the Fourth Week of Advent
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Hebrew Names Version
Numbers 31
1 The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, 2 Avenge the children of Yisra'el of the Midyanim: afterward you shall be gathered to your people. 3 Moshe spoke to the people, saying, Arm you men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midyan, to execute the LORD's vengeance on Midyan. 4 Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Yisra'el, shall you send to the war. 5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Yisra'el, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 Moshe sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Pinechas the son of El`azar the Kohen, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
7 They warred against Midyan, as the LORD commanded Moshe; and they killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midyan with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Tzur, and Hur, and Reva, the five kings of Midyan: Bil`am also the son of Be'or they killed with the sword. 9 The children of Yisra'el took captive the women of Midyan and their little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey. 10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire. 11 They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal. 12 They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moshe, and to El`azar the Kohen, and to the congregation of the children of Yisra'el, to the camp at the plains of Mo'av, which are by the Yarden at Yericho.
13 Moshe, and El`azar the Kohen, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp. 14 Moshe was angry with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war. 15 Moshe said to them, Have you saved all the women alive? 16 Behold, these caused the children of Yisra'el, through the counsel of Bil`am, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Pe`or, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD. 17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18 But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. 19 Encamp you outside of the camp seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives. 20 As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves. 21 El`azar the Kohen said to the men of war who went to the battle, This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moshe: 22 however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that may abide the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water. 24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp.
25 The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, 26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and El`azar the Kohen, and the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the congregation; 27 and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. 28 Levy a tribute to the LORD of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, [both] of the persons, and of the oxen, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks: 29 take it of their half, and give it to El`azar the Kohen, for the LORD's heave-offering. 30 Of the children of Yisra'el's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, [even] of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites, who keep the charge of the tent of the LORD. 31 Moshe and El`azar the Kohen did as the LORD commanded Moshe. 32 Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, 33 and seventy-two thousand oxen, 34 and seventy-one thousand donkeys, 35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him. 36 The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep: 37 and the LORD's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five. 38 The oxen were thirty-six thousand; of which the LORD's tribute was seventy-two. 39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which the LORD's tribute was sixty-one. 40 The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom the LORD's tribute was thirty-two persons. 41 Moshe gave the tribute, which was the LORD's heave-offering, to El`azar the Kohen, as the LORD commanded Moshe. 42 Of the children of Yisra'el's half, which Moshe divided off from the men who warred 43 (now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 44 and thirty-six thousand oxen, 45 and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, 46 and sixteen thousand persons), 47 even of the children of Yisra'el's half, Moshe took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who kept the charge of the tent of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moshe.
48 The officers who were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moshe; 49 and they said to Moshe, Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our charge, and there lacks not one man of us. 50 We have brought the LORD's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, ear-rings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before the LORD. 51 Moshe and El`azar the Kohen took the gold of them, even all worked jewels. 52 All the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to the LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels. 53 ([For] the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.) 54 Moshe and El`azar the Kohen took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the children of Yisra'el before the LORD.
