Shared Word Translation
Numbers 31
War Against Midian
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for war, so that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian. You shall send one thousand from each tribe, from all the tribes of Israel, to the war.” So from the thousands of Israel there were supplied one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy vessels and the trumpets for the signal in his hand. They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every male. They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of those slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. The Israelites took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, flocks, and goods. They burned with fire all the cities where they lived and all their encampments.
They took all the spoil and all the plunder, both people and animals, and brought the captives, plunder, and spoil to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the congregation of the Israelites, to the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
Moses Addresses the Returning Army
Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp. Moses became angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds who had come from the service of war. Moses said to them, “Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these were the ones who, at Balaam’s counsel, caused the Israelites to act unfaithfully against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so that the plague came upon the congregation of the LORD. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by lying with him. But all the young girls who have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Purification After Battle
Camp outside the camp seven days. Whoever has killed a person and whoever has touched a slain person shall purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives. Purify every garment, every article of leather, everything made of goat hair, and every article of wood.”
Eleazar the priest said to the men of the army who had gone to battle, “This is the statute of the instruction that the LORD commanded Moses: Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead— everything that can withstand fire—you shall pass through fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water of purification. Whatever cannot withstand fire you shall pass through water. You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean; afterward you may enter the camp.”
The Plunder Divided
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take a count of the plunder that was captured, both people and animals, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the ancestral houses of the congregation. Divide the plunder into two parts, between those skilled in war who went out to battle and the whole congregation. Levy a tribute for the LORD from the warriors who went out to battle: one out of every five hundred, from the people, cattle, donkeys, and flocks. Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as the LORD’s contribution. From the Israelites’ half you shall take one out of every fifty, from the people, cattle, donkeys, flocks, and every kind of livestock, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the LORD’s tabernacle.” Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
The Count of the Plunder
The plunder remaining from the spoil that the people of the army had taken was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, seventy-two thousand cattle, sixty-one thousand donkeys, and thirty-two thousand persons in all, women who had not known a man by lying with him.
The half that was the portion of those who went out to war was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, and the LORD’s tribute from the sheep was six hundred seventy-five. The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was seventy-two. The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD’s tribute was sixty-one. The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty-two persons. Moses gave the tribute, the LORD’s contribution, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had separated from the men who fought— the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, thirty-six thousand cattle, thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, and sixteen thousand persons— from the Israelites’ half Moses took one out of every fifty, from both people and animals, and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the LORD’s tabernacle, as the LORD commanded Moses.
The Officers Bring an Offering
Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses. They said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a count of the men of war who were under our command, and not one man of us is missing. So we have brought the LORD’s offering, what each man found: articles of gold, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our lives before the LORD.”
Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all the crafted articles. All the gold of the contribution that they contributed to the LORD, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels. The men of war had each taken plunder for themselves. Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a remembrance for the Israelites before the LORD.