Beginning
Israel Attacks the Midianites
31 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 2 “·Pay back [Avenge] the Midianites for what they did to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel; 25:6]; after that you will ·die [L be gathered to your people].”
3 So Moses said to the people, “·Get some men ready [Arm some men] for war. The Lord will use them to ·pay back [avenge himself against] the Midianites. 4 Send to war a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5 So twelve thousand men ·got ready for war [were armed], out of the thousands of Israel a thousand men from each tribe. 6 Moses sent ·those men [L a thousand from each tribe] to war; Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the ·holy things [or vessels of the Holy Place] and the trumpets for giving the alarm. 7 They fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every Midianite man. 8 Among those they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword [Num. 22–24; Deut. 23:4–5; Josh. 13:22; 24:10; Neh. 13:2; 2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 11; Rev. 2:14].
9 The ·Israelites [L sons of Israel] captured the Midianite women and children, and they took all their flocks, herds, and goods. 10 They burned all the Midianite towns where they had settled and all their camps, 11 but they took all the ·people and animals and goods [L plunder and all the spoil, both people and animals]. 12 Then they brought the captives, the ·animals, and the goods [L spoil and the plunder] back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the ·Israelites [L community/assembly/congregation of the sons/T children of Israel]. Their camp was on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the ·people [community; assembly; congregation] went outside the camp to meet them. 14 Moses was angry with the army officers, the commanders over a thousand men, and those over a hundred men, who returned from war.
15 He asked them, “Why did you let the women live? 16 They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice [Jude 11] and turned the ·Israelites [L community/assembly/congregation of Israel] from the Lord at Peor. Then a ·terrible sickness [plague] struck the Lord’s people [Num. 25]. 17 Kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have ·had sexual relations [L known a man by going to bed with him]. 18 But save for yourselves the girls who have not ·had sexual relations with a man [L known a man by going to bed with him].
19 “All you men who killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days [19:11]. On the third and seventh days you and your captives must make yourselves clean [C in a ritual sense]. 20 You must clean all your clothes and anything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, “These are the ·teachings [L statutes/ordinances/requirements of the law/instruction] that the Lord gave to Moses: 22 Put any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead— 23 anything that will not burn—into the fire, and then it will be clean. But also purify those things with the cleansing water. Then they will be clean. If something cannot stand the fire, wash it with the water. 24 On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may come into the camp.”
Dividing the Goods
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the ·family groups [clans of the community/assembly/congregation] should take a count of the ·goods [spoils], the men, and the animals that were taken. 27 Then divide ·those possessions [the spoil] between the soldiers who went to war and the ·rest of the people [community; assembly; congregation]. 28 From the soldiers who went to war, take a ·tax [tribute] for the Lord of one item out of every five hundred. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, or sheep. 29 Take it from the soldiers’ half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s ·share [offering]. 30 And from the ·people’s half [L half of the sons/T children of Israel], take one item out of every fifty. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals. Give that to the Levites, who take care of the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle].” 31 So Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32 There remained from what the soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 women who had not ·had sexual relations with a man [L known a man by going to bed with him]. 36 The soldiers who went to war got 337,500 sheep, 37 and they gave 675 of them to the Lord. 38 They got 36,000 cattle, and they gave 72 of them to the Lord. 39 They got 30,500 donkeys, and they gave 61 of them to the Lord. 40 They got 16,000 people, and they gave 32 of them to the Lord. 41 Moses gave the Lord’s ·share [tribute] to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded him.
42 Moses separated the ·people’s [L sons/T children of Israel’s] half from the soldiers’ half. 43 The people got 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 people. 47 From the ·people’s [L sons/T children of Israel’s] half Moses took one item out of every fifty for the Lord. This included the animals and the people. Then he gave them to the Levites, who took care of the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. This was what the Lord had commanded Moses.
48 Then the officers of the army, the commanders of a thousand men and commanders of a hundred men, came to Moses. 49 They told Moses, “We, your servants, have ·counted [taken a census of; L lifted the head of] our soldiers ·under our command [L in our hand], and not one of them is missing. 50 So we have brought the Lord a ·gift [offering] of the gold things that each of us found: arm bands, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces. These are to ·remove our sins so we will belong to [make atonement for ourselves before] the Lord.”
51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, which had been made into all kinds of objects. 52 The commanders of a thousand men and the commanders of a hundred men gave the Lord the gold, and all of it together weighed about ·420 pounds [L 16,750 shekels]; 53 each soldier had taken ·something [plunder] for himself. 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of a thousand men and the commanders of a hundred men. Then they put it in the Meeting Tent as a memorial before the Lord for the ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel.
