At the commandment of the Lord they camped, and at the commandment of the Lord they traveled on; they kept the instructions of the Lord according to the commandment of the Lord, by the authority ¹  of Moses.

For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites. Now he had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all of his land from his control, ¹  as far as the Arnon.

But the descendants of Korah did not die.

“‘Then the priest will write these curses on a scroll and then scrape them off into the bitter water. ¹ 

¹ The Israelites traveled on ²  and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River ³  across from Jericho. ⁴ 

Now therefore, please stay ¹  the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me.” ² 

So build cities for your descendants and pens for your sheep, but do what you have said ¹  you would do.”

They traveled from Succoth, and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.

They traveled from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.

They traveled from Kadesh and camped in Mount Hor at the edge of the land of Edom.

They traveled from Oboth and camped in Iye-abarim, on the border of Moab.

They traveled from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim before Nebo.

They traveled from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River ¹  across from Jericho. ² 

¹ Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel, the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, ²  “We are journeying to the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, ³  for the Lord has promised good things ⁴  for Israel.”

Whenever the tabernacle is to move, ¹  the Levites must take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be reassembled, ²  the Levites must set it up. ³  Any unauthorized person ⁴  who approaches it must be killed.

¹ When the people complained, ²  it displeased ³  the Lord. When the Lord heard ⁴  it, his anger burned, ⁵  and so ⁶  the fire of the Lord ⁷  burned among them and consumed some of the outer parts of the camp.

From the Israelites’ share Moses took one of every fifty people and animals and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned specifically by name,

“When Aaron and his sons have finished ¹  covering ²  the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to journey, then ³  the Kohathites will come to carry them; ⁴  but they must not touch ⁵  any ⁶  holy thing, or they will die. ⁷  These are the responsibilities ⁸  of the Kohathites with the tent of meeting.

“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify ¹  them.