1. The Lord said to Moses,
2. “Before you die, make sure that the Midianites are punished for what they did to Israel.”
3. Then Moses told the people, “The Lord wants to punish the Midianites. So tell our men to prepare for battle.
12-13. Then they returned to their own camp in the hills of Moab across the River Jordan from Jericho, where Moses, Eleazar, and the other Israelite leaders met the troops outside camp.
21-23. Eleazar then explained, “If you need to purify something that won't burn, such as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead, you must first place it in a hot fire. After you take it out, sprinkle it with the water that purifies. Everything else should only be sprinkled with the water. Do all of this, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
26-27. Make a list of everything taken from the Midianites, including the captives and the animals. Then divide them between the soldiers and the rest of the people. Eleazar the priest and the family leaders will help you.
28-29. From the half that belongs to the soldiers, set aside for the Lord one out of every five hundred people or animals and give these to Eleazar.