The Tribes East of the Jordan
32 The ·people [L sons; descendants] of Reuben and ·Gad [L the sons/descendants of Gad] had large flocks and herds. When they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were good for the animals, 2 they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the ·people [community; assembly; congregation].
6 Moses told the ·people of Gad [L sons/descendants of Gad] and ·Reuben [L the sons/descendants of Reuben], “Shall your brothers go to war while you stay ·behind [L here]? 7 ·You will [L Why should you…?] discourage the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] from going over to the land the Lord has given them. 8 Your ·ancestors [fathers] did the same thing. I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look at the land. 9 They went as far as the ·Valley of [Wadi] Eshcol, and when they saw the land, they discouraged the hearts of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] from going into the land the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord became very angry that day and ·made this promise [swore]: 11 ‘None of the people who came from Egypt and who are twenty years old or older will see the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These people have not ·followed me [or been loyal to me] completely. 12 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun ·followed [or were loyal to] the Lord completely [chs. 13–14].’
13 “The Lord was angry with Israel, so he made them wander in the ·desert [wilderness] for forty years. Finally all the ·people [generation] who had ·sinned against [L done evil in the eyes/sight of] the Lord died, 14 and now you ·are acting [L have risen up] just like your ·ancestors [fathers]! You sinful people are making the Lord even more angry with Israel. 15 If you quit following him, it will add to their stay in the ·desert [wilderness], and you will destroy all these people.”
16 Then ·the Reubenites and Gadites [L they] came up to Moses and said, “We will build ·pens for our animals [sheepfolds for our flocks] and cities for our children here. 17 Then our children will be in strong, walled cities, safe from the people who live in this land. Then we will prepare for war. We will help the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] get their land, 18 and we will not return home until every Israelite has ·received his land [inherited their inheritance]. 19 We won’t ·take [inherit] any of the land west of the Jordan River; our ·part of the land [inheritance] is east of the Jordan.”
20 So Moses told them, “You must do these things. You must go before the Lord into battle 21 and cross the Jordan River armed, until the Lord ·forces out [dispossesses] the enemy. 22 After the Lord helps us take the land, you may return home. You will ·have done your duty to [be free of your obligation; be innnocent before] the Lord and Israel, and you may have this land as ·your own [L a possession before the Lord].
23 “But if you don’t do these things, you will be sinning against the Lord; know for sure that ·you will be punished for your sin [L your sin will find you]. 24 Build cities for your children and ·pens for your animals [sheepfolds for your flocks], but then you must do what you ·promised [said].”
25 The ·Gadites [L sons/descendants of Gad] and ·Reubenites [L the sons/descendants of Reuben] said to Moses, “We are your servants, and we will do what you, our ·master [lord], command. 26 Our children, wives, and all our cattle will stay in the cities of Gilead, 27 but we, your servants, will prepare for battle. We will go over and fight for the Lord, as you, our ·master [lord], have said.”
28 So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the leaders of the clans of the tribes of ·Israel [L sons/T children of Israel]. 29 Moses said to them, “If the ·Gadites [L sons/descendants of Gad] and ·Reubenites [L the sons/descendants of Reuben] prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you, to go before the Lord and help you take the land, give them the land of Gilead ·for their own [L as a possession]. 30 But if they do not go over armed, they will not receive it; their land will be in Canaan with you.”
31 The ·Gadites [L sons/descendants of Gad] and ·Reubenites [L the sons/descendants of Reuben] answered, “We are your servants, and we will do as the Lord said. 32 We will cross over into Canaan and go before the Lord ready for battle. But ·our land [L the possession of our inheritance] will be ·east of [beyond] the Jordan River.”
33 So Moses gave that land to the tribes of ·Gad [L the sons/descendants of Gad], ·Reuben [L the sons/descendants of Reuben], and ·East [L the half tribe of] Manasseh. (Manasseh was Joseph’s son.) That land had been the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, as well as all the cities and the land around them.
34 The ·Gadites [L sons/descendants of Gad] rebuilt the cities of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran. These were strong, walled cities. And they built sheep ·pens [folds].
37 The ·Reubenites [L sons/descendants of Reuben] rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal Meon, and Sibmah. They renamed Nebo and Baal Meon when they rebuilt them.
39 The ·descendants [sons] of Makir son of Manasseh went and captured Gilead and forced out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the family of Makir son of Manasseh, and they settled there. 41 Jair son of Manasseh went out and captured the ·small towns [villages] there, and he called them the ·Towns of Jair [or Villages of Jair; or Havvoth-jair]. 42 Nobah went and captured Kenath and the small towns around it; then he named it Nobah after himself.
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