Bmidbar (Numbers) - Chapter 31

31:1 Mar-Yah spoke to Mosha, saying, 31:2 "Avenge the B'nai Yisrael for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."

31:3 Mosha spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Mar-Yah's vengeance on Midian. 31:4 Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Yisrael, you shall send to the war." 31:5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Yisrael, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 31:6 Mosha sent them, one 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 shofars for the alarm in his hand. 31:7 They warred against Midian, as Mar-Yah commanded Mosha; and they killed every male. 31:8 They killed 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 killed with the sword. 31:9 The B'nai Yisrael took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their livestock, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey. 31:10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire. 31:11 They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal.

(The words in double brackets do not appear in the oldest Aramaic manuscripts held by The Peshitta Foundation)

31:12 They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Mosha, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the B'nai Yisrael, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Yordan at Yericho. 31:13 Mosha, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp. 31:14 Mosha 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. 31:15 Mosha said to them, "Have you saved all the women alive? 31:16 Behold, these caused the B'nai Yisrael, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Mar-Yah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Mar-Yah. 31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 31:18 But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

31:19 "Encamp outside of 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. 31:20 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."

31:21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which Mar-Yah has commanded Mosha: 31:22 however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 31:23 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 withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water. 31:24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp."

31:25 Mar-Yah spoke to Mosha, saying, 31:26 "Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation; 31:27 and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. 31:28 Levy a tribute to Mar-Yah of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the cattle, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks: 31:29 take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Mar-Yah's wave offering. 31:30 Of the B'nai Yisrael's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, even of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of the Tabernacle of Mar-Yah."

31:31 Mosha and Eleazar the priest did as Mar-Yah commanded Mosha.

31:32 Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, 31:33 and seventy-two thousand head of cattle, 31:34 and sixty-one thousand donkeys, 31:35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him. 31:36 The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep: 31:37 and Mar-Yah's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five. 31:38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which Mar-Yah's tribute was seventy-two. 31:39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which Mar-Yah's tribute was sixty-one. 31:40 The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Mar-Yah's tribute was thirty-two persons. 31:41 Mosha gave the tribute, which was Mar-Yah's wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Mar-Yah commanded Mosha. 31:42 Of the B'nai Yisrael's half, which Mosha divided off from the men who warred 31:43 (now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 31:44 and thirty-six thousand head of cattle, 31:45 and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, 31:46 and sixteen thousand persons), 31:47 even of the B'nai Yisrael's half, Mosha 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 Tabernacle of Mar-Yah; as Mar-Yah commanded Mosha.

31:48 The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Mosha; 31:49 and they said to Mosha, "Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us. 31:50 We have brought Mar-Yah's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before Mar-Yah."

31:51 Mosha and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all worked jewels. 31:52 All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to Mar-Yah, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels. 31:53 (For the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.) 31:54 Mosha and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tabernacle, for a memorial for the B'nai Yisrael before Mar-Yah.