Numbers
Chapter 31
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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.
1God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. spoke to Moses, saying,
2Take the vengeance of the sons of Israel on the Midianites. After that you shall be gathered to your people.
3Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm men from among you for the army, and let them be against Midian, to give God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.’s vengeance on Midian.
4You shall send to the army a thousand for a tribe, a thousand for a tribe, for all the tribes of Israel.
5From the thousands of Israel a thousand for a tribe were handed over, twelve thousand armed for the army.
6Moses sent them, a thousand for a tribe, to the army, them and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, to the army, with the holy vessels and the trumpets for the blast in his hand.
7They warred against Midian, as God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
8They killed the kings of Midian, along with their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And Balaam son of Beor they killed with the sword.
9The sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and all their animals, and all their livestock, and all their wealth they plundered.
10All their cities in their settlements, and all their encampments, they burned with fire.
11They took all the spoil and all the captured goods, of human and of animal,
12and they brought the captives, the captured goods, and the spoil to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp, to the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan of Jericho.
13Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went out to meet them, outside the camp.
14Moses was angry with the officers of the force, the chiefs of the thousands and the chiefs of the hundreds, who came from the army of the war.
15Moses said to them, Have you let every female live?
16Look, these were the ones, for the sons of Israel, by the word of Balaam, to commit a breach against God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. in the matter of Peor, and the plague was in God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.’s congregation.
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- Translation
Bidvar Bilam is by the word of Balaam. The verse names that word as the occasion of the breach at Peor. No speech is added beyond this line. Ma’al is a breach of trust.
17Now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by lying with a male.
18But every little one among the women who has not known lying with a male, keep alive for yourselves.
19And you, camp outside the camp seven days. Everyone who killed a person, and everyone who touched the slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives.
20Every garment, every article of skin, every work of goats’ hair, and every article of wood, you shall purify.
21Eleazar the priest said to the men of the army who came to the war, This is the A rule that is meant to last. of the instruction that God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. commanded Moses.
22Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23everything that can go into the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Yet it shall be purified with the water of separation. Everything that cannot go into the fire you shall pass through the water.
24You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and after that you may come into the camp.
25God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. said to Moses, saying,
26Lift the head of the captured goods, of the captives, human and animal, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers of the congregation.
27Divide the captured goods in half, between those who took hold of the war, who went out to the army, and the whole congregation.
28Raise a levy for God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. from the men of war who went out to the army, one life out of five hundred, from the humans, from the cattle, from the donkeys, and from the flock.
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- Translation
Mekes is a levy, a portion lifted off. One out of five hundred is the rate for the men who went out. The other half, in verse 30, is one out of fifty. Both rates are printed.
29From their half you shall take it, and you shall give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary..
30From the half of the sons of Israel you shall take one seized out of fifty, from the humans, from the cattle, from the donkeys, and from the flock, from all the animals, and you shall give them to the Levites who keep the watch of the dwelling of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary..
31Moses and Eleazar the priest did as God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. commanded Moses.
32The captured goods, the remainder of the plunder that the people of the army had plundered, were: of the flock, six hundred seventy-five thousand,
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- Translation
The Hebrew writes six hundred thousand, and seventy thousand, and five thousand. Elef is a thousand. The number is not rounded, and it is not checked against the halves in order to change them.
33and of the cattle, seventy-two thousand,
34and of the donkeys, sixty-one thousand,
35and of human persons, from the women who had not known lying with a male, every person, thirty-two thousand.
36The half, the share of those who went out in the army, was: the number of the flock, three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred,
37and the levy for God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. from the flock was six hundred seventy-five,
38and the cattle, thirty-six thousand, and their levy for God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., seventy-two,
39and the donkeys, thirty thousand five hundred, and their levy for God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., sixty-one,
40and the human persons, sixteen thousand, and their levy for God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., thirty-two persons.
41Moses gave the levy, the contribution of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., to Eleazar the priest, as God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. commanded Moses.
42From the half of the sons of Israel, which Moses divided from the men who went out to war,
43the congregation’s half of the flock was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred,
44and the cattle, thirty-six thousand,
45and the donkeys, thirty thousand five hundred,
46and the human persons, sixteen thousand.
47Moses took from the half of the sons of Israel the one seized out of fifty, of human and of animal, and gave them to the Levites who keep the watch of the dwelling of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., as God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. commanded Moses.
48The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the chiefs of the thousands and the chiefs of the hundreds, came near to Moses.
49They said to Moses, Your servants have lifted the head of the men of war who were in our charge, and not a man of us is missing.
50We have brought God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.’s A gift brought close to God., each man what he found of gold articles: an armlet, a bracelet, a ring, an earring, and a kumaz, to make Making someone right with God after a wrong. for our persons before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary..
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- Translation
Etz’adah is an armlet. Tzamid is a bracelet. Tabba’at is a ring. Agil is an earring. Kumaz is a gold article whose shape this copy does not describe. No shape is invented for it.
51Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, every worked article.
52All the gold of the contribution that they raised to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty Weights of silver used as money., from the chiefs of the thousands and from the chiefs of the hundreds.
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- Translation
The shekels are the weight as written. They are not converted.
53The men of the army had plundered, each man for himself.
54Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the chiefs of the thousands and of the hundreds and brought it to the tent of meeting, a reminder for the sons of Israel before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary..