Vengeance on Midian 1 UEB Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
2 UEB "Take vengeance on the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites. After doing that, you will die and 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 UEB So Moses spoke to the people. He said, "Arm some of your men for war so they may go against Midian and carry out Yahweh's vengeance on it. 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 UEB Every tribe throughout Israel must send a thousand soldiers to war." BSB BSB: Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”
5 UEB So out of Israel's thousands of men, one thousand was provided from each tribe, twelve thousand men armed for war. BSB BSB: So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.
6 UEB Then Moses sent them to battle, a thousand from every tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, and with some articles from the holy place and the trumpets in his possession for sounding signals. 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 UEB They fought against Midian, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. They killed every man. BSB BSB: Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
8 UEB They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their dead: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor, with the sword. 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 UEB The army of Israel took captive the women of Midian, their children, all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. They took these as plunder. BSB BSB: The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.
10 UEB They burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps. BSB BSB: Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,
11 UEB They took all the plunder and prisoners, both people and animals. BSB BSB: and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.
12 UEB They brought the prisoners, the plunder, and the captured things to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the community of the people of Israel. They brought these to the camp in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan near 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 UEB Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. BSB BSB: And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
14 UEB But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from 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 UEB Moses said to them, "Have you let all the women live? BSB BSB: “Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.
16 UEB Look, these women caused the people of Israel, through Balaam's advice, to commit sin against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, when the plague spread among Yahweh's community. 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 UEB Now then, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has ever slept with a man. BSB BSB: So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,
18 UEB But take for yourselves all the young girls who have never slept with a man. BSB BSB: but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.
19 UEB You must camp outside the camp of Israel for seven days. All of you who have killed anyone and or have touched any dead person—you must purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day—you and your prisoners. 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 UEB You must purify every garment and everything made of animal hide and goats' hair, and everything made of wood." BSB BSB: And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”
21 UEB Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, "This is a decreed law that Yahweh has given to 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 UEB The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead, BSB BSB: Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—
23 UEB and everything that resists fire, you must put it through the fire, and it will become clean. You must then purify those things with the water of cleansing. Whatever cannot go through the fire you must cleanse with that water. 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 UEB You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and then you will become clean. Afterward you may come into Israel's 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 UEB Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, BSB BSB: The LORD said to Moses,
26 UEB "Count all the plundered things that were taken, both people and animals. You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community's ancestor's clans 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 UEB must divide the plunder into two parts. Divide it between the soldiers who went out to battle and all the rest of the community. BSB BSB: Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.
28 UEB Then levy a tax to be given to me from the soldiers who went out to battle. This tax must be one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or goats. 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 UEB Take this tax from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest for an offering to be presented to me. BSB BSB: Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.
30 UEB Also from the people of Israel's half, you must take one out of every fifty—from the persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Give these to the Levites who take care of my tabernacle." 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 UEB So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh had commanded Moses. BSB BSB: So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses,
32 UEB Now the plunder that remained of what the soldiers had taken was 675,000 sheep, BSB BSB: and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,
33 UEB seventy-two thousand oxen, BSB BSB: 72,000 cattle,
34 UEB sixty-one thousand donkeys, BSB BSB: 61,000 donkeys,
35 UEB and thirty-two thousand women who had never slept with any man. BSB BSB: and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.
36 UEB The half that was kept for the soldiers numbered 337,000 sheep. BSB BSB: This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,
37 UEB Yahweh's part of the sheep was 675. BSB BSB: including a tribute to the LORD of 675,
38 UEB The oxen were thirty-six thousand which Yahweh's tax was seventy-two. BSB BSB: 36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,
39 UEB The donkeys were 30,500 from which Yahweh's part was sixty-one. BSB BSB: 30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,
40 UEB The persons were sixteen thousand women of whom Yahweh's tax was thirty-two. BSB BSB: and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.
41 UEB Moses took the tax that was to be an offering presented to Yahweh. He gave it to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses. BSB BSB: Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
42 UEB As for the people of Israel's half that Moses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war— BSB BSB: From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war,
43 UEB the community's half was 337,500 sheep, BSB BSB: this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep,
44 UEB thirty-six thousand oxen, BSB BSB: 36,000 cattle,
45 UEB 30,500 donkeys, BSB BSB: 30,500 donkeys,
46 UEB and sixteen thousand women. BSB BSB: and 16,000 people.
47 UEB From the people of Israel's half, Moses took one out of every fifty, both of people and animals. He gave them to the Levites who kept care of Yahweh's tabernacle, as Yahweh had commanded him to do. 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 UEB Then the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and the captains over hundreds, came to Moses. BSB BSB: Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses
49 UEB They said to him, "Your servants have counted the soldiers who are under our command, and not one man is missing. BSB BSB: and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.
50 UEB We have brought Yahweh's offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before Yahweh." 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 UEB Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold and all the articles of craftsmanship. BSB BSB: So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.
52 UEB All the gold of the offering that they gave to Yahweh—the offerings from the commanders of thousands and from the captains of hundreds—weighed 16,750 shekels. 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 UEB Each soldier had taken plunder, each man for himself. BSB BSB: Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.
54 UEB Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and captains of hundreds. They took it into the tent of meeting as a reminder of the people of Israel for Yahweh. 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.