1 T he Lord said to Moses,

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “ Punish the Midianites for the people of Israel. After that you will be buried with your people.”

“ Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people.”

3 T hen Moses said to the people, “Take men from among you and make them ready for war against Midian. They will punish Midian for the Lord.

Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.

4 S end to the war 1, 000 men from each of all the family groups of Israel.”

A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.”

5 S o 1, 000 men came from each of the family groups of the thousands of Israel. There were 12, 000 ready for war.

So there were furnished from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

6 M oses sent them, 1, 000 from each family group, to the war. Phinehas the son of Eleazar the religious leader went to the war with them. In his hand were the holy objects and the horns for blowing the sound of coming danger.

Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, and the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

7 S o the men made war against Midian, just as the Lord had told Moses, and they killed every male.

So they made war against Midian, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.

8 T hey killed the five kings of Midian with the sword also, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.

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

9 T he people of Israel took the women of Midian and their little ones, and all their cattle, all their flocks, and all the good things that belonged to them.

The sons of Israel captured the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle and all their flocks and all their goods they plundered.

10 T hen they burned all their cities where they lived and all their tents.

Then they burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps with fire.

11 T hey took all that was left of both man and animal.

They took all the spoil and all the prey, both of man and of beast.

12 A nd they brought the people they had taken and the animals and whatever belonged to them to Moses, and to Eleazar the religious leader, and to the people of Israel. Their tents were on the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho.

They brought the captives and the prey and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

13 M oses and Eleazar the religious leader and all the leaders of the people went out from the tents to meet them.

Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp.

14 M oses was angry with the leaders of the army, the heads of thousands and the heads of hundreds, who had fought in the war.

Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.

15 H e said to them, “Have you allowed all the women to live?

And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women?

16 S ee, these women listened to Balaam and caused the people of Israel to sin against the Lord in what happened at Peor. So the very bad disease came to the people of the Lord.

Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.

17 N ow kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has had a man.

Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately.

18 B ut keep alive for yourselves all the girls who have not had a man.

But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves.

19 S tay away from the tents for seven days. If you have killed any person or have touched any dead body, you must make yourself and those you have taken clean, on the third day and on the seventh day.

And you, camp outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day.

20 Y ou must clean every piece of clothing, everything made of leather, everything made of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”

You shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of leather and all the work of goats’ hair, and all articles of wood.”

21 T hen Eleazar the religious leader said to the men of war who had gone to battle, “This is the Law which the Lord has told Moses.

Then 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:

22 T ake the gold, silver, brass, iron, tin and lead,

only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin and the lead,

23 e verything that can last through fire. Pass it through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must be made pure with the water for cleaning. Whatever cannot last through fire you must pass through the water.

everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water.

24 Y ou must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be clean. Then you may come among the tents.”

And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.” Division of the Booty

25 T he Lord said to Moses,

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

26 “ You and Eleazar the religious leader and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the people should number all that was taken from the battle, both of man and animal.

“You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation take a count of the booty that was captured, both of man and of animal;

27 D ivide what was taken between the men of war who went to battle and all the people.

and divide the booty between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.

28 T hen take a tax for the Lord from the men of war who went out to battle. Take one out of 500 of the persons and the cattle and the donkeys and the sheep.

Levy a tax for the Lord from the men of war who went out to battle, one in five hundred of the persons and of the cattle and of the donkeys and of the sheep;

29 T ake this from their half and give it to Eleazar the religious leader, as a gift to the Lord.

take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an offering to the Lord.

30 F rom the half belonging to the people of Israel, take one out of every fifty of the persons and cattle and donkeys and sheep and all the animals. Give them to the Levites who take care of the meeting tent of the Lord.”

From the sons 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 sheep, from all the animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.”

31 M oses and Eleazar the religious leader did just as the Lord had told Moses.

Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

32 W hat was left from that which the men of war had taken was 675, 000 sheep,

Now the booty that remained from the spoil which the men of war had plundered was 675, 000 sheep,

33 7 2, 000 cattle,

and 72, 000 cattle,

34 6 1, 000 donkeys,

and 61, 000 donkeys,

35 a nd 32, 000 persons in all, of women who had never had a man.

and of human beings, of the women who had not known man intimately, all the persons were 32, 000.

36 T he half taken by those who went out to war was 337, 500 sheep.

The half, the portion of those who went out to war, was as follows: the number of sheep was 337, 500,

37 T he Lord’s tax was 675 sheep.

and the Lord’s levy of the sheep was 675;

38 T here were 36, 000 cattle, from which the Lord’s tax was seventy-two.

and the cattle were 36, 000, from which the Lord’s levy was 72;

39 T here were 30, 500 donkeys, from which the Lord’s tax was sixty-one.

and the donkeys were 30, 500, from which the Lord’s levy was 61;

40 A nd there were 16, 000 persons, from whom the Lord’s tax was thirty-two.

and the human beings were 16, 000, from whom the Lord’s levy was 32 persons.

41 M oses gave the tax, which was the Lord’s gift, to Eleazar the religious leader, just as the Lord had told Moses.

Moses gave the levy which was the Lord’s offering to Eleazar the priest, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

42 M oses divided the people of Israel’s half from the men who had gone to war.

As for the sons of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who had gone to war—

43 T he people’s half was 337, 500 sheep,

now the congregation’s half was 337, 500 sheep,

44 3 6, 000 cattle,

and 36, 000 cattle,

45 3 0, 500 donkeys,

and 30, 500 donkeys,

46 a nd 16, 000 persons.

and the human beings were 16, 000—

47 M oses took one out of every fifty of both man and animal from the people of Israel’s half. He gave them to the Levites, who took care of the meeting tent of the Lord, just as the Lord had told Moses.

and from the sons of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animals, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

48 T hen the leaders of the thousands of the army, the heads of thousands and the heads of hundreds, came to Moses.

Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses,

49 T hey said to him, “Your servants have numbered the men of war whom we lead. Not one man is missing from us.

and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing.

50 W e have brought as a gift to the Lord what each man found, objects of gold, things to be worn on the arms and fingers and ears and necks. They are to pay for our sins before the Lord.”

So we have brought as an offering to the Lord what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”

51 M oses and Eleazar the religious leader took the gold from them, all the objects made of beaten gold.

Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of wrought articles.

52 A ll the gold of the gift they gave to the Lord from the heads of thousands and the heads of hundreds was worth 16, 750 gold pieces.

All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the Lord, from the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, was 16, 750 shekels.

53 F or the men of war had taken things from the battle, every man for himself.

The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.

54 S o Moses and Eleazar the religious leader took the gold from the heads of thousands and of hundreds. They brought it to the meeting tent so that the people of Israel would be remembered before the Lord.

So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord.