Numbers 31:1-25
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 31
1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2Take vengeance on the Midianites for the sons of Israel; afterward you will be gathered to your people.' 3So Moses spoke to the people, saying, 'Arm men from among you for the war, so that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’S vengeance on Midian. 4You shall send a thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel to the war.' 5So there were selected from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6And Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, and the holy implements and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7So they made war against Midian, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of those killed: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9And the sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and they plundered all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their property. 10Then they burned all their cities where they lived and all their encampments. 11And they took all the plunder and all the spoils, both of people and of livestock. 12They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab which are by the Jordan, opposite Jericho.
13And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp.
14But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.
15And Moses said to them, 'Have you spared all the women?
16Behold, they caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to be unfaithful to the Lord in the matter of Peor, so that the plague took place among the congregation of the Lord!
17Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.
18However, all the girls who have not known a man intimately, keep alive for yourselves.
19And as for you, camp outside the camp for seven days; whoever has killed a person and whoever has touched anyone killed, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day.
20And you shall purify for yourselves every garment, every article of leather, every work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.'
21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, 'This is the statute of the Law which the Lord has commanded Moses:
22only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23everything that can withstand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it will be clean, only it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot withstand the fire you shall pass through the water.
24And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and you will be clean; and afterward you may enter the camp.'
King James Version
Chapter 31
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. 3And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian. 4Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war. 5So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
7And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
8And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
9And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.
10And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.
11And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.
12And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.
13And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.
14And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
15And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
16Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.
18But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.
20And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood.
21And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;
22Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.
24And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 31
1The Lord spoke to Moses, 2"Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."
3So Moses spoke to the people, "Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Midian to inflict the Lord's vengeance on them.
4Send one thousand men to war from each Israelite tribe."
5So one thousand were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands in Israel--twelve thousand equipped for war.
6Moses sent one thousand from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.
7They waged war against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male.
8Along with the others slain by them, they killed the Midianite kings--Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
9The Israelites took the Midianite women and their dependents captive, and they plundered all their cattle, flocks, and property.
10Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites lived, as well as all their encampments,
11and took away all the spoils of war and the captives, both people and animals.
12They brought the prisoners, animals, and spoils of war to Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the Israelite community at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
13Moses, the priest Eleazar, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.
14But Moses became furious with the officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign.
15"Have you let every female live? " he asked them.
16"Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam's advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the Lord in the Peor incident, so that the plague came against the Lord's community.
17So now, kill every male among the dependents and kill every woman who has gone to bed with a man,
18but keep alive for yourselves all the young females who have not gone to bed with a man.
19"You are to remain outside the camp for seven days. All of you and your prisoners who have killed a person or touched the dead are to purify yourselves on the third day and the seventh day.
20Also purify everything: garments, leather goods, things made of goat hair, and every article of wood."
21Then the priest Eleazar said to the soldiers who had gone to battle, "This is the legal statute the Lord commanded Moses:
22The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead--
23everything that can withstand fire--you are to pass through fire, and it will be clean. It must still be purified with the purification water. Anything that cannot withstand fire, pass through the water.
24On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp."
New Living Translation
Chapter 31
1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry. After that, you will die and join your ancestors.'
3So Moses said to the people, 'Choose some men, and arm them to fight the Lord’s war of revenge against Midian.
4From each tribe of Israel, send 1,000 men into battle.'
5So they chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of 12,000 men armed for battle.
6Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge.
7They attacked Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men.
8All five of the Midianite kings — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba — died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
9Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder.
10They burned all the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived.
11After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals,
12they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
13Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.
14But Moses was furious with all the generals and captains who had returned from the battle.
15Why have you let all the women live?' he demanded.
16These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the Lord at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the Lord’s people.
17So kill all the boys and all the women who have had intercourse with a man.
18Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves.
19And all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days.
20Purify all your clothing, too, and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.'
21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, 'The Lord has given Moses this legal requirement:
22Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead —
23that is, all metals that do not burn — must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone.
24On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp.'
English Standard Version
Chapter 31
1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” 3So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian. 4You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” 5So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7They warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every male. 8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 10All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, 11and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. 12Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
13Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
14And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.
15Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live?
16Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD.
17Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
18But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.
19Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
20You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood.”
21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded Moses:
22only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water.
24You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”
New International Version
Chapter 31
1The LORD said to Moses, 2Take 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.
15Have you allowed all the women to live?' he asked them.
16They 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.
19Anyone 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.'
New King James Version
Chapter 31
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
3So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian.
4A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.”
5So there were recruited from the divisions of Israel one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from each tribe; he sent them to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand.
7And they warred against the Midianites, just as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed all the males.
8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed— Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword.
9And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods.
10They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts.
11And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast.
12Then they brought the captives, the booty, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.
13And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp.
14But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, with the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who had come from the battle.
15And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive?
16Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.
17Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.
18But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately.
19And as for you, remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
20Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”
21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord commanded Moses:
22Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water.
24And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.”
