God tells Israel to take vengeance on Midian for leading them into sin. The army defeats them, and the plunder is divided among the warriors, the people and the Levites.
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses , saying ,
2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites : afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people .
3 And Moses spake unto the people , saying , Arm some of yourselves unto the war , and let them go against the Midianites , and avenge the LORD of Midian .
4 Of every tribe a thousand , throughout all the tribes of Israel , shall ye send to the war .
5 So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel , a thousand of every tribe , twelve thousand armed for war .
6 And Moses sent them to the war , a thousand of every tribe , them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest , to the war , with the holy instruments , and the trumpets to blow in his hand .
7 And they warred against the Midianites , as the LORD commanded Moses ; and they slew all the males .
8 And they slew the kings of Midian , beside the rest of them that were slain ; namely, Evi , and Rekem , and Zur , and Hur , and Reba , five kings of Midian : Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword .
9 And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives , and their little ones , and took the spoil of all their cattle , and all their flocks , and all their goods .
10 And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt , and all their goodly castles , with fire .
11 And they took all the spoil , and all the prey , both of men and of beasts .
12 And they brought the captives , and the prey , and the spoil , unto Moses , and Eleazar the priest , and unto the congregation of the children of Israel , unto the camp at the plains of Moab , which are by Jordan near Jericho .
13 And Moses , and Eleazar the priest , and all the princes of the congregation , went forth to meet them without the camp .
14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host , with the captains over thousands , and captains over hundreds , which came from the battle .
15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive ?
16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel , through the counsel of Balaam , to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor , and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD .
17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones , and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him .
18 But all the women children , that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
19 And do ye abide without the camp seven days : whosoever hath killed any person , and whosoever hath touched any slain , purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day , and on the seventh day .
20 And purify all your raiment , and all that is made of skins , and all work of goats ' hair, and all things made of wood .
21 And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle , This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses ;
22 Only the gold , and the silver , the brass , the iron , the tin , and the lead ,
23 Every thing that may abide the fire , ye shall make it go through the fire , and it shall be clean : nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation : and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water .
24 And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day , and ye shall be clean , and afterward ye shall come into the camp .
25 And the LORD spake unto Moses , saying ,
26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken , both of man and of beast , thou, and Eleazar the priest , and the chief fathers of the congregation :
27 And divide the prey into two parts ; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle , and between all the congregation :
28 And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle : one soul of five hundred , both of the persons , and of the beeves , and of the asses , and of the sheep :
29 Take it of their half , and give it unto Eleazar the priest , for an heave offering of the LORD .
30 And of the children of Israel's half , thou shalt take one portion of fifty , of the persons , of the beeves , of the asses , and of the flocks , of all manner of beasts , and give them unto the Levites , which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD .
31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses .
32 And the booty , being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught , was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep ,
33 And threescore and twelve thousand beeves ,
34 And threescore and one thousand asses ,
35 And thirty and two thousand persons in all , of women that had not known man by lying with him.
36 And the half , which was the portion of them that went out to war , was in number three hundred thousand and seven and thirty thousand and five hundred sheep :
37 And the LORD'S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and threescore and fifteen .
38 And the beeves were thirty and six thousand ; of which the LORD'S tribute was threescore and twelve .
39 And the asses were thirty thousand and five hundred ; of which the LORD'S tribute was threescore and one .
40 And the persons were sixteen thousand ; of which the LORD'S tribute was thirty and two persons .
41 And Moses gave the tribute , which was the LORD'S heave offering , unto Eleazar the priest , as the LORD commanded Moses .
42 And of the children of Israel's half , which Moses divided from the men that warred ,
43 (Now the half that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep ,
44 And thirty and six thousand beeves ,
45 And thirty thousand asses and five hundred ,
46 And sixteen thousand persons ;)
47 Even of the children of Israel's half , Moses took one portion of fifty , both of man and of beast , and gave them unto the Levites , which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the LORD ; as the LORD commanded Moses .
48 And the officers which were over thousands of the host , the captains of thousands , and captains of hundreds , came near unto Moses :
49 And they said unto Moses , Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge , and there lacketh not one man of us.
50 We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD , what every man hath gotten , of jewels of gold , chains , and bracelets , rings , earrings , and tablets , to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD .
51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels .
52 And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the LORD , 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 spoil , every man for himself.)
54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds , and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation , for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD .