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Division of the War-Booty

25 Yahweh said to Moses, saying, 26 “You and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the families[a] of the community, take count[b] of the war-booty that was captured, both humans[c] and the domestic animals;[d] 27 divide the war-booty between those who engaged in the war, who went out to the battle, and all the community. 28 Exact a tribute for Yahweh from the men of the war, those who went out to the battle, one from five hundred persons, and from the cattle and from the male donkeys and from the flock; 29 take from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to Yahweh. 30 From half of the Israelites,[e] take one share drawn by lot from the fifty from the humans,[f] from the cattle, from the male donkeys, from the flock, from all the domestic animals,[g] and give them to the Levities who keep the responsibilities of the tabernacle of Yahweh.” 31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

32 Thus the war-booty that remained of the plunder that the people of the battle plundered was six hundred and seventy-five thousand flocks of sheep, 33 seventy-two thousand cattle, 34 sixty-one thousand male donkeys, 35 and the life of humankind, from the women who did not have sexual intercourse with a man,[h] all the persons[i] were thirty-two thousand.

36 The half of the share that was going out to the battle: the number of the flock of sheep was thee hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred; 37 the tribute to Yahweh from the flock was six hundred and seventy-five; 38 and the cattle were thirty-six thousand; and the tribute to Yahweh was seventy-two. 39 Of the male donkeys there were thirty thousand five hundred, and the tribute to Yahweh was sixty-one; 40 the humans[j] were sixteen thousand, and the tribute to Yahweh was thirty-two persons. 41 And Moses gave away the tribute of the contribution of Yahweh to Eleazar the priest, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

42 From the half of the Israelites,[k] which Moses divided from the men who were fighting, 43 the half that belonged to the community was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred from the flock, 44 and thirty-six thousand cattle, 45 and thirty thousand five hundred male donkeys, 46 and sixteen thousand humans.[l] 47 From the half that belonged to the Israelites,[m] Moses took one share drawn by lot out of every fifty humans[n] and domestic animals, and he gave them to the Levites, who keep the responsibility of the tabernacle of Yahweh, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 31:26 Literally “fathers”
  2. Numbers 31:26 Literally “lift up the head”
  3. Numbers 31:26 Hebrew “human”
  4. Numbers 31:26 Hebrew “animal”
  5. Numbers 31:30 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  6. Numbers 31:30 Hebrew “human”
  7. Numbers 31:30 Hebrew “animal”
  8. Numbers 31:35 Literally “who has known the bed of a male”
  9. Numbers 31:35 Hebrew “person”
  10. Numbers 31:40 Hebrew “human”
  11. Numbers 31:42 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  12. Numbers 31:46 Hebrew “human”
  13. Numbers 31:47 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  14. Numbers 31:47 Hebrew “human”

25 The Lord told Moses, 26 “You, the priest Eleazar, and the family heads of the community are to take a count of what was captured, people and animals. 27 Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to war and the entire community.(A) 28 Set aside a tribute for the Lord from what belongs to the fighting men who went out to war: one out of every five hundred people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. 29 Take the tribute from their half and give it to the priest Eleazar as a contribution to the Lord. 30 From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty from the people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats, all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who perform the duties of[a] the Lord’s tabernacle.”

31 So Moses and the priest Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses. 32 The captives remaining from the plunder the army had taken totaled:

675,000 sheep and goats,

33 72,000 cattle,

34 61,000 donkeys,

35 and 32,000 people, all the females who had not gone to bed with a man.

36 The half portion for those who went out to war numbered:

337,500 sheep and goats,

37 and the tribute to the Lord was 675

from the sheep and goats;

38 from the 36,000 cattle,

the tribute to the Lord was 72;

39 from the 30,500 donkeys,

the tribute to the Lord was 61;

40 and from the 16,000 people,

the tribute to the Lord was 32 people.

41 Moses gave the tribute to the priest Eleazar as a contribution for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

42 From the Israelites’ half, which Moses separated from the men who fought, 43 the community’s half was:

337,500 sheep and goats,

44 36,000 cattle,

45 30,500 donkeys,

46 and 16,000 people.

47 Moses took one out of every fifty, selected from the people and the livestock of the Israelites’ half. He gave them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded him.

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Footnotes

  1. 31:30 Or who protect