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, the commanders over a thousand men, and those over a hundred men, who returned from war.
15. He asked them, “Why did you let the women live?
16. They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and turned the Israelites from the Lord at Peor. Then a terrible sickness struck the Lord’s people.
17. Kill all the Midianite boys, and kill all the Midianite women who have had sexual relations.
18. But save for yourselves the girls who have not had sexual relations with a man.
19. “All you men who killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third and seventh days you and your captives must make yourselves clean.
20. You must clean all your clothes and anything made of leather, goat hair, or wood.”
21. Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, “These are the teachings that the Lord gave to Moses:
22. Put any gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead—
23. anything that will not burn—into the fire, and then it will be clean. But also purify those things with the cleansing water. Then they will be clean. If something cannot stand the fire, wash it with the water.
24. On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may come into the camp.”
25. The Lord said to Moses,
26. “You, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the family groups should take a count of the goods, the men, and the animals that were taken.
27. Then divide those possessions between the soldiers who went to war and the rest of the people.
28. From the soldiers who went to war, take a tax for the Lord of one item out of every five hundred. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.
29. Take it from the soldiers’ half, and give it to Eleazar the priest as the Lord’s share.