set him before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community, and commission him publicly.

Then you must delegate some of your authority to him, so that the whole community of the Israelites will be obedient.

And on the first day there is to be a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work on it.

On the seventh day you are to have a holy assembly, you must do no regular work.

“‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work on it.

“But every vow of a widow or of a divorced woman which she has pledged for herself will remain intact.

You must send to the battle a thousand men from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel.”

They fought against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male.

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

But all the young women who have not had sexual intercourse with a man will be yours.

Divide the plunder into two parts, one for those who took part in the war – who went out to battle – and the other for all the community.

Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all of it in the form of ornaments.

For if you turn away from following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will be the reason for their destruction.”

Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead,

but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, to do battle in the Lord’s presence, just as my lord says.”

Thus they will have towns in which to live, and their grazing lands will be for their cattle, for their possessions, and for all their animals.

“So the total of the towns you will give the Levites is forty-eight. You must give these together with their grazing lands.

“But if he strikes him suddenly, without enmity, or throws anything at him unintentionally,

And they were as follows: The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually.

From the descendants of Simeon: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males numbered of them twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually.