Numbers 31

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses/me and said,

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

“Before you die, [tell the] Israeli people that they should (pay back/get revenge on) the Midian people-group for what they did to you.”

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

So Moses/I said to the people, “Get some men prepared for battle. Yahweh will enable them to (pay back/get revenge on) the Midian people-group [for what they did to us].

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

Select 1,000 men from each tribe to fight.”

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

So 12,000 men prepared for fighting in the battle, 1,000 from each tribe.

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.

When Moses/I sent them to the battle, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, went with them. He took with him some of the things from the Sacred Tent and the trumpets that would be blown to give the signal [to start the battle].

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

The Israeli men fought the soldiers from the Midian people-group, as Yahweh had told Moses/me to tell them to do, and they killed every man from the Midian people-group.

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.

Among those whom they killed were the five kings of the Midian people-group—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed with a sword Balaam, the son of Beor.

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.

They captured all the women and children of the Midian people-group and took away their cattle, their flocks of sheep, and herds of goats, and all their other possessions.

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

Then they burned down all the houses in the towns and villages where the people of the Midian people-group lived,

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

but they took home with them all the women and children and animals and possessions.

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.

They brought all these to Eliezer and Moses/me, and to the rest of the Israeli people who were at their/our camp on the plains where the Moab people-group lived, near the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

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

Eleazar and all the leaders of the people and Moses/I went outside the camp to greet/meet with them.

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/I was angry with some of the men who had returned from the battle. He/I was angry with the army officers and the men who were commanders of 1,000 men and those who were commanders of 100 men.

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

He/I asked them, “Why did you allow the women to live [RHQ]?

16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh.

They are the ones who did what Balaam suggested and urged/persuaded our people to worship Baal [instead of Yahweh]. As a result, Yahweh caused a plague to strike his people while they were at Peor.

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

So, now you must kill all the boys of the Midian people-group, and also kill all the women who have had sex [EUP] with any man.

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

Spare only the girls who are virgins [EUP]. You can keep them to be your [wives or your slaves].

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.

All of you who have killed someone or touched the corpse of someone who was killed [in the battle] must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and on the seventh day, you must [perform the ritual to] cause you and those whom you have captured to become acceptable to God again.

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.”

You must also wash your clothes and anything [that you took to the battle] that is made of leather or goat’s hair or wood.”

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

Then Eleazar said to the soldiers who had returned from the battle, “This is what Yahweh has instructed Moses:

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

You must put into a fire any gold or silver or bronze or iron or tin or lead things [that you brought back from the battle].

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.

Put everything that will not burn into the fire, and then they will be acceptable for you to use. But also sprinkle those things with the water that causes things and people to become acceptable to God. The things that would burn [if you put them] in a fire, sprinkle them with that water.

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

On the seventh day, wash your clothes, and then you will become acceptable to God again. After you do that, you may return to the camp.”

25 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

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;

“Tell Eleazar and the leaders of the family groups that they must write down a list of all the goods, the women, and the animals that were captured [in the battle].

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

Then they must divide all those things, half given to the men who fought in the battle and the other half given to the rest of the people.

28 Levy a tribute to Yahweh 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.

From the men who fought in the battle, take one from every 500 people and from every 500 cattle and donkeys and sheep, to be a tax for me.

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

Take these things to Eleazar to (be my share/belong 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 Yahweh’s tabernacle.”

And from the half that belongs to the ordinary people, take one item from every 50. That includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and other animals. Give those things to the descendants of Levi who take care of my Sacred Tent.”

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

So Eleazar and Moses/I did what Yahweh commanded.

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

There were 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 virgins that they had captured from the Midian people-group.

33 seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,

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

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 men who fought in the battle took 337,000 sheep [from the battle],

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

and they gave 675 of them to Yahweh.

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

They took 36,000 cattle and gave 72 of them to Yahweh.

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

They took 30,500 donkeys, and they gave 61 of them to Yahweh.

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

They took 16,000 virgins, and they dedicated 32 of them to Yahweh.

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

Moses/I gave to Eleazar all [the animals] that had been given to Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded.

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

Moses/I separated what those who had fought in the battle received from what the other people received. The people had taken 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgins,

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

44 thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

45 thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

46 and sixteen thousand persons),

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 Yahweh’s tabernacle, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

From what the people received, Moses/I took one from every 50 items and dedicated them to Yahweh. That included animals and people. As Yahweh commanded, he/I gave them all to the descendants of Levi who took care of the Sacred Tent.

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 army officers and those who commanded 1,000 men and those who commanded 100 men came to Moses/me.

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.

They said, “We, who are your servants, have counted the soldiers whom we command, and [we found that] none of them (is missing/has been killed).

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

So [to thank Yahweh for that], we have brought to him a gift of the gold items that we found [after the battle]: Gold arm bands and bracelets and rings and earrings and necklaces. This will enable us to be forgiven for our sins.”

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

So Eleazar and Moses/I accepted the gold items that they brought.

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

The total of it weighed about (420 pounds/190 kg.).

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

Each soldier had taken these things 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 Yahweh.

Eleazar and Moses/I accepted these gold items from these commanders and put them in the Sacred Tent to remind the Israeli people about how Yahweh [had helped them defeat the Midian people-group].