Vengeance on Midian 1 CPDV And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
2 CPDV “First, avenge the sons of Israel from the Midianites, and then you shall be gathered to your people.” BSB BSB: “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3 CPDV And immediately Moses said: “Arm the men among you for a battle, so that they may be able to fulfill the retribution of the Lord on the Midianites. BSB BSB: So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them.
4 CPDV Let one thousand men be chosen from each tribe of Israel, who shall be sent to war.” BSB BSB: Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”
5 CPDV And they gave one thousand from each tribe, that is, twelve thousand foot soldiers for battle. BSB BSB: So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.
6 CPDV And Moses sent them with Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest; also, he delivered to him the holy vessels, and the trumpets to sound. BSB BSB: And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
7 CPDV And when they had fought against the Midianites and had prevailed, they killed all the men. BSB BSB: Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
8 CPDV And they put to death by the sword their kings: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five leaders of the nation, and also Balaam the son of Beor. BSB BSB: Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
9 CPDV And they seized their women and little ones, and all their cattle, and all their goods; whatever they were able to have, they despoiled. BSB BSB: The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.
10 CPDV Both their cities and their villages, as well as their fortresses, they burned. BSB BSB: Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,
11 CPDV And they carried away prey from everything that they had seized, both of men and of beasts. BSB BSB: and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.
12 CPDV And they led these to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to all the multitude of the sons of Israel. But the remainder of the articles they carried to the camp on the plains of Moab, next to the Jordan, opposite Jericho. BSB BSB: They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.
13 CPDV Then Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the assembly went out to meet them beyond the camp. BSB BSB: And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
14 CPDV And Moses, being angry with the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions, who had arrived from the battle, BSB BSB: But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle.
15 CPDV said: “Why have you spared the females? BSB BSB: “Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.
16 CPDV Are not these the ones who deceived the sons of Israel at the suggestion of Balaam, and who caused you betray the Lord by the sin of Peor, because of which the people also were struck down? BSB BSB: “Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.
17 CPDV Therefore, put to death all of them: whatever is of the male sex, even among the little ones, and cut the throats of those women who have known men by sexual relations. BSB BSB: So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,
18 CPDV But the young girls, and all female virgins, reserve for yourselves. BSB BSB: but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.
19 CPDV And remain beyond the camp for seven days. Whoever has killed a man, or who has touched one that was killed, shall be purified on the third day and on the seventh day. BSB BSB: All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives.
20 CPDV And all of the spoils, whether it is a garment, or a vessel, or another useful thing, made from the pelts or hair of goats, or from wood, shall be expiated.” BSB BSB: And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”
21 CPDV Likewise, Eleazar the priest spoke in this manner to the men of the army who had fought: “This is the precept of the law, which the Lord has commanded Moses: BSB BSB: Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:
22 CPDV Gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, BSB BSB: Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—
23 CPDV and all that may be able to pass through fire, shall be purified by fire. But whatever is not able to sustain fire shall be sanctified with the waters of expiation. BSB BSB: everything that can withstand the fire—must be put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must still be purified with the water of purification. And everything that cannot withstand the fire must pass through the water.
24 CPDV And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day, and, after having been purified, you shall enter the camp.” BSB BSB: On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”
Division of the Spoils 25 CPDV And the Lord also said to Moses: BSB BSB: The LORD said to Moses,
26 CPDV “Take the sum of those things which were captured, from man even to beast, you and Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the common people. BSB BSB: “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast.
27 CPDV And you shall divide the prey equally, among those who went out to war and fought, and among the remainder of the multitude. BSB BSB: Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.
28 CPDV And you shall separate a portion for the Lord from the portion of those who fought and were in the battle: one soul out of five hundred, as much from humans, as from oxen and donkeys and sheep. BSB BSB: Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.
29 CPDV And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, because these are the first-fruits of the Lord. BSB BSB: Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.
30 CPDV Likewise, from the half of the portion belonging to the sons of Israel, you shall receive the fiftieth head of humans, and of oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and of all living things, and you shall give these to the Levites who stand watch over the care of the tabernacle of the Lord.” BSB BSB: From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”
31 CPDV And Moses and Eleazar did just as the Lord had instructed. BSB BSB: So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses,
32 CPDV Now the prey which the army had seized was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, BSB BSB: and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,
33 CPDV seventy-two thousand oxen, BSB BSB: 72,000 cattle,
34 CPDV sixty-one thousand donkeys, BSB BSB: 61,000 donkeys,
35 CPDV and thirty-two thousand human lives, of the female sex, who had not known men. BSB BSB: and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.
36 CPDV And one half of the portion was given to those who had been in the battle: three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep. BSB BSB: This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,
37 CPDV From these, for the portion of the Lord, there were accounted: six hundred seventy-five sheep; BSB BSB: including a tribute to the LORD of 675,
38 CPDV and from the thirty-six thousand oxen, seventy-two oxen; BSB BSB: 36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,
39 CPDV from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, sixty-one donkeys. BSB BSB: 30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,
40 CPDV From the sixteen thousand human souls, there fell to the portion of the Lord thirty-two souls. BSB BSB: and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.
41 CPDV And Moses delivered the number of the first-fruits of the Lord to Eleazar the priest, just as had been commanded of him, BSB BSB: Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
42 CPDV from the one half portion belonging to the sons of Israel, which he had separated from the portion of those who had been in the battle. BSB BSB: From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war,
43 CPDV Yet truly, from the one half portion which fell to the remainder of the multitude, that is, from the three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, BSB BSB: this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep,
44 CPDV and from the thirty-six thousand oxen, BSB BSB: 36,000 cattle,
45 CPDV and from the thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, BSB BSB: 30,500 donkeys,
46 CPDV and from the sixteen thousand persons, BSB BSB: and 16,000 people.
47 CPDV Moses took the fiftieth head, and gave it to the Levites who stand watch at the tabernacle of the Lord, just as the Lord had instructed. BSB BSB: From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.
The Voluntary Offering 48 CPDV And when the leaders of the army, and the tribunes, and the centurions had approached Moses, they said: BSB BSB: Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses
49 CPDV “We, your servants, have taken a census of the number of the fighting men, whom we had under our hand, and indeed not one was lacking. BSB BSB: and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.
50 CPDV For this reason, we offer as gifts to the Lord whatever gold each one was able to find amid the spoils, in anklets and arm bands, rings and bracelets, and little chains, so that you may intercede for us to the Lord.” BSB BSB: So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”
51 CPDV And Moses and Eleazar the priest received all the gold in its various kinds, BSB BSB: So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.
52 CPDV weighing sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels, from the tribunes and the centurions. BSB BSB: All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.
53 CPDV For whatever each one had taken away in the spoils was his own. BSB BSB: Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.
54 CPDV And having been accepted, they took it into the tabernacle of the testimony, as a memorial of the sons of Israel before the Lord. BSB BSB: And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.