. And the rest of the body, he shall carry forth without the camp
into a clean place where the ashes are wont to be poured out: and he
shall burn them upon a pile of wood. They shall be burnt in the place
where the ashes are poured out.
4:13. And if all the multitude of Israel shall be ignorant, and through
ignorance shall do that which is against the commandment of the Lord,
4:14. And afterwards shall understand their sin: they shall offer for
their sin a calf, and shall bring it to the door of the tabernacle.
4:15. And the ancients of the people shall put their hands upon the head
thereof before the Lord. And the calf being immolated in the sight of
the Lord:
4:16. The priest that is anointed shall carry of the blood into the
tabernacle of the testimony.
4:17. And shall dip his finger in it and sprinkle it seven times before
the veil.
4:18. And he shall put of the same blood on the horns of the altar that
is before the Lord, in the tabernacle of the testimony. And the rest of
the blood he shall pour at the foot of the altar of holocaust, which is
at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony.
4:19. And all the fat thereof he shall take off, and shall burn it upon
the altar:
4:20. Doing so with this calf, as he did also with that before. And the
priest praying for them, the Lord will be merciful unto them.
4:21. But the calf itself he shall carry forth without the camp, and
shall burn it as he did the former calf: because it is for the sin of
the multitude.
4:22. If a prince shall sin, and through ignorance do any one of the
things that the law of the Lord forbiddeth,
4:23. And afterwards shall come to know his sin: he shall offer a buck
goat without blemish, a sacrifice to the Lord.
4:24. And he shall put his hand upon the head thereof: and when he hath
immolated it in the place where the holocaust is wont to be slain before
the Lord, because it is for sin,
4:25. The priest shall dip his finger in the blood of the victim for
sin, touching therewith the horns of the altar of holocaust, and pouring
out the rest at the foot thereof.
4:26. But the fat he shall burn upon it, as is wont to be done with the
victims of peace offerings. And the priest shall pray for him, and for
his sin: and it shall be forgiven him.
4:27. And if any one of the people of the land shall sin through
ignorance, doing any of those things that by the law of the Lord are
forbidden, and offending,
4:28. And shall come to know his sin: he shall offer a she-goat without
blemish.
4:29. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the victim that is for
sin: and shall immolate it in the place of the holocaust.
4:30. And the priest shall take of the blood with his finger, and shall
touch the horns of the altar of holocaust: and shall pour out the rest
at the foot thereof.
4:31. But taking off all the fat, as is wont to be taken away of the
victims of peace offerings, he shall burn it upon the altar, for a sweet
savour to the Lord: and he shall pray for him, and it shall be forgiven
him.
4:32. But if he offer of the flock a victim for his sin, to wit, an ewe
without blemish:
4:33. He shall put his hand upon the head thereof, and shall immolate it
in the place where the victims of holocausts are wont to be slain.
4:34. And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger,
and shall touch the horns of the altar of holocaust: and the rest he
shall pour out at the foot thereof.
4:35. All the fat also he shall take off, as the fat of the ram that is
offered for peace offerings is wont to be taken away: and shall burn it
upon the altar, for a burnt sacrifice of the Lord. And he shall pray for
him and his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
Leviticus Chapter 5
Of other sacrifices for sins.
5:1. If any one sin, and hear the voice of one swearing, and is a
witness either because he himself hath seen, or is privy to it: if he do
not utter it, he shall bear his iniquity.
5:2. Whosoever toucheth any unclean thing, either that which hath been
killed by a beast, or died of itself, or any other creeping thing: and
forgetteth his uncleanness, he is guilty, and hath offended.
5:3. And if he touch any thing of the uncleanness of man, according to
any uncleanness wherewith he is wont to be defiled: and having forgotten
it, come afterwards to know it, he shall be guilty of an offence.
5:4. The person that sweareth, and uttereth with his lips, that he would
do either evil or good, and bindeth the same with an oath, and his word:
and having forgotten it afterwards understandeth his offence,
5:5. Let him do penance for his sin:
5:6. And offer of the flocks an ewe lamb, or a she-goat, and the priest
shall pray for him and for his sin.
5:7. But if he be not able to offer a beast, let him offer two turtles,
or two young pigeons to the Lord, one for sin, and the other for a
holocaust,
5:8. And he shall give them to the priest: who shall offer the first for
sin, and twist back the head of it to the little pinions, so that it
stick to the neck, and be not altogether broken off.
5:9. And of its blood he shall sprinkle the side of the altar: and
whatever is left, he shall let it drop at the bottom thereof, because it
is for sin.
5:10. And the other he shall burn for a holocaust, as is wont to be
done. And the priest shall pray for him, and for his sin, and it shall
be forgiven him.
5:11. And if his hand be not able to offer two turtles, or two young
pigeons, he shall offer for his sin the tenth part of an ephi of flour.
He shall not put oil upon it, nor put any frankincense thereon, because
it is for sin.
5:12. And he shall deliver it to the priest, who shall take a handful
thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar for a memorial of him that
offered it:
5:13. Praying for him and making atonement. But the part that is left,
he himself shall have for a gift.
5:14. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
5:15. If any one shall sin through mistake, transgressing the ceremonies
in those things that are sacrificed to the Lord, he shall offer for his
offence a ram without blemish out of the flocks, that may be bought for
two sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary.
5:16. And he shall make good the damage itself which he hath done, and
shall add the fifth part besides, delivering it to the priest, who shall
pray for him, offering the ram: and it shall be forgiven him.
5:17. If any one sin through ignorance, and do one of those things which
by the law of the Lord are forbidden, and being guilty of sin,
understand his iniquity:
5:18. He shall offer of the flocks a ram without blemish to the priest,
according to the measure and estimation of the sin. And the priest shall
pray for him, because he did it ignorantly: And it shall be forgiven
him,
5:19. Because by mistake he trespassed against the Lord.
Leviticus Chapter 6
Oblation for sins of injustice: ordinances concerning the holocausts and
the perpetual fire: the sacrifices of the priests, and the sin
offerings.
6:1. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6:2. Whosoever shall sin, and despising the Lord, shall deny to his
neighbour the thing delivered to his keeping, which was committed to his
trust; or shall by force extort any thing, or commit oppression;
6:3. Or shall find a thing lost, and denying it, shall also swear
falsely, or shall do any other of the many things, wherein men are wont
to sin:
6:4. Being convicted of the offence, he shall restore
6:5. All that he would have gotten by fraud, in the principal, and the
fifth part besides, to the owner, whom he wronged.
6:6. Moreover for his sin he shall offer a ram without blemish out of
the flock: and shall give it to the priest, according to the estimation
and measure of the offence.
6:7. And he shall pray for him before the Lord: and he shall have
forgiveness for every thing in doing of which he hath sinned.
6:8. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6:9. Command Aaron and his sons: This is the law of a holocaust. It
shall be burnt upon the altar, all night until morning: the fire shall
be of the same altar.
6:10. The priest shall be vested with the tunick and the linen breeches;
and he shall take up the ashes of that which the devouring fire hath
burnt: and putting them beside the altar,
6:11. Shall put off his former vestments, and being clothed with others,
shall carry them forth without the camp, and shall cause them to be
consumed to dust in a very clean place.
6:12. And the fire on the altar shall always burn, and the priest shall
feed it, putting wood on it every day in the morning: and laying on the
holocaust, shall burn thereupon the fat of the peace offerings.
6:13. This is the perpetual fire which shall never go out on the altar.
The perpetual fire... This fire came from heaven, (infra. chap. 9.24,)
and was always kept burning on the altar, as a figure of the heavenly
fire of divine love, which ought to be always burning in the heart of a
Christian.
6:14. This is the law of the sacrifice and libations, which the children
of Aaron shall offer before the Lord, and before the altar.
6:15. The priest shall take a handful of the flour that is tempered with
oil, and all the frankincense that is put upon the flour: and he shall
burn on the altar for a memorial of most sweet odour to the Lord.
6:16. And the part of the flour that is left, Aaron and his sons shall
eat, without leaven: and he shall eat it in the holy place of the court
of the tabernacle.
6:17. And therefore it shall not be leavened, because part thereof is
offered for the burnt sacrifice of the Lord. It shall be most holy, as
that which is offered for sin and for trespass.
6:18. The males only of the race of Aaron shall eat it. It shall be an
ordinance everlasting in your generations concerning the sacrifices of
the Lord: Every one that toucheth them shall be sanctified.
6:19. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6:20. This is the oblation of Aaron, and of his sons, which they must
offer to the Lord, in the day of their anointing. They shall offer the
tenth part of an ephi of flour for a perpetual sacrifice, half of it in
the morning, and half of it in the evening.
6:21. It shall be tempered with oil, and shall be fried in a fryingpan.
6:22. And the priest that rightfully succeedeth his father, shall offer
it hot, for a most sweet odour to the Lord: and it shall he wholly burnt
on the altar.
6:23. For every sacrifice of the priest shall be consumed with fire:
neither shall any man eat thereof.
6:24. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6:25. Say to Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the victim for sin.
In the place where the holocaust is offered, it shall be immolated
before the Lord. It is holy of holies.
6:26. The priest that offereth it, shall eat it in a holy place, in the
court of the tabernacle.
6:27. Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof, shall be sanctified. If
a garment be sprinkled with the blood thereof, it shall be washed in a
holy place.
6:28. And the earthen vessel, wherein it was sodden, shall be broken:
but if the vessel be of brass, it shall be scoured, and washed with
water.
6:29. Every male of the priestly race shall eat of the flesh thereof,
because it is holy of holies.
6:30. For the victim that is slain for sin, the blood of which is
carried into the tabernacle of the testimony to make atonement in the
sanctuary, shall not be eaten, but shall be burnt with fire.
Leviticus Chapter 7
Of sacrifices for trespasses and thanks offerings. No fat nor blood is
to be eaten.
7:1. This also is the law of the sacrifice for a trespass: it is most
holy.
Trespass... Trespasses, for which these offerings were to be made, were
lesser offences than those for which the sin offerings were appointed.
7:2. Therefore where the holocaust is immolated, the victim also for a
trespass shall be slain: the blood thereof shall be poured round about
the altar.
7:3. They shall offer thereof the rump and the fat that covereth the
entrails:
7:4. The two little kidneys, and the fat which is by the flanks, and the
caul of the liver with the little kidneys.
7:5. And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the burnt
sacrifice of the Lord for a trespass.
7:6. Every male of the priestly race, shall eat this flesh in a holy
place, because it is most holy.
7:7. As the sacrifice for sin is offered, so is also that for a
trespass: the same shall be the law of both these sacrifices. It shall
belong to the priest that offereth it.
7:8. The priest that offereth the victim of holocaust, shall have the
skin thereof.
7:9. And every sacrifice of flour that is baked in the oven, and
whatsoever is dressed on the gridiron, or in the fryingpan, shall be the
priest's that offereth it.
7:10. Whether they be tempered with oil, or dry, all the sons of Aaron
shall have one as much as another.
7:11. This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that is
offered to the Lord.
7:12. If the oblation be for thanksgiving, they shall offer loaves
without leaven tempered with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with
oil, and fine flour fried, and cakes tempered and mingled with oil.
7:13. Moreover loaves of leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanks,
which is offered for peace offerings:
7:14. Of which one shall be offered to the Lord for firstfruits, and
shall be the priest's that shall pour out the blood of the victim.
7:15. And the flesh of it shall be eaten the same day: neither shall any
of it remain until the morning.
7:16. If any man by vow, or of his own accord offer a sacrifice, it
shall in like manner be eaten the same day. And if any of it remain
until the morrow, it is lawful to eat it.
7:17. But whatsoever shall be found on the third day shall be consumed
with fire.
7:18. If any man eat of the flesh of the victim of peace offerings on
the third day, the oblation shall be of no effect: neither shall it
profit the offerer. Yea rather, whatsoever soul shall defile itself with
such meat, shall be guilty of transgression.
7:19. The flesh that hath touched any unclean thing, shall not be eaten:
but shall be burnt with fire. He that is clean shall eat of it.
7:20. If any one that is defiled shall eat of the flesh of the sacrifice
of peace offerings, which is offered to the Lord, he shall be cut off
from his people.
7:21. And he that hath touched the uncleanness of man, or of beast, or
of any thing that can defile, and shall eat of such kind of flesh: shall
be cut off from his people.
7:22. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
7:23. Say to the children of Israel: The fat of a sheep, and of an ox,
and of a goat you shall not eat.
7:24. The fat of a carcass that hath died of itself, and of a beast that
was caught by another beast, you shall have for divers uses.
7:25. If any man eat the fat that should be offered for the burnt
sacrifice of the Lord, he shall perish out of his people.
7:26. Moreover you shall not eat the blood of any creature whatsoever,
whether of birds or beasts.
7:27. Every one that eateth blood, shall perish from among the people.
7:28. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
7:29. Speak to the children of Israel, saying: He that offereth a victim
of peace offerings to the Lord, let him offer therewith a sacrifice
also, that is, the libations thereof.
7:30. He shall hold in his hands the fat of the victim, and the breast.
And when he hath offered and consecrated both to the Lord, he shall
deliver them to the priest,
7:31. Who shall burn the fat upon the altar. But the breast shall be
Aaron's and his sons'.
7:32. The right shoulder also of the victim, of peace offerings shall
fall to the priest for firstfruits.
7:33. He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood, and the fat:
he shall have the right shoulder also for his portion.
7:34. For the breast that is elevated and the shoulder that is separated
I have taken of the children of Israel, from off their victims of peace
offerings: and have given them to Aaron the priest, and to his sons, by
a law for ever, from all the people of Israel.
7:35. This is the anointing of Aaron and his sons, in the ceremonies of
the Lord, in the day when Moses offered them, that they might do the
office of priesthood,
7:36. And the things that the Lord commanded to be given them by the
children of Israel, by a perpetual observance in their generations.
7:37. This is the law of holocaust, and of the sacrifice for sin, and
for trespass, and for consecration, and the victims of peace offerings:
7:38. Which the Lord appointed to Moses in mount Sinai, when he
commanded the children of Israel, that they should offer their oblations
to the Lord in the desert of Sinai.
Leviticus Chapter 8
Moses consecrateth Aaron and his sons.
8:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8:2. Take Aaron with his sons, their vestments, and the oil of unction:
a calf for sin, two rams, a basket with unleavened bread.
8:3. And thou shalt gather together all the congregation to the door of
the tabernacle.
8:4. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded. And all the multitude
being gathered together before the door of the tabernacle:
8:5. He said: This is the word that the Lord hath commanded to be done.
8:6. And immediately, he offered Aaron and his sons. And when he had
washed them,
8:7. He vested the high priest with the strait linen garment, girding
him with the girdle, and putting on him the violet tunick: and over it
he put the ephod.
8:8. And binding it with the girdle, he fitted it to the rational, on
which was Doctrine and Truth.
8:9. He put also the mitre upon his head: and upon the mitre over the
forehead, he put the plate of gold, consecrated with sanctification, as
the Lord had commanded him.
8:10. He took also the oil of unction, with which he anointed the
tabernacle, with all the furniture thereof.
8:11. And when he had sanctified and sprinkled the altar seven times, he
anointed it, and all the vessels thereof: and the laver with the foot
thereof, he sanctified with the oil.
8:12. And he poured it upon Aaron's head: and he anointed and
consecrated him.
8:13. And after he had offered his sons, he vested them with linen
tunicks, and girded them with girdles: and put mitres on them as the
Lord had commanded.
8:14. He offered also the calf for sin: and when Aaron and his sons had
put their hands upon the head thereof,
8:15. He immolated it: and took the blood, and dipping his finger in it,
he touched the horns of the altar round about. Which being expiated, and
sanctified, he poured the rest of the blood at the bottom thereof.
8:16. But the fat that was upon the entrails, and the caul of the liver,
and the two little kidneys, with their fat, he burnt upon the altar.
8:17. And the calf with the skin, and the flesh and the dung, he burnt
without the camp, as the Lord had commanded.
8:18. He offered also a ram for holocaust. And when Aaron and his sons
had put their hands upon its head:
8:19. He immolated it, and poured the blood thereof round about the
altar.
8:20. And cutting the ram into pieces, the head thereof, and the joints,
and the fat he burnt in the fire.
8:21. Having first washed the entrails, and the feet, and the whole ram
together he burnt upon the altar: because it was a holocaust of most
sweet odour to the Lord, as he had commanded him.
8:22. He offered also the second ram, in the consecration of priests:
and Aaron, and his sons put their hands upon the head thereof.
8:23. And when Moses had immolated it, he took of the blood thereof, and
touched the tip of Aaron's right ear, and the thumb of his right hand,
and in like manner also the great toe of his right foot.
8:24. He offered also the sons of Aaron: and when with the blood of the
ram that was immolated, he had touched the tip of the right ear of every
one of them, and the thumbs of their right hands, and the great toes of
their right feet, the rest he poured on the altar round about.
8:25. But the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that covereth the
entrails, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat,
and with the right shoulder, he separated.
8:26. And taking out of the basket of unleavened bread, which was before
the Lord, a loaf without leaven, and a cake tempered with oil and a
wafer, he put them upon the fat, and the right shoulder:
8:27. Delivering all to Aaron, and to his sons. Who having lifted them
up before the Lord,
8:28. He took them again from their hands, and burnt them upon the altar
of holocaust: because it was the oblation of consecration, for a sweet
odour of sacrifice to the Lord.
8:29. And he took of the ram of consecration, the breast for his
portion, elevating it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded him.
8:30. And taking the ointment, and the blood that was upon the altar, he
sprinkled Aaron, and his vestments, and his sons, and their vestments
with it.
8:31. And when he had sanctified them in their vestments, he commanded
them, saying: Boil the flesh before the door of the tabernacle, and
there eat it. Eat ye also the loaves of consecration, that are laid in
the basket, as the Lord commanded me, saying: Aaron and his sons shall
eat them.
8:32. And whatsoever shall be left of the flesh and the loaves, shall be
consumed with fire.
8:33. And you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle for seven
days, until the day wherein the time of your consecration shall be
expired. For in seven days the consecration is finished:
8:34. As at this present it hath been done, that the rite of the
sacrifice might be accomplished.
8:35. Day and night shall you remain in the tabernacle observing the
watches of the Lord, lest you die. For so it hath been commanded me.
8:36. And Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord spoke by the
hand of Moses.
Leviticus Chapter 9
Aaron offereth sacrifice for himself and the people. Fire cometh from
the Lord upon the altar.
9:1. And when the eighth day was come, Moses called Aaron and his sons,
and the ancients of Israel, and said to Aaron:
9:2. Take of the herd a calf for sin, and a ram for a holocaust, both
without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.
9:3. And to the children of Israel thou shalt say: Take ye a he-goat for
sin, and a calf, and a lamb, both of a year old, and without blemish for
a holocaust.
9:4. Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings. And immolate them
before the Lord, offering for the sacrifice of every one of them flour
tempered with oil: for to day the Lord will appear to you.
9:5. They brought therefore all things that Moses had commanded before
the door of the tabernacle: where when all the multitude stood,
9:6. Moses said: This is the word, which the Lord hath commanded. Do it,
and his glory will appear to you.
9:7. And he said to Aaron: Approach to the altar, and offer sacrifice
for thy sin. Offer the holocaust, and pray for thyself and for the
people: and when thou hast slain the people's victim, pray for them, as
the Lord hath commanded.
9:8. And forthwith Aaron, approaching to the altar, immolated the calf
for his sin.
9:9. And his sons brought him the blood of it: and he dipped his finger
therein, and touched the horns of the altar, and poured the rest at the
foot thereof.
9:10. And the fat, and the little kidneys, and the caul of the liver,
which are for sin, he burnt upon the altar, as the Lord had commanded
Moses.
9:11. But the flesh and skins thereof he burnt with fire without the
camp.
9:12. He immolated also the victim of holocaust: and his sons brought
him the blood thereof, which he poured round about on the altar.
9:13. And the victim being cut into pieces, they brought to him the head
and all the members: all which he burnt with fire upon the altar.
9:14. Having first washed the entrails and the feet with water.
9:15. Then offering for the sin of the people, he slew the he-goat: and
expiating the altar,
9:16. He offered the holocaust.
9:17. Adding in the sacrifice the libations, which are offered withal,
and burning them upon the altar, besides the ceremonies of the morning
holocaust.
9:18. He immolated also the bullock and the ram, and peace offerings of
the people: and his sons brought him the blood, which he poured upon the
altar round about.
9:19. The fat also of the bullock, and the rump of the ram, and the two
little kidneys with their fat, and the caul of the liver,
9:20. They put upon the breasts. And after the fat was burnt upon the
altar,
9:21. Aaron separated their breasts, and the right shoulders, elevating
them before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.
9:22. And stretching forth his hands to the people, he blessed them. And
so the victims for sin, and the holocausts, and the peace offerings
being finished, he came down.
9:23. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the testimony, and
afterwards came forth and blessed the people. And the glory of the Lord
appeared to all the multitude.
9:24. And, behold, a fire, coming forth from the Lord, devoured the
holocaust, and the fat that was upon the altar: which when the multitude
saw, they praised the Lord, falling on their faces.
Leviticus Chapter 10
Nadab and Abiu for offering strange fire, are burnt by fire. Priests are
forbidden to drink wine, when they enter into the tabernacle. The law of
eating the holy things.
10:1. And Nadab and Abiu, the sons of Aaron, taking their censers, put
fire therein, and incense on it, offering before the Lord strange fire:
which was not commanded them.
10:2. And fire coming out from the Lord destroyed them: and they died
before the Lord.
10:3. And Moses said to Aaron: This is what the Lord hath spoken. I will
be sanctified in them that approach to me: and I will be glorified in
the sight of all the people. And when Aaron heard this, he held his
peace.
10:4. And Moses called Misael and Elisaphan, the sons of Oziel, the
uncle of Aaron, and said to them: Go and take away your brethren from
before the sanctuary, and carry them without the camp.
10:5. And they went forthwith and took them as they lay, vested with
linen tunicks, and cast them forth, as had been commanded them.
10:6. And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons:
Uncover not your heads, and rend not your garments, lest perhaps you
die, and indignation come upon all the congregation. Let your brethren,
and all the house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has
kindled.
10:7. But you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle: otherwise
you shall perish, for the oil of the holy unction is on you. And they
did all things according to the precept of Moses.
10:8. The Lord also said to Aaron:
10:9. You shall not drink wine nor any thing that may make drunk, thou
nor thy sons, when you enter into the tabernacle of the testimony, lest
you die. Because it is an everlasting precept; through your generations:
10:10. And that you may have knowledge to discern between holy and
unholy, between unclean and clean:
10:11. And may teach the children of Israel all my ordinances which the
Lord hath spoken to them by the hand of Moses.
10:12. And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons
that were left: Take the sacrifice that is remaining of the oblation of
the Lord, and eat it without leaven beside the altar, because it is holy
of holies.
10:13. And you shall eat it in a holy place: which is given to thee and
thy sons of the oblations of the Lord, as it hath been commanded me.
10:14. The breast also that is offered, and the shoulder that is
separated, you shall eat in a most clean place, thou and thy sons, and
thy daughters with thee. For they are set aside for thee and thy
children, of the victims of peace offerings of the children of Israel.
10:15. Because they have elevated before the Lord the shoulder and the
breast, and the fat that is burnt on the altar: and they belong to thee
and to thy sons by a perpetual law, as the Lord hath commanded.
10:16. While these things were a doing, when Moses sought for the buck
goat, that had been offered for sin, he found it burnt. And being angry
with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, he said:
10:17. Why did you not eat in the holy place the sacrifice for sin,
which is most holy, and given to you, that you may bear the iniquity of
the people, and may pray for them in the sight of the Lord.
10:18. Especially, whereas none of the blood thereof hath been carried
within the holy places: and you ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary,
as was commanded me?
10:19. Aaron answered: This day hath been offered the victim for sin,
and the holocaust before the Lord: and to me what thou seest has
happened. How could I eat it, or please the Lord in the ceremonies,
having a sorrowful heart?
10:20. Which when Moses had heard he was satisfied.
Leviticus Chapter 11
The distinction of clean and unclean animals.
11:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
11:2. Say to the children of Israel: These are the animals which you are
to eat of all the living things of the earth.
Animals which you are to eat, etc... The prohibition of so many kinds of
beasts, birds, and fishes, in the law, was ordered, 1st, to exercise the
people in obedience, and temperance; 2ndly, to restrain them from the
vices of which these animals were symbols; 3rdly, because the things
here forbidden were for the most part unwholesome, and not proper to be
eaten; 4thly, that the people of God, by being obliged to abstain from
things corporally unclean, might be trained up to seek a spiritual
cleanness.
11:3. Whatsoever hath the hoof divided, and cheweth the cud among the
beasts, you shall eat.
Hoof divided, and cheweth the cud... The dividing of the hoof and
chewing of the cud, signify discretion between good and evil, and
meditating on the law of God; and where either of these is wanting a man
is unclean. In like manner fishes were reputed unclean that had not fins
and scales: that is, souls that did not raise themselves up by prayer
and cover themselves with the scales of virtue.
11:4. But whatsoever cheweth indeed the cud, and hath a hoof, but
divideth it not, as the camel, and others: that you shall not eat, but
shall reckon it among the unclean.
11:5. The cherogrillus which cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof,
is unclean.
The cherogrillus... Some suppose it to be the rabbit, others the
hedgehog. St. Jerome intimates that it is another kind of animal common
in Palestine, which lives in the holes of rocks or in the earth. We
choose here, as also in the names of several other creatures that follow
(which are little known in this part of the world,) to keep the Greek or
Latin names.
11:6. The hare also: for that too cheweth the cud, but divideth not the
hoof.
11:7. And the swine, which, though it divideth the hoof, cheweth not the
cud.
11:8. The flesh of these you shall not eat, nor shall you touch their
carcasses, because they are unclean to you.
11:9. These are the things that breed in the waters, and which it is
lawful to eat. All that hath fins, and scales, as well in the sea, as in
the rivers, and the pools, you shall eat.
11:10. But whatsoever hath not fins and scales, of those things that
move and live in the waters, shall be an abomination to you,
11:11. And detestable. Their flesh you shall not eat: and their
carcasses you shall avoid.
11:12. All that have not fins and scales, in the waters, shall be
unclean.
11:13. Of birds these are they which you must not eat, and which are to
be avoided by you: The eagle, and the griffon, and the osprey.
The griffon... Not the monster which the painter represent, which hath
no being upon earth; but a bird of the eagle kind, larger than the
common.
11:14. And the kite, and the vulture, according to their kind.
11:15. And all that is of the raven kind, according to their likeness.
11:16. The ostrich, and the owl, and the larus, and the hawk according
to its kind.
11:17. The screech owl, and the cormorant, and the ibis.
11:18. And the swan, and the bittern, and the porphyrion.
11:19. The heron, and the charadroin according to its kind, the houp
also, and the bat.
11:20. Of things that fly, whatsoever goeth upon four feet, shall be
abominable to you.
11:21. But whatsoever walketh upon four feet, but hath the legs behind
longer, wherewith it hoppeth upon the earth,
11:22. That you shall eat: as the bruchus in its kind, the attacus, and
ophimachus, and the locust, every, one according to their kind.
11:23. But of flying things whatsoever hath four feet only, shall be an
abomination to you.
11:24. And whosoever shall touch the carcasses of them, shall be
defiled: and shall be unclean until the evening:
11:25. And if it be necessary that he carry any of these things when
they are dead: he shall wash his clothes, and shall be unclean until the
sun set.
11:26. Every beast that hath a hoof, but divideth it not, nor cheweth
the cud shall be unclean: and he that toucheth it, shall be defiled.
11:27. That which walketh upon hands of all animals which go on all
four, shall be unclean: he that shall touch their carcasses shall be
defiled until evening.
11:28. And he that shall carry such carcasses, shall wash his clothes,
and shall be unclean until evening: because all these things are unclean
to you.
11:29. These also shall be reckoned among unclean things, of all that
move upon the earth. The weasel, and the mouse, and the crocodile, every
one according to their kind:
11:30. The shrew, and the chameleon, and the stellio, and the lizard,
and the mole.
11:31. All these are unclean. He that toucheth their carcasses shall be
unclean until the evening.
11:32. And upon what thing soever any of their carcasses shall fall, it
shall be defiled, whether it be a vessel of wood, or a garment, or skins
or haircloths: or any thing in which work is done. They shall be dipped
in water, and shall be unclean until the evening, and so afterwards
shall be clean.
11:33. But an earthen vessel, into which any of these shall fall, shall
be defiled: and therefore is to be broken.
11:34. Any meat which you eat, if water from such a vessel be poured
upon it, shall be unclean; and every liquor that is drunk out of any
such vessel, shall be unclean.
11:35. And upon whatsoever thing any of these dead beasts shall fall, it
shall be unclean. Whether it be oven, or pots with feet, they shall be
destroyed, and shall be unclean.
11:36. But fountains and cisterns, and all gatherings together of waters
shall be clean. He that toucheth their carcasses shall be defiled.
11:37. If it fall upon seed corn, it shall not defile it.
11:38. But if any man pour water upon the seed, and afterwards it be
touched by the carcasses, it shall be forthwith defiled.
11:39. If any beast die, of which it is lawful for you to eat, he that
toucheth the carcass thereof, shall be unclean until the evening.
11:40. And he that eateth or carrieth any thing thereof, shall wash his
clothes, and shall be unclean until the evening.
11:41. All that creepeth upon the earth shall be abominable: neither
shall it be taken for meat.
11:42. Whatsoever goeth upon the breast on four feet, or hath many feet,
or traileth on the earth, you shall not eat, because it is abominable.
11:43. Do not defile your souls, nor touch aught thereof, lest you be
unclean,
11:44. For I am the Lord your God. Be holy because I am holy. Defile
not your souls by any creeping thing, that moveth upon the earth.
11:45. For I am the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that
I might be your God.
11:46. You shall be holy, because I am holy. This is the law of beasts
and fowls, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and
creepeth on the earth:
11:47. That you may know the differences of the clean, and unclean, and
know what you ought to eat, and what to refuse.
Leviticus Chapter 12
The purification of women after childbirth.
12:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
12:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: If a
woman having received seed shall bear a man child, she shall be unclean
seven days, according to the days of separation of her flowers.
12:3. And on the eighth day the infant shall be circumcised:
12:4. But she shall remain three and thirty days in the blood of her
purification. She shall touch no holy thing: neither shall she enter
into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification, be fulfilled.
12:5. But if she shall bear a maid child, she shall be unclean two
weeks, according to the custom of her monthly courses. And she shall
remain in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.
12:6. And when the days of her purification are expired, for a son, or
for a daughter, she shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of the
testimony, a lamb of a year old for a holocaust, and a young pigeon or a
turtle for sin: and shall deliver them to the priest.
12:7. Who shall offer them before the Lord, and shall pray for her: and
so she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law
for her that beareth a man child or a maid child.
12:8. And if her hand find not sufficiency, and she is not able to offer
a lamb, she shall take two turtles, or two young pigeons, one for a
holocaust, and another for sin: and the priest shall pray for her, and
so she shall be cleansed.
Leviticus Chapter 13
The law concerning leprosy in men, and in garments.
13:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
13:2. The man in whose skin or flesh shall arise a different colour or a
blister, or as it were something shining, that is the stroke of the
leprosy, shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or any or of his sons.
13:3. And if he see the leprosy in his skin, and the hair turned white
and the place where the leprosy appears lower than the skin and the rest
of the flesh: it is the stroke of the leprosy, and upon his judgment he
shall be separated.
13:4. But if there be a shining whiteness in the skin, and not lower
than the other flesh, and the hair be of the former colour, the priest
shall shut him up seven days.
13:5. And the seventh day he shall look on him: and if the leprosy be
grown no farther, and hath not spread itself in the skin, he shall shut
him up again other seven days.
13:6. And on the seventh day, he shall look on him. If the leprosy be
somewhat obscure, and not spread in the skin, he shall declare him
clean, because it is but a scab: and the man shall wash his clothes, and
shall be clean.
13:7. But, if the leprosy grow again, after he was seen by the priest
and restored to cleanness, he shall be brought to him:
13:8. And shall be condemned of uncleanness.
13:9. If the stroke of the leprosy be in a man, he shall be brought to
the priest:
13:10. And he shall view him. And when there shall be a white colour in
the skin, and it shall have changed the look of the hair, and the living
flesh itself shall appear:
13:11. It shall be judged an inveterate leprosy, and grown into the
skin. The priest therefore shall declare him unclean: and shall not shut
him up, because he is evidently unclean.
13:12. But if the leprosy spring out running about in the skin, and
cover all the skin from the head to the feet, whatsoever falleth under
the sight of the eyes:
13:13. The priest shall view him, and shall judge that the leprosy which
he has is very clean: because it is all turned into whiteness, and
therefore the man shall be clean.
13:14. But when the live flesh shall appear in him:
13:15. Then by the judgment of the priest he shall be defiled, and shall
be reckoned among the unclean. For live flesh, if it be spotted with
leprosy, is unclean.
13:16. And if again it be turned into whiteness, and cover all the man:
13:17. The priest shall view him, and shall judge him to be clean.
13:18. When also there has been an ulcer in the flesh and the skin, and
it has been healed:
13:19. And in the place of the ulcer, there appeareth a white scar, or
somewhat red, the man shall be brought to the priest.
13:20. And when he shall see the place of the leprosy lower than the
other flesh, and the hair turned white: he shall declare him unclean,
for the plague of leprosy is broken out in the ulcer.
13:21. But if the hair be of the former colour, and the scar somewhat
obscure, and be not lower than the flesh that is near it: he shall shut
him up seven days.
13:22. And if it spread, he shall judge him to have the leprosy:
13:23. But if it stay in its place, it is but the scar of an ulcer: and
the man shall be clean.
13:24. The flesh also and skin that hath been burnt, and after it is
healed hath a white or a red scar:
13:25. The priest shall view it, and if he see it turned white, and the
place thereof is lower than the other skin: he shall declare him
unclean, because the evil of leprosy is broken out in the scar.
13:26. But if the colour of the hair be not changed, nor the blemish
lower than the other flesh, and the appearance of the leprosy be
somewhat obscure: he shall shut him up seven days,
13:27. And on the seventh day he shall view him. If the leprosy be grown
farther in the skin, he shall declare him unclean.
13:28. But if the whiteness stay in its place, and be not very clear, it
is the sore of a burning: and therefore he shall be cleansed, because it
is only the scar of a burning.
13:29. If the leprosy break out in the head or the beard of a man or
woman, the priest shall see them,
13:30. And if the place be lower than the other flesh, and the hair
yellow, and thinner than usual: he shall declare them unclean, because
it is the leprosy of the head and the beard;
13:31. But if he perceive the place of the spot is equal with the flesh
that is near it, and the hair black: he shall shut him up seven days,
13:32. And on the seventh day he shall look upon it. If the spot be not
grown, and the hair keep its colour, and the place of the blemish be
even with the other flesh:
13:33. The man shall be shaven all but the place of the spot: and he
shall be shut up other seven days.
13:34. If on the seventh day the evil seem to have stayed in its place,
and not lower than the other flesh, he shall cleanse him: and his
clothes being washed he shall be clean.
13:35. But if after his cleansing the spot spread again in the skin:
13:36. He shall seek no more whether the hair be turned yellow, because
he is evidently unclean.
13:37. But if the spot be stayed, and the hair be black, let him know
that the man is healed: and let him confidently pronounce him clean.
13:38. If a whiteness appear in the skin of a man or a woman,
13:39. The priest shall view them. If he find that a darkish whiteness
shineth in the skin, let him know that it is not the leprosy, but a
white blemish, and that the man is clean.
13:40. The man whose hair falleth off from his head, he is bald and
clean:
13:41. And if the hair fall from his forehead, he is bald before and
clean.
13:42. But if in the bald head or in the bald forehead there be risen a
white or reddish colour:
13:43. And the priest perceive this, he shall condemn him undoubtedly of
leprosy which is risen in the bald part.
13:44. Now whosoever shall be defiled with the leprosy, and is separated
by the judgment of the priest:
13:45. Shall have his clothes hanging loose, his head bare, his mouth
covered with a cloth: and he shall cry out that he is defiled and
unclean.
13:46. All the time that he is a leper and unclean he shall dwell alone
without the camp.
13:47. A woollen or linen garment that shall have the leprosy
13:48. In the warp, and the woof: or skin, or whatsoever is made of a
skin:
13:49. If it be infected with a white or red spot, it shall be accounted
the leprosy, and shall be shewn to the priest.
13:50. And he shall look upon it and shall shut it up seven days.
13:51. And on the seventh day when he looketh on it again, if he find
that it is grown, it is a fixed leprosy. He shall judge the garment
unclean, and every thing wherein it shall be found.
13:52. And therefore it shall be burnt with fire.
13:53. But if he see that it is not grown,
13:54. He shall give orders, and they shall wash that part wherein the
leprosy is: and he shall shut it up other seven days.
13:55. And when he shall see that the former colour is not returned, nor
yet the leprosy spread, he shall judge it unclean: and shall burn it
with fire, for the leprosy has taken hold of the outside of the garment,
or through the whole.
13:56. But if the place of the leprosy be somewhat dark, after the
garment is washed, he shall tear it off, and divide it from that which
is sound.
13:57. And if after this there appear in those places that before were
without spot, a flying and wandering leprosy: it must be burnt with
fire.
13:58. If it cease, he shall wash with water the parts that are pure,
the second time: and they shall be clean.
13:59. This is the law touching the leprosy of any woollen or linen
garment, either in the warp or woof, or any thing of skins: how it ought
to be cleaned, or pronounced unclean.
Leviticus Chapter 14
The rites of sacrifices in cleansing the leprosy. Leprosy in houses.
14:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
14:2. This is the rite of a leper, when he is to be cleansed. He shall
be brought to the priest:
14:3. Who going out of the camp, when he shall find that the leprosy is
cleansed,
14:4. Shall command him that is to be purified, to offer for himself two
living sparrows, which it is lawful to eat, and cedar wood, and scarlet,
and hyssop.
14:5. And he shall command one of the sparrows to be immolated in an
earthen vessel over living waters.
Living waters... That is, waters taken from a spring, brook, or river.
14:6. But the other that is alive, he shall dip, with the cedar wood,
and the scarlet and the hyssop, in the blood of the sparrow that is
immolated:
14:7. Wherewith he shall sprinkle him that is to be cleansed seven
times, that he may be rightly purified. And he shall let go the living
sparrow, that it may fly into the field.
14:8. And when the man hath washed his clothes, he shall shave all the
hair of his body, and shall be washed with water: and being purified he
shall enter into the camp, yet so that he tarry without his own tent
seven days.
14:9. And on the seventh day he shall shave the hair of his head, and
his beard and his eyebrows, and the hair of all his body. And having
washed again his clothes, and his body,
14:10. On the eighth day, he shall take two lambs without blemish, and
an ewe of a year old without blemish, and three tenths of flour tempered
with oil for a sacrifice, and a sextary of oil apart.
A sextary... Heb. log: a measure of liquids, which was the twelfth part
of a hin; and held about as much as six eggs.
14:11. And when the priest that purifieth the man, hath presented him,
and all these things before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of
the testimony:
14:12. He shall take a lamb, and offer it for a trespass offering with
the sextary of oil. And having offered all before the Lord,
14:13. He shall immolate the lamb, where the victim for sin is wont to
be immolated, and the holocaust, that is, in the holy place. For as that
which is for sin, so also the victim for a trespass offering pertaineth
to the priest: it is holy of holies.
14:14. And the priest taking of the blood of the victim that was
immolated for trespass, shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of
him that is cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand and the great
toe of his right foot.
Taking of the blood, etc... These ceremonies used in the cleansing of a
leper, were mysterious and very significative. The sprinkling seven
times with the blood of the little bird, the washing himself and his
clothes, the shaving his hair and his beard, signify the means which are
to be used in the reconciliation of a sinner, and the steps by which he
is to return to God, viz., by the repeated application of the blood of
Christ: the washing his conscience with the waters of compunction: and
retrenching all vanities and superfluities, by employing all that is
over and above what is necessary in alms deeds. The sin offering, and
the holocaust or burnt offering, which he was to offer at his cleansing,
signify the sacrifice of a contrite and humble heart, and that of
adoration in spirit and truth, with gratitude and thankfulness, for the
forgiveness of sins, with which we are ever to appear before the
Almighty. The touching the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and
the great toe of the right foot, first with the blood of the victim, and
then with the remainder of the oil, which had been sprinkled seven times
before the Lord, signify the application of the blood of Christ, and the
unction of the sevenfold grace of the Holy Ghost; to the sinner's right
ear, that he may duly hearken to and obey the law of God; and to his
right hand and foot, that the works of his hands, and all the steps or
affections of his soul, signified by the feet, may be rightly directed
to God.
14:15. And he shall pour of the sextary of oil into his own left hand,
14:16. And shall dip his right finger in it, and sprinkle it before the
Lord seven times.
14:17. And the rest of the oil in his left hand, he shall pour upon the
tip of the right ear of him that is cleansed, and upon the thumb of his
right hand and the great toe of his right foot, and upon the blood that
was shed for trespass:
14:18. And upon his head.
14:19. And he shall pray for him before the Lord, and shall offer the
sacrifice for sin. Then shall he immolate the holocaust.
14:20. And put it on the altar with the libations thereof: and the man
shall be rightly cleansed.
14:21. But if he be poor, and his hand cannot find the things aforesaid:
he shall take a lamb for an offering for trespass, that the priest may
pray for him, and a tenth part of flour tempered with oil for a
sacrifice, and a sextary of oil:
14:22. And two turtles or two young pigeons, of which one may be for
sin, and the other for a holocaust.
14:23. And he shall offer them on the eighth day of his purification to
the priest, at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony before the
Lord.
14:24. And the priest receiving the lamb for trespass, and the sextary
of oil, shall elevate them together.
14:25. And the lamb being immolated, he shall put of the blood thereof
upon the tip of the right ear of him that is cleansed, and upon the
thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot.
14:26. But he shall pour part of the oil into his own left hand,
14:27. And dipping the finger of his right hand in it, he shall sprinkle
it seven times before the Lord.
14:28. And he shall touch the tip of the right ear of him that is
cleansed, and the thumb of his right hand and the great toe of his right
foot, in the place of the blood that was shed for trespass.
14:29. And the other part of the oil that is in his left hand, he shall
pour upon the head of the purified person, that he may appease the Lord
for him.
14:30. And he shall offer a turtle, or young pigeon:
14:31. One for trespass, and the other for a holocaust, with their
libations.
14:32. This is the sacrifice of a leper, that is not able to have all
things that appertain to his cleansing.
14:33. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
14:34. When you shall come into the land of Chanaan, which I will give
you for a possession, if there be the plague or leprosy in a house:
14:35. He whose house it is, shall go and tell the priest, saying: It
seemeth to me, that there is the plague of leprosy in my house,
14:36. And he shall command, that they carry forth all things out of the
house, before he go into it, and see whether it have the leprosy, let
all things become unclean that are in the house. And afterwards he shall
go in to view the leprosy of the house.
14:37. And if he see in the walls thereof as it were little dints,
disfigured with paleness or redness, and lower than all he rest:
14:38. He shall go out of the door of the house, and forthwith shut it
up seven days,
14:39. And returning on the seventh day, he shall look upon it. If he
find that the leprosy is spread,
14:40. He shall command, that the stones wherein the leprosy is, be
taken out, and cast without the city into an unclean place:
14:41. And that the house be scraped on the inside round about, and the
dust of the scrapings be scattered without the city into an unclean
place:
14:42. And that other stones be laid in the place of them that were
taken away, and the house be plastered with other mortar.
14:43. But if after the stones be taken out, and the dust scraped off,
and it be plastered with other earth.
14:44. The priest going in perceive that the leprosy is returned, and
the walls full of spots, it is a lasting leprosy, and the house is
unclean.
14:45. And they shall destroy it forthwith, and shall cast the stones
and timber thereof, and all the dust without the town into an unclean
place.
14:46. He that entereth into the house when it is shut, shall be unclean
until evening,
14:47. And he that sleepeth in it, and eateth any thing, shall wash his
clothes.
14:48. But if the priest going in perceive that the leprosy is not
spread in the house, after it was plastered again, he shall purify it,
it being cured.
14:49. And for the purification thereof he shall take two sparrows, and
cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop.
14:50. And having immolated one sparrow in an earthen vessel, over
living waters,
14:51. He shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet,
and the living sparrow, and shall dip all in the blood of the sparrow
that is immolated, and in the living water: and he shall sprinkle the
house seven times.
14:52. And shall purify it as well with the blood of the sparrow, as
with the living water, and with the living sparrow, and with the cedar
wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet.
14:53. And when he hath let go the sparrow to fly freely away into the
field, he shall pray for the house: and it shall be rightly cleansed.
14:54. This is the law of every kind of leprosy and stroke.
14:55. Of the leprosy of garments and houses,
14:56. Of a scar and of blisters breaking out of a shining spot, and
when the colours are diversely changed:
14:57. That it may be known when a thing is clean or unclean.
Leviticus Chapter 15
Other legal uncleannesses.
15:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
15:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: The man that
hath an issue of seed, shall be unclean.
Issue of seed shall be unclean... These legal uncleannesses were
instituted in order to give the people a horror of carnal impurities.
15:3. And then shall he be judged subject to this evil, when a filthy
humour, at every moment, cleaveth to his flesh, and gathereth there.
15:4. Every bed on which he sleepeth, shall be unclean, and every place
on which he sitteth.
15:5. If any man touch his bed, he shall wash his clothes and being
washed with water, he shall be unclean until the evening.
15:6. If a man sit where that man hath sitten, he also shall wash his
clothes: and being washed with water, shall be unclean until the
evening.
15:7. He that toucheth his flesh, shall wash his clothes: and being
himself washed with water shall be unclean until the evening.
15:8. If such a man cast his spittle upon him that is clean, he shall
wash his clothes: and being washed with water, he shall be unclean until
the evening.
15:9. The saddle on which he hath sitten shall be unclean.
15:10. And whatsoever has been under him that hath the issue of seed,
shall be unclean until the evening. He that carrieth any of these
things, shall wash his clothes: and being washed with water, he shall be
unclean until the evening.
15:11. Every person whom such a one shall touch, not having washed his
hands before, shall wash his clothes: and being washed with water, shall
be unclean until the evening.
15:12. If he touch a vessel of earth, it shall be broken: but if a
vessel of wood, it shall be washed with water.
15:13. If he who suffereth this disease be healed, he shall number seven
days after his cleansing: and having washed his clothes, and all his
body in living water, he shall be clean.
15:14. And on the eighth day he shall take two turtles, or two young
pigeons, and he shall come before the Lord, to the door of the
tabernacle of the testimony, and shall give them to the priest.
15:15. Who shall offer one for sin, and the other for a holocaust: and
he shall pray for him before the Lord, that he may be cleansed of the
issue of his seed.
15:16. The man from whom the seed of copulation goeth out, shall wash
all his body with water: and he shall be unclean until the evening.
15:17. The garment or skin that he weareth, he shall wash with water:
and it shall be unclean until the evening.
15:18. The woman, with whom he copulateth, shall be washed with water:
and shall be unclean until the evening.
15:19. The woman, who at the return of the month, hath her issue of
blood, shall be separated seven days.
15:20. Every one that toucheth her, shall be unclean until the evening.
15:21. And every thing that she sleepeth on, or that she sitteth on in
the days of her separation, shall be defiled.
15:22. He that toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes: and being
himself washed with water, shall be unclean until the evening.
15:23. Whosoever shall touch any vessel on which she sitteth, shall wash
his clothes: and himself being washed with water, shall be defiled until
the evening.
15:24. If a man copulateth with her in the time of her flowers, he shall
be unclean seven days: and every bed on which he shall sleep, shall be
defiled.
15:25. The woman that hath still issue of blood many days out of her
ordinary time, or that ceaseth not to flow after the monthly courses, as
long as she is subject to this disease, shall be unclean, in the same
manner as if she were in her flowers.
15:26. Every bed on which she sleepeth, and every vessel on which she
sitteth, shall be defiled.
15:27. Whosoever toucheth them shall wash his clothes: and himself being
washed with water, shall be unclean until the evening.
15:28. If the blood stop and cease to run, she shall count seven days of
her purification:
15:29. And on the eighth day she shall offer for herself to the priest,
two turtles, or two young pigeons, at the door of the tabernacle of the
testimony:
15:30. And he shall offer one for sin, and the other for a holocaust,
and he shall pray for her before the Lord, and for the issue of her
uncleanness.
15:31. You shall teach therefore the children of Israel to take heed of
uncleanness, that they may not die in their filth, when they shall have
defiled my tabernacle that is among them.
15:32. This is the law of him that hath the issue of seed, and that is
defiled by copulation.
15:33. And of the woman that is separated in her monthly times, or that
hath a continual issue of blood, and of the man that sleepeth with her.
Leviticus Chapter 16
When and how the high priest must enter into the sanctuary. The feast of
expiation.
16:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, after the death of the two sons of
Aaron when they were slain upon their offering strange fire:
16:2. And he commanded him, saying: Speak to Aaron thy brother, that he
enter not at all into the sanctuary, which is within the veil before the
propitiatory, with which the ark is covered, lest he die, (for I will
appear in a cloud over the oracle),
Enter not... No one but the high priest, and he but once a year, could
enter into the sanctuary; to signify that no one could enter into the
sanctuary of heaven, till Christ our high priest opened it by his
passion. Heb. 10.8.
16:3. Unless he first do these things. He shall offer a calf for sin,
and a ram for a holocaust.
16:4. He shall be vested with a linen tunick: he shall cover his
nakedness with linen breeches: he shall be girded with a linen girdle,
and he shall put a linen mitre upon his head. For these are holy
vestments: all which he shall put on, after he is washed.
16:5. And he shall receive from the whole multitude of the children of
Israel two buck goats for sin, and one ram for a holocaust.
16:6. And when he hath offered the cattle and prayed for himself and for
his own house:
16:7. He shall make the two buck goats to stand before the Lord in the
door of the tabernacle of the testimony.
16:8. And casting lots upon them both, one to be offered to the Lord,
and the other to be the emissary goat:
16:9. That whose lot fell to be offered to the Lord, he shall offer for
sin.
16:10. But that whose lot was to be the emissary goat, he shall present
before the Lord, that he may pour prayers upon him, and let him go into
the wilderness.
16:11. After these things are duly celebrated, he shall offer the calf:
and praying for himself and for his own house, he shall immolate it.
16:12. And taking the censer, which he hath filled with the burning
coals of the altar, and taking up with his hands the compounded perfume
for incense, he shall go in within the veil into the holy place:
16:13. That when the perfumes are put upon the fire, the cloud and
vapour thereof may cover the oracle, which is over the testimony, and he
may not die.
16:14. He shall take also of the blood of the calf, and sprinkle with
his finger seven times towards the propitiatory to the east.
16:15. And when he hath killed the buck goat for the sin of the people,
he shall carry in the blood thereof within the veil, as he was commanded
to do with the blood of the calf, that he may sprinkle it over against
the oracle:
16:16. And may expiate the sanctuary from the uncleanness of the
children of Israel, and from their transgressions, and all their sins.
According to this rite shall he do to the tabernacle of the testimony,
which is fixed among them in the midst of the filth of their habitation.
16:17. Let no man be in the tabernacle when the high priest goeth into
the sanctuary, to pray for himself and his house, and for the whole
congregation of Israel, until he come out.
16:18. And when he is come out to the altar that is before the Lord, let
him pray for himself: and taking the blood of the calf, and of the buck
goat, let him pour it upon the horns thereof round about.
16:19. And sprinkling with his finger seven times, let him expiate, and
sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
16:20. After he hath cleaned the sanctuary, and the tabernacle, and the
altar, then let him offer the living goat.
16:21. And putting both hands upon his head, let him confess all the
iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their offences and sins.
And praying that they may light on its head, he shall turn him out by a
man ready for it, into the desert.
16:22. And when the goat hath carried all their iniquities into an
uninhabited land, and shall be let go into the desert:
16:23. Aaron shall return into the tabernacle of the testimony, and
putting off the vestments, which he had on him before when he entered
into the sanctuary, and leaving them there,
16:24. He shall wash his flesh in the holy place, and shall put on his
own garments. And after that he is come out and hath offered his own
holocaust, and that of the people, he shall pray both for himself, and
for the people.
16:25. And the fat that is offered for sins, he shall burn on the altar.
16:26. But he that hath let go the emissary goat, shall wash his
clothes, and his body with water, and so shall enter into the camp.
16:27. But the calf and the buck goat, that were sacrificed for sin, and
whose blood was carried into the sanctuary, to accomplish the atonement,
they shall carry forth without the camp, and shall burn with fire: their
skins and their flesh, and their dung.
16:28. And whosoever burneth them shall wash his clothes, and flesh with
water: and so shall enter into the camp.
16:29. And this shall be to you an everlasting ordinance. The seventh
month, the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and
shall do no work, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger
that sojourneth among you.
16:30. Upon this day shall be the expiation for you, and the cleansing
from all your sins. You shall be cleansed before the Lord.
16:31. For it is a sabbath of rest: and you shall afflict your souls by
a perpetual religion.
16:32. And the priest that is anointed, and whose hands are consecrated
to do the office of the priesthood in his father's stead, shall make
atonement. And he shall be vested with the linen robe and the holy
vestments.
16:33. And he shall expiate the sanctuary and the tabernacle of the
testimony and the altar: the priest also and all the people.
16:34. And this shall be an ordinance for ever, that you pray for the
children of Israel, and for all their sins once a year. He did therefore
as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Leviticus Chapter 17
No sacrifices to be offered but at the door of the tabernacle: a
prohibition of blood.
17:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
17:2. Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel,
saying to them: This is the word, which the Lord hath commanded, saying:
17:3. Any man whosoever of the house of Israel, if he kill an ox, or a
sheep, or a goat in the camp, or without the camp,
If he kill, etc... That is, in order to sacrifice. The law of God
forbids sacrifices to be offered in any other place but at the
tabernacle or temple of the Lord; to signify that no sacrifice would be
acceptable to God, out of his true temple, the one holy, catholic,
apostolic church.
17:4. And offer it not at the door of the tabernacle an oblation to the
Lord, shall be guilty of blood. As if he had shed blood, so shall he
perish from the midst of his people.
17:5. Therefore the children of Israel shall bring to the priest their
victims, which they kill in the field, that they may be sanctified to
the Lord before the door of the tabernacle of the testimony: and they
may sacrifice them for peace offerings to the Lord.
17:6. And the priest shall pour the blood upon the altar of the Lord, at
the door of the tabernacle of the testimony: and shall burn the fat for
a sweet odour to the Lord.
17:7. And they shall no more sacrifice their victims to devils, with
whom they have committed fornication. It shall be an ordinance for ever
to them and to their posterity.
17:8. And thou shalt say to them: The man of the house of Israel, and of
the strangers who sojourn among you, that offereth a holocaust or a
victim,
17:9. And bringeth it not to the door of the tabernacle of the
testimony, that it may be offered to the Lord, shall perish from among
his people.
17:10. If any man whosoever of the house of Israel, and of the strangers
that sojourn among them, eat blood, I will set my face against his soul,
and will cut him off from among his people.
Eat blood... To eat blood was forbidden in the law; partly, because God
reserved it to himself, to be offered in sacrifices on the altar, as to
the Lord of life and death; and as a figure of the blood of Christ; and
partly, to give men a horror of shedding blood. Gen. 9.4, 5, 6.
17:11. Because the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given
it to you, that you may make atonement with it upon the altar for your
souls, and the blood may be for an expiation of the soul.
17:12. Therefore I have said to the children of Israel: No soul of you,
nor of the strangers that sojourn among you, shall eat blood.
17:13. Any man whosoever of the children of Israel, and of the strangers
that sojourn among you, if by hunting or fowling, he take a wild beast
or a bird, which is lawful to eat, let him pour out its blood, and cover
it with earth.
17:14. For the life of all flesh is in the blood. Therefore I said to
the children of Israel: you shall not eat the blood of any flesh at all,
because the life of the flesh is in the blood, and whosoever eateth it,
shall be cut off.
17:15. The soul that eateth that which died of itself, or has been
caught by a beast, whether he be one of your own country or a stranger,
shall wash his clothes and himself with water, and shall be defiled
until the evening: and in this manner he shall be made clean.
17:16. But if he do not wash his clothes, and his body, he shall bear
his iniquity.
Leviticus Chapter 18
Marriage is prohibited in certain degrees of kindred: Anda all unnatural
lusts.
18:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
18:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: I am
the Lord your God.
18:3. You shall not do according to the custom of the land of Egypt, in
which you dwelt: neither shall you act according to the manner of the
country of Chanaan, into which I will bring you. Nor shall you walk in
their ordinances.
18:4. You shall do my judgments, and shall observe my precepts, and
shall walk in them. I am the Lord your God.
18:5. Keep my laws and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in
them, I am the Lord.
18:6. No man shall approach to her that is near of kin to him, to
uncover her nakedness. I am the Lord.
18:7. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father, or the
nakedness of thy mother: she is thy mother, thou shalt not uncover her
nakedness.
18:8. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's wife: for it
is the nakedness of thy father.
18:9. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy sister by father or by
mother: whether born at home or abroad.
18:10. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy son's daughter, or
thy daughter's daughter: because it is thy own nakedness.
18:11. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's wife's
daughter, whom she bore to thy father: and who is thy sister.
18:12. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister:
because she is the flesh of thy father.
18:13. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister:
because she is thy mother's flesh.
18:14. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother:
neither shalt thou approach to his wife, who is joined to thee by
affinity.
18:15. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter-in-law:
because she is thy son's wife, neither shalt thou discover her shame.
18:16. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife:
because it is the nakedness of thy brother.
18:17. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy wife and her
daughter. Thou shalt not take her son's daughter or her daughter's
daughter, to discover her shame: because they are her flesh, and such
copulation is incest.
