1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Avenge the children of Israel for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people." 3 Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh's vengeance on Midian. 4 Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war." 5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7 They warred against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses; and they killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the sword. 9 The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their livestock, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey. 10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire. 11 They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal. 12 They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho. 13 Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp. 14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war. 15 Moses said to them, "Have you saved all the women alive? 16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh. 17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18 But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. 19 "Encamp outside of the camp seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives. 20 As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' (hair), and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves." 21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses: 22 however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water. 24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp." 25 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 26 "Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' (houses) of the congregation; 27 and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. 28 Levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, (both) of the persons, and of the cattle, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks: 29 take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh's wave offering. 30 Of the children of Israel's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, (even) of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of the tabernacle of Yahweh." 31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses. 32 Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, 33 and seventy-two thousand head of cattle, 34 and sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him. 36 The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep: 37 and Yahweh's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five. 38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which Yahweh's tribute was seventy-two. 39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which Yahweh's tribute was sixty-one. 40 The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh's tribute was thirty-two persons. 41 Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh's wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 42 Of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men who warred 43 (now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 44 and thirty-six thousand head of cattle, 45 and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, 46 and sixteen thousand persons), 47 even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the tabernacle of Yahweh; as Yahweh commanded Moses. 48 The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; 49 and they said to Moses, "Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us. 50 We have brought Yahweh's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh." 51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all worked jewels. 52 All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels. 53 ((For) the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.) 54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh.
The command of the Lord to make war on the Midianites, Numbers 31:1, Numbers 31:2. One thousand men are chosen out of each of the twelve tribes, and sent with Phinehas against the Midianites, Numbers 31:3-6. They slay all the males, Numbers 31:7; their five kings and Balaam, Numbers 31:8. They take all the women captives, with the flocks and goods, Numbers 31:9; burn their cities, and bring away the spoil, Numbers 31:10, Numbers 31:11. They bring the captives, etc., to Moses, who is wroth with the officers for sparing the women, who had formerly been the cause of their transgression and punishment, Numbers 31:12-16. He commands all the male children and all the grown up females to be slain, Numbers 31:17, Numbers 31:18. How the soldiers were to purify themselves, Numbers 31:19, Numbers 31:20; and the different articles taken in war, Numbers 31:21-24. They are commanded to take the sum of the prey, to divide it into two parts; one for the 12,000 warriors, and the other for the rest of the congregation, Numbers 31:25-27. One of 500, both of persons and cattle, of the share of the warriors, to be given to the Lord, Numbers 31:28, Numbers 31:29; and one part of fifty, of the people's share, to be given to the Levites, Numbers 31:30. The sum of the prey remaining after the above division; sheep 675,000, beeves 72,000, asses 61,000, young women 32,000, Numbers 31:31-35. How the soldiers' part was divided, Numbers 31:36-40. How the part belonging to the congregation was divided, Numbers 31:41-47. The officers report that they had not lost a man in this war, Numbers 31:48, Numbers 31:49. They bring a voluntary oblation to God, of gold and ornaments, Numbers 31:50, Numbers 31:51; the amount of which was 16,750 shekels, Numbers 31:52, Numbers 31:53. Moses and Eleazar bring the gold into the tabernacle for a memorial, Numbers 31:54.
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 31
This chapter contains an order to make war upon Midian, which was accordingly done, Numbers 31:1, but Moses was wroth, because they saved the women alive, who, through the counsel of Balaam, had been the cause of sin, and of the plague for it in Israel, and therefore orders them, and the male children, to be slain, Numbers 31:13, and then directs to the purification of the soldiers, their captives and spoil, Numbers 31:19, and by the command of God an account is taken of the prey, and a division of it made between the soldiers and the congregation, and out of each part a tribute is levied for the Lord, Numbers 31:25 and the sum of the whole booty is given, Numbers 31:32 and of the part which belonged to the soldiers, and of the tribute given to the Lord, Numbers 31:36 and of the part which belonged to the children of Israel, Numbers 31:42 and besides the above tribute to the Lord, the officers made a voluntary oblation out of their spoil, both by way of gratitude for sparing their lives, and to make atonement for their souls, Numbers 31:48.
(Numbers 31:1-6) War with Midian.
(Numbers 31:7-12) Balaam slain.
(Numbers 31:13-18) Those slain who caused sin.
(Numbers 31:19-24) Purification of the Israelites.
(v. 25-47) Division of the spoil.
(Numbers 31:48-54) Offerings.
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