1 ¶ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites: after that you will be gathered to your people.

3 And Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm men from among you for war, and let them go against the Midianites, to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian.

4 From every tribe you shall send a thousand to the war, throughout all the tribes of Israel.

5 So there were provided 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 from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the sacred articles, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

7 ¶ And they fought against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

8 And they slew the kings of Midian, besides the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: They also slew Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.

9 And the children of Israel made all the women of Midian captives, with their little ones, and took all of their cattle, and all their flocks, and all of their goods as booty.

10 And they burned all the cities in which they lived, and all their strongholds, with fire.

11 And they took all the spoil, and all the captives, both of men and beasts.

12 And they brought the captives, and the animals, and the spoils, to Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan near Jericho.

13 ¶ And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went out to meet them outside the camp.

14 And Moses was furious with the officers of the army, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, that returned from the battle.

15 And Moses said to them, Have you let all the women live?

16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to sin 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 has known a man by lying with him.

18 But keep all the young girls, that have not known a man by lying with him, alive for yourselves.

19 Encamp outside the camp for seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any dead, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

20 And purify all your clothing, and everything that is made of leather, and all work of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.

21 And Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who 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 Everything that can stand the fire, you shall cause to go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and everything that cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water.

24 And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean, and after that you may enter the camp.

25 ¶ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

26 You, Eleazar the priest, and the family leaders of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both men and beasts:

27 And divide the spoils into two parts; between the men of war, who went out to battle, and the rest of the congregation:

28 And levy a tribute to the LORD from the men of war who went out to battle: one out of five hundred, both of the people, and the cattle, and the donkeys, and the sheep:

29 Take it from their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an heave offering of the LORD.

30 And from the children of Israel’s half, you shall take one out of fifty, of the people, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, and of all livestock, and give them to the Levites, who have charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.

31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.

32 Now the booty, remaining of the spoil that the men of war had captured, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 And seventy-two thousand cattle,

34 And seventy-one thousand donkeys,

35 And thirty-two thousand people in all, of women who had not known a man by lying with him.

36 And the half, that was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep:

37 And the LORD’S tribute of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.

38 And the cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which the LORD’S tribute was seventy-two.

39 And the donkeys were thirty thousand and five hundred; of which the LORD’S tribute was seventy-one.

40 And the people numbered sixteen thousand; of which the LORD’S tribute was thirty-two people.

41 And Moses gave the tribute, that was the LORD’S heave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.

42 And of the children of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who went to war,

43 (Now the half that pertained to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand and five hundred sheep,

44 And thirty-six thousand cattle,

45 And thirty thousand and five hundred donkeys,

46 And sixteen thousand people;)

47 Even from the children of Israel’s half, Moses took one out of fifty, both of man and beast, and gave them to the Levites, who had charge of the tabernacle of the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

48 ¶ And the officers who were over thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, came near to Moses:

49 And they said to Moses, Your servants have taken the count of the men of war that are under our charge, and not one man of us is missing.

50 We have therefore brought an offering for the LORD, from the jewels of gold, chains, bracelets, rings, earrings, and beads that every man obtained, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.

51 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from them, all crafted jewelry.

52 And all the gold of the offering that they offered to the LORD, from 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 from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, as a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD.