1 O Senhor Deus disse a Moisés:
2 — Mande que os israelitas se vinguem do mal que os midianitas lhes fizeram. Depois disso você vai morrer.
3 Então Moisés disse ao povo:
— Preparem homens para a batalha, ataquem os midianitas e se vinguem deles pelo que fizeram contra Deus, o Senhor. 4 Cada tribo deve mandar mil soldados para esta guerra.
5 Assim, dos milhares de israelitas foram mandados de cada tribo mil soldados armados, doze mil ao todo. 6 Moisés mandou esses soldados para a batalha, debaixo do comando de Fineias, filho do sacerdote Eleazar, que levou também os objetos sagrados e as cornetas para dar os sinais. 7 Eles atacaram os midianitas, como o Senhor havia ordenado a Moisés, e mataram todos os homens. 8 Entre os mortos estavam Evi, Requém, Zur, Hur e Reba, os cinco reis midianitas. Também mataram à espada Balaão, filho de Beor.
9 Os israelitas levaram presas as mulheres e as crianças dos midianitas. Pegaram também as suas ovelhas e cabras, o seu gado e todos os seus bens. 10 Incendiaram todas as cidades onde os midianitas moravam e queimaram todos os acampamentos. 11 Eles pegaram o que haviam tomado dos midianitas e também os prisioneiros e os animais 12 e levaram tudo a Moisés, ao sacerdote Eleazar e ao povo de Israel, que estavam acampados nas planícies de Moabe, perto do rio Jordão, na altura de Jericó, que ficava no outro lado do rio.
13 Moisés, o sacerdote Eleazar e todas as autoridades do povo saíram do acampamento e foram ao encontro do exército. 14 Moisés ficou muito zangado com os oficiais que haviam voltado da batalha, isto é, os comandantes dos batalhões e das companhias. 15 Moisés perguntou:
— Por que vocês deixaram vivas todas as mulheres? 16 Lembrem que foram as mulheres que, seguindo os conselhos de Balaão, fizeram com que os israelitas fossem infiéis a Deus, o Senhor, adorando o deus Baal-Peor. Foi por isso que houve uma epidemia no meio do povo de Deus. 17 Agora matem todos os meninos e todas as mulheres que não forem virgens. 18 Mas deixem viver todas as meninas e as moças que forem virgens; elas pertencem a vocês. 19 Agora todos os que tiverem matado alguém ou que tiverem tocado em algum morto devem ficar fora do acampamento sete dias. No terceiro dia e no sétimo, vocês e as prisioneiras devem se purificar. 20 Purifiquem também todas as roupas, todos os objetos feitos de couro, tudo o que é feito de pelos de cabra e tudo o que é feito de madeira.
21 Então o sacerdote Eleazar disse aos homens que tinham voltado da batalha:
— A lei que o Senhor Deus ordenou a Moisés é esta: 22,23 Tudo o que o fogo não destrói, como ouro, prata, bronze, ferro, estanho e chumbo, deverá ser purificado pelo fogo. Mas tudo o que o fogo pode destruir será purificado com água. 24 No sétimo dia, para se purificarem, vocês deverão lavar as roupas que estiverem vestindo. Depois disso vocês poderão entrar no acampamento.
25 O Senhor Deus disse a Moisés:
26 — Você, com a ajuda do sacerdote Eleazar e das autoridades do povo, faça uma lista de tudo o que foi tomado na batalha, incluindo as pessoas e os animais. 27 Divida em duas partes iguais o que foi tomado: uma parte para os soldados e a outra para o resto do povo. 28 Da parte que pertence aos soldados que estiveram na batalha, separe um imposto para Deus, o Senhor: uma pessoa de cada quinhentas e a mesma coisa quanto aos bois, jumentos, ovelhas e cabras. 29 Pegue esse imposto e entregue ao sacerdote Eleazar, como oferta ao Senhor. 30 Da parte que pertence ao povo, pegue um de cada cinquenta, tanto de pessoas como de bois, de jumentos, de ovelhas, de cabras e de qualquer outro animal, e dê aos levitas, que cuidam da Tenda do Senhor.
