Numbers 31
31
War with Midian
1The Lord spoke to Moses, 2“Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.” # Nm 20:24-26; 27:13; Dt 32:50
3So Moses spoke to the people, “Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Midian to inflict the Lord’s vengeance # Ps 18:47; 79:10; 94:1; Jr 11:20 on them. 4Send 1,000 men to war from each Israelite tribe.” 5So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands # Or clans in Israel — 12,000 equipped for war. 6Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.
7They waged war against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male. # Gn 34:25; 1Kg 11:16 8Along with the others slain by them, they killed the Midianite kings — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. # Jos 13:21-22; Jdg 8:5,12,26 They also killed Balaam son of Beor # Nm 22:5–24:25 with the sword. 9The Israelites took the Midianite women and their children captive, and they plundered all their cattle, flocks, and property. # Gn 34:28-29; Dt 20:13-14 10Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites lived, as well as all their encampments, 11and took away all the spoils of war and the captives, both man and beast. 12They brought the prisoners, animals, and spoils of war to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite community at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
13Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. 14But Moses became furious with the officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign. 15“Have # Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg read Why have you let every female live? ” he asked them. 16“Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam’s advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the Lord in the Peor incident, so that the plague came against the Lord’s community. # Nm 25; Dt 20:18; 2Pt 2:15; Rv 2:14 17So now, kill all the male children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man, # Jdg 21:11-12 18but keep alive for yourselves all the young females who have not had sexual relations. # Dt 21:10-14
19“You are to remain outside the camp for seven days. All of you and your prisoners who have killed a person or touched the dead are to purify yourselves on the third day and the seventh day. # Lv 11:31; 22:4; Nm 5:2; 19:11,18; Hg 2:13 20Also purify everything: garments, leather goods, things made of goat hair, and every article of wood.” # Lv 11:32; Nm 19:11-20
21Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to battle, “This is the legal statute the Lord commanded Moses: 22Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead — 23everything that can withstand fire — you are to pass through fire, and it will be clean. It must still be purified with the purification water. # Nm 19:1-9,17-20 Anything that cannot withstand fire, pass through the water. 24On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. # Ex 19:10; Lv 11:25,28,40; 13:6,34; 14:8; 15:5; 16:26; 17:15; Nm 8:7; 19:7 After that you may enter the camp.”
25The Lord told Moses, 26“You, Eleazar the priest, and the family leaders of the community are to take a count of what was captured, man and beast. 27Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to war and the entire community. # Jos 22:8; 1Sm 30:24 28Set aside a tribute for the Lord from what belongs to the fighting men who went out to war: one out of every 500 humans, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. 29Take the tribute from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. 30From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every 50 from the people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats, all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who perform the duties of # Or who protect the Lord’s tabernacle.”
31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. 32The captives remaining from the plunder the army had taken totaled:
675,000 sheep and goats,
3372,000 cattle,
3461,000 donkeys,
35and 32,000 people, all the females who had not had sexual relations with a man.
36The half portion for those who went out to war numbered:
337,500 sheep and goats,
37and the tribute to the Lord was 675
from the sheep and goats;
38from the 36,000 cattle,
the tribute to the Lord was 72;
39from the 30,500 donkeys,
the tribute to the Lord was 61;
40and from the 16,000 people,
the tribute to the Lord was 32 people.
41Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as a contribution for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
42From the Israelites’ half, which Moses separated from the men who fought, 43the community’s half was:
337,500 sheep and goats,
4436,000 cattle,
4530,500 donkeys,
46and 16,000 people.
47Moses took one out of every 50, selected from the people and the livestock of the Israelites’ half. He gave them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded him.
48The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, approached Moses 49and told him, “Your servants have taken a census of the fighting men under our command, and not one of us is missing. 50So we have presented to the Lord an offering of the gold articles each man found — armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces — to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” # Ex 30:12-16
51Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold. 52All the gold of the contribution they offered to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, was 420 pounds. # Lit 16,750 shekels 53Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself. # Dt 20:14 54Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.
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Numbers 31: HCSB
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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.
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