Numbers 31

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

AND the Lord spake 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 spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of 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 to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

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

And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

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, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, 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 all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.

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

And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, 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 men and of beasts.

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 Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near 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, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.

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 commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague 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 a 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 do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

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

And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.

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 which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses;

22 The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead,

Only 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 it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make 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 shall come into the camp.

25 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

And the Lord spake 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 chief fathers 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 them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between 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 which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

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, for an heave offering of 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 portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which 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,

And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, 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 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 seven and thirty 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 which 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 the Lord’s heave offering, 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 from the men that warred,

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

(Now the half that pertained unto the congregation 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 asses and five hundred,

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 portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which 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 which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and 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 which 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.”

We have therefore brought an oblation for the Lord, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an 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 offering that they offered up to 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 spoil, 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 tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.