31 Moisés e Eleazar fizeram o que o Senhor havia ordenado.
32-35 Esta é a lista do que foi tomado pelos soldados, sem contar o que eles pegaram para si mesmos: seiscentas e setenta e cinco mil ovelhas e cabras, setenta e dois mil bois e vacas, sessenta e um mil jumentos e trinta e duas mil pessoas. 36-40 A metade que ficou para os soldados foi de trezentas e trinta e sete mil e quinhentas ovelhas e cabras, das quais seiscentas e setenta e cinco foram o imposto para Deus, o Senhor; trinta e seis mil bois e vacas para os soldados, dos quais setenta e dois foram o imposto para o Senhor; trinta mil e quinhentos jumentos para os soldados, dos quais sessenta e um foram o imposto para Deus; e dezesseis mil virgens para os soldados, das quais trinta e duas foram o imposto para Deus. 41 Assim, Moisés deu a Eleazar o imposto como uma oferta especial a Deus, o Senhor, como o Senhor havia ordenado.
42-46 A parte do povo foi igual à parte dos soldados, isto é, trezentas e trinta e sete mil e quinhentas ovelhas e cabras, trinta e seis mil bois e vacas, trinta mil e quinhentos jumentos e dezesseis mil virgens. 47 Como o Senhor havia ordenado, dessa metade que pertencia ao povo, Moisés pegou um de cada cinquenta, tanto de pessoas como de animais, e deu aos levitas, que cuidavam da Tenda Sagrada.
48 Os oficiais do exército, isto é, os comandantes dos batalhões e das companhias, foram falar com Moisés 49 e disseram:
— Contamos os soldados que estão debaixo do nosso comando, e não está faltando nenhum. 50 Assim trouxemos o que cada um pegou: objetos de ouro, correntinhas, pulseiras, anéis, brincos e colares. Nós os oferecemos a Deus, o Senhor, como pagamento pela nossa vida, para que ele nos proteja.
51 Moisés e o sacerdote Eleazar receberam todas essas joias de ouro. 52 O peso total do ouro que foi separado e oferecido a Deus, o Senhor, pelos oficiais foi de cento e noventa e um quilos. 53 Os que não eram oficiais ficaram com as coisas que tiraram dos inimigos. 54 Assim, Moisés e o sacerdote Eleazar receberam o ouro dos oficiais e o levaram para a Tenda Sagrada a fim de que o Senhor protegesse o povo de Israel.
1 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Avenge the sons of Israel of the Midianites: afterward you will be gathered to your people.
3 And Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm{+} men from among you{+} for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh's vengeance on Midian.
4 Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you{+} will send to the war.
5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6 And Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
7 And they warred against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses; and they slew every male.
8 And they slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
9 And the sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.
10 And all their cities in the places in which they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.
11 And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of beast.
12 And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.
13 And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside the camp.
14 And Moses was angry with the officers of the host, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.
15 And Moses said to them, Have you{+} saved all the women alive?
16 Look, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to produce disloyalty against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Yahweh.
17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that has had any sex with a man.
18 But all the women-children, that haven't had any sex with a man, keep alive for yourselves.
19 And encamp{+} outside the camp seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you{+} and your{+} captives.
20 And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' [hair], and all things made of wood, you{+} will purify yourselves.
21 And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses:
22 nevertheless the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23 everything that may go into fire, you{+} will make to go through the fire, and it will be clean; nevertheless it will be purified with the water for impurity: and all that does not go into fire you{+} will make to go through the water.
24 And you{+} will wash your{+} clothes on the seventh day, and you{+} will be clean; and afterward you{+} will come into the camp.
25 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
26 Take the sum of the prey 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 divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation.
28 And levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred of man, and of the oxen, and of the donkeys, and of the flocks:
29 take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh's heave-offering.
30 And of the sons of Israel's half, you will take one drawn out of every fifty, of man, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, [even] of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of Yahweh.
31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.
32 Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep,
33 and threescore and twelve thousand oxen,
34 and threescore and one thousand donkeys,
35 and souls of man, of the women that had not had any sex with a man, thirty and two thousand souls in all.
36 And the half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep:
37 and Yahweh's tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.
38 And the oxen were thirty and six thousand; of which Yahweh's tribute was threescore and twelve.
39 And the donkeys were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which Yahweh's tribute was threescore and one.
40 And the souls of man were sixteen thousand; of whom Yahweh's tribute was thirty and two souls.
41 And Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh's heave-offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
42 And of the sons of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men who warred
43 (now the congregation's half was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand, seven thousand and five hundred sheep,
44 and thirty and six thousand oxen,
45 and thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys,
46 and sixteen thousand souls of man),
47 even of the sons of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them to the Levites, that kept the charge of the tabernacle of Yahweh; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
48 And the officers who were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses;
49 and they said to Moses, Your slaves have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our charge, and there lacks not one man of us.
50 And we have brought Yahweh's oblation, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, earrings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh.
51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels.
52 And all the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.
53 ([For] the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.)
54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the sons of Israel before Yahweh.