Study Desk

So Moses spoke to the people, “Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Midian to inflict the Lord’s vengeance on them.

So one thousand were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands in Israel—twelve thousand equipped for war.

but keep alive for yourselves all the young females who have not gone to bed with a man.

“You are to remain outside the camp for seven days. All of you and your prisoners who have killed a person or touched the dead are to purify yourselves on the third day and the seventh day.

Set aside a tribute for the Lord from what belongs to the fighting men who went out to war: one out of every five hundred people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

The half portion for those who went out to war numbered:

Moses gave the tribute to the priest Eleazar as a contribution for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

So we have presented to the Lord an offering of the gold articles each man found—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”

Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.

Moses and the priest Eleazar 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.

The Reubenites and Gadites had a very large number of livestock. When they surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, they saw that the region was a good one for livestock.

which the Lord struck down before the community of Israel, is good land for livestock, and your servants own livestock.”

Then they approached him and said, “We want to build sheep pens here for our livestock and cities for our dependents.

Moses replied to them, “If you do this—if you arm yourselves for battle before the Lord,

Build cities for your dependents and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

but your servants are equipped for war before the Lord and will go across to the battle as my lord orders.”

At the Lord’s command, Moses wrote down the starting points for the stages of their journey; these are the stages listed by their starting points:

Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying every firstborn male the Lord had struck down among them, for the Lord had executed judgment against their gods.

They traveled from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

You are to receive the land as an inheritance by lot according to your clans. Increase the inheritance for a large clan and decrease it for a small one. Whatever place the lot indicates for someone will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to your ancestral tribes.