Numbers 31

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

2 “Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

“Punish the Midianites because of what they did to the Israelites. After that you will join your forefathers in death.”

3 Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian.

Moses instructed the people, “Have some of your men get ready for battle, so they can go and attack the Midianites and carry out the Lord's punishment on them.

4 You shall send one thousand out of every tribe, throughout all the tribes of Israel, to the war.”

You are to contribute one thousand men from each Israelite tribe.”

5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

So one thousand men were chosen from each Israelite tribe, making twelve thousand troops ready for battle.

6 Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

Moses sent them into battle, one thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest. He carried with him the holy objects from the sanctuary and the trumpets used for giving signals.

7 They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses. They killed every male.

They attacked the Midianites, as the Lord had told Moses to do, and they killed all the men.

8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.

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

9 The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods, they took as plunder.

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children, and they took as plunder all their herds, flocks, and possessions.

10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire.

They set fire to all the Midianite towns and camps where they had lived,

11 They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal.

and carried away all the plunder and loot, including people and animals.

12 They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

They brought the prisoners, loot, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the rest of the Israelites where they were camped on the plains of Moab, beside the Jordan opposite Jericho.

13 Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the princes of the congregation, went out to meet them outside of the camp.

Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the Israelite leaders went out of the camp to meet them.

14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

Moses was angry with the army officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who returned from the battle.

15 Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive?

“Why did you let all the women live?” he asked them.

16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.

“You realize that these were the women seduced the Israelite men, leading them to be unfaithful to the Lord at Peor, following Balaam's advice! That's why the Lord's people suffered from the plague!

17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

So go and kill all the boys and every woman who has had slept with a man.

18 But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

Let all the girls who are virgins live. They are yours.

19 “Encamp outside of the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives.

All those of you who killed someone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. Purify yourselves and your prisoners on the third day and the seventh day.

20 You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.”

Also purify all your clothing garment and anything made of leather, goat's hair, or wood.”

21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses.

Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had gone into battle, “These are the legal regulations that the Lord has ordered Moses to be carried out:

22 However the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

All that's made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—

23 everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity. All that does not withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.

anything that doesn't burn—must be put through fire to make it clean. But it still has to be purified using water of purification. Anything that burns must be put through the water.

24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”

Wash your clothes on the seventh day and you will be clean. Then you can enter the camp.”

25 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

26 “Count the plunder that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation;

“You, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite family leaders are to take a record of the people and animals that were captured.

27 and divide the plunder into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.

Then divide them between the troops who went into battle and the rest of the Israelites.

28 Levy a tribute to the LORD of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred; of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks.

Take as a contribution to the Lord from what is allocated to the troops who went into battle one out of every five hundred people, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.

29 Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for the LORD’s wave offering.

Take this from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the Lord.

30 Of the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of the LORD’s tabernacle.”

From the Israelites; half share, take one out of every fifty people, cattle, donkeys, or sheep, or other animals, and give them to the Levites who take care of the Lord's Tabernacle.”

31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord had ordered Moses.

32 Now the plunder, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

This was the list of plunder remaining that had been looted by the troops: 675,000 sheep,

33 seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

72,000 cattle,

34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,

61,000 donkeys,

35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.

and 32,000 virgins.

36 The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep;

This was the half share for those who had gone to fight: 337,500 sheep,

37 and the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.

with a contribution for the Lord of 675,

38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was seventy-two.

36,000 cattle, with a Lord's contribution of 72,

39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD’s tribute was sixty-one.

30,500 donkeys, with a Lord's contribution of 61,

40 The persons were sixteen thousand, of whom the LORD’s tribute was thirty-two persons.

and 16,000 people, with a Lord's contribution of 32.

41 Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Moses gave the contribution to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the Lord as the Lord had ordered Moses.

42 Of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men who fought

The Israelites' half share left after Moses had given the half share to the troops who had gone to fight,

43 (now the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

consisted of: 337,500 sheep,

44 thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

36,000 cattle,

45 thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

30,500 donkeys,

46 and sixteen thousand persons),

and 16,000 people.

47 even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the LORD’s tabernacle, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Moses took from the Israelites' half one out of every fifty people and animals and gave them the Levites who take care of the Lord's Tabernacle, as the Lord had ordered him.

48 The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses.

The army officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, came to Moses

49 They said to Moses, “Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us.

and told him, “We, your servants, have checked the troops we command and not a single man is missing.

50 We have brought the LORD’s offering, what every man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before the LORD.”

So we have brought the Lord an offering of the gold objects each man received—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—in order that we may be right before the Lord.”

51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold, even all worked jewels.

Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them all the objects made out of gold.

52 All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.

The gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds gave as an offering to the Lord weighed in total 16,750 shekels.

53 The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.

(The men who had fought in the battle had each taken plunder for himself.)

54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.

Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and took it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial offering for the Israelites in the presence of the Lord.