Numbers 31
1 And the Lord spak to Moyses, and seide,
And the LORD said to Moses,
2 Venge thou firste the sones of Israel of Madianytis, and so thou schalt be gaderid to thi puple.
“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3 And anoon Moises seide, Arme ye men of you to batel, that moun take of Madianytis the veniaunce of the Lord.
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 ech lynage be chosun a thousynde men of Israel, that schulen be sent to batel.
Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”
5 And of ech lynage thei yauen a thousynde, that is twelue thousynde of men, redi to batel;
So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.
6 whiche Moises sente with Fynees, the sone of Eleazar, preest. And he bitook to hem hooli vesselis, and trumpis to make sown.
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 whanne thei hadden fouyt ayens Madianytis, and hadden ouercome, thei killiden alle the malis,
Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
8 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.
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 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;
The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.
10 flawme brente as wel citees, as litle townes and castels.
Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,
11 And they token pray, and alle thingis whiche thei hadden take, as wel of men as of beestis, and thei brouyten to Moyses,
and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.
12 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.
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 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.
And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
14 And Moises was wrooth to the princes of the oost, to tribunes, and centuriouns, that camen fro batel;
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 he seide, Whi reserueden ye wymmen?
“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.
16 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?
“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 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;
So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,
18 forsothe reserue ye to you damesels, and alle wymmen virgyns,
but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.
19 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;
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 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.
And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”
21 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,
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 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;
Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—
23 sotheli what euer thing may not suffre fier, schal be halewid bi the watir of clensyng.
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 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.
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 seide to Moises, Take ye the summe of tho thingis that ben takun, fro man `til to beeste,
The LORD said to Moses,
26 thou, and Eleazar, preest, and alle the princes of the comyn puple.
“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 thou schalt departe euenli the prey bytwixe hem that fouyten and yeden out to batel, and bitwixe al the multitude.
Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.
28 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.
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 And thou schalt yyue `that part to Eleazar, preest, for tho ben the firste fruytis of the Lord.
Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.
30 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.
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 Moyses and Eleazar diden, as the Lord comaundide.
So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses,
32 Forsothe the prey which the oost hadde take, was sixe hundrid fyue and seuenti thousynde of scheep,
and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,
33 of oxun two and seuenti thousynde,
72,000 cattle,
34 of assis sixti thousynde and a thousynde;
61,000 donkeys,
35 the soules of persones of femal kynde, that knewen not fleischli men, two and thretti thousynde.
and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.
36 And the myddil part was youun to hem that weren in the batel, of scheep thre hundrid seuene and thretti thousynde and fyue hundrid;
This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,
37 of whiche sixe hundrid fyue and seuenti scheep weren noumbrid in to the part of the Lord;
including a tribute to the LORD of 675,
38 and of sixe and thretti thousynde oxun,
36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,
39 two and seuenti oxun, and of thretti thousynde assis and fyue hundryd, oon and sixti assis;
30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,
40 of sixtene thousynde persoones of men, twei and thretti persoones bifelden in to the `part of the Lord.
and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.
41 And Moises bitook the noumbre of the firste fruytis of the Lord to Eleazar, preest, as it was comaundid to hym,
Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
42 of the myddil part of the sones of Israel, which he departide to hem that weren in batel.
From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war,
43 And of the myddil part that bifelde to the tother multitude, that is, of thre hundrid seuene and thretti thousynde scheep and fyue hundrid,
this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep,
44 and of sixe and thretti thousynde oxun,
36,000 cattle,
45 and of thretti thousynde assis and fyue hundrid, and of sixtene thousynde wymmen,
30,500 donkeys,
46 Moyses took the fyftithe heed,
and 16,000 people.
47 and yaf to the dekenes, that wakiden in the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord comaundide.
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 whanne the princes of the oost, and the tribunes and centuriouns hadden neiyed to Moises,
Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses
49 thei seiden, We thi seruauntis han teld the noumbre of fiyters, whiche we hadden vndur oure hoond, and sotheli not oon failide;
and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.
50 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.
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 Moises and Eleazar, preest, token al the gold in dyuerse spices,
So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.
52 `ether kyndis, bi the weiyte of the seyntuarye, sixtene thousynde seuene hundrid and fifti siclis, of the tribunes, and centuriouns.
All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.
53 For that that ech man rauyschide in the prey, was his owne;
Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.
54 and thei baren the gold taken in to the tabernacle of witnessyng, in to the mynde of the sones of Israel, bifor 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.
