Numbers 31; Numbers 32

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Numbers 31

1 The Lord spoke to Moses and said,

2 "Pay back the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites; after that you will die."

3 So Moses said to the people, "Get some men ready for war. The Lord will use them to pay back the Midianites.

4 Send to war a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel."

5 So twelve thousand men got ready for war, a thousand men from each tribe.

6 Moses sent those men to war; Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the holy things and the trumpets for giving the alarm.

7 They fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every Midianite man.

8 Among those they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword.

9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children, and they took all their flocks, herds, and goods.

10 They burned all the Midianite towns where they had settled and all their camps,

11 but they took all the people and animals and goods.

12 Then they brought the captives, the animals, and the goods back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the Israelites. Their camp was on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the people went outside the camp to meet them.

14 Moses was angry with the army officers, the commanders over a thousand men, and those over a hundred men, who returned from war.

15 He asked them, "Why did you let the women live?

16 They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and turned the Israelites from the Lord at Peor. Then a terrible sickness struck the Lord's people.

17 Kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations.

18 But save for yourselves the girls who have not had sexual relations with a man.

19 "All you men who killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days you and your captives must make yourselves clean.

20 You must clean all your clothes and anything made of leather, goat hair, or wood."

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, "These are the teachings that the Lord gave to Moses:

22 Put any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead --

23 anything that will not burn -- into the fire, and then it will be clean. But also purify those things with the cleansing water. Then they will be clean. If something cannot stand the fire, wash it with the water.

24 On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may come into the camp."

25 The Lord said to Moses,

26 "You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the family groups should take a count of the goods, the men, and the animals that were taken.

27 Then divide those possessions between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the people.

28 From the soldiers who went to war, take a tax for the Lord of one item out of every five hundred. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.

29 Take it from the soldiers' half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord's share.

30 And from the people's half, take one item out of every fifty. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals. Give that to the Levites, who take care of the Lord's Holy Tent."

31 So Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses.

32 There remained from what the soldiers had taken 675,000 sheep, 3372,000 cattle, 3461,000 donkeys,

35 and 32,000 women who had not had sexual relations with a man.

36 The soldiers who went to war got 337,000 sheep,

37 and they gave 675 of them to the Lord.

38 They got 36,000 cattle, and they gave 72 of them to the Lord.

39 They got 30,500 donkeys, and they gave 61 of them to the Lord.

40 They got 16,000 people, and they gave 32 of them to the Lord.

41 Moses gave the Lord's share to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord had commanded him.

42 Moses separated the people's half from the soldiers' half.

43 The people got 337,500 sheep, 4436,000 cattle, 4530,500 donkeys,

46 and 16,000 people.

47 From the people's half Moses took one item out of every fifty for the Lord. This included the animals and the people. Then he gave them to the Levites, who took care of the Lord's Holy Tent. This was what the Lord had commanded Moses.

48 Then the officers of the army, the commanders of a thousand men and commanders of a hundred men, came to Moses.

49 They told Moses, "We, your servants, have counted our soldiers under our command, and not one of them is missing.

50 So we have brought the Lord a gift of the gold things that each of us found: arm bands, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces. These are to remove our sins so we will belong to the Lord."

51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, which had been made into all kinds of objects.

52 The commanders of a thousand men and the commanders of a hundred men gave the Lord the gold, and all of it together weighed about 420 pounds;

53 each soldier had taken something for himself.

54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of a thousand men and the commanders of a hundred men. Then they put it in the Meeting Tent as a memorial before the Lord for the people of Israel.

Numbers 32

1 The people of Reuben and Gad had large flocks and herds. When they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were good for the animals,

2 they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the people.

4 They said, "We, your servants, have flocks and herds. The Lord has captured for the Israelites a land that is good for animals -- the land around Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon.

5 If it pleases you, we would like this land to be given to us. Don't make us cross the Jordan River."

6 Moses told the people of Gad and Reuben, "Shall your brothers go to war while you stay behind?

7 You will discourage the Israelites from going over to the land the Lord has given them.

8 Your ancestors did the same thing. I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look at the land.

9 They went as far as the Valley of Eshcol, and when they saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from going into the land the Lord had given them.

10 The Lord became very angry that day and made this promise:

11 'None of the people who came from Egypt and who are twenty years old or older will see the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These people have not followed me completely.

12 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun followed the Lord completely.'

13 "The Lord was angry with Israel, so he made them wander in the desert for forty years. Finally all the people who had sinned against the Lord died,

14 and now you are acting just like your ancestors! You sinful people are making the Lord even more angry with Israel.

15 If you quit following him, it will add to their stay in the desert, and you will destroy all these people."

16 Then the Reubenites and Gadites came up to Moses and said, "We will build pens for our animals and cities for our children here.

17 Then our children will be in strong, walled cities, safe from the people who live in this land. Then we will prepare for war. We will help the other Israelites get their land,

18 and we will not return home until every Israelite has received his land.

19 We won't take any of the land west of the Jordan River; our part of the land is east of the Jordan."

20 So Moses told them, "You must do these things. You must go before the Lord into battle

21 and cross the Jordan River armed, until the Lord forces out the enemy.

22 After the Lord helps us take the land, you may return home. You will have done your duty to the Lord and Israel, and you may have this land as your own.

23 "But if you don't do these things, you will be sinning against the Lord; know for sure that you will be punished for your sin.

24 Build cities for your children and pens for your animals, but then you must do what you promised."

25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, "We are your servants, and we will do what you, our master, command.

26 Our children, wives, and all our cattle will stay in the cities of Gilead,

27 but we, your servants, will prepare for battle. We will go over and fight for the Lord, as you, our master, have said."

28 So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

29 Moses said to them, "If the Gadites and Reubenites prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you, to go before the Lord and help you take the land, give them the land of Gilead for their own.

30 But if they do not go over armed, they will not receive it; their land will be in Canaan with you."

31 The Gadites and Reubenites answered, "We are your servants, and we will do as the Lord said.

32 We will cross over into Canaan and go before the Lord ready for battle. But our land will be east of the Jordan River."

33 So Moses gave that land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh. (Manasseh was Joseph's son.) That land had been the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, as well as all the cities and the land around them.

34 The Gadites rebuilt the cities of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran. These were strong, walled cities. And they built sheep pens.

37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

38 Nebo, Baal Meon, and Sibmah. They renamed Nebo and Baal Meon when they rebuilt them.

39 The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went and captured Gilead and forced out the Amorites who were there.

40 So Moses gave Gilead to the family of Makir son of Manasseh, and they settled there.

41 Jair son of Manasseh went out and captured the small towns there, and he called them the Towns of Jair.

42 Nobah went and captured Kenath and the small towns around it; then he named it Nobah after himself.

Numbers 31; Numbers 32

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Numbers 31

Numbers 32