18:18. Thou shalt not take thy wife's sister for a harlot, to rival her:
neither shalt thou discover her nakedness, while she is yet living.
18:19. Thou shalt not approach to a woman having her flowers: neither
shalt thou uncover her nakedness.
18:20. Thou shalt not lie with thy neighbour's wife: nor be defiled with
mingling of seed.
18:21. Thou shalt not give any of thy seed to be consecrated to the idol
Moloch, nor defile the name of thy God. I am the Lord.
18:22. Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: because it is
an abomination.
18:23. Thou shalt not copulate with any beast: neither shalt thou be
defiled with it. A woman shall not lie down to a beast, nor copulate
with it: because it is a heinous crime.
Because it is a heinous crime... In Hebrew, this word heinous crime is
expressed by the word confusion, signifying the shamefulness and
baseness of this abominable sin.
18:24. Defile not yourselves with any of these things with which all the
nations have been defiled, which I will cast out before you,
18:25. And with which the land is defiled: the abominations of which I
will visit, that it may vomit out its inhabitants.
18:26. Keep ye my ordinances and my judgments: and do not any of these
abominations. Neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that
sojourneth among you.
18:27. For all these detestable things the inhabitants of the land have
done, that were before you, and have defiled it.
18:28. Beware then, lest in like manner, it vomit you also out, if you
do the like things: as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
18:29. Every soul that shall commit any of these abominations, shall
perish from the midst of his people.
18:30. Keep my commandments. Do not the things which they have done,
that have been before you: and be not defiled therein. I am the Lord
your God.
Leviticus Chapter 19
Divers ordinances, partly moral, partly ceremonial or judicial.
19:1. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
19:2. Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel. And thou
shalt say to them: Be ye holy, because I the Lord your God am holy.
19:3. Let every one fear his father, and his mother. Keep my sabbaths. I
am the Lord your God.
19:4. Turn ye not to idols: nor make to yourselves molten gods. I am the
Lord your God.
19:5. If ye offer in sacrifice a peace offering to the Lord, that he may
be favourable:
19:6. You shall eat it on the same day it was offered, and the next day.
And whatsoever shall be left until the third day, you shall burn with
fire.
19:7. If after two days any man eat thereof, he shall be profane and
guilty of impiety:
19:8. And shall bear his iniquity, because he hath defiled the holy
thing of the Lord. And that soul shall perish from among his people.
19:9. When thou reapest the corn of thy land, thou shalt not cut down
all that is on the face of the earth to the very ground: nor shalt thou
gather the ears that remain.
19:10. Neither shalt thou gather the bunches and grapes that fall down
in thy vineyard: but shalt leave them to the poor and the strangers to
take. I am the Lord your God.
19:11. You shall not steal. You shall not lie: neither shall any man
deceive his neighbour.
19:12. Thou shalt not swear falsely by my name, nor profane the name of
thy God. I am the Lord.
19:13. Thou shalt not calumniate thy neighbour, nor oppress him by
violence. The wages of him that hath been hired by thee shall not abide
with thee until the morning.
19:14. Thou shalt not speak evil of the deaf, nor put a stumbling block
before the blind: but thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, because I am the
Lord.
19:15. Thou shalt not do that which is unjust, nor judge unjustly.
Respect not the person of the poor: nor honour the countenance of the
mighty. But judge thy neighbour according to justice.
19:16. Thou shalt not be a detractor nor a whisperer among the people.
Thou shalt not stand against the blood of thy neighbour. I am the Lord.
19:17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart: But reprove him
openly, lest thou incur sin through him.
19:18. Seek not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of thy citizens.
Thou shalt love thy friend as thyself. I am the Lord.
19:19. Keep ye my laws. Thou shalt not make thy cattle to gender with
beasts of any other kind. Thou shalt not sow thy field with different
seeds. Thou shalt not wear a garment that is woven of two sorts.
Different seeds, etc... This law tends to recommend simplicity and plain
dealing in all things, and to teach the people not to join any false
worship or heresy with the worship of the true God.
19:20. If a man carnally lie with a woman that is a bondservant and
marriageable, and yet not redeemed with a price, nor made free: they
both shall be scourged: and they shall not be put to death, because she
was not a free woman.
19:21. And for his trespass he shall offer a ram to the Lord, at the
door of the tabernacle of the testimony.
19:22. And the priest shall pray for him: and for his sin before the
Lord: and he shall have mercy on him, and the sin shall be forgiven.
19:23. When you shall be come into the land, and shall have planted in
it fruit trees, you shall take away the firstfruits of them. The fruit
that comes forth shall be unclean to you: neither shall you eat of them.
Firstfruits... Proeputia, literally, their foreskins; it alludes to
circumcision, and signifies that for the first three years the trees
were to be as uncircumcised, and their fruit unclean: till in the fourth
year their increase was sanctified and given to the Lord, that is, to
the priests.
19:24. But in the fourth year, all their fruit shall be sanctified, to
the praise of the Lord.
19:25. And in the fifth year you shall eat the fruits thereof, gathering
the increase thereof. I am the Lord your God.
19:26. You shall not eat with blood. You shall not divine nor observe
dreams.
19:27. Nor shall you cut your hair roundwise: nor shave your beard.
19:28. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh, for the dead:
neither shall you make in yourselves any figures or marks. I am the
Lord.
19:29. Make not thy daughter a common strumpet, lest the land be
defiled, and filled with wickedness.
19:30. Keep ye my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
19:31. Go not aside after wizards: neither ask any thing of soothsayers,
to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
19:32. Rise up before the hoary head, and honour the person of the aged
man: and fear the Lord thy God. I am the Lord.
19:33. If a stranger dwell in your land, and abide among you, do not
upbraid hin:
19:34. But let him be among you as one of the same country. And you
shall love him as yourselves: for you were strangers in the land of
Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
19:35. Do not any unjust thing in judgment, in rule, in weight, or in
measure.
19:36. Let the balance be just and the weights equal, the bushel just,
and the sextary equal. I am the Lord your God, that brought you out of
the land of Egypt.
19:37. Keep all my precepts, and all my judgments: and do them. I am
the Lord.
Leviticus Chapter 20
Divers crimes to be punished with death.
20:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
20:2. Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: If any man of the
children Israel, or of the strangers that dwell in Israel, give of his
seed to the idol Moloch, dying let him die. The people of the land shall
stone him.
20:3. And I will set my face against him: and I will cut him off from
the midst of his people, because he hath given of his seed to Moloch,
and hath defiled my sanctuary, and profaned my holy name.
20:4. And if the people of the land neglecting, and as it were little
regarding my commandment, let alone the man that hath given of his seed
to Moloch, and will not kill him:
20:5. I will set my face against that man, and his kindred, and will cut
off both him and all that consented with him, to commit fornication with
Moloch, out of the midst of their people.
20:6. The soul that shall go aside after magicians, and soothsayers, and
shall commit fornication with them: I will set my face against that
soul, and destroy it out of the midst of its people.
20:7. Sanctify yourselves, and be ye holy: because I am the Lord your
God.
20:8. Keep my precepts, and do them. I am the Lord that sanctify you.
20:9. He that curseth his father, or mother, dying let him die. He hath
cursed his father, and mother: let his blood be upon him.
20:10. If any man commit adultery with the wife of another, and defile
his neighbour's wife: let them be put to death, both the adulterer and
the adulteress.
20:11. If a man lie with his stepmother, and discover the nakedness of
his father, let them both be put to death: their blood be upon them.
20:12. If any man lie with his daughter-in-law: let both die, because
they have done a heinous crime. Their blood be upon them.
20:13. If any one lie with a man as with a woman, both have committed an
abomination: let them be put to death. Their blood be upon them.
20:14. If any man after marrying the daughter, marry her mother, he hath
done a heinous crime. He shall be burnt alive with them: neither shall
so great an abomination remain in the midst of you.
20:15. He that shall copulate with any beast or cattle, dying let him
die: the beast also ye shall kill.
The beast also ye shall kill... The killing of the beast was for the
greater horror of the crime, and to prevent the remembrance of such
abaomination.
20:16. The woman that shall lie under any beast, shall be killed
together with the same. Their blood be upon them.
20:17. If any man take his sister, the daughter of his father, or the
daughter of his mother, and see her nakedness, and she behold her
brother's shame: they have committed a crime. They shall be slain, in
the sight of their people, because they have discovered one another's
nakedness. And they shall bear their iniquity.
20:18. If any man lie with a woman in her flowers, and uncover her
nakedness, and she open the fountain of her blood: both shall be
destroyed out of the midst of their people.
20:19. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy aunt by thy mother,
and of thy aunt by thy father. He that doth this, hath uncovered the
shame of his own flesh: both shall bear their iniquity.
20:20. If any man lie with the wife of his uncle by the father, or of
his uncle by the mother, and uncover the shame of his near akin, both
shall bear their sin. They shall die without children.
20:21. He that marrieth his brother's wife, doth an unlawful thing: he
hath uncovered his brother's nakedness. They shall be without children.
20:22. Keep my laws and my judgments, and do them: lest the land into
which you are to enter to dwell therein, vomit you also out.
20:23. Walk not after the laws of the nations, which I will cast out
before you. For they have done all these things: and therefore I
abhorred them.
20:24. But to you I say: Possess their land which I will give you for an
inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God,
who have separated you from other people.
20:25. Therefore do you also separate the clean beast from the unclean,
and the clean fowl from the unclean. Defile not your souls with beasts,
or birds, or any things that move on the earth, and which I have shewn
you to be unclean:
20:26. You shall be holy unto me, because I the Lord am holy: and I have
separated you from other people, that you should be mine.
20:27. A man, or woman, in whom there is a pythonical or divining
spirit, dying let them die. They shall stone them. Their blood be upon
them.
Leviticus Chapter 21
Ordinances relating to the priests.
21:1. The Lord said also to Moses: Speak to the priests the sons of
Aaron, and thou shalt say for them: Let not a priest incur an
uncleanness at the death of his citizens.
An uncleanness... Viz., such as was contracted in laying out the dead
body, or touching it; or in going into the house, or assisting at the
funeral, etc.
21:2. But only for his kin, such as are near in blood: that is to say,
for his father and for his mother, and for his son, and for his
daughter, for his brother also:
21:3. And for a maiden sister, who hath had no husband.
21:4. But not even for the prince of his people shall he do any thing
that may make him unclean.
21:5. Neither shall they shave their head, nor their beard, nor make
incisions in their flesh.
21:6. They shall be holy to their God, and shall not profane his name.
For they offer the burnt offering of the Lord, and the bread of their
God: and therefore they shall be holy.
21:7. They shall not take to wife a harlot or a vile prostitute, nor one
that has been put away from her husband: because they are consecrated to
their God,
21:8. And offer the loaves of proposition. Let them therefore be holy
because I also am holy: the Lord, who sanctify them.
21:9. If the daughter of a priest be taken in whoredom and dishonour the
name of her father, she shall be burnt with fire.
21:10. The high priest, that is to say, the priest who is the greatest
among his brethren, upon whose head the oil of unction hath been poured;
and whose hands have been consecrated for the priesthood; and who hath
been vested with the holy vestments. He shall not uncover his head: he
shall not rend his garments.
21:11. Nor shall he go in at all to any dead person: not even for his
father, or his mother, shall he be defiled.
21:12. Neither shall he go out of the holy places, lest he defile the
sanctuary of the Lord: because the oil of the holy unction of his God is
upon him. I am the Lord.
21:13. He shall take a virgin unto his wife.
21:14. But a widow or one that is divorced, or defied, or a harlot, he
shall not take: but a maid of his own people.
21:15. He shall not mingle the stock of his kindred with the common
people of this nation: for I am the Lord who sanctify him.
21:16. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
21:17. Say to Aaron: Whosoever of thy seed throughout their families,
hath a blemish, he shall not offer bread to his God.
21:18. Neither shall he approach to minister to him: If he be blind; if
he be lame; if he have a little, or a great, or a crooked nose;
21:19. If his foot, or if his hand be broken;
21:20. If he be crookbacked; or blear eyed; or have a pearl in his eye,
or a continual scab, or a dry scurf in his body, or a rupture.
21:21. Whosoever of the seed of Aaron the priest hath a blemish: he
shall not approach to offer sacrifices to the Lord, nor bread to his
God.
21:22. He shall eat nevertheless of the loaves that are offered in the
sanctuary.
21:23. Yet so that he enter not within the veil, nor approach to the
altar: because he hath a blemish, and he must not defile my sanctuary. I
am the Lord who sanctify them.
21:24. Moses, therefore spoke to Aaron, and to his sons and to all
Israel, all the things that had been commanded him.
Leviticus Chapter 22
Who may eat the holy things: and what things may be offered.
22:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying:
22:2. Speak to Aaron and to his sons, that they beware of those things
that are consecrated of the children of Israel: and defile not the name
of the things sanctified to me, which they offer. I am the Lord.
22:3. Say to them and to their posterity: Every man of your race, that
approacheth to those things that are consecrated, and which the children
of Israel have offered to the Lord, in whom there is uncleanness, shall
perish before the Lord. I am the Lord.
Approacheth, etc... This is to give us to understand, with what purity
of soul we are to approach to the blessed sacrament of which these meats
that had been offered in sacrifice were a figure.
22:4. The man of the seed of Aaron, that is a leper, or that suffereth a
running of the seed, shall not eat of those things that are sanctified
to me, until he be healed. He that toucheth any thing unclean by
occasion of the dead: and he whose seed goeth from him as in generation:
22:5. And he that toucheth a creeping thing, or any unclean thing, the
touching of which is defiling:
22:6. Shall be unclean until the evening, and shall not eat those things
that are sanctified. But when he hath washed his flesh with water,
22:7. And the sun is down, then being purified, he shall eat of the
sanctified things, because it is his meat.
22:8. That which dieth of itself, and that which was taken by a beast,
they shall not eat, nor be defiled therewith. I am the Lord.
22:9. Let them keep my precepts, that they may not fall into sin, and
die in the sanctuary, when they shall have defiled it. I am the Lord who
sanctify them.
22:10. No stranger shall eat of the sanctified things: a sojourner of
the priests, or a hired servant, shall not eat of them.
22:11. But he whom the priest hath bought, and he that is his servant,
born in his house, these shall eat of them.
22:12. If the daughter of a priest be married to any of the people, she
shall not eat of those things that are sanctified nor of the
firstfruits.
22:13. But if she be a widow, or divorced, and having no children return
to her father's house, she shall eat of her father's meats, as she was
wont to do when she was a maid. No stranger hath leave to eat of them.
22:14. He that eateth of the sanctified things through ignorance, shall
add the fifth part with that which he ate, and shall give it to the
priest into the sanctuary.
22:15. And they shall not profane the sanctified things of the children
of Israel, which they offer to the Lord:
22:16. Lest perhaps they bear the iniquity of their trespass, when they
shall have eaten the sanctified things. I am the Lord who sanctify them.
22:17. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
22:18. Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of
Israel, and thou shalt say to them: The man of the house of Israel, and
of the strangers who dwell with you, that offereth his oblation, either
paying his vows, or offering of his own accord, whatsoever it be which
he presenteth for a holocaust of the Lord,
22:19. To be offered by you: it shall be a male without blemish of the
beeves, or of the sheep, or of the goats.
22:20. If it have a blemish you shall not offer it: neither shall it be
acceptable.
22:21. The man that offereth a victim of peace offerings to the Lord,
either paying his vows, or offering of his own accord, whether of beeves
or of sheep, shall offer it without blemish, that it may be acceptable.
There shall be no blemish in it.
22:22. If it be blind, or broken, or have a scar or blisters, or a scab,
or a dry scurf: you shall not offer them to the Lord, nor burn any thing
of them upon the Lord's altar.
22:23. An ox or a sheep, that hath the ear and the tail cut off, thou
mayst offer voluntarily: but a vow may not be paid with them.
22:24. you shall not offer to the Lord any beast that hath the testicles
bruised, or crushed, or cut and taken away: neither shall you do any
such things in your land.
22:25. you shall not offer bread to your God, from the hand of a
stranger, nor any other thing that he would give: because they are all
corrupted, and defiled. You shall not receive them.
22:26. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
22:27. When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, they
shall be seven days under the udder of their dam: but the eighth day,
and thenceforth, they may be offered to the Lord.
22:28. Whether it be a cow, or a sheep, they shall not be sacrificed the
same day with their young ones.
22:29. If you immolate a victim for thanksgiving to the Lord, that he
may be favourable,
22:30. You shall eat it the same day. There shall not any of it remain
until the morning of the next day. I am the Lord.
22:31. Keep my commandments, and do them. I am the Lord.
22:32. Profane not my holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst
of the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctify you:
22:33. And who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that I might be
your God. I am the Lord.
Leviticus Chapter 23
Holy days to be kept.
23:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
23:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: These
are the feasts of the Lord, which you shall call holy.
23:3. Six days shall ye do work: the seventh day, because it is the rest
of the sabbath, shall be called holy. You shall do no work on that day:
it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your habitations.
23:4. These also are the holy days of the Lord, which you must celebrate
in their seasons.
23:5. The first month, the fourteenth day of the month at evening, is
the phase of the Lord.
23:6. And the fifteenth day of the same month is the solemnity of the
unleavened bread of the Lord. Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread.
23:7. The first day shall be most solemn unto you, and holy: you shall
do no servile work therein.
23:8. But you shall offer sacrifice in fire to the Lord seven days. And
the seventh day shall be more solemn, and more holy: and you shall do no
servile work therein.
23:9. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
23:10. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When
you shall have entered into the land which I will give you, and shall
reap your corn, you shall bring sheaves of ears, the firstfruits of your
harvest to the priest.
23:11. Who shall lift up the sheaf before the Lord, the next day after
the sabbath, that it may be acceptable for you, and shall sanctify it.
23:12. And on the same day that the sheaf is consecrated, a lamb without
blemish of the first year shall be killed for a holocaust of the Lord.
23:13. And the libations shall be offered with it: two tenths of flour
tempered with oil, for a burnt offering of the Lord, and a most sweet
odour. Libations also of wine, the fourth part of a hin.
23:14. You shall not eat either bread, or parched corn, or frumenty or
the harvest, until the day that you shall offer thereof to your God. It
is a precept for ever throughout your generations, and all your
dwellings.
23:15. You shall count therefore from the morrow after the sabbath,
wherein you offered the sheaf of firstfruits, seven full weeks.
23:16. Even unto the morrow after the seventh week be expired, that is
to say, fifty days: and so you shall offer a new sacrifice to the Lord.
23:17. Out of all your dwellings, two loaves of the firstfruits, of two
tenths of flour leavened, which you shall bake for the firstfruits of
the Lord.
23:18. And you shall offer with the loaves seven lambs without blemish
of the first year, and one calf from the herd, and they shall be for a
holocaust with their two rams: and they shall be for a holocaust with
their libations for a most sweet odour to the Lord.
23:19. You shall offer also a buck goat for sin, and two lambs of the
first year for sacrifices of peace offerings.
23:20. And when the priest hath lifted them up with the loaves of the
firstfruits before the Lord, they shall fall to his use.
23:21. And you shall call this day most solemn, and most holy. You
shall do no servile work therein. It shall be an everlasting ordinance
in all your dwellings and generations.
23:22. And when you reap the corn of your land, you shall not cut it to
the very ground: neither shall you gather the ears that remain. But you
shall leave them for the poor and for the strangers. I am the Lord your
God.
23:23. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
23:24. Say to the children of Israel: The seventh month, on the first
day of the month, you shall keep a sabbath, a memorial, with the sound
of trumpets, and it shall be called holy.
23:25. You shall do no servile work therein, and you shall offer a
holocaust to the Lord.
23:26. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
23:27. Upon the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the day of
atonement. It shall be most solemn, and shall be called holy: and you
shall await your souls on that day, and shall offer a holocaust to the
Lord.
23:28. You shall do no servile work in the time of this day: because it
is a day of propitiation, that the Lord your God may be merciful unto
you.
23:29. Every soul that is not afflicted on this day, shall perish from
among his people.
23:30. And every soul that shall do any work, the same will I destroy
from among his people.
23:31. You shall do no work therefore on that day: it shall be an
everlasting ordinance unto you in all your generations, and dwellings.
23:32. It is a sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls
beginning on the ninth day of the month. From evening until evening you
shall celebrate your sabbaths.
23:33. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
23:34. Say to the children of Israel: From the fifteenth day of this
same seventh month, shall be kept the feast of tabernacles, seven days
to the Lord.
23:35. The first day shall be called most solemn and most holy: you
shall do no servile work therein. And seven days you shall offer
holocausts to the Lord.
23:36. The eighth day also shall be most solemn and most holy: and you
shall offer holocausts to the Lord. For it is the day of assembly and
congregation. You shall do no servile work therein.
23:37. These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall call most solemn
and most holy, and shall offer on them oblations to the Lord: holocausts
and libations according to the rite of every day.
23:38. Besides the sabbaths of the Lord, and your gifts, and those
things that you offer by vow, or which you shall give to the Lord
voluntarily.
23:39. So from the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you shall
have gathered in all the fruits of your land, you shall celebrate the
feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day and the eighth shall be a
sabbath: that is a day of rest.
23:40. And you shall take to you on the first day the fruits of the
fairest tree, and branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and
willows of the brook: And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God.
23:41. And you shall keep the solemnity thereof seven days in the year.
It shall be an everlasting ordinance in your generations. In the seventh
month shall you celebrate this feast.
23:42. And you shall dwell in bowers seven days. Every one that is of
the race of Israel, shall dwell in tabernacles:
23:43. That your posterity may know, that I made the children of Israel
to dwell in tabernacles, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I
am the Lord your God.
23:44. And Moses spoke concerning the feasts of the Lord to the children
of Israel.
Leviticus Chapter 24
The oil for the lamps. The loaves of proposition. The punishment of
blasphemy.
24:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
24:2. Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee the
finest and clearest oil of olives, to furnish the lamps continually,
24:3. Without the veil of the testimony in the tabernacle of the
covenant. And Aaron shall set them from evening until morning before the
Lord, by a perpetual service and rite in your generations.
24:4. They shall be set upon the most pure candlestick before the Lord
continually.
24:5. Thou shalt take also fine flour, and shalt bake twelve loaves
thereof, two tenths shall be in every loaf.
24:6. And thou shalt set them six and six, one against another, upon the
most clean table before the Lord.
24:7. And thou shalt put upon them the clearest frankincense, that the
bread may be for a memorial of the oblation of the Lord.
24:8. Every sabbath they shall be changed before the Lord: being
received of the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
24:9. And they shall be Aaron's and his sons', that they may eat them in
the holy place: because it is most holy of the sacrifices of the Lord by
a perpetual right.
24:10. And behold there went out the son of a woman of Israel, whom she
had of an Egyptian, among the children of Israel: and fell at words in
the camp with a man of Israel.
24:11. And when he had blasphemed the name, and had cursed it, he was
brought to Moses. (Now his mother was called Salumith, the daughter of
Dabri, of the tribe of Dan.)
24:12. And they put him into prison, till they might know what the Lord
would command.
24:13. And the Lord spoke to Moses,
24:14. Saying: Bring forth the blasphemer without the camp: and let them
that heard him, put their hands upon his head: and let all the people
stone him.
24:15. And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel: The man that
curseth his God, shall bear his sin:
24:16. And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, dying let him die.
All the multitude shall stone him, whether he be a native or a stranger.
He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, dying let him die.
24:17. He that striketh and killeth a man: dying let him die.
24:18. He that killeth a beast, shall make it good that is to say, shall
give beast for beast.
24:19. He that giveth a blemish to any of his neighbours: as he hath
done, so shall it be done to him:
24:20. Breach for breach, eye for ere, tooth for tooth, shall he
restore. What blemish he gave, the like shall he be compelled to suffer.
24:21. He that striketh a beast, shall render another. He that striketh
a man shall be punished.
24:22. Let there be equal judgment among you, whether he be a stranger,
or a native that offends: because I am the Lord your God.
24:23. And Moses spoke to the children of Israel. And they brought forth
him that had blasphemed, without the camp: and they stoned him. And the
children of Israel did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Leviticus Chapter 25
The law of the seventh and of the fiftieth year of jubilee.
25:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai, saying:
25:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When
you shall have entered into the land which I will give you, observe the
rest of the sabbath of the Lord.
25:3. Six years thou shalt sow thy field and six years thou shalt prune
thy vineyard, and shalt gather the fruits thereof.
25:4. But in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath to the land, of
the resting of the Lord. Thou shalt not sow thy field, nor prune thy
vineyard.
25:5. What the ground shall bring forth of itself, thou shalt not reap:
neither shalt thou gather the grapes or the firstfruits as a vintage.
For it is a year of rest to the land.
25:6. But they shall be unto you for meat, to thee and to thy
man-servant, to thy maid-servant and thy hireling, and to the strangers
that sojourn with thee.
25:7. All things that grow shall be meat to thy beasts and to thy
cattle.
25:8. Thou shalt also number to thee seven weeks of years: that is to
say, seven times seven, which together make forty-nine years.
25:9. And thou shalt sound the trumpet in the seventh month, the tenth
day of the month, in the time of the expiation in all your land.
25:10. And thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year, and shalt proclaim
remission to all the inhabitants of thy land: for it is the year of
jubilee. Every man shall return to his possession, and every one shall
go back to his former family:
Remission... That is, a general release and discharge from debts and
bondage, and a reinstating of every man in his former possessions.
25:11. Because it is the jubilee and the fiftieth year. You shall not
sow, nor reap the things that grow in the field of their own accord,
neither shall you gather the firstfruits of the vines,
25:12. Because of the sanctification of the jubilee. But as they grow
you shall presently eat them.
25:13. In the year of the jubilee all shall return to their possessions.
25:14. When thou shalt sell any thing to thy neighbour, or shalt buy of
him: grieve not thy brother. But thou shalt buy of him according to the
number of years from the jubilee.
25:15. And he shall sell to thee according to the computation of the
fruits.
25:16. The more years remain after the jubilee, the more shall the price
increase: and the less time is counted, so much the less shall the
purchase cost. For he shall sell to thee the time of the fruits.
25:17. Do not afflict your countrymen: but let every one fear his God.
Because I am the Lord your God.
25:18. Do my precepts, and keep my judgments, and fulfil them: that you
may dwell in the land without any fear.
25:19. And the ground may yield you its fruits, of which you may eat
your fill, fearing no man's invasion.
25:20. But if you say: What shall we eat the seventh year, if we sow
not, nor gather our fruits?
25:21. I will give you my blessing the sixth year: and it shall yield
the fruits of three years.
25:22. And the eighth year you shall sow, and shall eat of the old
fruits, until the ninth year: till new grow up, you shall eat the old
store.
25:23. The land also shall not be sold for ever: because it is mine, and
you are strangers and sojourners with me.
25:24. For which cause all the country of your possession shall be under
the condition of redemption.
25:25. If thy brother being impoverished sell his little possession, and
his kinsman will: he may redeem what he had sold.
25:26. But if he have no kinsman, and he himself can find the price to
redeem it:
25:27. The value of the fruits shall be counted from that time when he
sold it. And the overplus he shall restore to the buyer, and so shall
receive his possession again.
25:28. But if his hands find not the means to repay the price, the buyer
shall have what he bought, until the year of the jubilee. For in that
year all that is sold shall return to the owner, and to the ancient
possessor.
25:29. He that selleth a house within the walls of a city, shall have
the liberty to redeem it, until one year be expired.
25:30. If he redeem it not, and the whole year be fully out, the buyer
shall possess it, and his posterity for ever, and it cannot be redeemed,
not even in the jubilee.
25:31. But if the house be in a village, that hath no walls, it shall be
sold according to the same law as the fields. If it be not redeemed
before, in the jubilee it shall return to the owner.
25:32. The houses of Levites, which are in cities, may always be
redeemed.
25:33. If they be not redeemed, in the jubilee they shall all return to
the owners: because the houses of the cities of the Levites are for
their possessions among the children of Israel.
25:34. But let not their suburbs be sold, because it is a perpetual
possession.
25:35. If thy brother be impoverished, and weak of hand, and thou
receive him as a stranger and sojourner, and he live with thee:
25:36. Take not usury of him nor more than thou gavest. Fear thy God,
that thy brother may live with thee.
25:37. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury: nor exact of him
any increase of fruits.
25:38. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that I might give you the land of Chanaan, and might be your God.
25:39. If thy brother constrained by poverty, sell himself to thee: thou
shalt not oppress him with the service of bondservants.
25:40. But he shall be as a hireling, and a sojourner: he shall work
with thee until the year of the jubilee.
25:41. And afterwards he shall go out with his children: and shall
return to his kindred and to the possession of his fathers.
25:42. For they are my servants, and I brought them out of the land of
Egypt: let them not be sold as bondmen.
25:43. Afflict him not by might: but fear thy God.
25:44. Let your bondmen, and your bondwomen, be of the nations that are
round about you:
25:45. And of the strangers that sojourn among you, or that were born of
them in your land. These you shall have for servants:
25:46. And by right of inheritance shall leave them to your posterity,
and shall possess them for ever. But oppress not your brethren the
children of Israel by might.
25:47. If the hand of a stranger or a sojourner grow strong among you,
and thy brother being impoverished sell himself to him, or to any of his
race:
25:48. After the sale he may be redeemed. He that will of his brethren
shall redeem him:
25:49. Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, or his kinsman, by blood,
or by affinity. But if he himself be able also, he shall redeem himself:
25:50. Counting only the years from the time of his selling unto the
year of the jubilee: and counting the money that he was sold for,
according to the number of the years and the reckoning of a hired
servant.
25:51. If there be many years that remain until the jubilee, according
to them shall he also repay the price.
25:52. If few, he shall make the reckoning with him according to the
number of the years: and shall repay to the buyer of what remaineth of
the years.
25:53. His wages being allowed for which he served before: he shall not
afflict him violently in thy sight.
25:54. And if by these means he cannot be redeemed, in the year of the
jubilee he shall go out with his children.
25:55. For the children of Israel are my servants, whom I brought forth
out of the land of Egypt.
Leviticus Chapter 26
God's promises to them that keep his commandments. And the many
punishments with which he threatens transgressors.
26:1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not make to yourselves any idol
or graven thing: neither shall you erect pillars, nor set up a
remarkable stone in your land, to adore it. For I am the Lord your God.
26:2. Keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
26:3. If you walk in my precepts, and keep my commandments, and do them,
I will give you rain in due seasons.
26:4. And the ground shall bring forth its increase: and the trees shall
be filled with fruit.
26:5. The threshing of your harvest shall reach unto the vintage, and
the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and you shall eat your
bread to the full, and dwell in your land without fear.
26:6. I will give peace in your coasts: you shall sleep, and there shall
be none to make you afraid. I will take away evil beasts: and the sword
shall not pass through your quarters.
26:7. You shall pursue your enemies: and they shall fall before you.
26:8. Five of yours shall pursue a hundred others: and a hundred of you
ten thousand. Your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
26:9. I will look on you, and make you increase: you shall be
multiplied, and I will establish my covenant with you.
26:10. You shall eat the oldest of the old store: and, new coming on,
you shall cast away the old.
26:11. I will set my tabernacle in the midst of you: and my soul shall
not cast you off.
26:12. I will walk among you, and will be your God: and you shall be my
people.
26:13. I am the Lord your God: who have brought you out of the land of
the Egyptians, that you should not serve them: and who have broken the
chains of your necks, that you might go upright.
26:14. But if you will not hear me, nor do all my commandments:
26:15. If you despise my laws, and contemn my judgments so as not to do
those things which are appointed by me, and to make void my covenant:
26:16. I also will do these things to you. I will quickly visit you with
poverty, and burning heat, which shall waste your eyes, and consume your
lives. You shall sow your seed in vain, which shall be devoured by your
enemies.
26:17. I will set my face against you, and you shall fall down before
your enemies: and shall be made subject to them that hate you. You shall
flee when no man pursueth you.
26:18. But if you will not yet for all this obey me: I will chastise you
seven times more for your sins.
26:19. And I will break the pride of your stubbornness: and I will make
to you the heaven above as iron, and the earth as brass.
26:20. Your labour shall be spent in vain: the ground shall not bring
forth her increase: nor the trees yield their fruit.
26:21. If you walk contrary to me, and will not hearken to me, I will
bring seven times more plagues upon you for your sins.
26:22. And I will send in upon you the beasts of the field, to destroy
you and your cattle, and make you few in number: and that your highways
may be desolate.
26:23. And if even so you will not amend, but will walk contrary to me:
26:24. I also will walk contrary to you, and will strike you seven times
for your sins.
26:25. And I will bring in upon you the sword that shall avenge my
covenant. And when you shall flee into the cities, I will send the
pestilence in the midst of you. And you shall be delivered into the
hands of your enemies,
26:26. After I shall have broken the staff of your bread: so that ten
women shall bake your bread in one oven, and give it out by weight: and
you shall eat, and shall not be filled,
26:27. But if you will not for all this hearken to me, but will walk
against me,
26:28. I will also go against you with opposite fury: and I will
chastise you with seven plagues for your sins,
26:29. So that you shall eat the flesh of your sons and of your
daughters.
26:30. I will destroy your high places, and break your idols. You shall
fall among the ruins of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
26:31. Insomuch that I will bring your cities to be a wilderness: and I
will make your sanctuaries desolate: and will receive no more your sweet
odours.
26:32. And I will destroy your land: and your enemies shall be
astonished at it, when they shall be the inhabitants thereof.
26:33. And I will scatter you among the Gentiles: and I will draw out
the sword after you. And your land shall be desert, and your cities
destroyed.
26:34. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths all the days of her
desolation. When you shall be
26:35. In the enemy's land, she shall keep a sabbath, and rest in the
sabbaths of her desolation: because she did not rest in your sabbaths,
when you dwelt therein.
26:36. And as to them that shall remain of you I will send fear in their
hearts in the countries of their enemies. The sound of a flying leaf
shall terrify them: and they shall flee as it were from the sword. They
shall fall, when no man pursueth them.
26:37. And they shall every one fall upon their brethren as fleeing from
wars: none of you shall dare to resist your enemies.
26:38. You shall perish among the Gentiles: and an enemy's land shall
consume you.
26:39. And if of them also some remain, they shall pine away in their
iniquities, in the land of their enemies: and they shall be afflicted
for the sins of their fathers, and their own.
26:40. Until they confess their iniquities, and the iniquities of their
ancestors, whereby they have transgressed against me, and walked
contrary unto me.
26:41. Therefore I also will walk against them, and bring them into
their enemies' land until their uncircumcised mind be ashamed. Then
shall they pray for their sins.
26:42. And I will remember my covenant, that I made with Jacob, and
Isaac, and Abraham. I will remember also the land:
26:43. Which when she shall be left by them, shall enjoy her sabbaths,
being desolate for them. But they shall pray for their sins, because
they rejected my judgments, and despised my laws.
26:44. And yet for all that when they were in the land of their enemies,
I did not cast them off altogether. Neither did I so despise them that
they should be quite consumed: and I should make void my covenant with
them. For I am the Lord their God.
26:45. And I will remember my former covenant, when I brought them out
of the land of Egypt, in the sight of the Gentiles, to be their God. I
am the Lord. These are the judgments, and precepts, and laws, which the
Lord gave between him and the children of Israel, in mount Sinai, by the
hand of Moses.
Leviticus Chapter 27
Of vows and tithes.
27:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
27:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: The
man that shall have made a vow, and promised his soul to God, shall give
the price according to estimation.
27:3. If it be a man from twenty years old unto sixty years old, he
shall give fifty sicles of silver, after the weight of the sanctuary:
27:4. If a woman, thirty.
27:5. But from the fifth year until the twentieth, a man shall give
twenty sicles: a woman ten.
27:6. From one month until the fifth year, for a male shall be given
five sicles: for a female three.
27:7. A man that is sixty years old or upward, shall give fifteen
sicles: a woman ten.
27:8. If he be poor, and not able to pay the estimation, he shall stand
before the priest: and as much as he shall value him at, and see him
able to pay, so much shall he give.
27:9. But a beast that may be sacrificed to the Lord, if any one shall
vow, shall be holy,
27:10. And cannot be changed: that is to say, neither a better for a
worse, nor a worse for a better. And if he shall change it: both that
which was changed, and that for which it was changed, shall be
consecrated to the Lord.
27:11. An unclean beast, which cannot be sacrificed to the Lord, if any
man shall vow, shall be brought before the priest:
27:12. Who judging whether it be good or bad, shall set the price.
27:13. Which, if he that offereth it will give, he shall add above the
estimation the fifth part.
27:14. If a man shall vow his house, and sanctify it to the Lord, the
priest shall consider it, whether it be good or bad: and it shall be
sold according to the price, which he shall appoint.
27:15. But if he that vowed, will redeem it, he shall give the fifth
part of the estimation over and above: and shall have the house.
27:16. And if he vow the field of his possession, and consecrate it to
the Lord, the price shall be rated according to the measure of the seed.
If the ground be sown with thirty bushels of barley, let it be sold for
fifty sicles of silver.
27:17. If he vow his field immediately from the year of jubilee that is
beginning: as much as it may be worth, at so much it shall be rated.
27:18. But if some time after, the priest shall reckon the money
according to the number of years that remain until the jubilee, and the
price shall be abated.
27:19. And if he that had vowed, will redeem his field, he shall add the
fifth part of the money of the estimation, and shall possess it.
27:20. And if he will not redeem it, but it be sold to any other man, he
that vowed it, may not redeem it any more.
27:21. For when the day of jubilee cometh, it shall be sanctified to the
Lord, and as a possession consecrated, pertaineth to the right of the
priest.
27:22. If a field that was bought, and not of a man's ancestors'
possession, be sanctified to the Lord:
27:23. The priest shall reckon the price according to the number of
years, unto the jubilee. And he that had vowed, shall give that to the
Lord.
27:24. But in the jubilee, it shall return to the former owner, who had
sold it, and had it in the lot of his possession.
27:25. All estimation shall be made according to the sicle of the
sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.
27:26. The firstborn, which belong to the Lord, no man may sanctify and
vow: whether it be bullock, or sheep, they are the Lord's.
27:27. And if it be an unclean beast, he that offereth it shall redeem
it, according to thy estimation, and shall add the fifth part of the
price. If he will not redeem it, it shall be sold to another for how
much soever it was estimated by thee.
27:28. Any thing that is devoted to the Lord, whether it be man, or
beast, or field, shall not be sold: neither may it be redeemed.
Whatsoever is once consecrated shall be holy of holies to the Lord.
27:29. And any consecration that is offered by man, shall not be
redeemed, but dying shall die.
27:30. All tithes of the land, whether of corn, or of the fruits of
trees, are the Lord's, and are sanctified to him.
27:31. And if any man will redeem his tithes, he shall add the fifth
part of them.
27:32. Of all the tithes of oxen, and sheep, and goats, that pass under
the shepherd's rod, every tenth that cometh shall be sanctified to the
Lord.
27:33. It shall not be chosen neither good nor bad, neither shall it be
changed for another. If any man change it: both that which was changed,
and that for which it was changed, shall be sanctified to the Lord, and
shall not be redeemed.
27:34. These are the precepts which the Lord commanded Moses for the
children of Israel in mount Sinai.
THE BOOK OF NUMBERS
This fourth Book of Moses is called NUMBERS, because it begins with the
numbering of the people. The Hebrews, from its first words, call it
VAIEDABBER. It contains the transactions of the Israelites from the
second month of the second year after their going out of Egypt, until
the beginning of the eleventh month of the fortieth year; that is, a
history almost of thirty-nine years.
Numbers Chapter 1
The children of Israel are numbered: the Levites are designed to serve
the tabernacle.
1:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai in the
tabernacle of the covenant, the first day of the second month, the
second year of their going out of Egypt, saying:
1:2. Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel by
their families, and houses, and the names of every one, as many as are
of the male sex,
1:3. From twenty years old and upwards, of all the men of Israel fit for
war, and you shall number them by their troops, thou and Aaron.
1:4. And there shall be with you the princes of the tribes, and of the
houses in their kindreds,
1:5. Whose names are these: Of Ruben, Elisur the son of Sedeur.
1:6. Of Simeon, Salamiel the son of Surisaddai.
1:7. Of Juda, Nahasson the son of Aminadab.
1:8. Of Issachar, Nathanael the son of Suar.
1:9. Of Zabulon, Eliab the son of Helon.
1:10. And of the sons of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elisama the son of Ammiud:
of Manasses, Gamaliel the son of Phadassur.
1:11. Of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gedeon.
1:12. Of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammisaddai.
1:13. Of Aser, Phegiel the son of Ochran.
1:14. Of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Duel.
1:15. Of Nephtali, Ahira the son of Enan.
1:16. These are the most noble princes of the multitude by their tribes
and kindreds, and the chiefs of the army of Israel:
1:17. Whom Moses and Aaron took with all the multitude of the common
people:
1:18. And assembled them on the first day of the second month, reckoning
them up by the kindreds, and houses, and families, and heads, and names
of every one from twenty years old and upward,
1:19. As the Lord had commanded Moses. And they were numbered in the
desert of Sinai.
1:20. Of Ruben the eldest son of Israel, by their generations and
families and houses and names of every head, all that were of the male
sex, from twenty years old and upward, that were able to go forth to
war,
1:21. Were forty-six thousand five hundred.
1:22. Of the sons of Simeon by their generations and families, and
houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names and heads of
every one, all that were of the male sex, from twenty years old and
upward, that were able to go forth to war,
1:23. Fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
1:24. Of the sons of Gad, by their generations and families and houses
of their kindreds were reckoned up by the names of every one from twenty
years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war,
1:25. Forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
1:26. Of the sons of Juda, by their generations and families and houses
of their kindreds, by the names of every one from twenty years old and
upward, all that were able to go forth to war,
1:27. Were reckoned up seventy-four thousand six hundred.
1:28. Of the sons of Issachar, by their generations and families and
houses of their kindreds, by the names of every one from twenty years
old and upward, all that could go forth to war,
1:29. Were reckoned up fifty-four thousand four hundred.
1:30. Of the sons of Zabulon, by the generations and families and houses
of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from
twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war,
1:31. Fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
1:32. Of the sons of Joseph, namely, of the sons of Ephraim, by the
generations and families and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up
by the names of every one, from twenty years old and upward, all that
were able to go forth to war,
1:33. Forty thousand five hundred.
1:34. Moreover of the sons of Manasses, by the generations and families
and houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one
from twenty years old and upward, all that could go forth to war,
1:35. Thirty-two thousand two hundred.
1:36. Of the sons of Benjamin, by their generations and families and
houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one
from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war,
1:37. Thirty-five thousand four hundred.
1:38. Of the sons of Dan, by their generations and families and houses
of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from
twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war,
1:39. Sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
1:40. Of the sons of Aser, by their generations and families and houses
of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one from
twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war,
1:41. Forty-one thousand and five hundred.
1:42. Of the sons of Nephtali, by their generations and families and
houses of their kindreds, were reckoned up by the names of every one
from twenty years old and upward, were able to go forth to war,
1:43. Fifty-three thousand four hundred.
1:44. These are they who were numbered by Moses and Aaron, and the
twelve princes of Israel, every one by the houses of their kindreds.
1:45. And the whole number of the children of Israel by their houses and
families, from twenty years old and upward, that were able to go to war,
1:46. Were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty men.
1:47. But the Levites in the tribes of their families were not numbered
with them.
1:48. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
1:49. Number not the tribe of Levi, neither shalt thou put down the sum
of them with the children of Israel:
1:50. But appoint them over the tabernacle of the testimony, and all the
vessels thereof, and whatsoever pertaineth to the ceremonies. They shall
carry the tabernacle and all the furniture thereof: and they shall
minister, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.
1:51. When you are to go forward, the Levites shall take down the
tabernacle: when you are to camp, they shall set it up. What stranger
soever cometh to it, shall be slain.
1:52. And the children of Israel shall camp every man by his troops and
bands and army.
1:53. But the Levites shall pitch their tents round about the
tabernacle, lest there come indignation upon the multitude of the
children of Israel, and they shall keep watch, and guard the tabernacle
of the testimony.
1:54. And the children of Israel did according to all things which the
Lord had commanded Moses.
Numbers Chapter 2
The order of the tribes in their camp.
2:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
2:2. All the children of Israel shall camp by their troops, ensigns, and
standards, and the houses of their kindreds, round about the tabernacle
of the covenant.
2:3. On the east Juda shall pitch his tents by the bands of his army:
and the prince of his sons; shall be Nahasson the son of Aminadab.
2:4. And the whole sum of the fighting men of his stock, were seventy-
four thousand six hundred.
2:5. Next unto him they of the tribe of Issachar encamped, whose prince
was Nathanael, the son of Suar.
2:6. And the whole number of his fighting men were fifty-four thousand
four hundred.
2:7. In the tribe of Zabulon the prince was Eliab the son of Helon.
2:8. And all the army of fighting men of his stock, were fifty-seven
thousand four hundred.
2:9. All that were numbered in the camp of Juda, were a hundred and
eighty-six thousand four hundred: and they by their troops shall march
first.
2:10. In the camp of the sons of Ruben, on the south side, the prince
shall be Elisur the son of Sedeur:
2:11. And the whole army of his fighting men, that were numbered, were
forty-six thousand five hundred.
2:12. Beside him camped they of the tribe of Simeon: whose prince was
Salamiel the son of Surisaddai.
2:13. And the whole army of his fighting men, that were numbered, were
fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
2:14. In the tribe of Gad the prince was Eliasaph the son of Duel.
2:15. And the whole army of his fighting men that were numbered, were
forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
2:16. All that were reckoned up in the camp of Ruben, were a hundred and
fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty, by their troops: they shall
march in the second place.
2:17. And the tabernacle of the testimony shall be carried by the
officers of the Levites and their troops. As it shall be set up, so
shall it be taken down. Every one shall march according to their places,
and ranks.
2:18. On the west side shall be the camp of the sons of Ephraim, whose
prince was Elisama the son of Ammiud.
2:19. The whole army of his fighting men, that were numbered, were forty
thousand five hundred.
2:20. And with them the tribe of the sons of Manasses, whose prince was
Gamaliel the son of Phadassur.
2:21. And the whole army of his fighting men, that were numbered, were
thirty-two thousand two hundred.
2:22. In the tribe of the sons of Benjamin the prince was Abidan the son
of Gedeon.
2:23. And the whole army of fighting men, that were reckoned up, were
thirty-five thousand four hundred.
2:24. All that were numbered in the camp of Ephraim, were a hundred and
eight-thousand one hundred by their troops: they shall march in the
third place.
2:25. On the north side camped the sons of Dan: whose prince was Ahiezar
the son of Ammisaddai.
2:26. The whole army of his fighting men, that were numbered, were
sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
2:27. Beside him they of the tribe of Aser pitched their tents: whose
prince was Phegiel the son of Ochran.
2:28. The whole army of his fighting men, that were numbered, were
forty-one thousand five hundred.
2:29. Of the tribe of the sons of Nephtali the prince was Ahira the son
of Enan.
2:30. The whole army of his fighting men, were fifty-three thousand four
hundred.
2:31. All that were numbered in the camp of Dan, were a hundred and
fifty-seven thousand six hundred: and they shall march last.
2:32. This is the number of the children of Israel, of their army
divided according to the houses of their kindreds and their troops, six
hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
2:33. And the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel:
for so the Lord had commanded Moses.
2:34. And the children of Israel did according to all things that the
Lord had commanded. They camped by their troops, and marched by the
families and houses of their fathers.
Numbers Chapter 3
The Levites are numbered and their offices distinguished. They are taken
in the place of the firstborn of the children of Israel.
3:1. These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the
Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai.
3:2. And these the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then
Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3:3. These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were
anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the
functions of priesthood.
3:4. Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered
strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and
Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their
father.
3:5. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
3:6. Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron
the priest to minister to him, and let them watch,
3:7. And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude
before the tabernacle of the testimony,
3:8. And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the
ministry thereof.
3:9. And thou shalt give the Levites for a gift,
3:10. To Aaron and to his sons, to whom they are delivered by the
children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons over the
service of priesthood. The stranger that approacheth to minister, shall
be put to death.
3:11. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
3:12. I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every
firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the
Levites shall be mine.
3:13. For every firstborn is mine: since I struck the firstborn in the
land of Egypt: I have sanctified to myself whatsoever is firstborn in
Israel both of man and beast, they are mine: I am the Lord.
3:14. And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:
3:15. Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their
families, every male from one month and upward.
3:16. Moses numbered them as the Lord had commanded.
3:17. And there were found sons of Levi by their names, Gerson and Caath
Merari.
3:18. The sons of Gerson: Lebni and Semei.
3:19. The sons of Caath: Amram, and Jesaar, Hebron and Oziel:
3:20. The sons of Merari, Moholi and Musi.
3:21. Of Gerson were two families, the Lebnites, and the Semeites:
3:22. Of which were numbered, people of the male sex from one month and
upward, seven thousand five hundred.
3:23. These shall pitch behind the tabernacle on the west,
3:24. Under their prince Eliasaph the son of Lael.
3:25. And their charge shall be in the tabernacle of the covenant:
3:26. The tabernacle itself and the cover thereof, the hanging that is
drawn before the doors of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the
curtains of the court: the hanging also that is hanged in the entry of
the court of the tabernacle, and whatsoever belongeth to the rite of the
altar, the cords of the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof.
3:27. Of the kindred of Caath come the families of the Amramites and
Jesaarites and Hebronites and Ozielites. These are the families of the
Caathites reckoned up by their names:
3:28. All of the male sex from one month and upward, eight thousand six
hundred: they shall have the guard of the sanctuary,
3:29. And shall camp on the south side.
3:30. And their prince shall be Elisaphan the son of Oziel:
3:31. And they shall keep the ark, and the table and the candlestick,
the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary, wherewith they minister,
and the veil, and all the furniture of this kind.
3:32. And the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar, the son of
Aaron the priest, shall be over them that watch for the guard of the
sanctuary.
3:33. And of Merari are the families of the Moholites, and Musites,
reckoned up by their names:
3:34. All of the male-kind from one month and upward, six thousand two
hundred.
3:35. Their prince Suriel the son of Abihaiel: their shall camp on the
north side.
3:36. Under their custody shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the
bars, and the pillars and their sockets, and all things that pertain to
this kind of service:
3:37. And the pillars of the court round about with their sockets, and
the pins with their cords.
3:38. Before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is to say on the east
side shall Moses and Aaron camp, with their sons, having the custody of
the sanctuary, in the midst of the children of Israel. What stranger
soever cometh unto it, shall be put to death.
3:39. All the Levites, that I Moses and Aaron numbered according to the
precept of the Lord, by their f families, of the male-kind from one
month and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
3:40. And the Lord said to Moses: Number the firstborn of the male sex
of the children of Israel, from one month and upward, and thou shalt
take the sum of them.
3:41. And thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the firstborn of the
children of Israel, I am the Lord: and their cattle for all the
firstborn of the cattle of the children of Israel:
3:42. Moses reckoned up, as the Lord had commanded, the firstborn of the
children of Israel:
3:43. And the males by their names, from one month and upward, were
twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
3:44. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
3:45. Take the Levites for the firstborn of the children of Israel, and
the cattle of the Levites for their cattle, and the Levites shall be
mine. I am the Lord.
3:46. But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, of the
firstborn of the children of Israel, that exceed the number of the
Levites,
3:47. Thou shalt take five sicles for every bead, according to the
weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.
3:48. And thou shalt give the money to Aaron and his sons, the price of
them that are above.
3:49. Moses therefore took the money of them that were above, and whom
they had redeemed from the Levites,
3:50. For the firstborn of the children of Israel, one thousand three
hundred and sixty-five sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,
3:51. And gave it to Aaron and his sons according to the word that the
Lord had commanded him.
Numbers Chapter 4
The age and time of the Levites' service: their offices and burdens.
4:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, and Aaron, saying:
4:2. Take the sum of the sons of Caath from the midst of the Levites, by
their houses and families.
4:3. From thirty years old and upward, to fifty years old, of all that
go in to stand and to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.
4:4. This is the service of the sons of Caath:
4:5. When the camp is; to set forward, Aaron and his sons shall go into
the tabernacle of the covenant, and the holy of holies, and shall take
down the veil that hangeth before the door, and shall wrap up the ark of
the testimony in it,
4:6. And shall cover it again with a cover of violet skins, and shall
spread over it a cloth all of violet, and shall put in the bars.
4:7. They shall wrap up also the table of proposition in a cloth of
violet, and shall put with it the censers and little mortars, the cups
and bowls to pour out the libations: the loaves shall be always on it:
4:8. And they shall spread over it a cloth of scarlet, which again they
shall cover with a covering of violet skins, and shall put in the bars.
4:9. They shall take also a cloth of violet wherewith they shall cover
the candlestick with the lamps and tongs thereof and the snuffers and
all the oil vessels, which are necessary for the dressing of the lamps:
4:10. And over all they shall put a cover of violet skins and put in the
bars.
4:11. And they shall wrap up the golden altar also in a cloth of violet,
and shall spread over it a cover of violet skins, and put in the bars.
4:12. All the vessels wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, they
shall wrap up in a cloth of violet, and shall spread over it a cover of
violet skins, and put in the bars.
4:13. They shall cleanse the altar also from the ashes, and shall wrap
it up in a purple cloth,
4:14. And shall put it with all the vessels that they use in the
ministry thereof, that is to say, firepans, fleshhooks and forks,
pothooks and shovels. They shall cover all the vessels of the altar
together with a covering of violet skins, and shall put in the bars.
4:15. And when Aaron and his sons have wrapped up the sanctuary and the
vessels thereof at the removing of the camp, then shall the sons of
Caath enter in to carry the things wrapped up: and they shall not touch
the vessels of the sanctuary, lest they die. These are the burdens of
the sons of Caath: in the tabernacle of the covenant:
4:16. And over them shall be Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, to
whose charge pertaineth the oil to dress the lamps, and the sweet
incense, and the sacrifice, that is always offered, and the oil of
unction, and whatsoever pertaineth to the service of the tabernacle, and
of all the vessels that are in the sanctuary.
4:17. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
4:18. Destroy not the people of Caath from the midst of the Levites:
4:19. But do this to them, that they may live, and not die, by touching
the holies of holies. Aaron and his sons shall go in, and they shall
appoint every man his work, and shall divide the burdens that every man
is to carry.
4:20. Let not others by any curiosity see the things that are in the
sanctuary before they be wrapped up, otherwise they shall die.
4:21. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
4:22. Take the sum of the sons of Gerson also by their houses and
families and kindreds.
4:23. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old. Number
them all that go in and minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.
4:24. This is the office of the family of the Gersonites:
4:25. To carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the roof of the
covenant, the other covering, and the violet covering over all, and the
hanging that hangeth in the entry of the tabernacle of the covenant,
4:26. The curtains of the court, and the veil in the entry that is
before tabernacle. All things that pertain to the altar, the cords and
the vessels of the ministry,
4:27. The sons of Gerson shall carry, by the commandment of Aaron and
his sons: and each man shall know to what burden he must be assigned.
4:28. This is the service of the family of the Gersonites in the
tabernacle of the covenant, and they shall be under the hand of Ithamar
the son of Aaron the priest.
4:29. Thou shalt reckon up the sons of Merari also by the families and
houses of their fathers,
4:30. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that
go in to the office of their ministry, and to the service of the
covenant of the testimony.
4:31. These are their burdens: They shall carry the boards of the
tabernacle and the bars thereof, the pillars and their sockets,
4:32. The pillars also of the court round about, with their sockets and
pins and cords. They shall receive by account all the vessels and
furniture, and so shall carry them.
4:33. This is the office of the family of the Merarites, and their
ministry in the tabernacle of the covenant: and they shall be under the
hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
4:34. So Moses and Aaron and the princes of the synagogue reckoned up
the sons of Caath, by their kindreds and the houses of their fathers,
4:35. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that
go in to the ministry of the tabernacle of the covenant:
4:36. And they were found two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
4:37. This is the number of the people of Caath that go in to the
tabernacle of the covenant: these did Moses and Aaron number according
to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
4:38. The sons of Gerson also were numbered by the kindreds and houses
of their fathers,
4:39. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that
go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant:
4:40. And they were found two thousand six hundred and thirty.
4:41. This is the people of the Gersonites, whom Moses and Aaron
numbered according to the word of the Lord.
4:42. The sons of Merari also were numbered by the kindreds and houses
of their fathers,
4:43. From thirty years old and upward, unto fifty years old, all that
go in to fulfil the rites of the tabernacle of the covenant:
4:44. And they were found three thousand two hundred.
4:45. This is the number of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron
reckoned up according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of
Moses.
4:46. All that were reckoned up of the Levites, and whom Moses and Aaron
and the princes of Israel took by name, by the kindreds and houses of
their fathers,
4:47. From thirty years old and upward, until fifty years old, that go
into the ministry of the tabernacle, and to carry the burdens,
4:48. Were in all eight thousand five hundred and eighty.
4:49. Moses reckoned them up according to the word of the Lord, every
one according to their office and burdens, as the Lord had commanded
him.
Numbers Chapter 5
The unclean are removed out of the camp: confession of sins, and
satisfaction: firstfruits and oblations belonging to the priests: trial
of jealousy.
5:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
5:2. Command the children of Israel, that they cast out of the camp
every leper, and whosoever hath an issue of seed, or is defiled by the
dead:
5:3. Whether it be man or woman, cast ye them out of the camp, lest they
defile it when I shall dwell with you,
5:4. And the children of Israel did so, and they cast them forth without
the camp, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
5:5. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
5:6. Say to the children of Israel: When a man or woman shall have
committed any of all the sins that men are wont to commit, and by
negligence shall have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and
offended,
5:7. They shall confess their sin, and restore the principal itself, and
the fifth part over and above, to him against whom they have sinned.
Shall confess... This confession and satisfaction, ordained in the Old
Law, was a figure of the sacrament of penance.
