Numbers 31:1-20

1The Lord said to Moses,

2“Get even with the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites. After that you will join your ancestors ⌞in death⌟.”

3Moses said to the people, “Some of your men must get ready to go to war against the Midianites. The Lord will use them to get even with Midian.

4Send 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel.”

5So 1,000 men from each tribe were supplied from the divisions of Israel—12,000 men ready for war.

6Then Moses sent them off to war, 1,000 men from each tribe along with Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar. Phinehas took with him the holy articles and the trumpets for the fanfare.

7They went to war against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man.

8Among those killed were the five kings of Midian—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Balaam, son of Beor, in battle.

9The Israelites took the Midianite women and children as prisoners of war. They also took all their animals, their livestock, and their valuables as loot.

10They burned all the cities where the Midianites lived and all their settlements.

11Then they took everything as loot, including all the people and animals,

12and brought the prisoners of war, the loot, and everything to Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the community of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.

13Moses, the priest Eleazar, and all the leaders of the community went outside the camp to meet them.

14Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of the companies and battalions, who were returning from battle.

15“Why did you let all the women live?” he asked them.

16“Remember, they were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the incident that took place at Peor. The Lord’s community experienced a plague at that time.

17So kill all the Midianite boys and every Midianite woman who has gone to bed with a man.

18But save for yourselves every girl who has never gone to bed with a man.

19“Everyone who killed a person or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp seven days. You and your prisoners of war must use the ritual water on the third and seventh days in order to take away your sin.

20Do the same for all the clothes and everything made of leather, goats’ hair, or wood.”