31 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

² “Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.”

³ And Moses spoke unto the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites and avenge the Lord on Midian.

⁴ From every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.”

⁵ So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

⁶ And Moses sent 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.

⁷ And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

⁸ And they slew the kings of Midian besides the rest of those who were slain, namely: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian. Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

⁹ And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captive, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle and all their flocks and all their goods.

¹⁰ And they burned all their cities wherein they dwelt and all their goodly strongholds with fire.

¹¹ And they took all the spoil and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.

¹² And they brought 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 the Jordan near Jericho.

¹³ And Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the princes of the congregation went forth to meet them outside the camp.

¹⁴ And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who came from the battle.

¹⁵ And Moses said unto them, “Have ye saved all the women alive?

¹⁶ Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.

¹⁷ Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who hath known a man by lying with him.

¹⁸ But all the women children, who have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

¹⁹ And abide ye outside the camp seven days. Whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.

²⁰ And purify all your raiment and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.”

²¹ And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war who went to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses:

²² Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

²³ every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation. And all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.

²⁴ And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.”

²⁵ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

²⁶ “Take 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;

²⁷ and divide the prey into two parts, between those who took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation.

²⁸ And levy a tribute unto the Lord on the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep.

²⁹ Take it from their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest for a heave offering of the Lord.

³⁰ And of the children of Israel’s half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty, of the persons, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them unto the Levites, who keep the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.”

³¹ And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

³² And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,

³³ and threescore and twelve thousand beeves,

³⁴ and threescore and one thousand asses,

³⁵ and thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man by lying with him.

³⁶ And the half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep;

³⁷ and the Lord’S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

³⁸ And the beeves were thirty and six thousand, of which the Lord’S tribute was threescore and twelve.

³⁹ And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred, of which the Lord’S tribute was threescore and one.

⁴⁰ And the persons were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord’S tribute was thirty and two persons.

⁴¹ And Moses gave the tribute which was the Lord’S heave offering unto Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴² And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided from the men who warred

⁴³ (now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

⁴⁴ and thirty and six thousand beeves,

⁴⁵ and thirty thousand asses and five hundred,

⁴⁶ and sixteen thousand persons),

⁴⁷ even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, who kept the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴⁸ And the officers who were over thousands of the host, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near Moses;

⁴⁹ and they said unto Moses, “Thy servants have taken the count of the men of war who are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

⁵⁰ We have therefore brought an oblation for the Lord, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the Lord.”

⁵¹ And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, even all wrought jewels.

⁵² And all the gold from the offering that they offered up to the Lord, of the captains of thousands and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

⁵³ (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)

⁵⁴ And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.

32 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that behold, the place was a place for cattle,

² the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke unto Moses and to Eleazar the priest and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,

³ “Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

⁴ even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle.”

⁵ Therefore, said they, “If we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over the Jordan.”

⁶ And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, “Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?

⁷ And why discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them?

⁸ Thus did your fathers when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.

⁹ For when they went up unto the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them.

¹⁰ And the Lord’S anger was kindled the same time, and He swore, saying,

¹¹ ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me,

¹² save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun; for they have wholly followed the Lord.’

¹³ And the Lord’S anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was consumed.

¹⁴ And behold, ye have risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel.

¹⁵ For if ye turn away from after Him, He will yet again leave them in the wilderness, and ye shall destroy all this people.”

¹⁶ And they came near unto him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our flocks and cities for our little ones,

¹⁷ but we ourselves will go ready and armed before the children of Israel until we have brought them unto their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

¹⁸ We will not return unto our houses until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

¹⁹ For we will not inherit with them on yonder side of the Jordan or forward, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.”

²⁰ And Moses said unto them, “If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the Lord to war,

²¹ and will go all of you armed over the Jordan before the Lord, until He hath driven out His enemies from before Him

²² and the land be subdued before the Lord, then afterward ye shall return and be guiltless before the Lord and before Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.

²³ But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.

²⁴ Build you cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.”

²⁵ And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke unto Moses, saying, “Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.

