בְּבֹאָ֞ם אֶל־אֹ֧הֶל מוֹעֵ֛ד יִרְחֲצוּ־מַ֖יִם וְלֹ֣א יָמֻ֑תוּ א֣וֹ בְגִשְׁתָּ֤ם אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לְשָׁרֵ֔ת לְהַקְטִ֥יר אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַֽיהוָֽה׃
װען זײ קומען אין אוֹהל-מוֹעד, זאָלן זײ זיך װאַשן מיט װאַסער, כּדי זײ זאָלן ניט שטאַרבן; אָדער װען זײ גענענען צום מזבח צו דינען, צו דעמפֿן אַ פֿײַעראָפּפֿער צו גאָט.
Zohar
One day the Companions were sitting arguing with one another-R. Eleazar and R. Abba, and R. Hiya and R. Jose, and the other Companions. They said: ‘It is written, “Vex not Moab neither contend with him”, etc., Moab and Ammon being spared because of Ruth and Naama, who were destined to issue from them. Now,’ they asked, ‘seeing that Zipporah, the wife of Moses, was from Midian, and Jethro and his sons, who were most virtuous, came from Midian, and Moses lived in Midian, was not Midian in fairness even more deserving to be spared than Moab and Ammon?’