Israel went to war against Midian to avenge the Lord’s people because they sent their women to entice the men of Israel to sin against God. Twelve thousand men of Israel, one thousand from each tribe, went to war. They killed all the men in Midian and took their possessions, the women, and the children. Moses ordered the army to kill the women who slept with a man, and all male children, leaving only the young girls. The plunder was divided among the tribes with a portion going to the priests as a contribution to the Lord, and a portion for the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle.