Numbers 31

¹And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

²“First, avenge the sons of Israel from the Midianites, and then you shall be gathered to your people.”

³And 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.

⁴Let one thousand men be chosen from each tribe of Israel, who shall be sent to war.”

⁵And they gave one thousand from each tribe, that is, twelve thousand foot soldiers for battle.

⁶And Moses sent them with Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest; also, he delivered to him the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound.

⁷And when they had fought against the Midianites and had prevailed, they killed all the men.

⁸And 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.

⁹And they seized their women and little ones, and all their cattle, and all their goods; whatever they were able to have, they despoiled.

¹⁰Both their cities and their villages, as well as their fortresses, they burned.

¹¹And they carried away prey from everything that they had seized, both of men and of beasts.

¹²And 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.

¹³Then Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the assembly went out to meet them beyond the camp.

¹⁴And Moses, being angry with the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions, who had arrived from the battle,

¹⁵said: “Why have you spared the females?

¹⁶Are 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?

¹⁷Therefore, 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.

¹⁸But the young girls, and all female virgins, reserve for yourselves.

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰And 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.”

²¹Likewise, 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:

²²Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin,

²³and 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.

²⁴And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day, and, after having been purified, you shall enter the camp.”

²⁵And the Lord also said to Moses:

²⁶“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.

²⁷And you shall divide the prey equally, among those who went out to war and fought, and among the remainder of the multitude.

²⁸And 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.

²⁹And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, because these are the first-fruits of the Lord.

³⁰Likewise, 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.”

³¹And Moses and Eleazar did just as the Lord had instructed.

³²Now the prey which the army had seized was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

³³seventy-two thousand oxen,

³⁴sixty-one thousand donkeys,

³⁵and thirty-two thousand human lives, of the female sex, who had not known men.

³⁶And one half of the portion was given to those who had been in the battle: three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep.

³⁷From these, for the portion of the Lord, there were accounted: six hundred seventy-five sheep;

³⁸and from the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen;

³⁹from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, sixty-one donkeys.

⁴⁰From the sixteen thousand human souls, there fell to the portion of the Lord thirty-two souls.

⁴¹And Moses delivered the number of the first-fruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, just as had been commanded of him,

⁴²from 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.

⁴³Yet 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,

⁴⁴and from the thirty-six thousand oxen,

⁴⁵and from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

⁴⁶and from the sixteen thousand persons,

⁴⁷Moses 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.

⁴⁸And when the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions had approached Moses, they said:

⁴⁹“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.

⁵⁰For 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.”

⁵¹And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in its various kinds,

⁵²weighing sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels, from the tribunes and the centurions.

⁵³For whatever each one had taken away in the spoils was his own.

⁵⁴And having been accepted, they took it into the tabernacle of the testimony, as a memorial of the sons of Israel before the Lord.

Numbers 31

¹And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

²Revenge first the children of Israel on the Madianites, and so thou shalt be gathered to thy people.

³And Moses forthwith said: Arm of you men to fight, who may take the revenge of the Lord on the Madianites.

⁴Let a thousand men be chosen out of every tribe of Israel to be sent to the war.

⁵And they gave a thousand of every tribe, that is to say, twelve thousand men well appointed for battle.

⁶And Moses sent them with Phinees the son of Eleazar the priest, and he delivered to him the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound.

⁷And when they had fought against the Madianites and had overcome them, they slew all the men.

⁸And their kings Evi, and Recem, and Sur, and Hur, and Rebe, five princes of the nation: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the sword.

⁹And they took their women, and their children captives, and all their cattle, and all their goods: and all their possessions they plundered:

¹⁰And all their cities, and their villages, and castles, they burned.

¹¹And they carried away the booty, and all that they had taken both of men and of beasts.

¹²And they brought them to Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and to all the multitude of the children of Israel. But the rest of the things for use they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, beside the Jordan over against Jericho.

¹³And Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the princes of the synagogue went forth to meet them without the camp.

¹⁴And Moses being angry with the chief officers of the army, the tribunes, and the centurions that were come from the battle,

¹⁵Said: Why have you saved the women?

¹⁶Are not these they, that deceived the children of Israel by the counsel of Balaam, and made you transgress against the Lord by the sin of Phogor, for which also the people was punished?

¹⁷Therefore kill all that are of the male sex, even of the children: and put to death the women, that have carnally known men.

¹⁸But the girls, and all the women that are virgins save for yourselves:

¹⁹And stay without the camp seven days. He that hath killed a man, or touched one that is killed, shall be purified the third day and the seventh day.

²⁰And of all the spoil, every garment, or vessel, or any thing made for use, of the skins, or hair of goats, or of wood, shall be purified.

²¹Eleazar also the priest spoke to the men of the army, that had fought, in this manner: This is the ordinance of the law, which the Lord hath commanded Moses:

²²Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin,

²³And all that may pass through the fire, shall be purified by fire, but whatsoever cannot abide the fire, shall be sanctified with the water of expiation:

²⁴And you shall wash your garments the seventh day, and being purified, you shall afterwards enter into the camp.

²⁵And the Lord said to Moses:

²⁶Take the sum of the things that were taken both of man and beast, thou and Eleazar the priest and the princes of the multitude:

²⁷And thou shalt divide the spoil equally, between them that fought and went out to the war, and between the rest of the multitude.

²⁸And thou shalt separate a portion to the Lord from them that fought and were in the battle, one soul of five hundred as well of persons as of oxen and asses and sheep.

²⁹And thou shalt give it to Eleazar the priest, because they are the firstfruits of the Lord.

³⁰Out of the moiety also of the children of Israel thou shalt take the fiftieth head of persons, and of oxen, and asses, and sheep, and of all beasts, and thou shalt give them to the Levites that watch in the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.

³¹And Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord had commanded.

³²And the spoil which the army had taken, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

³³Seventy-two thousand oxen,

³⁴Sixty-one thousand asses:

³⁵And thirty-two thousand persons of the female sex, that had not known men.

³⁶And one half was given to them that had been in the battle, to wit, three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:

³⁷Out of which, for the portion of the Lord, were reckoned six hundred seventy five sheep.

³⁸And out of the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen:

³⁹Out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses, sixty-one asses:

⁴⁰Out of the sixteen thousand persons, there fell to the portion of the Lord, thirty-two souls.

⁴¹And Moses delivered the number of the firstfruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, as had been commanded him,

⁴²Out of the half of the children of Israel, which he had separated for them that had been in the battle.

⁴³But out of the half that fell to the rest of the multitude, that is to say, out of the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

⁴⁴And out of the thirty-six thousand oxen,

⁴⁵And out of the thirty thousand five hundred asses,

⁴⁶And out of the sixteen thousand persons,

⁴⁷Moses took the fiftieth head, and gave it to the Levites that watched in the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded.

⁴⁸And when the commanders of the army, and the tribunes and centurions were come to Moses, they said:

⁴⁹We thy servants have reckoned up the number of the fighting men, whom we had under our hand, and not so much as one was wanting.

⁵⁰Therefore we offer as gifts to the Lord what gold every one of us could find in the booty, in garters and tablets, rings and bracelets, and chains, that thou mayst pray to the Lord for us.

⁵¹And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in divers kinds,

⁵²In weight sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty sicles, from the tribunes and from the centurions.

⁵³For that which every one had taken in the booty was his own.

⁵⁴And that which was received they brought into the tabernacle of the testimony, for a memorial of the children of Israel before the Lord.