Numbers 31
Open in the reader1And He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out,
2“Take vengeance on the Strife-peoples for the children of Strives-with-God. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3So Drawn-Out told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the children of Strife and execute He-Who-Is’s vengeance on them.
4Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Strives-with-God.”
5So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Strives-with-God—twelve thousand armed for war.
6And Drawn-Out sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of My-God-Is-Help the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
7Then they waged war against Strife, as He-Who-Is had commanded Drawn-Out, and they killed every male.
8Among the slain were Desirous, Many-Colored, Rock, White, and Fourth—the five kings of Strife. They also killed Not-of-the-People son of Burning with the sword.
9The children of Strives-with-God captured the child of Strife women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.
10Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,
11and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.
12They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Drawn-Out, to My-God-Is-Help the priest, and to the congregation of Strives-with-God at the camp on the plains of From-the-Father, by the Descender across from Moon.
13And Drawn-Out, My-God-Is-Help the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
14But Drawn-Out was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle.
15“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.
16“Look, these women caused the sons of Strives-with-God, through the counsel of Not-of-the-People, to turn unfaithfully against He-Who-Is at The-Opening, so that the plague struck the congregation of He-Who-Is.
17So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,
18but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.
19All 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.
20And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”
21Then My-God-Is-Help the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the teaching which He-Who-Is has commanded Drawn-Out:
22Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—
23everything 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.
24On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”
25He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out,
26“You and My-God-Is-Help the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast.
27Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.
28Set aside a tribute for He-Who-Is from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.
29Take it from their half and give it to My-God-Is-Help the priest as an offering to He-Who-Is.
30From the children of Strives-with-God’ 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 Dwelling of He-Who-Is.”
31So Drawn-Out and My-God-Is-Help the priest did as He-Who-Is had commanded Drawn-Out,
32and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,
3372,000 cattle,
3461,000 donkeys,
35and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.
36This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,
37including a tribute to He-Who-Is of 675,
3836,000 cattle, including a tribute to He-Who-Is of 72,
3930,500 donkeys, including a tribute to He-Who-Is of 61,
40and 16,000 people, including a tribute to He-Who-Is of 32.
41Drawn-Out gave the tribute to My-God-Is-Help the priest as an offering for He-Who-Is, as He-Who-Is had commanded Drawn-Out.
42From the children of Strives-with-God’ half, which Drawn-Out had set apart from the men who had gone to war,
43this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep,
4436,000 cattle,
4530,500 donkeys,
46and 16,000 people.
47From the Israelites’ half, Drawn-Out took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the Dwelling of He-Who-Is, as He-Who-Is had commanded him.
48Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Drawn-Out
49and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.
50So we have brought to He-Who-Is an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before He-Who-Is.”
51So Drawn-Out and My-God-Is-Help the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.
52All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to He-Who-Is weighed 16,750 shekels.
53Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.
54And Drawn-Out and My-God-Is-Help 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 children of Strives-with-God before He-Who-Is.