31Numbers 31

Israel's War against Midian

1The Lord said to Moses,Select Numbers 31:1

2“Before you die, make sure that the Midianites are punished for what they did to Israel.”Select Numbers 31:2

3Then Moses told the people, “The Lord wants to punish the Midianites. So tell our men to prepare for battle.Select Numbers 31:3

4Each tribe will send 1,000 men to fight.”Select Numbers 31:4

5Twelve thousand men were picked from the tribes of Israel, and after they were prepared for battle,Select Numbers 31:5

6Moses sent them off to war. Phinehas the son of Eleazar went with them and took along some things from the sacred tent and the trumpets for sounding the battle signal.Select Numbers 31:6

7The Israelites fought against the Midianites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. They killed all the men,Select Numbers 31:7

8including Balaam son of Beor and the five Midianite kings, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba.Select Numbers 31:8

9The Israelites captured every woman and child, then led away the Midianites' cattle and sheep, and took everything else that belonged to them.Select Numbers 31:9

10They also burned down the Midianite towns and villages.Select Numbers 31:10

11Israel's soldiers gathered together everything they had taken from the Midianites, including the captives and the animals.Select Numbers 31:11

13Then they returned to their own camp in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, where Moses, Eleazar, and the other Israelite leaders met the troops outside camp.Select Numbers 31:13

14Moses became angry with the army commandersSelect Numbers 31:14

15and said, “I can't believe you let the women live!Select Numbers 31:15

16They are the ones who followed Balaam's advice and invited our people to worship the god Baal Peor. That's why the Lord punished us by killing so many of our people.Select Numbers 31:16

17You must put to death every boy and all the women who have ever had sex.Select Numbers 31:17

18But do not kill the young women who have never had sex. You may keep them for yourselves.”Select Numbers 31:18

19Then Moses said to the soldiers, “If you killed anyone or touched a dead body, you are unclean and have to stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days, you must go through a ceremony to make yourselves and your captives clean.Select Numbers 31:19

20Then wash your clothes and anything made from animal skin, goat's hair, or wood.”Select Numbers 31:20

23Eleazar then explained, “If you need to purify something that won't burn, such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead, you must first place it in a hot fire. After you take it out, sprinkle it with the water that purifies. Everything else should only be sprinkled with the water. Do all of this, just as the Lord commanded Moses.Select Numbers 31:23

24Wash your clothes on the seventh day, and after that, you will be clean and may return to the camp.”Select Numbers 31:24

Everything Taken from the Midianites Is Divided

25The Lord told Moses:Select Numbers 31:25

27Make a list of everything taken from the Midianites, including the captives and the animals. Then divide them between the soldiers and the rest of the people. Eleazar the priest and the family leaders will help you.Select Numbers 31:27

29From the half that belongs to the soldiers, set aside for the Lord one out of every 500 people or animals and give these to Eleazar.Select Numbers 31:29

30From the half that belongs to the people, set aside one out of every 50 and give these to the Levites in charge of the sacred tent.Select Numbers 31:30

31Moses and Eleazar followed the Lord's instructionsSelect Numbers 31:31

35and listed everything that had been taken from the Midianites. The list included 675,000 sheep and goats, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 young women who had never had sex.Select Numbers 31:35

47Each half included 337,500 sheep and goats, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 young women. From the half that belonged to the soldiers, Moses counted out 675 sheep and goats, 72 cattle, 61 donkeys, and 32 women and gave them to Eleazar to be dedicated to the Lord. Then from the half that belonged to the people, Moses set aside one out of every 50 animals and women, as the Lord had said, and gave them to the Levites.Select Numbers 31:47

48The army commanders went to MosesSelect Numbers 31:48

49and said, “Sir, we have counted our troops, and not one soldier is missing.Select Numbers 31:49

50So we want to give the Lord all the gold jewelry we took from the Midianites. It's our gift to him for watching over us and our troops.”Select Numbers 31:50

51Moses and Eleazar accepted the jewelry from the commanders,Select Numbers 31:51

52and its total weight was over 200 kilograms.Select Numbers 31:52

53This did not include the things that the soldiers had kept for themselves.Select Numbers 31:53

54So Moses and Eleazar placed the gold in the Lord's sacred tent to remind Israel of what had happened.Select Numbers 31:54