Numbers 31
31
Campaign Against the Midianites. 1The Lord said to Moses:#The narrative of Israel’s campaign against Midian, which was interrupted after 25:18, is now resumed. 2Avenge the Israelites on the Midianites, and then you will be gathered to your people. 3So Moses told the people, “Arm some men among you for the campaign, to attack Midian and to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. 4From each of the tribes of Israel you will send a thousand men to the campaign.” 5From the contingents of Israel, therefore, a thousand men of each tribe were levied, so that there were twelve thousand men armed for war. 6Moses sent them out on the campaign, a thousand from each tribe, with Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest for the campaign, who had with him the sacred vessels and the trumpets for sounding the alarm. 7They waged war against the Midianites, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male. 8Besides those slain in battle, they killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian;#The five kings of Midian: they are called Midianite princes, Sihon’s vassals, in Jos 13:21. and they also killed Balaam, son of Beor, with the sword. 9But the Israelites took captive the women of the Midianites with their children, and all their herds and flocks and wealth as loot, 10while they set on fire all the towns where they had settled and all their encampments. 11Then they took all the plunder, with the people and animals they had captured, and brought the captives, together with the spoils and plunder, 12to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the Israelite community at their camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.
Treatment of the Captives. 13When Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the leaders of the community, went outside the camp to meet them, 14Moses became angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign. 15“So you have spared all the women!” he exclaimed. 16“These are the very ones who on Balaam’s advice were behind the Israelites’ unfaithfulness to the Lord in the affair at Peor,#2 Pt 2:15; Rev 2:14. so that plague struck the Lord’s community. 17#There are later references to Midian in Jgs 6–8; 1 Kgs 11:18; Is 60:6. The present raid was only against those Midianites who were dwelling at this time near the encampment of the Israelites. Now kill, therefore, every male among the children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man. 18But you may spare for yourselves all the girls who have not had sexual relations.
Purification After Combat. 19“Moreover, remain outside the camp for seven days; every one of you who has killed anyone or touched someone killed will purify yourselves on the third and on the seventh day—both you and your captives. 20You will also purify every garment, every article of leather, everything made of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”
21Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had taken part in the battle: “This is the prescribed ritual which the Lord has commanded Moses: 22gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead— 23whatever can stand fire—you shall put into the fire, that it may become clean; however, it must also be purified with water of purification.#Water of purification: water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer as prescribed in 19:9. But whatever cannot stand fire you must put into the water. 24On the seventh day you will wash your garments, and then you will again be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”
Division of the Spoils. 25The Lord said to Moses: 26With the help of Eleazar the priest and of the heads of the ancestral houses of the community, inventory all the spoils captured, human being and beast alike; 27then divide the spoils#Divide the spoils: for a similar division of the plunder into two equal parts, between those who engaged in the battle and those who stayed with the baggage, cf. 1 Sm 30:24. But note that here the tax on the plunder of the noncombatants is ten times as much as that on the soldiers’ plunder. between the warriors who went on the campaign and the whole community. 28You will levy a tax for the Lord on the soldiers who went on the campaign: one out of every five hundred persons, oxen, donkeys, and sheep. 29From their half you will take it and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. 30From the Israelites’ half you will take one captive from every fifty human beings, oxen, donkeys, and sheep—all the animals—and give them to the Levites, who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle. 31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did this, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Amount of the Plunder. 32This plunder, what was left of the loot which the troops had taken, amounted to six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, 33seventy-two thousand oxen, 34sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35and thirty-two thousand women who had not had sexual relations.
36The half-share that fell to those who had gone out on the campaign was in number: three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 37of which six hundred and seventy-five fell as tax to the Lord; 38thirty-six thousand oxen, of which seventy-two fell as tax to the Lord; 39thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, of which sixty-one fell as tax to the Lord; 40and sixteen thousand persons, of whom thirty-two persons fell as tax to the Lord. 41Moses gave the taxes contributed to the Lord to Eleazar the priest, exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.
42As for the Israelites’ half, which Moses had taken from the men who had fought— 43the community’s half was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 44thirty-six thousand oxen, 45thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, 46and sixteen thousand persons. 47From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one captive from every fifty, from human being and beast alike, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Gifts of the Officers. 48Then those who were officers over the contingents of the army, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, came up to Moses 49and said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing. 50#The precise nature and use of some of these articles of gold is not certain. So, we have brought as an offering to the Lord articles of gold that each of us has picked up—anklets, bracelets, rings, earrings, or pendants—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” 51Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from them, all fashioned pieces. 52The gold that was given as a contribution to the Lord—from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds—amounted in all to sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. 53What the common soldiers had looted each one kept for himself.#Apparently because of the commanders’ generosity the common troops were under no sort of obligation to make their own offerings and could keep their loot. 54So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and put it in the tent of meeting as a reminder on behalf of the Israelites before the Lord.
