the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Numbers 31
1 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,2 Avenge the sons of Israel of the Midianites: afterward you shall be gathered to your people.3 And Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh's vengeance on Midian.4 Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war.5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.6 And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
7 And they warred against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses; and they slew every male.8 And they slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.9 And the sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.10 And all their cities in the places wherein they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.11 And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of beast.12 And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.
13 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside the camp.14 And Moses 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 And Moses said to them, Have you saved all the women alive?16 Look, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to produce disloyalty against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh.17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that has had sex with a man.18 But all the women-children, that haven't had sex with a man, keep alive for yourselves.19 And encamp outside 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 And 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 And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses:22 nevertheless the gold, and the silver, the bronze, 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 does not abide the fire you shall make to go through the water.24 And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp.
25 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the congregation;27 and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation.28 And levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred of man, and of the oxen, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks:29 take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh's heave-offering.30 And of the sons of Israel's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of man, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, [even] of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of Yahweh.31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.32 Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,33 and threescore and twelve thousand oxen,34 and threescore and one thousand donkeys,35 and souls of man, of the women that had not had sex with a man, thirty and two thousand souls in all.36 And the half, which was the portion of those that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep:37 and Yahweh's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.38 And the oxen were thirty and six thousand; of which Yahweh's tribute was threescore and twelve.39 And the donkeys were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which Yahweh's tribute was threescore and one.40 And the souls of man were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh's tribute was thirty and two souls.41 And Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh's heave-offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.42 And of the sons of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men that warred43 (now the congregation's half was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand, seven thousand and five hundred sheep,44 and thirty and six thousand oxen,45 and thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys,46 and sixteen thousand souls of man),47 even of the sons of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them to the Levites, that kept the charge of the tabernacle of Yahweh; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
48 And the officers that were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses;49 and they said to Moses, Your slaves have taken the sum of the men of war that are under our charge, and there lacks not one man of us.50 And we have brought Yahweh's oblation, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, earrings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh.51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.52 And all the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.53 ([For] the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.)54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the sons of Israel before Yahweh.
Updated Bible Version
Scripture quotations are from the UPDV® Updated Bible Version 1.9, Copyright © 2003-4 by Updated Publishers. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.