Numbers 31

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And the LORD said to Moses,

2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered to thy people.

“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

3 And Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves for the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD on Midian.

So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them.

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

Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”

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

So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.

6 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.

And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

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

Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.

8 And they slew the kings of Midian, besides 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.

Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

9 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.

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.

10 And they burnt all their cities in which they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.

Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,

11 And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, [both] of men and of beasts.

and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.

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

They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

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

And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.

14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, [with] the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, who came from the battle.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle.

15 And Moses said to them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.

16 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.

“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.

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

So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,

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

but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.

19 And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whoever hath killed any person, and whoever hath touched any slain, purify [both] yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives.

20 And purify all [your] raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood.

And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”

21 And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, This [is] the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;

Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:

22 Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—

23 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.

everything that can withstand the fire—must be put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must still be purified with the water of purification. And everything that cannot withstand the fire must pass through the water.

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

On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

25 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

The LORD said to Moses,

26 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:

“You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast.

27 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:

Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.

28 And levy a tribute to the LORD of the men of war who 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:

Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.

29 Take [it] of their half, and give [it] to Eleazar the priest, [for] a heave-offering of the LORD.

Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.

30 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 to the Levites, who keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.

From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”

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

So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses,

32 And the booty, [being] the rest of the prey which the men of war had taken, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,

and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,

33 And seventy two thousand beeves,

72,000 cattle,

34 And sixty one thousand asses,

61,000 donkeys,

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

and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.

36 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:

This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,

37 And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy five.

including a tribute to the LORD of 675,

38 And the beeves [were] thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] seventy two.

36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,

39 And the asses [were] thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] sixty one.

30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,

40 And the persons [were] sixteen thousand, of which the LORD'S tribute [was] thirty and two persons.

and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.

41 And Moses gave the tribute, [which was] the LORD'S heave-offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

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

From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war,

43 (Now the half [that pertained to] the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand [and] seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep,

44 And thirty and six thousand beeves,

36,000 cattle,

45 And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,

30,500 donkeys,

46 And sixteen thousand persons; )

and 16,000 people.

47 Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, [both] of man and of beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.

48 And the officers who [were] over thousands of the hosts, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses:

Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses

49 And they said to Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war who [are] under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.

50 We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath obtained of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, ear-rings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.

So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”

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

So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.

52 And all the gold of the offering that they offered to the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.

53 ([For] the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)

Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.

54 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.

And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.