Numbers 31

Battle Against Midian Numbers 31:7–12

⁷Verse 7. They fought against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses. They killed every male. ⁸Verse 8. They 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. ⁹Verse 9. The 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. ¹⁰Verse 10. All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire. ¹¹Verse 11. They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal.

¹²Verse 12. They brought the captives, and 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.

Moses' Anger and Instructions Numbers 31:13–18

¹³Verse 13. Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went out to meet them outside of the camp. ¹⁴Verse 14. Moses 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. ¹⁵Verse 15. Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive? ¹⁶Verse 16. Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh. ¹⁷Verse 17. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

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

Purification After Battle Numbers 31:19–24

¹⁹Verse 19. “Encamp outside of the camp 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. ²⁰Verse 20. As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves.” ²¹Verse 21. Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, “This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses: ²²Verse 22. however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

²³Verse 23. everything 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. ²⁴Verse 24. You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”

Division of Plunder Numbers 31:25–31

²⁵Verse 25. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁶Verse 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; ²⁷Verse 27. and divide the plunder into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. ²⁸Verse 28. Levy a tribute to Yahweh 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. ²⁹Verse 29. Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh’s wave offering.

³⁰Verse 30. Of 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 Yahweh’s tabernacle.” ³¹Verse 31. Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Details of the Plunder Numbers 31:32–41

³²Verse 32. Now the plunder, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, ³³Verse 33. and seventy-two thousand head of cattle, ³⁴Verse 34. and sixty-one thousand donkeys, ³⁵Verse 35. and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him. ³⁶Verse 36. The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep: ³⁷Verse 37. and Yahweh’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.

³⁸Verse 38. The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which Yahweh’s tribute was seventy-two. ³⁹Verse 39. The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which Yahweh’s tribute was sixty-one. ⁴⁰Verse 40. The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh’s tribute was thirty-two persons. ⁴¹Verse 41. Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh’s wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Offering and Memorial Numbers 31:42–54

⁴²Verse 42. Of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men who fought ⁴³Verse 43. (now the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, ⁴⁴Verse 44. and thirty-six thousand head of cattle, ⁴⁵Verse 45. and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, ⁴⁶Verse 46. and sixteen thousand persons), ⁴⁷Verse 47. even 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 Yahweh’s tabernacle; as Yahweh commanded Moses.

⁴⁸Verse 48. The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses. ⁴⁹Verse 49. They 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. ⁵⁰Verse 50. We have brought Yahweh’s offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh.” ⁵¹Verse 51. Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold, even all worked jewels. ⁵²Verse 52. All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.

⁵³Verse 53. The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself. ⁵⁴Verse 54. Moses 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 Yahweh.