Liber Numeri 31
1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Ulciscere prius filios Israel de Madianitis, et sic colligeris ad populum tuum.
“Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
3 Statimque Moyses, Armate, inquit, ex vobis viros ad pugnam, qui possint ultionem Domini expetere de Madianitis.
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.
4 Mille viri de singulis tribubus eligantur ex Israel qui mittantur ad bellum.
You shall send one thousand out of every tribe, throughout all the tribes of Israel, to the war.”
5 Dederuntque millenos de singulis tribubus, id est, duodecim millia expeditorum ad pugnam:
So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6 quos misit Moyses cum Phinees filio Eleazari sacerdotis, vasa quoque sancta, et tubas ad clangendum tradidit ei.
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.
7 Cumque pugnassent contra Madianitas atque vicissent, omnes mares occiderunt,
They fought against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses. They killed every male.
8 et reges eorum Evi, et Recem, et Sur, et Hur, et Rebe, quinque principes gentis: Balaam quoque filium Beor interfecerunt gladio.
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.
9 Ceperuntque mulieres eorum, et parvulos, omniaque pecora, et cunctam supellectilem: quidquid habere potuerant depopulati sunt:
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.
10 tam urbes quam viculos et castella flamma consumpsit.
All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire.
11 Et tulerunt prædam, et universa quæ ceperant tam ex hominibus quam ex iumentis,
They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal.
12 et adduxerunt ad Moysen, et Eleazarum sacerdotem, et ad omnem multitudinem filiorum Israel. Reliqua autem utensilia portaverunt ad castra in campestribus Moab iuxta Iordanem contra Iericho.
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.
13 Egressi sunt autem Moyses, et Eleazar sacerdos, et omnes principes synagogæ in occursum eorum extra castra.
Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the princes of the congregation, went out to meet them outside of the camp.
14 Iratusque Moyses principibus exercitus, tribunis, et centurionibus qui venerant de bello,
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.
15 ait: Cur feminas reservastis?
Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive?
16 Nonne istæ sunt, quæ deceperunt filios Israel ad suggestionem Balaam, et prævaricari vos fecerunt in Domino super peccato Phogor, unde et percussus est populus?
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.
17 Ergo cunctos interficite quidquid est generis masculinis, etiam in parvulis: et mulieres, quæ noverunt viros in coitu, iugulate:
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
18 puellas autem et omnes feminas virgines reservate vobis:
But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19 et manete extra castra septem diebus. Qui occiderit hominem, vel occisum tetigerit, lustrabitur die tertio et septimo.
“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.
20 Et de omni præda, sive vestimentum fuerit, sive vas, et aliquid in utensilia præparatum, de caprarum pellibus, et pilis, et ligno expiabitur.
You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.”
21 Eleazar quoque sacerdos ad viros exercitus, qui pugnaverunt, sic locutus est: Hoc est præceptum legis, quod mandavit Dominus Moysi:
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.
22 Aurum, et argentum, et æs, et ferrum, et plumbum, et stannum,
However the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23 et omne, quod potest transire per flammas, igne purgabitur. Quidquid autem ignem non potest sustinere, aqua expiationis sanctificabitur:
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.
24 et lavabitis vestimenta vestra die septimo, et purificati postea castra intrabitis.
You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”
25 Dixit quoque Dominus ad Moysen:
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
26 Tollite summam eorum, quæ capta sunt ab homine usque ad pecus, tu et Eleazar sacerdos et principes vulgi:
“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;
27 dividesque ex æquo prædam inter eos, qui pugnaverunt egressique sunt ad bellum, et inter omnem reliquam multitudinem.
and divide the plunder into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.
28 Et separabis partem Domino ab his, qui pugnaverunt et fuerunt in bello, unam animam de quingentis tam ex hominibus quam ex bobus et asinis et ovibus,
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.
29 et dabis eam Eleazaro sacerdoti, quia primitiæ Domini sunt.
Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh’s wave offering.
30 Ex media quoque parte filiorum Israel accipies quinquagesimum caput hominum, et boum, et asinorum, et ovium, cunctorum animantium, et dabis ea Levitis, qui excubant in custodiis tabernaculi Domini.
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.”
31 Feceruntque Moyses, et Eleazar, sicut præceperat Dominus.
Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.
32 Fuit autem præda, quam exercitus ceperat, ovium sexcenta septuaginta quinque millia,
Now the plunder, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,
33 boum septuaginta duo millia,
seventy-two thousand head of cattle,
34 asinorum sexaginta millia et mille:
sixty-one thousand donkeys,
35 animæ hominum sexus feminei, quæ non cognoverant viros, triginta duo millia.
and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.
36 Dataque est media pars his, qui in prælio fuerant, ovium trecenta triginta septem millia quingentæ:
The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep;
37 e quibus in partem Domini supputatæ sunt oves sexcentæ septuaginta quinque.
and Yahweh’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.
38 Et de bobus triginta sex millibus, boves septuaginta et duo:
The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which Yahweh’s tribute was seventy-two.
39 de asinis triginta millibus quingentis, asini sexaginta unus:
The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which Yahweh’s tribute was sixty-one.
40 de animabus hominum sedecim millibus, cesserunt in partem Domini triginta duæ animæ.
The persons were sixteen thousand, of whom Yahweh’s tribute was thirty-two persons.
41 Tradiditque Moyses numerum primitiarum Domini Eleazaro sacerdoti, sicut fuerat ei imperatum,
Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh’s wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
42 ex media parte filiorum Israel, quam separaverat his, qui in prælio fuerant.
Of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men who fought
43 De media vero parte, quæ contigerat reliquæ multitudini, id est, de ovibus trecentis triginta septem millibus quingentis,
(now the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
44 et de bobus triginta sex millibus,
thirty-six thousand head of cattle,
45 et de asinis triginta millibus quingentis,
thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,
46 et de hominibus sedecim millibus,
and sixteen thousand persons),
47 tulit Moyses quinquagesimum caput, et dedit Levitis, qui excubabant in tabernaculo Domini, sicut præceperat Dominus.
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.
48 Cumque accessissent principes exercitus ad Moysen, et tribuni, centurionesque dixerunt:
The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses.
49 Nos servi tui recensuimus numerum pugnatorum, quos habuimus sub manu nostra: et ne unus quidem defuit.
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.
50 Ob hanc causam offerimus in donariis Domini singuli quod in præda auri potuimus invenire, periscelides et armillas, annulos et dextralia, ac murænulas, ut depreceris pro nobis Dominum.
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.”
51 Susceperuntque Moyses, et Eleazar sacerdos omne aurum in diversis speciebus,
Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold, even all worked jewels.
52 pondo sedecim millia, septingentos quinquaginta siclos a tribunis et centurionibus.
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.
53 Unusquisque enim quod in præda rapuerat, suum erat.
The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.
54 Et susceptum intulerunt in tabernaculum testimonii, in monimentum filiorum Israel coram Domino.
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.
