1And Jehovah spake unto Moses , saying , 2Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites : afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people . 3And Moses spake unto the people , saying , Arm ye men from among you for the war , that they may go against Midian , to execute Jehovah ’s vengeance on Midian . 4Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel , shall ye send to the war . 5So there were delivered , out of the thousands of Israel , a thousand of every tribe , twelve thousand armed for war .
The Military Campaign
6And Moses sent them , a thousand of every tribe , to the war , them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest , to the war , with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand . 7And they warred against Midian , as Jehovah commanded Moses ; and they slew every male . 8And they slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain : Evi, and Rekem , and Zur , and Hur , and Reba , the five kings of Midian : Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword . 9And the children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones ; and all their cattle , and all their flocks , and all their goods , they took for a prey. 10And all their cities in the places wherein they dwelt , and all their encampments , they burnt with fire. 11And they took all the spoil , and all the prey , both of man and of beast. 12And they brought the captives , and the prey , and the spoil , unto Moses , and unto Eleazar the priest , and unto the congregation of the children of Israel , unto the camp at the plains of Moab , which are by the Jordan at Jericho .
The Spoils of War
13And Moses , and Eleazar the priest , and all the princes of the congregation , went forth to meet them without the camp . 14And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host , the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds , who came from the service of the war . 15And Moses said unto them , Have ye saved all the women alive ? 16Behold , these caused the children of Israel , through the counsel of Balaam , to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor , and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah . 17Now therefore kill every male among the little ones , and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him . 18But all the women-children, that have not known man by lying with him , keep alive for yourselves . 19And encamp ye without the camp seven days : whosoever hath killed any person , and whosoever hath touched any slain , purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day , ye and your captives . 20And as to every garment, and all that is made of skin , and all work of goats ’ hair , and all things made of wood , ye shall purify yourselves .
The Purification of the Spoils
21And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war that went to the battle , This is the statute of the law which Jehovah hath commanded Moses : 22howbeit the gold , and the silver , the brass , the iron , the tin, and the lead , 23everything that may abide the fire, ye shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean ; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity : and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make to go through the water . 24And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day , and ye shall be clean ; and afterward ye shall come into the camp .
The Division of the Spoils
25And Jehovah spake unto Moses , saying, 26Take the sum of the prey that was taken , both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest , and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation ; 27and divide the prey into two parts : between the men skilled in war , that went out to battle , and all the congregation . 28And levy a tribute unto Jehovah of the men of war that went out to battle : one soul of five hundred , both of the persons , and of the oxen , and of the asses , and of the flocks : 29take it of their half , and give it unto Eleazar the priest , for Jehovah ’s heave-offering. 30And of the children of Israel ’s half , thou shalt take one drawn out of every fifty , of the persons, of the oxen , of the asses , and of the flocks , even of all the cattle , and give them unto the Levites , that keep the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah . 31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Jehovah commanded Moses . 32Now the prey , over and above the booty which the men of war took , was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep , 33and threescore and twelve thousand oxen , 34and threescore and one thousand asses , 35and thirty and two thousand persons in all , of the women that had not known man by lying with him . 36And the half , which was the portion of them that went out to war , was in number three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep : 37and Jehovah ’s tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen . 38And the oxen were thirty and six thousand; of which Jehovah ’s tribute was threescore and twelve . 39And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred ; of which Jehovah ’s tribute was threescore and one . 40And the persons were sixteen thousand; of whom Jehovah ’s tribute was thirty and two persons . 41And Moses gave the tribute , which was Jehovah ’s heave-offering, unto Eleazar the priest , as Jehovah commanded Moses . 42And of the children of Israel ’s half , which Moses divided off from the men that warred 43( now the congregation ’s half was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand, seven thousand and five hundred sheep , 44and thirty and six thousand oxen , 45and thirty thousand and five hundred asses , 46and sixteen thousand persons ), 47even of the children of Israel ’s half , Moses took one drawn out of every fifty , both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites , that kept the charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah ; as Jehovah commanded Moses . 48And the officers that were over the thousands of the host , the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds , came near unto Moses ; 49and they said unto Moses , Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war that are under our charge , and there lacketh not one man of us . 50And we have brought Jehovah ’s oblation , what every man hath gotten , of jewels of gold , ankle-chains, and bracelets , signet-rings, ear-rings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before Jehovah . 51And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them , even all wrought jewels . 52And all the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to Jehovah , of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds , was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels . 53( For the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.) 54And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds , and brought it into the tent of meeting , for a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah .