3. So Moses spoke to the people. He said, “Choose some of your men to be soldiers. The Lord will use these men to do to the Midianites what they did to you.
4. Choose 1000 men from each of the tribes of Israel.
5. There will be a total of 12,000 soldiers from the tribes of Israel.”
6. Moses sent these 12,000 men to war. He sent Phinehas son of Eleazar with them as the priest. Phinehas took the holy things and the horns and trumpets with him.
7. The Israelites fought the Midianites as the Lord had commanded. They killed all the Midianite men.
8. Among the people who they killed were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with a sword.
9. The Israelites took the Midianite women and children as prisoners. They also took all their sheep, cattle, and other things.
22-23. You must put gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead into the fire and then wash these things with the special water to make them pure. If something can be put in the fire, you must put it in fire to purify it. If things cannot be put in fire, you must still wash them with the special water.
24. On the seventh day you must wash all of your clothes. Then you will be pure. After that you can come into camp.”
25. Then the Lord said to Moses,
26. “You, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders should count all the prisoners, animals, and everything the soldiers took in war.