Numbers 31
Complete Jewish Bible
31 (LY: ii) Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “On behalf of the people of Isra’el, take vengeance on the Midyanim. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3 Moshe said to the people, “Equip men from among yourselves for war. They are to go and fight Midyan, in order to carry out Adonai’s vengeance on Midyan. 4 You are to send to the war a thousand men from every one of Isra’el’s tribes.” 5 So out of the thousands of people in Isra’el, a thousand armed men from each tribe, 12,000 altogether, were mustered for war. 6 Moshe sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war; he sent them and Pinchas the son of El‘azar the cohen to the war, with the holy utensils and the trumpets for sounding the alarm in his care.
7 They fought against Midyan, as Adonai had ordered Moshe, and killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midyan along with the others who were slain — Evi, Rekem, Tzur, Hur and Reva, the five kings of Midyan. They also killed Bil‘am the son of B‘or with the sword. 9 The people of Isra’el took captive the women of Midyan and their little ones, and they took as booty all their cattle, flocks and other goods. 10 They set fire to all their cities in the areas where they lived and all their camps. 11 They took all the booty, all the people and animals they had captured, 12 and brought the captives, booty and spoil to Moshe, El‘azar the cohen and the community of Isra’el in the camp on the plains of Mo’av by the Yarden across from Yericho.
(RY: ii, LY: iii) 13 Moshe, El‘azar the cohen and all the community leaders went to meet them outside the camp. 14 But Moshe was angry with the army officers, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds coming in from the battlefield. 15 Moshe asked them, “You let the women live? 16 Why, these are the ones who — because of Bil‘am’s advice — caused the people of Isra’el to rebel, breaking faith with Adonai in the P‘or incident, so that the plague broke out among Adonai’s community! 17 Now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has ever slept with a man. 18 But the young girls who have never slept with a man, keep alive for yourselves. 19 Pitch your tents outside the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed a person or touched the corpse of someone slain, purify yourselves on the third and seventh days, you and your captives. 20 Also purify every garment, whether of skin or goat’s hair, and everything made of wood.”
21 El‘azar the cohen said to the soldiers who had gone to the front, “This is the regulation from the Torah which Adonai has ordered Moshe. 22 Even though gold, silver, brass, iron, tin and lead 23 can all withstand fire, so that you are indeed to purify everything made of these materials by having them pass through fire; nevertheless they must also be purified with the water for purification. Everything that can’t withstand fire you are to have go through the water. 24 On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean; after that you may enter the camp.”
(LY: iv) 25 Adonai said to Moshe, 26 “Take all the booty, both people and animals, you, El‘azar the cohen and the leaders of clans in the community; 27 and divide the booty into two parts: half for the experienced soldiers who went out to battle, and half for the rest of the community. 28 From the portion of the soldiers who went out to battle, levy a tax for Adonai consisting of one-five-hundredth of the persons, cattle, donkeys and sheep; 29 take it from their half and give it to El‘azar the cohen as a portion set apart for Adonai. 30 From the half that goes to the people of Isra’el, you are to take one-fiftieth of the persons, and of the cattle, donkeys and sheep, that is, of all the livestock; and give them to the L’vi’im taking care of the tabernacle of Adonai.” 31 Moshe and El‘azar the cohen did as Adonai had ordered Moshe.
32 The booty, over and above the portion which the soldiers took, came to 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 persons in all, consisting of the women who had never slept with a man.
36 The half which was the portion of the soldiers who went out to fight, numbered 337,500 sheep, 37 of which Adonai’s tribute was 675; 38 36,000 cattle, of which Adonai’s tribute was seventy-two; 39 30,500 donkeys, of which Adonai’s tribute was sixty-one; 40 and 16,000 persons, of whom Adonai’s tribute was thirty-two persons. 41 Moshe gave the tribute set apart for Adonai to El‘azar the cohen, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.
(LY: v) 42 From the half that went to people of Isra’el, which Moshe separated from that of the men who had gone to fight — 43 now the community’s half consisted of 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys 46 and 16,000 persons — 47 from the people of Isra’el’s half, Moshe took one-fiftieth of the persons and animals and gave them to the L’vi’im taking care of the tabernacle of Adonai, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.
48 The officers in charge of the thousands who fought, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, approached Moshe 49 and said to him, “Your servants have counted all the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing. 50 We have brought an offering for Adonai, what every man has obtained in the way of gold jewelry — armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and belts — to make atonement for ourselves before Adonai.”
51 Moshe and El‘azar the cohen accepted their gold, all the jewelry. 52 All the gold in this gift which the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds set apart for Adonai weighed 420 pounds. 53 For the soldiers had taken booty, every man for himself. 54 Moshe and El‘azar the cohen took the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a reminder for the people of Isra’el before Adonai.
Bamidbar 31
Orthodox Jewish Bible
31 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
2 Avenge the Bnei Yisroel of the Midyanim; afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
3 And Moshe spoke unto HaAm, saying, Arm some of your anashim unto war, let them go against Midyan, and avenge Hashem of Midyan.
4 Of every matteh a thousand, throughout kol mattot Yisroel, shall ye send to war.
5 So there were supplied out of the thousands of Yisroel, an elef (a thousand) of every matteh, sheneym asar elef armed for war.
6 And Moshe sent them to war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Pinchas Ben Eleazar HaKohen, to the war, with the kelei hakodesh, and the tzotzerot hateru’ah in his yad.
