Numbers 31

2Avenge the cause of the children of Israel on the Madianites, and afterward thou shalt be gathered to thy people.

3Whereupon Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm men from among you and array them before the Lord, against Madian, to pour vengeance from the Lord on Madian—

4a thousand from every tribe. You shall send them out of all the tribes to be drawn up in array.

5So out of the thousands of Israel they numbered a thousand from a tribe—twelve thousand. They were armed for close engagement.

6And Moses sent these—a thousand from every tribe; and with the army composed of them, Phineas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, with the holy instruments—the trumpets for sounding a charge, in their hands.

8and in the slaughter they slew the kings of Madian, Evin, and Rokon, and Sur, and Ur, and Robok, the five kings of Madian. They slew also Balaam, son of Beor, with the sword among their slain.

9And having taken for a prey the women of the Madianites, and their furniture, and their cattle, and all their goods, and spoiled their army,

10and burned all their cities in which they dwelt,

11and all their sheepcots, with fire, and taken all the prey thereof,

12and all the spoils thereof, both of man and beast, they brought to Moses, and Eleazar, and to all the Israelites, the captives, and the spoils, and the prey, to the camp at Araboth-Moab, on the Jordan, over against Jericho.

14Moses was angry at the officers of the army—at the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, who came from the war.

15And Moses said to them, Why have you saved all the women alive?

16For they, by the direction of Balaam, were the cause of Israel’s apostatising, and transgressing the commands of the Lord, for the sake of Phogor; and there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord.

17Now therefore kill every male among the captives. Kill also every woman, who hath lain with man.

18But save alive, for yourselves, every captive among the women, who hath not known a man.

19And abide without the camp seven days. Every one who hath slain, or who hath touched one slain, must be purified on the third day, and on the seventh day, including yourselves and your captives.

20And you must purify every covering, and every vessel made of skin, and every hair cloth, and every utensil of wood.

22Besides the gold, and the silver, and the brass, and the iron, and the lead, and the tin, every thing which can pass through fire must be purified by fire;

23but the rest are to be purified by the water of purification only. Whatever cannot pass through fire must pass through water.

24And on the seventh day you must wash your clothes, and you shall be clean; and after that you may come into the camp.

26Take the sum of the captivated prey both of man and beast; thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs of the patriarchal houses of the congregation.

27And you shall divide the prey between the warriors who went to battle, and the whole congregation.

28And you shall set apart as a tribute to the Lord, from the warriors who went out to battle, one in five hundred from the captives, and from the beasts, namely, the cattle, and the sheep, and the asses.

29These you shall take from their half, and give to Eleazar the priest, as a portion set apart for the Lord.

30And from the children of Israel’s half thou shalt take one in fifty of the captives, and of the cattle, and the sheep, and the asses—of all these beasts. And these thou shalt give to the Levites, who keep the watch at the tabernacle of the Lord.

32And the whole amount of the booty which the warriors had taken, was, of sheep six hundred and seventy-five thousand;

33of cattle seventy-two thousand,

34and sixty-one thousand asses;

35and of the human species, namely, of the women who had not known man, all the souls were thirty-two thousand.

36So that the half which was the share of those who went to war, was, from the number of sheep, three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred;

37of which the tribute for the Lord was six hundred and seventy-five;

38and of cattle, thirty-six thousand, of which the tribute for the Lord was seventy-two;

39and of asses, thirty thousand five hundred, of which the tribute for the Lord was sixty-one;

40and the human beings were sixteen thousand, of whom the tribute for the Lord was thirty-two.

42And from the half belonging to the children of Israel, between whom and the warriors Moses had made the division;

43now the congregation’s half was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44thirty-six thousand cattle,

45thirty thousand five hundred asses,

46and of human beings, sixteen thousand—

47from this half, belonging to the children of Israel, Moses took one in fifty, of man and beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept the watch at the tabernacle of the testimony, as the Lord commanded Moses.

49came to Moses, and said to him, Thy servants have taken an account of all the warriors who were with us, and there is not one of them missing.

50We have therefore brought, as every man chanced to find a jewel of gold, either a necklace, or a bracelet, or a ring, or an ornament for the right arm, or a chain, to make atonement for us before the Lord.

52and the whole amount of the gold, the dedication which they set apart for the Lord, was, sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. This they received from the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds.

53Of the spoil, which the warriors made every man for himself,

54Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the testimony, to be a memorial of the children of Israel before the Lord.