Numbers
31
- The LORD said to Moses,
- "Take vengeance on the Midianites for
the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."
- So Moses said to the people, "Arm some
of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the LORD'S
vengeance on them.
- Send into battle a thousand men from each
of the tribes of Israel."
- So twelve thousand men armed for battle,
a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel.
- Moses sent them into battle, a thousand
from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took
with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
- They fought against Midian, as the LORD
commanded Moses, and killed every man.
- Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur,
Hur and Reba -- the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor
with the sword.
- The Israelites captured the Midianite women
and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder.
- They burned all the towns where the Midianites
had settled, as well as all their camps.
- They took all the plunder and spoils, including
the people and animals,
- and brought the captives, spoils and plunder
to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on
the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.
- Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders
of the community went to meet them outside the camp.
- Moses was angry with the officers of the
army -- the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds--who returned
from the battle.
- "Have you allowed all the women to
live?" he asked them.
- "They were the ones who followed Balaam's
advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in
what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD'S people.
- Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman
who has slept with a man,
- but save for yourselves every girl who has
never slept with a man.
- "All of you who have killed anyone
or touched anyone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On
the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives.
- Purify every garment as well as everything
made of leather, goat hair or wood."
- Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers
who had gone into battle, "This is the requirement of the law that the
LORD gave Moses:
- Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead
- and anything else that can withstand fire
must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also
be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire
must be put through that water.
- On the seventh day wash your clothes and
you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp."
- The LORD said to Moses,
- "You and Eleazar the priest and the
family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that
were captured.
- Divide the spoils between the soldiers who
took part in the battle and the rest of the community.
- From the soldiers who fought in the battle,
set apart as tribute for the LORD one out of every five hundred, whether persons,
cattle, donkeys, sheep or goats.
- Take this tribute from their half share
and give it to Eleazar the priest as the LORD'S part.
- From the Israelites' half, select one out
of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats or other animals.
Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the LORD'S tabernacle."
- So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the
LORD commanded Moses.
- The plunder remaining from the spoils that
the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep,
- 72,000 cattle,
- 61,000 donkeys
- and 32,000 women who had never slept with
a man.
- The half share of those who fought in the
battle was: 337,500 sheep,
- of which the tribute for the LORD was 675;
- 36,000 cattle, of which the tribute for
the LORD was 72;
- 30,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for
the LORD was 61;
- 16,000 people, of which the tribute for
the LORD was 32.
- Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest
as the LORD'S part, as the LORD commanded Moses.
- The half belonging to the Israelites, which
Moses set apart from that of the fighting men --
- the community's half -- was 337,500 sheep,
- 36,000 cattle,
- 30,500 donkeys
- and 16,000 people.
- From the Israelites' half, Moses selected
one out of every fifty persons and animals, as the LORD commanded him, and
gave them to the Levites, who were responsible for the care of the LORD'S
tabernacle.
- Then the officers who were over the units
of the army -- the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds -- went
to Moses
- and said to him, "Your servants have
counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing.
- So we have brought as an offering to the
LORD the gold articles each of us acquired -- armlets, bracelets, signet rings,
earrings and necklaces -- to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."
- Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from
them the gold -- all the crafted articles.
- All the gold from the commanders of thousands
and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the
LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.
- Each soldier had taken plunder for himself.
- Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted 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.
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