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14 But Moses was angry toward the leaders of the troops, the commanders of the thousands and the commanders of the hundreds, who came from the battle of the war. 15 And Moses said to them, “You have kept alive every female? 16 Behold, these women caused[a] the Israelites,[b] by the word of Balaam, to be in apostasy against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, so that the plague was among the community of Yahweh. 17 Now kill every male among the little children, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man.[c] 18 But all the females who have not had sexual intercourse with a man,[d] keep alive for yourselves.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 31:16 Literally “were to”
  2. Numbers 31:16 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Numbers 31:17 Literally “who has known the bed of a male”
  4. Numbers 31:18 Literally “who has known the bed of a male”

14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army(A)—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

15 “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. 16 “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice(B) and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident,(C) so that a plague(D) struck the Lord’s people. 17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,(E) 18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

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