Numbers 31 :: Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Slaughter of Midian

Num 31:1The LORD said to Moses,

Num 31:2"Avenge the people of Israel on the Mid'ianites; afterward you shall be gathered to your people."

Num 31:3And Moses said to the people, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Mid'ian, to execute the LORD's vengeance on Mid'ian.

Num 31:4

Num 31:4You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war."

Num 31:5

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

Num 31:6

Num 31:6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phin'ehas the son of Elea'zar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

Num 31:7

Num 31:7They warred against Mid'ian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and slew every male.

Num 31:8

Num 31:8They slew the kings of Mid'ian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Mid'ian; and they also slew Balaam the son of Be'or with the sword.

Num 31:9

Num 31:9And the people of Israel took captive the women of Mid'ian and their little ones; and they took as booty all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods.

Num 31:10

Num 31:10All their cities in the places where they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burned with fire,

Num 31:11

Num 31:11and took all the spoil and all the booty, both of man and of beast.

Num 31:12

Num 31:12Then they brought the captives and the booty and the spoil to Moses, and to Elea'zar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

Num 31:13

Num 31:13Moses, and Elea'zar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside the camp.

Num 31:14

Num 31:14And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.

Num 31:15

Num 31:15Moses said to them, "Have you let all the women live?

Num 31:16

Num 31:16Behold, these caused the people of Israel, by the counsel of Balaam, to act treacherously against the LORD in the matter of Pe'or, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD.

Num 31:17

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

Num 31:18

Num 31:18But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

Num 31:19

Num 31:19Encamp outside the camp seven days; whoever of you has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.

Num 31:20

Num 31:20You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats' hair, and every article of wood."

Num 31:21

Num 31:21And Elea'zar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle: "This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:

Num 31:22

Num 31:22only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Num 31:23

Num 31:23everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless it shall also be purified with the water of impurity; and whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water.

Num 31:24

Num 31:24You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp."

Division of the Booty

Num 31:25

Num 31:25The LORD said to Moses,

Num 31:26

Num 31:26"Take the count of the booty that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Elea'zar the priest and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation;

Num 31:27

Num 31:27and divide the booty into two parts, between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.

Num 31:28

Num 31:28And levy for the LORD a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the persons and of the oxen and of the asses and of the flocks;

Num 31:29

Num 31:29take it from their half, and give it to Elea'zar the priest as an offering to the LORD.

Num 31:30

Num 31:30And from the people of Israel's half you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites who have charge of the tabernacle of the LORD."

Num 31:31

Num 31:31And Moses and Elea'zar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Num 31:32

Num 31:32Now the booty remaining of the spoil that the men of war took was: six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,

Num 31:33

Num 31:33seventy-two thousand cattle,

Num 31:34

Num 31:34sixty-one thousand asses,

Num 31:35

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

Num 31:36

Num 31:36And the half, the portion of those who had gone out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

Num 31:37

Num 31:37and the LORD's tribute of sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.

Num 31:38

Num 31:38The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD's tribute was seventy-two.

Num 31:39

Num 31:39The asses were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD's tribute was sixty-one.

Num 31:40

Num 31:40The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the LORD's tribute was thirty-two persons.

Num 31:41

Num 31:41And Moses gave the tribute, which was the offering for the LORD, to Elea'zar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Num 31:42

Num 31:42From the people of Israel's half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had gone to war--

Num 31:43

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

Num 31:44

Num 31:44thirty-six thousand cattle,

Num 31:45

Num 31:45and thirty thousand five hundred asses,

Num 31:46

Num 31:46and sixteen thousand persons--

Num 31:47

Num 31:47from the people of Israel's half Moses took one of every fifty, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who had charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Num 31:48

Num 31:48Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses,

Num 31:49

Num 31:49and said to Moses, "Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us.

Num 31:50

Num 31:50And we have brought the LORD's offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."

Num 31:51

Num 31:51And Moses and Elea'zar the priest received from them the gold, all wrought articles.

Num 31:52

Num 31:52And all the gold of the offering that they offered to the LORD, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.

Num 31:53

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

Num 31:54

Num 31:54And Moses and Elea'zar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the LORD.

Downloaded from the Oxford Text Archive and used with permission. The following header is required to be posted:

Source: Transcribed from: The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version containing the Old and New Testaments, translated from the original tongues: being the version set forth A.D. 1611, revised A.D. 1881-1885 and A.D. 1901: compared with the most ancient authorities and revised A.D. 1946-52. — 2nd ed. of New Testament A.D. 1971. There should be enough in the rest of the description to identify the text.

Language: English

Availability: Freely available for non-commercial use provided that this header is included in its entirety with any copy distributed.

Pericope

Numbers Chapter 31 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

Numbers 31 :: Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Slaughter of Midian

Division of the Booty

Pericope

Numbers Chapter 31 — Additional Translations:

Did You Know BLB Is User Supported?