1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2"Avenge the children of Israel for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people." 3Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh's vengeance on Midian. 4Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war." 5So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and 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. 7They warred against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses; and they killed every male. 8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the sword. 9The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their livestock, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey. 10All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire. 11They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal. 12They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, 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. 13Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp. 14Moses 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. 15Moses said to them, "Have you saved all the women alive? 16Behold, 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. 17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. 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. 20As 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." 21Eleazar 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: 22however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23everything 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: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water. 24You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp." 25Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 26"Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation; 27and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. 28Levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the cattle, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks: 29take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh's wave offering. 30Of 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, even of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of the tabernacle of Yahweh." 31Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses. 32Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, 33and seventy-two thousand head of cattle, 34and sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him. 36The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep: 37and Yahweh's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five. 38The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which Yahweh's tribute was seventy-two. 39The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which Yahweh's tribute was sixty-one. 40The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh's tribute was thirty-two persons. 41Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh's wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 42Of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men who warred 43(now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 44and thirty-six thousand head of cattle, 45and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, 46and sixteen thousand persons), 47even 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 the tabernacle of Yahweh; as Yahweh commanded Moses. 48The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; 49and 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. 50We 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." 51Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all worked jewels. 52All 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(For the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.) 54Moses 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.
The Book ofNumbers 31Chapter XXXI 31
· 54 verses · 7 minute read
About this chapter
Numbers 31 — Wilderness Wandering
Moses — Prophet and lawgiver, recording God's instructions in the wilderness. Set in Plains of Moab and Midianite territory. In Moses' final military campaign, Israel launches a holy war against the Midianites who seduced them into sexual immorality and idol worship at Baal Peor. The victory is complete but controversial—Moses orders the execution of all adult males and non-virgin women, sparing only young women. The massive plunder is carefully divided according to God's law, with portions for warriors, the congregation, and the Levites.
“Numbers 31:3”— 31:3
Read when: Read this when you're grappling with difficult questions about justice, judgment, and God's commands that challenge modern sensibilities.
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