1. The Lord spoke to Moses,
2. “Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3. So Moses spoke to the people, “Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Midian to inflict the Lord’s vengeance on them.
4. Send 1,000 men to war from each Israelite tribe.”
5. So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands in Israel — 12,000 equipped for war.
6. Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.
7. They waged war against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male.
8. Along with the others slain by them, they killed the Midianite kings — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
9. The Israelites took the Midianite women and their children captive, and they plundered all their cattle, flocks, and property.