5:8. But if there be no one to receive it, they shall give it to the
Lord, and it shall be the priest's, besides the ram that is offered for
expiation, to be an atoning sacrifice.
5:9. All the firstfruits also, which the children of Israel offer,
belong to the priest:
5:10. And whatsoever is offered into the sanctuary by every one, and is
delivered into the hands of the priest, it shall be his.
5:11. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
5:12. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: The
man whose wife shall have gone astray, and contemning her husband,
5:13. Shall have slept with another man, and her husband cannot discover
it, but the adultery is secret, and cannot be proved by witnesses,
because she was not found in the adultery:
5:14. If the spirit of jealousy stir up the husband against his wife,
who either is defiled, or is charged with false suspicion,
The spirit of jealousy, etc... This ordinance was designed to clear the
innocent, and to prevent jealous husbands from doing mischief to their
wives: as likewise to give all a horror of adultery, by punishing it in
so remarkable a manner.
5:15. He shall bring her to the priest, and shall offer an oblation for
her, the tenth part of a measure of barley meal: he shall not pour oil
thereon, nor put frankincense upon it: because it is a sacrifice of
jealousy, and an oblation searching out adultery.
5:16. The priest therefore shall offer it, and set it before the Lord.
5:17. And he shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall
cast a little earth of the pavement of the tabernacle into it.
5:18. And when the woman shall stand before the Lord, he shall uncover
her head, and shall put on her hands the sacrifice of remembrance, and
the oblation of jealousy: and he himself shall hold the most bitter
waters, whereon he hath heaped curses with execration.
5:19. And he shall adjure her, and shall say: If another man hath not
slept with thee, and if thou be not defiled by forsaking thy husband's
bed, these most bitter waters, on which I have heaped curses, shall not
hurt thee.
5:20. But if thou hast gone aside from thy husband, and art defiled, and
hast lain with another man:
5:21. These curses shall light upon thee: The Lord make thee a curse,
and an example for all among his people: may he make thy thigh to rot,
and may thy belly swell and burst asunder.
5:22. Let the cursed waters enter into thy belly, and may thy womb swell
and thy thigh rot. And the woman shall answer, Amen, amen.
5:23. And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and shall wash
them out with the most bitter waters, upon which he hath heaped the
curses,
5:24. And he shall give them her to drink. And when she hath drunk them
up,
5:25. The priest shall take from her hand the sacrifice of jealousy, and
shall elevate it before the Lord, and shall put it upon the altar: yet
so as first,
5:26. To take a handful of the sacrifice of that which is offered, and
burn it upon the altar: and so give the most bitter waters to the woman
to drink.
5:27. And when she hath drunk them, if she be defiled, and having
despised her husband be guilty of adultery, the malediction shall go
through her, and her belly swelling, her thigh shall rot: and the woman
shall be a curse, and an example to all the people.
5:28. But if she be not defiled, she shall not be hurt, and shall bear
children.
5:29. This is the law of jealousy. If a woman hath gone aside from her
husband, and be defiled,
5:30. And the husband stirred up by the spirit of jealousy bring her
before the Lord, and the priest do to her according to all things that
are here written:
5:31. The husband shall be blameless, and she shall bear her iniquity.
Numbers Chapter 6
The law of the Nazarites: the form of blessing the people.
6:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When a
man, or woman, shall make a vow to be sanctified, and will consecrate
themselves to the Lord:
6:3. They shall abstain from wine, and from every thing that may make a
man drunk. They shall not drink vinegar of wine, or of any other drink,
nor any thing that is pressed out of the grape: nor shall they eat
grapes either fresh or dried.
6:4. All the days that they are consecrated to the Lord by vow: they
shall eat nothing that cometh of the vineyard, from the raisin even to
the kernel.
6:5. All the time of his separation no razor shall pass over his head,
until the day be fulfilled of his consecration to the Lord. He shall be
holy, and shall let the hair of his head grow.
6:6. All the time of his consecration he shall not go in to any dead,
6:7. Neither shall he make himself unclean, even for his father, or for
his mother, or for his brother, or for his sister, when they die,
because the consecration of his God is upon his head.
6:8. All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.
6:9. But if any man die suddenly before him: the head of his
consecration shall be defiled: and he shall shave it forthwith on the
same day of his purification, and again on the seventh day.
6:10. And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young
pigeons to the priest in the entry of the covenant of the testimony.
6:11. And the priest shall offer one for sin, and the other for a
holocaust, and shall pray for him, for that he hath sinned by the dead:
and he shall sanctify his head that day:
6:12. And shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation,
offering a lamb of one year for sin: yet so that the former days be made
void, because his sanctification was profaned.
6:13. This is the law of consecration. When the days which he had
determined by vow shall be expired, he shall bring him to the door of
the tabernacle of the covenant,
6:14. And shall offer his oblation to the Lord: one he lamb of a year
old without blemish for a holocaust, and one ewe lamb of a year old
without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for a
victim of peace offering,
6:15. A basket also of unleavened bread, tempered with oil, and wafers
without leaven anointed with oil, and the libations of each:
6:16. And the priest shall present them before the Lord, and shall offer
both the sin offering and the holocaust.
6:17. But the ram he shall immolate for a sacrifice of peace offering to
the Lord, offering at the same time the basket of unleavened bread, and
the libations that are due by custom.
6:18. Then shall the hair of the consecration of the Nazarite, be shaved
off before the door of the tabernacle of the covenant: and he shall take
his hair, and lay it upon the fire, which is under the sacrifice of the
peace offerings.
6:19. And shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened
cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and he shall deliver
them into the hands of the Nazarite, after his head is shaven.
6:20. And receiving them again from him, he shall elevate them in the
sight of the Lord: and they being sanctified shall belong to the priest,
as the breast, which was commanded to be separated, and the shoulder.
After this the Nazarite may drink wine.
6:21. This is the law of the Nazarite, when he hath vowed his oblation
to the Lord in the time of his consecration, besides those things which
his hand shall find, according to that which he had vowed in his mind,
so shall he do for the fulfilling of his sanctification.
6:22. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
6:23. Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the children of
Israel, and you shall say to them:
6:24. The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.
6:25. The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee.
6:26. The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.
6:27. And they shall invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I
will bless them.
Numbers Chapter 7
The offerings of the princes at the dedication of the tabernacle. God
speaketh to Moses from the propitiatory.
7:1. And it came to pass in the day that Moses had finished the
tabernacle, and set it up, and had anointed and sanctified it with all
its vessels, the altar likewise and all the vessels thereof,
7:2. The princes of Israel and the heads of the families, in every
tribe, who were the rulers of them who had been numbered, offered
7:3. Their gifts before the Lord, six wagons covered, and twelve oxen.
Two princes offered one wagon, and each one an ox, and they offered them
before the tabernacle.
7:4. And the Lord said to Moses:
7:5. Receive them from them to serve in the ministry of the tabernacle,
and thou shalt deliver them to the Levites according to the order of
their ministry.
7:6. Moses therefore receiving the wagons and the oxen, delivered them
to the Levites.
7:7. Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gerson, according
to their necessity.
7:8. The other four wagons, and eight oxen he gave to the sons of
Merari, according to their offices and service, under the hand of
Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
7:9. But to the sons of Caath he gave no wagons or oxen: because they
serve in the sanctuary and carry their burdens upon their own shoulders.
7:10. And the princes offered for the dedication of the altar on the day
when it was anointed, their oblation before the altar.
7:11. And the Lord said to Moses: Let each of the princes one day after
another offer their gifts for the dedication of the altar.
7:12. The first day Nahasson the son of Aminadab of the tribe of Juda
offered his offering:
7:13. And his offering was a silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty
sicles, a silver bowl of seventy sicles according to the weight of the
sanctuary, both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:14. A little mortar of ten sicles of gold full of incense:
7:15. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:16. And a buck goat for sin:
7:17. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams,
five he-goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of
Nahasson the son of Aminadab.
7:18. The second day Nathanael the son of Suar, prince of the tribe of
Issachar, made his offering,
7:19. A silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a silver
bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary, both
full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:20. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:21. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:22. And a buck goat for sin:
7:23. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams,
five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of
Nathanael the son of Suar.
7:24. The third day the prince of the sons of Zabulon, Eliab the son of
Helon,
7:25. Offered a silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles by the weight of the sanctuary, both full
of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:26. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:27. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:28. And a buck goat for sin:
7:29. And for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams,
five buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This is the oblation of Eliab
the son of Helon.
7:30. The fourth day the prince of the sons of Ruben, Elisur the son of
Sedeur,
7:31. Offered a silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles according to the weight of the sanctuary,
both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:32. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:33. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old, for a
holocaust:
7:34. And a buck goat for sin:
7:35. And for victims of peace offerings two oxen, five rams, five buck
goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Elisur the son
of Sedeur.
7:36. The fifth day the prince of the sons of Simeon, Salamiel the son
of Surisaddai,
7:37. Offered a silver dish weighing one hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles after the weight of the sanctuary, both
full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:38. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:39. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:40. And a buck goat for sin:
7:41. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Salamiel
the son of Surisaddai.
7:42. The sixth day the prince of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph the son of
Duel,
7:43. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles by the weight of the sanctuary, both full
of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:44. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:45. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:46. And a buck goat for sin:
7:47. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph
the son of Duel.
7:48. The seventh day the prince of the sons of Ephraim, Elisama the son
of Ammiud,
7:49. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles according to the weight of the sanctuary,
both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:50. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:51. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:52. And a buck goat for sin:
7:53. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Elisama
the son of Ammiud.
7:54. The eighth day the prince of the sons of Manasses, Gamaliel the
son of Phadassur,
7:55. Offered a silver dish, weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,
both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:56. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:57. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:58. And a buck goat for sin:
7:59. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel
the son of Phadassur.
7:60. The ninth day the prince of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan the son
of Gedeon,
7:61. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles by the weight of the sanctuary, both full
of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:62. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:63. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:64. And a buck goat for sin:
7:65. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Abidan
the son of Gedeon.
7:66. The tenth day the princes of the sons of Dan, Ahiezer the son of
Ammisaddai,
7:67. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,
both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:68. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:69. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:70. And a buck goat for sin:
7:71. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer
the son of Ammisaddai.
7:72. The eleventh day the prince of the sons of Aser, Phegiel the son
of Ochran,
7:73. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,
both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:74. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:75. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:76. And a buck goat for sin:
7:77. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Phegiel
the son of Ochran.
7:78. The twelfth day the prince of the sons of Nephtali, Ahira the son
of Enan,
7:79. Offered a silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles, a
silver bowl of seventy sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,
both full of flour tempered with oil for a sacrifice:
7:80. A little mortar of gold weighing ten sicles full of incense:
7:81. An ox of the herd, and a ram, and a lamb of a year old for a
holocaust:
7:82. And a buck goat for sin:
7:83. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
buck goats, five lambs of a year old. This was the offering of Ahira the
son of Enan.
7:84. These were the offerings made by the princes of Israel in the
dedication of the altar, in the day wherein it was consecrated. Twelve
dishes of silver: twelve silver bowls: twelve little mortars of gold:
7:85. Each dish weighing a hundred and thirty sicles of silver, and each
bowl seventy sicles: that is, putting all the vessels of silver
together, two thousand four hundred sicles, by the weight of the
sanctuary.
7:86. Twelve little mortars of gold full of incense, weighing ten sicles
apiece, by the weight of the sanctuary: that is, in all a hundred and
twenty sicles of gold.
7:87. Twelve oxen out of the herd for a holocaust, twelve rams, twelve
lambs of a year old, and their libations: twelve buck goats for sin.
7:88. And for sacrifices of peace offerings, oxen twenty-four, rams
sixty, buck goats sixty, lambs of a year old sixty. These things were
offered in the dedication of the altar, when it was anointed.
7:89. And when Moses entered into the tabernacle of the covenant, to
consult the oracle, he heard the voice of one speaking to him from the
propitiatory, that is over the ark between the two cherubims, and from
this place he spoke to him.
Numbers Chapter 8
The seven lamps are placed on the golden candlestick, to shine towards
the loaves of proposition: the ordination of the Levites: and to what
age they shall serve in the tabernacle.
8:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8:2. Speak to Aaron, and thou shalt say to him: When thou shalt place
the seven lamps, let the candlestick be set up on the south side. Give
orders therefore that the lamps look over against the north, towards the
table of the loaves of proposition, over against that part shall they
give light, towards which the candlestick looketh.
8:3. And Aaron did so, and he put the lamps upon the candlestick, as the
Lord had commanded Moses.
8:4. Now this was the work of the candlestick, it was of beaten gold,
both the shaft in the middle, and all that came out of both sides of the
branches: according to the pattern which the Lord had shewn to Moses, so
he made the candlestick.
8:5. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8:6. Take the Levites out of the midst of the children of Israel, and
thou shalt purify them,
8:7. According to this rite: Let them be sprinkled with the water of
purification, and let them shave all the hairs of their flesh. And when
they shall have washed their garments, and are cleansed,
Let them be sprinkled with the water of purification... This was the
holy water mixed with the ashes of the red cow, Num. 19., appointed for
purifying all that were unclean. It was a figure of the blood of Christ,
applied to our souls by his holy sacraments.
8:8. They shall take an ox of the herd, and for the offering thereof
fine flour tempered with oil: and thou shalt take another ox of the herd
for a sin offering:
8:9. And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the
covenant, calling together all the multitude of the children of Israel:
8:10. And when the Levites are before the Lord, the children of Israel
shall put their hands upon them:
8:11. And Aaron shall offer the Levites, as a gift in the sight of the
Lord from the children of Israel, that they may serve in his ministry.
8:12. The Levites also shall put their hands upon the heads of the oxen,
of which thou shalt sacrifice one for sin, and the other for a holocaust
to the Lord, to pray for them.
8:13. And thou shalt set the Levites in the sight of Aaron and of his,
and shalt consecrate them being offered to the Lord,
8:14. And shalt separate them from the midst of the children of Israel,
to be mine.
8:15. And afterwards they shall enter into the tabernacle of the
covenant, to serve me. And thus shalt thou purify and consecrate them
for an oblation of the Lord: for as a gift they were given me by the
children of Israel.
8:16. I have taken them instead of the firstborn that open every womb in
Israel,
8:17. For all the firstborn of the children of Israel, both of men and
of beasts, are mine. From the day that I slew every firstborn in the
land of Egypt, have I sanctified them to myself:
8:18. And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children
of Israel:
8:19. And have delivered them for a gift to Aaron and his sons out of
the midst of the people, to serve me for Israel in the tabernacle of the
covenant, and to pray for them, lest there should be a plague among the
people, if they should presume to approach unto my sanctuary.
8:20. And Moses and Aaron and all the multitude of the children of
Israel did with the Levites all that the Lord had commanded Moses:
8:21. And they were purified, and washed their garments. And Aaron
lifted them up in the sight of the Lord, and prayed for them,
8:22. That being purified they might go into the tabernacle of the
covenant to do their services before Aaron and his sons. As the Lord had
commanded Moses touching the Levites, so was it done.
8:23. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8:24. This is the law of the Levites: From twenty-five years old and
upwards, they shall go in to minister in the tabernacle of the covenant.
8:25. And when they shall have accomplished the fiftieth year of their
age, they shall cease to serve:
8:26. And they shall be the ministers of their brethren in the
tabernacle of the covenant, to keep the things that are committed to
their care, but not to do the works. Thus shalt thou order the Levites
touching their charge.
Numbers Chapter 9
The precept of the pasch is renewed: the unclean and travellers are to
observe it the second month: the camp is guided by the pillar of the
cloud.
9:1. The Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, the second year
after they were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first month,
saying:
9:2. Let the children of Israel make the phase in its due time,
Make the phase... That is, keep the paschal solemnity, and eat the
paschal lamb.
9:3. The fourteenth day of this month in the evening, according to all
the ceremonies and justifications thereof.
9:4. And Moses commanded the children of Israel that they should make
the phase.
9:5. And they made it in its proper time: the fourteenth day of the
month at evening, in mount Sinai. The children of Israel did according
to all things that the Lord had commanded Moses.
9:6. But behold some who were unclean by occasion of the soul of a man,
who could not make the phase on that day, coming to Moses and Aaron,
Behold some who were unclean by occasion of the soul of a man, etc...
That is, by having touched or come near a dead body, out of which the
soul was departed.
9:7. Said to them: We are unclean by occasion of the soul of a man. Why
are we kept back that we may not offer in its season the offering to the
Lord among the children of Israel?
9:8. And Moses answered them: Stay that I may consult the Lord what he
will ordain concerning you.
9:9. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
9:10. Say to the children of Israel: The man that shall be unclean by
occasion of one that is dead, or shall be in a journey afar off in your
nation, let him make the phase to the Lord.
9:11. In the second month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the
evening, they shall eat it with unleavened bread and wild lettuce:
9:12. They shall not leave any thing thereof until morning, nor break a
bone thereof, they shall observe all the ceremonies of the phase.
9:13. But if any man is clean, and was not on a journey, and did not
make the phase, that soul shall be cut off from among his people,
because he offered not sacrifice to the Lord in due season: he shall
bear his sin.
9:14. The sojourner also and the stranger if they be among you, shall
make the phase to the Lord according to the ceremonies and
justifications thereof. The same ordinances shall be with you both for
the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.
9:15. Now on the day that the tabernacle was reared up, a cloud covered
it. But from the evening there was over the tabernacle, as it were, the
appearance of fire until the morning.
9:16. So it was always: by day the cloud covered it, and by night as it
were the appearance of fire.
9:17. And when the cloud that covered the tabernacle was taken up, then
the children of Israel marched forward: and in the place where the cloud
stood still, there they camped.
9:18. At the commandment of the Lord they marched, and at his
commandment they pitched the tabernacle. All the days that the cloud
abode over the tabernacle, they remained in the same place:
9:19. And if it was so that it continued over it a long time, the
children of Israel kept the watches of the Lord, and marched not,
9:20. For as many days soever as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle.
At the commandment of the Lord they pitched their tents, and at his
commandment they took them down.
9:21. If the cloud tarried from evening until morning, and immediately
at break of day left the tabernacle, they marched forward: and if it
departed after a day and a night, they took down their tents.
9:22. But if it remained over the tabernacle for two days or a month or
a longer time, the children of Israel remained in the same place, and
marched not: but immediately as soon as it departed, they removed the
camp.
9:23. By the word of the Lord they pitched their tents, and by his word
they marched: and kept the watches of the Lord according to his
commandment by the hand of Moses.
Numbers Chapter 10
The silver trumpets and their use. They march from Sinai.
10:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
10:2. Make thee two trumpets of beaten silver, wherewith thou mayest
call together the multitude when the camp is to be removed.
10:3. And when thou shalt sound the trumpets, all the multitude shall
gather unto thee to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant.
10:4. If thou sound but once, the princes and the heads of the multitude
of Israel shall come to thee.
10:5. But if the sound of the trumpets be longer, and with
interruptions, they that are on the east side, shall first go forward.
10:6. And at the second sounding and like noise of the trumpet, they who
lie on the south side shall take up their tents. And after this manner
shall the rest do, when the trumpets shall sound for a march.
10:7. But when the people is to be gathered together, the sound of the
trumpets shall be plain, and they shall not make a broken sound.
10:8. And the sons of Aaron the priest shall sound the trumpets: and
this shall be an ordinance for ever in your generations.
10:9. If you go forth to war out of your land against the enemies that
fight against you, you shall sound aloud with the trumpets, and there
shall be a remembrance of you before the Lord your God, that you may be
delivered out of the hands of your enemies.
10:10. If at any time you shall have a banquet, and on your festival
days, and on the first days of your months, you shall sound the trumpets
over the holocausts, and the sacrifices of peace offerings, that they
may be to you for a remembrance of your God. I am the Lord your God.
10:11. The second year, in the second month, the twentieth day of the
month, the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle of the covenant.
10:12. And the children of Israel marched by their troops from the
desert of Sinai, and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Pharan.
10:13. And the first went forward according to the commandment of the
Lord by the hand of Moses.
10:14. The sons of Juda by their troops: whose prince was Nahasson the
son of Aminadab.
10:15. In the tribe of the sons of Issachar, the prince was Nathanael
the son of Suar.
10:16. In the tribe of Zabulon, the prince was Eliab the son of Helon.
10:17. And the tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gerson and
Merari set forward, bearing it.
10:18. And the sons of Ruben also marched, by their troops and ranks,
whose prince was Helisur the son of Sedeur.
10:19. And in the tribe of Simeon, the prince was Salamiel the son of
Surisaddai.
10:20. And in the tribe of Gad, the prince was Eliasaph the son of Duel.
10:21. Then the Caathites also marched carrying the sanctuary. So long
was the tabernacle carried, till they came to the place of setting it
up.
10:22. The sons of Ephraim also moved their camp by their troops, in
whose army the prince was Elisama the son of Ammiud.
10:23. And in the tribe of the sons of Manasses, the prince was Gamaliel
the son of Phadassur.
10:24. And in the tribe of Benjamin, the prince was Abidan the son of
Gedeon.
10:25. The last of all the camp marched the sons of Dan by their troops,
in whose army the prince was Ahiezer the son of Ammisaddai.
10:26. And in the tribe of the sons of Aser, the prince was Phegiel the
son of Ochran.
10:27. And in the tribe of the sons of Nephtali, the prince was Ahira
the son of Enan.
10:28. This was the order of the camps, and marches of the children of
Israel by their troops, when they set forward.
10:29. And Moses said to Hobab the son of Raguel the Madianite, his
kinsman: We are going towards the place which the Lord will give us:
come with us, that we may do thee good: for the Lord hath promised good
things to Israel.
10:30. But he answered him: I will not go with thee, but I will return
to my country, wherein I was born.
10:31. And he said: Do not leave us: for thou knowest in what places we
should encamp in the wilderness, and thou shalt be our guide.
10:32. And if thou comest with us, we will give thee what is the best of
the riches which the Lord shall deliver to us.
10:33. So they marched from the mount of the Lord three days' journey,
and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them, for three days
providing a place for the camp.
10:34. The cloud also of the Lord was over them by day when they
marched.
10:35. And when the ark was lifted up, Moses said: Arise, O Lord, and
let thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate thee, flee from
before thy face.
10:36. And when it was set down, he said: Return, O Lord, to the
multitude of the host of Israel.
Numbers Chapter 11
The people murmur and are punished with fire. God appointeth seventy
ancients for assistants to Moses. They prophesy. The people have their
fill of flesh, but forthwith many die of the plague.
11:1. In the mean time there arose a murmuring of the people against the
Lord, as it were repining at their fatigue. And when the Lord heard it
he was angry. And the fire of the Lord being kindled against them,
devoured them that were at the uttermost part of the camp.
11:2. And when the people cried to Moses, Moses prayed to the Lord, and
the fire was swallowed up.
11:3. And he called the name of that place, The burning: for that the
fire of the Lord had been kindled against them.
The burning... Hebrew, Taberah.
11:4. For a mixt multitude of people, that came up with them, burned
with desire, sitting and weeping, the children of Israel also being
joined with them, and said: Who shall give us flesh to eat?
A mixt multitude... These were people that came with them out of Egypt,
who were not of the race of Israel; who, by their murmuring, drew also
the children of Israel to murmur: this should teach us the danger of
associating ourselves with the children of Egypt, that is, with the
lovers and admirers of this wicked world.
11:5. We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free cost: the cucumbers
come into our mind, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and
the garlic.
11:6. Our soul is dry, our eyes behold nothing else but manna.
11:7. Now the manna was like coriander seed, of the colour of bdellium.
Bdellium... Bdellium, according to Pliny, 1.21, c. 9. was of the colour
of a man's nail, white and bright.
11:8. And the people went about, and gathering it, ground it in a mill,
or beat it in a mortar, and boiled it in a pot, and made cakes thereof
of the taste of bread tempered with oil.
11:9. And when the dew fell in the night upon the camp, the manna also
fell with it.
11:10. Now Moses heard the people weeping by their families, every one
at the door of his tent. And the wrath of the Lord was exceedingly
enkindled: to Moses also the thing seemed insupportable.
11:11. And he said to the Lord: Why hast thou afflicted thy servant?
Wherefore do I not find favour before thee? And why hast thou laid the
weight of all this people upon me?
11:12. Have I conceived all this multitude, or begotten them, that thou
shouldst say to me: Carry them in thy bosom as the nurse is wont to
carry the little infant, and bear them into the land, for which thou
hast sworn to their fathers?
11:13. Whence should I have flesh to give to so great a multitude? They
weep against me, saying: Give us flesh that we may eat.
11:14. I am not able alone to bear all this people, because it is too
heavy for me.
11:15. But if it seem unto thee otherwise, I beseech thee to kill me,
and let me find grace in thy eyes, that I be not afflicted with so great
evils.
11:16. And the Lord said to Moses: Gather unto me seventy men of the
ancients of Israel, whom thou knowest to be ancients and masters of the
people: and thou shalt bring them to the door of the tabernacle of the
covenant, and shalt make them stand there with thee,
Seventy men... This was the first institution of the council or senate,
called the Sanhedrin, consisting of seventy or seventy-two senators or
counsellors.
11:17. That I may come down and speak with thee: and I will take of thy
spirit, and will give to them, that they may bear with thee the burden
of the people, and thou mayest not be burthened alone.
11:18. And thou shalt say to the people: Be ye sanctified: to morrow you
shall eat flesh: for I have heard you say: Who will give us flesh to
eat? It was well with us in Egypt. That the Lord may give you flesh, and
you may eat:
11:19. Not for one day, nor two, nor five, nor ten, no nor for twenty.
11:20. But even for a month of days, till it come out at your nostrils,
and become loathsome to you, because you have cast off the Lord, who is
in the midst of you, and have wept before him, saying: Why came we out
of Egypt?
11:21. And Moses said: There are six hundred thousand footmen of this
people, and sayest thou: I will give them flesh to eat a whole month?
11:22. Shall then a multitude of sheep and oxen be killed, that it may
suffice for their food? or shall the fishes of the sea be gathered
together to fill them?
11:23. And the Lord answered him: Is the hand of the Lord unable? Thou
shalt presently see whether my word shall come to pass or no.
11:24. Moses therefore came, and told the people the words of the Lord,
and assembled seventy men of the ancients of Israel, and made them to
stand about the tabernacle.
11:25. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, taking away
of the spirit that was in Moses, and giving to the seventy men. And when
the spirit had rested on them they prophesied, nor did they cease
afterwards.
11:26. Now there remained in the camp two of the men, of whom one was
called Eldad, and the other Medad, upon whom the spirit rested; for they
also had been enrolled, but were not gone forth to the tabernacle.
11:27. And when they prophesied in the camp, there ran a young man, and
told Moses, saying: Eldad and Medad prophesy in the camp.
11:28. Forthwith Josue the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, and chosen
out of many, said: My lord Moses forbid them.
11:29. But he said: Why hast thou emulation for me? O that all the
people might prophesy, and that the Lord would give them his spirit!
11:30. And Moses returned, with the ancients of Israel, into the camp.
11:31. And a wind going out from the Lord, taking quails up beyond the
sea brought them, and cast them into the camp for the space of one day's
journey, on every side of the camp round about, and they flew in the air
two cubits high above the ground.
11:32. The people therefore rising up all that day, and night, and the
next day, gathered together of quails, he that did least, ten cores: and
they dried them round about the camp.
11:33. As yet the flesh was between their teeth, neither had that kind
of meat failed: when behold the wrath of the Lord being provoked against
the people, struck them with an exceeding great plague.
11:34. And that place was called, The graves of lust: for there they
buried the people that had lusted. And departing from the graves of
lust, they came unto Haseroth, and abode there.
The graves of lust... Or, the sepulchres of concupiscence: so called
from their irregular desire of flesh. In Hebrew, Kibroth. Hattaavah.
Numbers Chapter 12
Mary and Aaron murmur against Moses, whom God praiseth above other
prophets. Mary being struck with leprosy, Aaron confesseth his fault.
Moses prayeth for her, and after seven days' separation from the camp,
she is restored.
12:1. And Mary and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of his wife the
Ethiopian,
Ethiopian... Sephora the wife of Moses was of Madian, which bordered
upon the land of Chus or Ethiopia: where note, that the Ethiopia here
spoken of is not that of Africa but that of Arabia.
12:2. And they said: Hath the Lord spoken by Moses only? Hath he not
also spoken to us in like manner? And when the Lord heard this,
12:3. (For Moses was a man exceeding meek above all men that dwelt upon
earth)
Exceeding meek... Moses being the meekest of men, would not contend for
himself; therefore, God inspired him to write here his own defence: and
the Holy Spirit, whose dictate he wrote, obliged him to declare the
truth, though it was so much to his own praise.
12:4. Immediately he spoke to him, and to Aaron and Mary: Come out you
three only to the tabernacle of the covenant. And when they were come
out,
12:5. The Lord came down in a pillar of the cloud, and stood in the
entry of the tabernacle calling to Aaron and Mary. And when they were
come,
12:6. He said to them: Hear my words: if there be among you a prophet of
the Lord, I will appear to him in a vision, or I will speak to him in a
dream.
12:7. But it is not so with my servant Moses who is most faithful in all
my house:
12:8. For I speak to him mouth to mouth: and plainly, and not by riddles
and figures doth he see the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak
ill of my servant Moses?
12:9. And being angry with them he went away:
12:10. The cloud also that was over the tabernacle departed: and behold
Mary appeared white as snow with a leprosy. And when Aaron had looked on
her, and saw her all covered with leprosy,
12:11. He said to Moses: I beseech thee, my lord, lay not upon us this
sin, which we have foolishly committed:
12:12. Let her not be as one dead, and as an abortive that is cast forth
from the mother's womb. Lo, now one half of her flesh is consumed with
the leprosy.
12:13. And Moses cried to the Lord, saying O God, I beseech thee heal
her.
12:14. And the Lord answered him: If her father had spitten upon her
face, ought she not to have been ashamed for seven days at least? Let
her be separated seven days without the camp, and afterwards she shall
be called again.
12:15. Mary therefore was put out of the camp seven days: and the people
moved not from that place until Mary was called again.
Numbers Chapter 13
The twelve spies are sent to view the land. The relation they make of
it.
13:1. And the people marched from Haseroth, and pitched their tents in
the desert of Pharan.
13:2. And there the Lord spoke to Moses, saying.
13:3. Send men to view the land of Chanaan, which I will give to the
children of Israel, one of every tribe, of the rulers.
13:4. Moses did what the Lord had commanded, sending from the desert of
Pharan, principal men, whose names are these:
13:5. Of the tribe of Ruben, Sammua the son of Zechur.
13:6. Of the tribe of Simeon, Saphat the son of Huri.
13:7. Of the tribe of Juda, Caleb the son of Jephone.
13:8. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
13:9. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Osee the son of Nun.
13:10. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Phalti the son of Raphu.
13:11. Of the tribe of Zabulon, Geddiel the son of Sodi.
13:12. Of the tribe of Joseph, of the sceptre of Manasses, Gaddi the son
of Susi.
13:13. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
13:14. Of the tribe of Aser, Sthur the son of Michael.
13:15. Of the tribe of Nephtali, Nahabi the son of Vapsi.
13:16. Of the tribe of Gad, Guel the son of Machi.
13:17. These are the names of the men, whom Moses sent to view the land:
and he called Osee the son of Nun, Josue.
13:18. And Moses sent them to view the land of Chanaan, and said to
them: Go you up by the south side. And when you shall come to the
mountains,
13:19. View the land, of what sort it is, and the people that are the
inhabitants thereof, whether they be strong or weak: few in number or
many:
13:20. The land itself, whether it be good or bad: what manner of
cities, walled or without walls:
13:21. The ground, fat or barren, woody or without trees. Be of good
courage, and bring us of the fruits of the land. Now it was the time
when the firstripe grapes are fit to be eaten.
13:22. And when they were gone up, they viewed the land from the desert
of Sin, unto Rohob as you enter into Emath.
13:23. And they went up at the south side, and came to Hebron, where
were Achiman and Sisai and Tholmai the sons of Enac. For Hebron was
built seven years before Tanis the city of Egypt.
13:24. And forward as far as the torrent of the cluster of grapes, they
cut off a branch with its cluster of grapes, which two men carried upon
a lever. They took also of the pomegranates and of the figs of that
place:
13:25. Which was called Nehelescol, that is to say, the torrent of the
cluster of grapes, because from thence the children of Israel had
carried a cluster of grapes.
13:26. And they that went to spy out the land returned after forty days,
having gone round all the country,
13:27. And came to Moses and Aaron and to all the assembly of the
children of Israel to the desert of Pharan, which is in Cades. And
speaking to them and to all the multitude, they shewed them the fruits
of the land:
13:28. And they related and said: We came into the land to which thou
sentest us, which in very deed floweth with milk and honey as may be
known by these fruits:
13:29. But it hath very strong inhabitants, and the cities are great and
walled. We saw there the race of Enac.
13:30. Amalec dwelleth in the south, the Hethite and the Jebusite and
the Amorrhite in the mountains: but the Chanaanite abideth by the sea
and near the streams of the Jordan.
13:31. In the mean time Caleb, to still the murmuring of the people that
rose against Moses, said: Let us go up and possess the land, for we
shall be able to conquer it.
13:32. But the others, that had been with him, said: No, we are not able
to go up to this people, because they are stronger than we.
13:33. And they spoke ill of the land, which they had viewed, before the
children of Israel, saying: The land which we have viewed, devoureth its
inhabitants: the people, that we beheld are of a tall stature.
Spoke ill, etc... These men, who by their misrepresentations of the land
of promise, discouraged the Israelites from attempting the conquest of
it, were a figure of worldlings, who, by decrying or misrepresenting
true devotion, discourage Christians from seeking in earnest and
acquiring so great a good, and thereby securing to themselves a happy
eternity.
13:34. There we saw certain monsters of the sons of Enac, of the giant
kind: in comparison of whom, we seemed like locusts.
Numbers Chapter 14
The people murmur. God threateneth to destroy them. He is appeased by
Moses, yet so as to exclude the murmurers from entering the promised
land. The authors of the sedition are struck dead. The rest going to
fight against the will of God are beaten.
14:1. Therefore the whole multitude crying wept that night.
14:2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron,
saying:
14:3. Would God that we had died in Egypt: and would God we may die in
this vast wilderness, and that the Lord may not bring us into this land,
lest we fall by the sword, and our wives and children be led away
captives. Is it not better to return into Egypt?
14:4. And they said one to another: Let us appoint a captain, and let us
return into Egypt.
14:5. And when Moses and Aaron heard this, they fell down flat upon the
ground before the multitude of the children of Israel.
14:6. But Josue the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephone, who
themselves also had viewed the land, rent their garments,
14:7. And said to all the multitude of the children of Israel: The land
which we have gone round is very good:
14:8. If the Lord be favourable, he will bring us into it, and give us a
land flowing with milk and honey.
14:9. Be not rebellious against the Lord: and fear ye not the people of
this land, for we are able to eat them up as bread. All aid is gone from
them: the Lord is with us, fear ye not.
14:10. And when all the multitude cried out, and would have stoned them,
the glory of the Lord appeared over the tabernacle of the covenant to
all the children of Israel.
14:11. And the Lord said to Moses: How long will this people detract me?
how long will they not believe me for all the signs that I have wrought
before them?
14:12. I will strike them therefore with pestilence, and will consume
them: but thee I will make a ruler over a great nation, and a mightier
than this is.
14:13. And Moses said to the Lord: That the Egyptians, from the midst of
whom thou hast brought forth this people,
14:14. And the inhabitants of this land, (who have heard that thou, O
Lord, art among this people, and art seen face to face, and thy cloud
protecteth them, and thou goest before them in a pillar of a cloud by
day, and in a pillar of fire by night,)
14:15. May hear that thou hast killed so great a multitude as it were
one man and may say:
14:16. He could not bring the people into the land for which he had
sworn, therefore did he kill them in the wilderness.
14:17. Let then the strength of the Lord be magnified, as thou hast
sworn, saying:
14:18. The Lord is patient and full of mercy, by taking away iniquity
and wickedness, and leaving no man clear, who visitest the sins of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Clear... i. e., who deserves punishment.
14:19. Forgive, I beseech thee, the sins of this people, according to
the greatness of thy mercy, as thou hast been merciful to them from
their going out of Egypt unto this place.
14:20. And the Lord said: I have forgiven according to thy word.
14:21. As I live: and the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of
the Lord.
14:22. But yet all the men that have seen my majesty, and the signs that
I have done in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now ten
times, and have not obeyed my voice,
14:23. Shall not see the land for which I swore to their fathers,
neither shall any one of them that hath detracted me behold it.
14:24. My servant Caleb, who being full of another spirit hath followed
me, I will bring into this land which he hath gone round: and his seed
shall possess it.
14:25. For the Amalecite and the Chanaanite dwell in the valleys. To
morrow remove the camp, and return into the wilderness by the way of the
Red Sea.
14:26. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
14:27. How long doth this wicked multitude murmur against me? I have
heard the murmurings of the children of Israel.
14:28. Say therefore to them: As I live, saith the Lord: According as
you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you.
14:29. In the wilderness shall your carcasses lie. All you that were
numbered from twenty years old and upward, and have murmured against me,
14:30. Shall not enter into the land, over which I lifted up my hand to
make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephone, and Josue the
son of Nun.
14:31. But your children, of whom you said, that they should be a prey
to the enemies, will I bring in: that they may see the land which you
have despised.
14:32. Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.
14:33. Your children shall wander in the desert forty years, and shall
bear your fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers be consumed
in the desert,
Shall bear your fornication... That is, shall bear the punishment of
your disloyalty to God, which in the scripture language is here called a
fornication, in a spiritual sense.
14:34. According to the number of the forty days, wherein you viewed the
land: a year shall be counted for a day. And forty years you shall
receive your iniquities, and shall know my revenge:
14:35. For as I have spoken, so will I do to all this wicked multitude,
that hath risen up together against me: in this wilderness shall it
faint away and die.
14:36. Therefore all the men, whom Moses had sent to view the land, and
who at their return had made the whole multitude to murmur against him,
speaking ill of the land that it was naught,
14:37. Died and were struck in the sight of the Lord.
14:38. But Josue the son of Nun, and Caleb had gone to view the land.
14:39. And Moses spoke all these words to all the children of Israel,
and the people mourned exceedingly.
14:40. And behold rising up very early in the morning, they went up to
the top of the mountain, and said: We are ready to go up to the place,
of which the Lord hath spoken: for we have sinned.
14:41. And Moses said to them: Why transgress you the word of the Lord,
which shall not succeed prosperously with you?
14:42. Go not up, for the Lord is not with you: lest you fall before
your enemies.
14:43. The Amalecite and the Chanaanite are before you, and by their
sword you shall fall, because you would not consent to the Lord, neither
will the Lord be with you.
14:44. But they being blinded went up to the top of the mountain. But
the ark of the testament of the Lord and Moses departed not from the
camp.
14:45. And the Amalecite came down, and the Chanaanite that dwelt in the
mountain: and smiting and slaying them pursued them as far as Horma.
Numbers Chapter 15
Certain laws concerning sacrifices. Sabbath breaking is punished with
death. The law of fringes on their garments.
15:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
15:2. Speak to the children of Israel and thou shalt say to them: When
you shall be come unto the land of your habitation, which I will give
you,
15:3. And shall make an offering to the Lord, for a holocaust, or a
victim, paying your vows, or voluntarily offering gifts, or in your
solemnities burning a sweet savour unto the Lord, of oxen or of sheep:
15:4. Whosoever immolateth the victim, shall offer a sacrifice of fine
flour, the tenth part of an ephi, tempered with the fourth part of a hin
of oil:
15:5. And he shall give the same measure of wine to pour out in
libations for the holocaust or for the victim. For every lamb,
15:6. And for every ram there shall be a sacrifice of flour of two
tenths, which shall be tempered with the third part of a hin of oil:
15:7. And he shall offer the third part the same measure of wine for the
libation, for a sweet savour to the Lord.
15:8. But when thou offerest a holocaust or sacrifice of oxen, to fulfil
thy vow or for victims of peace offerings,
15:9. Thou shalt give for every ox three tenths of flour tempered with
half a hin of oil,
15:10. And wine for libations of the same measure, for an offering of
most sweet savour to the Lord.
15:11. Thus shalt thou do
15:12. For every ox and ram and lamb and kid.
15:13. Both they that are born in the land, and the strangers
15:14. Shall offer sacrifices after the same rite.
15:15. There shall be all one law and judgment both for you and for them
who are strangers in the land.
15:16. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
15:17. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them:
15:18. When you are come into the land which I will give you,
15:19. And shall eat of the bread of that country, you shall separate
firstfruits to the Lord,
15:20. Of the things you eat. As you separate firstfruits of your
barnfloors:
15:21. So also shall you give firstfruits of your dough to the Lord.
15:22. And if through ignorance you omit any of these things, which the
Lord hath spoken to Moses,
15:23. And by him hath commanded you from the day that he began to
command and thenceforward,
15:24. And the multitude have forgotten to do it: they shall offer a
calf out of the herd, a holocaust for a most sweet savour to the Lord,
and the sacrifice and libations thereof, as the ceremonies require, and
a buck goat for sin:
15:25. And the priest shall pray for all the multitude of the children
of Israel: and it shall be forgiven them, because they sinned
ignorantly, offering notwithstanding a burnt offering to the Lord for
themselves and for their sin and their Ignorance:
15:26. And it shall be forgiven all the people of the children of
Israel: and the strangers that sojourn among them: because it is the
fault of all the people through ignorance.
15:27. But if one soul shall sin ignorantly, he shall offer a she-goat
of a year old for his sin.
15:28. And the priest shall pray for him, because he sinned ignorantly
before the Lord: and he shall obtain his pardon, and it shall be
forgiven him.
15:29. The same law shall be for all that sin by ignorance, whether they
be natives or strangers.
15:30. But the soul that committeth any thing through pride, whether he
be born in the land or a stranger (because he hath been rebellious
against the Lord) shall be cut off from among his people:
15:31. For he hath contemned the word of the Lord, and made void his
precept: therefore shall he be destroyed, and shall bear his iniquity.
15:32. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel were in the
wilderness, and had found a man gathering sticks on the sabbath day,
15:33. That they brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole multitude.
15:34. And they put him into prison, not knowing what they should do
with him.
15:35. And the Lord said to Moses: Let that man die, let all the
multitude stone him without the camp.
15:36. And when they had brought him out, they stoned him, and he died
as the Lord had commanded.
15:37. The Lord also said to Moses:
15:38. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt tell them to make
to themselves fringes in the corners of their garments, putting in them
ribands of blue:
Fringes... The Pharisees enlarged these fringes through hypocrisy, Matt.
23.5, to appear more zealous than other men for the law of God.
15:39. That when they shall see them, they may remember all the
commandments of the Lord, and not follow their own thoughts and eyes
going astray after divers things,
15:40. But rather being mindful of the precepts of the Lord, may do them
and be holy to their God.
15:41. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that I might be your God.
Numbers Chapter 16
The schism of Core and his adherents: their punishment.
16:1. And behold Core the son of Isaar, the son of Caath, the son of
Levi, and Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab, and Hon the son of
Pheleth of the children of Ruben,
16:2. Rose up against Moses, and with them two hundred and fifty others
of the children of Israel, leading men of the synagogue, and who in the
time of assembly were called by name.
Rose up... The crime of these men, which was punished in so remarkable a
manner, was that of schism, and of rebellion against the authority
established by God in the church; and their pretending to the priesthood
without being lawfully called and sent: the same is the case of all
modern sectaries.
16:3. And when they had stood up against Moses and Aaron, they said: Let
it be enough for you, that all the multitude consisteth of holy ones,
and the Lord is among them: Why lift you up yourselves above the people
of the Lord?
16:4. When Moses heard this, he fell flat on his face:
16:5. And speaking to Core and all the multitude, he said: In the
morning the Lord will make known who belong to him, and the holy he will
join to himself: and whom he shall choose, they shall approach to him.
16:6. Do this therefore: Take every man of you your censers, thou Core,
and all thy company.
16:7. And putting fire in them to morrow, put incense upon it before the
Lord: and whomsoever he shall choose, the same shall be holy: you take
too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
16:8. And he said again to Core: Hear ye sons of Levi.
16:9. Is it a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath spared
you from all the people, and joined you to himself, that you should
serve him in the service of the tabernacle, and should stand before the
congregation of the people, and should minister to him?
16:10. Did he therefore make thee and all thy brethren the sons of Levi
to approach unto him, that you should challenge to yourselves the
priesthood also,
16:11. And that all thy company should stand against the Lord? for what
is Aaron that you murmur against him?
16:12. Then Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab. But
they answered: We will not come.
16:13. Is it a small matter to thee, that thou hast brought us out of a
land that flowed with milk and honey, to kill us in the desert, except
thou rule also like a lord over us?
16:14. Thou hast brought us indeed into a land that floweth with rivers
of milk and honey, and hast given us possessions of fields and
vineyards; wilt thou also pull out our eyes? We will not come.
16:15. Moses therefore being very angry, said to the Lord: Respect not
their sacrifices: thou knowest that I have not taken of them so much as
a young ass at any time, nor have injured any of them.
Very angry... This anger was a zeal against sin; and an indignation at
the affront offered to God; like that which the same holy prophet
conceived upon the sight of the golden calf, Ex. 32.19.
16:16. And he said to Core: Do thou and thy congregation stand apart
before the Lord to morrow, and Aaron apart.
16:17. Take every one of you censers, and put incense upon them,
offering to the Lord two hundred and fifty censers: let Aaron also hold
his censer.
16:18. When they had done this, Moses and Aaron standing,
16:19. And had drawn up all the multitude against them to the door of
the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord appeared to them all.
16:20. And the Lord speaking to Moses and Aaron, said:
16:21. Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may
presently destroy them.
16:22. They fell flat on their face, and said: O most mighty, the God of
the spirits of all flesh, for one man's sin shall thy wrath rage against
all?
16:23. And the Lord said to Moses:
16:24. Command the whole people to separate themselves from the tents of
Core and Dathan and Abiron.
16:25. And Moses arose, and went to Dathan and Abiron: and the ancients
of Israel following him,
16:26. He said to the multitude: Depart from the tents of these wicked
men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be involved in their sins.
16:27. And when they were departed from their tents round about, Dathan
and Abiron coming out stood in the entry of their pavilions with their
wives and children, and all the people.
16:28. And Moses said: By this you shall know that the Lord hath sent me
to do all things that you see, and that I have not forged them of my own
head:
16:29. If these men die the common death of men, and if they be visited
with a plague, wherewith others also are wont to be visited, the Lord
did not send me.
16:30. But if the Lord do a new thing, and the earth opening her mouth
swallow them down, and all things that belong to them, and they go down
alive into hell, you shall know that they have blasphemed the Lord.
16:31. And immediately as he had made an end of speaking, the earth
broke asunder under their feet:
16:32. And opening her mouth, devoured them with their tents and all
their substance.
16:33. And they went down alive into hell, the ground closing upon them,
and they perished from among the people.
16:34. But all Israel, that was standing round about, fled at the cry of
them that were perishing: saying: Lest perhaps the earth swallow us up
also.
16:35. And a fire coming out from the Lord, destroyed the two hundred
and fifty men that offered the incense.
16:36. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
16:37. Command Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the
censers that lie in the burning, and to scatter the fire of one side and
the other: because they are sanctified
16:38. In the deaths of the sinners: and let him beat them into plates,
and fasten them to the altar, because incense hath been offered in them
to the Lord, and they are sanctified, that the children of Israel may
see them for a sign and a memorial.
16:39. Then Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherein they had
offered, whom the burning fire had devoured, and beat them into plates,
fastening them to the altar:
16:40. That the children of Israel might have for the time to come
wherewith they should be admonished, that no stranger or any one that is
not of the seed of Aaron should come near to offer incense to the Lord,
lest he should suffer as Core suffered, and all his congregation,
according as the Lord spoke to Moses.
16:41. The following day all the multitude of the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying: You have killed the people of
the Lord.
16:42. And when there arose a sedition, and the tumult increased,
16:43. Moses and Aaron fled to the tabernacle of the covenant. And when
they were gone into it, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord
appeared.
16:44. And the Lord said to Moses:
16:45. Get you out from the midst of this multitude, this moment will I
destroy them. And as they were lying on the ground,
16:46. Moses said to Aaron: Take the censer, and putting fire in it from
the altar, put incense upon it, and go quickly to the people to pray for
them: for already wrath is gone out from the Lord, and the plague
rageth.
16:47. When Aaron had done this, and had run to the midst of the
multitude which the burning fire was now destroying, he offered the
incense:
16:48. And standing between the dead and the living, he prayed for the
people, and the plague ceased.
16:49. And the number of them that were slain was fourteen thousand and
seven hundred men, besides them that had perished in the sedition of
Core.
16:50. And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tabernacle of the
covenant after the destruction was over.
Numbers Chapter 17
The priesthood is confirmed to Aaron by the miracle of the blooming of
his rod, which is kept for a monument in the tabernacle.
17:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
17:2. Speak to the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a
rod by their kindreds, of all the princes of the tribes, twelve rods,
and write the name of every man upon his rod.
17:3. And the name of Aaron shall be for the tribe of Levi, and one rod
shall contain all their families:
17:4. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the covenant
before the testimony, where I will speak to thee.
17:5. Whomsoever of these I shall choose, his rod shall blossom: and I
will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel,
wherewith they murmur against you.
17:6. And Moses spoke to the children of Israel: and all the princes
gave him rods one for every tribe: and there were twelve rods besides
the rod of Aaron.
17:7. And when Moses had Laid them up before the Lord in the tabernacle
of the testimony:
17:8. He returned on the following day, and found that the rod of Aaron
for the house of Levi, was budded: and that the buds swelling it hid
bloomed blossoms, which spreading the leaves, were formed into almonds.
The rod of Aaron for the house of Levi, was budded, etc... This rod of
Aaron which thus miraculously brought forth fruit, was a figure of the
blessed Virgin conceiving and bringing forth her Son without any
prejudice to her virginity.
17:9. Moses therefore brought out all the rods from before the Lord to
all the children of Israel: and they saw, and every one received their
rods.
17:10. And the Lord said to Moses: Carry back the rod of Aaron into the
tabernacle of the testimony, that it may be kept there for a token of
the rebellious children of Israel, and that their complaints may cease
from me lest they die.
17:11. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded.
17:12. And the children of Israel said to Moses: Behold we are consumed,
we all perish.
17:13. Whosoever approacheth to the tabernacle of the Lord, he dieth.
Are we all to a man to be utterly destroyed?
Numbers Chapter 18
The charge of the priests and of the Levites, and their portion.
18:1. And the Lord said to Aaron: Thou, and thy sons, and thy father's
house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and
thy sons with thee shall bear the sins of your priesthood.
Thou, and thy father's house with thee, shall bear the iniquity of the
sanctuary... That is, you shall be punished if, through negligence or
want of due attention, you err in the discharge of the sacred functions
for which you were ordained.
18:2. And take with thee thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, and the
sceptre of thy father, and let them be ready in hand, and minister to
thee: but thou and thy sons shall minister in the tabernacle of the
testimony.
18:3. And the Levites shall watch to do thy commands, and about all the
works of the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of
the sanctuary nor the altar, lest both they die, and you also perish
with them.
18:4. But let them be with thee, and watch in the charge of the
tabernacle, and in all the ceremonies thereof. A stranger shall not join
himself with you.
18:5. Watch ye in the charge of the sanctuary, and in the ministry of
the altar: lest indignation rise upon the children of Israel.
18:6. I have given you your brethren the Levites from among the children
of Israel, and have delivered them for a gift to the Lord, to serve in
the ministries of the tabernacle.
18:7. But thou and thy sons look ye to the priesthood: and all things
that pertain to the service of the altar, and that are within the veil,
shall be executed by the priests. If any stranger shall approach, he
shall be slain.
18:8. And the Lord said to Aaron: Behold I have given thee the charge of
my firstfruits. All things that are sanctified by the children of
Israel, I have delivered to thee and to thy sons for the priestly
office, by everlasting ordinances.
18:9. These therefore shalt thou take of the things that are sanctified,
and are offered to the Lord. Every offering, and sacrifice, and
whatsoever is rendered to me for sin and for trespass, and becometh holy
of holies, shall be for thee and thy sons.
18:10. Thou shalt eat it in the sanctuary: the males only shall eat
thereof, because it is a consecrated thing to thee.
18:11. But the firstfruits, which the children of Israel shall vow and
offer, I have given to thee, and to thy sons, and to thy daughters, by a
perpetual law. He that is clean in thy house, shall eat them.
18:12. All the best of the oil, and of the wine, and of the corn,
whatsoever firstfruits they offer to the Lord, I have given them to
thee.
18:13. All the firstripe of the fruits, that the ground bringeth forth,
and which are brought to the Lord, shall be for thy use: he that is
clean in thy house, shall eat them.
18:14. Every thing that the children of Israel shall give by vow, shall
be thine.
18:15. Whatsoever is firstborn of all flesh, which they offer to the
Lord, whether it be of men, or of beasts, shall belong to thee: only for
the firstborn of man thou shalt take a price, and every beast that is
unclean thou shalt cause to be redeemed,
18:16. And the redemption of it shall be after one month, for five
sicles of silver, by the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty
obols.
18:17. But the firstling of a cow, and of a sheep and of a goat thou
shalt not cause to be redeemed, because they are sanctified to the Lord.
Their blood only thou shalt pour upon the altar, and their fat thou
shalt burn for a most sweet odour to the Lord.
18:18. But the flesh shall fall to thy use, as the consecrated breast,
and the right shoulder shall be thine.
18:19. All the firstfruits of the sanctuary which the children of Israel
offer to the Lord, I have given to thee and to thy sons and daughters,
by a perpetual ordinance. It is a covenant of salt for ever before the
Lord, to thee and to thy sons.
A covenant of salt... It is a proverbial expression, signifying a
covenant not to be altered or corrupted; as salt is used to keep things
from corruption; a covenant perpetual, like that by which it was
appointed, that salt should be used in every sacrifice. Lev. 2.
18:20. And the Lord said to Aaron: You shall possess nothing in their
land, neither shall you have a portion among them: I am thy portion and
inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel.
18:21. And I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes of Israel for
a possession, for the ministry wherewith they serve me in the tabernacle
of the covenant:
18:22. That the children of Israel may not approach any more to the
tabernacle, nor commit deadly sin,
Deadly sin... That is, sin which will bring death after it.
18:23. But only the sons of Levi may serve me in the tabernacle, and
bear the sins of the people. It shall be an everlasting ordinance in
your generations. They shall not possess any other thing,
18:24. But be content with the oblation or tithes, which I have
separated for their uses and necessities.
18:25. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
18:26. Command the Levites, and declare unto them: When you shall
receive of the children of Israel the tithes, which I have given you,
offer the firstfruits of them to the Lord, that is to say, the tenth
part of the tenth:
18:27. That it may be reckoned to you as an oblation of firstfruits, as
well of the barnfloors as of the winepresses:
18:28. And of all the things of which you receive tithes, offer the
firstfruits to the Lord, and give them to Aaron the priest.
18:29. All the things that you shall offer of the tithes, and shall
separate for the gifts of the Lord, shall be the best and choicest
things.
18:30. And thou shalt say to them: If you offer all the goodly and the
better things of the tithes, it shall be reckoned to you as if you had
given the firstfruits of the barnfloor and the winepress:
18:31. And you shall eat them in all your places, both you and your
families: because it is your reward for the ministry, wherewith you
serve in the tabernacle of the testimony.
18:32. And you shall not sin in this point, by reserving the choicest
and fat things to yourselves, lest you profane the oblations of the
children of Israel, and die.
Numbers Chapter 19
The law of the sacrifice of the red cow, and the water of expiation.
19:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
19:2. This is the observance of the victim, which the Lord hath
ordained. Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee a
red cow of full age, in which there is no blemish, and which hath not
carried the yoke:
A red cow, etc... This red cow, offered in sacrifice for sin, and
consumed with fire without the camp, with the ashes of which, mingled
with water, the unclean were to be expiated and purified; was a figure
of the passion of Christ, by whose precious blood applied to our souls
in the holy sacraments, we are cleansed from our sins.
19:3. And you shall deliver her to Eleazar the priest, who shall bring
her forth without the camp, and shall immolate her in the sight of all:
19:4. And dipping his finger in her blood, shall sprinkle it over
against the door of the tabernacle seven times,
19:5. And shall burn her in the sight of all delivering up to the fire
her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, and her dung.
19:6. The priest shall also take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet
twice dyed, and cast it into the flame, with which the cow is consumed.
19:7. And then after washing his garments, and body, he shall enter into
the camp, and shall be unclean until the evening.
19:8. He also that hath burned her, shall wash his garments, and his
body, and shall be unclean until the evening.
19:9. And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the cow, and
shall pour them forth without the camp in a most clean place, that they
may be reserved for the multitude of the children of Israel, and for a
water of aspersion: because the cow was burnt for sin.
19:10. And when he that carried the ashes of the cow, hath washed his
garments, he shall be unclean until the evening. The children of Israel,
and the strangers that dwell among them, shall observe this for a holy
thing by a perpetual ordinance.
19:11. He that toucheth the corpse of a man, and is therefore unclean
seven days,
19:12. Shall be sprinkled with this water on the third day, and on the
seventh, and so shall be cleansed. If he were not sprinkled on the third
day, he cannot be cleansed on the seventh.
19:13. Every one that toucheth the corpse of a man, and is not sprinkled
with this mixture, shall profane the tabernacle of the Lord, and shall
perish out of Israel: because he was not sprinkled with the water of
expiation, he shall be unclean, and his uncleanness shall remain upon
him.
19:14. This is the law of a man that dieth in a tent: All that go into
his tent and all the vessels that are there, shall be unclean seven
days.
19:15. The vessel that hath no cover, nor binding over it, shall be
unclean.
