Numbers 31 :: New International Version (NIV)

Vengeance on the Midianites

Num 31:1The LORD said to Moses,

Num 31:2“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

Num 31:3So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the LORD’s vengeance on them.

Num 31:4

Num 31:4Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.”

Num 31:5

Num 31:5So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel.

Num 31:6

Num 31:6Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

Num 31:7

Num 31:7They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man.

Num 31:8

Num 31:8Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

Num 31:9

Num 31:9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder.

Num 31:10

Num 31:10They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps.

Num 31:11

Num 31:11They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals,

Num 31:12

Num 31:12and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

Num 31:13

Num 31:13Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.

Num 31:14

Num 31:14Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

Num 31:15

Num 31:15“Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them.

Num 31:16

Num 31:16“They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the LORD’s people.

Num 31:17

Num 31:17Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,

Num 31:18

Num 31:18but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

Num 31:19

Num 31:19“Anyone who has killed someone or touched someone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives.

Num 31:20

Num 31:20Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.”

Num 31:21

Num 31:21Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is what is required by the law that the LORD gave Moses:

Num 31:22

Num 31:22Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead

Num 31:23

Num 31:23and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water.

Num 31:24

Num 31:24On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp.”

Dividing the Spoils

Num 31:25

Num 31:25The LORD said to Moses,

Num 31:26

Num 31:26“You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured.

Num 31:27

Num 31:27Divide the spoils equally between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community.

Num 31:28

Num 31:28From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the LORD one out of every five hundred, whether people, cattle, donkeys or sheep.

Num 31:29

Num 31:29Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as the LORD’s part.

Num 31:30

Num 31:30From the Israelites’ half, select one out of every fifty, whether people, cattle, donkeys, sheep or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the LORD’s tabernacle.”

Num 31:31

Num 31:31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Num 31:32

Num 31:32The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep,

Num 31:33

Num 31:3372,000 cattle,

Num 31:34

Num 31:3461,000 donkeys

Num 31:35

Num 31:35and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.

Num 31:36

Num 31:36The half share of those who fought in the battle was: 337,500 sheep,

Num 31:37

Num 31:37of which the tribute for the LORD was 675;

Num 31:38

Num 31:3836,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the LORD was 72;

Num 31:39

Num 31:3930,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the LORD was 61;

Num 31:40

Num 31:4016,000 people, of whom the tribute for the LORD was 32.

Num 31:41

Num 31:41Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the LORD’s part, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Num 31:42

Num 31:42The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men—

Num 31:43

Num 31:43the community’s half—was 337,500 sheep,

Num 31:44

Num 31:4436,000 cattle,

Num 31:45

Num 31:4530,500 donkeys

Num 31:46

Num 31:46and 16,000 people.

Num 31:47

Num 31:47From the Israelites’ half, Moses selected one out of every fifty people and animals, as the LORD commanded him, and gave them to the Levites, who were responsible for the care of the LORD’s tabernacle.

Num 31:48

Num 31:48Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—went to Moses

Num 31:49

Num 31:49and said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing.

Num 31:50

Num 31:50So we have brought as an offering to the LORD the gold articles each of us acquired—armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”

Num 31:51

Num 31:51Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold—all the crafted articles.

Num 31:52

Num 31:52All the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.[fn]

Num 31:53

Num 31:53Each soldier had taken plunder for himself.

Num 31:54

Num 31:54Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.

See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NIV Footnotes

(31:52)

That is, about 420 pounds or about 190 kilograms

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Numbers Chapter 31 — Additional Translations:

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Numbers 31 :: New International Version (NIV)

Vengeance on the Midianites

Dividing the Spoils

NIV Footnotes

Numbers Chapter 31 — Additional Translations:

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