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Bemiḏbar (Numbers) 31
31
1And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
2Take vengeance for the children of Yisra’ĕl on the Miḏyanites. After that you are to be gathered to your people.
3And Mosheh spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for the campaign, and let them go against the Miḏyanites to take vengeance for יהוה on Miḏyan.
4Send a thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl for the campaign.
5So there were supplied from the tribes of Yisra’ĕl one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed ones for the campaign.
6And Mosheh sent them on the campaign, one thousand from each tribe, them and Pineḥas son of El‛azar the priest on the campaign, with the set-apart utensils and the trumpets for sounding in his hand.
7And they fought against the Miḏyanites, as יהוה commanded Mosheh, and killed all the males.
8And they killed the sovereigns of Miḏyan with the rest of those who were pierced: Ewi, and Reqem, and Tsur, and Ḥur, and Reḇa, the five sovereigns of Miḏyan. And they killed Bil‛am son of Be‛or with the sword.
9And the sons of Yisra’ĕl took all the women of Miḏyan captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their livestock, and all their possessions.
10And they burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their settlements.
11And they took all the spoil and all the booty, both of man and beast.
12And they brought the captives, and the booty, and the spoil to Mosheh, and to El‛azar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to the camp in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.
13And Mosheh, and El‛azar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp.
14But Mosheh was wroth with the officers of the army, with the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who had come from the campaign.
15And Mosheh said to them, “Have you kept all the women alive?
16“Look, they are the ones who caused the children of Yisra’ĕl, through the word of Bil‛am, to trespass against יהוה in the matter of Pe‛or, and there was a plague among the congregation of יהוה.
17“And now, kill every male among the little ones. And every woman who has known a man by lying with a man you shall kill.
18“But keep alive for yourselves all the female children who have not known a man by lying with a man.
19“And you, camp outside the camp seven days. Whoever has killed any being, and whoever has touched any slain, cleanse yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
20And cleanse every garment, and every object of leather and all the work of goats’ hair, and every object of wood.”
21And El‛azar the priest said to the men of the campaign who went to the battle, “This is the law of the Torah which יהוה commanded Mosheh:
22“Only the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23every object that passes through fire, you put through the fire, and it shall be clean; only, let it be cleansed with the water for uncleanness. And whatever does not pass through fire you pass through water.
24“And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day and be clean, and afterwards come into the camp.”
25And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
26“Count up the plunder that was taken, of man and of beast, you and El‛azar the priest and the heads of the fathers of the congregation.
27“And you shall divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the battle, who went out on the campaign, and all the congregation.
28“And set aside a levy for יהוה on the men of battle who went out on the campaign: one out of every five hundred, of man, and of the cattle, and of the donkeys, and of the sheep.
29“Take it from their half, and give it to El‛azar the priest as a contribution to יהוה.
30And from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half you shall take one of every fifty, of man, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the sheep, of all the livestock, and give them to the Lĕwites guarding the duty of the Dwelling Place of יהוה.
31And Mosheh and El‛azar the priest did as יהוה commanded Mosheh.
32And the booty remaining from the plunder, which the people of the campaign had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,
33and seventy-two thousand cattle,
34and sixty-one thousand donkeys,
35and thirty-two thousand human beings in all, of women who had not known a man by lying with a man.
36And the half, the portion for those who went out on the campaign, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
37and the levy unto יהוה of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.
38And the cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the levy unto יהוה was seventy-two.
39And the donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the levy unto יהוה was sixty-one.
40And the human beings were sixteen thousand, of which the levy unto יהוה was thirty-two beings.
41So Mosheh gave the levy which was the contribution unto יהוה to El‛azar the priest, as יהוה commanded Mosheh.
42And from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half, which Mosheh divided from the men who campaigned:
43now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,
44and thirty-six thousand cattle,
45and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,
46and sixteen thousand human beings.
47Then Mosheh took from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half: one out of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Lĕwites, who guarded the duty of the Dwelling Place of יהוה, as יהוה commanded Mosheh.
48And the officers who were over thousands of the campaign, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, came near to Mosheh,
49and they said to Mosheh, “Your servants have taken a count of the fighting men under our command, and not a man of us is missing.
50So we have brought an offering for יהוה, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before יהוה.
51And Mosheh and El‛azar the priest received the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments.
52And all the gold of the offering that they presented to יהוה, from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty sheqels.
53The men of the campaign had taken spoil, every man for himself.
54And Mosheh and El‛azar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Appointment as a remembrance for the children of Yisra’ĕl before יהוה.
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