Numbers 31
31
Israel Fights Back Against the Midianites
1The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2“Moses, tell the Israelites this: ‘Go and attack the Midianites, and do to them what they did to you.’ After that Moses, you will die.”#31:2 you will die Literally, “you will be gathered to your people.”
3So Moses spoke to the people. He said, “Choose some of your men to be soldiers. The Lord will use these men to do to the Midianites what they did to you. 4Choose 1000 men from each of the tribes of Israel. 5There will be a total of 12,000 soldiers from the tribes of Israel.”
6Moses sent these 12,000 men to war. He sent Phinehas son of Eleazar with them as the priest. Phinehas took the holy things and the horns and trumpets with him. 7The Israelites fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded. They killed all the Midianite men. 8Among the people who they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword.
9The Israelites took the Midianite women and children as prisoners. They also took all their sheep, cattle, and other things. 10Then they burned all their towns and villages. 11They took all the people and animals 12and brought them to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the other Israelites. They brought all the things they took in war to the camp of Israel. The Israelites were camped in the Jordan Valley in Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River across from Jericho. 13Then Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the people went out of the camp to meet with the soldiers.
14Moses was very angry with the leaders of the army, the commanders of 1000 men, and the commanders of 100 men, who came back from the war. 15Moses said to them, “Why did you let the women live? 16These are the women who listened to Balaam and caused the men of Israel to turn away from the Lord that time at Peor. The disease will come to the Lord’s people again. 17Now, kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations with a man. 18You can let all the young girls live—but only if they never had sexual relations with any man. 19And then, all you men who killed other people must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must stay outside the camp even if you just touched a dead body. On the third day you and your prisoners must make yourselves pure. You must do the same thing again on the seventh day. 20You must wash all of your clothes. You must wash anything made with leather, wool, or wood. You must purify yourselves.”
21Then Eleazar the priest spoke to the soldiers. He said, “These are the rules that the Lord gave to Moses for soldiers coming back from war. 22-23You must put gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead into the fire and then wash these things with the special water to make them pure. If something can be put in the fire, you must put it in fire to purify it. If things cannot be put in fire, you must still wash them with the special water. 24On the seventh day you must wash all of your clothes. Then you will be pure. After that you can come into camp.”
25Then the Lord said to Moses, 26“You, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders should count all the prisoners, animals, and everything the soldiers took in war. 27Then divide these things between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the Israelites. 28Take part of these things from the soldiers who went to war. That part will belong to the Lord. His share is one from every 500 items. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, and sheep. 29Take that share from the soldiers’ half of the things they took in war. Then give these things to Eleazar the priest. That part will belong to the Lord. 30And then, from the people’s half, take one thing for every 50 items. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or any other animal. Give that share to the Levites, because they take care of the Lord’s Holy Tent.”
31So Moses and Eleazar did what the Lord commanded Moses. 32The soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep, 3372,000 cattle, 3461,000 donkeys, 35and 32,000 women. (These are only the women who had not had sexual relations with any man.) 36The soldiers who went to war got 337,500 sheep. 37They gave 675 sheep to the Lord. 38The soldiers got 36,000 cattle. They gave 72 cattle to the Lord. 39The soldiers got 30,500 donkeys. They gave 61 donkeys to the Lord. 40The soldiers got 16,000 women. They gave 32 women to the Lord. 41Moses gave all these gifts for the Lord to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded him.
42Then Moses counted the people’s half. This was their share that Moses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war. 43The people got 337,500 sheep, 4436,000 cattle, 4530,500 donkeys, 46and 16,000 women. 47Moses took one out of every 50 women and animals. He gave them to the Levites because they took care of the Lord’s Holy Tent. Moses did this as the Lord had commanded.
48Then the leaders of the army (the leaders over 1000 men and the leaders over 100 men) came to Moses. 49They told Moses, “We, your servants, have counted our soldiers. We have not missed any of them. 50So we are bringing the Lord’s gift from every soldier. We are bringing things that are made of gold—armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This gift to the Lord is to make us pure.”
