Numbers 31

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

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

Revenge first the children of Israel on the Madianites, and so thou shalt be gathered to thy 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 forthwith said: Arm of you men to fight, who may take the revenge of the Lord on the Madianites.

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

Let a thousand men be chosen out of every tribe of Israel to be sent 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 they gave a thousand of every tribe, that is to say, twelve thousand men well appointed for battle.

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 shofars for the alarm in his hand.

And Moses sent them with Phinees the son of Eleazar the priest, and he delivered to him the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound.

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

And when they had fought against the Madianites and had overcome them, they slew all the men.

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 their kings Evi, and Recem, and Sur, and Hur, and Rebe, five princes of the nation: Balaam also the son of Beer they killed 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 they took their women, and their children captives, and all their cattle, and all their goods: and all their possessions they plundered:

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

And all their cities, and their villages, and castles, they burned.

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

And they carried away the booty, and all that they had taken both of men and of beasts.

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 brought them to Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and to all the multitude of the children of Israel. But the rest of the things for use they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, beside the Jordan over against 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 synagogue went forth to meet them without 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 being angry with the chief officers of the army, the tribunes, and the centurions that were come from the battle,

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

Said: Why have you saved the women?

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.

Are not these they, that deceived the children of Israel by the counsel of Balaam, and made you transgress against the Lord by the sin of Phogor, for which also the people was punished?

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

Therefore kill all that are of the male sex, even of the children: and put to death the women, that have carnally known men.

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

But the girls, and all the women that are virgins save 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 stay without the camp seven days. He that hath killed a man, or touched one that is killed, shall be purified the third day and the seventh day.

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 of all the spoil, every garment, or vessel, or any thing made for use, of the skins, or hair of goats, or of wood, shall be purified.

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.

Eleazar also the priest spoke to the men of the army, that had fought, in this manner: This is the ordinance of the law, which the Lord hath commanded Moses:

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

Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lend, and tin,

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.

And all that may pass through the fire, shall be purified by fire, but whatsoever cannot abide the fire, shall be sanctified with the water of expiation:

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

And you shall wash your garments the seventh day, and being purified, you shall afterwards enter into the camp.

25 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses:

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 the sum of the things that were taken both of man and beast, thou and Eleazar the priest and the princes of the multitude:

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

And thou shalt divide the spoil equally, between them that fought and went out to the war, and between the rest of the multitude.

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 thou shalt separate a portion to the Lord from them that fought and were in the battle, one soul of five hundred as well of persons as of oxen and asses and sheep.

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

And thou shalt give it to Eleazar the priest, because they are the firstfruits of the Lord.

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.”

Out of the moiety also of the children of Israel thou shalt take the fiftieth head of persons, and of oxen, and asses, and sheep, and of all beasts, and thou shalt give them to the Levites that watch in the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.

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

And Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord had commanded.

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 spoil which the army had taken, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

Seventy-two thousand oxen,

34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,

Sixty-one thousand asses:

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

And thirty-two thousand persons of the female sex, that had not known men.

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 one half was given to them that had been in the battle, to wit, three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:

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

Out of which, for the portion of the Lord, were reckoned six hundred seventy-five sheep.

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

And out of the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen:

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

Out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses, sixty-one asses:

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

Out of the sixteen thousand persons, there fell to the portion of the Lord, thirty-two souls.

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

And Moses delivered the number of the firstfruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, as had been commanded him,

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

Out of the half of the children of Israel, which he had separated for them that had been in the battle.

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

But out of the half that fell to the rest of the multitude, that is to say, out of the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

And out of the thirty-six thousand oxen,

45 thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys,

And out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses,

46 and sixteen thousand persons),

And out of the 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 the LORD’s tabernacle, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Moses took the fiftieth head, and gave it to the Levites that watched in the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded.

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 when the commanders of the army, and the tribunes and centurions were come to Moses, they said:

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.

We thy servants have reckoned up the number of the fighting men, whom we had under our hand, and not so much as one was wanting.

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.”

Therefore we offer as gifts to the Lord what gold every one of us could find in the booty, in garters and tablets, rings and bracelets, and chains, that thou mayst pray to the Lord for us.

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

And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in divers kinds,

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.

In weight sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty sicles, from the tribunes and from the centurions.

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

For that which every one had taken in the booty was his own.

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 that which was received they brought into the tabernacle of the testimony, for a memorial of the children of Israel before the Lord.