19:16. If any man in the field touch the corpse of a man that was slain,
or that died of himself, or his bone, or his grave, he shall be unclean
seven days.
19:17. And they shall take of the ashes of the burning and of the sin
offering, and shall pour living waters upon them into a vessel.
19:18. And a man that is clean shall dip hyssop in them, and shall
sprinkle therewith all the tent, and all the furniture, and the men that
are defiled with touching any such thing:
19:19. And in this manner he that is clean shall purify the unclean on
the third and on the seventh day. And being expiated the seventh day, he
shall wash both himself and his garments, and be unclean until the
evening.
19:20. If any man be not expiated after this rite, his soul shall perish
out of the midst of the church: because he hath profaned the sanctuary
of the Lord, and was not sprinkled with the water of purification.
19:21. This precept shall be an ordinance for ever. He also that
sprinkled the water, shall wash his garments. Every one that shall touch
the waters of expiation, shall be unclean until the evening.
19:22. Whatsoever a person toucheth who is unclean, he shall make it
unclean: and the person that toucheth any of these things, shall be
unclean until the evening.
Numbers Chapter 20
The death of Mary the sister of Moses. The people murmur for want of
water: God giveth it them from the rock. The death of Aaron.
20:1. And the children of Israel, and all the multitude came into the
desert of Sin, in the first month: and the people abode in Cades. And
Mary died there, and was buried in the same place.
20:2. And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and
Aaron:
20:3. And making a sedition, they said: Would God we had perished among
our brethren before the Lord.
20:4. Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the
wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die?
20:5. Why have you made us come up out of Egypt, and have brought us
into this wretched place which cannot be sowed, nor bringeth forth figs,
nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink?
20:6. And Moses and Aaron leaving the multitude, went into the
tabernacle of the covenant, and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to
the Lord, and said. O Lord God, hear the cry of this people, and open to
them thy treasure, a fountain of living water, that being satisfied,
they may cease to murmur. And the glory of the Lord appeared over them.
20:7. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
20:8. Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy
brother, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters.
And when thou hast brought forth water out of the rock, all the
multitude and their cattle shall drink.
20:9. Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had
commanded him,
20:10. And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he
said to them: Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you
forth water out of this rock?
20:11. And when Moses bad lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice
with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the
people and their cattle drank,
The rock... This rock was a figure of Christ, and the water that issued
out from the rock, of his precious blood, the source of all our good.
20:12. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not
believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not
bring these people into the land, which I will give them.
You have not believed, etc... The fault of Moses and Aaron, on this
occasion, was a certain diffidence and weakness of faith; not doubting
of God's power or veracity; but apprehending the unworthiness of that
rebellious and incredulous people, and therefore speaking with some
ambiguity.
20:13. This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel
strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
The Water of contradiction... Or strife. Hebrew, Meribah.
20:14. In the mean time Moses sent messengers from Cades to the king of
Edom, to say: Thus saith thy brother Israel: Thou knowest all the labour
that hath come upon us:
20:15. In what manner our fathers went down into Egypt, and there we
dwelt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers.
20:16. And how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel,
who hath brought us out of Egypt. Lo, we are now in the city of Cades,
which is in the uttermost of thy borders,
20:17. And we beseech thee that we may have leave to pass through thy
country. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards,
we will not drink the waters of thy wells, but we will go by the common
highway, neither turning aside to the right hand, nor to the left, till
we are past thy borders.
20:18. And Edom answered them: Thou shalt not pass by me: if thou dost I
will come out armed against thee.
20:19. And the children of Israel said: We will go by the beaten way:
and if we and our cattle drink of thy waters, we will give thee what is
just: there shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us pass
speedily.
20:20. But he answered: Thou shalt not pass. And immediately he came
forth to meet them with an infinite multitude, and a strong hand,
20:21. Neither would he condescend to their desire to grant them passage
through his borders. Wherefore Israel turned another way from him.
20:22. And when they had removed the camp from Cades, they came to mount
Hor, which is in the borders of the land of Edom:
20:23. Where the Lord spoke to Moses:
20:24. Let Aaron, saith he, go to his people: for he shall not go into
the land which I have given the children of Israel, because he was
incredulous to my words, at the waters of contradiction.
20:25. Take Aaron and his son with him, and bring them up into mount
Hor:
20:26. And when thou hast stripped the father of his vesture, thou shalt
vest therewith Eleazar his son: Aaron shall be gathered to his people,
and die there.
20:27. Moses did as the Lord had commanded: and they went up into mount
Hor before all the multitude.
20:28. And when he had stripped Aaron of his vestments, he vested
Eleazar his son with them.
20:29. And Aaron being dead in the top of the mountain, he came down
with Eleazar.
20:30. And all the multitude seeing that Aaron was dead, mourned for him
thirty days throughout all their families.
Numbers Chapter 21
King Arad is overcome. The people murmur and are punished with fiery
serpents: they are healed by the brazen serpent. They conquer the kings
Sehon and Og.
21:1. And when king Arad the Chanaanite, who dwelt towards the south,
had heard this, to wit, that Israel was come by the way of the spies, he
fought against them, and overcoming them carried off their spoils.
21:2. But Israel binding himself by vow to the Lord, said: If thou wilt
deliver thus people into my hand, I will utterly destroy their cities.
21:3. And the Lord heard the prayers of Israel, and delivered up the
Chanaanite, and they cut them off and destroyed their cities: and they
called the name of that place Horma, that is to say, Anathema.
Anathema... That is, a thing devoted to utter destruction.
21:4. And they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the
Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary
of their journey and labour:
21:5. And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou
bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor
have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.
Very light food... So they call the heavenly manna: thus worldlings
loathe the things of heaven, for which they have no relish.
21:6. Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit
them and killed many of them.
Fiery serpents... They are so called, because they that were bitten by
them were burnt with a violent heat.
21:7. Upon which they came to Moses, and said; We have sinned, because
we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away
these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
21:8. And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for
a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.
21:9. Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign:
which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.
A brazen serpent... This was a figure of Christ crucified, and of the
efficacy of a lively faith in him, against the bites of the hellish
serpent. John 3.14.
21:10. And the children of Israel setting forwards camped in Oboth.
21:11. And departing thence they pitched their tents in Jeabarim, in the
wilderness, that faceth Moab toward the east.
21:12. And removing from thence, they came to the torrent Zared:
21:13. Which they left and encamped over against Arnon, which is in the
desert and standeth out on the borders of the Amorrhite. For Arnon is
the border of Moab, dividing the Moabites and the Amorrhites.
21:14. Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord: As he
did in the Red Sea, so will he do in the streams of Arnon.
The book of the wars, etc... An ancient book, which, like several others
quoted in scripture, has been lost.
21:15. The rocks of the torrents were bowed down that they might rest in
Ar, and lie down in the borders of the Moabites.
21:16. When they went from that place, the well appeared whereof the
Lord said to Moses: Gather the people together, and I will give them
water.
21:17. Then Israel sung this song: Let the well spring up. They sung
thereto:
21:18. The well, which the princes dug, and the chiefs of the people
prepared by the direction of the lawgiver, and with their staves. And
they marched from the wilderness to Mathana.
21:19. From Mathana unto Nahaliel: from Nahaliel unto Bamoth.
21:20. From Bamoth, is a valley in the country of Moab, to the top of
Phasga, which looked towards the desert.
21:21. And Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites,
saying:
21:22. I beseech thee that I may have leave to pass through thy land: we
will not go aside into the fields or the vineyards, we will not drink
waters of the wells, we will go the king's highway, till we be past thy
borders.
21:23. And he would not grant that Israel should pass by his borders:
but rather gathering an army, went forth to meet them in the desert, and
came to Jasa and fought against them.
21:24. And he was slain by them with the edge of the sword, and they
possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jeboc, and to the confines of
the children of Ammon: for the borders of the Ammonites, were kept with
a strong garrison.
21:25. So Israel took all his cities, and dwelt in the cities of the
Amorrhite, to wit, in Hesebon, and in the villages thereof.
21:26. Hesebon was the city of Sehon the king of the Amorrhites, who
fought against the king of Moab: and took all the land, that had been of
his dominion, as far as the Arnon.
21:27. Therefore it is said in the proverb: Come into Hesebon, let the
city of Sehon be built and set up:
21:28. A fire is gone out of Hesebon, a flame from the city of Sehon,
and hath consumed Ar of the Moabites, and the inhabitants of the high
places of the Arnon.
21:29. Woe to thee Moab: thou art undone, O people of Chamos. He hath
given his sons to flight, and his daughters into captivity to Sehon the
king of the Amorrhites.
21:30. Their yoke is perished from Hesebon unto Dibon, they came weary
to Nophe, and unto Medaba.
21:31. So Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorrhite.
21:32. And Moses sent some to take a view of Jazer: and they took the
villages of it, and conquered the inhabitants.
21:33. And they turned themselves, and went up by the way of Basan, and
Og the king of Basan came against them with all his people, to fight in
Edrai.
21:34. And the Lord said to Moses: Fear him not, for I have delivered
him and all his people, and his country into thy hand: and thou shalt do
to him as thou didst to Sehon the king of the Amorrhites, the inhabitant
of Hesebon.
21:35. So they slew him also with his sons, and all his people, not
letting any one escape, and they possessed his land.
Numbers Chapter 22
Balac, king of Moab, sendeth twice for Balaam to curse Israel. In his
way Balaam is rebuked by an angel.
22:1. And they went forward and encamped in the plains of Moab, over
against where Jericho is situate beyond the Jordan.
22:2. And Balac the son of Sephor, seeing all that Israel had done to
the Amorrhite,
22:3. And that the Moabites were in great fear of him, and were not able
to sustain his assault,
22:4. He said to the elders of Madian: So will this people destroy all
that dwell in our borders, as the ox is wont to eat the grass to the
very roots. Now he was at that time king in Moab.
22:5. He sent therefore messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, a
soothsayer, who dwelt by the river of the land of the children of Ammon,
to call him, and to say: Behold a people is come out of Egypt, that hath
covered the face of the earth, sitting over against me.
22:6. Come therefore, and curse this people, because it is mightier than
I: if by any means I may beat them and drive them out of my land: for I
know that he whom thou shalt bless is blessed, and he whom thou shalt
curse is cursed.
22:7. And the ancients of Moab, and the elders of Madian, went with the
price of divination in their hands. And where they were come to Balaam,
and had told him all the words of Balac:
22:8. He answered: Tarry here this night and I will answer whatsoever
the Lord shall say to me. And while they stayed with Balaam, God came
and said to him:
22:9. What mean these men that are with thee?
22:10. He answered: Balac the son of Sephor king of the Moabites hath
sent to me,
22:11. Saying: Behold a people that is come out of Egypt, hath covered
the face of the land: come and curse them, if by any means I may fight
with them and drive them away.
22:12. And God said to Balaam: Thou shalt not go with them, nor shalt
thou curse the people: because it is blessed.
22:13. And he rose in the morning and said to the princes: Go into your
country, because the Lord hath forbid me to come with you.
22:14. The princes returning, said to Balac: Balaam would not come with
us.
22:15. Then he sent many more and more noble than he had sent before:
22:16. Who, when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the
son of Sephor, Delay not to come to me:
22:17. For I am ready to honour thee, and will give thee whatsoever thou
wilt: come and curse this people.
22:18. Balaam answered: If Balac would give me his house full of silver
and gold, I cannot alter the word of the Lord my God, to speak either
more or less.
22:19. I pray you to stay here this night also, that I may know what the
Lord will answer me once more.
To stay... His desiring them to stay, after he had been fully informed
already that it was not God's will he should go, came from the
inclination he had to gratify Balac, for the sake of worldly gain. And
this perverse disposition God punished by permitting him to go (though
not to curse the people as he would willingly have done), and suffering
him to fall still deeper and deeper into sin, till he came at last to
give that abominable counsel against the people of God, which ended in
his own destruction. So sad a thing it is to indulge a passion for
money.
22:20. God therefore came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: If
these men be come to call thee, arise and go with them: yet so, that
thou do what I shall command thee.
22:21. Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them.
22:22. And God was angry. And an angel of the Lord stood in the way
against Balaam, who sat on the ass, and had two servants with him.
22:23. The ass seeing the angel standing in the way, with a drawn sword,
turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam
beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the way,
22:24. The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith
the vineyards were enclosed.
22:25. And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and
bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again:
22:26. And nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where
there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left,
stood to meet him.
22:27. And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet
of the rider: who being angry beat her sides more vehemently with a
staff.
22:28. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have
I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?
Opened the mouth, etc... The angel moved the tongue of the ass, to utter
these speeches, to rebuke, by the mouth of a brute beast, the brutal
fury and folly of Balaam.
22:29. Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served
me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.
22:30. The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always
accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the
like thing to thee. But he said: Never.
22:31. Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the
angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him
falling flat on the ground.
22:32. And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three
times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and
contrary to me:
Perverse... Because thy inclinations are wicked in being willing for the
sake of gain to curse the people of whom I am the guardian.
22:33. And unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me
who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived.
22:34. Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand
against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return.
22:35. The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other
thing than what I shall command thee. He went therefore with the
princes.
22:36. And when Balac heard it he came forth to meet him in a town of
the Moabites, that is situate in the uttermost borders of Arnon.
22:37. And he said to Balaam: I sent messengers to call thee, why didst
thou not come immediately to me? was it because I am not able to reward
thy coming?
22:38. He answered him: Lo, here I am: shall I have power to speak any
other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth?
22:39. So they went on together, and came into a city, that was in the
uttermost borders of his kingdom.
22:40. And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to
Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
22:41. And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of
Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.
Numbers Chapter 23
Balaam, instead of cursing Israel, is obliged to bless them, and
prophesy good things of them.
23:1. And Balaam said to Balac: Build me here seven altars, and prepare
as many calves, and the same number of rams.
23:2. And when he had done according to the word of Balaam, they laid
together a calf and a ram upon every altar.
23:3. And Balaam said to Balac: Stand a while by thy burnt offering,
until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet me, and whatsoever he
shall command, I will speak to thee.
23:4. And when he was gone with speed, God met him. And Balaam speaking
to him, said: I have erected seven altars, and have laid on everyone a
calf and a ram.
23:5. And the Lord put the word in his mouth, and said: Return to Balac,
and thus shalt thou speak.
23:6. Returning he found Balac standing by his burnt offering, with all
the princes of the Moabites:
23:7. And taking up his parable, he said: Balac king of the Moabites
hath brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east: Come, said
he, and curse Jacob: make haste and detest Israel.
23:8. How shall I curse him, whom God hath not cursed? By what means
should I detest him, whom the Lord detesteth not?
23:9. I shall see him from the tops of the rocks, and shall consider him
from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned
among the nations.
23:10. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and know the number of the stock
of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the just, and my last end be
like to them.
23:11. And Balac said to Balaam: What is this that thou dost? I sent for
thee to curse my enemies: and thou contrariwise blessest them.
23:12. He answered him: Can I speak any thing else but what the Lord
commandeth?
23:13. Balac therefore said: Come with me to another place from whence
thou mayest see part of Israel, and canst not see them all: curse them
from thence.
23:14. And when he had brought him to a high place, upon the top of
mount Phasga, Balaam built seven altars, and laying on every one a calf
and a ram,
23:15. He said to Balac: Stand here by thy burnt offering while I go to
meet him.
23:16. And when the Lord had met him, and had put the word in his mouth,
he said: Return to Balac, and thus shalt thou say to him.
23:17. Returning he found him standing by his burnt sacrifice, and the
princes of the Moabites with him. And Balac said to him: What hath the
Lord spoken?
23:18. But he taking up his parable, said: Stand, O Balac, and give ear:
hear, thou son of Sephor:
23:19. God is not a man, that he should lie, nor is the son of man, that
he should be changed. Hath he said then, and will he not do? hath he
spoken, and will he not fulfil?
23:20. I was brought to bless, the blessing I am not able to hinder.
23:21. There is no idol in Jacob, neither is there an image god to be
seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the sound of the
victory of the king in him.
23:22. God hath brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like to the
rhinoceros.
23:23. There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor divination in Israel. In
their times it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what God hath
wrought.
23:24. Behold the people shall rise up as a lioness, and shall lift
itself up as a lion: it shall not lie down till it devour the prey, and
drink the blood of the slain.
23:25. And Balac said to Balaam: Neither curse, nor bless him.
23:26. And he said: Did I not tell thee, that whatsoever God should
command me, that I would do?
23:27. And Balac said to him: Come and I will bring thee to another
place; if peradventure it please God that thou mayest curse them from
thence.
23:28. And when he had brought him upon the top of mount Phogor, which
looketh towards the wilderness,
23:29. Balaam said to him: Build me here seven altars, and prepare as
many calves, and the same number of rams.
23:30. Balac did as Balaam had said: and he laid on every altar, a calf
and a ram.
Numbers Chapter 24
Balaam still continues to prophesy good things in favour of Israel.
24:1. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord that he should bless
Israel, he went not as he had gone before, to seek divination: but
setting his face towards the desert,
24:2. And lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel abiding in their tents by
their tribes: and the spirit of God rushing upon him,
24:3. He took up his parable and said: Balaam the son of Beor hath said:
The man hath said, whose eye is stopped up:
24:4. The bearer of the words of God hath said, he that hath beheld the
vision of the Almighty, he that falleth, and so his eyes are opened:
24:5. How beautiful are thy tabernacles O Jacob, and thy tents, O
Israel!
24:6. As woody valleys, as watered gardens near the rivers, as
tabernacles which the Lord hath pitched, as cedars by the waterside.
24:7. Water shall flow out of his bucket, and his seed shall be in many
waters. For Agag his king shall be removed, and his kingdom shall be
taken away.
24:8. God hath brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like to the
rhinoceros. They shall devour the nations that are his enemies, and
break their bones, and pierce them with arrows.
24:9. Lying down he hath slept as a lion, and as a lioness, whom none
shall dare to rouse. He that blesseth thee, shall also himself be
blessed: he that curseth thee shall be reckoned accursed.
24:10. And Balac being angry against Balaam, clapped his hands together
and said: I called thee to curse my enemies, and thou on the contrary
hast blessed them three times.
24:11. Return to thy place. I had determined indeed greatly to honour
thee, but the Lord hath deprived thee of the honour designed for thee.
24:12. Balaam made answer to Balac: Did I not say to thy messengers,
whom thou sentest to me:
24:13. If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I
cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to utter any thing of my
own head either good or evil: but whatsoever the Lord shall say, that I
will speak?
24:14. But yet going to my people, I will give thee counsel, what this
people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
24:15. Therefore taking up his parable, again he said: Balaam the son of
Beor hath said: The man whose eye is stopped up, hath said:
24:16. The hearer of the words of God hath said, who knoweth the
doctrine of the Highest, and seeth the visions of the Almighty, who
falling hath his eyes opened:
24:17. I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near. A
STAR SHALL RISE out of Jacob and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel:
and shall strike the chiefs of Moab, and shall waste all the children of
Seth
24:18. And he shall possess Idumea: the inheritance of Seir shall come
to their enemies, but Israel shall do manfully.
24:19. Out of Jacob shall he come that shall rule, and shall destroy the
remains of the city.
24:20. And when he saw Amalec, he took up his parable, and said: Amalec
the beginning of nations, whose latter ends shall be destroyed.
24:21. He saw also the Cinite: and took up his parable, and said: Thy
habitation indeed is strong: but though thou build thy nest in a rock,
24:22. And thou be chosen of the stock of Cin, how long shalt thou be
able to continue? For Assur shall take thee captive.
24:23. And taking up his parable, again he said: Alas, who shall live
when God shall do these things?
24:24. They shall come in galleys from Italy, they shall overcome the
Assyrians, and shall waste the Hebrews, and at the last they themselves
also shall perish.
24:25. And Balaam rose, and returned to his place: Balac also returned
the way that he came.
Numbers Chapter 25
The people fall into fornication and idolatry; for which twenty-four
thousand are slain. The zeal of Phinees.
25:1. And Israel at that time abode in Settim, and the people committed
fornication with the daughters of Moab,
25:2. Who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate of them, and
adored their gods.
25:3. And Israel was initiated to Beelphegor: upon which the Lord being
angry,
Initiated to Beelphegor... That is, they took to the worship of
Beelphegor, an obscene idol of the Moabites, and were consecrated, as it
were, to him.
25:4. Said to Moses: Take all the princes of the people, and hang them
up on gibbets against the sun: that my fury may be turned away from
Israel.
25:5. And Moses said to the judges of Israel: Let every man kill his
neighbours, that have been initiated to Beelphegor.
25:6. And behold one of the children of Israel went in before his
brethren to a harlot of Madian, in the sight of Moses and of all the
children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.
25:7. And when Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest
saw it, he rose up from the midst of the multitude, and taking a dagger,
25:8. Went in after the Israelite into the brothel house, and thrust
both of them through together, to wit, the man and the woman in the
genital parts. And the scourge ceased from the children of Israel.
25:9. And there were slain four and twenty thousand men.
25:10. And the Lord said to Moses:
25:11. Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, hath
turned away my wrath from the children of Israel: because he was moved
with my zeal against them, that I myself might not destroy the children
of Israel in my zeal.
25:12. Therefore say to him: behold I give him the peace of my covenant,
25:13. And the covenant of the priesthood for ever shall be both to him
and his seed, because he hath been zealous for his God, and hath made
atonement for the wickedness of the children of Israel.
25:14. And the name of the Israelite, that was slain with the woman of
Madian, was Zambri the son of Salu, a prince of the kindred and tribe of
Simeon.
25:15. And the Madianite woman, that was slain with him, was called
Cozbi the daughter of Sur, a most noble prince among the Madianites.
25:16. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
25:17. Let the Madianites find you their enemies, and slay you them:
25:18. Because they also have acted like enemies against you, and have
guilefully deceived you by the idol Phogor, and Cozbi their sister, a
daughter of a prince of Madian, who was slain in the day of the plague
for the sacrilege of Phogor.
Numbers Chapter 26
The people are again numbered by their tribes and families.
26:1. After the blood of the guilty was shed, the Lord said to Moses and
to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest:
26:2. Number the whole sum of the children of Israel from twenty years
old and upward, by their houses and kindreds, all that are able to go
forth to war.
26:3. Moses therefore and Eleazar the priest, being in the plains of
Moab upon the Jordan over against Jericho, spoke to them that were
26:4. From twenty years old and upward, as the Lord had commanded: and
this is the number of them:
26:5. Ruben the firstborn of Israel. His sons were Henoch, of whom is
the family of the Henochites: and Phallu, of whom is the family of the
Phalluites:
26:6. And Hesron, of whom is the family of the Hesronites: and Charmi,
of whom is the family of the Charmites.
26:7. These are the families of the stock of Ruben: whose number was
found to be forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.
26:8. The son of Phallu was Eliab.
26:9. His sons, were Namuel and Dathan and Abiron. These are Dathan and
Abiron the princes of the people, that rose against Moses and Aaron in
the sedition of Core, when they rebelled against the Lord:
26:10. And the earth opening her mouth swallowed up Core, many others
dying, when the fire burned two hundred and fifty men. And there was a
great miracle wrought,
26:11. That when Core perished, his sons did not perish.
26:12. The sons of Simeon by their kindreds: Namuel, of him is the
family of the Namuelites: Jamin, of him is the family of the Jaminites:
Jachim, of him is the family of the Jachimites:
26:13. Zare, of him is the family of the Zarites: Saul, of him is the
family of the Saulites.
26:14. These are the families of the stock of Simeon, of which the whole
number was twenty-two thousand two hundred.
26:15. The sons of Gad by their kindreds: Sephon, of him is the family
of the Sephonites: Aggi, of him is the family of the Aggites: Suni, of
him is the family of the Sunites:
26:16. Ozni, of him is the family of the Oznites: Her, of him is the
family of the Herites:
26:17. Arod, of him is the family of the Arodites: Ariel, of him is the
family of the Arielites.
26:18. These are the families of Gad, of which the whole number was
forty thousand five hundred.
26:19. The sons of Juda, Her and Onan, who both died in the land of
Chanaan.
26:20. And the sons of Juda by their kindreds were: Sela, of whom is the
family of the Selaites: Phares, of whom is the family of the Pharesites:
Zare, of whom is the family of the Zarites.
26:21. Moreover the sons of Phares were: Hesron, of whom is the family
of the Hesronites: and Hamul, of whom is the family of the Hamulites.
26:22. These are the families of Juda, of which the whole number was
seventy-six thousand five hundred.
26:23. The sons of Issachar, by their kindreds: Thola of whom is the
family of the Tholaites: Phua, of whom is the family of the Phuaites:
26:24. Jasub, of whom is the family of the Jasubites: Semran, of whom is
the family of the Semranites.
26:25. These are the kindreds of Issachar, whose number was sixty-four
thousand three hundred.
26:26. The sons of Zabulon by their kindreds: Sared, of whom is the
family of the Saredites: Elon, of whom is the family of the Elonites:
Jalel, of whom is the family of the Jalelites.
26:27. These are the kindreds of Zabulon, whose number was sixty
thousand five hundred.
26:28. The sons of Joseph by their kindred, Manasses and Ephraim.
26:29. Of Manasses was born Machir, of whom is the family of the
Machirites. Machir begot Galaad, of whom is the family of the
Galaadites.
26:30. Galaad had sons: Jezer, of whom is the family of the Jezerites:
and Helec, of whom is the family of the Helecites:
26:31. And Asriel, of whom is the family of the Asrielites: and Sechem,
of whom is the family of the Sechemites:
26:32. And Semida, of whom is the family of the Semidaites: and Hepher,
of whom is the family of the Hepherites.
26:33. And Hepher was the father of Salphaad, who had no sons, but only
daughters, whose names are these: Maala, and Noa, and Hegla, and Melcha,
and Thersa.
26:34. These are the families of Manasses, and the number of them fifty-
two thousand seven hundred.
26:35. And the sons of Ephraim by their kindreds were these: Suthala, of
whom is the family of the Suthalaites: Becher, of whom is the family of
the Becherites: Thehen, of whom is the family of the Thehenites.
26:36. Now the son of Suthala was Heran, of whom is the family of the
Heranites.
26:37. These are the kindreds of the sons of Ephraim: whose number was
thirty-two thousand five hundred.
26:38. These are the sons of Joseph by their families. The sons of
Benjamin in their kindreds: Bela, of whom is the family of the Belaites:
Asbel, of whom is the family of the Asbelites: Ahiram, of whom is the
family of the Ahiramites:
26:39. Supham, of whom is the family of the Suphamites: Hupham, of whom
is the family of the Huphamites.
26:40. The sons of Bela: Hered, and Noeman. Of Hered, is the family of
the Heredites: of Noeman, the family of the Noemanites.
26:41. These are the sons of Benjamin by their kindreds, whose number
was forty-five thousand six hundred.
26:42. The sons of Dan by their kindreds: Suham, of whom is the family
of the Suhamites: These are the kindreds of Dan by their families.
26:43. All were Suhamites, whose number was sixty-four thousand four
hundred.
26:44. The sons of Aser by their kindreds: Jemna, of whom is the family
of the Jemnaites: Jessui, of whom is the family of the Jessuites: Brie,
of whom is the family of the Brieites.
26:45. The sons of Brie: Heber, of whom is the family of the Heberites:
and Melchiel, of whom is the family of the Melchielites.
26:46. And the name of the daughter of Aser, was Sara.
26:47. These are the kindreds of the sons of Aser, and their number
fifty-three thousand four hundred.
26:48. The sons of Nephtali by their kindreds: Jesiel, of whom is the
family of the Jesielites: Guni, of whom is the family of the Gunites:
26:49. Jeser, of whom is the family of the Jeserites: Sellem, of whom is
the family of the Sellemites.
26:50. These are the kindreds of the sons of Nephtali by their families:
whose number was forty-five thousand four hundred.
26:51. This is the sum of the children of Israel, that were reckoned up,
six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.
26:52. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
26:53. To these shall the land be divided for their possessions
according to the number of names.
26:54. To the greater number thou shalt give a greater portion, and to
the fewer a less: to every one, as they have now been reckoned up, shall
a possession be delivered:
26:55. Yet so that by lot the land be divided to the tribe and families.
26:56. Whatsoever shall fall by lot, that shall be taken by the more, or
the fewer.
26:57. This also is the number of the sons of Levi by their families:
Gerson, of whom is the family of the Gersonites: Caath, of whom is the
family of the Caathites: Merari, of whom is the family of the Merarites.
26:58. These are the families of Levi: The family of Lobni, the family
of Hebroni, the family of Core. Now Caath begot Amram:
26:59. Who had to wife Jochabed the daughter of Levi, who was born to
him in Egypt. She bore to her husband Amram sons, Aaron and Moses, and
Mary their sister.
26:60. Of Aaron were born Nadab and Abiu, and Eleazar and Ithamar:
26:61. Of whom Nadab and Abiu died, when they had offered the strange
fire before the Lord.
26:62. And all that were numbered, were twenty-three thousand males from
one month old and upward: for they were not reckoned up among the
children of Israel, neither was a possession given to them with the
rest.
26:63. This is the number of the children of Israel, that were enrolled
by Moses and Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab upon the Jordan,
over against Jericho.
26:64. Among whom there was not one of them that were numbered before by
Moses and Aaron in the desert of Sinai.
26:65. For the Lord had foretold that they should die in the wilderness.
And none remained of them, but Caleb the son of Jephone, and Josue the
son of Nun.
Numbers Chapter 27
The law of inheritance. Josue is appointed to succeed Moses.
27:1. Then came the daughters of Salphaad, the son of Hepher, the son of
Galaad, the son of Machir, the son of Manasses, who was the son of
Joseph: and their names are Maala, and Noa, and Hegla, and Melcha, and
Thersa.
27:2. And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest, and all the
princes of the people at the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, and
said:
27:3. Our father died in the desert, and was not in the sedition, that
was raised against the Lord under Core, but he died in his own sin: and
he had no male children. Why is his name taken away out of his family,
because he had no son? Give us a possession among the kinsmen of our
father.
27:4. And Moses referred their cause to the judgment of the Lord.
27:5. And the Lord said to him:
27:6. The daughters of Salphaad demand a just thing: Give them a
possession among their father's kindred, and let them succeed him in his
inheritance.
27:7. And to the children of Israel thou shalt speak these things:
27:8. When a man dieth without a son, his inheritance shall pass to his
daughter.
27:9. If he have no daughter, his brethren shall succeed him.
27:10. And if he have no brethren, you shall give the inheritance to his
father's brethren.
27:11. But if he have no uncles by the father, the inheritance shall be
given to them that are the next akin. And this shall be to the children
of Israel sacred by a perpetual law, as the Lord hath commanded Moses.
27:12. The Lord also said to Moses: Go up into this mountain Abarim, and
view from thence the land which I will give to the children of Israel.
27:13. And when thou shalt have seen it, thou also shalt go to thy
people, as thy brother Aaron is gone:
27:14. Because you offended me in the desert of Sin in the contradiction
of the multitude, neither would you sanctify me before them at the
waters. These are the waters of contradiction in Cades of the desert of
Sin.
27:15. And Moses answered him:
27:16. May the Lord the God of the spirits of all flesh provide a man,
that may be over this multitude:
27:17. And may go out and in before them, and may lead them out, or
bring them in: lest the people of the Lord be as sheep without a
shepherd.
27:18. And the Lord said to him: take Josue the son of Nun, a man in
whom is the Spirit, and put thy hand upon him.
27:19. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest and all the
multitude:
27:20. And thou shalt give him precepts in the sight of all, and part of
thy glory, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may hear
him.
27:21. If any thing be to be done, Eleazar the priest shall consult the
Lord for him. He and all the children of Israel with him, and the rest
of the multitude shall go out and go in at his word.
27:22. Moses did as the Lord had commanded. And, when he had taken
Josue, he set him before Eleazar the priest, and all the assembly of the
people,
27:23. And laying his hands on his head, he repeated all things that the
Lord had commanded.
Numbers Chapter 28
Sacrifices are appointed as well for every day as for sabbaths, and
other festivals.
28:1. The Lord also said to Moses:
28:2. Command the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: Offer
ye my oblation and my bread, and burnt sacrifice of most sweet odour, in
their due seasons.
28:3. These are the sacrifices which you shall offer: Two lambs of a
year old without blemish every day for the perpetual holocaust:
28:4. One you shall offer in the mornings, and the other in the evening:
28:5. And the tenth part of an ephi of flour, which shall be tempered
with the, purest oil, of the measure of the fourth part of a hin.
28:6. It is the continual holocaust which you offered in mount Sinai for
a most sweet odour of a sacrifice by fire to the Lord.
28:7. And for a libation you shall offer of wine the fourth part of a
hin for every lamb in the sanctuary of the Lord.
28:8. And you shall offer the other lamb in like manner in the evening
according to all the rites of the morning sacrifice, and of the
libations thereof, an oblation of most sweet odour to the Lord.
28:9. And on the sabbath day you shall offer two lambs of a year old
without blemish, and two tenths of flour tempered with oil in sacrifice,
and the libations,
28:10. Which regularly are poured out every sabbath for the perpetual
holocaust.
28:11. And on the first day of the month you shall offer a holocaust to
the Lord, two calves of the herd, one ram, and seven lambs of a year
old, without blemish,
28:12. And three tenths of flour tempered with oil in sacrifice for
every calf: and two tenths of flour tempered with oil for every ram:
28:13. And the tenth of a tenth of flour tempered with oil in sacrifice
for every lamb. It is a holocaust of most sweet odour and an offering by
fire to the Lord.
28:14. And these shall be the libations of wine that are to be poured
out for every victim: Half a hin for every calf, a third for a ram, and
a fourth for a lamb. This shall be the holocaust for every month, as
they succeed one another in the course of the year.
28:15. A buck goat also shall be offered to the Lord for a sin offering
over and above the perpetual holocaust with its libations.
28:16. And in the first month, on the four tenth day of the month, shall
be the phase of the Lord,
28:17. And on the fifteenth day the solemn feast: seven days shall they
eat unleavened bread.
28:18. And the first day of them shall be venerable and holy: you shall
not do any servile work therein.
28:19. And you shall offer a burnt sacrifice a holocaust to the Lord,
two calves of the herd, one ram, seven lambs of a year old, without
blemish:
28:20. And for the sacrifice of every one three tenths of flour which
shall be tempered with oil to every calf, and two tenths to every ram,
28:21. And the tenth of a tenth, to every lamb, that is to say, to all
the seven lambs:
28:22. And one buck goat for sin, to make atonement for you,
28:23. Besides the morning holocaust which you shall always offer.
28:24. So shall you do every day of the seven days for the food of the
fire, and for a most sweet odour to the Lord, which shall rise from the
holocaust, and from the libations of each.
28:25. The seventh day also shall be most solemn and holy unto you, you
shall do no servile work therein.
28:26. The day also of firstfruits, when after the weeks are
accomplished, you shall offer new fruits to the Lord, shall be venerable
and holy: you shall do no servile work therein.
28:27. And you shall offer a holocaust for a most sweet odour to the
Lord, two calves of the herd, one ram, and seven lambs of a year old,
without blemish:
28:28. And in the sacrifices of them three tenths of flour tempered with
oil to every calf, two to every ram,
28:29. The tenth of a tenth to every lamb, which in all are seven lambs:
a buck goat also,
28:30. Which is slain for expiation: besides the perpetual holocaust and
the libations thereof.
28:31. You shall offer them all without blemish with their libations.
Numbers Chapter 29
Sacrifices for the festivals of the seventh month.
29:1. The first day also of the seventh month shall be venerable and
holy unto you; you shall do no servile work therein, because it is the
day of the sounding and of trumpets.
29:2. And you shall offer a holocaust for a most sweet odour to the
Lord, one calf of the herd, one ram and seven lambs of a year old,
without blemish.
29:3. And for their sacrifices, three tenths of flour tempered with oil
to every calf, two tenths to a ram,
29:4. One tenth to a lamb, which in all are seven lambs:
29:5. And a buck goat for sin, which is offered for the expiation of the
people,
29:6. Besides the holocaust of the first day of the month with the
sacrifices thereof, and the perpetual holocaust with the accustomed
libations. With the same ceremonies you shall offer a burnt sacrifice
for a most sweet odour to the Lord.
29:7. The tenth day also of this seventh month shall be holy and
venerable unto you, and you shall afflict your souls; you shall do no
servile work therein.
29:8. And you shall offer a holocaust to the Lord for a most sweet
odour, one calf of the herd, one ram, and seven lambs of a year old,
without blemish:
29:9. And for their sacrifices, three tenths of flour tempered with oil
to every calf, two tenths to a ram,
29:10. The tenth of a tenth to every lamb, which are in all seven lambs:
29:11. And a buck goat for sin, besides the things that are wont to be
offered for sin, for expiation, and for the perpetual holocaust with
their sacrifice and libations.
29:12. And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, which shall be
unto you holy and venerable, you shall do no servile work, but shall
celebrate a solemnity to the Lord seven days.
29:13. And you shall offer a holocaust for a most sweet odour to the
Lord, thirteen calves of the herd, two rams, and fourteen lambs of a
year old, without blemish:
29:14. And for their libations three tenths of flour tempered with oil
to every calf, being in all thirteen calves: and two tenths to each ram,
being two rams,
29:15. And the tenth of a tenth to every lamb, being in all fourteen
lambs:
29:16. And a buck goat for sin, besides the perpetual holocaust, and the
sacrifice and the libation thereof.
29:17. On the second day you shall offer twelve calves of the herd, two
rams and fourteen lambs of a year old, without blemish:
29:18. And the sacrifices and the libations for every one, for the
calves and for the rams and for the lambs you shall duly celebrate:
29:19. And a buck goat for a sin offering besides the perpetual
holocaust, and the sacrifice and the libation thereof.
29:20. The third day you shall offer eleven calves, two rams, and
fourteen lambs of a year old, without blemish:
29:21. And the sacrifices and the libations of every one for the calves
and for the rams and for the lambs you shall offer according to the
rite:
29:22. And a buck goat for sin, besides the perpetual holocaust, and the
sacrifice, and the libation thereof.
29:23. The fourth day you shall offer ten calves, two rams, and fourteen
lambs of a year old, without blemish:
29:24. And the sacrifices and the libations of every one for the calves
and for the rams and for the lambs you shall celebrate in right manner:
29:25. And a buck goat for sin, besides the perpetual holocaust, and the
sacrifice and the libation thereof.
29:26. The fifth day you shall offer nine calves, two rams, and fourteen
lambs of a year old, without blemish:
29:27. And the sacrifices and the libations of every one for the calves
and for the rams and for the lambs you shall celebrate according to the
rite:
29:28. And a buck goat for sin, besides the perpetual holocaust, and the
sacrifice and the libation thereof.
29:29. The sixth day you shall offer eight calves, two rams, and
fourteen lambs of a year old, without blemish:
29:30. And the sacrifices and the libations of every one for the calves
and for the rams and for the lambs you shall celebrate according to the
rite:
29:31. And a buck goat for sin, besides the perpetual holocaust, and the
sacrifice and the libation thereof.
29:32. The seventh day you shall offer seven calves and two rams, and
fourteen lambs of a year old, without blemish:
29:33. And the sacrifices and the libations of every one for the calves
and for the rams and for the lambs you shall celebrate according to the
rite:
29:34. And a buck goat for sin, besides the perpetual holocaust, and the
sacrifice and the libation thereof.
29:35. On the eighth day, which is most solemn, you shall do no servile
work:
29:36. But you shall offer a holocaust for a most sweet odour to the
Lord, one calf, one ram, and seven lambs of a year old, without blemish:
29:37. And the sacrifices and the libations of every one for the calves
and for the rams and for the lambs you shall celebrate according to the
rite:
29:38. And a buck goat for sin, besides the perpetual holocaust, and the
sacrifice and the libation thereof.
29:39. These things shall you offer to the Lord in your solemnities:
besides your vows and voluntary oblations for holocaust, for sacrifice,
for libation, and for victims of peace offerings.
Numbers Chapter 30
Of vows and oaths: and their obligation.
30:1. And Moses told the children of Israel all that the Lord had
commanded him:
30:2. And he said to the princes of the tribes of the children of
Israel: This is the word that the Lord hath commanded:
30:3. If any man make a vow to the Lord, or bind himself by an oath: he
shall not make his word void but shall fulfil all that he promised.
30:4. If a woman vow any thing, and bind herself by an oath, being in
her father's house, and but yet a girl in age: if her father knew the
vow that she hath promised, and the oath wherewith she hath bound her
soul, and held his peace, she shall be bound by the vow:
30:5. Whatsoever she promised and swore, she shall fulfil in deed.
30:6. But if her father, immediately as soon as he heard it, gainsaid
it, both her vows and her oaths shall be void, neither shall she be
bound to what she promised, because her father hath gainsaid it.
30:7. If she have a husband, and shall vow any thing, and the word once
going out of her mouth shall bind her soul by an oath,
30:8. The day that her husband shall hear it, and not gainsay it, she
shall be bound to the vow, and shall give whatsoever she promised.
30:9. But if as soon as he heareth he gainsay it, and make her promises
and the words wherewith she had bound her soul of no effect: the Lord
will forgive her.
30:10. The widow, and she that is divorced, shall fulfil whatsoever they
vow.
30:11. If the wife in the house of her husband, hath bound herself by
vow and by oath,
30:12. If her husband hear, and hold his peace, and doth not disallow
the promise, she shall accomplish whatsoever she had promised.
30:13. But if forthwith he gainsay it, she shall not be bound by the
promise: because her husband gainsaid it, and the Lord will be merciful
to her.
30:14. If she vow and bind herself by oath, to afflict her soul by
fasting, or abstinence from other things, it shall depend on the will of
her husband, whether she shall do it, or not do it.
30:15. But if the husband hearing it hold his peace, and defer the
declaring his mind till another day: whatsoever she had vowed and
promised, she shall fulfil: because immediately as he heard it, he held
his peace.
30:16. But if he gainsay it after that he knew it, he shall bear her
iniquity.
30:17. These are the laws which the Lord appointed to Moses between the
husband and the wife, between the father and the daughter that is as yet
but a girl in age, or that abideth in her father's house.
Numbers Chapter 31
The Madianites are slain for having drawn the people of Israel into sin.
The dividing of the booty.
31:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
31:2. Revenge first the children of Israel on the Madianites, and so
thou shalt be gathered to thy people.
31:3. And Moses forthwith said: Arm of you men to fight, who may take
the revenge of the Lord on the Madianites.
31:4. Let a thousand men be chosen out of every tribe of Israel to be
sent to the war.
31:5. And they gave a thousand of every tribe, that is to say, twelve
thousand men well appointed for battle.
31:6. And Moses sent them with Phinees the son of Eleazar the priest,
and he delivered to him the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound.
31:7. And when they had fought against the Madianites and had overcome
them, they slew all the men.
31:8. And their kings Evi, and Recem, and Sur, and Hur, and Rebe, five
princes of the nation: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the
sword.
31:9. And they took their women, and their children captives, and all
their cattle, and all their goods: and all their possessions they
plundered:
31:10. And all their cities, and their villages, and castles, they
burned.
31:11. And they carried away the booty, and all that they had taken both
of men and of beasts.
31:12. And they brought them to Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and to
all the multitude of the children of Israel. But the rest of the things
for use they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, beside the
Jordan over against Jericho.
31:13. And Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the princes of the
synagogue went forth to meet them without the camp.
31:14. And Moses being angry with the chief officers of the army, the
tribunes, and the centurions that were come from the battle,
31:15. Said: Why have you saved the women?
31:16. Are not these they, that deceived the children of Israel by the
counsel of Balaam, and made you transgress against the Lord by the sin
of Phogor, for which also the people was punished?
The sin of Phogor... The sin committed in the worship of Beelphegor.
31:17. Therefore kill all that are of the male sex, even of the
children: and put to death the women, that have carnally known men.
Of children... Women and children, ordinarilly speaking, were not to be
killed in war, Deut. 20.14. But the great Lord of life and death was
pleased to order it otherwise in the present case, in detestation of the
wickedness of this people, who by the counsel of Balaam, had sent their
women among the Israelites on purpose to draw them from God.
31:18. But the girls, and all the women that are virgins save for
yourselves:
31:19. And stay without the camp seven days. He that hath killed a man,
or touched one that is killed, shall be purified the third day and the
seventh day.
31:20. And of all the spoil, every garment, or vessel, or any thing made
for use, of the skins, or hair of goats, or of wood, shall be purified.
31:21. Eleazar also the priest spoke to the men of the army, that had
fought, in this manner: This is the ordinance of the law, which the Lord
hath commanded Moses:
31:22. Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin,
31:23. And all that may pass through the fire, shall be purified by
fire, but whatsoever cannot abide the fire, shall be sanctified with the
water of expiation:
31:24. And you shall wash your garments the seventh day, and being
purified, you shall afterwards enter into the camp.
31:25. And the Lord said to Moses:
31:26. Take the sum of the things that were taken both of man and beast,
thou and Eleazar the priest and the princes of the multitude:
31:27. And thou shalt divide the spoil equally, between them that fought
and went out to the war, and between the rest of the multitude.
31:28. And thou shalt separate a portion to the Lord from them that
fought and were in the battle, one soul of five hundred as well of
persons as of oxen and asses and sheep.
31:29. And thou shalt give it to Eleazar the priest, because they are
the firstfruits of the Lord.
31:30. Out of the moiety also of the children of Israel thou shalt take
the fiftieth head of persons, and of oxen, and asses, and sheep, and of
all beasts, and thou shalt give them to the Levites that watch in the
charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.
31:31. And Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord had commanded.
31:32. And the spoil which the army had taken, was six hundred seventy-
five thousand sheep,
31:33. Seventy-two thousand oxen,
31:34. Sixty-one thousand asses:
31:35. And thirty-two thousand persons of the female sex, that had not
known men.
31:36. And one half was given to them that had been in the battle, to
wit, three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:
31:37. Out of which, for the portion of the Lord, were reckoned six
hundred seventy five sheep.
31:38. And out of the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen:
31:39. Out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses, sixty-one asses:
31:40. Out of the sixteen thousand persons, there fell to the portion of
the Lord, thirty-two souls.
31:41. And Moses delivered the number of the firstfruits of the Lord to
Eleazar the priest, as had been commanded him,
31:42. Out of the half of the children of Israel, which he had separated
for them that had been in the battle.
31:43. But out of the half that fell to the rest of the multitude, that
is to say, out of the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred
sheep,
31:44. And out of the thirty-six thousand oxen,
31:45. And out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses,
31:46. And out of the sixteen thousand persons,
31:47. Moses took the fiftieth head, and gave it to the Levites that
watched in the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded.
31:48. And when the commanders of the army, and the tribunes and
centurions were come to Moses, they said:
31:49. We thy servants have reckoned up the number of the fighting men,
whom we had under our hand, and not so much as one was wanting.
31:50. Therefore we offer as gifts to the Lord what gold every one of us
could find in the booty, in garters and tablets, rings and bracelets,
and chains, that thou mayst pray to the Lord for us.
31:51. And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in divers
kinds,
31:52. In weight sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty sicles, from
the tribunes and from the centurions.
31:53. For that which every one had taken in the booty was his own.
31:54. And that which was received they brought into the tabernacle of
the testimony, for a memorial of the children of Israel before the Lord.
Numbers Chapter 32
The tribes of Ruben and Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasses, receive
their inheritance on the east side of Jordan, upon conditions approved
of by Moses.
32:1. And the sons of Ruben and Gad had many flocks of cattle, and their
substance in beasts was infinite. And when they saw the lands of Jazer
and Galaad fit for feeding cattle,
32:2. They came to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and the princes of the
multitude, and said:
32:3. Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nemra, Hesebon, and Eleale, and
Saban, and Nebo, and Beon,
32:4. The land, which the Lord hath conquered in the sight of the
children of Israel, is a very fertile soil for the feeding of beasts:
and we thy servants have very much cattle:
32:5. And we pray thee, if we have found favour in thy sight, that thou
give it to us thy servants in possession, and make us not pass over the
Jordan.
32:6. And Moses answered them: What, shall your brethren go to fight,
and will you sit here?
32:7. Why do ye overturn the minds of the children of Israel, that they
may not dare to pass into the place which the Lord hath given them?
32:8. Was it not thus your fathers did, when I sent from Cadesbarne to
view the land?
32:9. And when they were come as far as the valley of the cluster,
having viewed all the country, they overturned the hearts of the
children of Israel, that they should not enter into the coasts, which
the Lord gave them.
32:10. And he swore in his anger, saying:
32:11. If these men, that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old
and upward, shall see the land, which I promised with an oath to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: because they would not follow me,
32:12. Except Caleb the son of Jephone the Cenezite, and Josue the son
of Nun: these have fulfilled my will.
32:13. And the Lord being angry against Israel, led them about through
the desert forty years, until the whole generation, that had done evil
in his sight, was consumed.
32:14. And behold, said he, you are risen up instead of your fathers,
the increase and offspring of sinful men, to augment the fury of the
Lord against Israel.
32:15. For if you will not follow him, he will leave the people in the
wilderness, and you shall be the cause of the destruction of all.
32:16. But they coming near, said: We will make sheepfolds, and stalls
for our cattle, and strong cities for our children:
32:17. And we ourselves will go armed and ready for battle before the
children of Israel, until we bring them in unto their places. Our
little ones, and all we have, shall be in walled cities, for fear of the
ambushes of the inhabitants.
32:18. We will not return into our houses until the children of Israel
possess their inheritance:
32:19. Neither will we seek any thing beyond the Jordan, because we have
already our possession on the east side thereof,
32:20. And Moses said to them: If you do what you promise, go on well
appointed for war before the Lord:
32:21. And let every fighting man pass over the Jordan, until the Lord
overthrow his enemies:
32:22. And all the land be brought under him, then shall you be
blameless before the Lord and before Israel, and you shall obtain the
countries that you desire, before the Lord.
32:23. But if you do not what you say, no man can doubt but you sin
against God: and know ye, that your sin shall overtake you.
32:24. Build therefore cities for your children, and folds and stalls
for your sheep and beasts, and accomplish what you have promised.
32:25. And the children of Gad and Ruben said to Moses: We are thy
servants, we will do what my lord commandeth.
32:26. We will leave our children, and our wives and sheep and cattle,
in the cities of Galaad:
32:27. And we thy servants all well appointed will march on to the war,
as thou, my lord, speakest.
32:28. Moses therefore commanded Eleazar the priest, and Josue the son
of Nun, and the princes of the families of all the tribes of Israel, and
said to them:
32:29. If the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben pass with you
over the Jordan, all armed for war before the Lord, and the land be made
subject to you: give them Galaad in possession.
32:30. But if they will not pass armed with you into the land of
Chanaan, let them receive places to dwell in among you.
32:31. And the children of Gad, and the children of Ruben answered: As
the Lord hath spoken to his servants, so will we do:
32:32. We will go armed before the Lord into the land of Chanaan, and we
confess that we have already received our possession beyond the Jordan.
32:33. Moses therefore gave to the children of Gad and of Ruben, and to
the half tribe of Manasses the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sehon king
of the Amorrhites, and the kingdom of Og king of Basan, and their land
and the cities thereof round about.
32:34. And the sons of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
32:35. And Etroth, and Sophan, and Jazer, and Jegbaa,
32:36. And Bethnemra, and Betharan, fenced cities, and folds for their
cattle.
32:37. But the children of Ruben built Hesebon, and Eleale, and
Cariathaim,
32:38. And Nabo, and Baalmeon (their names being changed) and Sabama:
giving names to the cities which they had built.
32:39. Moreover the children of Machir, the son of Manasses, went into
Galaad, and wasted it, cutting off the Amorrhites, the inhabitants
thereof.
32:40. And Moses gave the land of Galaad to Machir the son of Manasses,
and he dwelt in it.
32:41. And Jair the son of Manasses went, and took the villages thereof,
and he called them Havoth Jair, that is to say, the villages of Jair.
32:42. Nobe also went, and took Canath with the villages thereof: and he
called it by his own name, Nobe.
Numbers Chapter 33
The mansions or journeys of the children of Israel towards the land of
promise.
33:1. These are the mansions of the children of Israel, who went out of
Egypt by their troops under the conduct of Moses and Aaron,
The mansions... These mansions, or journeys of the children of Israel
from Egypt to the land of promise, were figures, according to the
fathers, of the steps and degrees by which Christians leaving sin are to
advance from virtue to virtue, till they come to the heavenly mansions,
after this life, to see and enjoy God.
33:2. Which Moses wrote down according to the places of their encamping,
which they changed by the commandment of the Lord.
33:3. Now the children of Israel departed from Ramesses the first month,
on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the phase, with a
mighty hand, in the sight of all the Egyptians,
33:4. Who were burying their firstborn, whom the Lord had slain (upon
their gods also he had executed vengeance,)
33:5. And they camped in Soccoth.
33:6. And from Soccoth they came into Etham, which is in the uttermost
borders of the wilderness.
33:7. Departing from thence they came over against Phihahiroth, which
looketh towards Beelsephon, and they camped before Magdalum.
33:8. And departing from Phihahiroth, they passed through the midst of
the sea into the wilderness: and having marched three days through the
desert of Etham, they camped in Mara.
33:9. And departing from Mara, they came into Elim, where there were
twelve fountains of waters, and seventy palm trees: and there they
camped.
33:10. But departing from thence also, they pitched their tents by the
Red Sea. And departing from the Red Sea,
33:11. They camped in the desert of Sin.
33:12. And they removed from thence, and came to Daphca.
33:13. And departing from Daphca, they camped in Alus.
33:14. And departing from Alus, they pitched their tents in Raphidim,
where the people wanted water to drink.
33:15. And departing from Raphidim, they camped in the desert of Sinai.
33:16. But departing also from the desert of Sinai, they came to the
graves of lust.
33:17. And departing from the graves of lust, they camped in Haseroth.
33:18. And from Haseroth they came to Rethma.
33:19. And departing from Rethma, they camped in Remmomphares.
33:20. And they departed from thence and came to Lebna.
33:21. Removing from Lebna they camped in Ressa.
33:22. And departing from Ressa, they came to Ceelatha.
33:23. And they removed from thence and camped in the mountain Sepher.
33:24. Departing from the mountain Sepher, they came to Arada,
33:25. From thence they went and camped in Maceloth.
33:26. And departing from Maceloth, they came to Thahath.
33:27. Removing from Thahath they camped in Thare.
33:28. And they departed from thence, and pitched their tents in Methca.
33:29. And removing from Methca, they camped in Hesmona.
33:30. And departing from Hesmona, they came to Moseroth.
33:31. And removing from Moseroth, they camped in Benejaacan.
33:32. And departing from Benejaacan, they came to mount Gadgad.
33:33. From thence they went and camped in Jetebatha.
33:34. And from Jetebatha they came to Hebrona.
33:35. And departing from Hebrona, they camped in Asiongaber.
33:36. They removed from thence and came into the desert of Sin, which
is Cades.
33:37. And departing from Cades, they camped in mount Hor, in the
uttermost borders of the land of Edom.
33:38. And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of
the Lord: and there he died in the fortieth year of the coming forth of
the children of Israel out of Egypt, the fifth month, the first day of
the month,
33:39. When he was a hundred and twenty-three years old.
33:40. And king Arad the Chanaanite, who dwelt towards the south, heard
that the children of Israel were come to the land of Chanaan.
33:41. And they departed from mount Hor, and camped in Salmona.
33:42. From whence they removed and came to Phunon.
33:43. And departing from Phunon, they camped in Oboth.
33:44. And from Oboth they came to Ijeabarim, which is in the borders of
the Moabites.
33:45. And departing from Ijeabarim they pitched their tents in
Dibongab.
33:46. From thence they went and camped in Helmondeblathaim.
33:47. And departing from Helmondeblathaim, they came to the mountains
of Abarim over against Nabo.
33:48. And departing from the mountains of Abarim, they passed to the
plains of Moab, by the Jordan, over against Jericho.
33:49. And there they camped from Bethsimoth even to Ablesatim in the
plains of the Moabites,
33:50. Where the Lord said to Moses:
33:51. Command the children of Israel, and say to them: When you shall
have passed over the Jordan, entering into the land of Chanaan,
33:52. Destroy all the inhabitants of that land: Beat down their
pillars, and break in pieces their statues, and waste all their high
places,
33:53. Cleansing the land, and dwelling in it. For I have given it you
for a possession.
33:54. And you shall divide it among you by lot. To the more you shall
give a larger part, and to the fewer a lesser. To every one as the lot
shall fall, so shall the inheritance be given. The possession shall be
divided by the tribes and the families.
33:55. But if you will not kill the inhabitants of the land: they that
remain, shall be unto you as nails in your eyes, and spears in your
sides, and they shall be your adversaries in the land of your
habitation.
33:56. And whatsoever I had thought to do to them, I will do to you.
Numbers Chapter 34
The limits of Chanaan; with the names of the men that make the division
of it.
34:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
34:2. Command the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When
you are entered into the land of Chanaan, and it shall be fallen into
your possession by lot, it shall be bounded by these limits:
34:3. The south side shall begin from the wilderness of Sin, which is by
Edom: and shall have the most salt sea for its furthest limits eastward:
The most salt sea... The lake of Sodom, otherwise called the Dead Sea.
34:4. Which limits shall go round on the south side by the ascent of the
Scorpion and so into Senna, and reach toward the south as far as
Cadesbarne, from whence the frontiers shall go out to the town called
Adar, and shall reach as far as Asemona.
The Scorpion... A mountain so called from having a great number of
scorpions.
34:5. And the limits shall fetch a compass from Asemona to the torrent
of Egypt, and shall end in the shore of the great sea.
The great sea... The Mediterranean.
34:6. And the west side shall begin from the great sea, and the same
shall be the end thereof.
34:7. But toward the north side the borders shall begin from the great
sea, reaching to the most high mountain,
The most high mountain... Libanus.
34:8. From which they shall come to Emath, as far as the borders of
Sedada:
34:9. And the limits shall go as far as Zephrona, and the village of
Enan. These shall be the borders on the north side.
34:10. From thence they shall mark out the grounds towards the east side
from the village of Enan unto Sephama.
34:11. And from Sephama the bounds shall go down to Rebla over against
the fountain of Daphnis: from thence they shall come eastward to the sea
of Cenereth,
Sea of Cenereth... This is the sea of Galilee, illustrated by the
miracles of our Lord.
34:12. And shall reach as far as the Jordan, and at the last shall be
closed in by the most salt sea. This shall be your land with its borders
round about.
34:13. And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying: This shall be
the land which you shall possess by lot, and which the Lord hath
commanded to be given to the nine tribes, and to the half tribe.
34:14. For the tribe of the children of Ruben by their families, and the
tribe of the children of Gad according to the number of their kindreds,
and half of the tribe of Manasses,
34:15. That is, two tribes and a half, have received their portion
beyond the Jordan over against Jericho at the east side.
34:16. And the Lord said to Moses:
34:17. These are the names of the men, that shall divide the land unto
you: Eleazar the priest, and Josue the son of Nun,
34:18. And one prince of every tribe,
34:19. Whose names are these: Of the tribe of Juda, Caleb the son of
Jephone.
34:20. Of the tribe of Simeon, Samuel the son of Ammiud.
34:21. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chaselon.
34:22. Of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bocci the son of Jogli.
34:23. Of the children of Joseph of the tribe of Manasses, Hanniel the
son of Ephod.
34:24. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Camuel the son of Sephtan.
34:25. Of the tribe of Zabulon, Elisaphan the son of Pharnach.
34:26. Of the tribe of Issachar, Phaltiel the prince, the son of Ozan.
34:27. Of the tribe of Aser, Ahiud the son of Salomi.
34:28. Of the tribe of Nephtali: Phedael the son of Ammiud.
34:29. These are they Whom the Lord hath commanded to divide the land of
Chanaan to the children of Israel.
Numbers Chapter 35
Cities are appointed for the Levites. Of which six are to be the cities
of refuge.
35:1. And the Lord spoke these things also to Moses in the plains of
Moab by the Jordan, over against Jericho:
35:2. Command the children of Israel that they give to the Levites out
of their possessions,
35:3. Cities to dwell in, and their suburbs round about: that they may
abide in the towns, and the suburbs may be for them cattle and beasts:
35:4. Which suburbs shall reach from the walls of the cities outward, a
thousand paces on every side:
35:5. Toward the east shall be two thousand cubits: and toward the south
in like manner shall be two thousand cubits: toward the sea also, which
looketh to the west, shall be the same extent: and the north side shall
be bounded with the like limits. And the cities shall be in the midst,
and the suburbs without.
35:6. And among the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, six
shall be separated for refuge to fugitives, that he who hath shed blood
may flee to them: and besides these there shall be other forty-two
cities,
35:7. That is, in all forty-eight with their suburbs.
35:8. And of these cities which shall be given out of the possessions of
the children of Israel, from them that have more, more shall be taken:
and from them that have less, fewer. Each shall give towns to the
Levites according to the extent of their inheritance.
35:9. The Lord said to Moses:
35:10. Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When
you shall have passed over the Jordan into the land of Chanaan,
35:11. Determine what cities shall be for the refuge of fugitives, who
have shed blood against their will.
35:12. And when the fugitive shall be in them, the kinsman of him that
is slain may not have power to kill him, until he stand before the
multitude, and his cause be judged.
35:13. And of those cities, that are separated for the refuge of
fugitives,
35:14. Three shall be beyond the Jordan, and three in the land of
Chanaan,
35:15. As well for the children of Israel as for strangers and
sojourners, that he may flee to them, who hath shed blood against his
will.
35:16. If any man strike with iron, and he die that was struck: he shall
be guilty of murder, and he himself shall die.
35:17. If he throw a stone, and he that is struck die: he shall be
punished in the same manner.
35:18. If he that is struck with wood die: he shall be revenged by the
blood of him that struck him.
35:19. The kinsman of him that was slain, shall kill the murderer: as
soon as he apprehendeth him, he shall kill him.
35:20. If through hatred any one push a man, or fling any thing at him
with ill design:
35:21. Or being his enemy, strike him with his hand, and he die: the
striker shall be guilty of murder: the kinsman of him that was slain as
soon as he findeth him, shall kill him.
35:22. But if by chance medley, and without hatred,
35:23. And enmity, he do any of these things,
35:24. And this be proved in the hearing of the people, and the cause be
debated between him that struck, and the next of kin:
35:25. The innocent shall be delivered from the hand of the revenger,
and shall be brought back by sentence into the city, to which he had
fled, and he shall abide there until the death of the high priest, that
is anointed with the holy oil.
Until the death, etc... This mystically signified that our deliverance
was to be effected by the death of Christ, the high priest and the
anointed of God.
35:26. If the murderer be found without the limits of the cities that
are appointed for the banished,
35:27. And be struck by him that is the avenger of blood: he shall not
be guilty that killed him.
35:28. For the fugitive ought to have stayed in the city until the death
of the high priest: and after he is dead, then shall the manslayer
return to his own country.
35:29. These things shall be perpetual, and for an ordinance in all your
dwellings.
35:30. The murderer shall be punished by witnesses: none shall be
condemned upon the evidence of one man.
35:31. You shall not take money of him that is guilty of blood, but he
shall die forthwith.
35:32. The banished and fugitives before the death of the high priest
may by no means return into their own cities.
35:33. Defile not the land of your habitation, which is stained with the
blood of the innocent: neither can it otherwise be expiated, but by his
blood that hath shed the blood of another.
35:34. And thus shall your possession be cleansed, myself abiding with
you. For I am the Lord that dwell among the children of Israel.
Numbers Chapter 36
That the inheritances may not be alienated from one tribe to another,
all are to marry within their own tribes.
36:1. And the princes of the families of Galaad, the son of Machir, the
son of Manasses, of the stock of the children of Joseph, came and spoke
to Moses before the princes of Israel, and said:
36:2. The Lord hath commanded thee, my lord, that thou shouldst divide
the land by lot to the children of Israel, and that thou shouldst give
to the daughters of Salphaad our brother the possession due to their
father:
36:3. Now if men of another tribe take them to wives, their possession
will follow them, and being transferred to another tribe, will be a
diminishing of our inheritance.
36:4. And so it shall come to pass, that when the jubilee, the is, the
fiftieth year of remission, is come, the distribution made by the lots
shall be confounded, and the possession of the one shall pass to the
others.
36:5. Moses answered the children of Israel, and said by the command of
the Lord: The tribe of the children of Joseph hath spoken rightly.
36:6. And this is the law promulgated by the Lord touching the daughters
of Salphaad: Let them marry to whom they will, only so that it be to men
of their own tribe.
36:7. Lest the possession of the children of Israel be mingled from
tribe to tribe. For all men shall marry wives of their own tribe and
kindred:
36:8. And all women shall take husbands of the same tribe: that the
inheritance may remain in the families.
36:9. And that the tribes be not mingled one with another, but remain so
36:10. As they were separated by the Lord. And the daughters of Salphaad
did as was commanded:
36:11. And Maala, and Thersa, and Hegla, and Melcha, and Noa were
married to the sons of their uncle by their father
36:12. Of the family of Manasses, who was the son of Joseph: and the
possession that had been allotted to them, remained in the tribe and
family of their father.
36:13. These are the commandments and judgment, which the Lord commanded
by the hand of Moses to the children of Israel, in the plains of Moab
upon the Jordan over against Jericho.
THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY
This Book is called DEUTERONOMY, which signifies a SECOND LAW, because
it repeats and inculcates the ordinances formerly given on mount Sinai,
with other precepts not expressed before. The Hebrews, from the first
words in the book, call it ELLE HADDEBARIM.
Deuteronomy Chapter 1
A repetition of what passed at Sinai and Cadesbarne: and of the people's
murmuring and their punishment.
1:1. These are the words, which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the
Jordan, in the plain wilderness, over against the Red Sea, between
Pharan and Thophel and Laban and Haseroth, where there is very much
gold.
1:2. Eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir to
Cadesbarne.
1:3. In the fortieth year, the eleventh month, the first day of the
month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel all that the Lord had
commanded him to say to them:
1:4. After that he had slain Sehon king of the Amorrhites, who dwelt in
Hesebon: and Og king of Basan who abode in Astaroth, and in Edrai,
1:5. Beyond the Jordan in the land of Moab. And Moses began to expound
the law, and to say:
1:6. The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: You have stayed long
enough in this mountain:
1:7. Turn you, and come to the mountain of the Amorrhites, and to the
other places that are next to it, the plains and the hills and the vales
towards the south, and by the sea shore, the land of the Chanaanites,
and of Libanus, as far as the great river Euphrates.
1:8. Behold, said he, I have delivered it to you: go in and possess it,
concerning which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, that he would give it to them, and to their seed after them.
1:9. And I said to you at that time:
1:10. I alone am not able to bear you: for the Lord your God hath
multiplied you, and you are this day as the stars of heaven, for
multitude.
1:11. (The Lord God of your fathers add to this number many thousands,
and bless you as he hath spoken.)
1:12. I alone am not able to bear your business, and the charge of you
and your differences.
1:13. Let me have from among you wise and understanding men, and such
whose conversation is approved among your tribes, that I may appoint
them your rulers.
1:14. Then you answered me: The thing is good which thou meanest to do.
1:15. And I took out of your tribes men wise and honourable, and
appointed them rulers, tribunes, and centurions, and officers over
fifties, and over tens, who might teach you all things.
1:16. And I commanded them, saying: Hear them, and judge that which is
just: whether he be one of your country, or a stranger.
1:17. There shall be no difference of persons, you shall hear the little
as well as the great: neither shall you respect any man's person,
because it is the judgment of God. And if any thing seem hard to you,
refer it to me, and I will hear it.
1:18. And I commanded you all things that you were to do.
1:19. And departing from Horeb, we passed through the terrible and vast
wilderness, which you saw, by the way of the mountain of the Amorrhite,
as the Lord our God had commanded us. And when we were come into
Cadesbarne,
1:20. I said to you: You are come to the mountain of the Amorrhite,
which the Lord our God will give to us.
1:21. See the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee: go up and possess
it, as the Lord our God hath spoken to thy fathers: fear not, nor be any
way discouraged.
1:22. And you came all to me, and said: Let us send men who may view the
land, and bring us word what way we shall go up, and to what cities we
shall go.
1:23. And because the saying pleased me, I sent of you twelve men, one
of every tribe:
1:24. Who, when they had set forward and had gone up to the mountains,
came as far as the valley of the cluster: and having viewed the land,
1:25. Taking of the fruits thereof, to shew its fertility, they brought
them to us, and said: The land is good, which the Lord our God will give
us.
1:26. And you would not go up, but being incredulous to the word of the
Lord our God,
1:27. You murmured in your tents, and said: The Lord hateth us, and
therefore he hath brought us out of the land of Egypt, that he might
deliver us into the hand of the Amorrhite, and destroy us.
1:28. Whither shall we go up? the messengers have terrified our hearts,
saying: The multitude is very great, and taller than we: the cities are
great, and walled up to the sky, we have seen the sons of the Enacims
there.
Walled up to the sky... A figurative expression, signifying the walls to
be very high.
1:29. And I said to you: Fear not, neither be ye afraid of them:
1:30. The Lord God, who is your leader, himself will fight for you, as
he did in Egypt in the sight of all.
1:31. And in the wilderness (as thou hast seen) the Lord thy God hath
carried thee, as a man is wont to carry his little son, all the way that
you have come, until you came to this place.
1:32. And yet for all this you did not believe the Lord your God,
1:33. Who went before you in the way, and marked out the place, wherein
you should pitch your tents, in the night shewing you the way by fire,
and in the day by the pillar of a cloud.
1:34. And when the Lord had heard the voice of your words, he was angry
and swore, and said:
1:35. Not one of the men of this wicked generation shall see the good
land, which I promised with an oath to your fathers:
1:36. Except Caleb the son of Jephone: for he shall see it, and to him I
will give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children,
because he hath followed the Lord.
1:37. Neither is his indignation against the people to be wondered at,
since the Lord was angry with me also on your account, and said: Neither
shalt thou go in thither.
1:38. But Josue the son of Nun, thy minister, he shall go in for thee:
exhort and encourage him, and he shall divide the land by lot to Israel.
1:39. Your children, of whom you said that they should be led away
captives, and your sons who know not this day the difference of good and
evil, they shall go in: and to them I will give the land, and they shall
possess it.
1:40. But return you and go into the wilderness by the way of the Red
Sea.
1:41. And you answered me: We have sinned against the Lord: we will go
up and fight, as the Lord our God hath commanded. And when you went
ready armed unto the mountain,
1:42. The Lord said to me: Say to them: Go not up, and fight not, for I
am not with you: lest you fall before your enemies.
1:43. I spoke, and you hearkened not: but resisting the commandment of
the Lord, and swelling with pride, you went up into the mountain.
1:44. And the Amorrhite that dwelt in the mountains coming out, and
meeting you, chased you, as bees do: and made slaughter of you from Seir
as far as Horma.
1:45. And when you returned and wept before the Lord, he heard you not,
neither would he yield to your voice.
1:46. So you abode in Cadesbarne a long time.
Deuteronomy Chapter 2
They are forbid to fight against the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites.
Their victory over Sehon king of Hesebon.
2:1. And departing from thence we came into the wilderness that leadeth
to the Red Sea, as the Lord had spoken to me: and we compassed mount
Seir a long time.
2:2. And the Lord said to me:
2:3. You have compassed this mountain long enough: go toward the north:
2:4. And command thou the people, saying: You shall pass by the borders
of your brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they will
be afraid of you.
2:5. Take ye then good heed that you stir not against them. For I will
not give you of their land so much as the step of one foot can tread
upon, because I have given mount Seir to Esau, for a possession.
2:6. You shall buy meats of them for money and shall eat: you shall draw
waters for money, and shall drink.
2:7. The Lord thy God hath blessed thee in every work of thy hands: the
Lord thy God dwelling with thee, knoweth thy journey, how thou hast
passed through this great wilderness, for forty years, and thou hast
wanted nothing.
2:8. And when we had passed by our brethren the children of Esau, that
dwelt in Seir, by the way of the plain from Elath and from Asiongaber,
we came to the way that leadeth to the desert of Moab.
2:9. And the Lord said to me: Fight not against the Moabites, neither go
to battle against them: for I will not give thee any of their land,
because I have given Ar to the children of Lot in possession.
2:10. The Emims first were the inhabitants thereof, a people great, and
strong, and so tall, that like the race of the Enacims,
2:11. They were esteemed as giants, and were like the sons of the
Enacims. But the Moabites call them Emims.
2:12. The Horrhites also formerly dwelt in Seir: who being driven out
and destroyed, the children of Esau dwelt there, as Israel did in the
land of his possession, which the Lord gave him.
2:13. Then rising up to pass the torrent Zared, we came to it.
2:14. And the time that we journeyed from Cadesbarne till we passed over
the torrent Zared, was thirty-eight years: until all the generation of
the men that were fit for war was consumed out of the camp, as the Lord
had sworn:
2:15. For his hand was against them, that they should perish from the
midst of the camp.
2:16. And after all the fighting men were dead,
2:17. The Lord spoke to me, saying:
2:18. Thou shalt pass this day the borders of Moab, the city named Ar:
2:19. And when thou comest nigh the frontiers of the children of Ammon,
take heed thou fight not against them, nor once move to battle: for I
will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon, because I have
given it to the children of Lot for a possession.
2:20. It was accounted a land of giants: and giants formerly dwelt in
it, whom the Ammonites call Zomzommims,
2:21. A people great and many, and of tall stature, like the Enacims
whom the Lord destroyed before their face: and he made them to dwell in
their stead,
2:22. As he had done in favour of the children of Esau, that dwell in
Seir, destroying the Horrhites, and delivering their land to them, which
they possess to this day.
2:23. The Hevites also, that dwelt in Haserim as far as Gaza, were
expelled by the Cappadocians: who came out of Cappadocia, and destroyed
them and dwelt in their stead.
2:24. Arise ye, and pass the torrent Arnon: Behold I have delivered into
thy hand Sehon king of Hesebon the Amorrhite, and begin thou to possess
his land and make war against him.
2:25. This day will I begin to send the dread and fear of thee upon the
nations that dwell under the whole heaven: that when they hear thy name
they may fear and tremble, and be in pain like women in travail.
2:26. So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Cademoth to Sehon the
king of Hesebon with peaceable words, saying:
2:27. We will pass through thy land, we will go along by the highway: we
will not turn aside neither to the right hand nor to the left.
2:28. Sell us meat for money, that we may eat: give us water for money
and so we will drink. We only ask that thou wilt let us pass through,
2:29. As the children of Esau have done, that dwell in Seir, and the
Moabites, that abide in Ar: until we come to the Jordan, and pass to the
land which the Lord our God will give us.
2:30. And Sehon the king of Hesebon would not let us pass: because the
Lord thy God had hardened his spirit, and fixed his heart, that he might
be delivered into thy hands, as now thou seest.
Hardened, etc... That is, in punishment of his past sins he left him to
his own stubborn and perverse disposition, which drew him to his ruin.
See the note on Ex. 7.3.
2:31. And the Lord said to me: Behold I have begun to deliver unto thee
Sehon and his land, begin to possess it.
2:32. And Sehon came out to meet us with all his people to fight at
Jasa.
2:33. And the Lord our God delivered him to us: and we slew him with his
sons and all his people.
2:34. And we took all his cities at that time, killing the inhabitants
of them, men and women and children. We left nothing of them:
2:35. Except the cattle which came to the share of them that took them:
and the spoils of the cities, which we took:
2:36. From Aroer, which is upon the bank of the torrent Arnon, a town
that is situate in a valley, as far as Galaad. There was not a village
or city, that escaped our hands: the Lord our God delivered all unto us:
2:37. Except the land of the children of Ammon, to which we approached
not: and all that border upon the torrent Jeboc, and the cities in the
mountains, and all the places which the Lord our God forbade us.
Deuteronomy Chapter 3
The victory over Og king of Basan. Ruben, Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasses receive their possession on the other side of Jordan.
3:1. Then we turned and went by the way of Basan: and Og the king of
Basan came out to meet us with his people to fight in Edrai.
3:2. And the Lord said to me: Fear him not: because he is delivered into
thy hand, with all his people and his land: and thou shalt do to him as
thou hast done to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, that dwelt in Hesebon.
3:3. So the Lord our God delivered into our hands, Og also, the king of
Basan, and all his people: and we utterly destroyed them,
3:4. Wasting all his cities at one time, there was not a town that
escaped us: sixty cities, all the country of Argob the kingdom of Og in
Basan.
3:5. All the cities were fenced with very high walls, and with gates and
bars, besides innumerable towns that had no walls.
3:6. And we utterly destroyed them, as we had done to Sehon the king of
Hesebon, destroying every city, men and women and children:
3:7. But the cattle and the spoils of the cities we took for our prey.
3:8. And we took at that time the land out of the hand of the two kings
of the Amorrhites, that were beyond the Jordan: from the torrent Arnon
unto the mount Hermon,
3:9. Which the Sidonians call Sarion, and the Amorrhites Sanir:
3:10. All the cities that are situate in the plain, and all the land of
Galaad and Basan as far as Selcha and Edrai, cities of the kingdom of Og
in Basan.
3:11. For only Og king of Basan remained of the race of the giants. His
bed of iron is shewn, which is in Rabbath of the children of Ammon,
being nine cubits long, and four broad after the measure of the cubit of
a man's hand.
3:12. And we possessed the land at that time from Aroer, which is upon
the bank of the torrent Arnon, unto the half of mount Galaad: and I gave
the cities thereof to Ruben and Gad.
3:13. And I delivered the other part of Galaad, and all Basan the
kingdom of Og to the half tribe of Manasses, all the country of Argob:
and all Basan is called the Land of giants.
3:14. Jair the son of Manasses possessed all the country of Argob unto
the borders of Gessuri, and Machati. And he called Basan by his own
name, Havoth Jair, that is to say, the towns of Jair, until this present
day.
3:15. To Machir also I gave Galaad.
3:16. And to the tribes of Ruben and Gad I gave of the land of Galaad as
far as the torrent Arnon, half the torrent, and the confines even unto
the torrent Jeboc, which is the border of the children of Ammon:
3:17. And the plain of the wilderness, and the Jordan, and the borders
of Cenereth unto the sea of the desert, which is the most salt sea, to
the foot of mount Phasga eastward.
3:18. And I commanded you at that time, saying: The Lord your God giveth
you this land for an inheritance, go ye well appointed before your
brethren the children of Israel, all the strong men of you.
3:19. Leaving your wives and children and cattle. For I know you have
much cattle, and they must remain in the cities, which I have delivered
to you.
3:20. Until the Lord give rest to your brethren, as he hath given to
you: and they also possess the land, which he will give them beyond the
Jordan: then shall every man return to his possession, which I have
given you.
3:21. I commanded Josue also at that time, saying: Thy eyes have seen
what the Lord your God hath done to these two kings: so will he do to
all the kingdoms to which thou shalt pass.
3:22. Fear them not: for the Lord your God will fight for you.
3:23. And I besought the Lord at that time, saying:
3:24. Lord God, thou hast begun to shew unto thy servant thy greatness,
and most mighty hand, for there is no other God either in heaven or
earth, that is able to do thy works, or to be compared to thy strength.
3:25. I will pass over therefore, and will see this excellent land
beyond the Jordan, and this goodly mountain, and Libanus.
3:26. And the Lord was angry with me on your account and heard me not,
but said to me: It is enough: speak no more to me of this matter.
3:27. Go up to the top of Phasga, and cast thy eyes round about to the
west, and to the north, and to the south, and to the east, and behold
it, for thou shalt not pass this Jordan.
3:28. Command Josue, and encourage and strengthen him: for he shall go
before this people, and shall divide unto them the land which thou shalt
see.
3:29. And we abode in the valley over against the temple of Phogor.
Deuteronomy Chapter 4
Moses exhorteth the people to keep God's commandments: particularly to
fly idolatry. Appointeth three cities of refuge, on that side of the
Jordan.
4:1. And now, O Israel, hear the commandments and judgments which I
teach thee: that doing them, thou mayst live, and entering in mayst
possess the land which the Lord the God of your fathers will give you.
4:2. You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall
you take away from it: keep the commandments of the Lord your God which
I command you.
4:3. Your eyes have seen all that the Lord hath done against Beelphegor,
how he hath destroyed all his worshippers from among you.
4:4. But you that adhere to the Lord your God, are all alive until this
present day.
4:5. You know that I have taught you statutes and justices, as the Lord
my God hath commanded me: so shall you do them in the land which you
shall possess:
4:6. And you shall observe, and fulfil them in practice. For this is
your wisdom, and understanding in the sight of nations, that hearing all
these precepts, they may say: Behold a wise and understanding people, a
great nation.
4:7. Neither is there any other nation so great, that hath gods so nigh
them, as our God is present to all our petitions.
4:8. For what other nation is there so renowned that hath ceremonies,
and just judgments, and all the law, which I will set forth this day
before our eyes?
4:9. Keep thyself therefore, and thy soul carefully. Forget not the
words that thy eyes have seen, and let them not go out of thy heart all
the days of thy life. Thou shalt teach them to thy sons and to thy
grandsons,
4:10. From the day in which thou didst stand before the Lord thy God in
Horeb, when the Lord spoke to me, saying: Call together the people unto
me, that they may hear my words, and may learn to fear me all the time
that they live on the earth, and may teach their children.
4:11. And you came to the foot of the mount, which burned even unto
heaven: and there was darkness, and a cloud and obscurity in it.
4:12. And the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You heard
the voice of his words, but you saw not any form at all.
4:13. And he shewed you his covenant, which he commanded you to do, and
the ten words that he wrote in two tables of stone.
4:14. And he commanded me at that time that I should teach you the
ceremonies and judgments which you shall do in the land, that you shall
possess.
4:15. Keep therefore your souls carefully. You saw not any similitude in
the day that the Lord God spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the
fire:
4:16. Lest perhaps being deceived you might make you a graven
similitude, or image of male or female,
4:17. The similitude of any beasts, that are upon the earth, or of
birds, that fly under heaven,
4:18. Or of creeping things, that move on the earth, or of fishes, that
abide in the waters under the earth:
4:19. Lest perhaps lifting up thy eyes to heaven, thou see the sun and
the moon, and all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by error thou
adore and serve them, which the Lord thy God created for the service of
all the nations, that are under heaven.
4:20. But the Lord hath taken you and brought you out of the iron
furnaces of Egypt, to make you his people of inheritance, as it is this
present day.
4:21. And the Lord was angry with me for your words, and he swore that I
should not pass over the Jordan, nor enter into the excellent land,
which he will give you.
4:22. Behold I die in this land, I shall not pass over the Jordan: you
shall pass, and possess the goodly land.
4:23. Beware lest thou ever forget the covenant of the Lord thy God,
which he hath made with thee: and make to thyself a graven likeness of
those things which the Lord hath forbid to be made:
4:24. Because the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
4:25. If you shall beget sons and grandsons, and abide in the land, and
being deceived, make to yourselves any similitude, committing evil
before the Lord your God, to provoke him to wrath:
4:26. I call this day heaven and earth to witness, that you shall
quickly perish out of the land, which, when you have passed over the
Jordan, you shall possess. You shall not dwell therein long, but the
Lord will destroy you,
4:27. And scatter you among all nations, and you shall remain a few
among the nations, to which the Lord shall lead you.
4:28. And there you shall serve gods, that were framed with men's hands:
wood and stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
4:29. And when thou shalt seek there the Lord thy God, thou shalt find
him: yet so, if thou seek him with all thy heart, and all the affliction
of thy soul.
4:30. After all the things aforesaid shall find thee, in the latter time
thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and shalt hear his voice.
4:31. Because the Lord thy God is a merciful God: he will not leave
thee, nor altogether destroy thee, nor forget the covenant, by which he
swore to thy fathers.
4:32. Ask of the days of old, that have been before thy time from the
day that God created man upon the earth, from one end of heaven to the
other end thereof, if ever there was done the like thing, or it hath
been known at any time,
4:33. That a people should hear the voice of God speaking out of the
midst of fire, as thou hast heard, and lived:
4:34. If God ever did so as to go, and take to himself a nation out of
the midst of nations by temptations, signs, and wonders, by fight, and a
strong hand, and stretched out arm, and horrible visions according to
all the things that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, before thy
eyes.
4:35. That thou mightest know that the Lord he is God, and there is no
other besides him.
4:36. From heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might teach
thee. And upon earth he shewed thee his exceeding great fire, and thou
didst hear his words out of the midst of the fire,
4:37. Because he loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them. And
he brought thee out of Egypt, going before thee with his great power,
4:38. To destroy at thy coming very great nations, and stronger than
thou art, and to bring thee in, and give thee their land for a
possession, as thou seest at this present day.
4:39. Know therefore this day, and think in thy heart that the Lord he
is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath, and there is no other.
4:40. Keep his precepts and commandments, which I command thee: that it
may be well with thee, and thy children after thee, and thou mayst
remain a long time upon the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.
4:41. Then Moses set aside three cities beyond the Jordan at the east
side,
4:42. That any one might flee to them who should kill his neighbour
unwillingly, and was not his enemy a day or two before, and that he
might escape to some one of these cities:
4:43. Bosor in the wilderness, which is situate in the plains of the
tribe of Ruben: and Ramoth in Galaad, which is in the tribe of Gad: and
Golan in Basan, which is in the tribe of Manasses.
4:44. This is the law, that Moses set before the children of Israel,
4:45. And these are the testimonies and ceremonies and judgments, which
he spoke to the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt,
4:46. Beyond the Jordan in the valley over against the temple of Phogor,
in the land of Sehon king of the Amorrhites, that dwelt in Hesebon, whom
Moses slew. And the children of Israel coming out of Egypt,
4:47. Possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Basan, of the two
kings of the Amorrhites, who were beyond the Jordan towards the rising
of the sun:
4:48. From Aroer, which is situate upon the bank of the torrent Arnon,
unto mount Sion, which is also called Hermon,
4:49. All the plain beyond the Jordan at the east side, unto the sea of
the wilderness, and unto the foot of mount Phasga.
Deuteronomy Chapter 5
The ten commandments are repeated and explained.
5:1. And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the
ceremonies and judgments, which I speak in your ears this day: learn
them, and fulfil them in work.
5:2. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
5:3. He made not the covenant with our fathers, but with us, who are now
present and living.
5:4. He spoke to us face to face in the mount out of the midst of fire.
5:5. I was the mediator and stood between the Lord and you at that time,
to shew you his words, for you feared the fire, and went not up into the
mountain, and he said:
5:6. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage.
5:7. Thou shalt not have strange gods in my sight.
5:8. Thou shalt not make to thy self a graven thing, nor the likeness of
any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath,
or that abide in the waters under the earth.
5:9. Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am
the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon their children unto the third and fourth generation, to them that
hate me,
5:10. And shewing mercy unto many thousands, to them that love me, and
keep my commandments.
5:11. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for he
shall not be unpunished that taketh his name upon a vain thing.
5:12. Observe the day of the sabbath, to sanctify it, as the Lord thy
God hath commanded thee.
5:13. Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works.
5:14. The seventh is the day of the sabbath, that is, the rest of the
Lord thy God. Thou shalt not do any work therein, thou nor thy son nor
thy daughter, nor thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant, nor thy ox, nor
thy ass, nor any of thy beasts, nor the stranger that is within thy
gates: that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest, even as
thyself.
5:15. Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy God
brought thee out from thence with a strong hand, and a stretched out
arm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the
sabbath day.
5:16. Honour thy father and mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded
thee, that thou mayst live a long time, and it may be well with thee in
the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.
5:17. Thou shalt not kill.
5:18. Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
5:19. And thou shalt not steal.
5:20. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
5:21. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife: nor his house, nor his
field, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor any thing that is his.
5:22. These words the Lord spoke to all the multitude of you in the
mountain, out of the midst of the fire and the cloud, and the darkness,
with a loud voice, adding nothing more: and he wrote them in two tables
of stone, which he delivered unto me.
5:23. But you, after you heard the voice out of the midst of the
darkness, and saw the mountain burn, came to me, all the princes of the
tribes and the elders, and you said:
5:24. Behold the Lord our God hath shewn us his majesty and his
greatness, we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire, and
have proved this day that God speaking with man, man hath lived.
5:25. Why shall we die therefore, and why shall this exceeding great
fire comsume us: for if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more,
we shall die.
5:26. What is all flesh, that it should hear the voice of the living
God, who speaketh out of the midst of the fire, as we have heard, and be
able to live?
5:27. Approach thou rather: and hear all things that the Lord our God
shall say to thee, and thou shalt speak to us, and we will hear and will
do them.
5:28. And when the Lord had heard this, he said to me: I have heard the
voice of the words of this people, which they spoke to thee: they have
spoken all things well.
5:29. Who shall give them to have such a mind, to fear me, and to keep
all my commandments at all times, that it may be well with them and with
their children for ever?
5:30. Go and say to them: Return into your tents.
5:31. But stand thou here with me, and I will speak to thee all my
commandments, and ceremonies and judgments: which thou shalt teach them,
that they may do them in the land, which I will give them for a
possession.
5:32. Keep therefore and do the things which the Lord God hath commanded
you: you shall not go aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
5:33. But you shall walk in the way that the Lord your God hath
commanded, that you may live, and it may be well with you, and your days
may be long in the land of your possession.
Deuteronomy Chapter 6
An exhortation to the love of God, and obedience to his law.
6:1. These are the precepts, and ceremonies, and judgments, which the
Lord your God commanded that I should teach you, and that you should do
them in the land into which you pass over to possess it:
6:2. That thou mayst fear the Lord thy God, and keep all his
commandments and precepts, which I command thee, and thy sons, and thy
grandsons, all the days of thy life, that thy days may be prolonged.
6:3. Hear, O Israel, and observe to do the things which the Lord hath
commanded thee, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst be greatly
multiplied, as the Lord the God of thy fathers hath promised thee a land
flowing with milk and honey.
6:4. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.
6:5. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy
whole soul, and with thy whole strength.
6:6. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy
heart:
6:7. And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate
upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and
rising.
6:8. And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be
and shall move between thy eyes.
6:9. And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy
house.
6:10. And when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land,
for which he swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: and shall
have given thee great and goodly cities, which thou didst not build,
6:11. Houses full of riches, which thou didst not set up, cisterns which
thou didst not dig, vineyards and oliveyards, which thou didst not
plant,
6:12. And thou shalt have eaten and be full:
6:13. Take heed diligently lest thou forget the Lord, who brought thee
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear
the Lord thy God, and shalt serve him only, and thou shalt swear by his
name.
6:14. You shall not go after the strange gods of all the nations, that
are round about you:
6:15. Because the Lord thy God is a jealous God in the midst of thee:
lest at any time the wrath of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee,
and take thee away from the face of the earth.
6:16. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, as thou temptedst him in
the place of temptation.
6:17. Keep the precepts of the Lord thy God, and the testimonies and
ceremonies which he hath commanded thee.
6:18. And do that which is pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord,
that it may be well with thee: and going in thou mayst possess the
goodly land, concerning which the Lord swore to thy fathers,
6:19. That he would destroy all thy enemies before thee, as he hath
spoken.
6:20. And when thy son shall ask thee to morrow, saying: What mean these
testimonies, and ceremonies and judgments, which the Lord our God hath
commanded us?
6:21. Thou shalt say to him: We were bondmen of Pharao in Egypt, and the
Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.
6:22. And he wrought signs and wonders great and very grievous in Egypt
against Pharao, and all his house, in our sight,
6:23. And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in and
give us the land, concerning which he swore to our fathers.
6:24. And the Lord commanded that we should do all these ordinances, and
should fear the Lord our God, that it might be well with us all the days
of our life, as it is at this day.
6:25. And he will be merciful to us, if we keep and do all his precepts
before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.
Deuteronomy Chapter 7
No league nor fellowship to be made with the Chanaanites: God promiseth
his people his blessing and assistance, if they keep his commandments.
7:1. When the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which
thou art going in to possess, and shall have destroyed many nations
before thee, the Hethite, and the Gergezite, and the Amorrhite, and the
Chanaanite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, seven
nations much more numerous than thou art, and stronger than thou:
7:2. And the Lord thy God shall have delivered them to thee, thou shalt
utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no league with them, nor shew
mercy to them:
7:3. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thou shalt not give
thy daughter to his son, nor take his daughter for thy son:
7:4. For she will turn away thy son from following me, that he may
rather serve strange gods, and the wrath of the Lord will be kindled,
and will quickly destroy thee.
7:5. But thus rather shall you deal with them: Destroy their altars, and
break their statues, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven
things.
7:6. Because thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God. The Lord thy
God hath chosen thee, to be his peculiar people of all peoples that are
upon the earth.
7:7. Not because you surpass all nations in number, is the Lord joined
unto you, and hath chosen you, for you are the fewest of any people:
7:8. But because the Lord hath loved you, and hath kept his oath, which
he swore to your fathers: and hath brought you out with a strong hand,
and redeemed you from the house of bondage, out of the hand of Pharao
the king of Egypt.
7:9. And thou shalt know that the Lord thy God, he is a strong and
faithful God, keeping his covenant and mercy to them that love him, and
to them that keep his commandments, unto a thousand generations:
7:10. And repaying forthwith them that hate him, so as to destroy them,
without further delay immediately rendering to them what they deserve.
7:11. Keep therefore the precepts and ceremonies and judgments, which I
command thee this day to do.
7:12. If after thou hast heard these judgments, thou keep and do them,
the Lord thy God will also keep his covenant to thee, and the mercy
which he swore to thy fathers:
7:13. And he will love thee and multiply thee, and will bless the fruit
of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy vintage, thy
oil, and thy herds, and the flocks of thy sheep upon the land, for which
he swore to thy fathers that he would give it thee.
7:14. Blessed shalt thou be among all people. No one shall be barren
among you of either sex, neither of men nor cattle.
7:15. The Lord will take away from thee all sickness: and the grievous
infirmities of Egypt, which thou knowest, he will not bring upon thee,
but upon thy enemies.
7:16. Thou shalt consume all the people, which the Lord thy God will
deliver to thee. Thy eye shall not spare them, neither shalt thou serve
their gods, lest they be thy ruin.
7:17. If thou say in thy heart: These nations are more than I, how shall
I be able to destroy them?
7:18. Fear not, but remember what the Lord thy God did to Pharao and to
all the Egyptians,
7:19. The exceeding great plagues, which thy eyes saw, and the signs and
wonders, and the strong hand, and the stretched out arm, with which the
Lord thy God brought thee out: so will he do to all the people, whom
thou fearest.
7:20. Moreover the Lord thy God will send also hornets among them, until
he destroy and consume all that have escaped thee, and could hide
themselves.
7:21. Thou shalt not fear them, because the Lord thy God is in the midst
of thee, a God mighty and terrible:
7:22. He will consume these nations in thy sight by little and little
and by degrees. Thou wilt not be able to destroy them altogether: lest
perhaps the beasts of the earth should increase upon thee.
7:23. But the Lord thy God shall deliver them in thy sight: and shall
slay them until they be utterly destroyed.
7:24. And he shall deliver their kings into thy hands, and thou shalt
destroy their names from under Heaven: no man shall be able to resist
thee, until thou destroy them.
7:25. Their graven things thou shalt burn with fire: thou shalt not
covet the silver and gold of which they are made, neither shalt thou
take to thee any thing thereof, lest thou offend, because it is an
abomination to the Lord thy God.
Graven things... Idols, so called by contempt.
7:26. Neither shalt thou bring any thing of the idol into thy house,
lest thou become an anathema, like it. Thou shalt detest it as dung, and
shalt utterly abhor it as uncleanness and filth, because it is an
anathema.
Deuteronomy Chapter 8
The people is put in mind of God's dealings with them, to the end that
they may love him and serve him.
8:1. All the commandments, that I command thee this day, take great care
to observe: that you may live, and be multiplied, and going in may
possess the land, for which the Lord swore to your fathers.
8:2. And thou shalt remember all the way through which the Lord thy God
hath brought thee for forty years through the desert, to afflict thee
and to prove thee, and that the things that were known in thy heart
might be made known, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no.
8:3. He afflicted thee with want, and gave thee manna for thy food,
which neither thou nor thy fathers knew: to shew that not in bread alone
doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.
Not in bread alone, etc... That is, that God is able to make food of
what he pleases for the support of man.
8:4. Thy raiment, with which thou wast covered, hath not decayed for
age, and thy foot is not worn, lo this is the fortieth year,
8:5. That thou mayst consider in thy heart, that as a man traineth up
his son, so the Lord thy God hath trained thee up.
8:6. That thou shouldst keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and
walk in his ways, and fear him.
8:7. For the Lord thy God will bring thee into a good land, of brooks
and of waters, and of fountains: in the plains of which and the hills
deep rivers break out:
8:8. A land of wheat, and barley, and vineyards, wherein fig trees and
pomegranates, and oliveyards grow: a land of oil and honey.
8:9. Where without any want thou shalt eat thy bread, and enjoy
abundance of all things: where the stones are iron, and out of its hills
are dug mines of brass:
8:10. That when thou hast eaten, and art full, thou mayst bless the Lord
thy God for the excellent land which he hath given thee.
8:11. Take heed, and beware lest at any time thou forget the Lord thy
God, and neglect his commandments and judgments and ceremonies, which I
command thee this day:
8:12. Lest after thou hast eaten and art filled, hast built goodly
houses, and dwelt in them,
8:13. And shalt have herds of oxen and flocks of sheep, and plenty of
gold and of silver, and of all things,
8:14. Thy heart be lifted up, and thou remember not the Lord thy God,
who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage:
8:15. And was thy leader in the great and terrible wilderness, wherein
there was the serpent burning with his breath, and the scorpion and the
dipsas, and no waters at all: who brought forth streams out of the
hardest rock,
The Dipsas... A serpent whose bite causeth a violent thirst; from whence
it has its name, for in Greek dipsa signifies thirst.
8:16. And fed thee in the wilderness with manna which thy fathers knew
not. And after he had afflicted and proved thee, at the last he had
mercy on thee,
8:17. Lest thou shouldst say in thy heart: My own might, and the
strength of my own hand have achieved all these things for me.
8:18. But remember the Lord thy God, that he hath given thee strength,
that he might fulfil his covenant, concerning which he swore to thy
fathers, as this present day sheweth.
8:19. But if thou forget the Lord thy God, and follow strange gods, and
serve and adore them: behold now I foretell thee that thou shalt utterly
perish.
8:20. As the nations, which the Lord destroyed at thy entrance, so shall
you also perish, if you be disobedient to the voice of the Lord your
God.
Deuteronomy Chapter 9
Lest they should impute their victories to their own merits, they are
put in mind of their manifold rebellions and other sins, for which they
should have been destroyed, but God spared them for his promise made to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
9:1. Hear, O Israel: Thou shalt go over the Jordan this day; to possess
nations very great, and stronger than thyself, cities great, and walled
up to the sky,
9:2. A people great and tall, the sons of the Enacims, whom thou hast
seen, and heard of, against whom no man is able to stand.
9:3. Thou shalt know therefore this day that the Lord thy God himself
will pass over before thee, a devouring and consuming fire, to destroy
and extirpate and bring them to nothing before thy face quickly, as he
hath spoken to thee.
9:4. Say not in thy heart, when the Lord thy God shall have destroyed
them in thy sight: For my justice hath the Lord brought me in to possess
this land, whereas these nations are destroyed for their wickedness.
9:5. For it is not for thy justices, and the uprightness of thy heart
that thou shalt go in to possess their lands: but because they have done
wickedly, they are destroyed at thy coming in: and that the Lord might
accomplish his word, which he promised by oath to thy fathers Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob.
9:6. Know therefore that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this excellent
land in possession for thy justices, for thou art a very stiffnecked
people.
9:7. Remember, and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to
wrath in the wilderness. From the day that thou camest out of Egypt unto
this place, thou hast always strove against the Lord.
9:8. For in Horeb, also thou didst provoke him, and he was angry, and
would have destroyed thee,
9:9. When I went up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, the
tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you: and I continued in
the mount forty days and nights, neither eating bread, nor drinking
water.
9:10. And the Lord gave me two tables of stone written with the finger
of God, and containing all the words that he spoke to you in the mount
from the midst of the fire, when the people were assembled together.
9:11. And when forty days were passed, and as many nights, the Lord gave
me the two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant,
9:12. And said to me: Arise, and go down from hence quickly: for thy
people, which thou hast brought out of Egypt, have quickly forsaken the
way that thou hast shewn them, and have made to themselves a molten
idol.
9:13. And again the Lord said to me: I see that this people is
stiffnecked:
9:14. Let me alone that I may destroy them, and abolish their name from
under heaven, and set thee over a nation, that is greater and stronger
than this.
9:15. And when I came down from the burning mount, and held the two
tables of the covenant with both hands,
9:16. And saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God, and had
made to yourselves a molten calf, and had quickly forsaken his way,
which he had shewn you:
9:17. I cast the tables out of my hands, and broke them in your sight.
9:18. And I fell down before the Lord as before, forty days and nights
neither eating bread, nor drinking water, for all your sins, which you
had committed against the Lord, and had provoked him to wrath:
9:19. For I feared his indignation and anger, wherewith being moved
against you, he would have destroyed you. And the Lord heard me this
time also.
9:20. And he was exceeding angry against Aaron also, and would have
destroyed him, and I prayed in like manner for him.
9:21. And your sin that you had committed, that is, the calf, I took,
and burned it with fire, and breaking it into pieces, until it was as
small as dust, I threw it into the torrent, which cometh down from the
mountain.
9:22. At the burning also, and at the place of temptation, and at the
graves of lust you provoked the Lord:
9:23. And when he sent you from Cadesbarne, saying: Go up, and possess
the land that I have given you, and you slighted the commandment of the
Lord your God, and did not believe him, neither would you hearken to his
voice:
9:24. But were always rebellious from the day that I began to know you.
9:25. And I lay prostrate before the Lord forty days and nights, in
which I humbly besought him, that he would not destroy you as he had
threatened:
9:26. And praying, I said: O Lord God, destroy not thy people, and thy
inheritance, which thou hast redeemed in thy greatness, whom thou hast
brought out of Egypt with a strong hand.
9:27. Remember thy servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: look not on the
stubbornness of this people, nor on their wickedness and sin:
9:28. Lest perhaps the inhabitants of the land, out of which thou hast
brought us, say: The Lord could not bring them into the land that he
promised them, and he hated them: therefore he brought them out, that he
might kill them in the wilderness,
9:29. Who are thy people and thy inheritance, whom thou hast brought out
by thy great strength, and in thy stretched out arm.
Deuteronomy Chapter 10
God giveth the second tables of the law: a further exhortation to fear
and serve the Lord.
10:1. At that time the Lord said to me: Hew thee two tables of stone
like the former, and come up to me into the mount: and thou shalt make
an ark of wood,
10:2. And I will write on the tables the words that were in them, which
thou brokest before, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
10:3. And I made an ark of setim wood. And when I had hewn two tables of
stone like the former, I went up into the mount, having them in my
hands.
10:4. And he wrote in the tables, according as he had written before,
the ten words, which the Lord spoke to you in the mount from the midst
of the fire, when the people were assembled: and he gave them to me.
10:5. And returning from the mount, I came down, and put the tables into
the ark, that I had made, and they are there till this present, as the
Lord commanded me.
10:6. And the children of Israel removed their camp from Beroth, of the
children of Jacan into Mosera, where Aaron died and was buried, and
Eleazar his son succeeded him in the priestly office.
Mosera... By mount Hor, for there Aaron died, Num. 20. This and the
following verses seem to be inserted by way of parenthesis.
10:7. From thence they came to Gadgad, from which place they departed,
and camped in Jetebatha, in a land of waters and torrents.
10:8. At that time he separated the tribe of Levi, to carry the ark of
the covenant of the Lord, and to stand before him in the ministry, and
to bless in his name until this present day.
10:9. Wherefore Levi hath no part nor possession with his brethren:
because the Lord himself is his possession, as the Lord thy God promised
him.
10:10. And I stood in the mount, as before, forty days and nights: and
the Lord heard me this time also, and would not destroy thee.
10:11. And he said to me: Go, and walk before the people, that they may
enter, and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers that I would
give them.
10:12. And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but
that thou fear the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways, and love him, and
serve the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul:
10:13. And keep the commandments of the Lord, and his ceremonies, which
I command thee this day, that it may be well with thee?
10:14. Behold heaven is the Lord's thy God, and the heaven of heaven,
the earth and all things that are therein.
10:15. And yet the Lord hath been closely joined to thy fathers, and
loved them and chose their seed after them, that is to say, you, out of
all nations, as this day it is proved.
10:16. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and stiffen your
neck no more.
10:17. Because the Lord your God he is the God of gods, and the Lord of
lords, a great God and mighty and terrible, who accepteth no person nor
taketh bribes.
10:18. He doth judgment to the fatherless and the widow, loveth the
stranger, and giveth him food and raiment.
10:19. And do you therefore love strangers, because you also were
strangers in the land of Egypt.
10:20. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him only: to him thou
shalt adhere, and shalt swear by his name.
10:21. He is thy praise, and thy God, that hath done for thee these
great and terrible things, which thy eyes have seen.
10:22. In seventy souls thy fathers went down into Egypt: and behold now
the Lord thy God hath multiplied thee as the stars of heaven.
Deuteronomy Chapter 11
The love and service of God are still inculcated, with a blessing to
them that serve him, and threats of punishment if they forsake his law.
11:1. Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and
ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times.
11:2. Know this day the things that your children know not, who saw not
the chastisements of the Lord your God, his great doings and strong
hand, and stretched out arm,
11:3. The signs and works which he did in the midst of Egypt to king
Pharao, and to all his land,
11:4. And to all the host of the Egyptians, and to their horses and
chariots: how the waters of the Red Sea covered them, when they pursued
you, and how the Lord destroyed them until this present day:
11:5. And what he hath done to you in the wilderness, til you came to
this place:
11:6. And to Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab, who was the son of
Ruben: whom the earth, opening her mouth swallowed up with their
households and tents, and all their substance, which they had in the
midst of Israel.
11:7. Your eyes have seen all the great works of the Lord, that he hath
done,
11:8. That you may keep all his commandments, which I command you this
day, and may go in, and possess the land, to which you are entering,
11:9. And may live in it a long time: which the Lord promised by oath to
your fathers, and to their seed, a land which floweth with milk and
honey.
11:10. For the land, which thou goest to possess, is not like the land
of Egypt, from whence thou camest out, where, when the seed is sown,
waters are brought in to water it after the manner of gardens.
11:11. But it is a land of hills and plains, expecting rain from heaven.
11:12. And the Lord thy God doth always visit it, and his eyes are on it
from the beginning of the year unto the end thereof.
11:13. If then you obey my commandments, which I command you this day,
that you love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart, and
with all your soul:
11:14. He will give to your land the early rain and the latter rain,
that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil,
11:15. And your hay out of the fields to feed your cattle, and that you
may eat and be filled.
11:16. Beware lest perhaps your heart be deceived, and you depart from
the Lord, and serve strange gods, and adore them:
11:17. And the Lord being angry shut up heaven, that the rain come not
down, nor the earth yield her fruit, and you perish quickly from the
excellent land, which the Lord will give you.
11:18. Lay up these words in your hearts and minds, and hang them for a
sign on your hands, and place them between your eyes.
11:19. Teach your children that they meditate on them, when thou sittest
in thy house, and when thou walkest on the way, and when thou liest down
and risest up.
11:20. Thou shalt write them upon the posts and the doors of thy house:
11:21. That thy days may be multiplied, and the days of thy children in
the land which the Lord swore to thy fathers, that he would give them as
long as the heaven hangeth over the earth.
11:22. For if you keep the commandments which I command you, and do
them, to love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, cleaving unto
him,
11:23. The Lord will destroy all these nations before your face, and you
shall possess them, which are greater and stronger than you.
11:24. Every place, that your foot shall tread upon, shall be yours.
From the desert, and from Libanus, from the great river Euphrates unto
the western sea shall be your borders.
11:25. None shall stand against you: the Lord your God shall lay the
dread and fear of you upon all the land that you shall tread upon, as he
hath spoken to you.
11:26. Behold I set forth in your sight this day a blessing and a curse:
11:27. A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God,
which I command you this day:
11:28. A curse, if you obey not the commandments of the Lord your God,
but revolt from the way which now I shew you, and walk after strange
gods which you know not.
11:29. And when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land,
whither thou goest to dwell, thou shalt put the blessing upon mount
Garizim, the curse upon mount Hebal:
Put the blessing, et... See Deut. 27.12, etc. and Josue 8.33, etc.
11:30. Which are beyond the Jordan, behind the way that goeth to the
setting of the sun, in the land of the Chanaanite who dwelleth in the
plain country over against Galgala, which is near the valley that
reacheth and entereth far.
11:31. For you shall pass over the Jordan, to possess the land, which
the Lord your God will give you, that you may have it and possess it.
11:32. See therefore that you fulfil the ceremonies and judgments, which
I shall set this day before you.
Deuteronomy Chapter 12
All idolatry must be extirpated: sacrifices, tithes, and firstfruits
must be offered in one only place: all eating of blood is prohibited.
12:1. These are the precepts and judgments, that you must do in the
land, which the Lord the God of thy fathers will give thee, to possess
it all the days that thou shalt walk upon the earth.
12:2. Destroy all the places in which the nations, that you shall
possess, worshipped their gods upon high mountains, and hills, and under
every shady tree:
12:3. Overthrow their altars, and break down their statues, burn their
groves with fire, and break their idols in pieces: destroy their names
out of those places.
12:4. You shall not do so to the Lord your God:
12:5. But you shall come to the place, which the Lord your God shall
choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, and to dwell in
it:
12:6. And you shall offer in that place your holocausts and victims, the
tithes and firstfruits of your hands and your vows and gifts, the
firstborn of your herds and your sheep.
12:7. And you shall eat there in the sight of the Lord your God: and you
shall rejoice in all things, whereunto you shall put your hand, you and
your houses wherein the Lord your God hath blessed you.
12:8. You shall not do there the things we do here this day, every man
that which seemeth good to himself.
12:9. For until this present time you are not come to rest, and to the
possession, which the Lord your God will give you.
12:10. You shall pass over the Jordan, and shall dwell in the land which
the Lord your God will give you, that you may have rest from all enemies
round about: and may dwell without any fear,
12:11. In the place, which the Lord your God shall choose, that his name
may be therein. Thither shall you bring all the things that I command
you, holocausts, and victims, and tithes, and the firstfruits of your
hands: and whatsoever is the choicest in the gifts which you shall vow
to the Lord.
12:12. There shall you feast before the Lord your God, you and your sons
and your daughters, your men-servants and maid-servants, and the Levite
that dwelleth in your cities. For he hath no other part and possession
among you.
12:13. Beware lest thou offer thy holocausts in every place that thou
shalt see:
12:14. But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes
shalt thou offer sacrifices, and shalt do all that I command thee.
12:15. But if thou desirest to eat, and the eating of flesh delight
thee, kill, and eat according to the blessing of the Lord thy God, which
he hath given thee, in thy cities: whether it be unclean, that is to
say, having blemish or defect: or clean, that is to say, sound and
without blemish, such as may be offered, as the roe, and the hart, shalt
thou eat it:
12:16. Only the blood thou shalt not eat, but thou shalt pour it out
upon the earth as water.
12:17. Thou mayst not eat in thy towns the tithes of thy corn, and thy
wine, and thy oil, the firstborn of thy herds and thy cattle, nor any
thing that thou vowest, and that thou wilt offer voluntarily, and the
firstfruits of thy hands:
12:18. But thou shalt eat them before the Lord thy God in the place
which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou and thy son and thy daughter,
and thy man-servant, and maid-servant, and the Levite that dwelleth in thy
cities: and thou shalt rejoice and be refreshed before the Lord thy God
in all things, whereunto thou shalt put thy hand.
12:19. Take heed thou forsake not the Levite all the time that thou
livest in the land.
12:20 When the Lord thy God shall have enlarged thy borders, as he hath
spoken to thee, and thou wilt eat the flesh that thy soul desireth:
12:21. And if the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that his
name should be there, be far off, thou shalt kill of thy herds and of
thy flocks, as I have commanded thee, and shalt eat in thy towns, as it
pleaseth thee.
12:22. Even as the roe and the hart is eaten, so shalt thou eat them:
both the clean and unclean shall eat of them alike.
12:23. Only beware of this, that thou eat not the blood, for the blood
is for the soul: and therefore thou must not eat the soul with the
flesh:
12:24. But thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water,
12:25. That it may be well with thee and thy children after thee, when
thou shalt do that which is pleasing in the sight of the Lord.
12:26. But the things which thou hast sanctified and vowed to the Lord,
thou shalt take, and shalt come to the place which the Lord shall
choose:
12:27. And shalt offer thy oblations, the flesh and the blood upon the
altar of the Lord thy God: the blood of thy victims thou shalt pour on
the altar: and the flesh thou thyself shalt eat.
12:28. Observe and hear all the things that I command thee, that it may
be well with thee and thy children after thee for ever, when thou shalt
do what is good and pleasing in the sight of the Lord thy God.
12:29. When the Lord thy God shall have destroyed before thy face the
nations, which thou shalt go in to possess, and when thou shalt possess
them, and dwell in their land:
12:30. Beware lest thou imitate them, after they are destroyed at thy
coming in, and lest thou seek after their ceremonies, saying: As these
nations have worshipped their gods, so will I also worship.
12:31. Thou shalt not do in like manner to the Lord thy God. For they
have done to their gods all the abominations which the Lord abhorreth,
offering their sons and daughters, and burning them with fire.
12:32. What I command thee, that only do thou to the Lord: neither add
any thing, nor diminish.
That only do thou, etc... They are forbid here to follow the ceremonies
of the heathens; or to make any alterations in the divine ordinances.
Deuteronomy Chapter 13
False prophets must be slain, and idolatrous cities destroyed.
13:1. If there rise in the midst of thee a prophet or one that saith he
hath dreamed a dream, and he foretell a sign and a wonder,
13:2. And that come to pass which he spoke, and he say to thee: Let us
go and follow strange gods, which thou knowest not, and let us serve
them:
13:3. Thou shalt not hear the words of that prophet or dreamer: for the
Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love him with
all your heart, and with all your soul, or not.
13:4. Follow the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments,
and hear his voice: him you shall serve, and to him you shall cleave.
13:5. And that prophet or forger of dreams shall be slain: because he
spoke to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage: to make
thee go out of the way, which the Lord thy God commanded thee: and thou
shalt take away the evil out of the midst of thee.
13:6. If thy brother the son of thy mother, or thy son, or daughter, or
thy wife that is in thy bosom, or thy friend, whom thou lovest as thy
own soul, would persuade thee secretly, saying: Let us go, and serve
strange gods, which thou knowest not, nor thy fathers,
13:7. Of all the nations round about, that are near or afar off, from
one end of the earth to the other,
13:8. Consent not to him, hear him not, neither let thy eye spare him to
pity and conceal him,
13:9. But thou shalt presently put him to death. Let thy hand be first
upon him, and afterwards the hands of all the people.
Presently put him to death... Not by killing him by private authority,
but by informing the magistrate, and proceeding by order of justice.
13:10. With stones shall he be stoned to death: because he would have
withdrawn thee from the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, from the house of bondage:
13:11. That all Israel hearing may fear, and may do no more any thing
like this.
13:12. If in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God shall give thee
to dwell in, thou hear some say:
13:13. Children of Belial are gone out of the midst of thee, and have
withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, and have said: Let us go, and
serve strange gods which you know not:
Belial... That is, without yoke. Hence the wicked, who refuse to be
subject to the divine law, are called in scripture the children of
Belial.