7 And they warred against Midyan, just, as Hashem commanded Moshe; and they slaughtered kol zachar.
8 And they slaughtered the Melachim of Midyan, besides the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Tzur, and Chur, and Reva, five melachim of Midyan; Balaam Ben Beor also they slaughtered with the cherev.
9 And the Bnei Yisroel took all the nashim of Midyan captive, and their little ones, and took the plunder of all their behemah, and all their mikneh, and all their goods.
10 And they burned with eish all their towns wherein were their moshavot, and all their camps.
11 And they took all the plunder, and all the spoil, both of adam and of behemah.
12 And they brought the captives, and the plunder, and the spoil, unto Moshe, and Eleazar HaKohen, and unto the Adat Bnei Yisroel, unto the machaneh at the plains of Moav, which are by Yarden near Yericho.
13 And Moshe, and Eleazar HaKohen, and all the nasiim of the Edah, went forth to meet them outside the machaneh.
14 And Moshe was in wrath with the pekudei hechayil (officers of the army), with the sarim over thousands, and sarim over hundreds, which were returning from the milchamah of the army.
15 And Moshe said unto them, Have ye saved all the nekevah alive?
16 Hinei, these caused the Bnei Yisroel, through the davar Balaam, to turn unfaithful against Hashem in the matter of Peor, and there was a magefah (plague) among the Adat Hashem.
17 Now therefore slaughter every zakhar among the little ones, and kill every isha that hath known ish by lying with zakhar.
18 But all the girl nashim, that have no da’as of lying with zakhar, save alive for yourselves.
19 And do ye abide outside the machaneh shivat yamim; whosoever hath killed nefesh, and whosoever hath touched any chalal, purify both yourselves and your captives on Yom HaShelishi and on Yom HaShevi’i.
20 And purify all your beged, and all keli ohr (all that is made of leather), ma’aseh izzim (all that is made of goat hair) and keli etz (all that is make of wood).
21 And Eleazar HaKohen said unto the anshei hatzavah which went into milchamah, This is the chukkat hatorah which Hashem commanded Moshe:
22 Only the zahav, and the kesef, the nechoshet, the barzel, the bedil, and the oferet,
23 Everything that can withstand eish, ye shall make it go through the eish, and it shall be tahor; nevertheless it shall be purified with the mayim of niddah; and all that can not withstand the eish ye shall make go through the mayim.
24 And ye shall wash your begadim on Yom HaShevi’i, and ye shall be tahor, and afterward ye shall come into the machaneh.
25 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
26 Take inventory of the spoil that was taken, both of adam and of behemah, thou, and Eleazar HaKohen, and the Rashei Avot HaEdah:
27 And divide the spoil into two parts: between them that took the milchamah upon them, who went out to battle, and kol HaEdah;
28 And levy a mekhes (tribute) unto Hashem of the anshei hamilchamah which went out to battle: one nefesh from five hundred, both of adam, and of bakar, and of chamorim, and of tzon;
29 Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar HaKohen, for a terumat Hashem.
30 And of the Bnei Yisroel’s half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of adam, of bakar, of chamorim, and of tzon, of all behemah, and give them unto the Levi’im, who are shomrei mishmeret Mishkan Hashem (who are guardians of the Mishkan Hashem).
31 And Moshe and Eleazar HaKohen did just as Hashem commanded Moshe.
32 And the spoil, being the rest of the plunder which the am hatzava (personnel of the army) had taken, was 675,000 tzon,
33 And 72,000 bakar,
34 And 61,000 chamorim,
35 And 32,000 nefesh adam from the nashim who had no da’as of zachar by lying with him.
36 And the half, which was the chelek of them that went out to war, was in number 337,500 tzon;
37 And the mekhes (tribute) for Hashem of the tzon was 675.
38 And the bakar were 36,000; of which the mekhes for Hashem was 72.
39 And the chamorim were 30,500; of which the mekhes for Hashem was 61.
40 And the nefesh adam were 16,000; of which the mekhes for Hashem was 32 nefesh.
41 And Moshe gave the mekhes, which was the terumat Hashem, unto Eleazar HaKohen, as Hashem commanded Moshe.
42 And of the Bnei Yisroel’s half, which Moshe divided from the anashim hatzove’im,
43 (Now the half that pertained unto the Edah was 337,500 tzon,
44 And 36,000 bakar,
45 And thirty thousand chamorim and five hundred,
46 And sixteen thousand nefesh adam);
47 Even of the Bnei Yisroel’s half, Moshe took one portion of fifty, both of adam and of behemah, and gave them unto the Levi’im, who were shomrei mishmeret Mishkan Hashem; just as Hashem commanded Moshe.
48 And the pekudim (officers) which were over thousands of the tzava (army), the sarim of thousands, and sarim of hundreds, came near unto Moshe;
49 And they said unto Moshe, Thy avadim have taken the muster census of the anshei hamilchamah which are under our charge, and there was missing not one ish of us.
50 We have therefore brought a korban Hashem, what every ish hath gotten, of articles of zahav, armlets, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make kapporah for our nefashot before Hashem.
51 And Moshe and Eleazar HaKohen took the zahav of them, even all wrought jewels.
52 And all the zahav of the terumah (offering) that they offered up to Hashem, of the sarim of thousands, and of the sarim of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.
53 (For the anshei hatzava had taken plunder, every ish for himself.)
54 And Moshe and Eleazar HaKohen accepted the zahav of the sarim of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Ohel Mo’ed, for a zikaron (memorial) for the Bnei Yisroel before Hashem.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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