1 O Senhor disse a Moisés: 2 "Vingue-se dos midianitas pelo que fizeram aos israelitas. Depois disso, você morrerá e será reunido a seus antepassados".

3 Então Moisés disse ao povo: "Escolham e armem alguns homens para lutarem na vingança do Senhor contra Midiã. 4 De cada tribo de Israel, enviem mil homens para a batalha". 5 Assim, escolheram mil homens de cada tribo de Israel, no total de doze mil homens armados para guerrear. 6 Moisés enviou mil homens de cada tribo, sob o comando de Fineias, filho do sacerdote Eleazar. Fineias levou consigo os objetos sagrados e as trombetas para dar a ordem de ataque. 7 Atacaram Midiã, como o Senhor havia ordenado a Moisés, e mataram todos os homens. 8 Os cinco reis midianitas morreram na batalha: Evi, Requém, Zur, Hur e Reba. Também mataram à espada Balaão, filho de Beor.

9 Os israelitas capturaram as mulheres e as crianças midianitas e tomaram como despojo o gado, os rebanhos e toda a riqueza deles. 10 Queimaram todas as cidades e acampamentos onde os midianitas moravam. 11 Depois de juntarem todos os despojos, tanto os prisioneiros como os animais, 12 trouxeram tudo a Moisés, ao sacerdote Eleazar e a toda a comunidade de Israel, que estava acampada nas campinas de Moabe, junto ao rio Jordão, do lado oposto de Jericó. 13 Moisés, o sacerdote Eleazar e todos os líderes da comunidade saíram ao encontro deles fora do acampamento. 14 Moisés, porém, se enfureceu com os generais e os capitães que voltaram da batalha.

15 "Por que deixaram viver todas as mulheres?", perguntou ele. 16 "Foram justamente elas que seguiram o conselho de Balaão e fizeram os israelitas se rebelarem contra o Senhor no incidente em Peor. Foi por causa delas que uma praga feriu o povo do Senhor. 17 Agora, matem todos os meninos e todas as mulheres que tiveram relações sexuais com algum homem. 18 Deixem viver somente as meninas virgens; tragam-nas para viver entre vocês. 19 E todos que tiverem matado alguém ou tocado em algum cadáver ficarão fora do acampamento por sete dias. Purifiquem a si mesmos e às prisioneiras no terceiro e no sétimo dia. 20 Purifiquem também todas as roupas e todos os objetos de couro, pelo de cabra ou madeira."

21 Então o sacerdote Eleazar disse aos homens que participaram da batalha: "O Senhor deu a Moisés as seguintes prescrições legais: 22 Tudo que for feito de ouro, prata, bronze, ferro, estanho e chumbo, 23 ou seja, tudo que resiste ao fogo, será passado pelo fogo para se tornar cerimonialmente puro. Em seguida, esses objetos de metal serão purificados com a água da purificação. Mas tudo que não resistir ao fogo será purificado somente com água. 24 No sétimo dia, lavem as roupas e vocês estarão purificados. Então poderão voltar ao acampamento".

25 O Senhor também disse a Moisés: 26 "Você, o sacerdote Eleazar e os chefes das famílias de cada tribo farão uma lista de todos os despojos tomados na batalha, tanto das pessoas como dos animais. 27 Dividirão o despojo em duas partes e entregarão metade para os homens que lutaram na batalha e metade para o restante do povo. 28 Da metade que pertence ao exército, entreguem primeiro um tributo que cabe ao Senhor, um de cada quinhentos, tanto das pessoas como do gado, dos jumentos e das ovelhas. 29 Entreguem essa porção tirada da parte do exército ao sacerdote Eleazar como oferta ao Senhor. 30 Da metade que pertence aos israelitas, separem um de cada cinquenta, tanto das pessoas como do gado, dos jumentos, das ovelhas e dos outros animais. Entreguem essa porção aos levitas, que estão encarregados de cuidar do tabernáculo do Senhor". 31 Moisés e o sacerdote Eleazar fizeram conforme o Senhor ordenou a Moisés.

