Chapter 31
1 The LORD spoke to Moses , saying ,
2 " Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites . Afterward you shall be gathered to your people ."
3 Moses spoke to the people , saying , " Arm men from amongst you for war , that they may go against Midian , to execute the LORD ’s vengeance on Midian .
4 You shall send one thousand out of every tribe , throughout all the tribes of Israel , to the war ."
5 So there were delivered , out of the thousands of Israel , a thousand from every tribe , twelve thousand armed for war .
6 Moses sent them , one thousand of every tribe , to the war with 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 fought against Midian , as the LORD commanded Moses . They killed every male .
8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain : Evi, Rekem , Zur , Hur , and Reba , the five kings of Midian . They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword .
9 The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones ; and all their livestock , all their flocks , and all their goods , they took as plunder.
10 All their cities in the places in which they lived , and all their encampments , they burnt with fire.
11 They took all the captives, and all the plunder , both of man and of animal.
12 They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder , 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 , with all the princes of the congregation , went out 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 the LORD in the matter of Peor , and so the plague was amongst the congregation of the LORD .
17 Now therefore kill every male amongst 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 for 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 You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin , and all work of goats ’ hair, and all things made of wood ."
21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle , " This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses .
22 However the gold , and the silver , the bronze , 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 . 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 . Afterward you shall come into the camp ."
25 The LORD spoke to Moses , saying,
26 " Count the plunder that was taken , both of man and of animal, you , and Eleazar the priest , and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation ;
27 and divide the plunder into two parts : between the men skilled in war , who went out to battle , and all the congregation .
28 Levy a tribute to the LORD of the men of war who went out to battle : one soul of five hundred ; of the persons , of the cattle , of the donkeys , and of the flocks .
29 Take it from their half , and give it to Eleazar the priest , for the LORD ’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 , of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites , who perform the duty of the LORD ’s tabernacle ."
31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses .
32 Now the plunder , over and above the booty which the men of war took , was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep ,
33 seventy-two thousand head of cattle ,
34 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 and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep ;
37 and the LORD ’s 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 and five hundred , of which the LORD ’s tribute was sixty-one.
40 The persons were sixteen thousand, of whom the LORD ’s tribute was thirty-two persons .
41 Moses gave the tribute , which was the LORD ’s wave offering , to Eleazar the priest , as the LORD commanded Moses .
42 Of the children of Israel ’s half , which Moses divided off from the men who fought
43 ( now the congregation ’s half was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep ,
44 thirty-six thousand head of cattle ,
45 thirty thousand and 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 LORD ’s tabernacle , as the LORD 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 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 the LORD ’s offering , what every man found : gold ornaments , armlets, bracelets , signet rings , earrings , and necklaces , to make atonement for our souls before the LORD ."
51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold , even all worked jewels .
52 All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to the LORD , of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds , was sixteen thousand and seven hundred and fifty shekels .
53 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 the LORD .