the Gadites and the Reubenites came and addressed Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community. They said,

Then Moses replied, ¹  “If you will do this thing, and if you will arm yourselves for battle before the Lord,

And what I intended to do to them I will do to you.”

“Then the tent of meeting with the camp of the Levites will travel in the middle of the camps. They will travel in the same order as they camped, each in his own place ¹  under his standard.

One statute must apply ¹  to you who belong to the congregation and to the resident foreigner who is living among you, as a permanent ²  statute for your future generations. You and the resident foreigner will be alike ³  before the Lord.

Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the Lord in the matter of Peor – which resulted in the plague among the community of the Lord!

“You must not pollute the land where you live, for blood defiles the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed there, except by the blood of the person who shed it.

Now if they should be married to one of the men ¹  from another Israelite tribe, their inheritance would be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. ²  As a result, it will be taken from the lot of our inheritance.

If a resident foreigner is living ¹  with you – or whoever is among you ²  in future generations ³  – and prepares an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he must do it the same way you are to do it. ⁴ 

Do this, Korah, you and all your company: ¹  Take censers,

The donkey said to Balaam, “Am not I your donkey that you have ridden ever since I was yours until this day? Have I ever attempted ¹  to treat you this way?” ²  And he said, “No.”

They traveled from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah.

or with enmity he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The avenger of blood must kill the murderer when he meets him.

All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered by their families and by their clans,

This was the first time they set out on their journey according to the commandment ¹  of the Lord, by the authority ²  of Moses.

No longer may the Israelites approach the tent of meeting, or else they will bear their sin ¹  and die.

That is why those who speak in proverbs ¹  say, “Come to Heshbon, let it be built. Let the city of Sihon be established! ² 

Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message to me, saying,

Then he uttered this oracle: ¹  “The oracle of Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;

“This is the law ¹  of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord his offering according to his separation, as well as whatever else he can provide. ²  Thus he must fulfill ³  his vow that he makes, according to the law of his separation.”