1. Then the lord said to Moses,
2. “On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry. After that, you will die and join your ancestors.”
3. So Moses said to the people, “Choose some men, and arm them to fight the lord’s war of revenge against Midian.
4. From each tribe of Israel, send 1,000 men into battle.”
5. So they chose 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel, a total of 12,000 men armed for battle.
6. Then Moses sent them out, 1,000 men from each tribe, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge.
7. They attacked Midian as the lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men.
8. All five of the Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.