Numbers 31:13-24

English Standard Version

¹³ Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ And Moses was angry with ^(A)the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. ¹⁵ Moses said to them, “Have you ^(B)let all the women live? ¹⁶ Behold, ^(C)these, ^(D)on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of ^(E)Peor, and so ^(F)the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now therefore, ^(G)kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. ¹⁸ But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him ^(H)keep alive for yourselves. ^19 (I)Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and ^(J)whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. ²⁰ You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats' hair, and every article of wood.”

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses: ²² only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, ²³ everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified ^(K)with the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. ²⁴ You must ^(L)wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”