The captives remaining from the plunder the army had taken totaled:

675,000 sheep and goats,

72,000 cattle,

and the tribute to the Lord was 675
from the sheep and goats;

from the 36,000 cattle,
the tribute to the Lord was 72;

and 16,000 people.

the community’s half was:

337,500 sheep and goats,

Moses took one out of every 50, selected from the people and the livestock of the Israelites’ half. He gave them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded him.

So now, kill all the male children and kill every woman who has had sexual relations with a man,

61,000 donkeys,

The Lord spoke to Moses,

and from the 16,000 people,
the tribute to the Lord was 32 people.

The half portion for those who went out to war numbered:

337,500 sheep and goats,

They waged war against Midian, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male.

“Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam’s advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the Lord in the Peor incident, so that the plague came against the Lord’s community.

and 32,000 people, all the females who had not had sexual relations with a man.

Along with the others slain by them, they killed the Midianite kings—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.

from the 30,500 donkeys,
the tribute to the Lord was 61;

But Moses became furious with the officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign.

“Have you let every female live?” he asked them.

but keep alive for yourselves all the young females who have not had sexual relations.

“Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

So Moses spoke to the people, “Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Midian to inflict the Lord’s vengeance on them.

So we have presented to the Lord an offering of the gold articles each man found—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”

The Lord told Moses,

The Israelites took the Midianite women and their children captive, and they plundered all their cattle, flocks, and property.

Send 1,000 men to war from each Israelite tribe.”

“You, Eleazar the priest, and the family leaders of the community are to take a count of what was captured, man and beast.

Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.

36,000 cattle,

“You are to remain outside the camp for seven days. All of you and your prisoners who have killed a person or touched the dead are to purify yourselves on the third day and the seventh day.

Set aside a tribute for the Lord from what belongs to the fighting men who went out to war: one out of every 500 humans, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to battle, “This is the legal statute the Lord commanded Moses:

Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead—

From the Israelites’ half, which Moses separated from the men who fought,

From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every 50 from the people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats, all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle.”

They brought the prisoners, animals, and spoils of war to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite community at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

everything that can withstand fire—you are to pass through fire, and it will be clean. It must still be purified with the purification water. Anything that cannot withstand fire, pass through the water.

Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites lived, as well as all their encampments,

Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as a contribution for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Take the tribute from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord.

Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.

and took away all the spoils of war and the captives, both man and beast.

The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, approached Moses

Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to war and the entire community.

So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

and told him, “Your servants have taken a census of the fighting men under our command, and not one of us is missing.

Also purify everything: garments, leather goods, things made of goat hair, and every article of wood.”

On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.

All the gold of the contribution they offered to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, was 420 pounds.

So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands in Israel—12,000 equipped for war.

30,500 donkeys,

Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself.