¹⁵ And Moses said to them: “Have you kept ^(A)all the women alive? ¹⁶ Look, ^(B)these women caused the children of Israel, through the ^(C)counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and ^(D)there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now therefore, ^(E)kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. ¹⁸ But keep alive ^(F)for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately. ¹⁹ And as for you, ^(G)remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and ^(H)whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. ²⁰ Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”

Female Captives

¹⁰ “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hand, and you take them captive, ¹¹ and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your ^(A)wife, ¹² then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall ^(B)shave her head and trim her nails. ¹³ She shall put off the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house, and ^(C)mourn her father and her mother a full month; after that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. ¹⁴ And it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall set her free, but you certainly shall not sell her for money; you shall not treat her brutally, because you have ^(D)humbled her.

¹⁵ And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to ^(A)her people and to her gods; ^(B)return after your sister-in-law.”

¹⁶ But Ruth said: