Numbers 31

1 And the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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

Revenge first the children of Israel on the Madianites, and so thou shalt be gathered to thy people.

3 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.

And Moses forthwith said: Arm of you men to fight, who may take the revenge of the Lord on the Madianites.

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

Let a thousand men be chosen out of every tribe of Israel to be sent to the war.

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

And they gave a thousand of every tribe, that is to say, twelve thousand men well appointed for battle.

6 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.

And Moses sent them with Phinees the son of Eleazar the priest, and he delivered to him the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound.

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

And when they had fought against the Madianites and had overcome them, they slew all the men.

8 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.

And their kings Evi, and Recem, and Sur, and Hur, and Rebe, five princes of the nation: Balaam also the son of Beer they killed with the sword.

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

And they took their women, and their children captives, and all their cattle, and all their goods: and all their possessions they plundered:

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

And all their cities, and their villages, and castles, they burned.

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

And they carried away the booty, and all that they had taken both of men and of beasts.

12 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 they brought them to Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and to all the multitude of the children of Israel. But the rest of the things for use they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, beside the Jordan over against Jericho.

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

And Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the princes of the synagogue went forth to meet them without the camp.

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

And Moses being angry with the chief officers of the army, the tribunes, and the centurions that were come from the battle,

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

Said: Why have you saved the women?

16 “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.

Are not these they, that deceived the children of Israel by the counsel of Balaam, and made you transgress against the Lord by the sin of Phogor, for which also the people was punished?

17 So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,

Therefore kill all that are of the male sex, even of the children: and put to death the women, that have carnally known men.

18 but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.

But the girls, and all the women that are virgins save for yourselves:

19 All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives.

And stay without the camp seven days. He that hath killed a man, or touched one that is killed, shall be purified the third day and the seventh day.

20 And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”

And of all the spoil, every garment, or vessel, or any thing made for use, of the skins, or hair of goats, or of wood, shall be purified.

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:

Eleazar also the priest spoke to the men of the army, that had fought, in this manner: This is the ordinance of the law, which the Lord hath commanded Moses:

22 Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—

Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lend, and tin,

23 everything that can withstand the fire—must be put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must still be purified with the water of purification. And everything that cannot withstand the fire must pass through the water.

And all that may pass through the fire, shall be purified by fire, but whatsoever cannot abide the fire, shall be sanctified with the water of expiation:

24 On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

And you shall wash your garments the seventh day, and being purified, you shall afterwards enter into the camp.

25 The LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord said to Moses:

26 “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast.

Take the sum of the things that were taken both of man and beast, thou and Eleazar the priest and the princes of the multitude:

27 Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.

And thou shalt divide the spoil equally, between them that fought and went out to the war, and between the rest of the multitude.

28 Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.

And thou shalt separate a portion to the Lord from them that fought and were in the battle, one soul of five hundred as well of persons as of oxen and asses and sheep.

29 Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.

And thou shalt give it to Eleazar the priest, because they are the firstfruits of the Lord.

30 From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”

Out of the moiety also of the children of Israel thou shalt take the fiftieth head of persons, and of oxen, and asses, and sheep, and of all beasts, and thou shalt give them to the Levites that watch in the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.

31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses,

And Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord had commanded.

32 and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,

And the spoil which the army had taken, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 72,000 cattle,

Seventy-two thousand oxen,

34 61,000 donkeys,

Sixty-one thousand asses:

35 and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.

And thirty-two thousand persons of the female sex, that had not known men.

36 This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,

And one half was given to them that had been in the battle, to wit, three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:

37 including a tribute to the LORD of 675,

Out of which, for the portion of the Lord, were reckoned six hundred seventy-five sheep.

38 36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,

And out of the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen:

39 30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,

Out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses, sixty-one asses:

40 and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.

Out of the sixteen thousand persons, there fell to the portion of the Lord, thirty-two souls.

41 Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

And Moses delivered the number of the firstfruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, as had been commanded him,

42 From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war,

Out of the half of the children of Israel, which he had separated for them that had been in the battle.

43 this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep,

But out of the half that fell to the rest of the multitude, that is to say, out of the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 36,000 cattle,

And out of the thirty-six thousand oxen,

45 30,500 donkeys,

And out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses,

46 and 16,000 people.

And out of the sixteen thousand persons,

47 From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.

Moses took the fiftieth head, and gave it to the Levites that watched in the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded.

48 Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses

And when the commanders of the army, and the tribunes and centurions were come to Moses, they said:

49 and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.

We thy servants have reckoned up the number of the fighting men, whom we had under our hand, and not so much as one was wanting.

50 So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”

Therefore we offer as gifts to the Lord what gold every one of us could find in the booty, in garters and tablets, rings and bracelets, and chains, that thou mayst pray to the Lord for us.

51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.

And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in divers kinds,

52 All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.

In weight sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty sicles, from the tribunes and from the centurions.

53 Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.

For that which every one had taken in the booty was his own.

54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.

And that which was received they brought into the tabernacle of the testimony, for a memorial of the children of Israel before the Lord.