Numbers 31

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites. After doing that, you will die and be gathered to your people.”

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

3 So Moses spoke to the people. He said, “Arm some of your men for war so they may go against Midian and carry out Yahweh's vengeance on it.

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 Every tribe throughout Israel must send a thousand soldiers to war.”

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

5 So out of Israel's thousands of men, one thousand was provided from each tribe, twelve thousand men armed for war.

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

6 Then Moses sent them to battle, a thousand from every tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, and with some articles from the holy place and the trumpets in his possession for sounding signals.

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 They fought against Midian, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. They killed every man.

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

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

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 The army of Israel took captive the women of Midian, their children, all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. They took these as plunder.

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 They burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps.

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

11 They took all the plunder and prisoners, both people and animals.

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

12 They brought the prisoners, the plunder, and the captured things to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the community of the people of Israel. They brought these to the camp in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan near 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 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.

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

14 But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from 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 Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live?

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

16 Look, these women caused the people of Israel, through Balaam's advice, to commit sin against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, when the plague spread among Yahweh's community.

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 Now then, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has ever slept with a man.

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

18 But take for yourselves all the young girls who have never slept with a man.

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

19 You must camp outside the camp of Israel for seven days. All of you who have killed anyone and or have touched any dead person—you must purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day—you and your prisoners.

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 You must purify every garment and everything made of animal hide and goats' hair, and everything made of wood.”

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 Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, “This is a decreed law that Yahweh has given to 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 The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead,

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

23 and everything that resists fire, you must put it through the fire, and it will become clean. You must then purify those things with the water of cleansing. Whatever cannot go through the fire you must cleanse with that water.

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 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and then you will become clean. Afterward you may come into Israel's 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 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

26 “Count all the plundered things that were taken, both people and animals. You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community's ancestor's clans

'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 must divide the plunder into two parts. Divide it between the soldiers who went out to battle and all the rest of the community.

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

28 Then levy a tax to be given to me from the soldiers who went out to battle. This tax must be one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or goats.

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 Take this tax from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest for an offering to be presented to me.

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

30 Also from the people of Israel's half, you must take one out of every fifty—from the persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Give these to the Levites who take care of my tabernacle.”

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 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

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

32 Now the plunder that remained of what the soldiers had taken was 675,000 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 women who had never slept with any man.

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

36 The half that was kept for the soldiers numbered 337,000 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 Yahweh's part of the sheep was 675.

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

38 The oxen were thirty-six thousand which Yahweh's tax was seventy-two.

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

39 The donkeys were 30,500 from which Yahweh's part was sixty-one.

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

40 The persons were sixteen thousand women of whom Yahweh's tax was thirty-two.

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

41 Moses took the tax that was to be an offering presented to Yahweh. He gave it to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

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

42 As for the people of Israel's half that Moses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war—

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

43 the community's half was 337,500 sheep,

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

44 thirty-six thousand oxen,

and thirty and six thousand beeves,

45 30,500 donkeys,

and thirty thousand and five hundred asses,

46 and sixteen thousand women.

and sixteen thousand persons —

47 From the people of Israel's half, Moses took one out of every fifty, both of people and animals. He gave them to the Levites who kept care of Yahweh's tabernacle, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

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 Then the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and the captains over hundreds, came to Moses.

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 They said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers who are under our command, and not one man is missing.

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 We have brought Yahweh's offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before Yahweh.”

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 Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold and all the articles of craftsmanship.

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

52 All the gold of the offering that they gave to Yahweh—the offerings from the commanders of thousands and from the captains of hundreds—weighed 16,750 shekels.

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 Each soldier had taken plunder, each man for himself.

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

54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and captains of hundreds. They took it into the tent of meeting as a reminder of the people of Israel for Yahweh.

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.