The War against Midian
Moses' last commission is the campaign against Midian, which engineered the seduction at Peor; twelve thousand men return without a single casualty.
Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites, and afterwards you shall be gathered to your people — so God gives Moses his last assignment, tying it directly to the end of his life. Unlike Moab, Midian was not defending its own land: it entered someone else's war and chose the most corrosive weapon, seduction rather than arms. Moses does not delay, though the task means his death. A thousand men were levied from each tribe, twelve thousand in all, and Phinehas son of Elazar went with them carrying the sacred vessels and trumpets. Midian was defeated; its five kings fell, and Balaam son of Beor with them. The Torah then details the division of spoil between the fighters and the community, the portions for priests and Levites, the seven-day purification of the returning soldiers, and, for the first time, the laws of purging vessels taken from gentiles by fire and water. Finally the officers bring a gold offering, saying that not one man of ours is missing.