75

foreigners, through whom he also easily contrived to make them idolaters, he implored him, through his usual evil art, to turn Israel away with certain incantations and curses. But he, having sacrificed upon seven altars in different places, becoming inspired in all of them, for a third time unwillingly blessed Israel in the presence of Balak and the rulers of Moab, so that this blessing was a prophecy and directly opposed to his accustomed demonic invocation and curse. After these things, he advised him concerning the fornication of the people, and the people were defiled with the Moabite women and with the sacrifices of Baal-peor. And the Lord was angry and commanded Moses to make an example of the leaders of this madness before the sun, and that those defiled by fornication and idolatry be killed by their kinsmen. And 24,000 were killed. Then also Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, with divine zeal, pierced through those who were transgressing in indecency; they were an Israelite man, Zimri son of Salu, a ruler of the sons of Simeon, and a Midianite woman, Cozbi daughter of Zur, one of the rulers of Midian. He atoned for the divine wrath from the people and it was counted to him as a covenant of an everlasting priesthood for him and his seed, because he was zealous for his God. And after the plague, Moses and Eleazar numbered the people by the command of God. And he found 601,730 from twenty years old and upward, apart from the Levites, who were found to number separately 23,000, every male from a month old and upward. This census took place in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan, opposite Jericho. Among all these there was not a man of those who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun; for the Lord said that they would all die in the wilderness, from the third year of the exodus for 38 years until the 40th, leading them here and there until they were consumed. Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, of the clan of Manasseh, who were five, came forward and asked to receive the possession of their father, who had died in the wilderness without leaving a male heir. And a paternal inheritance among their father's brothers was given to them by the command of God; and the Lord decreed that if a man dies without having a son, he is to be inherited by his daughter; but if he does not have a daughter, his brother will inherit him; and if he does not have brothers, his father's brother; and if his father has no brothers, his possessions are to be given to his nearest relative from among his kinsmen. But these things do not please the rulers of the world, for which reason they have become subject to divine judgment. After these things, Moses sent twelve thousand against the sons of Midian by the word of the Lord and killed every male in the land of Midian and their five kings and Balaam the soothsayer with them, avenging Israel on them with the sword; for he had advised Balak to make Israel commit fornication with the daughters of Midian. But Moses kept only the virgins alive. And this was the plunder of the land of Midian: 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, 32,000 virgins who had not known a man's bed, besides gold and silver and the rest of the spoils. Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, having many cattle, seeing that the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead were suitable for livestock, approached Moses and Eleazar, asking that these lands be given to them as an inheritance. And Moses appointed for them Eleazar and Joshua son of Nun and the leaders of Israel and said: "If the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad cross the Jordan with you, every one armed for war before the Lord, and you subdue the land before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession." And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad said: "So we will do." And Moses gave to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, sons of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og