²⁶ Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle shall be there in the cities of Gilead;

²⁷ but thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord saith.”

²⁸ So concerning them, Moses commanded Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.

²⁹ And Moses said unto them, “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man armed for battle before the Lord and the land shall be subdued before you, then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession.

³⁰ But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

³¹ And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, “As the Lord hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.

³² We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side of the Jordan may be ours.”

³³ And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with the cities thereof in the borders, even the cities of the country round about.

³⁴ And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

³⁵ and Atroth, Shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,

³⁶ and Bethnimrah, and Bethharan, fortified cities, and folds for sheep.

³⁷ And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,

³⁸ and Nebo, and Baalmeon (their names being changed), and Shibmah, and gave other names unto the cities which they built.

³⁹ And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.

⁴⁰ And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt therein.

⁴¹ And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havothjair.

⁴² And Nobah went and took Kenath and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

²¹ And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the Child, His name was called Jesus, who was so named by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

²² And when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord: “Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),

²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵ And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

²⁶ And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

²⁷ And he came by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him after the custom of the law,

²⁸ then he took Him up in his arms, and blessed God and said,

²⁹ “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word;

³⁰ for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,

³¹ which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

³² a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.”

³³ And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.

³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against

³⁵ (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶ And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was of great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,

³⁷ and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years. She departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

³⁸ And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

³⁹ And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city, Nazareth.

⁴⁰ And the Child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.

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86 Bow down Thine ear, O Lord; hear me, for I am poor and needy.

² Preserve my soul, for I am holy; O Thou my God, save Thy servant that trusteth in Thee.

³ Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for I cry unto Thee daily.

⁴ Make the soul of Thy servant rejoice, for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

⁵ For Thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.

⁶ Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

⁷ In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me.

⁸ Among the gods there is none like unto Thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto Thy works.

⁹ All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify Thy name.

¹⁰ For Thou art great and doest wondrous things: Thou alone art God.

¹¹ Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth; unite my heart to fear Thy name.

¹² I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Thy name for evermore.

¹³ For great is Thy mercy toward me, and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

¹⁴ O God, the proud have risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not set Thee before them.

¹⁵ But Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

¹⁶ O turn unto me and have mercy upon me; give Thy strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of Thine handmaid.

¹⁷ Show me a token for good, that they that hate me may see it and be ashamed, because Thou, Lord, hast helped me and comforted me.

87 His foundation is in the holy mountains.

² The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³ Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God! Selah

⁴ “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know Me; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This man was born there.’”

⁵ And of Zion it shall be said, “This and that man were born in her; and the Highest Himself shall establish her.”

⁶ The Lord shall count, when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah

⁷ Singers as well as players on instruments shall be there and say, “All my springs are in thee.”

88 O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before Thee.

² Let my prayer come before Thee; incline Thine ear unto my cry.

³ For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

⁴ I am counted with them that go down into the pit; I am as a man that hath no strength,

⁵ cast among the dead like the slain that lie in the grave, whom Thou rememberest no more, and who are cut off from Thy hand.

⁶ Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

⁷ Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and Thou hast afflicted me with all Thy waves. Selah

⁸ Thou hast put away mine acquaintances far from me; Thou hast made me an abomination unto them. I am shut up, and I cannot come forth;

⁹ mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction. Lord, I have called daily upon Thee; I have stretched out my hands unto Thee.

¹⁰ Wilt Thou show wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise Thee? Selah

¹¹ Shall Thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Thy faithfulness in destruction?

¹² Shall Thy wonders be known in the dark? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³ But unto Thee have I cried, O Lord, and in the morning shall my prayer come before Thee.

¹⁴ Lord, why castest Thou off my soul? Why hidest Thou Thy face from me?

¹⁵ I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up; while I suffer Thy terrors I am distraught.

¹⁶ Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; Thy terrors have cut me off.

¹⁷ They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.

¹⁸ Lover and friend hast Thou put far from me, and mine acquaintances into darkness.

89 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever; with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.

² For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up for ever; Thy faithfulness shalt Thou establish in the very heavens.”

