| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: | 1And the LORD said to Moses, |
| 2“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” | 2“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will 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. | 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. |
| 4A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war.” | 4Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.” |
| 5So there were recruited from the divisions of Israel one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. | 5So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—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. | 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. |
| 7And they warred against the Midianites, just as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed all the males. | 7Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods. |
| 10They also burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their forts. | 10Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments, |
| 11And they took all the spoil and all the booty—of man and beast. | 11and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals. |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | 14But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle. |
| 15And Moses said to them: “Have you kept all the women alive? | 15“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 17Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. | 17So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man, |
| 18But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately. | 18but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 20Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.” | 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 men of war who had gone to the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: | 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, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, | 22Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and 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. | 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. |
| 24And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.” | 24On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.” |
| 25Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: | 25The LORD said to Moses, |
| 26“Count up the plunder that was taken—of man and beast—you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation; | 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. |
| 27and divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. | 27Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation. |
| 28And levy a tribute for the LORD on the men of war who went out to battle: one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep; | 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 a heave offering to the LORD. | 29Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD. |
| 30And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one of every fifty, drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of 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 commanded Moses. | 31So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses, |
| 32The booty remaining from the plunder, which the men of war had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep, | 32and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep, |
| 33seventy-two thousand cattle, | 3372,000 cattle, |
| 34sixty-one thousand donkeys, | 3461,000 donkeys, |
| 35and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of women who had not known a man intimately. | 35and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man. |
| 36And the half, the portion for those who had gone out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep; | 36This was the half portion for those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep, |
| 37and the LORD’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five. | 37including a tribute to the LORD of 675, |
| 38The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was seventy-two. | 3836,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72, |
| 39The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the LORD’s tribute was sixty-one. | 3930,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61, |
| 40The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the LORD’s tribute was thirty-two persons. | 40and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32. |
| 41So Moses gave the tribute which was the LORD’s heave offering to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses. | 41Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. |
| 42And from the children of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who fought— | 42From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war, |
| 43now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, | 43this half belonged to the congregation: 337,500 sheep, |
| 44thirty-six thousand cattle, | 4436,000 cattle, |
| 45thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, | 4530,500 donkeys, |
| 46and sixteen thousand persons— | 46and 16,000 people. |
| 47and from the children of Israel’s half Moses took one of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. | 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 thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses; | 48Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses |
| 49and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a count of the men of war who are under our command, and not a man of us is missing. | 49and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing. |
| 50Therefore we have brought an offering for the LORD, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.” | 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 the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments. | 51So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold. |
| 52And all the gold of the offering that they offered to the LORD, from the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. | 52All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels. |
| 53(The men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.) | 53Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself. |
| 54And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of meeting as a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD. | 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. |
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