Numbers 31

Numbers 31

1The LORD spoke to Moses , saying ,

2“Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites . Afterward you shall be gathered to your people .”

3Moses spoke to the people , saying , “Arm men from amongst you for war , that they may go against Midian , to execute the LORD ’s vengeance on Midian .

4You shall send one thousand out of every tribe , throughout all the tribes of Israel , to the war .”

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

6Moses sent them , one thousand of every tribe , to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest , to the war , with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand .

7They fought against Midian , as the LORD commanded Moses . They killed every male .

8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain : Evi, Rekem , Zur , Hur , and Reba , the five kings of Midian . They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword .

9The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones ; and all their livestock , all their flocks , and all their goods , they took as plunder.

10All their cities in the places in which they lived , and all their encampments , they burnt with fire.

11They took all the captives, and all the plunder , both of man and of animal.

12They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder , to Moses , and to Eleazar the priest , and to the congregation of the children of Israel , to the camp at the plains of Moab , which are by the Jordan at Jericho .

13Moses and Eleazar the priest , with all the princes of the congregation , went out to meet them outside of the camp .

14Moses was angry with the officers of the army , the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds , who came from the service of the war .

15Moses said to them , “Have you saved all the women alive ?

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

17Now therefore kill every male amongst the little ones , and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him .

18But all the girls , who have not known man by lying with him , keep alive for yourselves .

19“Encamp outside of the camp for seven days . Whoever has killed any person , and whoever has touched any slain , purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day , you and your captives .

20You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin , and all work of goats ’ hair, and all things made of wood .”

21Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle , “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses .

22However the gold , and the silver , the bronze , the iron , the tin, and the lead ,

23everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean ; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity . All that doesn’t withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water .

24You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day , and you shall be clean . Afterward you shall come into the camp .”

25The LORD spoke to Moses , saying,

26“Count the plunder that was taken , both of man and of animal, you , and Eleazar the priest , and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation ;

27and divide the plunder into two parts : between the men skilled in war , who went out to battle , and all the congregation .

28Levy a tribute to the LORD of the men of war who went out to battle : one soul of five hundred ; of the persons , of the cattle , of the donkeys , and of the flocks .

29Take it from their half , and give it to Eleazar the priest , for the LORD ’s wave offering .

30Of the children of Israel ’s half , you shall take one drawn out of every fifty , of the persons, of the cattle , of the donkeys , and of the flocks , of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites , who perform the duty of the LORD ’s tabernacle .”

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

32Now the plunder , over and above the booty which the men of war took , was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep ,

33seventy-two thousand head of cattle ,

34sixty-one thousand donkeys ,

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

36The half , which was the portion of those who went out to war , was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep ;

37and the LORD ’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five .

38The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD ’s tribute was seventy-two.

39The donkeys were thirty thousand and five hundred , of which the LORD ’s tribute was sixty-one.

40The persons were sixteen thousand, of whom the LORD ’s tribute was thirty-two persons .

41Moses gave the tribute , which was the LORD ’s wave offering , to Eleazar the priest , as the LORD commanded Moses .

42Of the children of Israel ’s half , which Moses divided off from the men who fought

43(now the congregation ’s half was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep ,

44thirty-six thousand head of cattle ,

45thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys ,

46and sixteen thousand persons ),

47even of the children of Israel ’s half , Moses took one drawn out of every fifty , both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites , who performed the duty of the LORD ’s tabernacle , as the LORD commanded Moses .

48The officers who were over the thousands of the army , the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds , came near to Moses .

49They said to Moses , “Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command , and there lacks not one man of us .

50We have brought the LORD ’s offering , what every man found : gold ornaments , armlets, bracelets , signet rings , earrings , and necklaces , to make atonement for our souls before the LORD .”

51Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold , even all worked jewels .

52All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to the LORD , of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds , was sixteen thousand and seven hundred and fifty shekels .[#31:52 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 16,750 shekels is about 167.5 kilograms or about 368.5 pounds.]

53The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.

54Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds , and brought it into the Tent of Meeting for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD .

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