| New International Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1The LORD said to Moses, | 1And the LORD said to Moses, |
| 2"Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people." | 2“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.” |
| 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. | 3So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them. |
| 4Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel." | 4Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.” |
| 5So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. | 5So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war. |
| 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. | 6And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling. |
| 7They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man. | 7Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. |
| 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. | 8Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. |
| 9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. | 9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods. |
| 10They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. | 10Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments, |
| 11They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, | 11and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals. |
| 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. | 12They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho. |
| 13Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. | 13And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. |
| 14Moses was angry with the officers of the army--the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds--who returned from the battle. | 14But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle. |
| 15"Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. | 15“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them. |
| 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. | 16“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD. |
| 17Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, | 17So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man, |
| 18but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man. | 18but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man. |
| 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. | 19All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives. |
| 20Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood." | 20And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.” |
| 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: | 21Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses: |
| 22Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead | 22Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead— |
| 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. | 23everything that can withstand the fire—must be put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must still be purified with the water of purification. And everything that cannot withstand the fire must pass through the water. |
| 24On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp." | 24On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.” |
| 25The LORD said to Moses, | 25The LORD said to Moses, |
| 26"You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured. | 26“You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast. |
| 27Divide the spoils equally between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. | 27Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation. |
| 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. | 28Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep. |
| 29Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as the LORD's part. | 29Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD. |
| 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." | 30From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.” |
| 31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses. | 31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses, |
| 32The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, | 32and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep, |
| 3372,000 cattle, | 3372,000 cattle, |
| 3461,000 donkeys | 3461,000 donkeys, |
| 35and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man. | 35and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man. |
| 36The half share of those who fought in the battle was: 337,500 sheep, | 36This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep, |
| 37of which the tribute for the LORD was 675; | 37including a tribute to the LORD of 675, |
| 3836,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the LORD was 72; | 3836,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72, |
| 3930,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the LORD was 61; | 3930,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61, |
| 4016,000 people, of whom the tribute for the LORD was 32. | 40and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32. |
| 41Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the LORD's part, as the LORD commanded Moses. | 41Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. |
| 42The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men-- | 42From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war, |
| 43the community's half--was 337,500 sheep, | 43this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep, |
| 4436,000 cattle, | 4436,000 cattle, |
| 4530,500 donkeys | 4530,500 donkeys, |
| 46and 16,000 people. | 46and 16,000 people. |
| 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. | 47From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him. |
| 48Then the officers who were over the units of the army--the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds--went to Moses | 48Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses |
| 49and said to him, "Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing. | 49and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing. |
| 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." | 50So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.” |
| 51Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold--all the crafted articles. | 51So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold. |
| 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. | 52All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels. |
| 53Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. | 53Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself. |
| 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. | 54And Moses and Eleazar 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 Israelites before the LORD. |
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