The Israelites Warred Against the Midianites |
Numbers 31:1-54 The Fourth Book of Moses Called Numbers |
The Lord [spoke] to Moses, saying, [Get revenge on] the Midianites [for what they did] to the children [people] of Israel. Afterward, you shall be gathered to your people [in death.] |
Moses [spoke] to the people & [said,] Some of you arm yourselves [for] war & go against the Midianites to avenge the Lord [related to] Midian. |
You shall send 1,000 [from] every tribe, throughout all the tribes of Israel to the war. Out of the thousands of [Israelites,] 1,000 [were] delivered [from each of the 12] tribes, 12,000 armed for war. Moses sent to [battle] 1,000 [from] every tribe & Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, with holy [articles] & the trumpets in his hand to blow. |
They [fought] against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses & they [killed] all the males. [In addition to the rest of those killed] they [killed Midian’s] kings: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, Reba, 5 kings of Midian & Balaam [Beor’s] son, they [struck down] with the sword. |
The children [people] of Israel took all the [Midianite] women & their little ones captive. They took the spoil of their cattle, all their flocks & all their goods. They burnt all their cities where they [lived] & all their [large] castles, with fire. |
They took all the spoil [of] people & [animals.] They brought the captives, [spoils & plunder] to the camp [in] the plains in Moab, by [the] Jordan [River] near Jericho, to Moses & Eleazar, the priest & the congregation of the [people] of Israel. |
Moses & Eleazar, the priest, & all the [congregation’s] princes, went to meet them [outside] the camp. Moses was [angry] with the officers of the [army] & captains over 1,000’s & over 100’s, [who] came from battle. Moses [said] to them, Have you [kept] all the women alive? |
[look,] these [women] caused the children [people] of Israel to commit [sin] against the Lord, [by Balaam’s] counsel in the matter of Peor & there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. |
[Numbers 25:1-3 and Israel [stayed] in Shittim & the people began to commit. [unfaithful harlotry] with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods & the people did eat & bowed down to their gods. and Israel joined [itself] to Baal Peor & the anger of the Lord [grew] against Israel.] |
Therefore, now kill every male [child] among the little ones & every woman [who has been intimate with] a man. But keep alive all the [female] children for yourselves, [who haven’t been intimate with] a man. |
[Anyone who] has killed [or] touched [those] slain, shall [stay outside] the camp 7 days & purify yourselves & your captives on the 3rd & the 7th days. [Also] purify your [clothing] & [everything] made of skins, goat’s hair, or wood. |
Eleazar, the priest, said to the men of war [who] went to the battle, This is the [rule] of the Law which the Lord commanded Moses. You [must] make gold, silver, brass, iron, tin, lead & everything that [can withstand] fire, go through fire & it shall be clean. [Still] it shall be purified with the water of [purification.] |
All that [can’t withstand] the fire, shall [be made to] go through the water. You shall wash your clothes on the 7th day & you shall be clean. Afterward, you shall come into the camp. |
The Lord [spoke] to Moses, saying, You & Eleazar, the priest & the chief fathers of the congregation, take the [total] of the [plunder captured] of both man & [animals.] |
Divide the [plunder] into 2 parts; between [those who] went out to battle & all the congregation. [Set a tax for] the Lord [from] the men of war [who] went to battle: 1 of [every] 500 [whether it’s of people, cattle, mules] & sheep. |
Take it [from] their 1/2 & give it to Eleazar, the priest, as a heave offering [to] the Lord. [From] the [people] of Israel’s 1/2, you shall take 1 of [every] 50 [whether it’s of people, cattle, mules, sheep] & [all types] of [animals] & give them to the Levites [who are in] charge of the tabernacle of the Lord. |
Moses & Eleazar, the priest, did as the Lord commanded Moses. [After removing these,] the rest of the [plunder that] the men of war [captured] was 675,000 sheep, 72,000 [cattle,] 61,000 [mules,] 32,000 women [who had not been intimate] with [a] man. |
The 1/2 that was the portion of [the men who] went to war was 337,500 sheep & the Lord’s [portion] of the sheep was 675 sheep. [Of] the 36,000 [cattle,] the Lord’s [portion] was 72 [cattle.] [Of] the 30,500 [mules,] the Lord’s [portion] was 61 [mules.] [Of] the people were 16,000 & the Lord’s [portion] was 32 [people.] |
And Moses gave the tribute [tax that] was the Lord’s heave offering to Eleazar, the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses. Of the children [people] of Israel’s ½, [that] Moses divided from the men [who went to war,] (now the 1/2 [that] pertained to the congregation of Israel was 337,500 sheep, 36,000 [cattle,] 30,500 [mules] 16,000 [people.] |
Moses took 1 [portion] of 50 [of] both man & [animals] of the [people] of Israel’s 1/2 & gave them to the Levites [who were in charge] of the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. |
The officers over 1,000’s of the [army,] the captains [over] 1,000’s, captains [over] 100’s, came near to Moses & said to [him,] Your servants have [counted the total] of the men of war under our [command] & [none are missing.] |
Therefore, we have brought [as] an [offering] for the Lord [all that] every man has gotten of: jewels [in] gold, chains, bracelets, rings, earrings & [necklaces,] to make atonement for us before the Lord. |
Moses & Eleazar, the priest, took the gold & all the [jeweled items from] them. All the gold that was offered to the Lord [from] the captains of 1,000’s & captains of 100’s was 16,750 shekels [of gold,] ([because all] the men of war had taken [plunder] for [themselves.]) |
And Moses & Eleazar, the priest, took the gold [from] the captains of 1,000’s & captains of 100’s & brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation for a memorial for the children [people] of Israel before the Lord. |