Numbers 31:1-13

Expanded Bible

Israel Attacks the Midianites

31 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ² “·Pay back [Avenge] the Midianites for what they did to the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel; 25:6]; after that you will ·die [^Lbe gathered to your people].”

³ So Moses said to the people, “·Get some men ready [Arm some men] for war. The Lord will use them to ·pay back [avenge himself against] the Midianites. ⁴ Send to war a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” ⁵ So twelve thousand men ·got ready for war [were armed], out of the thousands of Israel a thousand men from each tribe. ⁶ Moses sent ·those men [^La thousand from each tribe] to war; Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the ·holy things [or vessels of the Holy Place] and the trumpets for giving the alarm. ⁷ They fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed every Midianite man. ⁸ Among those they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, who were the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword [Num. 22–24; Deut. 23:4–5; Josh. 13:22; 24:10; Neh. 13:2; 2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 11; Rev. 2:14].

⁹ The ·Israelites [^Lsons of Israel] captured the Midianite women and children, and they took all their flocks, herds, and goods. ¹⁰ They burned all the Midianite towns where they had settled and all their camps, ¹¹ but they took all the ·people and animals and goods [^Lplunder and all the spoil, both people and animals]. ¹² Then they brought the captives, the ·animals, and the goods [^Lspoil and the plunder] back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the ·Israelites [^Lcommunity/assembly/congregation of the sons/^Tchildren of Israel]. Their camp was on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

¹³ Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the ·people [community; assembly; congregation] went outside the camp to meet them.