Numbers 31
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses/me and said,
And the Lord spak to Moyses, and seide,
2 “Before you die, [tell the] Israeli people that they should (pay back/get revenge on) the Midian people-group for what they did to you.”
Venge thou firste the sones of Israel of Madianytis, and so thou schalt be gaderid to thi puple.
3 So Moses/I said to the people, “Get some men prepared for battle. Yahweh will enable them to (pay back/get revenge on) the Midian people-group [for what they did to us].
And anoon Moises seide, Arme ye men of you to batel, that moun take of Madianytis the veniaunce of the Lord.
4 Select 1,000 men from each tribe to fight.”
Of ech lynage be chosun a thousynde men of Israel, that schulen be sent to batel.
5 So 12,000 men prepared for fighting in the battle, 1,000 from each tribe.
And of ech lynage thei yauen a thousynde, that is twelue thousynde of men, redi to batel;
6 When Moses/I sent them to the battle, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, went with them. He took with him some of the things from the Sacred Tent and the trumpets that would be blown to give the signal [to start the battle].
whiche Moises sente with Fynees, the sone of Eleazar, preest. And he bitook to hem hooli vesselis, and trumpis to make sown.
7 The Israeli men fought the soldiers from the Midian people-group, as Yahweh had told Moses/me to tell them to do, and they killed every man from the Midian people-group.
And whanne thei hadden fouyt ayens Madianytis, and hadden ouercome, thei killiden alle the malis,
8 Among those whom they killed were the five kings of the Midian people-group—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed with a sword Balaam, the son of Beor.
and `the kyngis of hem, Euy, and Reem, and Sur, and Hur, and Rebe, fyue princes of `the folc of hem. Also thei killiden bi swerd Balaam, the sone of Beor.
9 They captured all the women and children of the Midian people-group and took away their cattle, their flocks of sheep, and herds of goats, and all their other possessions.
And thei token the wymmen of hem, and the litle children, and alle beestis, and al purtenaunce of howshold; what euer thei myyten haue, thei spuyleden;
10 Then they burned down all the houses in the towns and villages where the people of the Midian people-group lived,
flawme brente as wel citees, as litle townes and castels.
11 but they took home with them all the women and children and animals and possessions.
And they token pray, and alle thingis whiche thei hadden take, as wel of men as of beestis, and thei brouyten to Moyses,
12 They brought all these to Eliezer and Moses/me, and to the rest of the Israeli people who were at their/our camp on the plains where the Moab people-group lived, near the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
and to Eleazar, preest, and to al the multitude of the sones of Israel. Forsothe thei baren othere `thingis perteynynge to vss, to the castels in the feldi places of Moab bisidis Jordan, ayens Jericho.
13 Eleazar and all the leaders of the people and Moses/I went outside the camp to greet/meet with them.
Moises and Eleazar, preest, and alle the princes of the synagoge, yeden out in to the comyng of hem, with out the castels, `that is, of the tabernacle.
14 But Moses/I was angry with some of the men who had returned from the battle. He/I was angry with the army officers and the men who were commanders of 1,000 men and those who were commanders of 100 men.
And Moises was wrooth to the princes of the oost, to tribunes, and centuriouns, that camen fro batel;
15 He/I asked them, “Why did you allow the women to live [RHQ]?
and he seide, Whi reserueden ye wymmen?
16 They are the ones who did what Balaam suggested and urged/persuaded our people to worship Baal [instead of Yahweh]. As a result, Yahweh caused a plague to strike his people while they were at Peor.
whether it be not these that disseyueden the sones of Israel, at the suggestioun of Balaam, and maden you to do trespas ayens the Lord, on the synne of Phegor, wherfor also the puple was slayn?
17 So, now you must kill all the boys of the Midian people-group, and also kill all the women who have had sex [EUP] with any man.
And therfor sle ye alle men, what euer thing is of male kynde, and litle children; and strangle ye the wymmen that knew men fleischli;
18 Spare only the girls who are virgins [EUP]. You can keep them to be your [wives or your slaves].
forsothe reserue ye to you damesels, and alle wymmen virgyns,
19 All of you who have killed someone or touched the corpse of someone who was killed [in the battle] must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and on the seventh day, you must [perform the ritual to] cause you and those whom you have captured to become acceptable to God again.
and dwelle ye with out the castels in seuene daies. He that sleeth a man, ether touchith a slayn man, schal be clensid in the thridde and the seuenthe dai;
20 You must also wash your clothes and anything [that you took to the battle] that is made of leather or goat’s hair or wood.”
and of al the pray, whether it is clooth, ether vessel, and ony thing maad redi in to thingis perteynynge to vss, of the skynnys and heeris of geet, and `of tre, it schal be clensid.
21 Then Eleazar said to the soldiers who had returned from the battle, “This is what Yahweh has instructed Moses:
And Eleazar, preest, spak thus to the men of the oost that fouyten, This is the comaundement of the lawe, which the Lord comaundide to Moises,
22 You must put into a fire any gold or silver or bronze or iron or tin or lead things [that you brought back from the battle].
The gold, and siluer, and bras, and yrun, and tiyn, and leed, and al thing that may passe by flawme, schal be purgid bi fier;
23 Put everything that will not burn into the fire, and then they will be acceptable for you to use. But also sprinkle those things with the water that causes things and people to become acceptable to God. The things that would burn [if you put them] in a fire, sprinkle them with that water.
sotheli what euer thing may not suffre fier, schal be halewid bi the watir of clensyng.
24 On the seventh day, wash your clothes, and then you will become acceptable to God again. After you do that, you may return to the camp.”