51So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted all these gold items from them. 52The gold that the commanders#31:52 commanders Literally, “leaders of 1000 men.” and captains#31:52 captains Literally, “leaders of 100 men.” gave to the Lord weighed about 424 pounds.#31:52 424 pounds Literally, “16,750 shekels” (190 kg). 53The soldiers kept the rest of their share of the things they took in war. 54Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders and captains and then put that gold in the Meeting Tent. This present was a memorial#31:54 memorial Something that helps people remember things that happened in the past. before the Lord for the Israelites.
Currently Selected:
Numbers 31: ERV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Numbers 31
31
The Slaughter of Midian
1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Take vengeance for the Israelites on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people [in death].” 3Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for war, so that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian [for seducing Israel to participate in idolatry]. [Num 25:16-18] 4A thousand [fighting men] from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.” 5So out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe were selected, twelve thousand armed for war. 6Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to war with them, and the sacred vessels [of the sanctuary] and the trumpets to blow the alarm in his hand. 7They made war against Midian, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur [the father of Cozbi] and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; also Balaam the son of Beor they killed with the sword. [Num 22:31-35; Neh 13:1, 2] 9The sons of Israel captured the women of Midian and their children; and all their cattle, all their livestock, and all their property they took as spoil [of war]. 10They burned all the cities where they lived, and all their encampments with fire. 11They took all the plunder and all the spoils of war, both people and livestock. 12Then they brought the captives, the spoils, and the plunder to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the congregation of the Israelites at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan [River] across from Jericho.
13Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp. 14But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, who served in the war. 15And Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? 16Look, these [are the women who] caused the Israelites, by the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and so a plague came among the congregation of the Lord. [Num 25:1-9; 31:8] 17Now therefore, kill every male among the children, and kill every woman who is not a virgin. 18But all the young girls who have not known a man intimately, keep alive for yourselves [to marry]. 19Camp outside the camp for seven days; whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any dead body, purify yourselves and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day. 20You shall purify every garment and every article made of leather and all the things made of goats’ hair, and every article made of wood.”
21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded Moses: 22only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23everything that can stand fire, you shall pass through fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water of purification [to remove its impurity]; and all that cannot stand fire [such as fabrics] you shall pass through water. 24And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.”
Division of the Spoil of War
25Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26“You and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the fathers’ households of the congregation are to take a count of the spoil of war that was captured, both people and livestock. 27Divide the spoil into two [equal] parts between those who were involved in the war, that is, those who went out to battle and all [the rest of] the congregation. 28Levy a tax for the Lord from the warriors who went to battle, one in five hundred of the persons, the oxen, the donkeys, and the flocks. 29Take this tribute from the warriors’ half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the Lord. 30From the Israelites’ half [of the spoil] you shall take one out of every fifty of the persons, the oxen, the donkeys, the flocks, and of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who are in charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.” 31Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
32The plunder that remained from the spoil of war which the warriors had taken, was 675,000 sheep, 33and 72,000 cattle, 34and 61,000 donkeys, 35and 32,000 persons in all, of the [Midianite] women who were virgins.
36The half share, the portion of those who went to war, was 337,500 sheep in number, 37and the Lord’s levy (tax) of the sheep was 675; 38the cattle were 36,000, from which the Lord’s levy was 72; 39the donkeys were 30,500, from which the Lord’s levy was 61; 40the persons were 16,000, from whom the Lord’s levy was 32 persons. 41Moses gave the levy which was the Lord’s offering to Eleazar the priest, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
42As for the Israelites’ half, which Moses separated from that of the warriors— 43now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, 44and 36,000 cattle, 45and 30,500 donkeys, 46and 16,000 people— 47and from the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty, both of persons and animals, and gave them to the Levites, who were in charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
48Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, approached Moses, 49and they said to him, “Your servants have counted the warriors under our command, and not one man of us is missing. 50So we have brought as an offering to the Lord what each man obtained—articles of gold, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” 51Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all the handmade articles. 52All the gold of the offering which they presented to the Lord from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds was 16,750 shekels. 53For the men of war had taken plunder, every man for himself. 54So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Amplified® Bible
Copyright © 2015 by
The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
All rights reserved. http://www.lockman.org