³ “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn unto David My servant:

⁴ ‘Thy Seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.’” Selah

⁵ And the heavens shall praise Thy wonders, O Lord, Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

⁶ For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?

⁷ God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all them that are about Him.

⁸ O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto Thee? Or to Thy faithfulness round about Thee?

⁹ Thou rulest the raging of the sea; when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them.

¹⁰ Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; Thou hast scattered Thine enemies with Thy strong arm.

¹¹ The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine; as for the world and the fullness thereof, Thou hast founded them.

¹² The north and the south, Thou hast created them; Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in Thy name.

¹³ Thou hast a mighty arm; strong is Thy hand, and high is Thy right hand.

¹⁴ Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne; mercy and truth shall go before Thy face.

¹⁵ Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound! They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.

¹⁶ In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day, and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

¹⁷ For Thou art the glory of their strength, and in Thy favor our horn shall be exalted.

¹⁸ For the Lord is our defense, and the Holy One of Israel is our King.

¹⁹ Then Thou didst speak in a vision to Thy holy one and said, “I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

²⁰ I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him.

²¹ With him My hand shall be established; Mine arm shall also strengthen him.

²² The enemy shall not exact from him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

²³ And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.

²⁴ But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, and in My name shall his horn be exalted.

²⁵ I will set his hand also over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers.

²⁶ He shall cry unto Me, ‘Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’

²⁷ Also I will make him My firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

²⁸ My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and My covenant shall stand fast with him.

²⁹ His Seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

³⁰ If his children forsake My law and walk not in My judgments,

³¹ if they break My statutes and keep not My commandments,

³² then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes.

³³ Nevertheless My lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor permit My faithfulness to fail.

³⁴ My covenant will I not break, nor alter the things which have gone out of My lips.

³⁵ Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David.

³⁶ His Seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me.

³⁷ It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in the heaven.” Selah

³⁸ But Thou hast cast off and abhorred; Thou hast been wroth with Thine anointed.

³⁹ Thou hast made void the covenant of Thy servant; Thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

⁴⁰ Thou hast broken down all his hedges; Thou hast brought his strongholds to ruin.

⁴¹ All that pass by the way despoil him; he is a reproach to his neighbors.

⁴² Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; Thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.

⁴³ Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.

⁴⁴ Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.

⁴⁵ The days of his youth hast Thou shortened, Thou hast covered him with shame. Selah

⁴⁶ How long, Lord? Wilt Thou hide Thyself for ever? Shall Thy wrath burn like fire?

⁴⁷ Remember how short my time is; why hast Thou made all men in vain?

⁴⁸ What man is he that liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah

⁴⁹ Lord, where are Thy former lovingkindnesses, which Thou hast sworn unto David in Thy truth?

⁵⁰ Remember, Lord, the reproach against Thy servants” how I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people

⁵¹ wherewith Thine enemies have reproached, O Lord, wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of Thine anointed.

⁵² Blessed be the Lord for evermore! Amen and Amen.

18 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

² A fool hath no delight in understanding, unless his heart may discover itself.

³ When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt; and with ignominy, reproach.

⁴ The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.

⁵ It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

⁶ A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for blows.

⁷ A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

⁸ The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

⁹ He that is slothful in his work is a brother to him that is a great waster.

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe.

¹¹ The rich man’s wealth is his stronghold, and as a high wall in his own conceit.

¹² Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility.

¹³ He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

¹⁴ The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit, who can bear?

¹⁵ The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

¹⁶ A man’s gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men.

¹⁷ He that first states his own cause seemeth just, but then his neighbor cometh and searcheth him.

¹⁸ Casting lots causeth contentions to cease, and parteth the strife of the mighty.

¹⁹ An offended brother is harder to be won back than a stronghold city, and his contentions are like the bars of a castle.

²⁰ A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the harvest of his lips shall he be filled.

²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

²² Whosoever findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtaineth the favor of the Lord.

²³ The poor useth entreaties, but the rich answereth roughly.

²⁴ A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.