32 O despojo restante de tudo que os soldados haviam tomado totalizou 675.000 ovelhas, 33 72.000 cabeças de gado, 34 61.000 jumentos 35 e 32.000 virgens.

36 Metade do despojo foi entregue aos homens que participaram da batalha. Essa parte totalizou 337.500 ovelhas, 37 das quais 675 eram o tributo ao Senhor; 38 36.000 cabeças de gado, das quais 72 eram o tributo ao Senhor; 39 30.500 jumentos, dos quais 61 eram o tributo ao Senhor; 40 e 16.000 virgens, das quais 32 eram o tributo ao Senhor. 41 Moisés entregou ao sacerdote Eleazar o tributo que cabia ao Senhor como oferta movida, conforme o Senhor havia ordenado.

42 Metade do despojo pertencia aos israelitas, e Moisés a separou da metade que pertencia aos homens que lutaram. 43 A parte dos israelitas totalizou 337.500 ovelhas, 44 36.000 cabeças de gado, 45 30.500 jumentos 46 e 16.000 virgens. 47 Da metade entregue ao povo, Moisés separou um de cada cinquenta, tanto das pessoas como dos animais, e entregou aos levitas encarregados de cuidar do tabernáculo do Senhor. Tudo foi feito conforme o Senhor havia ordenado a Moisés.

48 Então os generais e os capitães foram a Moisés 49 e disseram: "Nós, seus servos, contamos todos os homens que saíram para a batalha sob o nosso comando; nenhum de nós está faltando! 50 Por isso, de nossa parte do despojo, apresentamos os objetos de ouro como oferta ao Senhor: braceletes, pulseiras, anéis, brincos e colares. A oferta fará expiação por nós diante do Senhor".

51 Moisés e o sacerdote Eleazar receberam deles as joias e os objetos artesanais de ouro. 52 Ao todo, o ouro que os generais e os capitães apresentaram como oferta ao Senhor pesava por volta de duzentos quilos. 53 Todos os homens que participaram da batalha tomaram para si uma parte do despojo. 54 Moisés e o sacerdote Eleazar aceitaram as ofertas dos generais e dos capitães e levaram o ouro para a tenda do encontro como recordação para que o Senhor se lembrasse dos israelitas.

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."

3 Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh’s vengeance on Midian. 4 You shall send one thousand out of every tribe, throughout all the tribes of Israel, to the war." 5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war with 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 They fought against Midian, as Yahweh commanded Moses. They killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9 The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods, they took as plunder. 10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire. 11 They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal. 12 They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho. 13 Moses and Eleazar the priest, with all the princes of the congregation, went out to meet them outside of the camp. 14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war. 15 Moses said to them, "Have you saved all the women alive? 16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass 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 who has known man by lying with him. 18 But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

19 "Encamp outside of the camp for 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 You shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood."

21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses. 22 However the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23 everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity. All that doesn’t withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water. 24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp."

25 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 26 "Count the plunder that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation; 27 and divide the plunder into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. 28 Levy a tribute to Yahweh of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred; of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks. 29 Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for Yahweh’s wave offering. 30 Of the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of Yahweh’s tabernacle."

31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh commanded Moses.

32 Now the plunder, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep, 33 seventy-two thousand head of cattle, 34 sixty-one thousand donkeys, 35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him. 36 The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep; 37 and Yahweh’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five. 38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which Yahweh’s tribute was seventy-two. 39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which Yahweh’s tribute was sixty-one. 40 The persons were sixteen thousand, of whom Yahweh’s tribute was thirty-two persons. 41 Moses gave the tribute, which was Yahweh’s wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 42 Of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses divided off from the men who fought 43 (now the congregation’s half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep, 44 thirty-six thousand head of cattle, 45 thirty thousand five hundred donkeys, 46 and sixteen thousand persons), 47 even of the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of Yahweh’s tabernacle, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

48 The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses. 49 They said to Moses, "Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us. 50 We have brought Yahweh’s offering, what every man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before Yahweh."

51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold, even all worked jewels. 52 All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to Yahweh, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels. 53 The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself. 54 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 children of Israel before Yahweh.