13
Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
14
And Moses was angry with
1the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.
15
Moses said to them, "Have you
2let all the women live?
16
Behold,
3these,
4on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of
5Peor, and so
6the plague came among the congregation of the LORD.
17
Now therefore,
7kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
18
But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him
8keep alive for yourselves.
19
9Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and
10whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
20
You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats' hair, and every article of wood."
21
Then 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:
22
only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23
everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified
11with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water.
24
You must
12wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp."
25
The LORD said to Moses,
26
"Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation,
27
and
13divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.
28
And levy for the LORD a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle,
14one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks.
29
Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the LORD.
30
And from the people of Israel's half you shall take
15one drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites
16who keep guard over the tabernacle of the LORD."
31
And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
32
Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep,
35
and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him.
36
And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep,
37
and
17the LORD's tribute of sheep was 675.
38
The cattle were 36,000, of which the LORD's tribute was 72.