Kuzwibgwilizila kwe Baiziraela ku Bamidiyani
1 Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, 2 “Bgwilizila Bamidiyani tjabakathama mu Baiziraela, shule kwa ikoku, unowofa.”
3 Ngono Mushe kadwa bathu be Iziraela kati, “Muzwilulwamisile babhayani munogwa ne Bamidiyani, Yahwe babgwilizilile tjabakathamwa ne Bamidiyani. 4 Dusani balume bali tjiwulu tjing'ompela (1 000) mu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe gwe Iziraela bayende ku ngwa.”
5 Ndizo muna bali zwiwulu be Baiziraela kukashalugwa balume bali tjiwulu tjing'ompela (1 000) koga, mu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe, bose bakabe bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina bubili (12 000) bakazwilulwamisila kuyenda ku ngwa. 6 Mushe wakabatumila kungwa bali tjiwulu kudwa mu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe, bakatungamigwa ne mpirisiti Finihasi nkololo wa Eleazari akabhata zwija zwe bugalo gwakayengemala ne lunyanga gunolaula ngwa. 7 Bakagwa ne Bamidiyani Yahwe sekwa bakadwa Mushe, ngono bakabulaya balume bose, 8 bakabulayilanya kose na bomambo babo bashanu Evi na Rekemu na Zuri na Huri na Reba na pezhugwi kwa ibaba bakabulaya na Bhalamu nkololo wa Bheyori nge thumo. 9 Bathu be Iziraela bakatapa bakadzi ne bana be Midiyani, bakazwitolegwa zwithuwo ne thundu yabo yose. 10 Bakapisa mizi mikulu yose mu magalo abakabe baligele ne makotokelo abo wose. 11 Bakatola zose zwakatapiwa zwabakawana nge ngwa, bathu kose ne zwithuwo. 12 Bakazwizhisa kuna Mushe neku mpirisiti Eleazari ne gubungano le Iziraela lakabe lakotokela mu lubala gwe Moabu seli kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani kulingisana ne Jerikho.
Babhayani banoshanduka ku ngwa
13 Mushe ne mpirisiti Eleazari ne batungamili bose be gubungano le bathu be Iziraela bakabhuda bakanobashanganidza kuzhe kwe bukotokelo. 14 Ngono Mushe kazhala bushongola ngekwe balauli be babhayani ne balauli be babhayani be bali zwiwulu ne balauli be babhayani be bali mazana, bakabe babuya ku ngwa. 15 Kababhuzwa kati, “Apa makaletja bakadzi betjila kene? 16 Bonani, Bakadzi ndibo bakateedza gumbuludzo la Bhalamu ku Peori bakathama kuti bathu be Iziraela bathamile Yahwe mbipo. Ngono tjiga tjikazha mu gubungano la Yahwe. 17 Ndizo ngwenu, bulayani bana bose be tjilume, mube mubulaya bakadzi bose bakatongo walilana. 18 Koga muzwisiyile baanadi bose basathu bakawalilana. 19 Mmwe ne mmwe wabulaya nthu ne mmwe ne mmwe wabhata itumbu anokotokela kuzhe kwe bukotokelo kwe mazhuba ali kutendeka. Mu zhuba le butatu ne muzhuba le butendeka, muzwitjenepadze imwi ne bakadzi bamakatapa. 20 Mutjenapadze tjiambalo tjimwe ne tjimwe, ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakathamwa nge ganda ne tjakathamwa nge bukuse gwe mbudzi kene nge lukuni.”
21 Mpirisiti Eleazari kadwa balume bakabe bayenda ku ngwa kati, “Nlayo wakapiwa Mushe ndi Yahwe ndi woyu: 22 Zose zwakathamwa nge golide ne siliva ne phangula ne tshipi ne nge ntodo, 23 nenge tjimwe ne tjimwe tjisingake tjikatshwa mu moto, mutjibabe nge moto, ngono tjowotjenapala. Nenguba kwakajalo, mutjitjenapadze nge vula inotjenapadza. Ne tjingatshwa nge moto, mutjisuke nge vula. 24 Mube musuka zwiambalo zwenyu mu zhuba le butendeka, ngono mowobe matjenapala. Ngono shule kwa ipapo mowodumigwa kungina mu bukotokelo.”
