Numbers 31-33

1And the LORD said to Moses,

2“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

3So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them.

4Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”

5So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.

6And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

7Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.

8Among the slain 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 their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.

10Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,

11and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.

12They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on 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—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle.

15“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.

16“Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD.

17So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man,

18but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.

19All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives.

20And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”

21Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:

22Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—

23everything that can withstand the fire—must be put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must still be purified with the water of purification. And everything that cannot withstand the fire must pass through the water.

24On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

25The LORD said to Moses,

26“You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast.

27Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.

28Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.

29Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.

30From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”

31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses,

32and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,

3372,000 cattle,

3461,000 donkeys,

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

36This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,

37including a tribute to the LORD of 675,

3836,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,

3930,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,

40and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.

41Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

42From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war,

43this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep,

4436,000 cattle,

4530,500 donkeys,

46and 16,000 people.

47From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.

48Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses

49and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.

50So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”

51So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.

52All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels.

53Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.

54And 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.

1Now the Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, and they saw that the region was suitable for livestock.

2So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said,

3“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,

4which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your servants have livestock.”

5“If we have found favor in your sight,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

6But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?

7Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given them?

8This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.

9For when your fathers went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land that the LORD had given them.

10So the anger of the LORD was kindled that day, and He swore an oath, saying,

11‘Because they did not follow Me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years of age or older who came out of Egypt will see the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—

12not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun—because they did follow the LORD wholeheartedly.’

13The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation who had done evil in His sight was gone.

14Now behold, you, a brood of sinners, have risen up in place of your fathers to further stoke the burning anger of the LORD against Israel.

15For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”

16Then the Gadites and Reubenites approached Moses and said, “We want to build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our little ones.

17But we will arm ourselves and be ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Meanwhile, our little ones will remain in the fortified cities for protection from the inhabitants of the land.

18We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has taken possession of his inheritance.

19Yet we will not have an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”

20Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle,

21and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him,

22then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD.

23But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out.

24Build cities for your little ones and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

25The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do just as our lord commands.

26Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of Gilead.

27But your servants are equipped for war, and every man will cross over to the battle before the LORD, just as our lord says.”

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

29And Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, with every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession.

30But if they do not arm themselves and go across with you, then they must accept their possession among you in the land of Canaan.”

31The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “As the LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do.

32We will cross over into the land of Canaan armed before the LORD, that we may have our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.”

33So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.

34And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

35Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,

36Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and they built folds for their flocks.

37The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,

38as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the cities they rebuilt.

39The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there.

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

41Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair.

42And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.

1These are the journeys of the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

2At the LORD’s command, Moses recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed by their starting points:

3On the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover, the Israelites set out from Rameses. They marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians,

4who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had executed judgment against their gods.

5The Israelites set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth.

6They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.

7They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped near Migdol.

8They set out from Pi-hahiroth and crossed through the sea, into the wilderness, and they journeyed three days into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.

9They set out from Marah and came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

10They set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

11They set out from the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.

12They set out from the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

13They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush.

14They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

15They set out from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai.

16They set out from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

17They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

18They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

19They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.

20They set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

21They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.

22They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

23They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

24They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

25They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

26They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

27They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.

28They set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah.

29They set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

30They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

31They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.

32They set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.

33They set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

34They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

35They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.

36They set out from Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.

37They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the outskirts of the land of Edom.

38At the LORD’s command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt.

39Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40Now the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.

41And the Israelites set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

42They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

43They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth.

44They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.

45They set out from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad.

46They set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.

47They set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim facing Nebo.

48They set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

49And there on the plains of Moab they camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.

50On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,

51“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

52you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

53You are to take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.

54And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers.

55But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.

56And then I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”