1 T he Lord said to Moses,

And 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 vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall 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.

So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord 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 recruited from the divisions of Israel one 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.

Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from each tribe; he sent them to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand.

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

And they warred against the Midianites, just as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed all the males.

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 with the rest of those who were killed—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed 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.

And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods.

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

They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts.

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

And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast. Return from the War

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.

Then they brought the captives, the booty, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.

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

And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went 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.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.

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

And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive?

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.

Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague 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 a man intimately.

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

But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately.

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 as for you, remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves 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.”

Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats’ hair, and everything made 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 the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses:

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

Only the gold, 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 endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through 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 come into the camp.” Division of the Plunder

25 T he Lord said to Moses,

Now 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.

“Count up the plunder that was taken—of man and beast—you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation;

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

and divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, 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.

And levy a tribute for the Lord on the men of war who went out to battle: one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and 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 a heave 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.”

And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one of every fifty, drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from all the livestock, 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.

So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

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

The booty remaining from the plunder, which the men of war had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 7 2, 000 cattle,

seventy-two thousand cattle,

34 6 1, 000 donkeys,

sixty-one thousand donkeys,

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

and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man intimately.

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

And the half, the portion for those who had gone out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep;

37 T he Lord’s tax was 675 sheep.

and the Lord ’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.

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

The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the Lord ’s tribute was seventy-two.

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

The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the Lord ’s tribute was sixty-one.

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

The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord ’s tribute was thirty-two 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.

So Moses gave the tribute which was the Lord ’s heave offering to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

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

And from the children of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who fought—

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

now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 3 6, 000 cattle,

thirty-six thousand cattle,

45 3 0, 500 donkeys,

thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

46 a nd 16, 000 persons.

and sixteen thousand persons—

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 children of Israel’s half Moses took one of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord 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 thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near to 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 count of the men of war who are under our command, and not a 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.”

Therefore we have brought an offering for the Lord, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and 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.

So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments.

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.

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

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

(The men of war had taken spoil, 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.

And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of meeting as a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.