ing as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until

now."

And Yahweh said, "I have pardoned according to thy word: but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yahweh; because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it: but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: tomorrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea. But your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness."

And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, "Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Yahweh hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said, "Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of Yahweh, seeing it shall not prosper? Go not up, for Yahweh is not among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies. For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned back from following Yahweh, therefore Yahweh will not be with you." But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah.

Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, "We will not come up: is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs make thyself also a prince over us? Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up."

And Moses was very wroth, and said unto Yahweh, "Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them."

And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spake unto the congregation, saying, "Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins."

And Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones. And Moses said, "Hereby ye shall know that Yahweh hath set me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then Yahweh hath not sent me. But if Yahweh make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then ye shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh."

And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them; and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and so they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up."

And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. And there was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people strove with Moses, and spake, saying, "Would that we had died when our brethren died before Yahweh! And why have ye brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our beasts? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink." And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces: and the glory of Yahweh appeared unto them. And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, "Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink." And Moses took the rod from before Yahweh, as he commanded him.

And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them, "Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock?" And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice: and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. And Yahweh said unto Moses and Aaron, "Because ye believed not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them."

And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, "Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers: and when we cried unto Yahweh, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border. Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land: we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king's highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border." And Edom said unto him, "Thou shalt not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against thee." And the children of Israel said unto him, "We will go up by the highway; and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I give the price thereof: let me only, without doing anything else, pass through on my feet." And he said, "Thou shalt not pass through." And Edom came out against him with much people and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. And Israel vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and said, " If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities?" And Yahweh hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and the name of the place was called Hormah.

And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, "Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn aside into field, or into vineyard; we will not drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's highway, until we have passed thy border." And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel. And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof. For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon. Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, "Come ye to Heshbon;

Let the city of Sihon be built and established:
For a fire is gone out of Heshbon,

A flame from the city of Sihon:
It hath devoured Ar of Moab,

The lords of the high places of the Arnon.

Woe to thee, Moab!

Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh:

He hath given his sons as fugitives,

And his daughters into captivity,

Unto Sihon king of the Amorites.

We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon,
And we have laid waste even unto Nophah,

Which reacheth unto Medeba."

Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. And Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took the towns thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.

THE STORY OF BALAAM

And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, "Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field." And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying,

Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. Come now, therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed."

And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. And he said unto them, "Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as Yahweh shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam." And God came unto Balaam, and said, "What men are these with thee?" And Balaam said