Numbers 31

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

2 “First, avenge the sons of Israel from the Midianites, and then you shall be gathered to your people.”

'Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites; afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.'

3 And immediately Moses said: “Arm the men among you for a battle, so that they may be able to fulfill the retribution of the Lord on the Midianites.

And Moses spoke unto the people, saying: 'Arm ye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD'S vengeance on Midian.

4 Let one thousand men be chosen from each tribe of Israel, who shall be sent to war.”

Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.'

5 And they gave one thousand from each tribe, that is, twelve thousand foot soldiers for battle.

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

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

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

7 And when they had fought against the Midianites and had prevailed, they killed all the men.

And they warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew every male.

8 And they put to death by the sword their kings: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five leaders of the nation, and also Balaam the son of Beor.

And they slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian; Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

9 And they seized their women and little ones, and all their cattle, and all their goods; whatever they were able to have, they despoiled.

And the children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.

10 Both their cities and their villages, as well as their fortresses, they burned.

And all their cities in the places wherein they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.

11 And they carried away prey from everything that they had seized, both of men and of beasts.

And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of beast.

12 And they led these to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to all the multitude of the sons of Israel. But the remainder of the articles they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, next to the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp, unto the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

13 Then Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the assembly went out to meet them beyond the camp.

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

14 And Moses, being angry with the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions, who had arrived from the battle,

And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

15 said: “Why have you spared the females?

And Moses said unto them: 'Have ye saved all the women alive?

16 Are not these the ones who deceived the sons of Israel at the suggestion of Balaam, and who caused you betray the Lord by the sin of Peor, because of which the people also were struck down?

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to revolt so as to break faith with the LORD in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.

17 Therefore, put to death all of them: whatever is of the male sex, even among the little ones, and cut the throats of those women who have known men by sexual relations.

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

18 But the young girls, and all female virgins, reserve for yourselves.

But all the women children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

19 And remain beyond the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed a man, or who has touched one that was killed, shall be purified on the third day and on the seventh day.

And encamp ye without the camp seven days; whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, ye and your captives.

20 And all of the spoils, whether it is a garment, or a vessel, or another useful thing, made from the pelts or hair of goats, or from wood, shall be expiated.”

And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood, ye shall purify.'

21 Likewise, Eleazar the priest spoke in this manner to the men of the army who had fought: “This is the precept of the law, which the Lord has commanded Moses:

And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war that went to the battle: 'This is the statute of the law which the LORD hath commanded Moses:

22 Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin,

Howbeit the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23 and all that may be able to pass through fire, shall be purified by fire. But whatever is not able to sustain fire shall be sanctified with the waters of expiation.

every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of sprinkling; and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make to go through the water.

24 And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day, and, after having been purified, you shall enter the camp.”

And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye may come into the camp.'

25 And the Lord also said to Moses:

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

26 “Take the sum of those things which were captured, from man even to beast, you and Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the common people.

'Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation;

27 And you shall divide the prey equally, among those who went out to war and fought, and among the remainder of the multitude.

and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation;

28 And you shall separate a portion for the Lord from the portion of those who fought and were in the battle: one soul out of five hundred, as much from humans, as from oxen and donkeys and sheep.

and levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the flocks;

29 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, because these are the first-fruits of the Lord.

take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, as a portion set apart for the LORD.

30 Likewise, from the half of the portion belonging to the sons of Israel, you shall receive the fiftieth head of humans, and of oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and of all living things, and you shall give these to the Levites who stand watch over the care of the tabernacle of the Lord.”

And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, even of all the cattle, and give them unto the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.'

31 And Moses and Eleazar did just as the Lord had instructed.

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

32 Now the prey which the army had seized was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

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

33 seventy-two thousand oxen,

and threescore and twelve thousand beeves,

34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,

and threescore and one thousand asses,

35 and thirty-two thousand human lives, of the female sex, who had not known men.

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

36 And one half of the portion was given to those who had been in the battle: three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep.

And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep.

37 From these, for the portion of the Lord, there were accounted: six hundred seventy-five sheep;

And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

38 and from the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen;

And the beeves were thirty and six thousand, of which the LORD'S tribute was threescore and twelve.

39 from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, sixty-one donkeys.

And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred, of which the LORD'S tribute was threescore and one.

40 From the sixteen thousand human souls, there fell to the portion of the Lord thirty-two souls.

And the persons were sixteen thousand, of whom the LORD'S tribute was thirty and two persons.

41 And Moses delivered the number of the first-fruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, just as had been commanded of him,

And Moses gave the tribute, which was set apart for the LORD, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

42 from the one half portion belonging to the sons of Israel, which he had separated from the portion of those who had been in the battle.

And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men that warred —

43 Yet truly, from the one half portion which fell to the remainder of the multitude, that is, from the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

now the congregation's half was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

44 and from the thirty-six thousand oxen,

and thirty and six thousand beeves,

45 and from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

and thirty thousand and five hundred asses,

46 and from the sixteen thousand persons,

and sixteen thousand persons —

47 Moses took the fiftieth head, and gave it to the Levites who stand watch at the tabernacle of the Lord, just as the Lord had instructed.

even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, that kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

48 And when the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions had approached Moses, they said:

And the officers that were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses;

49 “We, your servants, have taken a census of the number of the fighting men, whom we had under our hand, and indeed not one was lacking.

and they said unto Moses: 'Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war that are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

50 For this reason, we offer as gifts to the Lord whatever gold each one was able to find amid the spoils, in anklets and arm bands, rings and bracelets, and little chains, so that you may intercede for us to the Lord.”

And we have brought the LORD'S offering, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet-rings, ear-rings, and girdles, to make atonement for our souls before the LORD.'

51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in its various kinds,

And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.

52 weighing sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels, from the tribunes and the centurions.

And all the gold of the gift that they set apart for the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. —

53 For whatever each one had taken away in the spoils was his own.

For the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself. —

54 And having been accepted, they took it into the tabernacle of the testimony, as a memorial of the sons of Israel before the Lord.

And 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.