The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Numbers 31
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Avenge the children of Israel on the
Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
3 Moses spoke to the people, saying,
“Arm men from among you for war, that
they may go against Midian, to execute
Yahweh’s vengeance on Midian.
4 You shall send one thousand out of
every tribe, throughout all the tribes of
Israel, to the war.”
5 So there were delivered, out of the
thousands ofIsrael, a thousand from every
tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6 Moses 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.
7 They fought against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses. They killed every
male.
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.
9 The children of Israel took the women
ofMidiancaptive withtheir little ones; and
all their livestock, all their flocks, and all
their goods, they took as plunder.
10 All their cities in the places in which
they lived, and all their encampments,
they burned with fire.
11 They took all the captives, and all the
plunder, both of man and of animal.
12 They 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.
13 Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all
the princes of the congregation, went out
to meet them outside of the camp.
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.
15 Moses said to them, “Have you saved
all the women alive?
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.
17 Now therefore kill every male among
the little ones, and kill every woman who
has known man by lying with him.
18 But 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.
20 Youshallpurify every garment, andall
that is made of skin, and all work of goats’
hair, and all things made of wood.”
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.
22 However the gold, and the silver, the
bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
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.
Allthat doesn’t withstand the fire you shall
make to go through the water.
24 You shall wash your clothes on the
seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”
25 Yahweh 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;
27 and divide the plunder into two parts:
between the men skilled in war, who went
out to battle, and all the congregation.
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.
29 Take it from their half, and give it
to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh’s wave
offering.
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.”
31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as
Yahweh commanded Moses.
32 Now the plunder, over and above the
booty which the men of war took, was six
hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,
33 seventy-two thousand head of cattle,
34 sixty-one thousand donkeys,
35 and thirty-two thousand persons in
all, ofthe women who had not known man
by lying with him.
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;
37 and Yahweh’s tribute of the sheep was
six hundred seventy-five.
38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of
which Yahweh’s tribute was seventy-two.
39 The donkeys were thirty thousandfive
hundred, of which Yahweh’s tribute was
sixty-one. 40 The persons were sixteen thousand,
of whom Yahweh’s tribute was thirty-two
persons.
41 Moses gave the tribute, which was
Yahweh’s wave offering, to Eleazar the
priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
42 Of the children of Israel’s half, which
Moses divided off from the men who
fought
43 (now the congregation’shalf was three
hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
44 thirty-six thousand head of cattle,
45 thirty thousandfivehundred donkeys,
46 and sixteen thousand persons),
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.
48 The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came
near to Moses.
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.
50 We have brought Yahweh’s offering,
what every man found: gold ornaments,
armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings,
and necklaces, to make atonement for our
souls before Yahweh.”
51 Moses andEleazar thepriesttook their
gold, even all worked jewels.
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.†
53 The men of war had taken booty, every
man for himself.
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.