1. The Lord spoke to Moses. He 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 1,000 men from each of the tribes of Israel.”
5. So 12,000 men got ready for war. There were 1,000 men from each tribe.
6. Moses sent those 1,000 men from each tribe to war. Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest was with them. He took with him the holy things and the trumpets.
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. They 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. They also took all their flocks, herds and goods.
10. Then they burned all the Midianite towns and camps.
11. They took all the people and animals and goods.
12. Then they went back to Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the Israelites. They brought back the captives, the animals and the goods. The camp was on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River. This was across from Jericho.
13. Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the people went outside the camp to meet them.
14. Moses was angry with the army officers who returned from war. He was angry with those commanders over 1,000 men and those over 100 men.
15. He asked them, “Why did you let the women live?
16. They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice. They turned the Israelites from the Lord at Peor. Then a terrible sickness struck the Lord’s people.
17. Kill all the Midianite boys. Kill all the Midianite women who have had physical relations.