Thubukanyiwa kwe zwakatapiwa
25 Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, 26 “Iwe ne mpirisiti Eleazari ne batungamili be misha mu gubungano, mubale zose zwakatapiwa, bathu kose ne zwithuwo. 27 Mukobanye zwakatapiwa kabili, muzwikobele bakabe bayenda ku ngwa ne gubungano lose. 28 Ngono mutolele Yahwe lukhetho mu babhayani bakabe bayenda ku ngwa, mutole tjing'ompela mu mazana ali mashanu (500) e bathu kene ng'ombe kene madonki kene pkhwizi kene mbudzi. 29 Mutole gwamu le bubili mu gobe labo mupe Eleazari ili tjipo tjinopiwa Yahwe. 30 Mu gobe le bathu be Iziraela, mutole tjing'ompela mu makumi mashanu mamwe ne mamwe e bathu kene ng'ombe kene madonki kene ngubi ye pkhwizi, mu zwithuwo zose, muzwipe Balevi ibo bashingili be bugalo gwa Yahwe.” 31 Mushe na Eleazari bakathama sekwa kadwiwa Mushe ndi Yahwe.
32 Ipapo muna zwakabe zwatapiwa nge babhayani bakabe bayenda ku ngwa kwakasala, pkhwizi dzili zwiwulu zwili mazana ali matathatu ana makumi ali kutendeka ana dzili shanu (675 000) 33 ne ng'ombe dzili zwiwulu zwili makumi ali kutendeka ana mbili (72 000) 34 ne madonki ali zwiwulu zwili makumi matathatu ana ing'ompela (61 000) 35 ne bakadzi bakabe basathu bakawalilana bali zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu ana kubili (32 000). 36 Ngono gwamu lakabe gobe le babhayani bakabe bayenda ku ngwa dzakabe pkhwizi dzili zwiwulu zwili mazana matatu ana makumi matatu ana dzili kutendeka ne mazana mashanu (337 500). 37 Ngono lukhetho gwa Yahwe kwakabe pkhwizi dzili mazana ali matathatu ana makumi ali kutendeka ana dzili shanu (675). 38 Ng'ombe dzakabe dzili zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu ana dzili tathatu (36 000) mudzili lukhetho gwa Yahwe gwakabe guli ng'ombe dzili makumi ali kutendeka ana kubili (72). 39 Madonki akabe ali zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu ana mazana ali mashanu (30 500), muali lukhetho gwa Yahwe gwakabe guli madonki ali makumi ali kutathatu ana kung'ompela (61). 40 Bathu bakabe bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina kutathatu (16 000), mubali bali makumi matatu ana kubili (32) bakabe lukhetho gwa Yahwe. 41 Ngono Mushe katola zwakabe zwili lukhetho gwa Yahwe kazwipa Eleazari Yahwe sekwa bakabe badwa Mushe.
42 Mushe wakatola gwamu muna zwakabe zwili zwe babhayani bakabe bayenda ku ngwa epa bathu be Iziraela sa woku: 43 Pkhwizi dzili zwiwulu zwili mazana matatu ana makumi matatu ana kutendeka ana mazana ali mashanu (337 500) 44 ne ng'ombe dzili zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu ana kutathatu (36 000) 45 ne madonki ali zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu ana mazana ali mashanu (30 500) 46 ne bathu bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina kutathatu (16 000) 47 mu gwamu le bathu be Iziraela Mushe wakatola tjili tjing'ompela mu makumi mashanu mamwe ne mamwe epa Balevi bakabe bali batjengeti be bugalo gwa Yahwe, koga sekwa bakabe badwa Mushe.
48 Ndizo batungamili bakabe bakatungamila babhayani ne balauli be babhayani bali zwiwulu ne balauli be babhayani bali mazana bakayenda kuna Mushe, 49 bakandwa bakati, “Balanda benyu babala babhayani ba pasi kwenyu, ngono akuna ne nng'ompela wakatilashikila. 50 Ngono tazhisa zwipo kuna Yahwe, zwadwa mu mmwe ne mmwe wedu, zwitimbi zwe golide, maseka e maboko, rin'gi dze zwinyala, mang'ina e zebe ne zwitimbi, kuzwithamila gadzano mbeli kwa Yahwe.” 51 Mushe ne mpirisiti Eleazari bakaamutjila golide mubali ne mikhabo yose yakathugwa. 52 Golide yose yakadusiwa nge balauli be babhayani bali zwiwulu ne balauli be babhayani bali mazana yakadusiwa kupiwa Yahwe yakabe ingabe bulemo gwe tjilizanyo tje seme dzili mazana mabili (200). 53 Babhayani bakabe bayenda ku ngwa bakazwitolegwa zwakabe zwatapiwa ku ngwa. 54 Ngono Mushe na Eleazari we mpirisiti, bakaamutjila golide mu balauli be babhayani bali zwiwulu ne balauli be babhayani bali mazana. Bakaibiga mu nshasha we bushanganilo, ili tjikumbuludzo mu bathu be Iziraela mbeli kwa Yahwe.
