Old/New Testament
The People Are Counted
26 After the great sickness, the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest. He said, 2 “Count all the people of Israel by families. Count all the men who are 20 years old or older. They will serve in the army of Israel.” 3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to the people. They were on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho. They said, 4 “Count the men 20 years old or older. This is what the Lord commanded Moses.”
Here are the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5 The tribe of Reuben was counted. Reuben was the first son born to Israel. From Hanoch came the Hanochite family group. From Pallu came the Palluite family group. 6 From Hezron came the Hezronite family group. From Carmi came the Carmite family group. 7 These were the family groups of Reuben. The total number of men was 43,730.
8 The son of Pallu was Eliab. 9 Eliab’s sons were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were the leaders who turned against Moses and Aaron. They followed Korah when he turned against the Lord. 10 The earth opened up and swallowed them and Korah. They died when the fire burned up the 250 men. This was a warning. 11 But the children of Korah did not die.
12 These were the family groups in the tribe of Simeon. From Nemuel came the Nemuelite family group. From Jamin came the Jaminite family group. From Jakin came the Jakinite family group. 13 From Zerah came the Zerahite family group. From Shaul came the Shaulite family group. 14 These were the family groups of Simeon. The total number of men was 22,200.
15 These were the family groups in the tribe of Gad. From Zephon came the Zephonite family group. From Haggi came the Haggite family group. From Shuni came the Shunite family group. 16 From Ozni came the Oznite family group. From Eri came the Erite family group. 17 From Arodi came the Arodite family group. From Areli came the Arelite family group. 18 These were the family groups of Gad. The total number of men was 40,500.
19 Two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan.
20 These were the family groups in the tribe of Judah. From Shelah came the Shelanite family group. From Perez came the Perezite family group. From Zerah came the Zerahite family group. 21 These were the family groups from Perez. From Hezron came the Hezronite family group. From Hamul came the Hamulite family group. 22 These were the family groups of Judah. The total number of men was 76,500.
23 These were the family groups in the tribe of Issachar. From Tola came the Tolaite family group. From Puah came the Puite family group. 24 From Jashub came the Jashubite family group. From Shimron came the Shimronite family group. 25 These were the family groups of Issachar. The total number of men was 64,300.
26 These were the family groups in the tribe of Zebulun. From Sered came the Seredite family group. From Elon came the Elonite family group. From Jahleel came the Jahleelite family group. 27 These were the family groups of Zebulun. The total number of men was 60,500.
28 These were the family groups of Joseph through Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 These were the family groups of Manasseh. From Makir came the Makirite family group. (Makir was the father of Gilead.) From Gilead came the Gileadite family group. 30 These were the family groups that came from Gilead. From Iezer came the Iezerite family group. From Helek came the Helekite family group. 31 From Asriel came the Asrielite family group. From Shechem came the Shechemite family group. 32 From Shemida came the Shemidaite family group. From Hepher came the Hepherite family group. 33 (Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons. He had only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.) 34 These were the family groups of Manasseh. The total number of men was 52,700.
35 These were the family groups in the tribe of Ephraim. From Shuthelah came the Shuthelahite family group. From Beker came the Bekerite family group. From Tahan came the Tahanite family group. 36 This was the family group from Shuthelah. From Eran came the Eranite family group. 37 These were the family groups of Ephraim. The total number of men was 32,500. These are the family groups that came from Joseph.
38 These were the family groups in the tribe of Benjamin. From Bela came the Belaite family group. From Ashbel came the Ashbelite family group. From Ahiram came the Ahiramite family group. 39 From Shupham came the Shuphamite family group. From Hupham came the Huphamite family group. 40 These were the family groups from Bela through Ard and Naaman. From Ard came the Ardite family group. From Naaman came the Naamite family group. 41 These were the family groups of Benjamin. The total number of men was 45,600.
42 This was the family group in the tribe of Dan. From Shuham came the Shuhamite family group. That was the family of Dan. 43 The total number of men in the Shuhamite family group of Dan was 64,400.
44 These were the family groups in the tribe of Asher. From Imnah came the Imnite family group. From Ishvi came the Ishvite family group. From Beriah came the Beriite family group. 45 These were the family groups that came from Beriah. From Heber came the Heberite family group. From Malkiel came the Malkielite family group. 46 (Asher also had a daughter named Serah.) 47 These were the family groups of Asher. The total number of men was 53,400.
