War with Midian

31 The Lord spoke to Moses, “Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

So Moses spoke to the people, “Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Midian to inflict the Lord’s vengeance(A) on them. Send 1,000 men to war from each Israelite tribe.” So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands[a] in Israel—12,000 equipped for war. Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.

They waged war against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male. Along with the others slain by them, they killed the Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian.(B) They also killed Balaam son of Beor(C) with the sword. The Israelites took the Midianite women and their children captive, and they plundered all their cattle, flocks, and property.(D) 10 Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites lived, as well as all their encampments, 11 and took away all the spoils of war and the captives, both man and beast. 12 They brought the prisoners, animals, and 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.

13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.

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Notas al pie

  1. Numbers 31:5 Or clans

War against the Midianites

31 The Lord spoke to Moses: Take just reparations for the Israelites from the Midianites. Afterward you will join your ancestors.

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. You will send out for battle one thousand from each of the tribes of Israel.”

From the thousands of Israel, one thousand from each tribe were selected. Twelve thousand were equipped for battle. 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. They battled against Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 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. 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.

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