Chapter 31

And the LORD spake¹⁷ unto Moses, saying,²

Avenge^{3 5360} the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered¹¹ unto thy people.

And Moses spake¹⁷ unto the people, saying,² Arm¹⁰ some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge^{2 5360} the LORD of Midian.

Of every tribe ⁴²⁹⁴ a thousand, ⁵⁰⁵ throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send⁴ to the war.

So there were delivered¹¹ out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of [every] tribe, twelve ⁶²⁴⁰ thousand armed⁷ for war.

And Moses sent⁴ them to the war, a thousand of [every] tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

And they warred⁴ against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded¹⁴ Moses; and they slew⁴ all the males.

And they slew¹ the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; [namely], Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew¹ with the sword.

And the children of Israel took [all] the women of Midian captives,⁴ and their little ones, and took the spoil¹ of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.

And they burnt¹ all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.

And they took⁴ all the spoil, and all the prey, [both] of men and of beasts.

And they brought⁵⁵ the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which [are] by Jordan [near] Jericho.

And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth⁴ to meet² them without the camp.

And Moses was wroth⁴ with the officers⁷ of the host, [with] the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came⁶ from the battle.

And Moses said⁴ unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?¹⁴

Behold, these caused¹ the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit² trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Now therefore kill³ every male among the little ones, and kill³ every woman that hath known⁶ man by lying with him.

But all the women children, that have not known¹ a man by lying with him, keep alive⁵⁴ for yourselves.

And do ye abide³ without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed⁶ any person, and whosoever hath touched⁶ any slain, purify¹⁰¹ [both] yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

And purify¹⁰¹ all [your] raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood.

And Eleazar the priest said⁴ unto the men of war which went⁶ to the battle, This [is] the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded¹⁴ Moses;

Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Every thing that may abide⁴ the fire, ye shall make [it] go⁵⁵ through the fire, and it shall be clean:¹ nevertheless it shall be purified¹⁰¹ with the water of separation: and all that abideth⁴ not the fire ye shall make go⁵⁵ through the water.

And ye shall wash¹⁴ your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean,¹ and afterward ye shall come⁴ into the camp.

And the LORD spake⁴ unto Moses, saying,²

Take³ the sum of the prey that was taken, [both] of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:

And divide¹ the prey into two parts; between them that took⁶ the war upon them, who went out⁶ to battle, and between all the congregation:

And levy⁵² a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out⁶ to battle: one soul of five hundred, [both] of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

Take⁴ [it] of their half, and give¹ it unto Eleazar the priest, [for] an heave offering of the LORD.

And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take⁴ one portion⁷ of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give¹ them unto the Levites, which keep⁶ the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.

And Moses and Eleazar the priest did⁴ as the LORD commanded¹⁴ Moses.

And the booty, [being] the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught,¹ was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,

And threescore and twelve ⁸¹⁴⁷ thousand beeves,

And threescore and one thousand asses,

And thirty and two thousand persons ¹²⁰ in all, ⁵³¹⁵ of women that had not known¹ man by lying with him.

And the half, [which was] the portion of them that went out⁶ to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep:

And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen. ²⁵⁶⁸

And the beeves [were] thirty and six thousand; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] threescore and twelve. ⁸¹⁴⁷

And the asses [were] thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] threescore and one.

And the persons ⁵³¹⁵ [were] sixteen ⁶²⁴⁰ thousand; of which the LORD'S tribute [was] thirty and two persons.

And Moses gave⁴ the tribute, [which was] the LORD'S heave offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded¹⁴ Moses.

And of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided¹ from the men that warred,⁶

(Now the half [that pertained unto] the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand [and] seven thousand and five hundred sheep, ⁶⁶²⁹

And thirty and six thousand beeves,

And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,

And sixteen ⁶²⁴⁰ thousand persons;) ¹²⁰

Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took⁴ one portion⁷ of fifty, [both] of man and of beast, and gave⁴ them unto the Levites, which kept⁶ the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded¹⁴ Moses.

And the officers⁷ which [were] over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near⁴ unto Moses:

And they said⁴ unto Moses, Thy servants have taken¹ the sum of the men of war which [are] under our charge, and there lacketh⁸ not one man of us.

We have therefore brought⁵⁵ an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten,¹ of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement¹⁵ for our souls before the LORD.

And Moses and Eleazar the priest took⁴ the gold of them, [even] all wrought jewels.

And all the gold of the offering that they offered up⁵² to the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen ⁶²⁴⁰ thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

([For] the men of war had taken spoil,¹ every man for himself.)

And Moses and Eleazar the priest took⁴ the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought⁵⁵ it into the tabernacle of the congregation, [for] a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.