Numbers 31
Common English Bible
War against the Midianites
31 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 Take just reparations for the Israelites from the Midianites. Afterward you will join your ancestors.
3 Moses spoke to the people: “Equip some of your men for battle so that they may go against Midian and execute the Lord’s just punishment against Midian. 4 You will send out for battle one thousand from each of the tribes of Israel.”
5 From the thousands of Israel, one thousand from each tribe were selected. Twelve thousand were equipped for battle. 6 Moses sent them to battle, one thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas, Eleazar the priest’s son, who carried the sanctuary equipment and the trumpets for sounding the alarm in his hand. 7 They battled against Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian, along with others slain. They also killed Balaam, Beor’s son, with the sword. 9 The Israelites took captive the Midianite women, their little ones, all their cattle, their herds, and their possessions. 10 They burned all the cities where they lived and their encampments. 11 They took all the spoils of war and the valuable property, both human and animal, 12 and they brought the captives, the valuable property, and the spoils of war to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite community, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
Purification from war
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs of the community went to meet them outside the camp. 14 Moses became angry with the commanders of the army, the officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds, who came back from the battle. 15 Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live? 16 These very women, on Balaam’s advice, made the Israelites break faith with the Lord in the affair at Peor, so there was a plague among the Lord’s community. 17 Now kill every male child and every female who has known a man intimately by sleeping with him. 18 But all the young girls who have not known a man intimately by sleeping with him, spare for yourselves. 19 You will remain outside the camp for seven days. Everyone among you or your captives who has killed a person or touched a corpse must purify themselves on the third and seventh days. 20 You must also purify every garment, and everything made of leather, goats’ hair, or wood.”
Instructions about the spoils of war
21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of battle who had gone out to war, “This is the regulation in the Instruction that the Lord commanded Moses: 22 Gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead— 23 anything that can withstand fire—you will put through the fire and it will be clean. It will also be purified with the water of purification. Anything that isn’t able to withstand fire, you will immerse in water. 24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day and you will be clean. Afterward you may enter the camp.”
25 The Lord said to Moses: 26 You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community’s households must take an inventory of the valuable property and the captives, both human and animals, 27 and divide the valuable property between the warriors who went into battle and the entire community. 28 You will offer as tribute to the Lord from each warrior who went into battle one living being in five hundred, whether human, oxen, donkeys, or flocks. 29 Take it from the warriors’ half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a gift offering to the Lord. 30 But from the Israelites’ half you will take one out of every fifty, whether from human, oxen, donkeys, or flock—all the animals. You will give them to the Levites who carry out the duties of the Lord’s dwelling.
31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. 32 The valuable property remaining from the spoils of war that the people of the army had taken was 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 oxen, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 women who hadn’t known a man intimately by sleeping with him. 36 The half-share of those who had gone out to battle numbered 337,500 sheep, 37 of which the Lord’s tribute was 675. 38 The oxen were 36,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 72. 39 The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. 40 Humans were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 persons. 41 Moses gave the tribute, a gift offering for the Lord, to Eleazar the priest as the Lord had commanded Moses.
42 As for the half-share of the Israelites that Moses divided from those who had gone out to battle: 43 the community’s half-share was 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 oxen, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 humans. 47 Moses took from the Israelites’ half one out of every fifty, from humans and animals. He gave them to the Levites who carry out the duties of the Lord’s dwelling, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
48 The commanders over the thousands of the army, officers over thousands and officers over hundreds, approached Moses 49 and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the warriors in our charge and not one of us is missing. 50 We have brought the Lord’s offering that each found, gold articles—anklets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces—to seek reconciliation for ourselves before the Lord.” 51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took all the gold articles from them. 52 All the gold for the gift offering that was presented to the Lord from the officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels. 53 Each of the men of battle took spoils of war for himself. 54 Yet Moses and Eleazar the priest also received the gold from the officers of thousands and of hundreds, and they brought it to the meeting tent as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.
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.
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