The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Kapitel 31 -

Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

“Take vengeance on the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites. After doing that, you will die and be gathered to your people.”

So Moses spoke to the people. He said, “Arm some of your men for war so they may go against Midian and carry out Yahweh’s vengeance on it.

Every tribe throughout Israel must send a thousand soldiers to war.”

So out of Israel’s thousands and thousands of men, one thousand were provided from every tribe for war, twelve thousand men in all.

Then Moses sent them to battle, a thousand from every tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, and with some articles from the holy place and the trumpets in his possession for sounding signals.

They fought against Midian, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. They killed every man.

They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their dead: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor, with the sword.

The army of Israel took captive the women of Midian, their children, all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. They took these as plunder.

They burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps.

They took all the plunder and prisoners, both people and animals.

They brought the prisoners, the plunder, and the captured things to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the community of the people of Israel. They brought these to the camp in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan near Jericho.

Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from battle.

Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live?

Look, these women caused the people of Israel, through Balaam’s advice, to commit sin against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, when the plague spread among Yahweh’s community.

Now then, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has ever slept with a man.

But take for yourselves all the young girls who have never slept with a man.

You must camp outside the camp of Israel for seven days. All of you who have killed anyone or have touched any dead person-you must purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day-you and your prisoners.

You must purify every garment and everything made of animal hide and goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”

Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, “This is a decreed law that Yahweh has given to Moses:

The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead,

and everything that resists fire, you must put it through the fire, and it will become clean. You must then purify those things with the water of cleansing. Whatever cannot go through the fire you must cleanse with that water.

You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and then you will become clean. Afterward you may come into Israel’s camp.”

Division of the Spoils

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

“Count all the plundered things that were taken, both people and animals. You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community’s ancestor’s clans

must divide the plunder into two parts. Divide it between the soldiers who went out to battle and all the rest of the community.

Then levy a tax to be given to me from the soldiers who went out to battle. This tax must be one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or goats.

Take this tax from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest for an offering to be presented to me.

Also from the people of Israel’s half, you must take one out of every fifty-from the persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Give these to the Levites who take care of my tabernacle.”

So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Now the plunder that remained of what the soldiers had taken was 675,000 sheep,

seventy-two thousand oxen,

sixty-one thousand donkeys,

and thirty-two thousand women who had never slept with any man.

The half that was kept for the soldiers numbered 337,000 sheep.

Yahweh’s part of the sheep was 675.

The oxen were thirty-six thousand which Yahweh’s tax was seventy-two.

The donkeys were 30,500 from which Yahweh’s part was sixty-one.

The persons were sixteen thousand women of whom Yahweh’s tax was thirty-two.

Moses took the tax that was to be an offering presented to Yahweh. He gave it to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

As for the people of Israel’s half that Moses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war-

the community’s half was 337,500 sheep,

thirty-six thousand oxen,

30,500 donkeys,

and sixteen thousand women.

From the people of Israel’s half, Moses took one out of every fifty, both of people and animals. He gave them to the Levites who kept care of Yahweh’s tabernacle, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

The Voluntary Offering

Then the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and the captains over hundreds, came to Moses.

They said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers who are under our command, and not one man is missing.

We have brought Yahweh’s offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before Yahweh.”

Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold and all the articles of craftsmanship.

All the gold of the offering that they gave to Yahweh-the offerings from the commanders of thousands and from the captains of hundreds-weighed 16,750 shekels.

Each soldier had taken plunder, each man for himself.

Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and captains of hundreds. They took it into the tent of meeting as a reminder of the people of Israel for Yahweh.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian.

You shall send one thousand out of every tribe, throughout all the tribes of Israel, to the war.”

So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war with 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.

They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses. They killed every male.

They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.

The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods, they took as plunder.

All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire.

They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal.

They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the princes of the congregation, went out to meet them outside of the camp.

Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

Moses said to them, “Have you saved all the women alive?

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

“Encamp outside of the camp for 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.

You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.”

Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses.

However the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

everything that may withstand 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. All that doesn’t withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.

You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”

Division of the Spoils

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Count the plunder that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation;

and divide the plunder into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.

Levy a tribute to the LORD of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred; of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks.

Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for the LORD’s wave offering.

Of the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of the LORD’s tabernacle.”

Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Now the plunder, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

sixty-one thousand donkeys,

and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.

The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep;

and the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.

The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was seventy-two.

The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD’s tribute was sixty-one.

The persons were sixteen thousand, of whom the LORD’s tribute was thirty-two persons.

Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men who fought

(now the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

and sixteen thousand persons),

even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the LORD’s tabernacle, as the LORD commanded Moses.

The Voluntary Offering

The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses.

They said to Moses, “Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us.

We have brought the LORD’s offering, what every man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before the LORD.”

Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold, even all worked jewels.

All the gold of the wave 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.(a)

The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.

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 children of Israel before the LORD.

Fußnoten

(a)31:52 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 16,750 shekels is about 167.5 kilograms or about 368.5 pounds.