Bible in a Year.

On the fifty-fourth day, Numbers 3 presents the consecration of the Levites for the service of the Tabernacle, highlighting the importance of holiness in serving God. In Deuteronomy 3, Moses recalls King Sihon's conquest and the impossibility of entering the promised land. Psalm 88, one of the darkest in the Bible, gives voice to human despair in the face of pain, but also to the persistent faith that cries out even in the darkness. A day to reflect on faithfulness and service amid trials.

1. These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in mount Sinai.

2. And these the names of the sons of Aaron: his firstborn Nadab, then Abiu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.

3. These the names of the sons of Aaron the priests that were anointed, and whose hands were filled and consecrated, to do the functions of priesthood.

4. Now Nadab and Abiu died, without children, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the desert of Sinai: and Eleazar and Ithamar performed the priestly office in the presence of Aaron their father.

5. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

6. Bring the tribe of Levi, and make them stand in the sight of Aaron the priest to minister to him, and let them watch,

7. And observe whatsoever appertaineth to the service of the multitude before the tabernacle of the testimony,

8. And let them keep the vessels of the tabernacle, serving in the ministry thereof.

9. And thou shalt give the Levites for a gift,

10. To Aaron and to his sons, to whom they are delivered by the children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons over the service of priesthood. The stranger that approacheth to minister, shall be put to death.

11. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying :

12. I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.

13. For every firstborn is mine: since I struck the firstborn in the land of Egypt: I have sanctified to myself whatsoever is firstborn in Israel both of man and beast, they are mine: I am the Lord.

14. And the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, saying:

15. Number the sons of Levi by the houses of their fathers and their families, every male from one month and upward.

16. Moses numbered them as the Lord had commanded.

17. And there were found sons of Levi by their names, Gerson and Caath and Merari.

18. The sons of Gerson: Lebni and Semei.

19. The sons of Caath: Amram, and Jesaar, Hebron and Oziel:

20. The sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi.

21. Of Gerson were two families, the Lebnites, and the Semeites:

22. Of which were numbered, people of the male sex from one month and upward, seven thousand five hundred.

23. These shall pitch behind the tabernacle on the west,

24. Under their prince Eliasaph the son of Lael.

25. And their charge shall be in the tabernacle of the covenant:

26. The tabernacle itself and the cover thereof, the hanging that is drawn before the doors of the tabernacle of the covenant, and the curtains of the court: the hanging also that is hanged in the entry of the court of the tabernacle, and whatsoever belongeth to the rite of the altar, the cords of the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof.

27. Of the kindred of Caath come the families of the Amramites and Jesaarites and Hebronites and Ozielites. These are the families of the Caathites reckoned up by their names:

28. All of the male sex from one month and upward, eight thousand six hundred: they shall have the guard of the sanctuary,

29. And shall camp on the south side.

30. And their prince shall be Elisaphan the son of Oziel:

31. And they shall keep the ark, and the table and the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary, wherewith they minister, and the veil, and all the furniture of this kind.

32. And the prince of the princes of the Levites, Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, shall be over them that watch for the guard of the sanctuary.

33. And of Merari are the families of the Moholites, and Musites, reckoned up by their names :

34. All of the male kind from one month and upward, six thousand two hundred.

35. Their prince Suriel the son of Abihaiel: they shall camp on the north side.

36. Under their custody shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars, and the pillars and their sockets, and all things that pertain to this kind of service:

37. And the pillars of the court round about with their sockets, and the pins with their cords.

38. Before the tabernacle of the covenant, that is to say on the east side, shall Moses and Aaron camp, with their sons, having the custody of the sanctuary, in the midst of the children of Israel. What stranger soever cometh unto it, shall be put to death.

39. All the Levites, that Moses and Aaron numbered according to the precept of the Lord, by their families, of the male kind from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

40. And the Lord said to Moses: Number the firstborn of the male sex of the children of Israel, from one month and upward, and thou shalt take the sum of them.

41. And thou shalt take the Levites to me for all the firstborn of the children of Israel, I am the Lord: and their cattle for all the firstborn of the cattle of the children of Israel:

42. Moses reckoned up, as the Lord had commanded, the firstborn of the children of Israel:

43. And the males by their names, from one month and upward, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

44. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saving:

45. Take the Levites for the firstborn of the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites for their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord.

46. But for the price of the two hundred and seventy-three, of the firstborn of the children of Israel, that exceed the number of the Levites,

47. Thou shalt take five sides for every head, according to the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.

48. And then shalt give the money to Aaron and his sons, the price of them that are above.

49. Moses therefore took the money of them that were above, and whom they had redeemed from the Levites,

50. For the firstborn of the children of Israel, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five sicles, according to the weight of the sanctuary,

51. And gave it to Aaron and his sons, according to the word that the Lord had commanded him.

1. Then we turned and went by the way of Basan: and Og the king of Basan came out to meet us with his people to fight in Edrai.

2. And the Lord said to me: Fear him not: because he is delivered into thy hand, with all his people and his land: and thou shalt do to him as thou hast done to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, that dwelt in Hesebon.

