Numbers, 31

1. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

1. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2. 'Exact the full vengeance for the Israelites on the Midianites. Afterwards you will be gathered to your people.'

2. Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.

3. Moses said to the people, 'Some of you are to take up arms for Yahweh's campaign against Midian, to carry out the vengeance of Yahweh on Midian.

3. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.

4. You will put a thousand men in the field from each of the tribes of Israel.'

4. Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.

5. In this way Israel's thousands provided twelve thousand men equipped for war, one thousand from each tribe:

5. So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of [every] tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

6. Moses put them in the field, one thousand from each tribe, with Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, to go with them carrying the sacred objects and the trumpets for the battle cry.

6. And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of [every] tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

7. They made war on Midian, as Yahweh had ordered Moses, and put every male to death.

7. And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

8. What is more, they killed the kings of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the five Midianite kings; they also put Balaam son of Beor to the sword.

8. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; [namely], Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

9. The Israelites took the Midianite women and their little ones captive and carried off all their cattle, all their flocks and all their goods as booty.

9. And the children of Israel took [all] the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.

10. They set fire to the towns where they lived and to all their encampments.

10. And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.

11. Then, taking all their booty, everything they had captured, human and animal,

11. And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, [both] of men and of beasts.

12. they brought the captives, spoil and booty to Moses, the priest Eleazar and the whole community of Israelites at the camp on the Plains of Moab, near the Jordan by Jericho.

12. And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which [are] by Jordan [near] Jericho.

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

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

14. Moses was enraged with the officers of the army, the commanders of the thousands and commanders of the hundreds, who had come back from this military expedition.

14. And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, [with] the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.

15. He said, 'Why have you spared the life of all the women?

15. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

16. They were the very ones who, on Balaam's advice, caused the Israelites to be unfaithful to Yahweh in the affair at Peor: hence the plague which struck Yahweh's community.

16. Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

17. So kill all the male children and kill all the women who have ever slept with a man;

17. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

18. but spare the lives of the young girls who have never slept with a man, and keep them for yourselves.

18. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

19. As for you, bivouac outside the camp for seven days, everyone who has killed anyone or touched a corpse. Purify yourselves and your prisoners on the third and seventh days,

19. And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify [both] yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

20. and purify all clothing, everything made of skin, everything woven of goat's hair and everything made of wood.'

20. And purify all [your] raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood.

21. The priest Eleazar said to the soldiers who had come back from the campaign, 'This is an article of the Law which Yahweh prescribed to Moses:

21. And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This [is] the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;

22. although gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead,

22. Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23. everything that can withstand fire can be cleaned by being passed through fire, it must still be purified with water for purification. Whatever cannot resist fire you must pass through water.

23. Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make [it] go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.

24. 'Wash your clothes on the seventh day and you will then be clean. You may then re-enter the camp.'

24. And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

25. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

25. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

26. 'With the priest Eleazar and the heads of families in the community, take a count of the spoils and captives, human and animal.

26. Take the sum of the prey that was taken, [both] of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:

27. You will then share out the spoil, half and half, between those who fought the campaign and the rest of the community.

27. And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation:

28. From the share of the combatants who took part in the campaign, you will set aside one out of every five hundred persons, oxen, donkeys and sheep as Yahweh's portion.

28. And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, [both] of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

29. You will take this from the half share coming to them and give it to the priest Eleazar as the portion set aside for Yahweh.

29. Take [it] of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, [for] an heave offering of the LORD.

30. From the half coming to the Israelites, you will take one out of every fifty persons, oxen, donkeys, sheep, and all other animals, and give them to the Levites who are responsible for Yahweh's Dwelling.'

30. And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.

31. Moses and the priest Eleazar did as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

31. And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

32. The spoils, the remainder of the booty captured by the soldiers, came to six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep and goats,

32. And the booty, [being] the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,

33. seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

33. And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,

34. sixty-one thousand donkeys,

34. And threescore and one thousand asses,

35. and in persons, women who had never slept with a man, thirty-two thousand in all.

35. And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.

36. Half was assigned to those who had taken part in the war, namely three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep and goats,

36. And the half, [which was] the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep:

37. of which Yahweh's portion was six hundred and seventy-five,

37. And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

38. thirty-six thousand head of cattle, of which Yahweh's portion was seventy-two,

38. And the beeves [were] thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] threescore and twelve.

39. thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, of which Yahweh's portion was sixty-one,

39. And the asses [were] thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] threescore and one.

40. and sixteen thousand persons, of which Yahweh's portion was thirty-two.

40. And the persons [were] sixteen thousand; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] thirty and two persons.

41. Moses gave the priest Eleazar the portion set aside for Yahweh, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

41. And Moses gave the tribute, [which was] the LORD'S heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

42. As for the half coming to the Israelites which Moses had separated from that of the combatants,

42. And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,

43. this half, the community's share, came to three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep and goats,

43. (Now the half [that pertained unto] the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand [and] seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

44. thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

44. And thirty and six thousand beeves,

45. thirty thousand five hundred donkeys

45. And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,

46. and sixteen thousand persons.

46. And sixteen thousand persons;)

47. From this half, the Israelites' share, Moses took one out of every fifty, human and animal, and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for Yahweh's Dwelling, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

47. Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, [both] of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

48. The officers of the thousands who had fought the campaign, the commanders of the thousands and commanders of the hundreds, came to Moses

48. And the officers which [were] over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:

49. and said, 'Your servants have numbered the soldiers under their command: none of our men is missing.

49. And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which [are] under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

50. So, as an offering for Yahweh, we have brought what each of us has found in the way of gold ornaments, armlets and bracelets, rings, earrings and breastplates, to make expiation for ourselves before Yahweh.'

50. We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.

51. Moses and the priest Eleazar accepted this gold from them, all this jewellery.

51. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, [even] all wrought jewels.

52. This portion of gold given to Yahweh by the commanders of the thousands and commanders of the hundreds amounted to sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

52. And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

53. Each of the soldiers took his own booty.

53. ([For] the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)

54. But Moses and the priest Eleazar, having accepted the gold from the commanders of the thousands and commanders of the hundreds, brought it into the Tent of Meeting, to be a reminder of the Israelites before Yahweh.

54. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, [for] a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.