75

ἀλλοφύλους, δι' οὗ καὶ εἰδωλολατρεῖν αὐτοὺς εὐχερῶς κατεσκέπτετο, ἐδυσώπει διὰ τῆς συνήθους κακοτεχνίας ἐπῳδαῖς τισι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἀραῖς ἀποστρέψασθαι. Ὁ δὲ θύσας ἐπὶ βωμοὺς ζʹ κατὰ διαφόρους τόπους κατὰ πάντας ἔνθους γενόμενος ἐκ τρίτου τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εὐλόγησεν ἄκων ἐνώπιον Βαλὰκ καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων Μωάβ, ὡς προφητείαν καὶ ἄντικρυς εἶναι τὴν αὐτὴν εὐλογίαν τῆς εἰθισμένης δαιμονιώδους αὐτῷ ἐπικλήσεως καὶ ἀρᾶς. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συνεβούλευσεν αὐτῷ περὶ τῆς πορνείας τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ ἐβεβηλώθη ὁ λαὸς εἰς τὰς Μωαβίτιδας καὶ εἰς τὰς θυσίας τοῦ Βεελφεγώρ. καὶ ὠργίσθη κύριος καὶ προσέταξε τῷ Μωυσῇ παραδειγματίσαι τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς τῆς λύσσης ἔναντι τοῦ ἡλίου, καὶ ἀναιρεθῆναι παρὰ τῶν ὁμο φύλων τοὺς μιανθέντας πορνείᾳ καὶ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ. καὶ ἀνῃρέθησαν κδʹ χιλιάδες. τότε καὶ Φινεὲς υἱὸς Ἐλεάζαρ υἱοῦ Ἀαρὼν θείῳ ζήλῳ διήλασε τοὺς ἐν ἀσχημοσύνῃ παρανομοῦντας· ἦσαν δὲ ἀνὴρ Ἰσραηλίτης Ζαμβρὶ υἱὸς Σαλὼμ ἄρχων υἱῶν Συμεὼν καὶ γυνὴ Μαδιανῖτις, Χασβὶ θυγάτηρ Σοὺρ ἄρχοντος ἑνὸς Μαδιάμ. ἐξιλεώσατο τὴν θείαν ὀργὴν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς διαθήκην ἱερατείας αἰώνιον καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐζήλωσε τῷ θεῷ αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν πληγὴν ἠρίθμησε Μωυσῆς καὶ Ἐλεάζαρ τὸν λαὸν προστάξει θεοῦ. καὶ εὗρε χιλιάδας ἑξακοσίους καὶ χιλίους ψλʹ ἀπὸ εἰκοσαέτους καὶ ἐπάνω χωρὶς τῶν Λευιτῶν, οἵτινες ἰδίως εὑρέθησαν ἀριθμῷ τρεῖς καὶ κʹ χιλιάδες πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν ἀπὸ μηνιαίου καὶ ἐπάνω. αὕτη ἡ ἀπαρίθμησις ἐν Ἀραβὼθ Μωὰβ γέγονε πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου κατὰ Ἱεριχώ. ἐν τούτοιςπᾶσιν οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος τῶν ὑπὸ Μωυσέως καὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Σιναῒ καταριθμηθέντων πλὴν Χαλὲβ υἱοῦ Ἰεφοννὴ καὶ Ἰησοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Ναυή· ὅτι κύριος εἶπε πάντας ἀποθανεῖν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἀπὸ τοῦ τρίτου ἔτους τῆς 163 ἐξόδου ἕως μʹ ἔτη ληʹ περιάξας αὐτοὺς ὧδε κἀκεῖσε ἕως τοῦ ἐξαναλωθῆ ναι αὐτούς. Τότε προσελθοῦσαι αἱ θυγατέρες Σαλπαὰδ τοῦ Ὀφὲρ υἱοῦ Γαλαάδ, δήμου Μανασσῆ, αἳ ἦσαν εʹ, ᾐτήσαντο κατασχεῖν ἀποθανόντος τοῦ πα τρὸς αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ μὴ καταλείψαντος ἄρρενα. καὶ ἐδόθη αὐταῖς προστάξει θεοῦ κληρονομία πατρικὴ μέσον τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν· καὶ κύ ριος ἐνομοθέτησεν, ἐὰν ἀποθάνῃ ἄνθρωπος μὴ ἔχων υἱόν, κληρονομεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς θυγατρός· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ θυγάτηρ, ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ κληρο νομήσει αὐτόν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ὦσιν αὐτῷ ἀδελφοί, ὁ ἀδελφὸς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ μήτε τοῦ πατρὸς ἀδελφοί εἰσι, δίδοσθαι τὰ αὐτοῦ τῷ ἀγχιστεύοντι αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν συγγενῶν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τοῖς ἄρχουσιν οὐκ ἀρέσκει τοῦ κόσμου, οὗ χάριν ἔνοχοι τῆς θείας δίκης πεφύκασιν. Ἐκ τούτων ἐπιπέμψας Μωυσῆς μυρίους δισχιλίους κατὰ τῶν υἱῶν Μα διὰμ διὰ ῥήματος κυρίου ἀπέκτεινε πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν ἐν γῇ Μαδιὰμ καὶ τοὺς πέντε βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν μάντιν Βαλαὰμ σὺν αὐτοῖς, ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἐκ δικήσας τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ αὐτῶν· οὗτος γὰρ συνεβούλευσε τὸν Βαλὰκ κατα πορνεῦσαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας Μαδιάμ. τὰς δὲ παρθένους μό νας ἐζωογόνησε Μωυσῆς. ἡ δὲ προνομὴ γῆς Μαδιὰμ αὕτη προβάτων χι λιάδες χοεʹ, βοῶν χιλιάδες οβʹ, ὄνοι χιλιάδες ξαʹ, παρθένοι αἳ οὐκ ἔγνω σαν κοίτην ἀνδρὸς χιλιάδες λβʹ, χωρὶς χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου καὶ τῶν λοι πῶν σκύλων. Τότε οἱ υἱοὶ Ῥουβὴν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Γὰδ καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ φυλῆς Μανασσῆ, ἔχοντες κτήνη πολλά, ἰδόντες κτηνοτρόφον τὴν χώραν Ἰαζὴρ καὶ τὴν χώ ραν Γαλαὰδ προσῆλθον πρὸς Μωυσῆν καὶ Ἐλεάζαρ αἰτοῦντες δοθῆναι ταύτας αὐτοῖς ἐν κλήρῳ. καὶ συνέστησεν αὐτοῖς Μωυσῆς Ἐλεάζαρ καὶ Ἰησοῦν υἱὸν Ναυὴ καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας Ἰσραὴλ καὶ εἶπεν· ἐὰν διαβῶσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ῥουβὴν καὶ υἱοὶ Γὰδ μεθ' ὑμῶν τὸν Ἰορδάνην, πᾶς ἐνωπλισμένος εἰς πόλεμον ἔναντι κυρίου, καὶ κατακυριεύσητε τῆς γῆς τῆς ἀπέναντι ὑμῶν, καὶ δώσετε αὐτοῖς τὴν γῆν Γαλαὰδ ἐν κατασχέσει. καὶ εἶπον οἱ υἱοὶ Ῥουβὴν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Γάδ· οὕτως ποιήσομεν. καὶ ἔδωκε Μωυσῆς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ῥουβὴν 164 καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς Γὰδ καὶ τῷ ἡμίσει φυλῆς Μανασσῆ υἱῶν Ἰωσὴφ τὴν βασι λείαν Σηὼν βασιλέως τῶν Ἀμορραίων καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν Ὢγ