Numbers 31

¹Numbers 31:1. And the LORD said to Moses,²Numbers 31:2. “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”³Numbers 31:3. So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them.⁴Numbers 31:4. Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”⁵Numbers 31:5. So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.⁶Numbers 31:6. And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.⁷Numbers 31:7. Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.⁸Numbers 31:8. Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.⁹Numbers 31:9. The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.¹⁰Numbers 31:10. Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,¹¹Numbers 31:11. and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.¹²Numbers 31:12. They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.¹³Numbers 31:13. And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.¹⁴Numbers 31:14. But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle.¹⁵Numbers 31:15. “Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.¹⁶Numbers 31:16. “Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.¹⁷Numbers 31:17. So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,¹⁸Numbers 31:18. but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.¹⁹Numbers 31:19. All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives.²⁰Numbers 31:20. And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”²¹Numbers 31:21. Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:²²Numbers 31:22. Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—²³Numbers 31:23. everything that can withstand the fire—must be put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must still be purified with the water of purification. And everything that cannot withstand the fire must pass through the water.²⁴Numbers 31:24. On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”²⁵Numbers 31:25. The LORD said to Moses,²⁶Numbers 31:26. “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast.²⁷Numbers 31:27. Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.²⁸Numbers 31:28. Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.²⁹Numbers 31:29. Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.³⁰Numbers 31:30. From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”³¹Numbers 31:31. So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses,³²Numbers 31:32. and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,³³Numbers 31:33. 72,000 cattle,³⁴Numbers 31:34. 61,000 donkeys,³⁵Numbers 31:35. and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.³⁶Numbers 31:36. This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,³⁷Numbers 31:37. including a tribute to the LORD of 675,³⁸Numbers 31:38. 36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,³⁹Numbers 31:39. 30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,⁴⁰Numbers 31:40. and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.⁴¹Numbers 31:41. Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.⁴²Numbers 31:42. From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war,⁴³Numbers 31:43. this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep,⁴⁴Numbers 31:44. 36,000 cattle,⁴⁵Numbers 31:45. 30,500 donkeys,⁴⁶Numbers 31:46. and 16,000 people.⁴⁷Numbers 31:47. From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.⁴⁸Numbers 31:48. Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses⁴⁹Numbers 31:49. and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.⁵⁰Numbers 31:50. So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”⁵¹Numbers 31:51. So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.⁵²Numbers 31:52. All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.⁵³Numbers 31:53. Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.⁵⁴Numbers 31:54. 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 Israelites before the LORD.