Numbers 31 | New International Reader’s Version

New International Reader’s Version

The Lord punishes the Midianites

1 The 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.’ 3 So 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. 4 Send 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel into battle.’ 5 So Moses prepared 12,000 men for battle. There were 1,000 from each tribe. They came from the families of Israel. 6 Moses 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. 7 They fought against Midian, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. They killed every man. 8 Evi, 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. 9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children. They took for themselves all the herds, flocks and goods. 10 They burned down all the towns where the Midianites lived. They also burned all their camps. 11 They carried off everything they had taken. That included the people and the animals. 12 They 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. 13 Moses and Eleazar the priest went to meet them outside the camp. So did all the leaders of the community. 14 Moses 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. 17 Kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man. 18 But 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. 20 Make all your clothes pure and “clean”. Everything made out of leather, goat hair or wood must be made pure and “clean”. ’ 21 Then Eleazar the priest spoke to the soldiers who had gone into battle. He said, ‘Here is what the law the LORD gave Moses requires. 22 All your gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead 23 must 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. 24 On 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

25 The 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. 27 Divide up some of what you took with the soldiers who fought in the battle. Divide up the rest with the others in the community. 28 Set 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. 29 Take my gift from the soldiers’ half. Give it to Eleazar the priest. It is my share. 30 Also 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.’ 31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 32 What the soldiers took included 675,000 sheep. 33 There were also 72,000 cattle 34 and 61,000 donkeys. 35 And there were 32,000 women who had never slept with a man. 36 Here is the half that belonged to those who had fought in the battle. There were 337,500 sheep. 37 From among them, the LORD’s gift was 675. 38 There were 36,000 cattle. From among them, the LORD’s gift was 72. 39 There were 30,500 donkeys. From among them, the LORD’s gift was 61. 40 There were 16,000 women. From among them, the LORD’s gift was 32. 41 Moses gave the gift to Eleazar the priest. It was the LORD’s share. Moses did just as the LORD had commanded him. 42 The other half belonged to the Israelites. Moses set it apart from what belonged to the fighting men. 43 The community’s half was 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys 46 and 16,000 women. 47 Moses 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. 48 Then the army officers went to Moses. Some of them were the commanders of thousands of men. Others were the commanders of hundreds. 49 All of them said to Moses, ‘We have counted the soldiers under our command. Not a single one is missing. 50 So 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.’ 51 Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the beautiful gold things from the army officers. 52 The 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. 53 Each soldier had taken things from the battle for himself. 54 Moses 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.

English Standard Version

Vengeance on Midian

1 The 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) 3 So 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. 4 You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” 5 So 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) 6 And 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) 7 They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male. (De 20:13; Jud 21:11; 1Sa 27:9; 1Ki 11:15)

De 20:13Jud 21:111Sa 27:91Ki 11:15

8 They 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) 9 And 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. 10 All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, (Ge 25:16) 11 and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. (De 20:14; Jos 8:2) 12 Then 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) 13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. 14 And 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) 15 Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? (1Sa 15:3) 16 Behold, 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)

Nu 23:28Nu 24:14Nu 25:2Nu 25:92Pe 2:15Re 2:14

17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. (Jud 21:11) 18 But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves. (De 21:10) 19 Encamp 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) 20 You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.” 21 Then 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: 22 only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything 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) 24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.” (Le 11:25) 25 The 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, 27 and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. (Jos 22:8; 1Sa 30:24) 28 And 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) 29 Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. 30 And 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) 31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. 32 Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him. 36 And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep, 37 and the Lord’s tribute of sheep was 675. (Nu 31:28) 38 The cattle were 36,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 72. 39 The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. 40 The persons were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 persons. 41 And 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) 42 From the people of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army— 43 now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 and 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 persons— 47 from 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) 48 Then 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) 49 and 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. 50 And 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) 51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles. 52 And 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) 54 And 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)