Numbers 25

1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab,

And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit incest with the daughters of Moab.

2 who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods.

And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed themselves down to their gods.

3 So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.

And Israel joined themselves unto Baal-peor; and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”

And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and [cause them to] hang the [guilty] up before the Lord, in the face of the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.

5 So Moses told the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”

And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that have been joined unto Baal-peor.

6 Just then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the whole congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

And, behold, one of the children of Israel came, and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman, before the eyes of Moses, and before the eyes of all the congregation of the children of Israel, and these were weeping by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

7 On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,

And when Phinehas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;

8 followed the Israelite into his tent, and drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and on through the belly of the woman. So the plague against the Israelites was halted,

And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body: and the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

10 Then the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites; for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My zeal.

Phinehas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned away my wrath from the children of Israel, while he was zealous in my stead in the midst of them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my indignation.

12 Declare, therefore, that I am granting him My covenant of peace.

Therefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace;

13 It will be a covenant of permanent priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

And it shall be unto him and unto his seed after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

14 The name of the Israelite who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.

Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Sahlu, a prince of a family division among the Simeonites.

15 And the name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head of tribes, of a family division in Midian.

16 And the LORD said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

17 “Attack the Midianites and strike them dead.

Attack the Midianites and smite them;

18 For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor.”

For they are enemies unto you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague for the sake of Peor.