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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”

Division of the Plunder

25 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 26 “Count up the plunder that was [a]taken—of man and beast—you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation; 27 and (A)divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. 28 And levy a [b]tribute for the Lord on the men of war who went out to battle: (B)one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep; 29 take it from their half, and (C)give it to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering to the Lord. 30 And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take (D)one of every fifty, drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from all the livestock, and give them to the Levites (E)who [c]keep charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.” 31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

32 The booty remaining from the plunder, which the men of war had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, 33 seventy-two thousand cattle, 34 sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man intimately. 36 And the half, the portion for those who had gone out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep; 37 and the Lord’s [d]tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five. 38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the Lord’s tribute was seventy-two. 39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the Lord’s tribute was sixty-one. 40 The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord’s tribute was thirty-two persons. 41 So Moses gave the tribute which was the Lord’s heave offering to Eleazar the priest, (F)as the Lord commanded Moses.

42 And from the children of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who fought— 43 now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 44 thirty-six thousand cattle, 45 thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, 46 and sixteen thousand persons— 47 and (G)from the children of Israel’s half Moses took one of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 31:26 captured
  2. Numbers 31:28 tax
  3. Numbers 31:30 perform the service
  4. Numbers 31:37 tax