Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
English Standard Version ESV
1 The Lord spoke to Moses,
1
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."
2
“Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people. ”
3 So 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.
3
So 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.
4 Send 1,000 men to war from each Israelite tribe."
4
You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war. ”
5 So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands in Israel-12,000 equipped for war.
5
So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6 Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.
6
And 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.
7 They waged war against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male.
7
They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male.
8 Along 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.
8
They 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.
9 The Israelites took the Midianite women and their children captive, and they plundered all their cattle, flocks, and property.
9
And 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.
10 Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites lived, as well as all their encampments,
10
All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire,
11 and took away all the spoils of war and the captives, both human and animal.
11
and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast.
12 They brought the prisoners, animals, and spoils of war to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite community at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho.
12
Then 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.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.
13
Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
14 But Moses became furious with the officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign.
14
And 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.
15 "Have you let every female live?" he asked them.
15
Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live?
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.
16
Behold, 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.
17 So now, kill all the male children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man,
17
Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
18 but keep alive for yourselves all the young females who have not had sexual relations.
18
But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.
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.
19
Encamp 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.
20 Also purify everything: garments, leather goods, things made of goat hair, and every article of wood."
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 soldiers who had gone to battle, "This is the legal statute the Lord commanded Moses:
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, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead-
22
only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23 everything that can withstand fire-put through fire, and it will be clean. It must still be purified with the purification water. Anything that cannot withstand fire, put through the water.
23
everything 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.
24 On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp."
24
You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp. ”
25 The Lord told Moses,
25
The Lord said to Moses,
26 "You, Eleazar the priest, and the family leaders of the community are to take a count of what was captured, human and animal.
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 Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to war and the entire community.
27
and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.
28 Set aside a tribute for the Lord from what belongs to the fighting men who went out to war: one out of [every] 500 humans, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.
28
And levy for the Lord a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks.
29 Take [the tribute] from their half and give [it] to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord.
29
Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord.
30 From the Israelites' half, take one out of every 50 from the people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats, all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord's tabernacle."
30
And from the people of Israel’s half you shall take one 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 who keep guard over the tabernacle of the Lord. ”
31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
31
And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32 The captives remaining from the plunder the army had taken totaled: 675,000 sheep and goats,
32
Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep,
33 72,000 cattle,
33
72,000 cattle,
34 61,000 donkeys,
34
61,000 donkeys,
35 and 32,000 people, all the females who had not had sexual relations with a man.
35
and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him.
36 The half portion for those who went out to war numbered: 337,500 sheep and goats,
36
And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep,
37 and the tribute to the Lord was 675 from the sheep and goats;
37
and the Lord’s tribute of sheep was 675.
38 from the 36,000 cattle, the tribute to the Lord was 72;
38
The cattle were 36,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 72.
39 from the 30,500 donkeys, the tribute to the Lord was 61;
39
The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61.
40 and from the 16,000 people, the tribute to the Lord was 32 people.
40
The persons were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 persons.
41 Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as a contribution for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
41
And Moses gave the tribute, which was the contribution for the Lord, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.
42 From the Israelites' half, which Moses separated from the men who fought,
42
From the people of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army—
43 the community's half was: 337,500 sheep and goats,
43
now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep,
44 36,000 cattle,
44
36,000 cattle,
45 30,500 donkeys,
45
and 30,500 donkeys,
46 and 16,000 people.
46
and 16,000 persons—
47 Moses took one out of [every] 50, selected from the people and the livestock from the Israelites' half. He gave them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord's tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded him.
47
from the people of Israel’s half Moses took one of every 50, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
48 The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, approached Moses
48
Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses
49 and told him, "Your servants have taken a census of the fighting men under our command, and not one of us is missing.
49
and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us.
50 So we have presented to the Lord an offering of the gold articles each man found-armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces-to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord."
50
And we have brought the Lord’s offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord. ”
51 Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.
51
And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles.
52 All the gold of the contribution they offered to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, was 420 pounds.
52
And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels.
53 Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.
53
(The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself. )
54 Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.
54
And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the Lord.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025