48 These were the family groups in the tribe of Naphtali. From Jahzeel came the Jahzeelite family group. From Guni came the Gunite family group. 49 From Jezer came the Jezerite family group. From Shillem came the Shillemite family group. 50 These were the family groups of Naphtali. The total number of men was 45,400.
51 So the total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.
52 The Lord said to Moses, 53 “Divide the land among these people by the number of names. 54 A large tribe will get more land. And a small tribe will get less land. The amount of land each tribe gets will depend on the number of its people. 55 Divide the land by drawing lots. And the land each tribe gets will be named for that tribe. 56 Divide the land by drawing lots. Divide it between large and small groups.”
57 The tribe of Levi was also counted. These were the family groups of Levi. From Gershon came the Gershonite family group. From Kohath came the Kohathite family group. From Merari came the Merarite family group. 58 These also were Levite family groups: the Libnite family group, the Hebronite family group, the Mahlite family group, the Mushite family group and the Korahite family group. (Kohath was the ancestor of Amram. 59 Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was from the tribe of Levi. She was born in Egypt. She and Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died. They died because they made an offering before the Lord with the wrong kind of fire.)
62 The total number of male Levites one month old or older was 23,000. But these men were not counted with the other Israelites. They did not receive any of the land that the Lord gave the other Israelites.
63 Moses and Eleazar the priest counted all these people. They counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. 64 Moses and Aaron the priest had counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. But no one Moses counted on the plains of Moab was in the first counting. 65 The Lord had told the Israelites they would all die in the desert. The only two left were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Zelophehad’s Daughters
27 Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. Hepher was the son of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Makir. Makir was the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad’s daughters belonged to the family groups of Manasseh son of Joseph. The daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 2 They went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. There they stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and all the people. They said, 3 “Our father died in the desert. He was not one of Korah’s followers who came against the Lord. Our father died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. 4 Our father’s name will die out because he had no sons. Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case to the Lord. 6 The Lord said to him, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. They should get what their father owned. Give them property among their father’s relatives.
8 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then everything he owned should go to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then everything he owned should go to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then everything he owned should go to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father had no brothers, then everything he owned should go to the nearest relative in his family group. This should be a rule among the people of Israel as the Lord has given this command to Moses.’”
Joshua Is the New Leader
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Climb this mountain in the Abarim Mountains. Look at the land I have given to the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you will die as your brother Aaron did. 14 You both acted against my command in the Desert of Zin. You did not honor me as holy before the people at the waters of Meribah.” (This was at Meribah in Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “The Lord is the God of the spirits of all people. May he choose a good leader for these people. 17 He must go in and out before them. He must lead them out like sheep and bring them in. The Lord’s people must not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun. My Spirit is in him. Put your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. Then give him his orders as they watch. 20 Let him share your honor. Then all the Israelites will obey him. 21 He must stand before Eleazar the priest. And Eleazar will get advice from the Lord by using the Urim. At his command all the Israelites will go out. At his command they will all come in.”
22 Moses did what the Lord told him. Moses had Joshua stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. 23 Then Moses put his hands on him and gave him orders. This was just as the Lord had told him.
Daily Offerings
28 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give this command to the Israelites. Tell them: ‘Bring me food offerings made by fire. The smell is pleasing to me. Be sure to bring them at the right time.’ 3 Say to them: ‘These are the offerings you must bring to the Lord. Bring two year-old lambs as a burnt offering each day. They must have nothing wrong with them. 4 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at twilight. 5 Also bring a grain offering of two quarts of fine flour. It must be mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives. 6 This is the daily burnt offering which began at Mount Sinai. The smell is pleasing to the Lord. 7 Offer one quart of wine with each lamb as a drink offering. Pour it out to the Lord at the Holy Place. 8 Offer the second lamb at twilight. As in the morning, also give a grain offering and a drink offering. This offering is made by fire. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
Sabbath Offerings
9 “‘On the Sabbath day you must give two year-old lambs. They must have nothing wrong with them. Also give a drink offering and a grain offering. The grain offering must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 10 This is the burnt offering for the Sabbath. It is in addition to the daily burnt offering and drink offering.
Monthly Offerings
11 “‘On the first day of each month bring a burnt offering to the Lord. This will be two young bulls, one male sheep and seven male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 12 Give a grain offering with each bull. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. Also give a grain offering with the male sheep. It must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 13 Also give a grain offering with each lamb. It must be two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering. And its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 14 The drink offering with each bull will be two quarts of wine. With the male sheep it will be one and one-half quarts. And with each lamb it will be one quart of wine. This is the burnt offering that must be offered each month of the year. 15 Besides the daily burnt offerings and drink offerings, bring a sin offering to the Lord. It must be one male goat.
