1. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
2. Avenge the sons of Israel upon the Midianites; afterward thou shalt be gathered unto thy peoples.
3. And Moses spoke unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war and let them go against the Midianites and carry out the vengeance of the Lord in Midian.
4. A thousand out of every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel shall ye send to the war.
5. So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
6. And Moses sent them to the war; he sent a thousand of every tribe; and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, went to the war with the holy instruments, with the trumpets to blow in his hand.
7. And they fought against the Midianites as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
8. And they also slew the kings of Midian among the rest of those that were slain: namely, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, five kings of Midian; they also slew Balaam, the son of Beor, with the sword.
9. And the sons of Israel took all the women of Midian captives and their little ones and took the spoil of all their beasts and all their flocks and all their goods.
10. And they burnt all their cities in which they dwelt and all their palaces with fire.
11. And they took all the spoil and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.