The Wilderness Years

Moshe gave the tribute set apart for ADONAI to El'azar the cohen, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

From the half that went to people of Isra'el, which Moshe separated from that of the men who had gone to fight -

now the community's half consisted of 337,500 sheep,

36,000 cattle,

30,500 donkeys

and 16,000 persons -

from the people of Isra'el's half, Moshe took one-fiftieth of the persons and animals and gave them to the L'vi'im taking care of the tabernacle of ADONAI, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

The officers in charge of the thousands who fought, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, approached Moshe

and said to him, "Your servants have counted all the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.

We have brought an offering for ADONAI, what every man has obtained in the way of gold jewelry -armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and belts -to make atonement for ourselves before ADONAI."

Moshe and El'azar the cohen accepted their gold, all the jewelry.

All the gold in this gift which the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds set apart for ADONAI weighed 420 pounds.

For the soldiers had taken booty, every man for himself.

Moshe and El'azar the cohen took the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a reminder for the people of Isra'el before ADONAI.

The descendants of Re'uven and the descendants of Gad had vast quantities of livestock. When they saw that the land of Ya'zer and the land of Gil'ad were good for livestock,

the descendants of Gad and of Re'uven came and spoke to Moshe, El'azar the cohen and the community leaders. They said,

"'Atarot, Divon, Ya'zer, Nimrah, Heshbon, El'aleh, S'vam, N'vo and Be'on,

the country that ADONAI conquered before the community of Isra'el, is livestock country; and your servants have livestock.

If you regard us favorably," they went on, "let this land be given to your servants as their possession; and don't have us cross the Yarden."

Moshe answered the descendants of Gad and of Re'uven: "Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here?

Besides, why are you trying to discourage the people of Isra'el from crossing into the land ADONAI gave them?

This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land.

For when they went up to the Eshkol Valley and saw the land, they disheartened the people of Isra'el, so that they wouldn't enter the land ADONAI had given them.

ADONAI's anger blazed up on that day; and he swore,

'None of the people aged twenty or more who came out of Egypt will see the land I swore to Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov; because they haven't followed me unreservedly -