Numbers

The fourth book of Moses, called Numbers, chapter 31, New English Translation and King James Version

Chapter 31 New English Translation

The Midianite War

   1 The LORD spoke to Moses: 2 "Exact vengeance for the Israelites on the Midianites - after that you will be gathered to your people."
   3 So Moses spoke to the people: "Arm men from among you for the war, to attack the Midianites and to execute the LORD's vengeance on Midian. 4 You must send to the battle a thousand men from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel." 5 So a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for battle in all, were provided out of the thousands of Israel.

Campaign Against the Midianites

   6 So Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge of the holy articles and the signal trumpets. 7 They fought against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain - Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba - five Midianite kings. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
   9 The Israelites took the women of Midian captives along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder. 10 They burned all their towns where they lived and all their encampments. 11 They took all the plunder and all the spoils, both people and animals. 12 They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the plains of Moab, along the Jordan River across from Jericho. 13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went out to meet them outside the camp.

The Death of the Midianite Women

   14 But Moses was furious with the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and commanders over hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15 Moses said to them, "Have you allowed all the women to live? 16 Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the LORD in the matter of Peor - which resulted in the plague among the community of the LORD! 17 Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man. 18 But all the young women who have not had sexual intercourse with a man will be yours.

Purification After Battle

   19 "Any of you who has killed anyone or touched any of the dead, remain outside the camp for seven days; purify yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day. 20 You must purify each garment and everything that is made of skin, everything made of goat's hair, and everything made of wood."
   21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone into the battle, "This is the ordinance of the law that the LORD commanded Moses: 22 'Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that may stand the fire, you are to pass through the fire, and it will be ceremonially clean, but it must still be purified with the water of purification. Anything that cannot withstand the fire you must pass through the water. 24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be ceremonially clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.'"

The Distribution of Spoils

   25 Then the LORD spoke to Moses: 26 "You and Eleazar the priest, and all the family leaders of the community, take the sum of the plunder that was captured, both people and animals. 27 Divide the plunder into two parts, one for those who took part in the war - who went out to battle - and the other for all the community.
   28 "You must exact a tribute for the LORD from the fighting men who went out to battle: one life out of five hundred, from the people, the cattle, and from the donkeys and the sheep. 29 You are to take it from their half-share and give it to Eleazar the priest for a raised offering to the LORD. 30 From the Israelites' half-share you are to take one portion out of fifty of the people, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep - from every kind of animal - and you are to give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the LORD's tabernacle."
   31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses. 32 The spoil that remained of the plunder which the fighting men had gathered was 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 young women who had never had sexual intercourse with a man.
   36 The half-portion of those who went to war numbered 337,500 sheep; 37 the LORD's tribute from the sheep was 675. 38 The cattle numbered 36,000; the LORD's tribute was 72. 39 The donkeys were 30,500, of which the LORD's tribute was 61. 40 The people were 16,000, of which the LORD's tribute was 32 people.
   41 So Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD's raised offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
   42 From the Israelites' half-share that Moses had separated from the fighting men, 43 there were 337,500 sheep from the portion belonging to the community, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 people.
   47 From the Israelites' share Moses took one of every fifty people and animals and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for the care of the LORD's tabernacle, just as the LORD commanded Moses.
   48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders over thousands and the commanders over hundreds, approached Moses 49 and said to him, "Your servants have taken a count of the men who were in the battle, who were under our authority, and not one is missing. 50 So we have brought as an offering for the LORD what each man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD." 51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all of it in the form of ornaments. 52 All the gold of the offering they offered up to the LORD from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds weighed 16,750 shekels. 53 Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. 54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.

King James Version

   1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
   2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
   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 Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
   5 So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
   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 And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
   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 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 And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
   11 And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.
   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 ¶ And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.
   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 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
   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 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
   18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
   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 your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood.
   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 Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
   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 And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.
   25 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
   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 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 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 Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the LORD.
   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 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
   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 And threescore and twelve thousand beeves,
   34 And threescore and one thousand asses,
   35 And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him.
   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 And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.
   38 And the beeves were thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD'S tribute was threescore and twelve.
   39 And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD'S tribute was threescore and one.
   40 And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the LORD'S tribute was thirty and two persons.
   41 And Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD'S heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
   42 And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided from the men that warred,
   43 (Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,
   44 And thirty and six thousand beeves,
   45 And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,
   46 And sixteen thousand persons;)
   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 ¶ And the officers which were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses:
   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 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 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.
   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 (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)
   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.