Bible Verses About Journey of Israel Through The Desert

So Moses appealed to the LORD,

“May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation

who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.

Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight.

Confer on him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of Israel will obey him.

He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.”

Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation,

and laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD had instructed through Moses.

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them.

Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”

So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.

And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.

Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.

Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,

and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.

They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle.

“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.

“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.