Numbers 31

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

2 “Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

“Execute the vengeance of the sons of Israel against the Midianites—afterward you are gathered to your people.”

3 Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from amongst you for war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian.

And Moses speaks to the people, saying, “Arm men from [among] you for the war, and they are against Midian, to put the vengeance of YHWH on Midian;

4 You shall send one thousand out of every tribe, throughout all the tribes of Israel, to the war.”

one thousand for a tribe—you send one thousand for a tribe, of all the tribes of Israel, to the war.”

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

And there are given out of the thousands of Israel one thousand for a tribe—twelve thousand armed ones [for] war;

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

and Moses sends them, one thousand for a tribe, to the war; [he sent] them and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the war, with the holy vessels and the trumpets of shouting in his hand.

7 They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses. They killed every male.

And they war against Midian, as YHWH has commanded Moses, and slay every male;

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

and they have slain the kings of Midian besides their pierced ones: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba—five kings of Midian; and they have slain Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

9 The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods, they took as plunder.

And the sons of Israel take the women of Midian and their infants captive; and they have plundered all their livestock, and all their substance, and all their wealth;

10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.

and they have burned all their cities, with their habitations, and all their towers, with fire.

11 They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal.

And they take all the spoil and all the prey, among man and among beast;

12 They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder, 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.

and they bring in the captives, and the prey, and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp, to the plains of Moab, which [are] by the Jordan, [near] Jericho.

13 Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the princes of the congregation, went out to meet them outside of the camp.

And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, go out to meet them, to the outside of the camp,

14 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.

and Moses is angry against the inspectors of the force, chiefs of the thousands, and chiefs of the hundreds, who are coming in from the warfare of battle.

15 Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive?

And Moses says to them, “Have you kept every female alive?

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 so the plague was amongst the congregation of the LORD.

Behold, they have been to the sons of Israel, through the word of Balaam, to cause a trespass against YHWH in the matter of Peor, and the plague is in the congregation of YHWH.

17 Now therefore kill every male amongst the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

And now, slay every male among the infants, indeed, slay every woman knowing a man by the lying of a male;

18 But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

and all the infants among the women who have not known the lying of a male you have kept alive for yourselves.

19 “Encamp outside of the camp for 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.

And you, encamp at the outside of the camp [for] seven days; any who has slain a person, and any who has come against a pierced one, cleanse yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day—you and your captives;

20 You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.”

and every garment, and every skin vessel, and every work of goats’ [hair], and every wooden vessel, you yourselves cleanse.”

21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses.

And Eleazar the priest says to the men of war who go to battle, “This [is] the statute of the law which YHWH has commanded Moses:

22 However the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

only the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23 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. All that doesn’t withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.

everything which may go into fire, you cause to pass over through fire, and it has been clean; it is surely cleansed with the water of separation; and all that may not go into fire, you cause to pass over through water;

24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”

and you have washed your garments on the seventh day and have been clean, and afterward you come into the camp.”

25 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

26 “Count the plunder that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation;

“Take up the sum of the prey of the captives, among man and among beast, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers of the congregation;

27 and divide the plunder into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.

and you have halved the prey between those handling the battle, who go out to the war, and all the congregation;

28 Levy a tribute to the LORD 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.

and you have raised a tribute to YHWH from the men of battle, who go out to the war, one body out of five hundred, of man, and of the herd, and of the donkeys, and of the flock;

29 Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for the LORD’s wave offering.

you take from their half and have given [it] to Eleazar the priest [as] a raised-offering of YHWH.

30 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 LORD’s tabernacle.”

And from the sons of Israel’s half you take one possession out of fifty, of man, of the herd, of the donkeys, and of the flock, of all the livestock, and you have given them to the Levites keeping the charge of the Dwelling Place of YHWH.”

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

And Moses does—Eleazar the priest also—as YHWH has commanded Moses.

32 Now the plunder, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,

And the prey, the remainder of the spoil which the people of the host have spoiled, is six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand of the flock;

33 seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

and seventy-two thousand of the herd;

34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,

and sixty-one thousand donkeys;

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

and of mankind—of the women who have not known the lying of a male—all the persons [are] thirty-two thousand.

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

And the half, the portion of those who go out into the war, is [in] number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred of the flock.

37 and the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.

And the tribute to YHWH of the sheep is six hundred seventy-five;

38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was seventy-two.

and the herd [is] thirty-six thousand, and their tribute to YHWH [is] seventy-two;

39 The donkeys were thirty thousand and five hundred, of which the LORD’s tribute was sixty-one.

and the donkeys [are] thirty thousand and five hundred, and their tribute to YHWH [is] sixty-one;

40 The persons were sixteen thousand, of whom the LORD’s tribute was thirty-two persons.

and of mankind [are] sixteen thousand, and their tribute to YHWH [is] thirty-two persons.

41 Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

And Moses gives the tribute—YHWH’s raised-offering—to Eleazar the priest, as YHWH has commanded Moses.

42 Of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men who fought

And of the sons of Israel’s half, which Moses halved from the men who war—

43 (now the congregation’s half was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

and the congregation’s half is three hundred thousand and thirty thousand [and] seven thousand and five hundred of the flock;

44 thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

and thirty-six thousand of the herd;

45 thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys,

and thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys;

46 and sixteen thousand persons),

and sixteen thousand of mankind—

47 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 LORD’s tabernacle, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Moses takes from the sons of Israel’s half one possession from the fifty, of man and of beast, and gives them to the Levites keeping the charge of the Dwelling Place of YHWH, as YHWH has commanded Moses.

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

And the inspectors whom the thousands of the host have (heads of the thousands and heads of the hundreds), draw near to Moses,

49 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.

and they say to Moses, “Your servants have taken up the sum of the men of war who [are] with us, and not a man of us has been missed;

50 We have brought the LORD’s offering, what every man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before the LORD.”

and we bring YHWH’s offering near, each of that which he has found of vessels of gold—chain, and bracelet, seal-ring, [ear]-ring, and bead—to make atonement for ourselves before YHWH.”

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

And Moses receives—Eleazar the priest also—the gold from them, every vessel of workmanship;

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

and all the gold of the raised-offering which they have lifted up to YHWH is sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels, from heads of the thousands and from heads of the hundreds;

53 The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.

(the men of the host have each taken spoil for himself);

54 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.

and Moses takes—Eleazar the priest also—the gold from the heads of the thousands and of the hundreds, and they bring it into the Tent of Meeting [as] a memorial for the sons of Israel before YHWH.