(1) GOD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: (2) This is the ritual law that GOD has commanded:
Instruct the Israelite people to bring you a red cow without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which no yoke has been laid. (3) You shall give it to Eleazar the priest. It shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. (4) Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. (5) The cow shall be burned in his sight—its hide, flesh, and blood shall be burned, its dung included— (6) and the priest shall take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson stuff, and throw them into the fire consuming the cow. (7) The priest shall wash his garments and bathe in water; after that the priest may reenter the camp, but he shall be impure until evening. (8) The one who performed the burning shall also wash their garments in water, bathe, and be impure until evening. (9) Someone else who is pure shall gather up the ashes of the cow and deposit them outside the camp in a pure place, to be kept for water of lustration for the Israelite community. It is for purgation.

(10) The one who gathers up the ashes of the cow shall also wash their clothes and be impure until evening.
This shall be a permanent law for the Israelites and for the strangers who reside among them. (11) Anyone who touches the corpse of any human being shall be impure for seven days. (12) They shall undergo cleansing with [the ashes] on the third day and on the seventh day, and then be pure; if they fail to undergo cleansing on the third and seventh days, they shall not be pure. (13) Whoever touches a corpse—the body of a person who has died—and does not undergo cleansing, defiles GOD’s Tabernacle; that person shall be cut off from Israel. Since the water of lustration was not dashed on them, they remain impure; their impurity is still upon them. (14) This is the ritual: When a person dies in a tent, whoever enters the tent and whoever is in the tent shall be impure seven days; (15) and every open vessel, with no lid fastened down, shall be impure. (16) And in the open, anyone who touches a person who was killed or who died naturally, or human bone, or a grave, shall be impure seven days. (17) Some of the ashes from the fire of purgation shall be taken for the impure person, and fresh water shall be added to them in a vessel.

(18) Then someone who is pure shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle on the tent and on all the vessels and people who were there, or on the one who touched the bones or the person who was killed or died naturally or the grave. (19) The pure person shall sprinkle it upon the impure person on the third day and on the seventh day, thus cleansing that person by the seventh day. [The latter] shall then wash their clothes and bathe in water—and at nightfall shall be pure. (20) If anyone who has become impure fails to undergo cleansing, that person shall be cut off from the congregation for having defiled GOD’s sanctuary. The water of lustration was not dashed on them—they are impure. (21) That shall be for them a law for all time. Further, whoever sprinkled the water of lustration shall wash their clothes; and whoever touches the water of lustration shall be impure until evening. (22) Whatever that impure person touches shall be impure; and the person who touches [that impure one] shall be impure until evening. (1) The Israelites arrived in a body at the wilderness of Zin on the first new moon, and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there. (2) The community was without water, and they joined against Moses and Aaron. (3) The people quarreled with Moses, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished by GOD’s will! (4) Why have you brought GOD’s congregation into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die there? (5) Why did you make us leave Egypt to bring us to this wretched place, a place with no grain or figs or vines or pomegranates? There is not even water to drink!” (6) Moses and Aaron came away from the congregation to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces. The Presence of GOD appeared to them,

(7) and GOD spoke to Moses, saying, (8) “You and your brother Aaron take the rod and assemble the community, and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water. Thus you shall produce water for them from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.” (9) Moses took the rod from before GOD, as he had been commanded. (10) Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation in front of the rock; and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?” (11) And Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and the community and their livestock drank. (12) But GOD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them.” (13) Those are the waters of Meribah—meaning that the Israelites quarrelled with GOD—whose sanctity was affirmed through them.

(14) From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardships that have befallen us; (15) that our ancestors went down to Egypt, that we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and that the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our ancestors. (16) We cried to GOD—who, upon hearing our plea, sent a messenger who freed us from Egypt. Now we are in Kadesh, the town on the border of your territory. (17) Allow us, then, to cross your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, and we will not drink water from wells. We will follow the king’s highway, turning off neither to the right nor to the left until we have crossed your territory.” (18) But Edom answered him, “You shall not pass through us, else we will go out against you with the sword.” (19) “We will keep to the beaten track,” the Israelites said to them, “and if we or our cattle drink your water, we will pay for it. We ask only for passage on foot—it is but a small matter.” (20) But they replied, “You shall not pass through!” And Edom went out against them in heavy force, strongly armed. (21) So Edom would not let Israel cross their territory, and Israel turned away from them.

(22) Setting out from Kadesh, the Israelites arrived in a body at Mount Hor. (23) At Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom, GOD said to Moses and Aaron, (24) “Let Aaron be gathered to his kin: he is not to enter the land that I have assigned to the Israelite people, because you disobeyed My command about the waters of Meribah. (25) Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up on Mount Hor. (26) Strip Aaron of his vestments and put them on his son Eleazar. There Aaron shall be gathered unto the dead.” (27) Moses did as GOD had commanded. They ascended Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. (28) Moses stripped Aaron of his vestments and put them on his son Eleazar, and Aaron died there on the summit of the mountain. When Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, (29) the whole community knew that Aaron had breathed his last. All the house of Israel bewailed Aaron thirty days. (1) When the Canaanite, king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negeb, learned that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he engaged Israel in battle and took some of them captive. (2) Then Israel made a vow to GOD and said, “If You deliver this people into our hand, we will proscribe their towns.” (3) GOD heeded Israel’s plea and delivered up the Canaanites; and they and their cities were proscribed. So that place was named Hormah. (4) They set out from Mount Hor by way of the Sea of Reeds to skirt the land of Edom. But the people grew restive on the journey, (5) and the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why did you make us leave Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and we have come to loathe this miserable food.” (6) GOD sent seraph serpents against the people. They bit the people and many of the Israelites died. (7) The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned by speaking against GOD and against you. Intercede with GOD to take away the serpents from us!” And Moses interceded for the people. (8) Then GOD said to Moses, “Make a seraph figure and mount it on a standard. And anyone who was bitten who then looks at it shall recover.” (9) Moses made a copper serpent and mounted it on a standard; and if someone was bitten by a serpent, they would look at the copper serpent and recover.

