Numbers 31

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

2 "Avenge the children of Israel for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."

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

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

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.

4 Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war."

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

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

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

6 Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the cohen, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

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.

7 They warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they killed every male.

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

8 They killed 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 killed with the sword.

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.

9 The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their livestock, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.

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.

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

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

11 They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal.

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

12 They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the cohen, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

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.

13 Moses, and Eleazar the cohen, and all the leaders of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp.

Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside 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.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from battle.

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

Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live?

16 Look, 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 among the congregation of the LORD.

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.

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

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

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

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

19 "Encamp outside of the camp 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.

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.

20 As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves."

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

21 Eleazar the cohen said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:

Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, “This is a decreed law that Yahweh has given to Moses:

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

The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and 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: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.

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.

24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp."

You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and then you will become clean. Afterward you may come into Israel's camp.”

25 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

26 "Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the cohen, and the heads of the fathers' households of the congregation;

“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

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

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

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.

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.

29 Take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the cohen, for the LORD's wave offering.

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

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 tabernacle of the LORD."

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.”

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

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

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

Now the plunder that remained of what the soldiers had taken was 675,000 sheep,

33 and seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

seventy-two thousand oxen,

34 and sixty-one thousand donkeys,

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 thirty-two thousand women who had never slept with any man.

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

The half that was kept for the soldiers numbered 337,000 sheep.

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

Yahweh's part of the sheep was 675.

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

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

39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which the LORD's tribute was sixty-one.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the community's half was 337,500 sheep,

44 and thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

thirty-six thousand oxen,

45 and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

30,500 donkeys,

46 and sixteen thousand persons),

and sixteen thousand women.

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 tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

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.

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

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

49 and 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.

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

50 We have brought the LORD's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before the LORD."

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.”

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

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

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 seven hundred fifty shekels.

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.

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

Each soldier had taken plunder, each man for himself.

54 Moses and Eleazar the cohen 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.

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.