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.”

“First, avenge the sons of Israel from the Midianites, and then you shall be gathered to your people.”

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

And immediately Moses said: “Arm the men among you for a battle, so that they may be able to fulfill the retribution of the Lord on the Midianites.

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

Let one thousand men be chosen from each tribe of Israel, who shall be sent to 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 one thousand from each tribe, that is, twelve thousand foot soldiers 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 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest; also, 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 Midianites and had prevailed, they killed 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 they put to death by the sword their kings: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five leaders of the nation, and also 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.

And they seized their women and little ones, and all their cattle, and all their goods; whatever they were able to have, they despoiled.

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

Both their cities and their villages, as well as their fortresses, they burned.

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

And they carried away prey from everything that they had seized, 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 led these to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to all the multitude of the sons of Israel. But the remainder of the articles they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, next to the Jordan, opposite Jericho.

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

Then Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the assembly went out to meet them beyond 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 leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions, who had arrived from the battle,

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

said: “Why have you spared the females?

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 among the congregation of the LORD.

Are not these the ones who deceived the sons of Israel at the suggestion of Balaam, and who caused you betray the Lord by the sin of Peor, because of which the people also were struck down?

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

Therefore, put to death all of them: whatever is of the male sex, even among the little ones, and cut the throats of those women who have known men by sexual relations.

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

But the young girls, and all female virgins, reserve 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 remain beyond the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed a man, or who has touched one that was killed, shall be purified on the third day and on 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 all of the spoils, whether it is a garment, or a vessel, or another useful thing, made from the pelts or hair of goats, or from wood, shall be expiated.”

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.

Likewise, Eleazar the priest spoke in this manner to the men of the army who had fought: “This is the precept of the law, which the Lord has 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 lead, 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 be able to pass through fire, shall be purified by fire. But whatever is not able to sustain fire shall be sanctified with the waters 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 on the seventh day, and, after having been purified, you shall enter the camp.”

25 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord also 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 those things which were captured, from man even to beast, you and Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the common people.

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

And you shall divide the prey equally, among those who went out to war and fought, and among the remainder 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 you shall separate a portion for the Lord from the portion of those who fought and were in the battle: one soul out of five hundred, as much from humans, as from oxen and donkeys and sheep.

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

And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, because these are the first-fruits 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.”

Likewise, from the half of the portion belonging to the sons of Israel, you shall receive the fiftieth head of humans, and of oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and of all living things, and you shall give these to the Levites who stand watch over the care of the tabernacle of the Lord.”

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

And Moses and Eleazar did just as the Lord had instructed.

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

Now the prey which the army had seized 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 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 human lives, of the female sex, who had not known men.

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;

And one half of the portion was given to those who had been in the battle: three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep.

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

From these, for the portion of the Lord, there were accounted: six hundred seventy-five sheep;

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

and from the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen;

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

from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, sixty-one donkeys.

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

From the sixteen thousand human souls, 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 first-fruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, just as had been commanded of him,

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

from the one half portion belonging to the sons of Israel, which he had separated from the portion of those who had been in the battle.

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

Yet truly, from the one half portion which fell to the remainder of the multitude, that is, from the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

and from the thirty-six thousand oxen,

45 thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

and from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

46 and sixteen thousand persons),

and from 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 who stand watch at the tabernacle of the Lord, just as the Lord had instructed.

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 leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions had approached 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, your servants, have taken a census of the number of the fighting men, whom we had under our hand, and indeed not one was lacking.

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.”

For this reason, we offer as gifts to the Lord whatever gold each one was able to find amid the spoils, in anklets and arm bands, rings and bracelets, and little chains, so that you may intercede for us to the Lord.”

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

And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in its various 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 seven hundred fifty shekels.

weighing sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels, from the tribunes and the centurions.

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

For whatever each one had taken away in the spoils 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 having been accepted, they took it into the tabernacle of the testimony, as a memorial of the sons of Israel before the Lord.