The Holy War against Midian
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Punish the Midianites for what they did to the people of Israel. After you have done that, you will die.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “Get ready for war, so that you can attack Midian and punish them for what they did to the Lord. 4 From each tribe of Israel send a thousand men to war.”
5 So a thousand men were chosen from each tribe, a total of twelve thousand men ready for battle. 6 Moses sent them to war under the command of Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took charge of the sacred objects and the trumpets for giving signals. 7 They attacked Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed all the men, 8 including the five kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Balaam son of Beor.
9 The people of Israel captured the Midianite women and children, took their cattle and their flocks, plundered all their wealth, 10 and burned all their cities and camps. 11 They took all the loot that they had captured, including the prisoners and the animals, 12 and brought them to Moses and Eleazar and to the community of the people of Israel, who were at the camp on the plains of Moab across the Jordan from Jericho.
The Army Returns
13 Moses, Eleazar, and all the other leaders of the community went out of the camp to meet the army. 14 Moses became angry with the officers, the commanders of battalions and companies, who had returned from the war. 15 He asked them, “Why have you kept all the women alive? 16 Remember that it was the women who followed Balaam's instructions and at Peor led the people to be unfaithful to the Lord. That was what brought the epidemic on the Lord's people. 17 So now kill every boy and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse, 18 but keep alive for yourselves all the girls and all the women who are virgins. 19 Now all of you who have killed anyone or have touched a corpse must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and on the seventh day purify yourselves and the women you have captured. 20 You must also purify every piece of clothing and everything made of leather, goats' hair, or wood.”
21 Eleazar the priest said to the men who had returned from battle, “These are the regulations that the Lord has given to Moses. 22-23 Everything that will not burn, such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead, is to be purified by passing it through fire. Everything else is to be purified by the water for purification. 24 On the seventh day you must wash your clothes; then you will be ritually clean and will be permitted to enter the camp.”
Division of the Loot
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “You and Eleazar, together with the other leaders of the community, are to count everything that has been captured, including the prisoners and the animals. 27 Divide what was taken into two equal parts, one part for the soldiers and the other part for the rest of the community. 28 From the part that belongs to the soldiers, withhold as a tax for the Lord one out of every five hundred prisoners and the same proportion of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. 29 Give them to Eleazar the priest as a special contribution to the Lord. 30 From the part given to the rest of the people, take one out of every fifty prisoners and the same proportion of the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Give them to the Levites who are in charge of the Lord's Tent.” 31 Moses and Eleazar did what the Lord commanded.
32-35 The following is a list of what was captured by the soldiers, in addition to what they kept for themselves: 675,000 sheep and goats, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 virgins. 36-40 The half share of the soldiers was 337,500 sheep and goats, of which 675 were the tax for the Lord; 36,000 cattle for the soldiers, of which 72 were the tax for the Lord; 30,500 donkeys for the soldiers, of which 61 were the tax for the Lord; and 16,000 virgins for the soldiers, of which 32 were the tax for the Lord. 41 So Moses gave Eleazar the tax as a special contribution to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded.
42-46 The share of the community was the same as that for the soldiers: 337,500 sheep and goats, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 virgins. 47 From this share Moses took one out of every fifty prisoners and animals, and as the Lord had commanded, gave them to the Levites who were in charge of the Lord's Tent.
48 Then the officers who had commanded the army went to Moses 49 and reported, “Sir, we have counted the soldiers under our command and not one of them is missing. 50 So we are bringing the gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces that each of us has taken. We offer them to the Lord as a payment for our lives, so that he will protect us.” 51 Moses and Eleazar received the gold, all of which was in the form of ornaments. 52 The total contribution of the officers weighed over four hundred pounds. 53 Those who were not officers kept the loot they had taken. 54 So Moses and Eleazar took the gold to the Tent, so that the Lord would protect the people of Israel.