So Moses spoke to the people. He said, "Choose some of your men to be soldiers. The Lord will use these men to do to the Midianites what they did to you.
Moses sent these 12,000 men to war. He sent Phineas son of Eleazar with them as the priest. Phineas took the holy things and the horns and trumpets with him.
and brought them to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the other Israelites. They brought all of the things they took in war to the camp of Israel. The Israelites were camped in the Jordan Valley in Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River across from Jericho.
These are the women who listened to Balaam and caused the men of Israel to turn away from the Lord that time at Peor. The disease will come to the Lord's people again.
And then, all you men who killed other people must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must stay outside the camp even if you just touched a dead body. On the third day you and your prisoners must make yourselves pure. You must do the same thing again on the seventh day.
You must put gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead into the fire and then wash these things with the special water to make them pure. If something can be put in the fire, you must put it in fire to purify it. If things cannot be put in fire, you must still wash them with the special water.
Take part of these things from the soldiers who went to war. That part will belong to the Lord. The Lord's share is one from every 500 items. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, and sheep.
Take that share from the soldiers' half of the things they took in war. Then give these things to Eleazar the priest. That part will belong to the Lord.
And then, from the people's half, take one thing for every 50 items. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or any other animal. Give that share to the Levites, because they take care of the Lord's Holy Tent. "
For every 50 items, Moses took one thing for the Lord. This included the animals and the people. Then he gave them to the Levites because they took care of the Lord's Holy Tent. Moses did this as the Lord commanded.
So we are bringing the Lord's gift from every soldier. We are bringing things that are made of gold—armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This gift to the Lord is to make us pure."
Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders and captains and then put that gold in the Meeting Tent. This present was a memorial before the Lord for the Israelites.