1 The Lord said to Moses:
2 Avenge the Israelites on the Midianites, and then you will be gathered to your people.
3 So Moses told the people, “Arm some men among you for the campaign, to attack Midian and to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.
4 From each of the tribes of Israel you will send a thousand men to the campaign.”
5 From the contingents of Israel, therefore, a thousand men of each tribe were levied, so that there were twelve thousand men armed for war.
6 Moses sent them out on the campaign, a thousand from each tribe, with Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest for the campaign, who had with him the sacred vessels and the trumpets for sounding the alarm.
7 They waged war against the Midianites, as the Lord had commanded Moses, and killed every male.