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耶和华对摩西说： 2“你要为以色列人向米甸人报仇，之后你将归到祖先那里。” 3于是，摩西对民众说：“你们的人要拿起兵器去攻打米甸，为耶和华报仇。 4以色列的每个支派要派一千人出战。” 5于是，他们从以色列每个支派选出一千人，武装了一万二千军兵。 6每个支派选出的一千军兵由摩西派遣出战，以利亚撒祭司的儿子非尼哈拿着圣所的器具和号角随行。 7他们照耶和华对摩西的吩咐，去攻打米甸人，杀死了米甸的所有男子， 8包括以未、利金、苏珥、户珥和利巴五个米甸的王，还杀了比珥的儿子巴兰。 9以色列人掳获了米甸的妇女、孩子、所有牛羊和财物， 10将他们的城邑营寨付之一炬， 11带走了掳掠的人畜等战利品。 12他们来到耶利哥对面、约旦河边的摩押平原，把战利品交给摩西、以利亚撒祭司和以色列全体会众。
13摩西、以利亚撒祭司以及所有民众的首领都到营外迎接他们。 14摩西对出征回来的千夫长和百夫长等将领发怒， 15说：“你们为什么让这些妇女活着？ 16就是她们听了巴兰的指使，在毗珥引诱以色列人背叛耶和华，以致瘟疫降在耶和华的会众身上。 17现在，你们要杀掉所有的男孩，以及与男人发生过关系的女子， 18但可以留下那些处女。 19你们凡杀了人和碰过死人的都要在营外待七天。在第三天和第七天，你们要洁净自己及掳来的人， 20也要洁净自己所有的衣服、皮具、山羊毛制品和木器。” 21以利亚撒祭司对打仗回来的军兵说：“以下是耶和华借摩西颁布的律例。 22金、银、铜、铁、锡、铅， 23凡耐火之物都要用火来洁净，还要用除秽水加以洁净；不耐火之物要用水来洁净。 24第七天，你们洗完衣服后就洁净了，可以回营。”
25耶和华对摩西说： 26“你和以利亚撒祭司以及会众的各族长，要统计俘虏和牲畜的数目， 27然后把这些战利品分成两份，一份给出征的战士，一份给其余会众。 28要从战士分得的俘虏、牛、驴和羊群中抽出五百分之一，献给耶和华， 29要把那五百分之一交给以利亚撒祭司，献给耶和华作举祭。 30要从以色列人分得的俘虏和牛、驴、羊等牲畜中抽出五十分之一，交给在我圣幕司职的利未人。” 31摩西和以利亚撒祭司遵命而行。
32战士掳获的战利品中有六十七万五千只羊， 33七万二千头牛， 34六万一千头驴， 35三万二千名处女。 36战士分得的战利品有三十三万七千五百只羊， 37其中六百七十五只献给耶和华； 38三万六千头牛，其中七十二头献给耶和华； 39三万零五百头驴，其中六十一头献给耶和华； 40一万六千名处女，其中三十二人献给耶和华。 41摩西照耶和华的吩咐，把献给耶和华的举祭交给以利亚撒祭司。
42以色列会众分得的那一半战利品，即摩西从出征之人的战利品中分出来给他们的， 43有三十三万七千五百只羊、 44三万六千头牛、 45三万零五百头驴、 46一万六千名处女。 47摩西照耶和华的吩咐，从中抽出五十分之一，交给在圣幕里司职的利未人。
48统领军队的千夫长和百夫长来见摩西， 49说：“仆人们统计了手下出征的战士，未失一兵一卒。 50现在我们把各自掳获的臂环、镯子、图章戒指、耳环、项链等金器都带来献给耶和华，在祂面前为我们赎罪。” 51摩西和以利亚撒祭司收了他们所献的各种金制品。 52千夫长和百夫长献给耶和华作举祭的金子共三千八百两。 53战士则保留了自己掳获的财物。 54摩西和以利亚撒祭司就把千夫长和百夫长献的金子带进会幕，在耶和华面前作以色列人的纪念。