And ye schulen waische youre clothis in the seuenthe dai, and ye schulen be clensid; and aftirward ye schulen entre in to the castels `of the tabernacle.
25 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
And the Lord seide to Moises, Take ye the summe of tho thingis that ben takun, fro man `til to beeste,
26 “Tell Eleazar and the leaders of the family groups that they must write down a list of all the goods, the women, and the animals that were captured [in the battle].
thou, and Eleazar, preest, and alle the princes of the comyn puple.
27 Then they must divide all those things, half given to the men who fought in the battle and the other half given to the rest of the people.
And thou schalt departe euenli the prey bytwixe hem that fouyten and yeden out to batel, and bitwixe al the multitude.
28 From the men who fought in the battle, take one from every 500 people and from every 500 cattle and donkeys and sheep, to be a tax for me.
And thou schalt departe a part to the Lord, of hem that fouyten, and weren in batel, `o soule of fiue hundrid, as wel of men, as of oxun, and of assis, and of scheep.
29 Take these things to Eleazar to (be my share/belong to me).
And thou schalt yyue `that part to Eleazar, preest, for tho ben the firste fruytis of the Lord.
30 And from the half that belongs to the ordinary people, take one item from every 50. That includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and other animals. Give those things to the descendants of Levi who take care of my Sacred Tent.”
Also of the myddil part of the sones of Israel, thou schalt take the fiftithe heed of men, and of oxun, and of assis, and of scheep, and of alle lyuynge beestis; and thou schalt yyue tho to the dekenes, that waken in the kepyngis of the tabernacle of the Lord.
31 So Eleazar and Moses/I did what Yahweh commanded.
And Moyses and Eleazar diden, as the Lord comaundide.
32 There were 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 virgins that they had captured from the Midian people-group.
Forsothe the prey which the oost hadde take, was sixe hundrid fyue and seuenti thousynde of scheep,
of oxun two and seuenti thousynde,
of assis sixti thousynde and a thousynde;
the soules of persones of femal kynde, that knewen not fleischli men, two and thretti thousynde.
36 The men who fought in the battle took 337,000 sheep [from the battle],
And the myddil part was youun to hem that weren in the batel, of scheep thre hundrid seuene and thretti thousynde and fyue hundrid;
37 and they gave 675 of them to Yahweh.
of whiche sixe hundrid fyue and seuenti scheep weren noumbrid in to the part of the Lord;
38 They took 36,000 cattle and gave 72 of them to Yahweh.
and of sixe and thretti thousynde oxun,
39 They took 30,500 donkeys, and they gave 61 of them to Yahweh.
two and seuenti oxun, and of thretti thousynde assis and fyue hundryd, oon and sixti assis;
40 They took 16,000 virgins, and they dedicated 32 of them to Yahweh.
of sixtene thousynde persoones of men, twei and thretti persoones bifelden in to the `part of the Lord.
41 Moses/I gave to Eleazar all [the animals] that had been given to Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded.
And Moises bitook the noumbre of the firste fruytis of the Lord to Eleazar, preest, as it was comaundid to hym,
42 Moses/I separated what those who had fought in the battle received from what the other people received. The people had taken 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgins,
of the myddil part of the sones of Israel, which he departide to hem that weren in batel.
And of the myddil part that bifelde to the tother multitude, that is, of thre hundrid seuene and thretti thousynde scheep and fyue hundrid,
and of sixe and thretti thousynde oxun,
and of thretti thousynde assis and fyue hundrid, and of sixtene thousynde wymmen,
Moyses took the fyftithe heed,
47 From what the people received, Moses/I took one from every 50 items and dedicated them to Yahweh. That included animals and people. As Yahweh commanded, he/I gave them all to the descendants of Levi who took care of the Sacred Tent.
and yaf to the dekenes, that wakiden in the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord comaundide.
48 Then the army officers and those who commanded 1,000 men and those who commanded 100 men came to Moses/me.
And whanne the princes of the oost, and the tribunes and centuriouns hadden neiyed to Moises,
49 They said, “We, who are your servants, have counted the soldiers whom we command, and [we found that] none of them (is missing/has been killed).
thei seiden, We thi seruauntis han teld the noumbre of fiyters, whiche we hadden vndur oure hoond, and sotheli not oon failide;
50 So [to thank Yahweh for that], we have brought to him a gift of the gold items that we found [after the battle]: Gold arm bands and bracelets and rings and earrings and necklaces. This will enable us to be forgiven for our sins.”
for which cause we offren `in the fre yiftis of the Lord, alle bi vs silf, that that we myyten fynde of gold in the pray, girdelis for `the myddil of wymmen, and bies of the armes, and ryngis, and ournementis of the arm nyy the hond, and bies of the neckis of wymmen, that thou preye the Lord for vs.
51 So Eleazar and Moses/I accepted the gold items that they brought.
And Moises and Eleazar, preest, token al the gold in dyuerse spices,
52 The total of it weighed about (420 pounds/190 kg.).
`ether kyndis, bi the weiyte of the seyntuarye, sixtene thousynde seuene hundrid and fifti siclis, of the tribunes, and centuriouns.
53 Each soldier had taken these things for himself.
For that that ech man rauyschide in the prey, was his owne;
54 Eleazar and Moses/I accepted these gold items from these commanders and put them in the Sacred Tent to remind the Israeli people about how Yahweh [had helped them defeat the Midian people-group].
and thei baren the gold taken in to the tabernacle of witnessyng, in to the mynde of the sones of Israel, bifor the Lord.
