Numbers 31 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
told Moses,
the with the for what they did to the Israelites. After that, you'll be to
So Moses told the people, "Arm some of your men for war. They'll go against Midian to out
"Send a men from each tribe — from every tribe of Israel — into battle."
So twelve thousand men were mobilized from the clans of Israel — a thousand from each tribe — all equipped for war.
Moses sent them into battle — a thousand from each tribe — along with son of Eleazar the priest, who carried the and the
They fought against Midian, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses, and killed every man.
Among those they killed were the of Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed son of Beor with the sword.
The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and seized all their cattle, flocks, and goods as
They burned every town where the Midianites had settled and all their
They took everything they had captured and plundered — people and animals alike —
and brought the captives, the plunder, and all the seized goods to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the whole Israelite community at their camp on the of by the Jordan across from Jericho.
Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the community leaders went out to meet them outside the camp.
Moses was with the military officers — the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds — who were returning from the battle.
"You let the women live?" Moses demanded.
"These are the very women who — on Balaam's advice — lured the Israelites into at Peor, which triggered the that devastated Yahweh's community!"
"Now kill every boy, and kill every woman who has slept with a man."
"But keep alive for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man."
"Any of you who killed someone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day, go through the — both you and your captives."
"Purify every piece of clothing, everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood."
Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had gone to battle, "This is the Yahweh gave Moses:
"Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead —
anything that can withstand fire — pass it through fire, and it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the of And anything that can't withstand fire, pass it through
"On the seventh day, wash your clothes and you'll be clean. After that, you can come back into the camp."
Yahweh told Moses,
"You and Eleazar the priest and the of the community are to count everything that was captured — both people and animals.
Then divide the plunder into two shares: one half for the soldiers who went to battle, and one half for the rest of the community."
"From the soldiers' half, set aside a for Yahweh: one out of every five hundred — from the people, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep.
Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as
"From the community's half, take one out of every fifty — from the people, the cattle, the donkeys, the sheep, and all the other animals — and give them to the who maintain Yahweh's
Moses and Eleazar the priest did exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
The plunder remaining from what the soldiers had taken totaled 675,000 sheep,
72,000 cattle,
61,000 donkeys,
and 32,000 women — girls who had never slept with a man.
The half-share for those who fought was: 337,500 sheep,
of which Yahweh's tribute was 675;
36,000 cattle, of which Yahweh's tribute was 72;
30,500 donkeys, of which Yahweh's tribute was 61;
and 16,000 people, of which Yahweh's tribute was 32.
Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as Yahweh's contribution, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
From the Israelite community's half — which Moses had separated from the soldiers' share —
the community's half came to 337,500 sheep,
36,000 cattle,
30,500 donkeys,
and 16,000 people.
From this community half, Moses took one out of every fifty — both people and animals — and gave them to the Levites who maintained Yahweh's Dwelling Place, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Then the officers who commanded the army divisions — the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds — came to Moses
and said, "Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not a of us is
"So we're bringing Yahweh an from what each man acquired — gold jewelry, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and pendants — to for in Yahweh's presence."