Passover
16 “‘The Lord’s Passover will be on the fourteenth day of the first month. 17 The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the fifteenth day of that month. It lasts for seven days. You may eat only bread made without yeast. 18 Have a holy meeting on the first day of the festival. Don’t work that day. 19 Bring these burnt offerings to the Lord: two young bulls, one male sheep and seven male lambs a year old. They all must have nothing wrong with them. 20 Also give a grain offering with each bull. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. Give a grain offering with the male sheep. It must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. 21 Give a grain offering with each of the seven lambs. It must be two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. 22 Bring one goat as a sin offering. It will remove your sins so you will belong to God. 23 Bring these offerings in addition to the burnt offerings you give every morning. 24 So bring food offerings each day for seven days. The offering is made by fire. And its smell is pleasing to the Lord. Do it in addition to the daily burnt offering and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day have a holy meeting. Don’t work that day.
Feast of Weeks
26 “‘On the day of firstfruits offer new grain to the Lord. This is during the Feast of Weeks. Have a holy meeting. Don’t work that day. 27 Give this burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one male sheep and seven male lambs a year old. This smell is pleasing to the Lord. 28 Also give a grain offering with each bull. It must be six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil. With the male sheep, it must be four quarts of flour. 29 With each of the seven lambs offer two quarts of flour. 30 Offer one male goat to remove your sins so you will belong to God. 31 Bring these offerings and their drink offerings. These are in addition to the daily burnt offering and its grain offering. The animals must have nothing wrong with them.
More Than 4,000 People Fed
8 Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus. They had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers to him. He said, 2 “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. 3 I cannot send them home hungry. If they leave without eating, they will faint on the way home. Some of them live a long way from here.”
4 Jesus’ followers answered, “But we are far away from any towns. Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people?”
5 Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”
They answered, “We have seven loaves.”
6 Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. Jesus divided the bread and gave the pieces to his followers. He told them to pass out the bread to the people, and they did so. 7 The followers also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for the fish and told his followers to give the fish to the people. 8 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. 9 There were about 4,000 men who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus told them to go home. 10 Then he went in a boat with his followers to the area of Dalmanutha.
The Leaders Ask for a Miracle
11 The Pharisees came to Jesus and asked him questions. They wanted to trap him. So they asked Jesus to do a miracle to show that he was from God. 12 Jesus sighed deeply. He said, “Why do you people ask for a miracle as proof? I tell you the truth. No miracle will be given to you.” 13 Then Jesus left the Pharisees. He went in the boat to the other side of the lake.
Guard Against Wrong Teachings
14 The followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. They had forgotten to bring more bread. 15 Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”
16 Among themselves, his disciples discussed the meaning of this. They said, “He said this because we have no bread.”
17 Jesus knew what his followers were talking about. So he asked them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? You still don’t see or understand? Are your minds closed? 18 You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen. Remember what I did before, when we did not have enough bread? 19 I divided five loaves of bread for 5,000 people. Remember how many baskets you filled with pieces of food that were not eaten?”
They answered, “We filled 12 baskets.”
20 “And remember that I divided seven loaves of bread for 4,000 people. Remember how many baskets you filled with pieces of food that were not eaten?”
They answered, “We filled 7 baskets.”
21 Then Jesus said to them, “You remember these things I did, but you still don’t understand?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man
22 Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man. 23 So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes. He put his hands on the blind man and asked, “Can you see now?”
24 The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around.”
25 Again Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide. His eyes were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly. 26 Jesus told him to go home, saying, “Don’t go into the town.”[a]
Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ
27 Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah.[b] And others say that you are one of the prophets.”
29 Then Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
30 Jesus ordered his followers, “Don’t tell anyone who I am.”
31 Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. He taught that the Son of Man would not be accepted by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He taught that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from death after three days. 32 Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to criticize him. 33 But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he criticized Peter and said, “Go away from me, Satan![c] You don’t care about the things of God. You care only about things men think are important.”
34 Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must say ‘no’ to the things he wants. He must be willing to die on a cross, and he must follow me. 35 Whoever wants to save his life will give up true life. But whoever gives up his life for me and for the Good News will have true life forever. 36 It is worth nothing for a person to have the whole world, if he loses his soul. 37 A person could never pay enough to buy back his soul. 38 The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If anyone is ashamed of me and my teaching, then I will be ashamed of him. I will be ashamed of him when I come with the glory of my Father and the holy angels.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.