13:14. Inquire carefully and diligently, the truth of the thing by
looking well into it, and if thou find that which is said to be certain,
and that this abomination hath been really committed,
13:15. Thou shalt forthwith kill the inhabitants of that city with the
edge of the sword, and shalt destroy it and all things that are in it,
even the cattle.
13:16. And all the household goods that are there, thou shalt gather
together in the midst of the streets thereof, and shall burn them with
the city itself, so as to comsume all for the Lord thy God, and that it
be a heap for ever: it shall be built no more.
13:17. And there shall nothing of that anathema stick to thy hand: that
the Lord may turn from the wrath of his fury, and may have mercy on
thee, and multiply thee as he swore to thy fathers,
13:18. When thou shalt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, keeping all
his precepts, which I command thee this day, that thou mayst do what is
pleasing in the sight of the Lord thy God.
Deuteronomy Chapter 14
In mourning for the dead they are not to follow the ways of the
Gentiles: the distinction of clean and unclean meats: ordinances
concerning tithes, and firstfruits.
14:1. Be ye children of the Lord your God: you shall not cut yourselves,
nor make any baldness for the dead;
14:2. Because thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God: and he chose
thee to be his peculiar people of all nations that are upon the earth.
14:3. Eat not the things that are unclean.
Unclean... See the annotations on Lev. 11.
14:4. These are the beasts that you shall eat, the ox, and the sheep,
and the goat,
14:5. The hart and the roe, the buffle, the chamois, the pygarg, the
wild goat, the camelopardalus.
14:6. Every beast that divideth the hoof in two parts, and cheweth the
cud, you shall eat.
14:7. But of them that chew the cud, but divide not the hoof, you shall
not eat, such as the camel, the hare, and the cherogril: because they
chew the cud, but divide not the hoof, they shall be unclean to you.
14:8. The swine also, because it divideth the hoof, but cheweth not the
cud, shall be unclean, their flesh you shall not eat, and their
carcasses you shall not touch.
14:9. These shall you eat of all that abide in the waters: All that have
fins and scales, you shall eat.
14:10. Such as are without fins and scales, you shall not eat, because
they are unclean.
14:11. All birds that are clean you shall eat.
14:12. The unclean eat not: to wit, the eagle, and the grype, and the
osprey,
14:13. The ringtail, and the vulture, and the kite according to their
kind:
14:14. And all of the raven's kind:
14:15. And the ostrich, and the owl, and the larus, and the hawk
according to its kind:
14:16. The heron, and the swan, and the stork,
14:17. And the cormorant, the porphirion, and the night crow,
14:18. The bittern, and the charadrion, every one in their kind: the
houp also and the bat.
14:19. Every thing that creepeth, and hath little wings, shall be
unclean, and shall not be eaten.
14:20. All that is clean, you shall eat.
14:21. But whatsoever is dead of itself, eat not thereof. Give it to the
stranger, that is within thy gates, to eat, or sell it to him: because
thou art the holy people of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid
in the milk of his dam.
14:22. Every year thou shalt set aside the tithes of all thy fruits that
the earth bringeth forth,
14:23. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God in the place which he
shall choose, that his name may be called upon therein, the tithe of thy
corn, and thy wine, and thy oil, and the firstborn of thy herds and thy
sheep: that thou mayst learn to fear the Lord thy God at all times.
14:24. But when the way and the place which the Lord thy God shall
choose, are far off, and he hath blessed thee, and thou canst not carry
all these things thither,
14:25. Thou shalt sell them all, and turn them into money, and shalt
carry it in thy hand, and shalt go to the place which the Lord shall
choose:
14:26. And thou shalt buy with the same money whatsoever pleaseth thee,
either of the herds or of sheep, wine also and strong drink, and all
that thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, and
shalt feast, thou and thy house:
14:27. And the Levite that is within thy gates, beware thou forsake him
not, because he hath no other part in thy possession.
14:28. The third year thou shalt separate another tithe of all things
that grow to thee at that time, and shalt lay it up within thy gates.
14:29. And the Levite that hath no other part nor possession with thee,
and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, that are within thy
gates, shall come and shall eat and be filled: that the Lord thy God may
bless thee in all the works of thy hands that thou shalt do.
Deuteronomy Chapter 15
The law of the seventh year of remission. The firstlings of cattle are
to be sanctified to the Lord.
15:1. In the seventh year thou shalt make a remission,
15:2. Which shall be celebrated in this order. He to whom any thing is
owing from his friend or neighbour or brother, cannot demand it again,
because it is the year of remission of the Lord.
15:3. Of the foreigner or stranger thou mayst exact it: of thy
countryman and neighbour thou shalt not have power to demand it again.
15:4. And there shall be no poor nor beggar among you: that the Lord thy
God may bless thee in the land which he will give thee in possession.
There shall be no poor, etc... It is not to be understood as a promise,
that there should be no poor in Israel, as appears from ver. 11, where
we learn that God's people would never be at a loss to find objects for
their charity: but it is an ordinance that all should do their best
endeavours to prevent any of their brethren from suffering the hardships
of poverty and want.
15:5. Yet so if thou hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and keep all
things that he hath ordained, and which I command thee this day, he will
bless thee, as he hath promised.
15:6. Thou shalt lend to many nations, and thou shalt borrow of no man.
Thou shalt have dominion over very many nations, and no one shall have
dominion over thee.
15:7. If one of thy brethren that dwelleth within thy gates of thy city
in the land which the Lord thy God will give thee, come to poverty: thou
shalt not harden thy heart, nor close thy hand,
15:8. But shalt open it to the poor man, thou shalt lend him, that which
thou perceivest he hath need of.
15:9. Beware lest perhaps a wicked thought steal in upon thee, and thou
say in thy heart: The seventh year of remission draweth nigh; and thou
turn away thy eyes from thy poor brother, denying to lend him that which
he asketh: lest he cry against thee to the Lord, and it become a sin
unto thee.
15:10. But thou shalt give to him: neither shalt thou do any thing
craftily in relieving his necessities: that the Lord thy God may bless
thee at all times, and in all things to which thou shalt put thy hand.
15:11. There will not be wanting poor in the land of thy habitation:
therefore I command thee to open thy hand to thy needy and poor brother,
that liveth in the land.
15:12. When thy brother a Hebrew man, or Hebrew woman is sold to thee,
and hath served thee six years, in the seventh year thou shalt let him
go free:
15:13. And when thou sendest him out free, thou shalt not let him go
away empty:
15:14. But shall give him for his way out of thy flocks, and out of thy
barnfloor, and thy winepress, wherewith the Lord thy God shall bless
thee.
15:15. Remember that thou also wast a bondservant in the land of Egypt,
and the Lord thy God made thee free, and therefore I now command thee
this.
15:16. But if he say: I will not depart: because he loveth thee, and thy
house, and findeth that he is well with thee:
15:17. Thou shalt take an awl, and bore through his ear in the door of
thy house, and he shall serve thee for ever: thou shalt do in like
manner to thy woman-servant also.
15:18. Turn not away thy eyes from them when thou makest them free:
because he hath served thee six years according to the wages of a
hireling: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the works that
thou dost.
15:19. Of the firstlings, that come of thy herds and thy sheep, thou
shalt sanctify to the Lord thy God whatsoever is of the male sex. Thou
shalt not work with the firstling of a bullock, and thou shalt not shear
the firstlings of thy sheep.
15:20. In the sight of the Lord thy God shalt thou eat them every year,
in the place that the Lord shall choose, thou and thy house.
15:21. But if it have a blemish, or be lame, or blind, or in any part
disfigured or feeble, it shall not be sacrificed to the Lord thy God.
15:22. But thou shalt eat it within the gates of thy city: the clean and
the unclean shall eat them alike, as the roe and as the hart.
15:23. Only thou shalt take heed not to eat their blood, but pour it out
on the earth as water.
Deuteronomy Chapter 16
The three principal solemnities to be observed: just judges to be
appointed in every city: all occasions of idolatry to be avoided.
16:1. Observe the month of new corn, which is the first of the spring,
that thou mayst celebrate the phase to the Lord thy God: because in this
month the Lord thy God brought thee out of Egypt by night.
16:2. And thou shalt sacrifice the phase to the Lord thy God, of sheep,
and of oxen, in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that his
name may dwell there.
16:3. Thou shalt not eat with it leavened bread: seven days shalt thou
eat without leaven, the bread of affliction, because thou camest out of
Egypt in fear: that thou mayst remember the day of thy coming out of
Egypt, all the days of thy life.
16:4. No leaven shall be seen in all thy coasts for seven days, neither
shall any of the flesh of that which was sacrificed the first day in the
evening remain until morning.
16:5. Thou mayst not immolate the phase in any one of thy cities, which
the Lord thy God will give thee:
16:6. But in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that his
name may dwell there: thou shalt immolate the phase in the evening, at
the going down of the sun, at which time thou camest out of Egypt.
16:7. And thou shalt dress, and eat it in the place which the Lord thy
God shall choose, and in the morning rising up thou shalt go into thy
dwellings.
16:8. Six days shalt thou eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day,
because it is the assembly of the Lord thy God, thou shalt do no work.
16:9. Thou shalt number unto thee seven weeks from that day, wherein
thou didst put the sickle to the corn.
16:10. And thou shalt celebrate the festival of weeks to the Lord thy
God, a voluntary oblation of thy hand, which thou shalt offer according
to the blessing of the Lord thy God.
16:11. And thou shalt feast before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son,
and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the
Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger and the fatherless,
and the widow, who abide with you: in the place which the Lord thy God
shall choose, that his name may dwell there:
16:12. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in Egypt: and
thou shalt keep and do the things that are commanded.
16:13. Thou shalt celebrate the solemnity also of tabernacles seven
days, when thou hast gathered in thy fruit of the barnfloor and of the
winepress.
16:14. And thou shalt make merry in thy festival time, thou, thy son,
and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, the Levite also
and the stranger, and the fatherless and the widow that are within thy
gates.
16:15. Seven days shalt thou celebrate feasts to the Lord thy God in the
place which the Lord shall choose: and the Lord thy God will bless thee
in all thy fruits, and in every work of thy hands, and thou shalt be in
joy.
16:16. Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord
thy God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened
bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. No one
shall appear with his hands empty before the Lord:
16:17. But every one shall offer according to what he hath, according to
the blessing of the Lord his God, which he shall give him.
16:18. Thou shalt appoint judges and magistrates in all thy gates, which
the Lord thy God shall give thee, in all thy tribes: that they may judge
the people with just judgment,
16:19. And not go aside to either part. Thou shalt not accept person nor
gifts: for gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and change the words of the
just.
16:20. Thou shalt follow justly after that which is just: that thou
mayst live and possess the land, which the Lord thy God shall give thee.
16:21. Thou shalt plant no grove, nor any tree near the altar of the
Lord thy God:
16:22. Neither shalt thou make nor set up to thyself a statue: which
things the Lord thy God hateth.
Deuteronomy Chapter 17
Victims must be without blemish. Idolaters are to be slain.
Controversies are to be decided by the high priest and council, whose
sentence must be obeyed under pain of death. The duty of a king, who is
to receive the law of God at the priest's hands.
17:1. Thou shalt not sacrifice to the Lord thy God a sheep, or an ox,
wherein there is blemish, or any fault: for that is an abomination to
the Lord thy God.
17:2. When there shall be found among you within any of thy gates, which
the Lord thy God shall give thee, man or woman that do evil in the sight
of the Lord thy God, and transgress his covenant,
17:3. So as to go and serve strange gods, and adore them, the sun and
the moon, and all the host of heaven, which I have not commanded:
The host of heaven... That is, the stars.
17:4. And this is told thee, and hearing it thou hast inquired
diligently, and found it to be true, and that the abomination is
committed in Israel:
17:5. Thou shalt bring forth the man or the woman, who have committed
that most wicked thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be
stoned.
17:6. By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he die that is to be
slain. Let no man be put to death, when only one beareth witness against
him.
17:7. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to kill him,
and afterwards the hands of the rest of the people: that thou mayst take
away the evil out of the midst of thee.
17:8. If thou perceive that there be among you a hard and doubtful
matter in judgment between blood and blood, cause and cause, leprosy and
leprosy: and thou see that the words of the judges within thy gates do
vary: arise, and go up to the place, which the Lord thy God shall
choose.
If thou perceive, etc... Here we see what authority God was pleased to
give to the church guides of the Old Testament, in deciding, without
appeal, all controversies relating to the law; promising that they
should not err therein; and surely he has not done less for the church
guides of the New Testament.
17:9. And thou shalt come to the priests of the Levitical race, and to
the judge, that shall be at that time: and thou shalt ask of them, and
they shall shew thee the truth of the judgment.
17:10. And thou shalt do whatsoever they shall say, that preside in the
place, which the Lord shall choose, and what they shall teach thee,
17:11. According to his law; and thou shalt follow their sentence:
neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand.
17:12. But he that will be proud, and refuse to obey the commandment of
the priest, who ministereth at that time to the Lord thy God, and the
decree of the judge, that man shall die, and thou shalt take away the
evil from Israel:
17:13. And all the people hearing it shall fear, that no one afterwards
swell with pride.
17:14. When thou art come into the land, which the Lord thy God will
give thee, and possessest it, and shalt say: I will set a king over me,
as all nations have that are round about:
17:15. Thou shalt set him whom the Lord thy God shall choose out of the
number of thy brethren. Thou mayst not make a man of another nation
king, that is not thy brother.
17:16. And when he is made king, he shall not multiply horses to
himself, nor lead back the people into Egypt, being lifted up with the
number of his horsemen, especially since the Lord hath commanded you to
return no more the same way.
17:17. He shall not have many wives, that may allure his mind, nor
immense sums of silver and gold.
17:18. But after he is raised to the throne of his kingdom, he shall
copy out to himself the Deuteronomy of this law in a volume, taking the
copy of the priests of the Levitical tribe,
17:19. And he shall have it with him, and shall read it all the days of
his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and keep his words
and ceremonies, that are commanded in the law;
17:20. And that his heart be not lifted up with pride over his brethren,
nor decline to the right or to the left, that he and his sons may reign
a long time over Israel.
Deuteronomy Chapter 18
The Lord is the inheritance of the priests and Levites. Heathenish
abominations are to be avoided. The great PROPHET CHRIST is promised.
False prophets must be slain.
18:1. The priests and Levites, and all that are of the same tribe, shall
have no part nor inheritance with the rest of Israel, because they shall
eat the sacrifices of the Lord, and his oblations,
18:2. And they shall receive nothing else of the possession of their
brethren: for the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he hath said to
them.
18:3. This shall be the priest's due from the people, and from them that
offer victims: whether they sacrifice an ox, or a sheep, they shall give
to the priest the shoulder and the breast:
18:4. The firstfruits also of corn, of wine, and of oil, and a part of
the wool from the shearing of their sheep.
18:5. For the Lord thy God hath chosen him of all thy tribes, to stand
and to minister to the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.
18:6. If a Levite go out of any one of the cities throughout all Israel,
in which he dwelleth, and have a longing mind to come to the place which
the Lord shall choose,
18:7. He shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his
brethren the Levites do, that shall stand at that time before the Lord.
18:8. He shall receive the same portion of food that the rest do:
besides that which is due to him in his own city, by succession from his
fathers.
18:9. When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God shall give
thee, beware lest thou have a mind to imitate the abominations of those
nations.
18:10. Neither let there be found among you any one that shall expiate
his son or daughter, making them to pass through the fire: or that
consulteth soothsayers, or observeth dreams and omens, neither let there
be any wizard,
18:11. Nor charmer, nor any one that consulteth pythonic spirits, or
fortune tellers, or that seeketh the truth from the dead.
18:12. For the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for these
abominations he will destroy them at thy coming.
18:13. Thou shalt be perfect, and without spot before the Lord thy God.
18:14. These nations, whose land thou shalt possess, hearken to
soothsayers and diviners: but thou art otherwise instructed by the Lord
thy God.
18:15. The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a PROPHET of thy nation
and of thy brethren like unto me: him thou shalt hear:
18:16. As thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the assembly
was gathered together, and saidst: Let me not hear any more the voice of
the Lord my God, neither let me see any more this exceeding great fire,
lest I die.
18:17. And the Lord said to me: They have spoken all things well.
18:18. I will raise them up a prophet out of the midst of their brethren
like to thee: and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak
to them all that I shall command him.
18:19. And he that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my
name, I will be the revenger.
18:20. But the prophet, who being corrupted with pride, shall speak in
my name things that I did not command him to say, or in the name of
strange gods, shall be slain.
18:21. And if in silent thought thou answer: How shall I know the word
that the Lord hath not spoken?
18:22. Thou shalt have this sign: Whatsoever that same prophet
foretelleth in the name of the Lord, and it cometh not to pass: that
thing the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath forged it by the
pride of his mind: and therefore thou shalt not fear him.
Deuteronomy Chapter 19
The cities of refuge. Wilful murder, and false witnesses must be
punished.
19:1. When the Lord thy God hath destroyed the nations, whose land he
will deliver to thee, and thou shalt possess it, and shalt dwell in the
cities and houses thereof:
19:2. Thou shalt separate to thee three cities in the midst of the land,
which the Lord will give thee in possession,
19:3. Paving diligently the way: and thou shalt divide the whole
province of thy land equally into three parts: that he who is forced to
flee for manslaughter, may have near at hand whither to escape.
19:4. This shall be the law of the slayer that fleeth, whose life is to
be saved: He that killeth his neighbor ignorantly, and who is proved to
have had no hatred against him yesterday and the day before:
19:5. But to have gone with him to the wood to hew wood, and in cutting
down the tree the axe slipped out of his hand, and the iron slipping
from the handle struck his friend, and killed him: he shall flee to one
of the cities aforesaid, and live:
19:6. Lest perhaps the next kinsman of him whose blood was shed, pushed
on by his grief should pursue, and apprehend him, if the way be too
long, and take away the life of him who is not guilty of death, because
he is proved to have had no hatred before against him that was slain.
19:7. Therefore I command thee, that thou separate three cities at equal
distance one from another.
19:8. And when the Lord thy God shall have enlarged thy borders, as he
swore to the fathers, and shall give thee all the land that he promised
them,
19:9. (Yet so, if thou keep his commandments, and do the things which I
command thee this day, that thou love the Lord thy God, and walk in his
ways at all times) thou shalt add to thee other three cities, and shalt
double the number of the three cities aforesaid:
19:10. That innocent blood may not be shed in the midst of the land
which the Lord thy God will give thee to possess, lest thou be guilty of
blood.
19:11. But if any man hating his neighbour, lie in wait for his life,
and rise and strike him, and he die, and he flee to one of the cities
aforesaid,
19:12. The ancients of his city shall send, and take him out of the
place of refuge, and shall deliver him into the hand of the kinsman of
him whose blood was shed, and he shall die.
19:13. Thou shalt not pity him, and thou shalt take away the guilt of
innocent blood out of Israel, that it may be well with thee.
19:14. Thou shalt not take nor remove thy neighbour's landmark, which
thy predecessors have set in thy possession, which the Lord thy God will
give thee in the land that thou shalt receive to possess.
19:15. One witness shall not rise up against any man, whatsoever the sin
or wickedness be: but in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word
shall stand.
19:16. If a lying witness stand against a man, accusing him of
transgression,
19:17. Both of them, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before
the Lord in the sight of the priests and the judges that shall be in
those days.
19:18. And when after most diligent inquisition, they shall find that
the false witness hath told a lie against his brother:
19:19. They shall render to him as he meant to do to his brother, and
thou shalt take away the evil out of the midst of thee:
19:20. That others hearing may fear, and may not dare to do such things.
19:21. Thou shalt not pity him, but shalt require life for life, eye for
eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Deuteronomy Chapter 20
Laws relating to war.
20:1. If thou go out to war against thy enemies, and see horsemen and
chariots, and the numbers of the enemy's army greater than thine, thou
shalt not fear them: because the Lord thy God is with thee, who brought
thee out of the land of Egypt.
20:2. And when the battle is now at hand, the priest shall stand before
the army, and shall speak to the people in this manner:
20:3. Hear, O Israel, you join battle this day against your enemies, let
not your heart be dismayed, be not afraid, do not give back, fear ye
them not:
20:4. Because the Lord your God is in the midst of you, and will fight
for you against your enemies, to deliver you from danger.
20:5. And the captains shall proclaim through every band in the hearing
of the army: What man is there, that hath built a new house, and hath
not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the
battle, and another man dedicate it.
20:6. What man is there, that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not as
yet made it to be common, whereof all men may eat? let him go, and
return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man execute
his office.
20:7. What man is there, that hath espoused a wife, and not taken her?
let him go, and return to his house, lest he die in the war, and another
man take her.
20:8. After these things are declared they shall add the rest, and shall
speak to the people: What man is there that is fearful, and faint
hearted? let him go, and return to his house, lest he make the hearts of
his brethren to fear, as he himself is possessed with fear.
20:9. And when the captains of the army shall hold their peace, and have
made an end of speaking, every man shall prepare their bands to fight.
20:10. If at any time thou come to fight against a city, thou shalt
first offer it peace.
20:11. If they receive it, and open the gates to thee, all the people
that are therein, shall be saved, and shall serve thee paying tribute.
20:12. But if they will not make peace, and shall begin war against
thee, thou shalt besiege it.
20:13. And when the Lord thy God shall deliver it into thy hands, thou
shalt slay all that are therein of the male sex, with the edge of the
sword,
20:14. Excepting women and children, cattle and other things, that are
in the city. And thou shalt divide all the prey to the army, and thou
shalt eat the spoils of thy enemies, which the Lord thy God shall give
thee.
20:15. So shalt thou do to all cities that are at a great distance from
thee, and are not of these cities which thou shalt receive in
possession.
20:16. But of those cities that shall be given thee, thou shalt suffer
none at all to live:
20:17. But shalt kill them with the edge of the sword, to wit, the
Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Chanaanite, the Pherezite, and the
Hevite, and the Jebusite, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee:
20:18. Lest they teach you to do all the abominations which they have
done to their gods: and you should sin against the Lord your God.
20:19. When thou hast besieged a city a long time, and hath compassed it
with bulwarks, to take it, thou shalt not cut down the trees that may be
eaten of, neither shalt thou spoil the country round about with axes:
for it is a tree, and not a man, neither can it increase the number of
them that fight against thee.
20:20. But if there be any trees that are not fruitful, but wild, and
fit for other uses, cut them down, and make engines, until thou take the
city, which fighteth against thee.
Deuteronomy Chapter 21
The expiation of a secret murder. The marrying a captive. The eldest son
must not be deprived of his birthright for hatred of his mother. A
stubborn son is to be stoned to death. When one is hanged on a gibbet,
he must be taken down the same day and buried.
21:1. When there shall be found in the land, which the Lord thy God will
give thee, the corpse of a man slain, and it is not known who is guilty
of the murder,
21:2. Thy ancients and judges shall go out, and shall measure from the
place where the body lieth the distance of every city round about:
21:3. And the ancients of that city which they shall perceive to be
nearer than the rest, shall take a heifer of the herd, that hath not
drawn in the yoke, nor ploughed the ground,
21:4. And they shall bring her into a rough and stony valley, that never
was ploughed, nor sown: and there they shall strike off the head of the
heifer:
21:5. And the priests the sons of Levi shall come, whom the Lord thy God
hath chosen to minister to him, and to bless in his name, and that by
their word every matter should be decided, and whatsoever is clean or
unclean should be judged.
21:6. And the ancients of that city shall come to the person slain, and
shall wash their hands over the heifer that was killed in the valley,
21:7. And shall say: Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes
see it.
21:8. Be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, O Lord,
and lay not innocent blood to their charge, in the midst of thy people
Israel. And the guilt of blood shall be taken from them:
21:9. And thou shalt be free from the innocent's blood, that was shed,
when thou shalt have done what the Lord hath commanded thee.
21:10. If thou go out to fight against thy enemies, and the Lord thy God
deliver them into thy hand, and thou lead them away captives,
21:11. And seest in the number of the captives a beautiful woman, and
lovest her, and wilt have her to wife,
21:12. Thou shalt bring her into thy house: and she shall shave her
hair, and pare her nails,
21:13. And shall put off the raiment, wherein she was taken: and shall
remain in thy house, and mourn for her father and mother one month: and
after that thou shalt go in unto her, and shalt sleep with her, and she
shall be thy wife.
21:14. But if afterwards she please thee not, thou shalt let her go
free, but thou mayst not sell her for money nor oppress her by might
because thou hast humbled her.
21:15. If a man have two wives, one beloved, and the other hated, and
they have had children by him, and the son of the hated be the
firstborn,
21:16. And he meaneth to divide his substance among his sons: he may not
make the son of the beloved the firstborn, and prefer him before the son
of the hated.
21:17. But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn,
and shall give him a double portion of all he hath: for this is the
first of his children, and to him are due the first birthrights.
21:18. If a man have a stubborn and unruly son, who will not hear the
commandments of his father or mother, and being corrected, slighteth
obedience:
21:19. They shall take him and bring him to the ancients of the city,
and to the gate of judgment,
21:20. And shall say to them: This our son is rebellious and stubborn,
he slighteth hearing our admonitions, he giveth himself to revelling,
and to debauchery and banquetings:
21:21. The people of the city shall stone him: and he shall die, that
you may take away the evil out of the midst of you, and all Israel
hearing it may be afraid.
21:22. When a man hath committed a crime for which he is to be punished
with death, and being condemned to die is hanged on a gibbet:
21:23. His body shall not remain upon the tree, but shall be buried the
same day: for he is accursed of God that hangeth on a tree: and thou
shalt not defile thy land, which the Lord thy God shall give thee in
possession.
Deuteronomy Chapter 22
Humanity towards neighbours. Neither sex may use the apparel of the
other. Cruelty to be avoided even to birds. Battlements about the roof
of a house. Things of divers kinds not to be mixed. The punishment of
him that slandereth his wife, as also of adultery and rape.
22:1. Thou shalt not pass by if thou seest thy brother's ox, or his
sheep go astray: but thou shalt bring them back to thy brother.
22:2. And if thy brother be not nigh, or thou know him not: thou shalt
bring them to thy house, and they shall be with thee until thy brother
seek them, and receive them.
22:3. Thou shalt do in like manner with his ass, and with his raiment,
and with every thing that is thy brother's, which is lost: if thou find
it, neglect it not as pertaining to another.
22:4. If thou see thy brother's ass or his ox to be fallen down in the
way, thou shalt not slight it, but shalt lift it up with him.
22:5. A woman shall not be clothed with man's apparel, neither shall a
man use woman's apparel: for he that doth these things is abominable
before God.
22:6. If thou find as thou walkest by the way, a bird's nest in a tree,
or on the ground, and the dam sitting upon the young or upon the eggs:
thou shalt not take her with her young:
Thou shalt not take, etc. This was to shew them to exercise a certain
mercy even to irrational creatures; and by that means to train them up
to a horror of cruelty; and to the exercise of humanity and mutual
charity one to another.
22:7. But shalt let her go, keeping the young which thou hast caught:
that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst live a long time.
22:8. When thou buildest a new house, thou shalt make a battlement to
the roof round about: lest blood be shed in thy house, and thou be
guilty, if any one slip, and fall down headlong.
Battlement... This precaution was necessary, because all their houses
had flat tops, and it was usual to walk and to converse together upon
them.
22:9. Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest both the
seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of the vineyard, be sanctified
together.
22:10. Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together.
22:11. Thou shalt not wear a garment that is woven of woollen and linen
together.
22:12. Thou shalt make strings in the hem at the four corners of thy
cloak, wherewith thou shalt be covered.
22:13. If a man marry a wife, and afterwards hate her,
22:14. And seek occasions to put her away, laying to her charge a very
ill name, and say: I took this woman to wife, and going in to her, I
found her not a virgin:
22:15. Her father and mother shall take her, and shall bring with them
the tokens of her virginity to the ancients of the city that are in the
gate:
22:16. And the father shall say: I gave my daughter unto this man to
wife: and because he hateth her,
22:17. He layeth to her charge a very ill name, so as to say: I found
not thy daughter a virgin: and behold these are the tokens of my
daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the
ancients of the city:
22:18. And the ancients of that city shall take that man, and beat him,
22:19. Condemning him besides in a hundred sicles of silver, which he
shall give to the damsel's father, because he hath defamed by a very ill
name a virgin of Israel: and he shall have her to wife, and may not put
her away all the days of his life.
22:20. But if what he charged her with be true, and virginity be not
found in the damsel:
22:21. They shall cast her out of the doors of her father's house, and
the men of the city shall stone her to death, and she shall die: because
she hath done a wicked thing in Israel, to play the whore in her
father's house: and thou shalt take away the evil out of the midst of
thee.
22:22. If a man lie with another man's wife, they shall both die, that
is to say, the adulterer and the adulteress: and thou shalt take away
the evil out of Israel.
22:23. If a man have espoused a damsel that is a virgin, and some one
find her in the city, and lie with her,
22:24. Thou shalt bring them both out to the gate of that city, and they
shall be stoned: the damsel, because she cried not out, being in the
city: the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife. And thou
shalt take away the evil from the midst of thee.
22:25. But if a man find a damsel that is betrothed, in the field, and
taking hold of her, lie with her, he alone shall die:
22:26. The damsel shall suffer nothing, neither is she guilty of death:
for as a robber riseth against his brother, and taketh away his life, so
also did the damsel suffer:
22:27. She was alone in the field: she cried, and there was no man to
help her.
22:28. If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, who is not espoused, and
taking her, lie with her, and the matter come to judgment:
22:29. He that lay with her shall give to the father of the maid fifty
sicles of silver, and shall have her to wife, because he hath humbled
her: he may not put her away all the days of his life.
22:30. No man shall take his father's wife, nor remove his covering.
Deuteronomy Chapter 23
Who may and who may not enter into the church: uncleanness to be
avoided: other precepts concerning fugitives, fornication, usury, vows,
and eating other men's grapes and corn.
23:1. An eunuch, whose testicles are broken or cut away, or yard cut
off, shall not enter into the church of the Lord.
Eunuch... By these are meant, in the spiritual sense, such as are barren
in good works. Ibid. Into the church... That is, into the assembly or
congregation of Israel, so as to have the privilege of an Israelite, or
to be capable of any place or office among the people of God.
23:2. A mamzer, that is to say, one born of a prostitute, shall not
enter into the church of the Lord, until the tenth generation.
23:3. The Ammonite and the Moabite, even after the tenth generation
shall not enter into the church of the Lord for ever:
23:4. Because they would not meet you with bread and water in the way,
when you came out of Egypt: and because they hired against thee Balaam,
the son of Beor, from Mesopotamia in Syria, to curse thee.
23:5. And the Lord thy God would not hear Balaam, and he turned his
cursing into thy blessing, because he loved thee.
23:6. Thou shalt not make peace with them, neither shalt thou seek their
prosperity all the days of thy life for ever.
23:7. Thou shalt not abhor the Edomite, because he is thy brother: nor
the Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land.
23:8. They that are born of them, in the third generation shall enter
into the church of the Lord.
23:9. When thou goest out to war against thy enemies, thou shalt keep
thyself from every evil thing.
23:10. If there be among you any man, that is defiled in a dream by
night, he shall go forth out of the camp,
23:11. And shall not return, before he be washed with water in the
evening: and after sunset he shall return into the camp.
23:12. Thou shalt have a place without the camp, to which thou mayst go
for the necessities of nature,
23:13. Carrying a paddle at thy girdle. And when thou sittest down, thou
shalt dig round about, and with the earth that is dug up thou shalt
cover
23:14. That which thou art eased of: (for the Lord thy God walketh in
the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thy enemies to
thee:) and let thy camp be holy, and let no uncleanness appear therein,
lest he go away from thee.
No uncleanness... This caution against suffering any filth in the camp,
was to teach them to fly the filth of sin, which driveth God away from
the soul.
23:15. Thou shalt not deliver to his master the servant that is fled to
thee.
23:16. He shall dwell with thee in the place that shall please him, and
shall rest in one of thy cities: give him no trouble.
23:17. There shall be no whore among the daughters of Israel, nor
whoremonger among the sons of Israel.
23:18. Thou shalt not offer the hire of a strumpet, nor the price of a
dog, in the house of the Lord thy God, whatsoever it be that thou hast
vowed: because both these are an abomination to the Lord thy God.
23:19. Thou shalt not lend to thy brother money to usury, nor corn, nor
any other thing:
23:20. But to the stranger. To thy brother thou shalt lend that which he
wanteth, without usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all thy
works in the land, which thou shalt go in to possess.
To the stranger... This was a dispensation granted by God to his people,
who being the Lord of all things, can give a right and title to one upon
the goods of another. Otherwise the scripture everywhere condemns usury,
as contrary to the law of God, and a crying sin. See Ex. 22.25; Lev.
25.36, 37; 2 Esd. 5.7; Ps. 14.5; Ezech. 18.8, 13, etc.
23:21. When thou hast made a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not
delay to pay it: because the Lord thy God will require it. And if thou
delay, it shall be imputed to thee for a sin.
23:22. If thou wilt not promise, that shalt be without sin.
23:23. But that which is once gone out of thy lips, thou shalt observe,
and shalt do as thou hast promised to the Lord thy God, and hast spoken
with thy own will and with thy own mouth.
23:24. Going into thy neighbour's vineyard, thou mayst eat as many
grapes as thou pleasest: but must carry none out with thee:
23:25. If thou go into thy friend's corn, thou mayst break the ears, and
rub them in thy hand: but not reap them with a sickle.
Deuteronomy Chapter 24
Divorce permitted to avoid greater evil: the newly married must not go
to war: of men stealers, of leprosy, of pledges, of labourers' hire, of
justice, and of charity to the poor.
24:1. If a man take a wife, and have her, and she find not favour in his
eyes, for some uncleanness: he shall write a bill of divorce, and shall
give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
24:2. And when she is departed, and marrieth another husband,
24:3. And he also hateth her, and hath given her a bill of divorce, and
hath sent her out of his house or is dead:
24:4. The former husband cannot take her again to wife: because she is
defiled, and is become abominable before the Lord: lest thou cause thy
land to sin, which the Lord thy God shall give thee to possess.
24:5. When a man hath lately taken a wife, he shall not go out to war,
neither shall any public business be enjoined him, but he shall be free
at home without fault, that for one year he may rejoice with his wife.
24:6. Thou shalt not take the nether, nor the upper millstone to pledge:
for he hath pledged his life to thee.
24:7. If any man be found soliciting his brother of the children of
Israel, and selling him shall take a price, he shall be put to death,
and thou shalt take away the evil from the midst of thee.
24:8. Observe diligently that thou incur not the stroke of the leprosy,
but thou shalt do whatsoever the priests of the Levitical race shall
teach thee, according to what I have commanded them, and fulfil thou it
carefully.
24:9. Remember what the Lord your God did to Mary, in the way when you
came out of Egypt.
24:10. When thou shalt demand of thy neighbour any thing that he oweth
thee, thou shalt not go into his house to take away a pledge:
24:11. But thou shalt stand without, and he shall bring out to thee what
he hath.
24:12. But if he be poor, the pledge shall not lodge with thee that
night,
24:13. But thou shalt restore it to him presently before the going down
of the sun: that he may sleep in his own raiment and bless thee, and
thou mayst have justice before the Lord thy God.
24:14. Thou shalt not refuse the hire of the needy, and the poor,
whether he be thy brother, or a stranger that dwelleth with thee in the
land, and is within thy gates:
24:15. But thou shalt pay him the price of his labour the same day,
before the going down of the sun, because he is poor, and with it
maintaineth his life: lest he cry against thee to the Lord, and it be
reputed to thee for a sin.
24:16. The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the
children for the fathers, but every one shall die for his own sin,
24:17. Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger nor of the
fatherless, neither shalt thou take away the widow's raiment for a
pledge.
24:18. Remember that thou wast a slave in Egypt, and the Lord thy God
delivered thee from thence. Therefore I command thee to do this thing.
24:19. When thou hast reaped the corn in thy field, and hast forgot and
left a sheaf, thou shalt not return to take it away: but thou shalt
suffer the stranger, and the fatherless and the widow to take it away:
that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the works of thy hands.
24:20. If thou have gathered the fruit of thy olive trees, thou shalt
not return to gather whatsoever remaineth on the trees: but shalt leave
it for the stranger, for the fatherless, and the widow.
24:21. If thou make the vintage of thy vineyard, thou shalt not gather
the clusters that remain, but they shall be for the stranger, the
fatherless, and the widow.
24:22. Remember that thou also wast a bondman in Egypt, and therefore I
command thee to do this thing.
Deuteronomy Chapter 25
Stripes must not exceed forty. The ox is not to be muzzled. Of raising
seed to the brother. Of the immodest woman. Of unjust weight. Of
destroying the Amalecites.
25:1. If there be a controversy between men, and they call upon the
judges: they shall give the prize of justice to him whom they perceive
to be just: and him whom they find to be wicked, they shall condemn of
wickedness.
25:2. And if they see that the offender be worthy of stripes: they shall
lay him down, and shall cause him to be beaten before them. According
to the measure of the sin shall the measure also of the stripes be:
25:3. Yet so, that they exceed not the number of forty: lest thy brother
depart shamefully torn before thy eyes.
25:4. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out thy corn on the
floor.
Not muzzle, etc... St. Paul understands this of the spiritual labourer
in the church of God, who is not to be denied his maintenance. 1 Cor.
9.8, 9, 10.
25:5. When brethren dwell together, and one of them dieth without
children, the wife of the deceased shall not marry to another: but his
brother shall take her, and raise up seed for his brother:
25:6. And the first son he shall have of her he shall call by his name,
that his name be not abolished out of Israel.
25:7. But if he will not take his brother's wife, who by law belongeth
to him, the woman shall go to the gate of the city, and call upon the
ancients, and say: My husband's brother refuseth to raise up his
brother's name in Israel: and will not take me to wife.
25:8. And they shall cause him to be sent for forthwith, and shall ask
him. If he answer: I will not take her to wife:
25:9. The woman shall come to him before the ancients, and shall take
off his shoe from his foot, and spit in his face, and say: So shall it
be done to the man that will not build up his brother's house:
25:10. And his name shall be called in Israel, the house of the unshod.
25:11. If two men have words together, and one begin to fight against
the other, and the other's wife willing to deliver her husband out of
the hand of the stronger, shall put forth her hand, and take him by the
secrets,
25:12. Thou shalt cut off her hand, neither shalt thou be moved with any
pity in her regard.
25:13. Thou shalt not have divers weights in thy bag, a greater and a
less:
25:14. Neither shall there be in thy house a greater bushel and a less.
25:15. Thou shalt have a just and a true weight, and thy bushel shall be
equal and true: that thou mayest live a long time upon the land which
the Lord thy God shall give thee.
25:16. For the Lord thy God abhorreth him that doth these things, and he
hateth all injustice.
25:17. Remember what Amalec did to thee in the way when thou camest out
of Egypt:
Amalec... This order for destroying the Amalecites, in the mystical
sense, sheweth how hateful they are to God, and what punishments they
are to look for from his justice, who attack and discourage his servants
when they are but just come out, as it were, of the Egypt of this wicked
world and being yet weak and fainthearted, are but beginning their
journey to the land of promise.
25:18. How he met thee: and slew the hindmost of the army, who sat down,
being weary, when thou wast spent with hunger and labour, and he feared
not God.
25:19. Therefore when the Lord thy God shall give thee rest, and shall
have subdued all the nations round about in the land which he hath
promised thee: thou shalt blot out his name from under heaven. See thou
forget it not.
Deuteronomy Chapter 26
The form of words with which the firstfruits and tithes are to be
offered. God's covenant.
26:1. And when thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God will
give thee to possess, and hast conquered it, and dwellest in it:
26:2. Thou shalt take the first of all thy fruits, and put them in a
basket, and shalt go to the place which the Lord thy God shall choose,
that his name may be invocated there:
26:3. And thou shalt go to the priest that shall be in those days, and
say to him: I profess this day before the Lord thy God, that I am come
into the land, for which he swore to our fathers, that he would give it
us.
26:4. And the priest taking the basket at thy hand, shall set it before
the altar of the Lord thy God:
26:5. And thou shalt speak thus in the sight of the Lord thy God: The
Syrian pursued my father, who went down into Egypt, and sojourned there
in a very small number, and grew into a nation great and strong and of
an infinite multitude.
The Syrian... Laban. See Gen. 27.
26:6. And the Egyptians afflicted us, and persecuted us, laying on us
most grievous burdens:
26:7. And we cried to the Lord God of our fathers: who heard us, and
looked down upon our affliction, and labour, and distress:
26:8. And brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand, and a stretched
out arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders:
26:9. And brought us into this place, and gave us this land flowing with
milk and honey.
26:10. And therefore now I offer the firstfruits of the land which the
Lord hath given me. And thou shalt leave them in the sight of the Lord
thy God, adoring the Lord thy God.
26:11. And thou shalt feast in all the good things which the Lord thy
God hath given thee, and thy house, thou and the Levite, and the
stranger that is with thee.
26:12. When thou hast made an end of tithing all thy fruits, in the
third year of tithes thou shalt give it to the Levite, and to the
stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat
within thy gates, and be filled:
26:13. And thou shalt speak thus in the sight of the Lord thy God: I
have taken that which was sanctified out of my house, and I have given
it to the Levite, and to the stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the
widow, as thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy
commandments nor forgotten thy precepts.
26:14. I have not eaten of them in my mourning, nor separated them for
any uncleanness, nor spent any thing of them in funerals. I have obeyed
the voice of the Lord my God, and have done all things as thou hast
commanded me.
26:15. Look from thy sanctuary, and thy high habitation of heaven, and
bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou
didst swear to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.
26:16. This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these
commandments and judgments: and to keep and fulfil them with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul.
26:17. Thou hast chosen the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in
his ways and keep his ceremonies, and precepts, and judgments, and obey
his command.
26:18. And the Lord hath chosen thee this day, to be his peculiar
people, as he hath spoken to thee, and to keep all his commandments:
26:19. And to make thee higher than all nations which he hath created,
to his own praise, and name, and glory: that thou mayst be a holy people
of the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.
Deuteronomy Chapter 27
The commandments must be written on stones: and an altar erected, and
sacrifices offered. The observers of the commandments are to be blessed,
and the transgressors cursed.
27:1. And Moses with the ancients of Israel commanded the people,
saying: Keep every commandment that I command you this day.
27:2. And when you are passed over the Jordan into the land which the
Lord thy God will give thee, thou shalt set up great stones, and shalt
plaster them over with plaster,
27:3. That thou mayst write on them all the words of this law, when thou
art passed over the Jordan: that thou mayst enter into the land which
the Lord thy God will give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, as
he swore to thy fathers.
27:4. Therefore when you are passed over the Jordan, set up the stones
which I command you this day, in mount Hebal, and thou shalt plaster
them with plaster:
27:5. And thou shalt build there an altar to the Lord thy God, of stones
which iron hath not touched,
27:6. And of stones not fashioned nor polished: and thou shalt offer
upon it holocausts to the Lord thy God:
27:7. And shalt immolate peace victims, and eat there, and feast before
the Lord thy God.
27:8. And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law
plainly and clearly.
27:9. And Moses and the priests of the race of Levi said to all Israel:
Attend, and hear, O Israel: This day thou art made the people of the
Lord thy God:
27:10. Thou shalt hear his voice, and do the commandments and justices
which I command thee.
27:11. And Moses commanded the people in that day, saying:
27:12. These shall stand upon mount Garizim to bless the people, when
you are passed the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Juda, Issachar, Joseph, and
Benjamin.
27:13. And over against them shall stand on mount Hebal to curse: Ruben,
Gad, and Aser, and Zabulon, Dan, and Nephtali.
27:14. And the Levites shall pronounce, and say to all the men of Israel
with a loud voice:
27:15. Cursed be the man that maketh a graven and molten thing, the
abomination of the Lord, the work of the hands of artificers, and shall
put it in a secret place: and all the people shall answer and say: Amen.
27:16. Cursed be he that honoureth not his father and mother: and all
the people shall say: Amen.
27:17. Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmarks: and all the
people shall say: Amen.
27:18. Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of his way: and
all the people shall say: Amen.
27:19. Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, of the
fatherless and the widow: and all the people shall say: Amen.
27:20. Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife, and uncovereth
his bed: and all the people shall say: Amen.
27:21. Cursed be he that lieth with any beast: and all the people shall
say: Amen.
27:22. Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his
father, or of his mother: and all the people shall say: Amen.
27:23. Cursed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law: and all the
people shall say: Amen.
27:24. Cursed be he that secretly killeth his neighbour: and all the
people shall say: Amen.
27:25. Cursed be he that taketh gifts, to slay an innocent person: and
all the people shall say: Amen.
27:26. Cursed be he that abideth not in the words of this law, and
fulfilleth them not in work: and all the people shall say: Amen.
Deuteronomy Chapter 28
Many blessings are promised to observers of God's commandments: and
curses threatened to transgressors.
28:1. Now if thou wilt hear the voice of all his commandments, which I
command thee this day, the Lord thy God will make thee higher than all
the nations that are on the earth.
28:2. And all these blessings shall come upon thee and overtake thee:
yet so if thou hear his precepts.
All these blessings, etc... In the Old Testament, God promised temporal
blessings to the keepers of his law, heaven not being opened as yet; and
that gross and sensual people being more moved with present and sensible
things. But in the New Testament the goods that are promised us are
spiritual and eternal; and temporal evils are turned into blessings.
28:3. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed in the field.
28:4. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy
ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the droves of thy herds, and the
folds of thy sheep.
28:5. Blessed shall be thy barns and blessed thy stores.
28:6. Blessed shalt thou be coming in and going out.
28:7. The Lord shall cause thy enemies, that rise up against thee, to
fall down before thy face: one way shall they come out against thee, and
seven ways shall they flee before thee.
28:8. The Lord will send forth a blessing upon thy storehouses, and upon
all the works of thy hands: and will bless thee in the land that thou
shalt receive.
28:9. The Lord will raise thee up to be a holy people to himself, as he
swore to thee: if thou keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and
walk in his ways.
28:10. And all the people of the earth shall see that the name of the
Lord is invocated upon thee, and they shall fear thee.
28:11. The Lord will make thee abound with all goods, with the fruit of
thy womb, and the fruit of thy cattle, with the fruit of thy land, which
the Lord swore to thy fathers that he would give thee.
28:12. The Lord will open his excellent treasure, the heaven, that it
may give rain in due season: and he will bless all the works of thy
hands. And thou shalt lend to many nations, and shalt not borrow of any
one.
28:13. And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the tail: and thou
shalt be always above, and not beneath: yet so if thou wilt hear the
commandments of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day, and keep
and do them,
28:14. And turn not away from them neither to the right hand, nor to the
left, nor follow strange gods, nor worship them.
28:15. But if thou wilt not hear the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep
and to do all his commandments and ceremonies, which I command thee this
day, all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.
All these curses, etc... Thus God dealt with the transgressors of his
law in the Old Testament: but now he often suffers sinners to prosper in
this world, rewarding them for some little good they have done, and
reserving their punishment for the other world.
28:16. Cursed shalt thou be in the city, cursed in the field.
28:17. Cursed shall be thy barn, and cursed thy stores.
28:18. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy
ground, the herds of thy oxen, and the flocks of thy sheep.
28:19. Cursed shalt thou be coming in, and cursed going out.
28:20. The Lord shall send upon thee famine and hunger, and a rebuke
upon all the works which thou shalt do: until he consume and destroy
thee quickly, for thy most wicked inventions, by which thou hast
forsaken me.
28:21. May the Lord set the pestilence upon thee, until he consume thee
out of the land, which thou shalt go in to possess.
28:22. May the Lord afflict thee with miserable want, with the fever and
with cold, with burning and with heat, and with corrupted air and with
blasting, and pursue thee till thou perish.
28:23. Be the heaven, that is over thee, of brass: and the ground thou
treadest on, of iron.
28:24. The Lord give thee dust for rain upon thy land, and let ashes
come down from heaven upon thee, till thou be consumed.
28:25. The Lord make thee to fall down before thy enemies, one way mayst
thou go out against them, and flee seven ways, and be scattered
throughout all the kingdoms of the earth.
28:26. And be thy carcass meat for all the fowls of the air, and the
beasts of the earth, and be there none to drive them away.
28:27. The Lord strike thee with the ulcer of Egypt, and the part of thy
body, by which the dung is cast out, with the scab and with the itch: so
that thou canst not be healed.
28:28. The Lord strike thee with madness and blindness and fury of mind.
28:29. And mayst thou grope at midday as the blind is wont to grope in
the dark, and not make straight thy ways. And mayst thou at all times
suffer wrong, and be oppressed with violence, and mayst thou have no one
to deliver thee.
28:30. Mayst thou take a wife, and another sleep with her. Mayst thou
build a house, and not dwell therein. Mayest thou plant a vineyard and
not gather the vintage thereof.
28:31. May thy ox be slain before thee, and thou not eat thereof. May
thy ass be taken away in thy sight, and not restored to thee. May thy
sheep be given to thy enemies, and may there be none to help thee.
28:32. May thy sons and thy daughters be given to another people, thy
eyes looking on, and languishing at the sight of them all the day, and
may there be no strength in thy hand.
28:33. May a people which thou knowest not, eat the fruits of thy land,
and all thy labours: and mayst thou always suffer oppression, and be
crushed at all times.
28:34. And be astonished at the terror of those things which thy eyes
shall see:
28:35. May the Lord strike thee with a very sore ulcer in the knees and
in the legs, and be thou incurable from the sole of the foot to the top
of the head.
28:36. The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king, whom thou shalt have
appointed over thee, into a nation which thou and thy fathers know not:
and there thou shalt serve strange gods, wood and stone.
28:37. And thou shalt be lost, as a proverb and a byword to all people,
among whom the Lord shall bring thee in.
28:38. Thou shalt cast much seed into the ground, and gather little:
because the locusts shall consume all.
28:39. Thou shalt plant a vineyard, and dig it, and shalt not drink the
wine, nor gather any thing thereof: because it shall be wasted with
worms.
28:40. Thou shalt have olive trees in all thy borders, and shalt not be
anointed with the oil: for the olives shall fall off and perish.
28:41. Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, and shalt not enjoy them:
because they shall be led into captivity.
28:42. The blast shall consume all the trees and the fruits of thy
ground.
28:43. The stranger that liveth with thee in the land, shall rise up
over thee, and shall be higher: and thou shalt go down, and be lower.
28:44. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall
be as the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
28:45. And all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue and
overtake thee, till thou perish: because thou heardst not the voice of
the Lord thy God, and didst not keep his commandments and ceremonies
which he commanded thee.
28:46. And they shall be as signs and wonders on thee, and on thy seed
for ever.
28:47. Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and
gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things:
28:48. Thou shalt serve thy enemy, whom the Lord will send upon thee, in
hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and in want of all things: and he
shall put an iron yoke upon thy neck, till he consume thee.
28:49. The Lord will bring upon thee a nation from afar, and from the
uttermost ends of the earth, like an eagle that flyeth swiftly, whose
tongue thou canst not understand,
28:50. A most insolent nation, that will shew no regard to the ancients,
nor have pity on the infant,
28:51. And will devour the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruits of thy
land: until thou be destroyed, and will leave thee no wheat, nor wine,
nor oil, nor herds of oxen, nor flocks of sheep: until he destroy thee.
28:52. And consume thee in all thy cities, and thy strong and high wall
be brought down, wherein thou trustedst in all thy land. Thou shalt be
besieged within thy gates in all thy land which the Lord thy God will
give thee:
28:53. And thou shalt eat the fruit of thy womb, and the flesh of thy
sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God shall give thee, in
the distress and extremity wherewith thy enemy shall oppress thee.
28:54. The man that is nice among you, and very delicate, shall envy his
own brother, and his wife, that lieth in his bosom,
28:55. So that he will not give them of the flesh of his children, which
he shall eat: because he hath nothing else in the siege and the want,
wherewith thy enemies shall distress thee within all thy gates.
28:56. The tender and delicate woman, that could not go upon the ground,
nor set down her foot for over much niceness and tenderness, will envy
her husband who lieth in her bosom, the flesh of her son, and of her
daughter,
28:57. And the filth of the afterbirths, that come forth from between
her thighs, and the children that are born the same hour. For they shall
eat them secretly for the want of all things, in the siege and distress,
wherewith thy enemy shall oppress thee within thy gates.
28:58. If thou wilt not keep, and fulfil all the words of this law, that
are written in this volume, and fear his glorious and terrible name:
that is, The Lord thy God:
28:59. The Lord shall increase thy plagues, and the plagues of thy seed,
plagues great and lasting, infirmities grievous and perpetual.
28:60. And he shall bring back on thee all the afflictions of Egypt,
which thou wast afraid of, and they shall stick fast to thee.
28:61. Moreover the Lord will bring upon thee all the diseases, and
plagues, that are not written in the volume of this law till he consume
thee:
28:62. And you shall remain few in number, who before were as the stars
of heaven for multitude, because thou heardst not the voice of the Lord
thy God.
28:63. And as the Lord rejoiced upon you before doing good to you, and
multiplying you: so he shall rejoice destroying and bringing you to
nought, so that you shall be taken away from the land which thou shalt
go in to possess.
28:64. The Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the farthest
parts of the earth to the ends thereof: and there thou shalt serve
strange gods, which both thou art ignorant of and thy fathers, wood and
stone.
28:65. Neither shalt thou be quiet, even in those nations, nor shall
there be any rest for the sole of thy foot. For the Lord will give thee
a fearful heart, and languishing eyes, and a soul consumed with
pensiveness:
28:66. And thy life shall be as it were hanging before thee. Thou shalt
fear night and day, neither shalt thou trust thy life.
28:67. In the morning thou shalt say: Who will grant me evening? and at
evening: Who will grant me morning? for the fearfulness of thy heart,
wherewith thou shalt be terrified, and for those things which thou shalt
see with thy eyes.
28:68. The Lord shall bring thee again with ships into Egypt, by the way
whereof he said to thee that thou shouldst see it no more. There shalt
thou be set to sale to thy enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man
shall buy you.
Deuteronomy Chapter 29
The covenant is solemnly confirmed between God and his people. Threats
against those that shall break it.
29:1. These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses
to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab: beside that
covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
29:2. And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: You have seen all
the things that the Lord did before you in the land of Egypt to Pharao,
and to all his servants, and to his whole land.
29:3. The great temptations, which thy eyes have seen, those mighty
signs and wonders,
29:4. And the Lord hath not given you a heart to understand, and eyes to
see, and ears that may hear, unto this present day.
Hath not given you, etc... Through your own fault and because you
resisted his grace.
29:5. He hath brought you forty years through the desert: your garments
are not worn out, neither are the shoes of your feet consumed with age.
29:6. You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink:
that you might know that I am the Lord your God.
29:7. And you came to this place: and Sehon king of Hesebon, and Og king
of Basan, came out against us to fight. And we slew them.
29:8. And took their land, and delivered it for a possession to Ruben
and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses.
29:9. Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and fulfil them: that
you may understand all that you do.
29:10. You all stand this day before the Lord your God, your princes,
and tribes, and ancients, and doctors, all the people of Israel,
29:11. Your children and your wives, and the stranger that abideth with
thee in the camp, besides the hewers of wood, and them that bring water:
29:12. That thou mayst pass in the covenant of the Lord thy God, and in
the oath which this day the Lord thy God maketh with thee.
29:13. That he may raise thee up a people to himself, and he may be thy
God as he hath spoken to thee, and as he swore to thy fathers Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob.
29:14. Neither with you only do I make this covenant, and confirm these
oaths,
29:15. But with all that are present and that are absent.
29:16. For you know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we have
passed through the midst of nations, and passing through them,
29:17. You have seen their abominations and filth, that is to say, their
idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which they worshipped.
29:18. Lest perhaps there should be among you a man or a woman, a family
or a tribe, whose heart is turned away this day from the Lord our God,
to go and serve the gods of those nations: and there should be among you
a root bringing forth gall and bitterness.
29:19. And when he shall hear the words of this oath, he should bless
himself in his heart saying: I shall have peace, and will walk on in the
naughtiness of my heart: and the drunken may consume the thirsty,
The drunken, etc., absumat ebria sitientem... It is a proverbial
expression, which may either be understood, as spoken by the sinner,
blessing, that is, flattering himself in his sins with the imagination
of peace, and so great an abundance as may satisfy, and as it were,
consume all thirst and want: or it may be referred to the root of
bitterness, spoken of before, which being drunken with sin may attract,
and by that means consume, such as thirst after the like evils.
29:20. And the Lord should not forgive him: but his wrath and jealousy
against that man should be exceedingly enkindled at that time, and all
the curses that are written in this volume should light upon him: and
the Lord should blot out his name from under heaven,
29:21. And utterly destroy him out of all the tribes of Israel,
according to the curses that are contained in the book of this law and
covenant:
29:22. And the following generation shall say, and the children that
shall be born hereafter, and the strangers that shall come from afar,
seeing the plagues of that land and the evils wherewith the Lord hath
afflicted it,
29:23. Burning it with brimstone, and the heat of salt, so that it
cannot be sown any more, nor any green thing grow therein, after the
example of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha, Adama and Seboim,
which the Lord destroyed in his wrath and indignation:
29:24. And all the nations shall say: Why hath the Lord done thus to
this land? what meaneth this exceeding great heat of his wrath?
29:25. And they shall answer: Because they forsook the covenant of the
Lord, which he made with their fathers, when he brought them out of the
land of Egypt:
29:26. And they have served strange gods, and adored them, whom they
knew not, and for whom they had not been assigned:
29:27. Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against this land, to
bring upon it all the curses that are written in this volume:
29:28. And he hath cast them out of their land, in anger and in wrath,
and in very great indignation, and hath thrown them into a strange land,
as it is seen this day.
29:29. Secret things to the Lord our God: things that are manifest, to
us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this
law.
Secret things, etc... As much as to say, secret things belong to, and
are known to, God alone; our business must be to observe what he has
revealed and manifested to us, and to direct our lives accordingly.
