Numbers 31–32: The War on Midian, and the Tribes East of the Jordan

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

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

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

Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods. Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments, and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.

They 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. And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle. “Have you spared all the women?” he asked them. “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. So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man, but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.

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

Then 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: Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead— everything 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. On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

The LORD said to Moses, “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. Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.

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

From 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.”

So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses, and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken:

675,000 sheep,
72,000 cattle,
61,000 donkeys,
and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.

This was the half portion for those who had gone to war:

337,500 sheep, including a tribute to the LORD of 675,
36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,
30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,
and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.

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

From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war, this half belonged to the congregation:

337,500 sheep,
36,000 cattle,
30,500 donkeys,
and 16,000 people.

From 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.

Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing. So 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.”

So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold. All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels. Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself. And 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.

Now 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. So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your servants have livestock.”

“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.”

But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here? Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.

For 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. So the anger of the LORD was kindled that day, and he swore an oath, saying, ‘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— not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun—because they did follow the LORD wholeheartedly.’ The 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.

Now 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. For 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.”

Then the Gadites and Reubenites approached Moses and said, “We want to build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our little ones. But 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. We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has taken possession of his inheritance. Yet 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.”

Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until he has driven his enemies out before him, then 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. But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out. Build cities for your little ones and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do just as our lord commands. Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of Gilead. But your servants are equipped for war, and every man will cross over to the battle before the LORD, just as our lord says.”

So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the family leaders of the tribes of Israel. And 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. But if they do not arm themselves and go across with you, then they must accept their possession among you in the land of Canaan.”

The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “As the LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do. We will cross over into the land of Canaan armed before the LORD, that we may have our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.”

So 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.

And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and they built folds for their flocks.

The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the cities they rebuilt.

The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there. Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair. And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.