1The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,2‘Pay the Midianites back for what they did to the Israelites. After that, you will join the members of your family who have already died.’3So Moses said to the people, ‘Prepare some of your men for battle. They must go to war against Midian. They will carry out the LORD’s plan to punish Midian.4Send 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel into battle.’5So Moses prepared 12,000 men for battle. There were 1,000 from each tribe. They came from the families of Israel.6Moses sent them into battle. He sent 1,000 from each tribe. Phinehas the priest went along with them. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. Phinehas took some things from the sacred tent with him. He also took the trumpets. The trumpet blasts would tell the people what to do and when to do it.7They fought against Midian, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. They killed every man.8Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba were among the men they killed. Those men were the five kings of Midian. The Israelites also killed Balaam with their swords. Balaam was the son of Beor.9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children. They took for themselves all the herds, flocks and goods.10They burned down all the towns where the Midianites lived. They also burned all their camps.11They carried off everything they had taken. That included the people and the animals.12They brought back to Israel’s camp the prisoners and everything else they had taken. They took them to Moses and to Eleazar the priest. They brought them to the whole community. Israel was camped on the plains of Moab. They were by the River Jordan opposite Jericho.13Moses and Eleazar the priest went to meet them outside the camp. So did all the leaders of the community.14Moses was angry with the officers of the army who had returned from the battle. Some of them were the commanders of thousands of men. Others were the commanders of hundreds.15‘Have you let all the women remain alive?’ Moses asked them.16‘The women followed Balaam’s advice. They caused the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD. The people worshipped the god named Baal that was worshipped at Peor. So a plague struck them.17Kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man.18But save for yourselves every woman who has never slept with a man.19‘Anyone who has killed a person must stay outside the camp for seven days. And anyone who has touched a person who was killed must do the same thing. On the third and seventh days you must make yourselves pure. You must also make your prisoners pure.20Make all your clothes pure and “clean”. Everything made out of leather, goat hair or wood must be made pure and “clean”. ’21Then Eleazar the priest spoke to the soldiers who had gone into battle. He said, ‘Here is what the law the LORD gave Moses requires.22All your gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead23must be put through fire. So must everything else that doesn’t burn. Then those things will be “clean”. But they must also be made pure with the special water. In fact, everything that won’t burn must be put through that water.24On the seventh day wash your clothes. And you will be “clean”. Then you can come into the camp.’
The people divide up what they had taken
25The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,26‘Here is what you and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders of the community must do. You must count all the people and animals you captured.27Divide up some of what you took with the soldiers who fought in the battle. Divide up the rest with the others in the community.28Set apart a gift for me. Take something from the soldiers who fought in the battle. Set apart one out of every 500 people, cattle, donkeys or sheep.29Take my gift from the soldiers’ half. Give it to Eleazar the priest. It is my share.30Also take something from the half that belongs to the Israelites. Choose one out of every 50 people, cattle, donkeys, sheep or other animals. Give them to the Levites. They are responsible for taking care of my holy tent.’31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.32What the soldiers took included 675,000 sheep.33There were also 72,000 cattle34and 61,000 donkeys.35And there were 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.36Here is the half that belonged to those who had fought in the battle. There were 337,500 sheep.37From among them, the LORD’s gift was 675.38There were 36,000 cattle. From among them, the LORD’s gift was 72.39There were 30,500 donkeys. From among them, the LORD’s gift was 61.40There were 16,000 women. From among them, the LORD’s gift was 32.41Moses gave the gift to Eleazar the priest. It was the LORD’s share. Moses did just as the LORD had commanded him.42The other half belonged to the Israelites. Moses set it apart from what belonged to the fighting men.43The community’s half was 337,500 sheep,4436,000 cattle,4530,500 donkeys46and 16,000 women.47Moses chose one out of every 50 people and animals. He gave them to the Levites. They were accountable for taking care of the LORD’s holy tent. Moses did just as the LORD had commanded him.48Then the army officers went to Moses. Some of them were the commanders of thousands of men. Others were the commanders of hundreds.49All of them said to Moses, ‘We have counted the soldiers under our command. Not a single one is missing.50So we’ve brought an offering to the LORD. We’ve brought the gold each of us took in the battle. That includes armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces. We’ve brought them in front of the LORD to pay for our sin.’51Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the beautiful gold things from the army officers.52The gold received from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds weighed 201 kilograms. Moses and Eleazar offered all of it as a gift to the LORD.53Each soldier had taken things from the battle for himself.54Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from all the commanders. They brought it into the tent of meeting. It reminded the LORD of the Israelites.
Numbers 31
English Standard Version
Vengeance on Midian
1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,2“Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” (Nu 20:24; Nu 25:17)3So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.4You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.”5So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. (Nu 32:27; Jos 4:13)6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. (Le 23:24; Nu 10:6; Nu 10:9)7They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male. (De 20:13; Jud 21:11; 1Sa 27:9; 1Ki 11:15)8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. (Nu 25:15; Jos 13:21; Jos 13:22)9And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods.10All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, (Ge 25:16)11and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. (De 20:14; Jos 8:2)12Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. (Nu 22:1)13Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.14And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. (Nu 31:48)15Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? (1Sa 15:3)16Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. (Nu 23:28; Nu 24:14; Nu 25:2; Nu 25:9; 2Pe 2:15; Re 2:14)17Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. (Jud 21:11)18But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. (De 21:10)19Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. (Nu 5:2; Nu 19:12; Nu 19:22)20You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses:22only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,23everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. (Nu 19:9)24You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.” (Le 11:25)25The Lord said to Moses,26“Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation,27and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. (Jos 22:8; 1Sa 30:24)28And levy for the Lord a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks. (Nu 18:26; Nu 31:30; Nu 31:47)29Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord.30And from the people of Israel’s half you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites who keep guard over the tabernacle of the Lord.” (Nu 1:53; Nu 31:42)31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.32Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep,3372,000 cattle,3461,000 donkeys,35and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him.36And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep,37and the Lord’s tribute of sheep was 675. (Nu 31:28)38The cattle were 36,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 72.39The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61.40The persons were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 persons.41And Moses gave the tribute, which was the contribution for the Lord, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Nu 18:8; Nu 18:19)42From the people of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army—43now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep,4436,000 cattle,45and 30,500 donkeys,46and 16,000 persons—47from the people of Israel’s half Moses took one of every 50, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Nu 31:30)48Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses (Nu 31:14)49and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us.50And we have brought the Lord’s offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” (Ex 30:12)51And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles.52And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels.[1]53(The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself.) (Nu 31:32; De 20:14)54And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the Lord. (Ex 30:16)