Vengeance on the Midianites
1The Lord said to Moses, 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. 4Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. 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.
7They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. 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. 9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. 10They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. 11They took all the plunder and spoils, including the 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.
13Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community 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.
15“Have you allowed all the women to live?” 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. 17Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, 18but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept 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. 20Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or 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: 22Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, 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. 24On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp.”
Dividing the Spoils
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. 27Divide the spoils equally between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. 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. 29Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part. 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.” 31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, 3372,000 cattle, 3461,000 donkeys 35and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.
36The half share of those who fought in the battle was:
337,500 sheep, 37of which the tribute for the Lord was 675;
3836,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the Lord was 72;
3930,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the Lord was 61;
4016,000 people, of whom the tribute for the Lord was 32.
41Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part, as the Lord commanded Moses.
42The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men— 43the community’s half—was 337,500 sheep, 4436,000 cattle, 4530,500 donkeys 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.
48Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—went to Moses 49and said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one 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.”
51Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold—all the crafted articles. 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.31:52 That is, about 420 pounds or about 190 kilograms 53Each soldier 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.
攻打米甸人
1耶和華對摩西說： 2「你要為以色列人向米甸人報仇，之後你將歸到祖先那裡。」 3於是，摩西對民眾說：「你們的人要拿起兵器去攻打米甸，為耶和華報仇。 4以色列的每個支派要派一千人出戰。」 5於是，他們從以色列每個支派選出一千人，武裝了一萬二千軍兵。 6每個支派選出的一千軍兵由摩西派遣出戰，以利亞撒祭司的兒子非尼哈拿著聖所的器具和號角隨行。 7他們照耶和華對摩西的吩咐，去攻打米甸人，殺死了米甸的所有男子， 8包括以未、利金、蘇珥、戶珥和利巴五個米甸的王，還殺了比珥的兒子巴蘭。 9以色列人擄獲了米甸的婦女、孩子、所有牛羊和財物， 10將他們的城邑營寨付之一炬， 11帶走了擄掠的人畜等戰利品。 12他們來到耶利哥對面、約旦河邊的摩押平原，把戰利品交給摩西、以利亞撒祭司和以色列全體會眾。
13摩西、以利亞撒祭司以及所有民眾的首領，都到營外迎接他們。 14摩西對出征回來的千夫長和百夫長等將領發怒， 15說：「你們為什麼讓這些婦女活著？ 16就是她們聽了巴蘭的指使，在毗珥引誘以色列人背叛耶和華，以致瘟疫降在耶和華的會眾身上。 17現在，你們要殺掉所有的男孩，以及與男人發生過關係的女子， 18但可以留下那些處女。 19你們凡殺了人和碰過死人的，都要在營外待七天。在第三天和第七天，你們要潔淨自己及擄來的人， 20也要潔淨自己所有的衣服、皮具、山羊毛製品和木器。」 21以利亞撒祭司對打仗回來的軍兵說：「以下是耶和華藉摩西頒佈的律例。 22金、銀、銅、鐵、錫、鉛， 23凡耐火之物都要用火來潔淨，還要用除穢水加以潔淨；不耐火之物要用水來潔淨。 24第七天，你們洗完衣服後就潔淨了，可以回營。」
25耶和華對摩西說： 26「你和以利亞撒祭司以及會眾的各族長，要統計俘虜和牲畜的數目， 27然後把這些戰利品分成兩份，一份給出征的戰士，一份給其餘會眾。 28要從戰士分得的俘虜、牛、驢和羊群中抽出五百分之一，獻給耶和華， 29要把那五百分之一交給以利亞撒祭司，獻給耶和華作舉祭。 30要從以色列人分得的俘虜和牛、驢、羊等牲畜中抽出五十分之一，交給在我聖幕司職的利未人。」 31摩西和以利亞撒祭司遵命而行。
32戰士擄獲的戰利品中有六十七萬五千隻羊， 33七萬二千頭牛， 34六萬一千頭驢， 35三萬二千名處女。 36戰士分得的戰利品有三十三萬七千五百隻羊， 37其中六百七十五隻獻給耶和華； 38三萬六千頭牛，其中七十二頭獻給耶和華； 39三萬零五百頭驢，其中六十一頭獻給耶和華； 40一萬六千名處女，其中三十二人獻給耶和華。 41摩西照耶和華的吩咐，把獻給耶和華的舉祭交給以利亞撒祭司。
42以色列會眾分得的那一半戰利品，即摩西從出征之人的戰利品中分出來給他們的， 43有三十三萬七千五百隻羊、 44三萬六千頭牛、 45三萬零五百頭驢、 46一萬六千名處女。 47摩西照耶和華的吩咐，從中抽出五十分之一，交給在聖幕裡司職的利未人。
48統領軍隊的千夫長和百夫長來見摩西， 49說：「僕人們統計了手下出征的戰士，未失一兵一卒。 50現在我們把各自擄獲的臂環、鐲子、圖章戒指、耳環、項鏈等金器，都帶來獻給耶和華，在祂面前為我們贖罪。」 51摩西和以利亞撒祭司收了他們所獻的各種金製品。 52千夫長和百夫長獻給耶和華作舉祭的金子共三千八百兩。 53戰士則保留了自己擄獲的財物。 54摩西和以利亞撒祭司就把千夫長和百夫長獻的金子帶進會幕，在耶和華面前作以色列人的紀念。
