Numbers 31 :: American Standard Version (ASV)

The Slaughter of Midian

Num 31:1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

Num 31:2Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.

Num 31:3And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm ye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Jehovah’s vengeance on Midian.

Num 31:4

Num 31:4Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.

Num 31:5

Num 31:5So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

Num 31:6

Num 31:6And 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.

Num 31:7

Num 31:7And they warred against Midian, as Jehovah commanded Moses; and they slew every male.

Num 31:8

Num 31:8And 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.

Num 31:9

Num 31:9And the children 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.

Num 31:10

Num 31:10And all their cities in the places wherein they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.

Num 31:11

Num 31:11And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of beast.

Num 31:12

Num 31:12And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

Num 31:13

Num 31:13And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.

Num 31:14

Num 31:14And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

Num 31:15

Num 31:15And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

Num 31:16

Num 31:16Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah.

Num 31:17

Num 31:17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

Num 31:18

Num 31:18But all the women-children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

Num 31:19

Num 31:19And encamp ye without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, ye and your captives.

Num 31:20

Num 31:20And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood, ye shall purify yourselves.

Num 31:21

Num 31:21And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war that went to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded Moses:

Num 31:22

Num 31:22howbeit the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Num 31:23

Num 31:23everything that may abide the fire, ye 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 abideth not the fire ye shall make to go through the water.

Num 31:24

Num 31:24And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean; and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

Division of the Booty

Num 31:25

Num 31:25And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

Num 31:26

Num 31:26Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation;

Num 31:27

Num 31:27and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation.

Num 31:28

Num 31:28And levy a tribute unto Jehovah of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the oxen, and of the asses, and of the flocks:

Num 31:29

Num 31:29take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for Jehovah’s heave-offering.

Num 31:30

Num 31:30And of the children of Israel’s half, thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the asses, and of the flocks, even of all the cattle, and give them unto the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah.

Num 31:31

Num 31:31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Num 31:32

Num 31:32Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,

Num 31:33

Num 31:33and threescore and twelve thousand oxen,

Num 31:34

Num 31:34and threescore and one thousand asses,

Num 31:35

Num 31:35and thirty and two thousand persons in all, of the women that had not known man by lying with him.

Num 31:36

Num 31:36And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep:

Num 31:37

Num 31:37and Jehovah’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

Num 31:38

Num 31:38And the oxen were thirty and six thousand; of which Jehovah’s tribute was threescore and twelve.

Num 31:39

Num 31:39And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which Jehovah’s tribute was threescore and one.

Num 31:40

Num 31:40And the persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Jehovah’s tribute was thirty and two persons.

Num 31:41

Num 31:41And Moses gave the tribute, which was Jehovah’s heave-offering, unto Eleazar the priest, as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Num 31:42

Num 31:42And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men that warred

Num 31:43

Num 31:43(now the congregation’s half was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand, seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

Num 31:44

Num 31:44and thirty and six thousand oxen,

Num 31:45

Num 31:45and thirty thousand and five hundred asses,

Num 31:46

Num 31:46and sixteen thousand persons),

Num 31:47

Num 31:47even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites, that kept the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

Num 31:48

Num 31:48And the officers that were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses;

Num 31:49

Num 31:49and they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war that are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

Num 31:50

Num 31:50And we have brought Jehovah’s oblation, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, ear-rings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before Jehovah.

Num 31:51

Num 31:51And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.

Num 31:52

Num 31:52And all the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to Jehovah, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

Num 31:53

Num 31:53(For the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.)

Num 31:54

Num 31:54And 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 Jehovah.

Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.

Numbers 31 :: American Standard Version (ASV)

The Slaughter of Midian

Division of the Booty

Pericope