Daily Text and Bible Reading: Wednesday, February 19 [Press play below]

25.1 When Israel was dwelling in Shittim, the people started to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab.
25.2 The women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people began to eat and to bow down to their gods.
25.3 So Israel joined in worship of the Baal of Peor, and Jehovah became enraged with Israel.
25.4 Jehovah said to Moses: “Take all the leaders of these people and hang them up before Jehovah in broad daylight, that the burning anger of Jehovah may turn back from Israel.”
25.5 Then Moses said to the judges of Israel: “Each one of you should kill his men who joined in worship of the Baal of Peor.”
25.6 But just then, there came one of the Israelites bringing near to his brothers a Midianite woman before the eyes of Moses and of all the assembly of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
25.7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest saw it, he immediately rose up from the midst of the assembly and took a spear in his hand.
25.8 Then he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her genital parts. At that the scourge on the Israelites was halted.
25.9 Those who died from the scourge amounted to 24,000.
25.10 Then Jehovah said to Moses:
25.11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest has turned my wrath away from the people of Israel because he tolerated no rivalry at all toward me among them. So I have not exterminated the Israelites in my insistence on exclusive devotion.
25.12 Therefore, say, ‘I am giving him my covenant of peace.
25.13 And it will serve as the covenant of a lasting priesthood for him and his offspring after him, because he tolerated no rivalry toward his God and he made atonement for the people of Israel.’”
25.14 Incidentally, the name of the Israelite man who was put to death along with the Midianitess was Zimri the son of Salu, a chieftain of a paternal house of the Simeonites.
25.15 The name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi the daughter of Zur; he was a leader of the clans of a paternal house in Midian.
25.16 Jehovah later said to Moses:
25.17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them down,
25.18 because they have been harassing you with their cunning dealings against you in the affair of Peor and of Cozbi the daughter of a chieftain of Midian, their sister who was put to death in the day of the scourge over the affair of Peor.”
26.1 After the scourge, Jehovah said to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest:
26.2 “Take a census of the whole assembly of the Israelites from 20 years of age and up, by their paternal houses, counting all those who can serve in the army in Israel.”
26.3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the desert plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying:
26.4 “Take a census of them from the age of 20 years and up, just as Jehovah commanded Moses.” Now the sons of Israel who went out of the land of Egypt were:
26.5 Reuben, Israel’s firstborn; Reuben’s sons were: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;
26.6 of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
26.7 These were the families of the Reubenites, and their registered ones amounted to 43,730.
26.8 The son of Pallu was Eliab.
26.9 And the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. This Dathan and Abiram were chosen ones of the assembly who fought against Moses and Aaron along with Korah’s group when they fought against Jehovah.
26.10 Then the earth opened and swallowed them up. As for Korah, he died with his supporters when the fire consumed 250 men. And they became a warning example.
26.11 However, the sons of Korah did not die.
26.12 The sons of Simeon by their families were: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites;
26.13 of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.
26.14 These were the families of the Simeonites: 22,200.
26.15 The sons of Gad by their families were: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites;
26.16 of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites;
26.17 of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.
26.18 These were the families of the sons of Gad, and their registered ones were 40,500.
26.19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan. However, Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
26.20 And the sons of Judah by their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites.
26.21 And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.
26.22 These were the families of Judah, and their registered ones were 76,500.
26.23 The sons of Issachar by their families were: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites;
26.24 of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.
26.25 These were the families of Issachar, and their registered ones were 64,300.
26.26 The sons of Zebulun by their families were: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites.
26.27 These were the families of the Zebulunites, and their registered ones were 60,500.
26.28 The sons of Joseph by their families were: Manasseh and Ephraim.
26.29 The sons of Manasseh were: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir became father to Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.
26.30 These were the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites;
26.31 of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites;
26.32 of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.
26.33 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, only daughters, and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
26.34 These were the families of Manasseh, and their registered ones were 52,700.
26.35 These were the sons of Ephraim by their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.
26.36 And these were the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.
26.37 These were the families of the sons of Ephraim, and their registered ones were 32,500. These were the sons of Joseph by their families.
