Numbers 31:1-13

New Century Version

Israel Attacks the Midianites

31 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ² “Pay back the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites; after that you will die.”

³ So Moses said to the people, “Get some men ready for war. The Lord will use them to pay back 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, a thousand men from each tribe. ⁶ Moses sent those men to war; Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the holy things 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.

⁹ The Israelites 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. ¹² Then they brought the captives, the animals, and the goods back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the Israelites. 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 went outside the camp to meet them.