Numbers 31

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy 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 And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of 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 a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye 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 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.

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

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

8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside 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.

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 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 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 And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.

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

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

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

12 And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which [are] by Jordan [near] 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 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.

Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community 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, which came from the battle.

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

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

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

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 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 that hath 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 women children, that have not known a 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 And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify [both] yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

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

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

21 And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This [is] the ordinance of the law which the LORD 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 Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

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.

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 And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye 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 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

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:

“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 them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between 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 And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which 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:

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 unto Eleazar the priest, [for] an heave offering of the LORD.

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

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 unto the Levites, which keep the charge 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 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

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

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

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

33 And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,

seventy-two thousand oxen,

34 And threescore and one thousand asses,

sixty-one thousand donkeys,

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

and thirty-two thousand women who had never slept with any 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:

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

37 And the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

Yahweh's part of the sheep was 675.

38 And the beeves [were] thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute [was] threescore and twelve.

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

39 And the asses [were] thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD’s tribute [was] threescore and one.

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

40 And the persons [were] sixteen thousand; of which the LORD’s tribute [was] thirty and two persons.

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

41 And Moses gave the tribute, [which was] the LORD’s heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, 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 And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,

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

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

the community's half was 337,500 sheep,

44 And thirty and six thousand beeves,

thirty-six thousand oxen,

45 And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,

30,500 donkeys,

46 And sixteen thousand persons; )

and sixteen thousand women.

47 Even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one portion of fifty, [both] of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge 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 And the officers which [were] over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:

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

49 And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which [are] under our charge, and there lacketh 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 therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an 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 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, [even] all wrought jewels.

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

52 And all the gold of the offering that they offered up 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 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 ([For] the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)

Each soldier had taken plunder, each man 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.

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.