Numbers 31

1. And the LORD spoke to Moses saying,

2. “Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

3. And Moses spoke to the people saying, “Arm some of yourselves for the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD on Midian.

4. You shall send to the war a thousand from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel.”

5. So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

6. And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe. He sent them, and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with the holy instruments and the silver trumpets to blow in his hand.

7. And they warred against the Midianites as the LORD commanded Moses. And they killed all the males.

8. And they killed the kings of Midian, besides the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, with the sword.

9. And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captive, and their little ones, and the spoil of all their livestock, and all their flocks, and all their goods.

10 And they burned with fire all their cities, their homes, and all their towers.

11. And they took all the spoil and all the prey of men and animals.

12. And they 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 beside Jordan, at Jericho.

13. And Moses and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside the camp.

14. And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who came from the battle.

15. And 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 sin against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and the plague was on the congregation of the LORD.

17. And now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that has known man by lying with him.

18. But all the female children that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

19. And stay outside the camp seven days. Whosoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any dead one, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.

20. And purify all clothing, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.”

21. And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses.

22. Only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23. Everything that can stand the fire, you shall make go through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of cleansing. And all that cannot stand the fire you shall make go through the water.

24. And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean, and afterwards you shall come into the camp.”

25. And the LORD spoke to Moses saying,

26. “Count the prey that was taken of man and of animal, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers of the congregation.

27. And divide the prey into two parts: between those skilled in the battle who went out to war and between all the congregation.

28. And levy a tax for the LORD from the men of war who went out to battle: one person out of five hundred, of the persons and of the beef cattle, and of the donkeys, and of the flock.

29. Take from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, a heave offering to the LORD.

30. And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beef cattle, of the donkeys, of the flocks, of all kinds of animals, and give them to the Levites who keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”

31. And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

32. And the booty, the rest of the spoil which the men of war had captured, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,

33. Seventy-two thousand beef cattle,

34. Sixty-one thousand donkeys,

35. And thirty-two thousand persons in all of women that had not known a man by lying with a male.

36. And the half-share—the portion of those who went out to war—was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand, five hundred sheep.

37. And the LORD’S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.

38. And the beef cattle were thirty-six thousand of which the LORD’S tribute was seventy-two.

39. And the donkeys, thirty thousand, five hundred of which the LORD’S tribute was sixty-one.

40. And the persons were sixteen thousand of which the LORD’S tribute was thirty-two persons.

41. And Moses gave the tribute, the LORD’S heave offering, to Eleazar the priest as the LORD commanded Moses.

42. And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided from the men who warred;

43. Even the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand, five hundred sheep,

44. And thirty-six thousand beef cattle,

45. And thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys,

46. And sixteen thousand persons;

47. Even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one portion in fifty, of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites who kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD—even as the LORD commanded Moses.

48. And the commanders who were over thousands of the army, over the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near Moses.

49. And they said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our charge, and there is not one man of us lacking.

50. And we bring an offering for the LORD, what every man has found, of jewels, of gold, chains and bracelets, rings, earrings and tablets to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.”

51. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all crafted things.

52. And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty shekels,

53. For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.

54. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.