Numbers 31:9-16

New International Version

⁹ The Israelites captured the Midianite women^(A) and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder.^{(B) 10} They burned^(C) all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps.^{(D) 11} They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals,^{(E) 12} and brought the captives, spoils^(F) and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly^(G) at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.^(H)

¹³ Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ Moses was angry with the officers of the army^(I)—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

¹⁵ “Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. ¹⁶ “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice^(J) and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident,^(K) so that a plague^(L) struck the Lord’s people.