26.38 The sons of Benjamin by their families were: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites;
26.39 of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.
26.40 The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.
26.41 These were the sons of Benjamin by their families, and their registered ones were 45,600.
26.42 These were the sons of Dan by their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These were the families of Dan by their families.
26.43 All the families of the Shuhamites, of their registered ones, were 64,400.
26.44 The sons of Asher by their families were: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites;
26.45 of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.
26.46 The name of Asher’s daughter was Serah.
26.47 These were the families of the sons of Asher, and their registered ones were 53,400.
26.48 The sons of Naphtali by their families were: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites;
26.49 of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.
26.50 These were the families of Naphtali by their families, and their registered ones were 45,400.
26.51 This is the total of those registered of the Israelites: 601,730.
26.52 After that Jehovah said to Moses:
26.53 “Among these the land should be divided as an inheritance according to the list of the names.
26.54 For the larger groups, you should increase the inheritance, and for the smaller groups, you should reduce the inheritance. Each group’s inheritance should be given in proportion to the number of those registered.
26.55 However, the land should be apportioned by lot. They should receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.
26.56 Each inheritance will be determined by lot and apportioned among the larger and the smaller groups.”
26.57 Now these were the registered ones of the Levites by their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites.
26.58 These were the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. Kohath became father to Amram.
26.59 And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, Levi’s daughter, whom his wife bore to Levi in Egypt. And to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam.
26.60 Then to Aaron there were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
26.61 But Nadab and Abihu died for presenting unauthorized fire before Jehovah.
26.62 The total of those registered was 23,000, all males from a month old and up. For they were not registered among the Israelites, because no inheritance was to be given to them among the Israelites.
26.63 These were the ones registered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they registered the Israelites in the desert plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
26.64 But among them there was no one who had been registered by Moses and Aaron the priest in the census of the Israelites taken in the wilderness of Sinai.
26.65 For Jehovah had said concerning them: “They will die without fail in the wilderness.” So there was not a man left of them except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
27.1 Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, approached. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
27.2 They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the chieftains, and all the assembly at the entrance of the tent of meeting and said:
27.3 “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the group who banded together against Jehovah, the supporters of Korah, but he died for his own sin and he did not have any sons.
27.4 Why should the name of our father be lost from his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
27.5 So Moses presented their case before Jehovah.
27.6 Jehovah then said this to Moses:
27.7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are correct. You should by all means give them the possession as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.
27.8 And tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies without having a son, you must then cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.
27.9 And if he has no daughter, you will give his inheritance to his brothers.
27.10 And if he has no brothers, you will give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.
27.11 And if his father has no brothers, you will give his inheritance to the closest blood relative in his family, and he will take possession of it. This will serve as a statute by judicial decision for the Israelites, just as Jehovah has commanded Moses.’”
27.12 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, and view the land that I will give the Israelites.
27.13 When you have seen it, you will also be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother was,
27.14 because when the assembly was quarreling with me in the wilderness of Zin, you rebelled against my order to sanctify me before them by means of the waters. These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
27.15 Then Moses said to Jehovah:
27.16 “Let Jehovah, the God of the spirit of all people, appoint over the assembly a man
27.17 who will go out and come in before them and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that Jehovah’s assembly may not become like sheep that have no shepherd.”
27.18 So Jehovah said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lay your hand on him.
27.19 Then stand him before Eleazar the priest and before all the assembly, and you must commission him before their eyes.
27.20 You are to confer some of your authority on him, so that all the assembly of the Israelites may listen to him.
27.21 He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will inquire in his behalf by the judgment of the Urim before Jehovah. At his order they will go out and at his order they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him and all the assembly.”
27.22 So Moses did just as Jehovah had commanded him. He took Joshua and stood him before Eleazar the priest and before all the assembly,
27.23 and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as Jehovah had spoken through Moses.