BEMIḎBAR 31 (Numbers 31)

1 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke to Mosheh, saying,

2 “Take vengeance for the children of Yisra’ĕl on the Miḏyanites. After that you are to be gathered to your people.”

3 And Mosheh spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for the campaign, and let them go against the Miḏyanites to take vengeance for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 on Miḏyan.

4 “Send a thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl for the campaign.”

5 So there were supplied from the tribes of Yisra’ĕl one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed ones for the campaign.

6 And Mosheh sent them on the campaign, one thousand from each tribe, them and Pineḥas son of El’azar the kohĕn on the campaign, with the qodesh utensils and the trumpets for sounding in his hand.

7 And they fought against the Miḏyanites, as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 commanded Mosheh, and slew all the males.

8 And they slew the sovereigns of Miḏyan with the rest of those who were pierced: Ewi, and Reqem, and Tsur, and Ḥur, and Reḇa, the five sovereigns of Miḏyan. And they slew Bil’am son of Be’or with the sword.

9 And the sons of Yisra’ĕl took all the women of Miḏyan captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their livestock, and all their possessions.

10 And they burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their settlements.

11 And they took all the spoil and all the booty, both of man and beast.

12 And they brought the captives, and the booty, and the spoil to Mosheh, and to El’azar the kohĕn, and to the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to the camp in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.

13 And Mosheh, and El’azar the kohĕn, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp.

14 But Mosheh was wroth with the officers of the army, with the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who had come from the campaign.

15 And Mosheh said to them, “Have you kept all the women alive?

16 “Look, they are the ones who caused the children of Yisra’ĕl, through the word of Bil’am, to trespass against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 in the matter of Pe’or, and there was a plague among the congregation of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

17 “And now, slay every male among the little ones. And every woman who has known a man by lying with a man you shall slay.

18 “But keep alive for yourselves all the female children who have not known a man by lying with a man.

19 “And you, camp outside the camp seven days. Whoever has slain any being, and whoever has touched any slain, cleanse yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.

20 “And cleanse every garment, and every object of leather and whatever is made of goats’ hair, and every object of wood.”

21 And El’azar the kohĕn said to the men of the campaign who went to the battle, “This is the Law of the Torah which 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 commanded Mosheh:

22 “Only the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23 every object that passes through fire, you put through the fire, and it shall be clean; only, let it be cleansed with the water for uncleanness. And whatever does not pass through fire you pass through water.

24 “And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day and be clean, and afterwards come into the camp.”

25 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke to Mosheh, saying,

26 “Count up the plunder that was taken, of man and of beast, you and El’azar the kohĕn and the heads of the fathers of the congregation.

27 “And you shall divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the battle, who went out on the campaign, and all the congregation.

28 “And put aside a levy for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 on the men of battle who went out on the campaign: one out of every five hundred, of man, and of the cattle, and of the donkeys, and of the sheep.

29 “Take it from their half, and give it to El’azar the kohĕn as a contribution to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

30 “And from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half you shall take one of every fifty, of man, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the sheep, of all the livestock, and give them to the Lĕwites guarding the duty of the Mishkan of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.”

31 And Mosheh and El’azar the kohĕn did as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 commanded Mosheh.

32 And the booty remaining from the plunder, which the people of the campaign had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 and seventy-two thousand cattle,

34 and sixty-one thousand donkeys,

35 and thirty-two thousand human beings in all, of women who had not known a man by lying with a man.

36 And the half, the portion for those who went out on the campaign, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

37 and the levy unto 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.

38 And the cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the levy unto 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was seventy-two.

39 And the donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the levy unto 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was sixty-one.

40 And the human beings were sixteen thousand, of which the levy unto 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was thirty-two beings.

41 So Mosheh gave the levy which was the contribution unto 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to El’azar the kohĕn, as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 commanded Mosheh.

42 And from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half, which Mosheh divided from the men who campaigned:

43 now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 and thirty-six thousand cattle,

45 and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

46 and sixteen thousand human beings.

47 Then Mosheh took from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half: one out of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Lĕwites, who guarded the duty of the Mishkan of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 commanded Mosheh.

48 And the officers who were over thousands of the campaign, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, came near to Mosheh,

49 and they said to Mosheh, “Your servants have taken a count of the fighting men under our command, and not a man of us is missing.

50 “So we have brought an offering for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.”

51 And Mosheh and El’azar the kohĕn received the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments.

52 And all the gold of the offering that they presented to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty sheqels.

53 The men of the campaign had taken spoil, every man for himself.

54 And Mosheh and El’azar the kohĕn received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Appointment as a remembrance for the children of Yisra’ĕl before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.