Deuteronomy Chapter 30
Great mercies are promised to the penitent: God's commandment is
feasible. Life and death are set before them.
30:1. Now when all these things shall be come upon thee, the blessing or
the curse, which I have set forth before thee, and thou shalt be touched
with repentance of thy heart among all the nations, into which the Lord
thy God shall have scattered thee,
30:2. And shalt return to him, and obey his commandments, as I command
thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul:
30:3. The Lord thy God will bring back again thy captivity, and will
have mercy on thee, and gather thee again out of all the nations, into
which he scattered thee before.
30:4. If thou be driven as far as the poles of heaven, the Lord thy God
will fetch thee back from hence,
30:5. And will take thee to himself, and bring thee into the land which
thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it: and blessing thee, he
will make thee more numerous than were thy fathers.
30:6. The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy
seed: that thou mayst love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with
all thy soul, that thou mayst live.
30:7. And he will turn all these curses upon thy enemies, and upon them
that hate and persecute thee.
30:8. But thou shalt return, and hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and
shalt do all the commandments which I command thee this day:
30:9. And the Lord thy God will make thee abound in all the works of thy
hands, in the fruit of thy womb, and in the fruit of thy cattle, in the
fruitfulness of thy land, and in the plenty of all things. For the Lord
will return to rejoice over thee in all good things, as he rejoiced in
thy fathers:
30:10. Yet so if thou hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and keep his
precepts and ceremonies, which are written in this law: and return to
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.
30:11. This commandment, that I command thee this day is not above thee,
nor far off from thee:
30:12. Nor is it in heaven, that thou shouldst say: Which of us can go
up to heaven to bring it unto us, and we may hear and fulfil it in work?
30:13. Nor is it beyond the sea: that thou mayst excuse thyself, and
say: Which of us can cross the sea, and bring it unto us: that we may
hear, and do that which is commanded?
30:14. But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy
heart, that thou mayst do it.
30:15. Consider that I have set before thee this day life and good, and
on the other hand death and evil:
30:16. That thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways, and
keep his commandments and ceremonies and judgments, and bless thee in
the land, which thou shalt go in to possess.
30:17. But if thy heart be turned away, so that thou wilt not hear, and
being deceived with error thou adore strange gods, and serve them:
30:18. I foretell thee this day that thou shalt perish, and shalt remain
but a short time in the land, to which thou shalt pass over the Jordan,
and shalt go in to possess it.
30:19. I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life,
that both thou and thy seed may live:
30:20. And that thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and obey his voice,
and adhere to him (for he is thy life, and the length of thy days,) that
thou mayst dwell in the land, for which the Lord swore to thy fathers
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give it them.
Deuteronomy Chapter 31
Moses encourageth the people, and Josue, who is appointed to succeed
him. He delivereth the law to the priests. God foretelleth that the
people will often forsake him, and that he will punish them. He
commandeth Moses to write a canticle, as a constant remembrancer of the
law.
31:1. And Moses went, and spoke all these words to all Israel,
31:2. And he said to them: I am this day a hundred and twenty years old,
I can no longer go out and come in, especially as the Lord also hath
said to me: Thou shalt not pass over this Jordan.
31:3. The Lord thy God then will pass over before thee: he will destroy
all these nations in thy sight, and thou shalt possess them: and this
Josue shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath spoken.
31:4. And the Lord shall do to them as he did to Sehon and Og the kings
of the Amorrhites, and to their land, and shall destroy them.
31:5. Therefore when the Lord shall have delivered these also to you,
you shall do in like manner to them as I have commanded you.
31:6. Do manfully and be of good heart: fear not, nor be ye dismayed at
their sight: for the Lord thy God he himself is thy leader, and will not
leave thee nor forsake thee.
31:7. And Moses called Josue, and said to him before all Israel: Take
courage, and be valiant: for thou shalt bring this people into the land
which the Lord swore he would give to their fathers, and thou shalt
divide it by lot.
31:8. And the Lord who is your leader, he himself will be with thee: he
will not leave thee, nor forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
31:9. And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons
of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the
ancients of Israel.
31:10. And he commanded them, saying: After seven years, in the year of
remission, in the feast of tabernacles,
31:11. When all Israel come together, to appear in the sight of the Lord
thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou shalt read the
words of this law before all Israel, in their hearing.
31:12. And the people being all assembled together, both men and women,
children and strangers, that are within thy gates: that hearing they may
learn, and fear the Lord your God, and keep, and fulfil all the words of
this law:
31:13. That their children also, who now are ignorant, may hear, and
fear the Lord their God, all the days that they live in the land whither
you are going over the Jordan to possess it.
31:14. And the Lord said to Moses: Behold the days of thy death are
nigh: call Josue, and stand ye in the tabernacle of the testimony, that
I may give him a charge. So Moses and Josue went and stood in the
tabernacle of the testimony:
31:15. And the Lord appeared there in the pillar of a cloud, which stood
in the entry of the tabernacle.
31:16. And the Lord said to Moses: Behold thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers, and this people rising up will go a fornicating after strange
gods in the land, to which it goeth in to dwell: there will they forsake
me, and will make void the covenant, which I have made with them,
31:17. And my wrath shall be kindled against them in that day: and I
will forsake them, and will hide my face from them, and they shall be
devoured: all evils and afflictions shall find them, so that they shall
say in that day: In truth it is because God is not with me, that these
evils have found me.
31:18. But I will hide, and cover my face in that day, for all the evils
which they have done, because they have followed strange gods.
31:19. Now therefore write you this canticle, and teach the children of
Israel: that they may know it by heart, and sing it by mouth, and this
song may be unto me for a testimony among the children of Israel.
31:20. For I will bring them into the land, for which I swore to their
fathers, that floweth with milk and honey. And when they have eaten, and
are full and fat, they will turn away after strange gods, and will serve
them: and will despise me, and make void my covenant.
31:21. And after many evils and afflictions shall have come upon them,
this canticle shall answer them for a testimony, which no oblivion shall
take away out of the mouth of their seed. For I know their thoughts, and
what they are about to do this day, before that I bring them into the
land which I have promised them.
31:22. Moses therefore wrote the canticle, and taught it to the children
of Israel.
31:23. And the Lord commanded Josue the son of Nun, and said: Take
courage, and be valiant: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel
into the land which I have promised, and I will be with thee.
31:24. Therefore after Moses had wrote the words of this law in a
volume, and finished it:
31:25. He commanded the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of
the Lord, saying:
31:26. Take this book, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant
of the Lord your God: that it may be there for a testimony against thee.
31:27. For I know thy obstinacy, and thy most stiff neck. While I am yet
living, and going in with you, you have always been rebellious against
the Lord: how much more when I shall be dead?
31:28. Gather unto me all the ancients of your tribes, and your doctors,
and I will speak these words in their hearing, and will call heaven and
earth to witness against them.
31:29. For I know that, after my death, you will do wickedly, and will
quickly turn aside form the way that I have commanded you: and evils
shall come upon you in the latter times, when you shall do evil in the
sight of the Lord, to provoke him by the works of your hands.
31:30. Moses therefore spoke, in the hearing of the whole assembly of
Israel, the words of this canticle, and finished it even to the end.
Deuteronomy Chapter 32
A canticle for the remembrance of the law. Moses is commanded to go up
into a mountain, from whence he shall see the promised land but not
enter into it.
32:1. Hear, O ye heavens, the things I speak, let the earth give ear to
the words of my mouth.
32:2. Let my doctrine gather as the rain, let my speech distil as the
dew, as a shower upon the herb, and as drops upon the grass.
32:3. Because I will invoke the name of the Lord: give ye magnificence
to our God.
32:4. The works of God are perfect, and all his ways are judgments: God
is faithful and without any iniquity, he is just and right.
32:5. They have sinned against him, and are none of his children in
their filth: they are a wicked and perverse generation.
32:6. Is this the return thou makest to the Lord, O foolish and
senseless people? Is not he thy father, that hath possessed thee, and
made thee, and created thee?
32:7. Remember the days of old, think upon every generation: ask thy
father, and he will declare to thee: thy elders and they will tell thee.
32:8. When the Most High divided the nations: when he separated the sons
of Adam, he appointed the bounds of people according to the number of
the children of Israel.
32:9. But the Lord's portion is his people: Jacob the lot of his
inheritance.
32:10. He found him in a desert land, in a place of horror, and of vast
wilderness: he led him about, and taught him: and he kept him as the
apple of his eye.
32:11. As the eagle enticing her young to fly, and hovering over them,
he spread his wings, and hath taken him and carried him on his
shoulders.
32:12. The Lord alone was his leader: and there was no strange god with
him.
32:13. He set him upon high land: that he might eat the fruits of the
fields, that he might suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the
hardest stone,
32:14. Butter of the herd, and milk of the sheep with the fat of lambs,
and of the rams of the breed of Basan: and goats with the marrow of
wheat, and might drink the purest blood of the grape.
32:15. The beloved grew fat, and kicked: he grew fat, and thick and
gross, he forsook God who made him, and departed from God his saviour.
32:16. They provoked him by strange gods, and stirred him up to anger,
with their abominations.
32:17. They sacrificed to devils and not to God: to gods whom they knew
not: that were newly come up, whom their fathers worshipped not.
32:18. Thou hast forsaken the God that begot thee, and hast forgotten
the Lord that created thee.
32:19. The Lord saw, and was moved to wrath: because his own sons and
daughters provoked him.
32:20. And he said: I will hide my face from them, and will consider
what their last end shall be: for it is a perverse generation, and
unfaithful children.
32:21. They have provoked me with that which was no god, and have
angered me with their vanities: and I will provoke them with that which
is no people, and will vex them with a foolish nation.
32:22. A fire is kindled in my wrath, and shall burn even to the lowest
hell: and shall devour the earth with her increase, and shall burn the
foundations of the mountains.
32:23. I will heap evils upon them, and will spend my arrows among them.
32:24. They shall be consumed with famine, and birds shall devour them
with a most bitter bite: I will send the teeth of beasts upon them, with
the fury of creatures that trail upon the ground, and of serpents.
32:25. Without, the sword shall lay them waste, and terror within, both
the young man and the virgin, the sucking child with the man in years.
32:26. I said: Where are they? I will make the memory of them to cease
from among men.
32:27. But for the wrath of the enemies I have deferred it: lest perhaps
their enemies might be proud, and should say: Our mighty hand, and not
the Lord, hath done all these things.
32:28. They are a nation without counsel, and without wisdom.
32:29. O that they would be wise and would understand, and would provide
for their last end.
32:30. How should one pursue after a thousand, and two chase ten
thousand? Was it not, because their God had sold them, and the Lord had
shut them up?
32:31. For our God is not as their gods: our enemies themselves are
judges.
32:32. Their vines are of the vineyard of Sodom, and of the suburbs of
Gomorrha: their grapes are grapes of gall, and their clusters most
bitter.
32:33. Their wine is the gall of dragons, and the venom of asps, which
is incurable.
32:34. Are not these things stored up with me, and sealed up in my
treasures?
32:35. Revenge is mine, and I will repay them in due time, that their
foot may slide: the day of destruction is at hand, and the time makes
haste to come.
32:36. The Lord will judge his people, and will have mercy on his
servants: he shall see that their hand is weakened, and that they who
were shut up have also failed, and they that remained are consumed.
32:37. And he shall say: Where are their gods, in whom they trusted?
32:38. Of whose victims they ate the fat, and drank the wine of their
drink offerings: let them arise and help you, and protect you in your
distress.
32:39. See ye that I alone am, and there is no other God besides me: I
will kill and I will make to live: I will strike, and I will heal, and
there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
32:40. I will lift up my hand to heaven, and I will say: I live for
ever.
32:41. If I shall whet my sword as the lightning, and my hand take hold
on judgment: I will render vengeance to my enemies, and repay them that
hate me.
32:42. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour
flesh, of the blood of the slain and of the captivity, of the bare head
of the enemies.
32:43. Praise his people, ye nations, for he will revenge the blood of
his servants: and will render vengeance to their enemies, and he will be
merciful to the land of his people.
32:44. So Moses came and spoke all the words of this canticle in the
ears of the people, and Josue the son of Nun.
32:45. And he ended all these words, speaking to all Israel.
32:46. And he said to them: Set your hearts on all the words, which I
testify to you this day: which you shall command your children to
observe and to do, and to fulfil all that is written in this law:
32:47. For they are not commanded you in vain, but that every one should
live in them, and that doing them you may continue a long time in the
land whither you are going over the Jordan to possess it.
32:48. And the Lord spoke to Moses the same day, saying:
32:49. Go up into this mountain Abarim, (that is to say, of passages,)
unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab over against Jericho: and
see the land of Chanaan, which I will deliver to the children of Israel
to possess, and die thou in the mountain.
32:50. When thou art gone up into it thou shalt be gathered to thy
people, as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered to his
people:
32:51. Because you trespassed against me in the midst of the children of
Israel, at the waters of contradiction, in Cades of the desert of Sin:
and you did not sanctify me among the children of Israel.
32:52. Thou shalt see the land before thee, which I will give to the
children of Israel, but thou shalt not enter into it.
Deuteronomy Chapter 33
Moses before his death blesseth the tribes of Israel.
33:1. This is the blessing, wherewith the man of God, Moses, blessed the
children of Israel, before his death.
33:2. And he said: The Lord came from Sinai, and from Seir he rose up to
us: he hath appeared from mount Pharan, and with him thousands of
saints. In his right hand a fiery law.
33:3. He hath loved the people, all the saints are in his hand: and they
that approach to his feet, shall receive of his doctrine.
33:4. Moses commanded us a law, the inheritance of the multitude of
Jacob.
33:5. He shall be king with the most right, the princes of the people,
being assembled with the tribes of Israel.
33:6. Let Ruben live, and not die, and be he small in number.
33:7. This is the blessing of Juda. Hear, O Lord, the voice of Juda, and
bring him in unto his people: his hands shall fight for him, and he
shall be his helper against his enemies.
33:8. To Levi also he said: Thy perfection, and thy doctrine be to thy
holy man, whom thou hast proved in the temptation, and judged at the
waters of contradiction:
Holy man... Aaron and his successors in the priesthood.
33:9. Who hath said to his father, and to his mother: I do not know you;
and to his brethren: I know you not: and their own children they have
not known. These have kept thy word, and observed thy covenant,
Who hath said, etc... It is the duty of the priestly tribe to prefer
God's honour and service before all considerations of flesh and blood:
in such manner as to behave as strangers to their nearest akin, when
these would withdraw them from the business of their calling.
33:10. Thy judgments, O Jacob, and thy law, O Israel: they shall put
incense in thy wrath and holocaust upon thy altar.
33:11. Bless, O Lord, his strength, and receive the works of his hands.
Strike the backs of his enemies, and let not them that hate him rise.
33:12. And to Benjamin he said: The best beloved of the Lord shall dwell
confidently in him: as in a bride chamber shall he abide all the day
long, and between his shoulders shall be rest.
Shall dwell, etc... This seems to allude to the temple being built in
the confines of the tribe of Benjamin.
33:13. To Joseph also he said: Of the blessing of the Lord be his land,
of the fruits of heaven, and of the dew, and of the deep that lieth
beneath.
33:14. Of the fruits brought forth by the sun and by the moon.
33:15. Of the tops of the ancient mountains, of the fruits of the
everlasting hills:
33:16. And of the fruits of the earth, and of the fulness thereof. The
blessing of him that appeared in the bush, come upon the head of Joseph,
and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren.
The Nazarite... See the note on Gen. 49.26.
33:17. His beauty as of the firstling of a bullock, his horns as the
horns of a rhinoceros: with them shall he push the nations even to the
ends of the earth. These are the multitudes of Ephraim and these the
thousands of Manasses.
33:18. And to Zabulon he said: Rejoice, O Zabulon, in thy going out; and
Issachar in thy tabernacles.
33:19. They shall call the people to the mountain: there shall they
sacrifice the victims of justice. Who shall suck as milk the abundance
of the sea, and the hidden treasures of the sands.
33:20. And to Gad he said: Blessed be Gad in his breadth: he hath rested
as a lion, and hath seized upon the arm and the top of the head.
33:21. And he saw his pre-eminence, that in his portion the teacher was
laid up: who was with the princes of the people, and did the justices of
the Lord, and his judgment with Israel.
He saw, etc... The pre-eminence of the tribe of Gad, to which this
alludeth, was their having the lawgiver Moses buried in their borders;
though the particular place was not known.
33:22. To Dan also he said: Dan is a young lion, he shall flow
plentifully from Basan.
33:23. And To Nephtali he said: Nephtali shall enjoy abundance, and
shall be full of the blessings of the Lord: he shall possess the sea and
the south.
The sea... The lake of Genesareth.
33:24. To Aser also he said: Let Aser be blessed with children, let him
be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
33:25. His shoe shall be iron and brass. As the days of thy youth, so
also shall thy old age be.
33:26. There is no other god like the God of the rightest: he that is
mounted upon the heaven is thy helper. By his magnificence the clouds
run hither and thither.
33:27. His dwelling is above, and underneath are the everlasting arms:
he shall cast out the enemy from before thee, and shall say: Be thou
brought to nought.
Underneath are the everlasting arms... Though the dwelling of God be
above in heaven, his arms are always stretched out to help us here
below.
33:28. Israel shall dwell in safety, and alone. The eye of Jacob in a
land of corn and wine, and the heavens shall be misty with dew.
33:29. Blessed art thou, Israel: who is like to thee, O people, that art
saved by the Lord? the shield of thy help, and the sword of thy glory:
thy enemies shall deny thee, and thou shalt tread upon their necks.
Deuteronomy Chapter 34
Moses seeth the promised land, but is not suffered to go into it. He
dieth at the age of 120 years. God burieth his body secretly, and all
Israel mourn for him thirty days. Josue, replenished (by imposition of
Moses's hands) with the spirit of God, succeedeth. But Moses, for his
special familiarity with God, and for most wonderful miracles, is
commended above all other prophets.
34:1. Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab upon mount Nebo, to the
top of Phasga over against Jericho: and the Lord shewed him all the land
of Galaad as far as Dan.
34:2. And all Nephtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasses, and all
the land of Juda unto the furthermost sea,
34:3. And the south part, and the breadth of the plain of Jericho the
city of palm trees as far as Segor.
34:4. And the Lord said to him: This is the land, for which I swore to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to thy seed. Thou hast
seen it with thy eyes, and shalt not pass over to it.
34:5. And Moses the servant of the Lord died there, in the land of Moab,
by the commandment of the Lord:
Died there... This last chapter of Deuteronomy, inwhich the death of
Moses is related, was written by Josue, or by some of the prophets.
34:6. And he buried him in the valley of the land of Moab over against
Phogor: and no man hath known of his sepulchre until this present day.
He buried him, viz... by the ministry of angels, and would have the
place of his burial to be unknown, lest the Israelites, who were so
prone to idolatry, might worship him with divine honours.
34:7. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was
not dim, neither were his teeth moved.
34:8. And the children of Israel mourned for him in the plains of Moab
thirty days: and the days of their mourning in which they mourned Moses
were ended.
34:9. And Josue the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
because Moses had laid his hands upon him. And the children of Israel
obeyed him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.
34:10. And there arose no more a prophet in Israel like unto Moses, whom
the Lord knew face to face,
34:11. In all the signs and wonders, which he sent by him, to do in the
land of Egypt to Pharao, and to all his servants, and to his whole land,
34:12. And all the mighty hand, and great miracles, which Moses did
before all Israel.
THE BOOK OF JOSUE
This Book is called JOSUE, because it contains the history of what
passed under him, and according to the common opinion was written by
him. The Greeks call him Jesus: for Josue and Jesus in the Hebrew, are
the same name, and have the same signification, viz., A SAVIOUR. And it
was not without a mystery that he who was to bring the people into the
land of promise should have his name changed from OSEE (for so he was
called before, Num. 13.17,) to JOSUE or JESUS, to give us to understand,
that Moses by his law could only bring the people within sight of the
promised inheritance, but that our Saviour JESUS was to bring us into
it.
Josue Chapter 1
Josue, encouraged by the Lord, admonisheth the people to prepare
themselves to pass over the Jordan.
1:1. Now it came to pass after the death of Moses, the servant of the
Lord, that the Lord spoke to Josue, the son of Nun, the minister of
Moses, and said to him:
1:2. Moses my servant is dead: arise, and pass over this Jordan, thou
and thy people with thee, into the land which I will give to the
children of Israel.
1:3. I will deliver to you every place that the sole of your foot shall
tread upon, as I have said to Moses.
1:4. From the desert, and from Libanus unto the great river Euphrates,
all the land of the Hethites, unto the great sea toward the going down
of the sun, shall be your border.
1:5. No man shall be able to resist you all the days of thy life: as I
have been with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not leave thee, nor
forsake thee.
1:6. Take courage, and be strong: for thou shalt divide by lot to this
people the land for which I swore to their fathers, that I would deliver
it to them.
1:7. Take courage therefore, and be very valiant: that thou mayst
observe and do all the law, which Moses my servant hath commanded thee:
turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayst
understand all things which thou dost.
1:8. Let not the book of this law depart from thy mouth: but thou shalt
meditate on it day and night, that thou mayst observe and do all things
that are written in it: then shalt thou direct thy way, and understand
it.
1:9. Behold I command thee, take courage, and be strong. Fear not, and
be not dismayed: because the Lord thy God is with thee in all things
whatsoever thou shalt go to.
1:10. And Josue commanded the princes of the people, saying: Pass
through the midst of the camp, and command the people, and say:
1:11. Prepare your victuals: for after the third day you shall pass over
the Jordan, and shall go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God
will give you.
1:12. And he said to the Rubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe
of Manasses:
1:13. Remember the word, which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded
you, saying: The Lord your God hath given you rest, and all this land.
1:14. Your wives, and children; and cattle, shall remain in the land
which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan: but pass you over armed
before your brethren all of you that are strong of hand, and fight for
them,
1:15. Until the Lord give rest to your brethren, as he hath given you,
and they also possess the land which the Lord your God will give them:
and so you shall return into the land of your possession, and you shall
dwell in it, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the
Jordan, toward the rising of the sun.
1:16. And they made answer to Josue, and said: All that thou hast
commanded us, we will do: and whither soever thou shalt send us, we will
go.
1:17. As we obeyed Moses in all things, so will we obey thee also: only
be the Lord thy God with thee, as he was with Moses.
1:18. He that shall gainsay thy mouth, and not obey all thy words, that
thou shalt command him, let him die: only take thou courage, and do
manfully.
Josue Chapter 2
Two spies are sent to Jericho, who are received and concealed by Rahab.
2:1. And Josue, the son of Nun, sent from Setim two men, to spy
secretly: and said to them: Go, and view the land, and the city of
Jericho. They went, and entered into the house of a woman that was a
harlot, named Rahab, and lodged with her.
2:2. And it was told the king of Jericho, and was said: Behold there are
men come in hither, by night, of the children of Israel, to spy the
land.
2:3. And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying: Bring forth the men
that came to thee, and are entered into thy house: for they are spies,
and are come to view all the land.
2:4. And the woman taking the men, hid them, and said: I confess they
came to me, but I knew not whence they were:
2:5. And at the time of shutting the gate in the dark, they also went
out together. I know not whither they are gone: pursue after them
quickly, and you will overtake them.
2:6. But she made the men go up to the top of her house, and covered
them with the stalks of flax, which was there.
2:7. Now they that were sent, pursued after them, by the way that
leadeth to the fords of the Jordan: and as soon as they were gone out,
the gate was presently shut.
2:8. The men that were hid were not yet asleep, when behold the woman
went up to them, and said:
2:9. I know that the Lord hath given this land to you: for the dread of
you is fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have lost all
strength.
2:10. We have heard that the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea, at
your going in, when you came out of Egypt: and what things you did to
the two kings of the Amorrhites, that were beyond the Jordan, Sehon and
Og whom you slew.
2:11. And at the hearing these things, we were affrighted, and our heart
fainted away, neither did there remain any spirit in us, at your coming
in: for the Lord your God he is God in heaven above, and in the earth
beneath.
2:12. Now, therefore, swear ye to me by the Lord, that as I have shewed
mercy to you, so you also will shew mercy to my father's house: and give
me a true token.
2:13. That you will save my father and mother, my brethren and sisters,
and all things that are theirs, and deliver our souls from death.
2:14. They answered her: Be our lives for you unto death, only if thou
betray us not. And when the Lord shall have delivered us the land, we
will shew thee mercy and truth.
2:15. Then she let them down with a cord out of a window: for her house
joined close to the wall.
2:16. And she said to them: Get ye up to the mountains, lest perhaps
they meet you as they return: and there lie ye hid three days, till they
come back, and so you shall go on your way.
2:17. And they said to her: We shall be blameless of this oath, which
thou hast made us swear,
2:18. If, when we come into the land, this scarlet cord be a sign, and
thou tie it in the window, by which thou hast let us down: and gather
together thy father and mother, and brethren, and all thy kindred into
thy house.
2:19. Whosoever shall go out of the door of thy house, his blood shall
be upon his own head, and we shall be quit. But the blood of all that
shall be with thee in the house, shall light upon our head, if any man
touch them.
2:20. But if thou wilt betray us, and utter this word abroad, we shall
be quit of this oath, which thou hast made us swear.
2:21. And she answered: As you have spoken, so be it done: and sending
them on their way, she hung the scarlet cord in the window.
2:22. But they went and came to the mountains, and stayed there three
days, till they that pursued them were returned. For having sought them
through all the way, they found them not.
2:23. And when they were gone back into the city, the spies returned,
and came down from the mountain: and passing over the Jordan, they came
to Josue, the son of Nun, and told him all that befel them,
2:24. And said: the Lord hath delivered all this land into our hands,
and all the inhabitants thereof are overthrown with fear.
Josue Chapter 3
The river Jordan is miraculously dried up for the passage of the
children of Israel.
3:1. And Josue rose before daylight, and removed the camp: and they
departed from Setim, and came to the Jordan: he, and all the children of
Israel, and they abode there for three days.
3:2. After which, the heralds went through the midst of the camp,
3:3. And began to proclaim: When you shall see the ark of the covenant
of the Lord your God, and the priests of the race of Levi carrying it,
rise you up also, and follow them as they go before:
3:4. And let there be between you and the ark the space of two thousand
cubits: that you may see it afar off, and know which way you must go:
for you have not gone this way before: and take care you come not near
the ark.
3:5. And Josue said to the people: Be ye sanctified: for tomorrow the
Lord will do wonders among you.
3:6. And he said to the priests: Take up the ark of the covenant, and go
before the people. And they obeyed his commands, and took it up, and
walked before them.
3:7. And the Lord said to Josue: This day will I begin to exalt thee
before Israel: that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I am with
thee also.
3:8. And do thou command the priests, that carry the ark of the
covenant, and say to them: When you shall have entered into part of the
water of the Jordan, stand in it.
3:9. And Josue said to the children of Israel: Come hither, and hear the
word of the Lord your God.
3:10. And again he said: By this you shall know, that the Lord, the
living God, is in the midst of you, and that he shall destroy, before
your sight, the Chanaanite and the Hethite, the Hevite and the
Pherezite, the Gergesite also, and the Jebusite, and the Amorrhite.
3:11. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth shall
go before you into the Jordan.
3:12. Prepare ye twelve men of the tribes of Israel, one of every tribe.
3:13. And when the priests, that carry the ark of the Lord the God of
the whole earth, shall set the soles of their feet in the waters of the
Jordan, the waters that are beneath shall run down and go off: and those
that come from above, shall stand together upon a heap.
3:14. So the people went out of their tents, to pass over the Jordan:
and the priests that carried the ark of the covenant, went on before
them.
3:15. And as soon as they came into the Jordan, and their feet were
dipped in part of the water, (now the Jordan, it being harvest time, had
filled the banks of its channel,)
3:16. The waters that came down from above stood in one place, and
swelling up like a mountain, were seen afar off, from the city that is
called Adom, to the place of Sarthan: but those that were beneath, ran
down into the sea of the wilderness, (which now is called the Dead Sea)
until they wholly failed.
3:17. And the people marched over against Jericho: and the priests that
carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, stood girded upon the dry
ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all the people passed over,
through the channel that was dried up.
Josue Chapter 4
Twelve stones are taken out of the river to be set up for a monument of
the miracle; and other twelve are placed in the midst of the river.
4:1. And when they were passed over, the Lord said to Josue:
4:2. Choose twelve men, one of every tribe:
4:3. And command them to take out of the midst of the Jordan, where the
feet of the priests stood, twelve very hard stones, which you shall set
in the place of the camp, where you shall pitch your tents this night.
4:4. And Josue called twelve men, whom he had chosen out of the children
of Israel, one out of every tribe,
4:5. And he said to them: Go before the ark of the Lord your God to the
midst of the Jordan, and carry from thence every man a stone on your
shoulders, according to the number of the children of Israel,
4:6. That it may be a sign among you: and when your children shall ask
you tomorrow, saying: What means these stones?
4:7. You shall answer them: The waters of the Jordan ran off before the
ark of the covenant of the Lord when it passed over the same: therefore
were these stones set for a monument of the children of Israel forever.
4:8. The children of Israel therefore did as Josue commanded them,
carrying out of the channel of the Jordan twelve stones, as the Lord had
commanded him according to the number of the children of Israel unto the
place wherein they camped, and there they set them.
4:9. And Josue put other twelve stones in the midst of the channel of
the Jordan, where the priests stood that carried the ark of the
covenant: and they are there until this present day.
4:10. Now the priests that carried the ark, stood in the midst of the
Jordan, till all things were accomplished, which the Lord had commanded
Josue to speak to the people, and Moses had said to him. And the people
made haste, and passed over.
4:11. And when they had all passed over, the ark also of the Lord passed
over, and the priests went before the people.
4:12. The children of Ruben also, and Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasses, went armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had
commanded them.
4:13. And forty thousand fighting men by their troops and bands, marched
through the plains and fields of the city of Jericho.
4:14. In that day the Lord magnified Josue in the sight of all Israel,
that they should fear him, as they had feared Moses, while he lived.
4:15. And he said to him:
4:16. Command the priests, that carry the ark of the covenant, to come
up out of the Jordan.
4:17. And he commanded them, saying: Come ye up out of the Jordan.
4:18. And when they that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
were come up, and began to tread on the dry ground, the waters returned
into their channel, and ran as they were wont before.
4:19. And the people came up out of the Jordan, the tenth day of the
first month, and camped in Galgal, over against the east side of the
city of Jericho.
4:20. And the twelve stones, which they had taken out of the channel of
the Jordan, Josue pitched in Galgal,
4:21. And said to the children of Israel: When your children shall ask
their fathers tomorrow, and shall say to them: What mean these stones?
4:22. You shall teach them, and say: Israel passed over this Jordan
through the dry channel,
4:23. The Lord your God drying up the waters thereof in your sight,
until you passed over:
4:24. As he had done before in the Red Sea, which he dried up till we
passed through:
4:25. That all the people of the earth may learn the most mighty hand of
the Lord, that you also may fear the Lord your God for ever.
Josue Chapter 5
The people are circumcised: they keep the pasch. The manna ceaseth. An
angel appeareth to Josue.
5:1. Now when all the kings of the Amorrhites, who dwelt beyond the
Jordan, westward, and all the kings of Chanaan, who possessed the places
near the great sea, had heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of
the Jordan before the children of Israel, till they passed over, their
heart failed them, and there remained no spirit in them, fearing the
coming in of the children of Israel.
5:2. At that time the Lord said to Josue: Make thee knives of stone, and
circumcise the second time the children of Israel.
The second time... Not that such as had been circumcised before were to
be circumcised again; but that they were now to renew, and take up again
the practice of circumcision; which had been omitted during their forty
years' sojourning in the wilderness; by reason of their being always
uncertain when they should be obliged to march.
5:3. He did what the Lord had commanded, and he circumcised the children
of Israel in the hill of the foreskins.
5:4. Now this is the cause of the second circumcision: All the people
that came out of Egypt that were males, all the men fit for war, died in
the desert, during the time of the long going about in the way:
5:5. Now these were all circumcised. But the people that were born in
the desert,
5:6. During the forty years of the journey in the wide wilderness, were
uncircumcised: till all they were consumed that had not heard the voice
of the Lord, and to whom he had sworn before, that he would not shew
them the land flowing with milk and honey.
5:7. The children of these succeeded in the place of their fathers, and
were circumcised by Josue: for they were uncircumcised even as they were
born, and no one had circumcised them in the way.
5:8. Now after they were all circumcised, they remained in the same
place of the camp, until they were healed.
5:9. And the Lord said to Josue: This day have I taken away from you the
reproach of Egypt. And the name of that place was called Galgal, until
this present day.
5:10. And the children of Israel abode in Galgal, and they kept the
phase, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, in the plains of
Jericho:
5:11. And they ate on the next day unleavened bread of the corn of the
land, and frumenty of the same year.
5:12. And the manna ceased after they ate of the corn of the land,
neither did the children of Israel use that food any more, but they ate
of the corn of the present year of the land of Chanaan.
5:13. And when Josue was in the field of the city of Jericho, he lifted
up his eyes, and saw a man standing over against him, holding a drawn
sword, and he went to him, and said: Art thou one of ours, or of our
adversaries?
5:14. And he answered: No: but I am prince of the host of the Lord, and
now I am come.
Prince of the host of the Lord, etc... St. Michael, who is called prince
of the people of Israel, Dan. 10.21.
5:15. Josue fell on his face to the ground. And worshipping, said: What
saith my lord to his servant?
Worshipping... Not with divine honour, but with a religious veneration
of an inferior kind, suitable to the dignity of his person.
5:16. Loose, saith he, thy shoes from off thy feet: for the place
whereon thou standest is holy. And Josue did as was commanded him.
Josue Chapter 6
After seven days' processions, the priests sounding the trumpets, the
walls of Jericho fall down: and the city is taken and destroyed.
6:1. Now Jericho was close shut up and fenced, for fear of the children
of Israel, and no man durst go out or come in.
6:2. And the Lord said to Josue: Behold I have given into thy hands
Jericho, and the king thereof, and all the valiant men.
6:3. Go round about the city all ye fighting men once a day: so shall ye
do for six days.
6:4. And on the seventh day the priests shall take the seven trumpets,
which are used in the jubilee, and shall go before the ark of the
covenant: and you shall go about the city seven times, and the priests
shall sound the trumpets.
6:5. And when the voice of the trumpet shall give a longer and broken
tune, and shall sound in your ears, all the people shall shout together
with a very great shout, and the walls of the city shall fall to the
ground, and they shall enter in every one at the place against which
they shall stand.
6:6. Then Josue, the son of Nun, called the priests, and said to them:
Take the ark of the covenant: and let seven other priests take the seven
trumpets of the jubilee, and march before the ark of the Lord.
6:7. And he said to the people: Go, and compass the city, armed,
marching before the ark of the Lord.
6:8. And when Josue had ended his words, and the seven priests blew the
seven trumpets before the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
6:9. And all the armed men went before, the rest of the common people
followed the ark, and the sound of the trumpets was heard on all sides.
6:10. But Josue had commanded the people, saying: You shall not shout,
nor shall your voice be heard, nor any word go out of your mouth: until
the day come wherein I shall say to you: Cry, and shout.
6:11. So the ark of the Lord went about the city once a day, and
returning into the camp, abode there.
6:12. And Josue rising before day, the priests took the ark of the Lord,
6:13. And seven of them seven trumpets, which are used in the jubilee:
and they went before the ark of the Lord, walking and sounding the
trumpets: and the armed men went before them, and the rest of the common
people followed the ark, and they blew the trumpets.
6:14. And they went round about the city the second day once, and
returned into the camp. So they did six days.
6:15. But the seventh day, rising up early, they went about the city, as
it was ordered, seven times.
6:16. And when in the seventh going about the priests sounded with the
trumpets, Josue said to all Israel: Shout: for the Lord hath delivered
the city to you:
6:17. And let this city be an anathema, and all things that are in it,
to the Lord. Let only Rahab, the harlot, live, with all that are with
her in the house: for she hid the messengers whom we sent.
6:18. But beware ye lest you touch ought of those things that are
forbidden, and you be guilty of transgression, and all the camp of
Israel be under sin, and be troubled.
6:19. But whatsoever gold or silver there shall be, or vessels of brass
and iron, let it be consecrated to the Lord, laid up in his treasures.
6:20. So all the people making a shout, and the trumpets sounding, when
the voice and the sound thundered in the ears of the multitude, the
walls forthwith fell down: and every man went up by the place that was
over against him: and they took the city,
6:21. And killed all that were in it, man and woman, young and old. The
oxen also, and the sheep, and the asses, they slew with the edge of the
sword.
6:22. But Josue said to the two men that had been sent for spies: Go
into the harlot's house, and bring her out, and all things that are
hers, as you assured her by oath.
6:23. And the young men went in, and brought out Rahab, and her parents,
her brethren also, and all her goods, and her kindred, and made them to
stay without the camp.
6:24. But they burned the city, and all things that were therein; except
the gold and silver, and vessels of brass and iron, which they
consecrated unto the treasury of the Lord.
6:25. But Josue saved Rahab the harlot, and her father's house, and all
she had, and they dwelt in the midst of Israel until this present day:
because she hid the messengers whom he had sent to spy out Jericho. At
that time, Josue made an imprecation, saying:
6:26. Cursed be the man before the Lord, that shall raise up and build
the city of Jericho. In his firstborn may he lay the foundation thereof,
and in the last of his children set up its gates.
Cursed, etc... Jericho, in the mystical sense, signifies iniquity: the
sounding of the trumpets by the priests, the preaching of the word of
God; by which the walls of Jericho are thrown down, when sinners are
converted; and a dreadful curse will light on them who build them up
again.
6:27. And the Lord was with Josue, and his name was noised throughout
all the land.
Josue Chapter 7
For the sins of Achan, the Israelites are defeated at Hai. The offender
is found out; and stoned to death, and God's wrath is turned from them.
7:1. But the children of Israel transgressed the commandment, and took
to their own use of that which was accursed. For Achan, the son of
Charmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zare, of the tribe of Juda, took
something of the anathema: and the Lord was angry against the children
of Israel.
7:2. And when Josue sent men from Jericho against Hai, which is beside
Bethaven, on the east side of the town of Bethel, he said to them: Go
up, and view the country: and they fulfilled his command, and viewed
Hai.
7:3. And returning, they said to him: Let not all the people go up, but
let two or three thousand men go, and destroy the city: why should all
the people be troubled in vain, against enemies that are very few?
7:4. There went up therefore three thousand fighting men: who
immediately turned their backs,
7:5. And were defeated by the men of the city of Hai, and there fell of
them six and thirty men: and the enemies pursued them from the gate as
far as Sabarim, and they slew them as they fled by the descent: and the
heart of the people was struck with fear, and melted like water.
7:6. But Josue rent his garments, and fell flat on the ground, before
the ark of the Lord, until the evening, both he and all the ancients of
Israel: and they put dust upon their heads.
7:7. And Josue said: Alas, O Lord God, why wouldst thou bring this
people over the river Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the
Amorrhite, and to destroy us? would God we had stayed beyond the
Jordan, as we began.
7:8. My Lord God, what shall I say, seeing Israel turning their backs to
their enemies?
7:9. The Chanaanites, and all the inhabitants of the land, will hear of
it, and being gathered together will surround us, and cut off our name
from the earth: and what wilt thou do to thy great name?
7:10. And the Lord said to Josue: Arise, why liest thou flat on the
ground?
7:11. Israel hath sinned, and transgressed my covenant: and they have
taken of the anathema, and have stolen and lied, and have hid it among
their goods.
7:12. Neither can Israel stand before his enemies, but he shall flee
from them: because he is defiled with the anathema. I will be no more
with you, till you destroy him that is guilty of this wickedness.
7:13. Arise, sanctify the people, and say to them: Be ye sanctified
against tomorrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel: The curse is in
the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thy enemies,
till he be destroyed out of thee, that is defiled with this wickedness.
7:14. And you shall come in the morning, every one by your tribes: and
what tribe soever the lot shall find, it shall come by its kindreds, and
the kindred by its houses and tho house by the men.
7:15. And whosoever he be that shall be found guilty of this fact, he
shall be burnt with fire, with all his substance, because he hath
transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and hath done wickedness in
Israel.
7:16. Josue, therefore, when he rose in the morning, made Israel to come
by their tribes, and the tribe of Juda was found.
7:17. Which being brought by in families, it was found to be the family
of Zare. Bringing that also by the houses, he found it to be Zabdi:
7:18. And bringing his house man by man, he found Achan, the son of
Charmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zare, of the tribe of Juda.
7:19. And Josue said to Achan: My son, give glory to the Lord God of
Israel, and confess, and tell me what thou hast done, hide it not.
7:20. And Achan answered Josue, and said to him: Indeed I have sinned
against the Lord, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done.
7:21. For I saw among the spoils a scarlet garment, exceeding good, and
two hundred sicles of silver, and a golden rule of fifty sicles: and I
coveted them, and I took them away, and hid them in the ground in the
midst of my tent, and the silver I covered with the earth that I dug up.
7:22. Josue therefore sent ministers: who running to his tent, found all
hid in the same place, together with the silver.
7:23. And taking them away out of the tent, they brought them to Josue,
and to all the children of Israel, and threw them down before the Lord.
7:24. Then Josue, and all Israel with him, took Achan, the son of Zare,
and the silver, and the garment, and the golden rule, his sons also, and
his daughters, his oxen, and asses, and sheep, the tent also, and all
the goods: and brought them to the valley of Achor:
His sons, etc... Probably conscious to, or accomplices of, the crime of
their father.
7:25. Where Josue said: Because thou hast troubled us, the Lord trouble
thee this day. And all Israel stoned him: and all things that were his,
were consumed with fire.
7:26. And they gathered together upon him a great heap of stones, which
remaineth until this present day And the wrath of the Lord was turned
away from them. And the name of that place was called the Valley of
Achor, until this day.
Achor... That is, trouble.
Josue Chapter 8
Hai is taken and burnt, and all the inhabitants slain. An altar is
built, and sacrifices offered. The law is written on stones, and the
blessings and cursings are read before all the people.
8:1. And the Lord said to Josue: Fear not, nor be thou dismayed: take
with thee all the multitude of fighting men, arise, and go up to the
town of Hai: Behold I have delivered into thy hand the king thereof, and
the people, and the city, and the land.
8:2. And thou shalt do to the city of Hai, and to the king thereof, as
thou hast done to Jericho, and to the king thereof: but the spoils, and
all the cattle, you shall take for a prey to yourselves: lay an ambush
for the city behind it.
8:3. And Josue arose, and all the army of the fighting men with him, to
go up against Hai: and he sent thirty thousand chosen valiant men in the
night,
8:4. And commanded them, saying: Lay an ambush behind the city: and go
not very far from it: and be ye all ready.
8:5. But I, and the rest of the multitude which is with me, will
approach on the contrary side against the city. And when they shall
come out against us, we will flee, and turn our backs, as we did before:
8:6. Till they pursuing us be drawn farther from the city: for they will
think that we flee as before.
8:7. And whilst we are fleeing, and they pursuing, you shall rise out of
the ambush, and shall destroy the city: and the Lord your God will
deliver it into your hands.
8:8. And when you shall have taken it, set it on fire, and you shall do
all things so as I have commanded.
8:9. And he sent them away, and they went on to the place of the ambush,
and abode between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the city of Hai.
But Josue staid that night in the midst of the people,
8:10. And rising early in the morning, he mustered his soldiers, and
went up with the ancients in the front of the army, environed with the
aid of the fighting men.
8:11. And when they were come, and were gone up over against the city,
they stood on the north side of the city, between which and them there
was a valley in the midst.
8:12. And he had chosen five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush
between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the same city:
Five thousand... These were part of the thirty thousand mentioned above,
ver. 3.
8:13. But all the rest of the army went in battle array on the north
side, so that the last of that multitude reached to the west side of the
city. So Josue went that night, and stood in the midst of the valley.
8:14. And when the king of Hai saw this, he made haste in the morning,
and went out with all the army of the city, and set it in battle array,
toward the desert, not knowing that there lay an ambush behind his back.
8:15. But Josue, and all Israel gave back, making as if they were
afraid, and fleeing by the way of the wilderness.
8:16. But they shouting together, and encouraging one another, pursued
them. And when they were come from the city,
8:17. And not one remained in the city of Hai and of Bethel, that did
not pursue after Israel, leaving the towns open as they had rushed out,
8:18. The Lord said to Josue: Lift up the shield that is in thy hand,
towards the city of Hai, for I will deliver it to thee.
8:19. And when he had lifted up his shield towards the city, the ambush,
that lay hid, rose up immediately: and going to the city, took it, and
set it on fire.
8:20. And the men of the city, that pursued after Josue, looking back,
and seeing the smoke of the city rise up to heaven, had no more power to
flee this way or that way: especially as they that had counterfeited
flight, and were going toward the wilderness, turned back most valiantly
against them that pursued.
8:21. So Josue, and all Israel, seeing that the city was taken, and that
the smoke of the city rose up, returned, and slew the men of Hai.
8:22. And they also that had taken and set the city on fire, issuing out
of the city to meet their own men, began to cut off the enemies who were
surrounded by them. So that the enemies being cut off on both sides, not
one of so great a multitude was saved.
8:23. And they took the king of the city of Hai alive and brought him to
Josue.
8:24. So all being slain that had pursued after Israel, in his flight to
the wilderness, and falling by the sword in the same place, the children
of Israel returned and laid waste the city.
8:25. And the number of them that fell that day, both of men and women,
was twelve thousand persons, all of the city of Hai.
8:26. But Josue drew not back his hand, which he had stretched out on
high, holding the shield, till all the inhabitants of Hai were slain.
8:27. And the children of Israel divided among them, the cattle and the
prey of the city, as the Lord had commanded Josue.
8:28. And he burnt the city, and made it a heap forever:
8:29. And he hung the king thereof on a gibbet, until the evening and
the going down of the sun. Then Josue commanded, and they took down his
carcass from the gibbet: and threw it in the very entrance of the city,
heaping upon it a great heap of stones, which remaineth until this
present day.
8:30. Then Josue built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, in Mount
Hebal,
8:31. As Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded the children of
Israel, and it is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of
unhewn stones, which iron had not touched: and he offered upon it
holocausts to the Lord, and immolated victims of peace offerings.
8:32. And he wrote upon stones, the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses,
which he had ordered before the children of Israel.
8:33. And all the people, and the ancients, and the princes, and judges,
stood on both sides of the ark, before the priests that carried the ark
of the covenant of the Lord, both the stranger and he that was born
among them, half of them by Mount Garizim, and half by Mount Hebal, as
Moses the servant of the Lord, had commanded. And first he blessed the
people of Israel.
8:34. After this, he read all the words of the blessing and the cursing,
and all things that were written in the book of the law.
8:35. He left out nothing of those things which Moses had commanded, but
he repeated all before all the people of Israel, with the women and
children, and strangers, that dwelt among them.
Josue Chapter 9
Josue is deceived by the Gabaonites: who being detected are condemned to
be perpetual servants.
9:1. Now when these things were heard of, all the kings beyond the
Jordan, that dwelt in the mountains, and in the plains, in the places
near the sea, and on the coasts of the great sea, they also that dwell
by Libanus, the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, the Chanaanite, the
Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite,
9:2. Gathered themselves together, to fight against Josue and Israel
with one mind, and one resolution.
9:3. But they that dwelt in Gabaon, hearing all that Josue had done to
Jericho and Hai:
9:4. Cunningly devising took for themselves provisions, laying old sacks
upon their asses, and wine bottles rent and sewed up again,
9:5. And very old shoes, which for a show of age were clouted with
patches, and old garments upon them: the loaves also, which they carried
for provisions by the way, were hard, and broken into pieces:
9:6. And they went to Josue, who then abode in the camp at Galgal, and
said to him, and to all Israel with him: We are come from a far country,
desiring to make peace with you. And the children of Israel answered
them, and said:
9:7. Perhaps you dwell in the land which falls to our lot; if so, we can
make no league with you.
9:8. But they said to Josue: We are thy servants. Josue said to them:
Who are you? and whence came you?
9:9. They answered: From a very far country thy servants are come in the
name of the Lord thy God. For we have heard the fame of his power, all
the things that he did in Egypt.
9:10. And to the two kings of the Amorrhites, that were beyond the
Jordan, Sehon, king of Hesebon, and Og, king of Basan, that was in
Astaroth:
9:11. And our ancients, and all the inhabitants of our country, said to
us: Take with you victuals for a long way, and go meet them, and say: We
are your servants, make ye a league with us.
9:12. Behold, these loaves we took hot, when we set out from our houses
to come to you, now they are become dry, and broken in pieces by being
exceeding old.
9:13. These bottles of wine when we filled them were new, now they are
rent and burst. These garments we have on, and the shoes we have on our
feet, by reason of the very long journey, are worn out, and almost
consumed.
9:14. They took therefore of their victuals, and consulted not the mouth
of the Lord.
9:15. And Josue made peace with them, and entering into a league,
promised that they should not be slain: the princes also of the
multitude swore to them.
9:16. Now three days after the league was made, they heard that they
dwelt nigh, and they should be among them.
9:17. And the children of Israel removed the camp, and came into their
cities on the third day, the names of which are, Gabaon, and Caphira,
and Beroth, and Cariathiarim.
9:18. And they slew them not, because the princes of the multitude had
sworn in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the common
people murmured against the princes.
9:19. And they answered them: We have sworn to them in the name of the
Lord, the God of Israel, and therefore we may not touch them.
9:20. But this we will do to them: Let their lives be saved, lest the
wrath of the Lord be stirred up against us, if we should be forsworn:
9:21. But so let them live, as to serve the whole multitude in hewing
wood, and bringing in water. As they were speaking these things,
9:22. Josue called the Gabaonites, and said to them: Why would you
impose upon us, saying: We dwell very far off from you, whereas you are
in the midst of us?
9:23. Therefore you shall be under a curse, and your race shall always
be hewers of wood, and carriers of water, into the house of my God.
9:24. They answered: It was told us, thy servants, that the Lord thy God
had promised his servant Moses, to give you all the land, and to destroy
all the inhabitants thereof. Therefore we feared exceedingly and
provided for our lives, compelled by the dread we had of you, and we
took this counsel.
9:25. And now we are in thy hand: deal with us as it seemeth good and
right unto thee.
9:26. So Josue did as he had said, and delivered them from the hand of
the children of Israel, that they should not be slain.
9:27. And he gave orders in that day, that they should be in the service
of all the people, and of the altar of the Lord, hewing wood, and
carrying water, until this present time, in the place which the Lord
hath chosen.
Josue Chapter 10
Five kings war against Gabaon. Josue defeateth them: many are slain with
hailstones. At the prayer of Josue the sun and moon stand still the
space of one day. The five kings are hanged. Divers cities are taken.
10:1. When Adonisedec, king of Jerusalem, had heard these things, to
wit, that Josue had taken Hai, and had destroyed it, (for as he had done
to Jericho and the king thereof, so did he to Hai and its king) and that
the Gabaonites were gone over to Israel, and were their confederates,
10:2. He was exceedingly afraid. For Gabaon was a great city, and one of
the royal cities, and greater than the town of Hai, and all its fighting
men were most valiant.
10:3. Therefore Adonisedec, king of Jerusalem, sent to Oham, king of
Hebron, and to Pharam, king of Jerimoth, and to Japhia, king of Lachis,
and to Dabir, king of Eglon, saying:
10:4. Come up to me, and bring help, that we may take Gabaon, because it
hath gone over to Josue, and to the children of Israel.
10:5. So the five kings of the Amorrhites being assembled together, went
up: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jerimoth, the
king of Lachis, the king of Eglon, they and their armies, and camped
about Gabaon, laying siege to it.
10:6. But the inhabitants of the city of Gabaon, which was besieged,
sent to Josue, who then abode in the camp at Galgal, and said to him:
Withdraw not thy hands from helping thy servants: come up quickly, and
save us, and bring us succour: for all the kings of the Amorrhites, who
dwell in the mountains, are gathered together against us.
10:7. And Josue went up from Galgal, and all the army of the warriors
with him, most valiant men.
10:8. But the Lord said to Josue: Fear them not: for I have delivered
them into thy hands: none of them shall be able to stand against thee.
10:9. So Josue going up from Galgal all the night, came upon them
suddenly.
10:10. And the Lord troubled them, at the sight of Israel: and he slew
them with a great slaughter, in Gabaon, and pursued them by the way of
the ascent to Bethoron, and cut them off all the way to Azeca and
Maceda.
10:11. And when they were fleeing from the children of Israel, and were
in the descent of Bethoron, the Lord cast down upon them great stones
from heaven, as far as Azeca: and many more were killed with the
hailstones, than were slain by the swords of the children of Israel,
10:12. Then Josue spoke to the Lord, in the day that he delivered the
Amorrhite in the sight of the children of Israel, and he said before
them: Move not, O sun, toward Gabaon, nor thou, O moon, toward the
valley of Ajalon.
10:13. And the sun and the moon stood still, till the people revenged
themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of the
just? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to
go down the space of one day.
The book of the just... In Hebrew Jasher: an ancient book long since
lost.
10:14. There was not before, nor after, so long a day, the Lord obeying
the voice of a man, and fighting for Israel.
10:15. And Josue returned, with all Israel, into the camp of Galgal.
10:16. For the five kings were fled, and had hid themselves in a cave of
the city of Maceda.
10:17. And it was told Josue, that the five kings were found hid in a
cave of the city of Maceda.
10:18. And he commanded them that were with him, saying: Roll great
stones to the mouth of the cave, and set careful men to keep them shut
up:
10:19. And stay you not, but pursue after the enemies, and kill all the
hindermost of them as they flee, and do not suffer them whom the Lord
God hath delivered into your hands, to shelter themselves in their
cities.
10:20. So the enemies being slain with a great slaughter, and almost
utterly consumed, they that were able to escape from Israel, entered
into fenced cities.
10:21. And all the army returned to Josue, in Maceda, where the camp
then was, in good health, and without the loss of any one: and no man
durst move his tongue against the children of Israel.
10:22. And Josue gave orders, saying: Open the mouth of the cave, and
bring forth to me the five kings that lie hid therein.
10:23. And the ministers did as they were commanded: and they brought
out to him the five kings out of the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the
king of Hebron, the king of Jerimoth, the king of Lachis, the king of
Eglon.
10:24. And when they were brought out to him, he called all the men of
Israel, and said to the chiefs of the army that were with him: Go, and
set your feet on the necks of these kings. And when they had gone, and
put their feet upon the necks of them lying under them,
10:25. He said again to them: Fear not, neither be ye dismayed, take
courage, and be strong: for so will the Lord do to all your enemies,
against whom you fight.
10:26. And Josue struck, and slew them, and hanged them upon five
gibbets; and they hung until the evening.
10:27. And when the sun was down, he commanded the soldiers to take them
down from the gibbets. And after they were taken down, they cast them
into the cave, where they had lain hid, and put great stones at the
mouth thereof, which remain until this day.
10:28. The same day Josue took Maceda, and destroyed it with the edge of
the sword, and killed the king and all the inhabitants thereof: he left
not in it the least remains. And he did to the king of Maceda, as he had
done to the king of Jericho.
10:29. And he passed from Maceda with all Israel to Lebna, and fought
against it:
10:30. And the Lord delivered it with the king thereof into the hands of
Israel: and they destroyed the city with the edge of the sword, and all
the inhabitants thereof. They left not in it any remains. And they did
to the king of Lebna, as they had done to the king of Jericho.
10:31. From Lebna he passed unto Lachis, with all Israel: and investing
it with his army, besieged it.
10:32. And the Lord delivered Lachis into the hands of Israel, and he
took it the following day, and put it to the sword, and every soul that
was in it, as he had done to Lebna.
10:33. At that time Horam, king of Gazer, came up to succour Lachis: and
Josue slew him with all his people so as to leave none alive.
10:34. And he passed from Lachis to Eglon, and surrounded it,
10:35. And took it the same day: and put to the sword all the souls that
were in it, according to all that he had done to Lachis.
10:36. He went up also with all Israel from Eglon to Hebron, and fought
against it:
10:37. Took it, and destroyed it with the edge of the sword: the king
also thereof, and all the towns of that country, and all the souls that
dwelt in it: he left not therein any remains: as he had done to Eglon,
so did he also to Hebron, putting to the sword all that he found in it.
The king... Viz., the new king, who succeeded him that was slain, ver.
26.
10:38. Returning from thence to Dabir,
10:39. He took it, and destroyed it: the king also thereof, and all the
towns round about, he destroyed with the edge of the sword: he left not
in it any remains: as he had done to Hebron and Lebna, and to their
kings, so did he to Dabir, and to the king thereof.
10:40. So Josue conquered all the country of the hills, and of the
south, and of the plain, and of Asedoth, with their kings: he left not
any remains therein, but slew all that breathed, as the Lord, the God of
Israel, had commanded him.
Any remains therein, but slew, etc... God ordered these people to be
utterly destroyed, in punishment of their manifold abomination; and that
they might not draw the Israelites into the like sins.
10:41. From Cadesbarne even to Gaza. All the land of Gosen even to
Gabaon,
10:42. And all their kings, and their lands he took and wasted at one
onset: for the Lord the God of Israel fought for him.
10:43. And he returned with all Israel to the place of the camp in
Galgal.
Josue Chapter 11
The kings of the north are overthrown: the whole country is taken.
11:1. And when Jabin king of Asor had heard these things, he sent to
Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Semeron, and to the king of
Achsaph:
11:2. And to the kings of the north, that dwelt in the mountains and in
the plains over against the south side of Ceneroth, and in the levels
and the countries of Dor by the sea side:
11:3. To the Chanaanites also on the east and on the west, and the
Amorrhite, and the Hethite, and the Pherezite, and the Jebusite in the
mountains: to the Hevite also who dwelt at the foot of Hermon in the
land of Maspha.
