You can let all the young girls live—but only if they never had sexual relations with any man.
Numbers 31:17 - Easy To Read Version Now, kill all the Midianite boys. And kill all the Midianite women who had lived with a man. Kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations with any man. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who is not a virgin. American Standard Version (1901) Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. Common English Bible Now kill every male child and every female who has known a man intimately by sleeping with him. Catholic Public Domain Version Therefore, put to death all of them: whatever is of the male sex, even among the little ones, and cut the throats of those women who have known men by sexual relations. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Therefore kill all that are of the male sex, even of the children: and put to death the women that have carnally known men. |
You can let all the young girls live—but only if they never had sexual relations with any man.
And when the Lord your God lets you take the city, you must kill all the men in it.
The Lord your God will put these nations under your power. And you will defeat them. You must destroy them completely. Don’t make an agreement with them. Don’t show them mercy.
So the people of Israel sent 12,000 soldiers to the city of Jabesh Gilead. They told those soldiers, “Go to Jabesh Gilead, and use your swords to kill every person that lives there, even the women and children.