Vengeance on the Midianites

31 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Take vengeance on the Midianites^(A) for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.^(B)”

³ So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance^(C) on them. ⁴ Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” ⁵ So twelve thousand men armed for battle,^(D) a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. ⁶ Moses sent them into battle,^(E) a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas^(F) son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary^(G) and the trumpets^(H) for signaling.

⁷ They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses,^(I) and killed every man.^(J)

¹² and brought the captives, spoils^(A) and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly^(B) at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.^(C)

¹³ Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ Moses was angry with the officers of the army^(D)—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

²⁰ Purify every garment^(A) as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.^(B)”

Dividing the Spoils

²⁵ The Lord said to Moses,

³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴¹ Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s part,^(A) as the Lord commanded Moses.^(B)

⁴² The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men—

⁴⁸ Then the officers^(A) who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—went to Moses

⁵² All the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the Lord weighed 16,750 shekels.^{[a] 53} Each soldier had taken plunder^(A) for himself. ⁵⁴ Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting^(B) as a memorial^(C) for the Israelites before the Lord.