11:4. And they all came out with their troops, a people exceeding
numerous as the sand that is on the sea shore, their horses also and
chariots a very great multitude,
11:5. And all these kings assembled together at the waters of Merom, to
fight against Israel.
11:6. And the Lord said to Josue: Fear them not: for to morrow at this
same hour I will deliver all these to be slain in the sight of Israel:
thou shalt hamstring their horses, and thou shalt burn their chariots
with fire.
Hamstring their horses, and burn their chariots with fire, etc... God so
ordained, that his people might not trust in chariots and horses, but in
him.
11:7. And Josue came, and all the army with him, against them to the
waters of Merom on a sudden, and fell upon them.
11:8. And the Lord delivered them into the hands of Israel. And they
defeated them, and chased them as far as the great Sidon and the waters
of Maserophot, and the field of Masphe, which is on the east thereof. He
slew them all, so as to leave no remains of them:
11:9. And he did as the Lord had commanded him, he hamstringed their
horses and burned their chariots.
11:10. And presently turning back he took Asor: and slew the king
thereof with the sword. Now Asor of old was the head of all these
kingdoms.
11:11. And he cut off all the souls that abode there: he left not in it
any remains, but utterly destroyed all, and burned the city itself with
fire.
11:12. And he took and put to the sword and destroyed all the cities
round about, and their kings, as Moses the servant of God had commanded
him.
11:13. Except the cities that were on hills and high places, the rest
Israel burned: only Asor that was very strong he consumed with fire.
11:14. And the children of Israel divided among themselves all the spoil
of these cities and the cattle, killing all the men.
11:15. As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command
Josue, and he accomplished all: he left not one thing undone of all the
commandments which the Lord had commanded Moses.
11:16. So Josue took all the country of the hills, and of the south, and
the land of Gosen, and the plains and the west country, and the mountain
of Israel, and the plains thereof:
11:17. And part of the mountain that goeth up to Seir as far as Baalgad,
by the plain of Libanus under mount Hermon: all their kings he took,
smote and slew.
11:18. Josue made war a long time against these kings.
A long time... Seven years, as appears from chap. 14.10.
11:19. There was not a city that delivered itself to the children of
Israel, except the Hevite, who dwelt in Gabaon: for he took all by
fight.
11:20. For it was the sentence of the Lord, that their hearts should be
hardened, and they should fight against Israel, and fall, and should not
deserve any clemency, and should be destroyed as the Lord had commanded
Moses.
Hardened... This hardening of their hearts, was their having no thought
of yielding or submitting: which was a sentence or judgment of God upon
them in punishment of their enormous crimes.
11:21. At that time Josue came and cut off the Enancims from the
mountains, from Hebron, and Dabir, and Anab, and from all the mountain
of Juda and Israel, and destroyed their cities.
11:22. He left not any of the stock of the Enacims, in the land of the
children of Israel: except the cities of Gaza, and Geth, and Azotus, in
which alone they were left.
11:23. So Josue took all the land, as the Lord spoke to Moses, and
delivered it in possession to the children of Israel, according to their
divisions and tribes. And the land rested from wars.
Josue Chapter 12
A list of the kings slain by Moses and Josue,
12:1. These are the kings, whom the children of Israel slew and
possessed their land beyond the Jordan towards the rising of the sun,
from the torrent Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the east country that
looketh towards the wilderness.
12:2. Sehon king of the Amorrhites, who dwelt in Hesebon, and had
dominion from Aroer, which is seated upon the bank of the torrent Arnon,
and of the middle part in the valley, and of half Galaad, as far as the
torrent Jaboc, which is the border of the children of Ammon.
12:3. And from the wilderness, to the sea of Ceneroth towards the east,
and to the sea of the wilderness, which is the most salt sea, on the
east side by the way that leadeth to Bethsimoth: and on the south side
that lieth under Asedoth, Phasga.
12:4. The border of Og the king of Basan, of the remnant of the Raphaims
who dwelt in Astaroth, and in Edrai, and had dominion in mount Hermon,
and in Salecha, and in all Basan, unto the borders
12:5. Of Gessuri and Machati, and of half Galaad: the borders of Sehon
the king of Hesebon.
12:6. Moses the servant of the Lord, and the children of Israel slew
them, and Moses delivered their land in possession to the Rubenites, and
Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasses.
12:7. These are the kings of the land, whom Josue and the children of
Israel slew beyond the Jordan on the west side from Baalgad in the field
of Libanus, unto the mount, part of which goeth up into Seir: and Josue
delivered it in possession to the tribes of Israel, to every one their
divisions,
12:8. As well in the mountains as in the plains and the champaign
countries. In Asedoth, and in the wilderness, and in the south was the
Hethite and the Amorrhite, the Chanaanite and the Pherezite, the Hevite
and the Jebusite.
12:9. The king of Jericho one: the king of Hai, which is on the side of
Bethel, one:
12:10. The king of Jerusalem one, the king of Hebron one,
12:11. The king of Jerimoth one, thee king of Lachis one,
12:12. The king of Eglon one, the king of Gazer one,
12:13. The king of Dabir one, the king of Gader one,
12:14. The king of Herma one, the king of Hered one,
12:15. The king of Lebna one, the king of Odullam one,
12:16. The king of Maceda one, the king of Bethel one,
12:17. The king of Taphua one, the king of Opher one,
12:18. The king of Aphec one, the king of Saron one,
12:19. The king of Madon one, the king of Asor one,
12:20. The king of Semeron one, the king of Achsaph one,
12:21. The king of Thenac one, the king of Mageddo one,
12:22. Thee king of Cades one, the king of Jachanan of Carmel one,
12:23. The king of Dor, and of the province of Dor one, the king of the
nations of Galgal one,
12:24. The king of Thersa one: all the kings thirty and one.
Josue Chapter 13
God commandeth Josue to divide the land: the possessions of Ruben, Gad,
and half the tribe of Manasses, beyond the Jordan.
13:1. Josue was old, and far advanced in years, and the Lord said to
him: Thou art grown old, and advanced in age, and there is a very large
country left, which is not yet divided by lot:
Josue was old, and far advanced in years... He was then about one
hundred and one years old.-And their is a very large country left, which
is not yet divided by lot... Not yet possessed by the children of
Israel.
13:2. To wit, all Galilee, Philistia, and all Gessuri.
13:3. From the troubled river, that watereth Egypt, unto the border of
Accaron northward: the land of Chanaan, which is divided among the lords
of the Philistines, the Gazites, the Azotians, the Ascalonites, the
Gethites, and the Accronites.
13:4. And on the south side are the Hevites, all the land of Chanaan,
and Maara of the Sidonians as far as Apheca, and the borders of the
Amorrhite,
13:5. And his confines. The country also of Libanus towards the east
from Baalgad under mount Hermon to the entering into Emath.
13:6. Of all that dwell in the mountains from Libanus, to the waters of
Maserephoth, and all the Sidonians. I am he that will cut them off from
before the face of the children of Israel. So let their land come in as
a part of the inheritance of Israel, as I have commanded thee.
13:7. And now divide the land in possession to the nine tribes, and to
the half tribe of Manasses,
13:8. With whom Ruben and Gad have possessed the land, which Moses the
servant of the Lord delivered to them beyond the river Jordan, on the
east side.
With whom... That is, with the other half of that same tribe.
13:9. From Aroer, which is upon the bank of the torrent Arnon, and in
the midst of the valley and all the plains of Medaba, as far as Dibon:
13:10. And all the cities of Sehon, king of the Amorrhites, who reigned
in Hesebon, unto the borders of the children of Ammon.
13:11. And Galaad, and the borders of Gessuri and Machati, and all mount
Hermon, and all Basan as far as Salecha,
13:12. All the kingdom of Og in Basan, who reigned in Astaroth and
Edrai, he was of the remains of the Raphaims: and Moses overthrew and
destroyed them.
13:13. And the children of Israel would not destroy Gessuri and Machati
and they have dwelt in the midst of Israel, until this present day.
13:14. But to the tribe of Levi he gave no possession: but the
sacrifices and victims of thee Lord God of Israel, are his inheritance,
as he spoke to him.
13:15. And Moses gave a possession to the children of Ruben according to
their kindreds.
13:16. And their border was from Aroer, which is on the bank of the
torrent Arnon, and in the midst of the valley of the same torrent: all
the plain, that leadeth to Medaba,
13:17. And Hesebon, and all their villages, which are in the plains.
Dibon also, and Bamothbaal, and the town of Baalmaon,
13:18. And Jassa, and Cidimoth, and Mephaath,
13:19. And Cariathaim, and Sabama, and Sarathasar in the mountain of the
valley.
13:20. Bethphogor and Asedoth, Phasga and Bethiesimoth,
13:21. And all the cities of the plain, and all the kingdoms of Sehon
king of the Amorrhites, that reigned in Hesebon, whom Moses slew with
the princes of Madian: Hevi, and Recem, and Sur and Hur, and Rebe, dukes
of Sehon inhabitants of the land.
The princes of Madian... It appears from hence that these were subjects
of king Sehon: they are said to have been slain with him, that is, about
the same time, but not in the same battle.
13:22. Balaam also the son of Beor the soothsayer, the children of
Israel slew with the sword among the rest that were slain.
13:23. And the river Jordan was the border of the children of Ruben.
This is the possession of the Rubenites, by their kindreds, of cities
and villages.
13:24. And Moses gave to the tribe of Gad and to his children by their
kindreds a possession, of which this is the division.
13:25. The border of Jaser, and all the cities of Galaad, and half the
land of the children of Ammon: as far as Aroer which is over against
Rabba:
13:26. And from Hesebon unto Ramoth, Masphe and Betonim: and from Manaim
unto the borders of Dabir.
13:27. And in the valley Betharan and Bethnemra, and Socoth, and Saphon
the other part of the kingdom of Sehon king of Hesebon: the limit of
this also is the Jordan, as far as the uttermost part of the sea of
Cenereth beyond the Jordan on the east side,
13:28. This is the possession of the children of Gad by their families,
their cities, and villages.
13:29. He gave also to the half tribe of Manasses and his children
possession according to their kindreds,
13:30. The beginning whereof is this: from Manaim all Basan, and all the
kingdoms of Og king of Basan, and all the villages of Jair, which are in
Basan, threescore towns.
13:31. And half Galaad, and Astaroth, and Edrai, cities of the kingdom
of Og in Basan: to the children of Machir, the son of Manasses, to one
half of the children of Machir according to their kindreds.
13:32. This possession Moses divided in the plains of Moab, beyond the
Jordan, over against Jericho on the east side,
13:33. But to the tribe of Levi he gave no possession: because the Lord
the God of Israel himself is their possession, as he spoke to them.
Josue Chapter 14
Caleb's petition; Hebron is given to him and to his seed.
14:1. This is what the children of Israel possessed in the land of
Chanaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Josue the son of Nun, and the
princes of the families by the tribes of Israel gave to them.
14:2. Dividing all by lot, as the Lord had commanded the hand of Moses,
to the nine tribes, and the half tribe.
14:3. For to two tribes and a half Moses had given possession beyond the
Jordan: besides the Levites, who received no land among their brethren:
14:4. But in their place succeeded the children of Joseph divided into
two tribes, of Manasses and Ephraim: neither did the Levites receive
other portion of land, but cities to dwell in, and their suburbs to feed
their beasts and flocks.
Hebron belonged, etc... All the country thereabouts, depending on
Hebron, was given to Caleb; but the city itself with the suburbs, was
one of those that were given to the priests to dwell in.
14:5. As the Lord had commanded Moses so did the children of Israel, and
they divided the land.
14:6. Then the children of Juda came to Josue in Galgal, and Caleb the
son of Jephone the Cenezite spoke to him: Thou knowest what the Lord
spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Cadesbarne.
14:7. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me
from Cadesbarne, to view the land, and I brought him word again as to me
seemed true,
14:8. But my brethren, that had gone up with me, discouraged the heart
of the people: and I nevertheless followed the Lord my God.
14:9. And Moses swore in that day, saying: The land which thy foot hath
trodden upon shall be thy possession, and thy children for ever, because
thou hast followed the Lord my God.
14:10. The Lord therefore hath granted me life, as he promised until
this present day, It is forty and five years since the Lord spoke this
word to Moses, when Israel journeyed through the wilderness: this day I
am eighty-five years old,
14:11. As strong as I was at that time when I was sent to view the land:
the strength of that time continueth in me until this day, as well to
fight as to march.
14:12. Give me therefore this mountain, which the Lord promised, in thy
hearing also, wherein are the Enacims, and cities great and strong: if
so be the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to destroy them, as
he promised me.
14:13. And Josue blessed him, and gave him Hebron in possession.
14:14. And from that time Hebron belonged to Caleb the son of Jephone
the Cenezite, until this present day: because he followed the Lord the
God of Israel.
14:15. The name of Hebron before was called Cariath-Arbe: Adam the
greatest among the Enacims was laid there and the land rested from wars.
Josue Chapter 15
The borders of the lot of Juda. Caleb's portion and conquest. The cities
of Juda.
15:1. Now the lot of the children of Juda by their kindreds was this:
From the frontier of Edom, to the desert of Sin southward, and to the
uttermost part of the south coast.
15:2. Its beginning was from the top of the most salt sea, and from the
bay thereof, that looketh to the south.
15:3. And it goeth out towards the ascent of the Scorpion, and passeth
on to Sina: and ascendeth into Cadesbarne, and reacheth into Esron,
going up to Addar, and compassing Carcaa.
15:4. And from thence passing along into Asemona, and reaching the
torrent of Egypt: and the bounds thereof shall be the great sea, this
shall be the limit of the south coast.
15:5. But on the east side the beginning shall be the most salt sea even
to the end of the Jordan: and towards the north from the bay of the sea
unto the same river Jordan.
15:6. And the border goeth up into Beth-Hagla, and passeth by the north
into Beth-Araba: going up to the stone of Boen the son of Ruben.
15:7. And reaching as far as the borders of Debara from the valley of
Achor, and so northward looking towards Galgal, which is opposite to the
ascent of Adommin, on the south side of the torrent, and the border
passeth the waters that are called the fountain of the sun: and the
goings out thereof shall be at the fountain Rogel.
15:8. And it goeth up by the valley of the son of Ennom on the side of
the Jebusite towards the south, the same is Jerusalem: and thence
ascending to the top of the mountain, which is over against Geennom to
the west in the end of the valley of Raphaim, northward.
15:9. And it passeth on from the top of the mountain to the fountain of
the water of Nephtoa: and reacheth to the towns of mount Ephron: and it
bendeth towards Baala, which is Cariathiarim, that is to say, the city
of the woods.
15:10. And it compasseth from Baala westward unto mount Seir: and
passeth by the side of mount Jarim to the north into Cheslon: and goeth
down into Bethsames, and passeth into Thamna.
15:11. And reacheth northward to a part of Accaron at the side: and
bendeth to Sechrona, and passeth mount Baala: and cometh into Jebneel,
and is bounded westward with the great sea.
15:12. These are the borders round about of the children of Juda in
their kindreds.
15:13. But to Caleb the son of Jephone he gave a portion in the midst of
the children of Juda, as the Lord had commanded him: Cariath-Arbe the
father of Enac, which is Hebron.
15:14. And Caleb destroyed out of it the three sons of Enac, Sesai and
Ahiman, and Tholmai of the race of Enac.
15:15. And going up from thence he came to the inhabitants of Dabir,
which before was called Cariath-Sepher, that is to say, the city of
letters.
15:16. And Caleb said: He that shall smite Cariath-Sepher, and take it,
I will give him Axa my daughter to wife.
15:17. And Othoniel the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb, took
it: and he gave him Axa his daughter to wife.
15:18. And as they were going together, she was moved by her husband to
ask a field of her father, and she sighed as she sat on her ass. And
Caleb said to her: What aileth thee?
15:19. But she answered: Give me a blessing: thou hast given me a
southern and dry land, give me also a land that Is watered. And Caleb
gave her the upper and the nether watery ground.
15:20. This is the possession of the tribe of the children of Juda by
their kindreds.
15:21. And the cities from the uttermost parts of the children of Juda
by the borders of Edom to the south, were Cabseel and Eder and Jagur,
15:22. And Cina and Dimona and Adada,
15:23. And Cades and Asor and Jethnam,
15:24. Ziph and Telem and Baloth,
15:25. New Asor and Carioth, Hesron, which is Asor.
15:26. Amam, Sama and Molada,
15:27. And Asergadda and Hassemon and Bethphelet,
15:28. And Hasersual and Bersabee and Baziothia,
15:29. And Baala and Jim and Esem,
15:30. And Eltholad and Cesil and Harma,
15:31. And Siceleg and Medemena and Sensenna,
15:32. Lebaoth and Selim and Aen and Remmon: all the cities twenty-nine,
and their villages.
15:33. But in the plains: Estaol and Sarea and Asena,
15:34. And Zanoe and Engannim and Taphua and Enaim,
15:35. And Jerimoth and Adullam, Socho and Azeca,
15:36. And Saraim and Adithaim and Gedera and Gederothaim: fourteen
cities, and their villages.
15:37. Sanan and Hadassa and Magdalgad,
15:38. Delean and Masepha and Jecthel,
15:39. Lachis and Bascath and Eglon,
15:40. Chebbon and Leheman and Cethlis,
15:41. And Gideroth and Bethdagon and Naama and Maceda: sixteen cities,
and their villages.
15:42. Labana and Ether and Asan,
15:43. Jephtha and Esna and Nesib,
15:44. And Ceila and Achzib and Maresa: nine cities, and their villages.
15:45. Accaron with the towns and villages thereof.
15:46. From Accaron even to the sea: all places that lie towards Azotus
and the villages thereof.
15:47. Azotus with its towns and villages. Gaza with its towns and
villages, even to the torrent of Egypt, and the great sea that is the
border thereof.
15:48. And in the mountain Samir and Jether and Socoth,
15:49. And Danna and Cariath-senna, this is Dabir:
15:50. Anab and Istemo and Anim,
15:51. Gosen and Olon and Gilo: eleven cities and their villages.
15:52. Arab and Ruma and Esaan,
15:53. And Janum and Beththaphua and Apheca,
15:54. Athmatha and Cariath-Arbe, this is Hebron and Sior: nine cities
and their villages.
15:55. Maon and Carmel and Ziph and Jota,
15:56. Jezrael and Jucadam and Zanoe,
15:57. Accain, Gabaa and Thamna: ten cities and their villages.
15:58. Halhul, and Bessur, and Gedor,
15:59. Mareth, and Bethanoth, and Eltecon: six cities and their
villages.
15:60. Cariathbaal, the same is Cariathiarim the city of woods, and
Arebba: two cities and their villages.
15:61. In the desert Betharaba, Meddin and Sachacha,
15:62. And Nebsan, and the city of salt, and Engaddi: six cities and
their villages.
15:63. But the children of Juda could not destroy the Jebusite that
dwelt in Jerusalem: and the Jebusite dwelt with the children of Juda in
Jerusalem until this present day.
Josue Chapter 16
The lot of the sons of Joseph. The borders of the tribe of Ephraim.
16:1. And the lot of the sons of Joseph fell from the Jordan over
against Jericho and the waters thereof, on the east: the wilderness
which goeth up from Jericho to the mountain of Bethel:
16:2. And goeth out from Bethel to Luza: and passeth the border of
Archi, to Ataroth,
16:3. And goeth down westward, by the border of Jephleti, unto the
borders of Beth-horon the nether, and to Gazer: and the countries of it
are ended by the great sea:
16:4. And Manasses and Ephraim the children of Joseph possessed it.
16:5. And the border of the children of Ephraim was according to their
kindreds: and their possession towards the east was Ataroth-addar unto
Beth-horon the upper.
16:6. And the confines go out unto the sea: but Machmethath looketh to
the north, and it goeth round the borders eastward into Thanath-selo:
and passeth along on the east side to Janoe.
Looketh to the north, etc... The meaning is, that the border went
towards the north, by Machmethath; and then turned eastward to Thanath-
selo.
16:7. And it goeth down from Janoe into Ataroth and Naaratha: and it
cometh to Jericho, and goeth out to the Jordan.
16:8. From Taphua it passeth on towards the sea into the valley of
reeds, and the goings out thereof are at the most salt sea. This is the
possession of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.
16:9. And there were cities with their villages separated for the
children of Ephraim in the midst of the possession of the children of
Manasses.
16:10. And the children of Ephraim slew not the Chanaanite, who dwelt in
Gazer: and the Chanaanite dwelt in the midst of Ephraim until this day,
paying tribute.
Josue Chapter 17
The lot of the half tribe of Manasses.
17:1. And this lot fell to the tribe of Manasses for he is the firstborn
of Joseph to Machir the firstborn of Manasses the father of Galaad, who
was a warlike man, and had for possession Galaad and Basan.
17:2. And to the rest of the children of Manasses according to their
families: to the children of Abiezer, and to the children of Helec, and
to the children of Esriel, and to the children of Sechem, and to the
children of Hepher, and to the children of Semida: these are the male
children of Manasses the son of Joseph, by their kindreds.
17:3. But Salphaad the son of Hepher the son of Galaad the son of Machir
the son of Manasses had no sons, but only daughters: whose names are
these, Maala and Noa and Hegla and Melcha and Thersa.
17:4. And they came in the presence of Eleazar the priest and of Josue
the son of Nun, and of the princes, saying: The Lord commanded by the
hand of Moses, that a possession should be given us in the midst of our
brethren. And he gave them according to the commandment of the Lord a
possession amongst the brethren of their father.
17:5. And there fell ten portions to Manasses, beside the land of Galaad
and Basan beyond the Jordan.
17:6. For the daughters of Manasses possessed inheritance in the midst
of his sons. And the land of Galaad fell to the lot of the rest of the
children of Manasses.
17:7. And the border of Manasses was from Aser, Machmethath which
looketh towards Sichem: and it goeth out on the right hand by the
inhabitants of the fountain of Taphua.
17:8. For the lot of Manasses took in the land of Taphua, which is on
the borders of Manasses, and belongs to the children of Ephraim.
17:9. And the border goeth down to the valley of the reeds, to the south
of the torrent of the cities of Ephraim, which are in the midst of the
cities of Manasses: the border of Manasses is on the north side of the
torrent, and the outgoings of it are at the sea:
17:10. So that the possession of Ephraim is on the south, and on the
north that of Manasses, and the sea is the border of both, and they are
joined together in the tribe of Aser on the north, and in the tribe of
Issachar on the east.
17:11. And the inheritance of Manasses in Issachar and in Aser, was
Bethsan and its villages, and Jeblaam with its villages, and the
inhabitants of Dor, with the towns thereof: the inhabitants also of
Endor with the villages thereof: and in like manner the inhabitants of
Thenac with the villages thereof: and the inhabitants of Mageddo with
their villages, and the third part of the city of Nopheth.
17:12. Neither could the children of Manasses overthrow these cities,
but the Chanaanite began to dwell in his land.
17:13. But after that the children of Israel were grown strong, they
subdued the Chanaanites, and made them their tributaries, and they did
not kill them.
17:14. And the children of Joseph spoke to Josue, and said: Why hast
thou given me but one lot and one portion to possess, whereas I am of so
great a multitude, and the Lord hath blessed me?
17:15. And Josue said to them: If thou be a great people, go up into the
woodland, and cut down room for thyself in the land of the Pherezite and
the Raphaims: because the possession of mount Ephraim is too narrow for
thee.
17:16. And the children of Joseph answered him: We cannot go up to the
mountains, for the Chanaanites that dwell in the low lands, wherein are
situate Bethsan with its towns, and Jezrael in the midst of the valley,
have chariots of iron.
17:17. And Josue said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasses:
Thou art a great people, and of great strength, thou shalt not have one
lot only:
17:18. But thou shalt pass to the mountain, and shalt cut down the wood,
and make thyself room to dwell in: and mayst proceed farther, when thou
hast destroyed the Chanaanites, who as thou sayest have iron chariots,
and are very strong.
Josue Chapter 18
Surveyors are sent to divide the rest of the land into seven tribes.
The lot of Benjamin.
18:1. And all the children of Israel assembled together in Silo, and
there they set up the tabernacle of the testimony, and the land was
subdued before them.
18:2. But there remained seven tribes of the children of Israel, which
as yet had not received their possessions.
18:3. And Josue said to them: How long are you indolent and slack, and
go not in to possess the land which the Lord the God of your fathers
hath given you?
18:4. Choose of every tribe three men, that I may send them, and they
may go and compass the land, and mark it out according to the number of
each multitude: and bring back to me what they have marked out.
18:5. Divide to yourselves the land into seven parts: let Juda be in his
bounds on the south side, and the house of Joseph on the north.
18:6. The land in the midst between these mark ye out into seven parts;
and you shall come hither to me, that I may cast lots for you before the
Lord your God.
The land in the midst between these mark ye out into seven parts... That
is to say, the rest of the land, which is not already assigned to Juda
or Joseph.
18:7. For the Levites have no part among you, but the priesthood of the
Lord is their inheritance. And Gad and Ruben, and the half tribe of
Manasses have already received their possessions beyond the Jordan
eastward: which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.
18:8. And when the men were risen up, to go to mark out the land, Josue
commanded them saying: Go round the land and mark it out, and return to
me: that I may cast lots for you before the Lord in Silo.
18:9. So they went and surveying it divided it into seven parts, writing
them down in a book. And they returned to Josue, to the camp in Silo.
18:10. And he cast lots before the Lord in Silo, and divided the land to
the children of Israel into seven parts.
18:11. And first came up the lot of the children of Benjamin by their
families, to possess the land between the children of Juda, and the
children of Joseph.
18:12. And their border northward was from the Jordan: going along by
the side of Jericho on the north side, and thence going up westward to
the mountains, and reaching to the wilderness of Bethaven,
18:13. And passing along southward by Luza, the same is Bethel, and it
goeth down into Ataroth-addar to the mountain, that is on the south of
the nether Beth-horon.
18:14. And it bendeth thence going round towards the sea, south of the
mountain that looketh towards Beth-horon to the southwest: and the
outgoings thereof are into Cariathbaal, which is called also
Cariathiarim, a city of the children of Juda This is their coast towards
the sea, westward.
18:15. But on the south side the border goeth out from part of
Cariathiarim towards the sea, and cometh to the fountain of the waters
of Nephtoa.
18:16. And it goeth down to that part of the mountain that looketh on
the valley of the children of Ennom: and is over against the north
quarter in the furthermost part of the valley of Raphaim, and it goeth
down into Geennom (that is the valley of Ennom) by the side of the
Jebusite to the south: and cometh to the fountain of Rogel,
18:17. Passing thence to the north, and going out to Ensemes, that is to
say, the fountain of the sun:
18:18. And It passeth along to the hills that are over against the
ascent of Adommim: and it goeth down to Abenboen, that is, the stone of
Boen the son of Ruben: and it passeth on the north side to the champaign
countries; and goeth down Into the plain,
18:19. And it passeth by Bethhagla northward: and the outgoings thereof
are towards the north of the most salt sea at the south end of the
Jordan.
18:20. Which is the border of it on the east side. This is the
possession of the children of Benjamin by their borders round about, and
their families.
18:21. And their cities were, Jericho and Bethhagla and Vale-Casis,
18:22. Betharaba and Samaraim and Bethel,
18:23. And Avim and Aphara and Ophera,
18:24. The town Emona and Ophni and Gabee: twelve cities, and their
villages.
18:25. Gabam and Rama and Beroth,
18:26. And Mesphe, and Caphara, and Amosa,
18:27. And Recem, Jarephel, and Tharela,
18:28. And Sela, Eleph and Jebus, which is Jerusalem, Gabaath and
Cariath: fourteen cities, and their villages. This is the possession of
the children of Benjamin by their families.
Josue Chapter 19
The lots of the tribes of Simeon, Zabulon, Issachar, Aser, Nephtali and
Dan. A city is given to Josue.
19:1. And the second lot came forth for the children of Simeon by their
kindreds: and their inheritance was
19:2. In the midst of the possession of the children of Juda: Bersabee
and Sabee and Molada,
19:3. And Hasersual, Bala and Asem,
19:4. And Eltholad, Bethul and Harma,
19:5. And Siceleg and Bethmarchaboth and Hasersusa,
19:6. And Bethlebaoth and Sarohen: thirteen cities, and their villages.
19:7. And Remmon and Athor and Asan: four cities, and their villages.
19:8. And all the villages round about these cities to Baalath Beer
Ramath to the south quarter. This is the inheritance of the children of
Simeon according to their kindreds,
19:9. In the possession and lot of the children of Juda: because it was
too great, and therefore the children of Simeon had their possession in
the midst of their inheritance.
19:10. And the third lot fell to the children of Zabulon by their
kindreds: and the border of their possession was unto Sarid.
19:11. And It went up from the sea and from Merala, and came to
Debbaseth: as far as the torrent, which is over against Jeconam.
19:12. And it returneth from Sarid eastward to the borders of
Ceseleththabor: and it goeth out to Dabereth and ascendeth towards
Japhie.
19:13. And it passeth along from thence to the east side of Gethhepher
and Thacasin: and goeth out to Remmon, Amthar and Noa.
19:14. And it turneth about to the north of Hanathon: and the outgoings
thereof are the valley of Jephtahel,
19:15. And Cateth and Naalol and Semeron and Jedala and Bethlehem:
twelve cities and their villages.
19:16. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Zabulon
by their kindreds, the cities and their villages.
19:17. The fourth lot came out to Issachar by their kindreds.
19:18. And his inheritance was Jezrael and Casaloth and Sunem,
19:19. And Hapharaim and Seon and Anaharath,
19:20. And Rabboth and Cesion, Abes,
19:21. And Rameth and Engannim and Enhadda and Bethpheses.
19:22. And the border thereof cometh to Thabor and Sehesima and
Bethsames: and the outgoings thereof shall be at the Jordan: sixteen
cities, and their villages.
19:23. This is the possession of the sons of Issachar by their kindreds,
the cities and their villages.
19:24. And the fifth lot fell to the tribe of the children of Aser by
their kindreds:
19:25. And their border was Halcath and Chali and Beten and Axaph,
19:26. And Elmelech and Amaad and Messal: and it reacheth to Carmel by
the sea and Sihor and Labanath,
19:27. And it returneth towards the east to Bethdagon: and passeth along
to Zabulon and to the valley of Jephthael towards the north to Bethemec
and Nehiel. And it goeth out to the left side of Cabul,
19:28. And to Abaran and Rohob and Hamon and Cana, as far as the great
Sidon.
19:29. And it returneth to Horma to the strong city of Tyre, and to
Hosa: and the outgoings thereof shall be at the sea from the portion of
Achziba:
19:30. And Amma and Aphec and Rohob: twenty-two cities, and their
villages.
19:31. This is the possession of the children of Aser by their kindreds,
and the cities and their villages.
19:32. The sixth lot came out to the sons of Nephtali by their families:
19:33. And the border began from Heleph and Elon to Saananim, and Adami,
which is Neceb, and Jebnael even to Lecum:
19:34. And the border returneth westward to Azanotthabor, and goeth out
from thence to Hucuca, and passeth along to Zabulon southward, and to
Aser westward, and to Juda upon the Jordan towards the rising of the
sun.
19:35. And the strong cities are Assedim, Ser, and Emath, and Reccath
and Cenereth,
19:36. And Edema and Arama, Asor,
19:37. And Cedes and Edri, Enhasor,
19:38. And Jeron and Magdalel, Horem, and Bethanath and Bethsames:
nineteen cities, and their villages.
19:39. This is the possession of the tribe of the children of Nephtali
by their kindreds, the cities and their villages.
19:40. The seventh lot came out to the tribe of the children of Dan by
their families:
19:41. And the border of their possession was Saraa and Esthaol, and
Hirsemes, that is, the city of the sun,
19:42. Selebin and Aialon and Jethela,
19:43. Elon and Themna and Acron,
19:44. Elthece, Gebbethon and Balaath,
19:45. And Juda and Bane and Barach and Gethremmon:
19:46. And Mejarcon and Arecon, with the border that looketh towards
Joppe,
19:47. And is terminated there. And the children of Dan went up and
fought against Lesem, and took it: and they put it to the sword, and
possessed it, and dwelt in it, calling the name of it Lesem Dan, by the
name of Dan their father.
19:48. This is the possession of the tribe of the sons of Dan, by their
kindreds, the cities and their villages.
19:49. And when he had made an end of dividing the land by lot to each
one by their tribes, the children of Israel gave a possession to Josue
the son of Nun in the midst of them,
19:50. According to the commandment of the Lord, the city which he asked
for, Thamnath Saraa, in mount Ephraim: and he built up the city, and
dwelt in it.
19:51. These are the possessions which Eleazar the priest, and Josue the
son of Nun, and the princes of the families, and of the tribes of the
children of Israel, distributed by lot in Silo, before the Lord at the
door of the tabernacle of the testimony, and they divided the land.
Josue Chapter 20
The cities of refuge are appointed for casual manslaughter.
20:1. And the Lord spoke to Josue, saying: Speak to children of Israel
and say to them:
20:2. Appoint cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by the hand of
Moses:
20:3. That whosoever shall kill a person unawares may flee to them, and
may escape the wrath of the kinsman, who is the avenger of blood.
20:4. And when he shall flee to one of these cities: he shall stand
before the gate of the city, and shall speak to the ancients of that
city, such things as prove him innocent: and so shall they receive him,
and give him a place to dwell in.
20:5. And when the avenger of blood shall pursue him, they shall not
deliver him into his hands, because he slew his neighbour unawares, and
is not proved to have been his enemy two or three days before,
20:6. And he shall dwell in that city, till he stand before judgment to
give an account of his fact, and till the death of the high priest, who
shall be at that time: then shall the manslayer return, and go into his
own city and house from whence he fled.
20:7. And they appointed Cedes in Galilee of mount Nephtali, and Sichem
in mount Ephraim, and Cariath-Arbe, the same is Hebron in the mountain
of Juda.
20:8. And beyond the Jordan to the east of Jericho, they appointed
Bosor, which is upon the plain of the wilderness of the tribe of Ruben,
and Ramoth in Galaad of the tribe of Gad, and Gaulon in Basan of the
tribe of Manasses.
20:9. These cities were appointed for all the children of Israel, and
for the strangers, that dwelt among them, that whosoever had killed a
person unawares might flee to them, and not die by the hand of the
kinsman, coveting to revenge the blood that was shed, until he should
stand before the people to lay open his cause.
Josue Chapter 21
Cities with their suburbs are assigned for the priests and Levites.
21:1. Then the princes of the families of Levi came to Eleazar the
priest, and to Josue the son of Nun, and to the princes of the kindreds
of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
21:2. And they spoke to them in Silo in the land of Chanaan, and said:
The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, that cities should be given us
to dwell in, and their suburbs to feed our cattle.
21:3. And the children of Israel gave out of their possessions according
to the commandment of the Lord, cities and their suburbs.
21:4. And the lot came out for the family of Caath of the children of
Aaron the priest out of the tribes of Juda, and of Simeon, and of
Benjamin, thirteen cities.
21:5. And to the rest of the children of Caath, that is, to thee
Levites, who remained, out of the tribes of Ephraim, and of Dan, and the
half tribe of Manasses, ten cities.
21:6. And the lot came out to children of Gerson, that they should take
of the tribes of Issachar and of Aser and of Nephtali, and of the half
tribe of Manasses in Basan, thirteen cities.
21:7. And to the sons of Merari by their kindreds, of the tribes of
Ruben and of Gad and of Zabulon, twelve cities.
21:8. And the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and
their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, giving to
every one by lot.
21:9. Of the tribes of the children of Juda and of Simeon Josue gave
cities: whose names are these,
21:10. To the sons of Aaron, of the families of Caath of the race of
Levi (for the first lot came out for them)
21:11. The city of Arbe the father of Enac, which is called Hebron, in
the mountain of Juda, and the suburbs thereof round about.
21:12. But the fields and the villages thereof he had given to Caleb the
son of Jephone for his possession.
21:13. He gave therefore to the children of Aaron the priest, Hebron a
city of refuge, and the suburbs thereof, and Lebna with the suburbs
thereof,
21:14. And Jether and Estemo,
21:15. And Holon, and Dabir,
21:16. And Ain, and Jeta, and Bethsames, with their suburbs: nine cities
out of the two tribes, as hath been said.
21:17. And out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, Gabaon, and
Gabae,
21:18. And Anathoth and Almon, with, their suburbs: four cities.
21:19. All the cities together of the children of Aaron the priest, were
thirteen, with their suburbs,
21:20. And to the rest of the families of the children of Caath of the
race of Levi was given this possession.
21:21. Of the tribe of Ephraim, Sichem one of the cities of refuge, with
the suburbs thereof in mount Ephraim, and Gazer,
21:22. And Cibsaim, and Beth-horon, with their suburbs, four cities.
21:23. And of he tribe of Dan, Eltheco and Gabathon,
21:24. And Aialon and Gethremmon, with their suburbs, four cities.
21:25. And of the half tribe of Manasses, Thanac and Gethremmon, with
their suburbs, two cities.
21:26. All the cities were ten, with their suburbs, which were given to
the children of Caath, of the inferior degree.
21:27. To the children of Gerson also of the race of Levi out of the
half tribe of Manasses, Gaulon in Basan, one of the cities of refuge,
and Bosra, with their suburbs, two cities.
21:28. And of the tribe of Issachar, Cesion, and Dabereth,
21:29. And Jaramoth, and Engannim, with their suburbs, four cities.
21:30. And of the tribe of Aser, Masal and Abdon,
21:31. And Helcath, and Rohob, with their suburbs, four cities.
21:32. Of the tribe also of Nephtali, Cedes in Galilee, one of the
cities of refuge: and Hammoth Dor, and Carthan, with their suburbs,
three cities.
21:33. All the cities of the families of Gerson, were thirteen, with
their suburbs.
21:34. And to the children of Merari, Levites of the inferior degree, by
their families were given of the tribe of Zabulon, Jecnam and Cartha,
21:35. And Damna and Naalol, four cities with their suburbs.
21:36. Of the tribe of Ruben beyond the Jordan over against Jericho,
Bosor in the wilderness, one of the cities of refuge, Misor and Jaser
and Jethson and Mephaath, four cities with their suburbs.
Four cities... There are no more, though there be five names: for Misor
is the same city as Bosor, which is to be observed in some other places,
where the number of names exceeds the number of cities.
21:37. Of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Galaad, one of the cities of
refuge, and Manaim and Hesebon and Jaser, four cities with their
suburbs,
21:38. All the cities of the children of Merari by their families and
kindreds, were twelve.
21:39. So all the cities of the Levites within the possession of the
children of Israel were forty-eight,
21:40. With their suburbs, each distributed by the families.
21:41. And the Lord God gave to Israel all the land that he had sworn to
give to their fathers: and they possessed it, and dwelt in it.
21:42. And he gave them peace from all nations round about: and none of
their enemies durst stand against them, but were brought under their
dominion.
21:43. Not so much as one word, which he had promised to perform unto
them, was made void, but all came to pass.
Josue Chapter 22
The tribes of Ruben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasses return to
their possessions. They build an altar by the side of the Jordan, which
alarms the other tribes. An embassage is sent to them, to which they
give a satisfactory answer.
22:1. At the same time Josue called the Rubenites, and the Gadites, and
the half tribe of Manasses,
22:2. And said to them: You have done all that Moses the servant of the
Lord commanded you: you have also obeyed me in all things,
22:3. Neither have you left your brethren this long time, until this
present day, keeping the commandment of the Lord your God.
22:4. Therefore as the Lord your God hath given your brethren rest and
peace, as he promised: return, and go to your dwellings, and to the land
of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond
the Jordan:
22:5. Yet so that you observe attentively, and in work fulfil the
commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded
you: that you love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, and keep
all his commandments, and cleave to him, and serve him with all your
heart, and with all your soul.
22:6. And Josue blessed them, and sent them away, and they returned to
their dwellings.
22:7. Now to half the tribe of Manasses, Moses had given a possession in
Basan: and therefore to the half that remained, Josue gave a lot among
the rest of their brethren beyond the Jordan to the west. And when he
sent them away to their dwellings and had blessed them,
22:8. He said to them: With much substance and riches, you return to
your settlements, with silver and gold, brass and iron, and variety of
raiment: divide the prey of your enemies with your brethren.
22:9. So the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad, and the half
tribe of Manasses returned, and parted from the children of Israel in
Silo, which is in Chanaan, to go into Galaad the land of their
possession, which they had obtained according to the commandment of the
Lord by the hand of Moses.
22:10. And when they were come to banks of the Jordan, in the land of
Chanaan, they built an altar immensely great near the Jordan.
22:11. And when the children of Israel had heard of it, and certain
messengers brought them an account that the children of Ruben, and of
Gad, and the half tribe of Manasses had built an altar in the land of
Chanaan, upon the banks of the Jordan, over against the children of
Israel:
22:12. They all assembled in Silo, to go up and fight against them.
22:13. And in the mean time they sent to them into the land of Galaad,
Phinees the son of Eleazar the priest,
22:14. And ten princes with him, one of every tribe.
22:15. Who came to the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and the half tribe
of Manasses, into the land of Galaad, and said to them:
22:16. Thus saith all the people of the Lord: What meaneth this
transgression? Why have you forsaken the Lord the God of Israel,
building a sacrilegious altar, and revolting from the worship of him?
22:17. Is it a small thing to you that you sinned with Beelphegor, and
the stain of that crime remaineth in us to this day? and many of the
people perished.
22:18. And you have forsaken the Lord to day, and to morrow his wrath
will rage against all Israel.
22:19. But if you think the land of your possession to be unclean, pass
over to the land wherein is the tabernacle of the Lord, and dwell among
us: only depart not from the Lord, and from our society, by building an
altar beside the altar of the Lord our God.
22:20. Did not Achan the son of Zare transgress the commandment of the
Lord, and his wrath lay upon all the people of Israel? And he was but
one man, and would to God he alone had perished in his wickedness.
22:21. And the children of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half tribe of
Manasses answered the princes of the embassage of Israel:
22:22. The Lord the most mighty God, the Lord the most mighty God, he
knoweth, and Israel also shall understand: If with the design of
transgression we have set up this altar, let him not save us, but punish
us immediately:
22:23. And if we did it with that mind, that we might lay upon it
holocausts, and sacrifice, and victims of peace offerings, let him
require and judge:
22:24. And not rather with this thought and design, that we should say:
To morrow your children will say to our children: What have you to do
with the Lord the God of Israel?
22:25. The Lord hath put the river Jordan for a border between us and
you, O ye children of Ruben, and ye children of Gad: and therefore you
have no part in the Lord. And by this occasion your children shall turn
away our children from the fear of the Lord. We therefore thought it
best,
22:26. And said: Let us build us an altar, not for holocausts, nor to
offer victims,
22:27. But for a testimony between us and you, and our posterity and
yours, that we may serve the Lord, and that we may have a right to offer
both holocausts, and victims and sacrifices of peace offerings: and that
your children to morrow may not say to our children: You have no part in
the Lord.
22:28. And if they will say so, they shall answer them: Behold the altar
of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for holocausts, nor for
sacrifice, but for a testimony between us and you.
22:29. God keep us from any such wickedness that we should revolt from
the Lord, and leave off following his steps, by building an altar to
offer holocausts, and sacrifices, and victims, beside the altar of the
Lord our God, which is erected before his tabernacle.
22:30. And when Phinees the priest, and the princes of the embassage,
who were with him, had heard this, they were satisfied: and they
admitted most willingly the words of the children of Ruben, and Gad, and
of the half tribe of Manasses,
22:31. And Phinees the priest the son of Eleazar said to them: Now we
know that the Lord is with us, because you are not guilty of this
revolt, and you have delivered the children of Israel from the hand of
the Lord.
22:32. And he returned with the princes from the children of Ruben and
Gad, out of the land of Galaad, into the land of Chanaan, to the
children of Israel, and brought them word again.
22:33. And the saying pleased all that heard it. And the children of
Israel praised God, and they no longer said that they would go up
against them, and fight, and destroy the land of their possession.
22:34. And the children of Ruben, and the children of Gad called the
altar which they had built, Our testimony, that the Lord is God,
Josue Chapter 23
Josue being old admonisheth the people to keep God's commandments: and
to avoid marriages and all society with the Gentiles for fear of being
brought to idolatry.
23:1. And when a long time was passed, after that the Lord had given
peace to Israel, all the nations round about being subdued, and Josue
being now old, and far advanced in years:
23:2. Josue called for all Israel, and for the elders, and for the
princes, and for the judges, and for the masters, and said to them: I am
old, and far advanced in years,
23:3. And you see all that the Lord your God hath done to all the
nations round about, how he himself hath fought for you:
23:4. And now since he hath divided to you by lot all the land, from the
east of the Jordan unto the great sea, ant many nations yet remain:
23:5. The Lord your God will destroy them, and take them away from
before your face, and you shall possess the land as he hath promised
you.
23:6. Only take courage, and be careful to observe all things that are
written in the book of the law of Moses: and turn not aside from them
neither to the right hand nor to the left:
23:7. Lest after that you are come in among the Gentiles, who will
remain among you, you should swear by the name of their gods, and serve
them, and adore them:
23:8. But cleave ye unto the Lord your God, as you have done until this
day.
23:9. And then the Lord God will take away before your eyes nations that
are great and very strong, and no man shall be able to resist you.
23:10. One of you shall chase a thousand men of the enemies: because the
Lord your God himself will fight for you, as he hath promised.
23:11. This only take care of with all diligence, that you love the Lord
your God.
23:12. But if you will embrace the errors of these nations that dwell
among you, and make marriages with them, and join friendships:
23:13. Know ye for a certainty that the Lord your God will not destroy
them before your face, but they shall be a pit and a snare in your way,
and a stumbling-block at your side, and stakes in your eyes, till he
take you away and destroy you from off this excellent land, which he
hath given you.
23:14. Behold this day I am going into the way of all the earth, and you
shall know with all your mind that of all the words which the Lord
promised to perform for you, not one hath failed,
23:15. Therefore as he hath fulfilled in deed, what he promised, and all
things prosperous have come: so will he bring upon you all the evils he
hath threatened, till he take you away and destroy you from off this
excellent land, which he hath given you,
23:16. When you shall have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your
God, which he hath made with you, and shall have served strange gods,
and adored them: then shall the indignation of the Lord rise up quickly
and speedily against you, and you shall be taken away from this
excellent land, which he hath delivered to you.
Josue Chapter 24
Josue assembleth the people, and reneweth the covenant between them and
God. His death and burial.
24:1. And Josue gathered together all the tribes of Israel in Sichem,
and called for the ancients, and the princes and the judges, and the
masters: and they stood in the sight of the Lord:
24:2. And he spoke thus to the people: Thus saith the Lord the God of
Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old on the other side of the river, Thare
the father of Abraham, and Nachor: and they served strange gods.
Of the river... The Euphrates.
24:3. And I took your father Abraham from the borders of Mesopotamia:
and brought him into the land of Chanaan: and I multiplied his seed,
24:4. And gave him Isaac: and to him again I gave Jacob and Esau. And I
gave to Esau mount Seir for his possession: but Jacob and his children
went down into Egypt.
24:5. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with many signs and
wonders.
24:6. And I brought you and your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to
the sea: and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and
horsemen, as far as the Red Sea.
24:7. And the children of Israel cried to the Lord: and he put darkness
between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and
covered them. Your eyes saw all that I did in Egypt, and you dwelt in
the wilderness a long time.
24:8. And I brought you into the land of the Amorrhite, who dwelt beyond
the Jordan. And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your
hands, and you possessed their land, and slew them.
24:9. And Balac son of Sephor king of Moab arose and fought against
Israel. And he sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you:
24:10. And I would not hear him, but on the contrary I blessed you by
him, and I delivered you out of his hand.
24:11. And you passed over the Jordan, and you came to Jericho. And the
men of that city fought against you, the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite,
and the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Gergesite, and the Hevite,
and the Jebusite: and I delivered them into your hands.
24:12. And I sent before you and I drove them out from their places, the
two kings of the Amorrhites, not with thy sword nor with thy bow,
24:13. And I gave you a land, in which you had not laboured, and cities
to dwell in which you built not, vineyards and oliveyards, which you
planted not.
24:14. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and
most sincere heart: and put away the gods which your fathers served in
Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
24:15. But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your
choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather
serve, whether the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the
gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my
house we will serve thee Lord,
24:16. And the people answered, and said, God forbid we should leave the
Lord, and serve strange gods.
24:17. The Lord our God he brought us and our fathers out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage: and did very great signs in our
sight, and preserved us in all the way by which we journeyed, and among
all the people through whom we passed.
24:18. And he hath cast out all the nations, the Amorrhite the
inhabitant of the land into which we are come. Therefore we will serve
the Lord, for he is our God.
24:19. And Josue said to the people: You will not be able to serve the
Lord: for he is a holy God, and mighty and jealous, and will not forgive
your wickedness and sins.
You will not be able to serve the Lord, etc... This was not said by way
of discouraging them; but rather to make them more earnest and resolute,
by setting before them the greatness of the undertaking, and the courage
and constancy necessary to go through with it.
24:20. If you leave the Lord, and serve strange gods, he will turn, and
will afflict you, and will destroy you after all the good he hath done
you.
24:21. And the people said to Josue: No, it shall not be so as thou
sayest, but we will serve the Lord.
24:22. And Josue said to the people, You are witnesses, that you
yourselves have chosen you the Lord to serve him. And they answered: We
are witnesses.
24:23. Now therefore, said he, put away strange gods from among you, and
incline your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel.
24:24. And the people said to Josue: We will serve the Lord our God, and
we will be obedient to his commandments.
24:25. Josue therefore on that day made a covenant, and set before the
people commandments and judgments in Sichem.
24:26. And he wrote all these things in the volume of the law of the
Lord: and he took a great stone, and set it under the oak that was in
the sanctuary of the Lord.
24:27. And he said to all the people: Behold this stone shall be a
testimony unto you, that it hath heard all the words of the Lord, which
he hath spoken to you: lest perhaps hereafter you will deny it, and lie
to the Lord your God.
It hath heard... This is a figure of speech, by which sensation is
attributed to inanimate things; and they are called upon, as it were, to
bear witness in favour of the great Creator, whom they on their part
constantly obey.
24:28. And he sent the people away every one to their own possession,
24:29. And after these things Josue the son of Nun the servant of the
Lord died, being a hundred and ten years old:
And after, etc... If Josue wrote this book, as is commonly believed,
these last verses were added by Samuel, or some other prophet.
24:30. And they buried him in the border of his possession in
Thamnathsare, which is situate in mount Ephraim, on the north side of
mount Gaas.
24:31. And Israel served the Lord all the days of Josue, and of the
ancients that lived a long time after Josue, and that had known all the
works of the Lord which he had done in Israel.
24:32. And the bones of Joseph which the children of Israel had taken
out of Egypt, they buried in Sichem, in that part of the field which
Jacob had bought of the sons of Hemor the father of Sichem, for a
hundred young ewes, and it was in the possession of the sons of Joseph.
24:33. Eleazar also the son of Aaron died: and they buried him in
Gabaath that belongeth to Phinees his son, which was given him in mount
Ephraim.
THE BOOK OF JUDGES
This Book is called JUDGES, because it contains the history of what
passed under the government of the judges, who ruled Israel before they
had kings. The writer of it, according to the more general opinion, was
the prophet Samuel.
Judges Chapter 1
The expedition and victory of Juda against the Chanaanites: who are
tolerated in many places.
1:1. After the death of Josue, the children of Israel consulted the
Lord, saying: Who shall go up before us against the Chanaanite, and
shall be the leader of the war?
1:2. And the Lord said: Juda shall go up: behold I have delivered the
land into his hands.
1:3. And Juda said to Simeon, his brother: Come up with me into my lot,
and fight against the Chanaanite, that I also may go along with thee
into thy lot. And Simeon went with him.
1:4. And Juda went up, and the Lord delivered the Chanaanite, and the
Pherezite into their hands: and they slew of them in Bezec ten thousand
men.
1:5. And they found Adonibezec in Bezec, and fought against him, and
they defeated the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite.
1:6. And Adonibezec fled: and they pursued after him and took him, and
cut off his fingers and toes.
1:7. And Adonibezec said: Seventy kings, having their fingers and toes
cut off, gathered up the leavings of the meat under my table: as I have
done, so hath God requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and
he died there.
1:8. And the children of Juda besieging Jerusalem, took it, and put it
to the sword, and set the whole city on fire.
Jerusalem... This city was divided into two; one part was called Jebus,
the other Salem: the one was in the tribe of Juda, the other in the
tribe of Benjamin. After it was taken and burnt by the men of Juda, it
was quickly rebuilt again by the Jebusites, as we may gather from ver.
21; and continued in their possession till it was taken by king David.
1:9. And afterwards they went down and fought against the Chanaanite,
who dwelt in the mountains, and in the south, and in the plains.
1:10. And Juda going forward against the Chanaanite, that dwelt in
Hebron, (the name whereof was in former times Cariath-Arbe) slew Sesai,
and Ahiman, and Tholmai:
Hebron... This expedition against Hebron, etc. is the same as is
related, Jos. 15.24. It is here repeated, to give the reader at once a
short sketch of all the achievements of the tribe of Juda against the
Chanaanites.
1:11. And departing from thence, he went to the inhabitants of Dabir,
the ancient name of which was Cariath-Sepher, that is, the city of
letters.
The city of letters... Perhaps so called from some famous school, or
library, kept there.
1:12. And Caleb said: He that shall take Cariath-Sepher, and lay it
waste, to him will I give my daughter Axa to wife.
1:13. And Othoniel, the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb,
having taken it, he gave him Axa his daughter to wife.
1:14. And as she was going on her way, her husband admonished her to ask
a field of her father. And as she sighed sitting on her ass, Caleb said
to her: What aileth thee?
1:15. But she answered: Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a dry
land: give me also a watery land So Caleb gave her the upper and the
nether watery ground.
1:16. And the children of the Cinite, the kinsman of Moses, went up from
the city of palms, with the children of Juda, into the wilderness of his
lot, which is at the south side of Arad, and they dwelt with him.
The Cinite... Jethro the father-in-law of Moses was called Cinoeus, or
the Cinite; and his children who came along with the children of Israel
settled themselves among them in the land of Chanaan, embracing their
worship and religion. From these the Rechabites sprung, of whom see Jer.
35.-Ibid. The city of palms... Jericho, so called from the abundance of
palm trees.
1:17. And Juda went with Simeon, his brother, and they together defeated
the Chanaanites that dwelt in Sephaath, and slew them. And the name of
the city was called Horma, that is, Anathema.
1:18. And Juda took Gaza, with its confines, and Ascalon, and Accaron,
with their confines.
Gaza, etc... These were three of the principal cities of the
Philistines, famous both in sacred and profane history. They were taken
at this time by the Israelites: but as they took no care to put
garrisons in them, the Philistines soon recovered them.
1:19. And the Lord was with Juda, and he possessed the hill country: but
was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, because they had
many chariots armed with scythes.
Was not able, etc... Through a cowardly fear of their chariots armed
with hooks and scythes, and for want of confidence in God.
1:20. And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, who destroyed
out of it the three sons of Enac.
1:21. But the sons of Benjamin did not destroy the Jebusites that
inhabited Jerusalem: and the Jebusite hath dwelt with the sons of
Benjamin in Jerusalem until this present day.
1:22. The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was
with them.
1:23. For when they were besieging the city, which before was called
Luza,
1:24. They saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him: Shew
us the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.
1:25. And when he had shewed them, they smote the city with the edge of
the sword: but that man, and all his kindred, they let go:
1:26. Who being sent away, went into the land of Hetthim, and built
there a city, and called it Luza: which is so called until this day.
1:27. Manasses also did not destroy Bethsan, and Thanac, with their
villages; nor the inhabitants of Dor, and Jeblaam, and Mageddo, with
their villages. And the Chanaanite began to dwell with them.
1:28. But after Israel was grown strong, he made them tributaries, and
would not destroy them.
1:29. Ephraim also did not slay the Chanaanite that dwelt in Gazer, but
dwelt with him.
1:30. Zabulon destroyed not the inhabitants of Cetron, and Naalol: but
the Chanaanite dwelt among them, and became their tributary.
1:31. Aser also destroyed not the inhabitants of Accho, and of Sidon, of
Ahalab, and of Achazib, and of Helba, and of Aphec, and of Rohob:
1:32. And he dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites, the inhabitants of
that land, and did not slay them.
1:33. Nephthali also destroyed not the inhabitants of Bethsames, and of
Bethanath: and he dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites, the inhabitants
of the land, and the Bethsamites and Bethanites were tributaries to him.
1:34. And the Amorrhite straitened the children of Dan in the mountain,
and gave them not a place to go down to the plain:
1:35. And he dwelt in the mountain Hares, that is, of potsherds, in
Aialon and Salebim. And the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy upon
him, and he became tributary to him.
He dwelt... That is, the Amorrhite.
1:36. And the border of the Amorrhite was from the ascent of the
scorpion, the rock, and the higher places.
Judges Chapter 2
An angel reproveth Israel. They weep for their sins. After the death of
Josue, they often fall, and repenting are delivered from their
afflictions, but still fall worse and worse.
2:1. And an angel of the Lord went up from Galgal to the place of
weepers, and said: I made you go out of Egypt, and have brought you into
the land for which I swore to your fathers: and I promised that I would
not make void my covenant with you for ever:
An angel... Taking the shape of a man.
2:2. On condition that you should not make a league with the inhabitants
of this land, but should throw down their altars: and you would not hear
my voice: why have you done this?
2:3. Wherefore I would not destroy them from before your face; that you
may have enemies, and their gods may be your ruin.
2:4. And when the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the
children of Israel: they lifted up their voice, and wept.
2:5. And the name of that place was called, The place of weepers, or of
tears: and there they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
2:6. And Josue sent away the people, and the children of Israel went
every one to his own possession to hold it:
And Josue, etc... This is here inserted out of Jos. 24, by way of
recapitulation of what had happened before, and by way of an
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