The Wilderness Years

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah.

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

But all the women-children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

And encamp ye without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, ye and your captives.

And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood, ye shall purify yourselves.

And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war that went to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded Moses:

howbeit the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

everything that may abide the fire, ye shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make to go through the water.

And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean; and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation;

and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, that went out to battle, and all the congregation.

And levy a tribute unto Jehovah of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the oxen, and of the asses, and of the flocks:

take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for Jehovah’s heave-offering.

And of the children of Israel’s half, thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the oxen, of the asses, and of the flocks, even of all the cattle, and give them unto the Levites, that keep the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah.

And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

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,

and threescore and twelve thousand oxen,

and threescore and one thousand asses,

and thirty and two thousand persons in all, of the women that had not known man by lying with him.

And the half, which was the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep:

and Jehovah’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen.

And the oxen were thirty and six thousand; of which Jehovah’s tribute was threescore and twelve.

And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which Jehovah’s tribute was threescore and one.

And the persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Jehovah’s tribute was thirty and two persons.