Numbers 31

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

YHWH spoke to 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 for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your 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.

Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute YHWH'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 one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall 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.

Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and 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.

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

They warred against Midian, as YHWH commanded Moses; and they killed 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.

They killed 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 killed 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.

The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their livestock, 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.

All their cities in the places in which they lived, 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.

They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal.

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.

They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, 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.

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

Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of 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,

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.

15 said: “Why have you spared the females?

Moses said to them, "Have you 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?

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

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 who has known man by lying with him.

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

But all the girls, who 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.

"Encamp outside of the camp 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.

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.”

As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves."

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:

Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which YHWH has commanded Moses:

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

however the gold, and the silver, the bronze, 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.

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: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you 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.”

You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp."

25 And the Lord also said to Moses:

YHWH spoke to 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 animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the ancestral 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, who 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.

Levy a tribute to YHWH 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.

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 to Eleazar the priest, for YHWH's wave offering.

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.”

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 tabernacle of YHWH."

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

Moses and Eleazar the priest did as YHWH 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 seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 seventy-two thousand oxen,

and seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,

and sixty-one thousand donkeys,

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

and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who 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.

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

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

and YHWH's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.

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

The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which YHWH's tribute was seventy-two.

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

The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which YHWH's tribute was sixty-one.

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

The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom YHWH's tribute was thirty-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,

Moses gave the tribute, which was YHWH's wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as YHWH 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.

Of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men who 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 thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 and from the thirty-six thousand oxen,

and thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

45 and from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

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 animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the tabernacle of YHWH; as YHWH commanded Moses.

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

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

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.”

We have brought YHWH's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before YHWH."

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

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

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

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

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

(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.

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 YHWH.