Vengeance on the Midianites

31 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Take vengeance on the Midianites^(A) for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.^(B)”

³ So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance^(C) on them. ⁴ Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” ⁵ So twelve thousand men armed for battle,^(D) a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. ⁶ Moses sent them into battle,^(E) a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas^(F) son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary^(G) and the trumpets^(H) for signaling.

⁷ They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses,^(I) and killed every man.^{(J) 8} Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba^(K)—the five kings of Midian.^(L) They also killed Balaam son of Beor^(M) with the sword.^{(N) 9} The Israelites captured the Midianite women^(O) and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder.^{(P) 10} They burned^(Q) all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps.^{(R) 11} They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals,^{(S) 12} and brought the captives, spoils^(T) and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly^(U) at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.^(V)

¹³ Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ Moses was angry with the officers of the army^(W)—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

¹⁵ “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. ¹⁶ “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice^(X) and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident,^(Y) so that a plague^(Z) struck the Lord’s people. ¹⁷ Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,^{(AA) 18} but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

¹⁹ “Anyone who has killed someone or touched someone who was killed^(AB) must stay outside the camp seven days.^(AC) On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves^(AD) and your captives. ²⁰ Purify every garment^(AE) as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.^(AF)”

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle,^(AG) “This is what is required by the law that the Lord gave Moses: ²² Gold, silver, bronze, iron,^(AH) tin, lead ²³ and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire,^(AI) and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing.^(AJ) And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water. ²⁴ On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean.^(AK) Then you may come into the camp.^(AL)”

Dividing the Spoils

²⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁶ “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads^(AM) of the community are to count all the people^(AN) and animals that were captured.^{(AO) 27} Divide^(AP) the spoils equally between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. ²⁸ From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord^(AQ) one out of every five hundred, whether people, cattle, donkeys or sheep. ²⁹ Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part. ³⁰ From the Israelites’ half, select one out of every fifty, whether people, cattle, donkeys, sheep or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.^(AR)” ³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

³² The plunder remaining from the spoils^(AS) that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, ³³ 72,000 cattle, ³⁴ 61,000 donkeys ³⁵ and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.

³⁶ The half share of those who fought in the battle was:

⁴¹ Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part,^(AU) as the Lord commanded Moses.^(AV)

⁴² The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men— ⁴³ the community’s half—was 337,500 sheep, ⁴⁴ 36,000 cattle, ⁴⁵ 30,500 donkeys ⁴⁶ and 16,000 people. ⁴⁷ From the Israelites’ half, Moses selected one out of every fifty people and animals, as the Lord commanded him, and gave them to the Levites, who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.

⁴⁸ Then the officers^(AW) who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—went to Moses ⁴⁹ and said to him, “Your servants have counted^(AX) the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing.^{(AY) 50} So we have brought as an offering to the Lord the gold articles each of us acquired—armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves^(AZ) before the Lord.”

⁵¹ Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted from them the gold—all the crafted articles. ⁵² All the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the Lord weighed 16,750 shekels.^{[a] 53} Each soldier had taken plunder^(BA) for himself. ⁵⁴ Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting^(BB) as a memorial^(BC) for the Israelites before the Lord.

Psalm 111^[a]

Warnings and Encouragements^(A)

12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be^[a] on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.^{(B) 2} There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.^{(C) 3} What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

⁴ “I tell you, my friends,^(D) do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.^{(E) 6} Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.^(F) Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.^(G)

⁸ “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.^{(H) 9} But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned^(I) before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man^(J) will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.^(K)

¹¹ “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,^{(L) 12} for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”^(M)

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” ¹⁵ Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”^(N)

¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool!^(O) This very night your life will be demanded from you.^(P) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’^(Q)

²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”^(R)

Do Not Worry^(S)

²² Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.^(T) And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life^[b]? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor^(U) was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!^{(V) 29} And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father^(W) knows that you need them.^{(X) 31} But seek his kingdom,^(Y) and these things will be given to you as well.^(Z)

³² “Do not be afraid,^(AA) little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.^{(AB) 33} Sell your possessions and give to the poor.^(AC) Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven^(AD) that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.^{(AE) 34} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.^(AF)

Watchfulness^(AG)(AH)

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.^(AI) Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.^{(AJ) 38} It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief^(AK) was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready,^(AL) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

⁴² The Lord^(AM) answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.^(AN) He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷ “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.^{(AO) 48} But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.^(AP) From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Not Peace but Division^(AQ)

⁴⁹ “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism^(AR) to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!^{(AS) 51} Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”^(AT)

Interpreting the Times

⁵⁴ He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.^{(AU) 55} And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?^(AV)

⁵⁷ “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.^{(AW) 59} I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”^(AX)