3. So the Lord our God delivered into our hands, Og also the king of Basan, and all his people: and we utterly destroyed them,

4. Wasting all his cities at one time, there was not a town that escaped us: sixty cities, all the country of Argob the kingdom of Og in Basan.

5. All the cities were fenced with very high walls, and with gates and bars, be- sides innumerable towns that had no walls.

6. And we utterly destroyed them, as we had done to Sehon the king of Hesebon, destroying every city, men and women and children:

7. But the cattle and the spoils of the cities we took for our prey.

8. And we took at that time the land out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorrhites, that were beyond the Jordan: from the torrent Amen unto the mount Hermon,

9. Which the Sidonians call Sarion, and the Amorrhites Sanir:

10. All the cities that are situate in the plain, and all the land of Galaad and Basan as far as Selcha and Edrai, cities of the kingdom of Og in Basan.

11. For only Og king of Basan remained of the race of the giants. His bed of iron is shewn, which is in Rabbath of the children of Ammon, being nine cubits long, and four broad after the measure of the cubit of a man's hand.

12. And we possessed the land at that time from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the torrent Amen, unto the half of mount Galaad: and I gave the cities thereof to Ruben and Gad.

13. And I delivered the other part of Galaad, and all Basan the kingdom of Og to the half tribe of Manasses, all the country of Argob: and all Basan is called the Land of giants.

14. Jair the son of Manasses possessed all the country of d Argob unto the borders of Gessuri, and Machati. And he called Basan by his own name, Havoth Jair, that is to say, the towns of Jair, until this present day.

15. To Machir also I gave Galaad.

16. And to the tribes of Ruben and Cad I gave of the land of Galaad as far as the torrent Amen, half the torrent, and the confines even unto the torrent Jeboc, which is the border of the children of Ammon:

17. And the plain of the wilderness, and the Jordan, and the borders of Cenereth unto the sea of the desert, which is the most salt sea, to the foot of mount Phasga eastward.

18. And I commanded you at that time, saying: The Lord your God giveth you this land for an inheritance, go ye well appointed before your brethren the children of Israel, all the strong men of you,

19. Leaving your wives and children and cattle. For I know you have much cattle, and they must remain in the cities, which I have delivered to you.

20. Until the Lord give rest to your brethren, as he hath given to you: and they also possess the land, which he will give them beyond the Jordan: then shall every man return to his possession, which I have given you.

21. I commanded Josue also at that time, saying: Thy eyes have seen what the Lord your God hath done to these two kings: so will he do to all the king- dome to which thou shalt pass.

22. Fear them not: for the Lord your God will fight for you.

23. And I besought the Lord at that time, saying:

24. Lord God, thou hast begun to shew unto thy servant thy greatness, and most mighty hand, for there is no other God either in heaven or earth, that is able to do thy works, or to be compared to thy strength.

25. I will pass over therefore, and will see this excellent land beyond the Jordan, and this goodly mountain, and Libanus.

26. And the Lord was angry with me on your account and heard me not, but said to me: It is enough: speak no more to me of this matter.

27. Go up to the top of Phasga, and cast thy eyes round about to the west, and to the north, and to the south, and to the east, and behold it, for thou shalt not pass this Jordan.

28. Command Josue, and encourage and strengthen him: for he shall go before this people, and shall divide unto them the land which thou shalt see.

29. And we abode in the valley over against the temple of Phogor.

1. A canticle of a psalm for the sons of Core: unto the end, for Maheleth, to answer understanding of Eman the Ezrahite.

2. O Lord, the God of my salvation: I have cried in the day, and in the night before thee.

3. Let my prayer come in before thee: incline thy ear to my petition.

4. For my soul is filled with evils: and my life hath drawn nigh to hell.

5. I am counted among them that go down to the pit: I am become as a man without help,

6. free among the dead. Like the slain sleeping in the sepulchres, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cast off from thy hand.

7. They have laid me in the lower pit: in the dark places, and in the shadow of death.

8. Thy wrath is strong over me: and all thy waves thou hast brought in upon me.

9. Thou hast put away my acquaintance far from me: they have set me an abomination to themselves. I was delivered up, and came not forth:

10. my eyes languished through poverty. All the day I cried to thee, O Lord: I stretched out my hands to thee.

11. Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? or shall physicians raise to life, and give praise to thee?

12. Shall any one in the sepulchre declare thy mercy: and thy truth in destruction?

13. Shall thy wonders be known in the dark; and thy justice in the land of forgetfulness?

14. But I, O Lord, have cried to thee: and in the morning my prayer shall prevent thee.

15. Lord, why castest thou off my prayer: why turnest thou away thy face from me?

16. I am poor, and in labours from my youth: and being exalted have been humbled and troubled.

17. Thy wrath hath come upon me: and thy terrors have troubled me.

18. They have come round about me like water all the day: they have compassed me about together.

19. Friend and neighbour thou hast put far from me: and my acquaintance, because of misery.