(10) The Israelites marched on and encamped at Oboth. (11) They set out from Oboth and encamped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness bordering on Moab to the east. (12) From there they set out and encamped at the wadi Zered. (13) From there they set out and encamped beyond the Arnon, that is, in the wilderness that extends from the territory of the Amorites. For the Arnon is the boundary of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. (14) Therefore the Book of the Wars of GOD speaks of “…Waheb in Suphah, and the wadis: the Arnon (15) with its tributary wadis, stretched along the settled country of Ar, hugging the territory of Moab…” (16) And from there to Beer, which is the well where GOD said to Moses, “Assemble the people that I may give them water.” (17) Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well—sing to it—(18)The well that the chieftains dug,That the nobles of the people startedWith maces, with their own staffs.
And from Midbar to Mattanah, (19) and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, (20) and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab, at the peak of Pisgah, overlooking the wasteland.

(16) And from there to Beer, which is the well where GOD said to Moses, “Assemble the people that I may give them water.” (17) Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well—sing to it—(18)The well that the chieftains dug,That the nobles of the people startedWith maces, with their own staffs.
And from Midbar to Mattanah, (19) and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, (20) and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab, at the peak of Pisgah, overlooking the wasteland.

(6)The remnant of Jacob shall be,In the midst of the many peoples,Like dew from GOD,
Like droplets on grass—Which do not look to anybodyNor place their hope in mortals.(7)The remnant of JacobShall be among the nations,In the midst of the many peoples,Like a lion among beasts of the wild,Like a fierce lion among flocks of sheep,Which tramples wherever it goesAnd rends, with none to deliver.(8)Your hand shall prevail over your foes,And all your enemies shall be cut down!(9)In that day—declares GOD—
I will destroy the horses in your midstAnd wreck your chariots.(10)I will destroy the cities of your landAnd demolish all your fortresses.(11)I will destroy the sorcery you practice,And you shall have no more soothsayers.(12)I will destroy your idolsAnd the sacred pillars in your midst;And no more shall you bow downTo the work of your hands.(13)I will tear down the sacred posts in your midst
And destroy your cities.(14)In anger and wrathWill I wreak retributionOn the nations that have not obeyed. (1)Hear what GOD is saying:
Come, present [My] case before the mountains,And let the hills hear you pleading.(2)Hear, you mountains, GOD’s case— You firm foundations of the earth!
For GOD has a case against this covenanted people—
A suit against Israel.(3)“My people!What wrong have I done you?What hardship have I caused you?Testify against Me.(4)In fact,I brought you up from the land of Egypt,I redeemed you from the house of bondage,And I sent before youMoses, Aaron, and Miriam.(5)“My people,Remember what Balak king of MoabPlotted against you,And how Balaam son of BeorResponded to him.[Recall your passage]From Shittim to Gilgal—
And you will recognizeGOD’s gracious acts.”(6)With what shall I approach GOD,
Do homage to God on high?Shall I approach with burnt offerings,With calves a year old?(7)Would GOD be pleased with thousands of rams,
With myriads of streams of oil?Shall I give my first-born for my transgression,The fruit of my body for my sins?(8)“You have been told, O mortal, what is good,And what GOD requires of you:
Only to do justiceAnd to love goodness,And to walk modestly with your God;

(9) The Philistines came up, pitched camp in Judah and spread out over Lehi. (10) Those on Judah’s side asked, “Why have you come up against us?” They answered, “We have come to take Samson prisoner, and to do to him as he did to us.” (11) Thereupon three thousand Judahites went down to the cave of the rock of Etam, and they said to Samson, “You knew that the Philistines rule over us; why have you done this to us?” He replied, “As they did to me, so I did to them.” (12) “We have come down,” they told him, “to take you prisoner and to hand you over to the Philistines.” “But swear to me,” said Samson to them, “that you yourselves will not attack me.” (13) “We won’t,” they replied. “We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them; we will not slay you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. (14) When he reached Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Thereupon the spirit of GOD gripped him, and the ropes on his arms became like flax that catches fire; the bonds melted off his hands. (15) He came upon a fresh jawbone of a donkey and he picked it up; and with it he killed a thousand men. (16) Then Samson said:
“With the jaw of an ass,Mass upon mass!With the jaw of an assI have slain a thousand men.”(17) As he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away; hence that place was called Ramath-lehi. (18) He was very thirsty and he called to GOD, “You Yourself have granted this great victory through Your servant; and must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” (19) So God split open the hollow that is at Lehi, and the water gushed out of it; he drank, regained his strength, and revived. That is why it is called to this day “En-hakkore of Lehi.” (20) He led Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years.