1 Então o Senhor falou assim a Moisés:
2 Castiga os midianitas por terem levado à idolatria o povo de Israel. Depois disso terás de morrer - serás recolhido para junto dos teus.
3 Moisés disse ao povo: Armem-se alguns de vocês e preparem-se para travar uma guerra de Jeová contra os midianitas para os castigar. Mobilizem mil homens de cada tribo. E assim foi feito. Foram alistadas doze mil soldados de Israel, os quais Moisés mandou para a batalha. Finéias, filho de Eleazar o sacerdote, foi quem conduziu esse exército; e os objectos sagrados acompanharam-nos, ao mesmo tempo que iam tocando as trombetas.
7 E o resultado foi que todos os homens midianitas foram mortos nesse combate. Entre eles estavam os cinco reis midianitas: Evi, Requem, Zur, Hur e Reba. Também Balaão, filho de Beor, foi morto.
9 Israel trouxe como cativos as mulheres e as crianças, e apoderou-se do gado e dos rebanhos deles, assim como de muita coisa variada que saquearam. Todas as povoações, cidades e aldeias foram incendiadas. Os cativos e a presa tomada foram trazidos a Moisés e a Eleazar, sacerdote, à vista de todo o povo de Israel, que estava acampado nas margens do Jordão nas planícies de Moabe, em frente a Jericó. Moisés e o sacerdote Eleazar, acompanhados de todos os chefes do povo, vieram fora do arraial ao encontro daquela tropa vitoriosa; mas aconteceu que Moisés ficou muito irado contra os oficiais do exército e os comandantes dos batalhões.
15 Porque é que deixaram vivas as mulheres?, perguntou. Estas são precisamente as que, seguindo as indicações de Balaão, fizeram com que o povo de Israel adorasse os ídolos, no monte Peor, e provocaram assim aquela praga que nos destruíu! Então, matem agora todos os rapazes, e também todas as mulheres que já alguma vez se tenham deitado com um homem; as restantes deixem-nas em vida e podem levá-las convosco. Todos os que mataram alguém ou que tenham tocado num corpo morto deverão ficar fora do acampamento durante sete dias, purificando-se a si e às cativas no terceiro e no sétimo dia. Lembrem-se também de purificar as vossas roupas e tudo o que seja feito de pele de animal ou de pêlo de cabra, assim como os recipientes de madeira.
21 Eleazar, sacerdote, disse para os homens que tinham combatido: Este é o regulamento que Jeová deu a Moisés: tudo o que possa suportar o fogo, tal como ouro, prata, bronze, estanho ou chumbo, deverá ser passado pelo lume, a fim de ficar ritualmente puro; além disso deve ser purificado pela água de purificação. No entanto aquilo que não suportar o calor passará apenas pela água.
24 No sétimo dia lavarão os seus fatos e purificar-se-ão; só depois poderão regressar ao acampamento.
25 O Senhor disse a Moisés:
26 Tu e o sacerdote Eleazar, mais os líderes das tribos, deverão fazer uma lista de tudo o que foi saqueado, incluindo gente e animais; depois repartam em duas partes. Metade ficará para os homens que combateram e a outra metade será dada ao povo de Israel.
28 Da metade que pertence aos homens que combateram terão de dar um tributo ao Senhor; consistirá de um em cada quinhentos, tanto dos cativos, como dos bois, dos burros e dos rebanhos capturados pelo exército. Dêem este tributo a Eleazar, o sacerdote, para que apresente ao Senhor com um gesto próprio de oferta em frente do altar. Levantem igualmente um tributo, da metade que pertence ao povo, de um em cada cinquenta também dos prisioneiros, dos rebanhos e do resto do gado, que for dado ao povo de Israel, e apresentem-no aos levitas, que têm o cargo do tabernáculo. Será a parte que lhes pertence.
31 Moisés e Eleazar fizeram conforme o Senhor lhes mandou.
32 O total da presa tomada aos midianitas - além da parte dada aos que combateram - foi de 675.000 ovelhas, 72.000 bois, 61.000 burros; as raparigas cativas foram 32.000.
41 Tudo o que era para o Senhor foi dado a Eleazar o sacerdote, tal como Jeová mandara.
47 De acordo com a vontade do Senhor, Moisés entregou um por cada cinquenta destes aos levitas.
48 Os oficiais e o comandantes de batalhão vieram até Moisés e disseram-lhe: Fizemos a chamada de todos os que tinham partido a combater e verificámos que não se perdeu um só deles! Por isso trouxemos aqui uma oferta especial de gratidão ao Senhor, tomada do que recebemos - ouro, jóias, pulseiras, colares, anéis, brincos, arrecadas. Isto é para fazer expiação pelas nossas almas perante o Senhor.
51 Moisés e Eleazar o sacerdote receberam esta oferta especial, da parte dos oficiais e comandantes, tendo estimado o valor total de tudo aquilo em 190 quilos de ouro. Os soldados tinham ficado também com parte do saque para eles. A oferta foi levada para o tabernáculo e conservada perante o Senhor como memorial para 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.