Numbers 31:1-27 ▼

1 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:

2 Auenge the children of Israel of the Madianites, & afterwarde shalt thou be gathered vnto thy people.

3 And Moyses spake vnto the folke, saying: Harnesse some of you vnto warre, and let them go vpon the Madianites, & auenge the Lorde of the Madianites.

4 Of euery tribe a thousande, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shal ye sende to the warre.

5 And there were deliuered out of the thousandes of Israel, twelue thousand prepared vnto warre, of euery tribe a thousande.

6 And Moyses sent the to ye warre, euen a thousande of euery tribe, & with them Phinees the sonne of Eleazar the priest to the warre, and the holy vessels, & the trumpets to blowe were in his hande.

7 And they warred agaynst the Madianites as the Lord comaunded Moyses, and slue all the males.

8 And they slue the kynges of Madian among other that were slayne: Namelye, Eui, and Rekem, Zur, & Hur, and Reba: fiue kynges of Madian, with Balaam the sonne of Beor, whom they slue with the sworde.

9 And the children of Israel toke all the women of Madian prisoners, and their children, and spoyled all their cattel, and all their flockes, and all their goodes.

10 And they burnt all their cities wherin they dwelt, and all their goodly dwellynges, with fire:

11 And they toke all the spoyle, and all the bootie, both of men and beastes.

12 And they brought the captiues, and that which they had taken, and the spoyle, vnto Moyses and Eleazar the priest, and vnto the companie of the children of Israel, euen vnto the hoast that were in the fieldes of Moab by Iordane, ouer agaynst Iericho:

13 And Moyses and Eleazar the priest, and all the lordes of the congregation, went out of the hoast to meete them.

14 And Moyses was angrie with the officers of the hoast, with the captaynes ouer thousandes, and ouer hundredes, which came from the warre & battayle.

15 And Moyses sayde vnto them: Haue ye saued all the women alyue?

16 Beholde, these caused the children of Israel through the councel of Balaam, to commit trespasse agaynst the Lorde in the businesse of Peor, and there folowed a plague among the congregation of the Lorde.

17 Nowe therfore, slay all the men children, and kyl the women that haue lien with men fleshly.

18 But all the women children that haue not lien with men carnally, kepe alyue for your selues.

19 And ye shall remayne without the hoast seuen dayes, all that haue kylled any person, and all that haue touched any dead body, and purifie both your selues and your prisoners the thirde day and the seuenth.

20 And purifie all your raymentes, and that is made of skinnes, and all worke of goates heere, and all thinges made of wood.

21 And Eleazar the priest sayde vnto the men of warre which went to the battayle: This is the ordinauce of the lawe which the Lorde comaunded Moyses:

22 As for golde, siluer, brasse, and iron, tinne, and lead,

23 And all that may abide the fire, ye shal make it go through the fire, and it shalbe cleane: Neuerthelesse, it shalbe purified with water of seperation: And all that suffereth not the fire, ye shall make go through the water:

24 And washe your clothes the seuenth day, and ye shalbe cleane, and afterwarde come into the hoast.

25 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:

26 Take the summe of the pray that was taken, both of the persons and of cattell, thou and Eleazar the priest, and the chiefe fathers of the congregation:

27 And deuide the pray into two partes, betweene them that toke the warre vpon them and went out to battayle, and all the congregation.