Numbers, Chapter 31:

Number Verses, Chapter 31 of the Bible's Book of Numbers.

Numbers - Old Testament — Numbers – Old Testament

Revenge against the Midianites

1. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2. “Take revenge on the Midianites for the children of Israel; then you will be gathered to your people.”
3. Then Moses spoke to the people, saying: “Arm some men among you for war, and let them march against Midian to execute the Lord's vengeance on them.
4. Each tribe will send a thousand men to war.”
5. So they were armed from among the tribes of Israel, a thousand men from each tribe, twelve thousand in all, ready for war.
6. Moses sent them to war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, who carried with him the sacred objects and the trumpets for the alarm.
7. And they fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed all the men.
8. Among the dead were five kings of Midian: Evi, Rechem, Zur, Hur and Reba, their princes. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.
9. The children of Israel took the women of Midian and the children captive, and plundered all their flocks, their smaller flocks, and all their wealth.
10. They also plundered all their cities and all their tents, and took for themselves everything that was in them.
11. And they burned all the cities where they dwelt, and all their camps.
12. Then they took the spoil, the men and the captured animals,
13. and they brought the captives, the spoil and the booty to Moses, Eleazar the priest and the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan, near Jericho.
14. Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp.
15. And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of the militia, and the captains of the hundreds, who returned from the battle.
16. Moses said to them, “Did you let the women live?
17. Now therefore, kill all the male children, and kill all the women who have had relations with men.
18. However, leave alive all the girls who have not had sex with a man.
19. And you, stay outside the camp for seven days; Everyone who has killed someone or touched a dead body will be cleansed on the third and seventh day, both you and your captives.
20. Also purify every metal object, every garment, every goatskin, and every wooden object.”
21. Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who were returning from battle, “This is the statute of the law that the Lord commanded Moses:
22. Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead,
23. Everything that resists fire will pass through fire and be purified, however, it must be purified with the water of purification; and everything that cannot withstand fire will pass through water.
24. Wash your clothes on the seventh day, and be clean. After that, you can enter the camp.”

Distribution of the spoils

25. The Lord said to Moses:
26. “Count the spoil that was taken, both of people and animals, you, Eleazar the priest and the heads of the paternal houses of the congregation.
27. Divide the spoils among those who fought and remained in the army, among the rest of the congregation.
28. Take the Lord's charge from the men of war who went out to battle: a portion of five hundred, both of the people, the oxen, the donkeys and the sheep.
29. Take it from the halves that belonged to them, and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an offering to the Lord.
30. But of the children of Israel you shall take a portion of fifty, both of the people and of the oxen, of the donkeys and of the sheep, of all the animals, and you shall give it to the Levites who are in charge of the tabernacle of the Lord.”
31. Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32. The spoil, the remainder of the spoil that the people of war had taken, was: six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,
33. seventy-two thousand oxen,
34. sixty-one thousand donkeys,
35. and thirty-two thousand people, of women who have never had relations with a man.
36. The half, the part that belonged to those who went out to battle, was: three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep,
37. of which, as an offering to the Lord, six hundred and seventy-five went to the priests;
38. thirty-six thousand oxen, of which, as an offering to the Lord, they went to the priests, seventy-two;
39. thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys, of which, as an offering to the Lord, went to the priests, sixty-one;
40. and sixteen thousand people, of whom, as an offering to the Lord, they went to the Levites, thirty-two.
41. Moses gave part of the Lord's offering to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.
42. As for the half that belonged to the children of Israel, which Moses separated from that of the men who fought
43. (half the congregation was: three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep,
44. thirty-six thousand oxen,
45. thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys,
46. and sixteen thousand people),
47. Moses took from them a portion for every five hundred, both of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys and of the sheep, and gave it to the Levites who were in charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
48. Then the leaders of the thousands of troops came to Moses, the leaders of the hundreds
49. and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken the number of the men of war who are under our command, and none of us is missing.
50. We brought to the Lord offerings, each one what he found, objects of gold, chains, bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before the Lord.”
51. Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all the worked objects.
52. And all the gold of the heave offering that they brought to the Lord was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels, from the leaders of thousands and from the leaders of hundreds.
53. The men of war took the spoil, each one his share.
54. Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the leaders of the thousands and the leaders of the hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.