Numbers 25

1 When the Israelites were staying at Shittim the men started to have sex with Moabite women

Now Israel, at that time, dwelt in Shittim, and the people were fornicating with the daughters of Moab,

2 who invited them to the sacrifices made to their gods. The Israelites ate the pagan meals and bowed down before these gods.

who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate, and they adored their gods.

3 In this way the Israelites devoted themselves in worship to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry with them.

And Israel was initiated into Baal of Peor. And so the Lord, being angry,

4 The Lord told Moses, “Arrest all the Israelite leaders and kill them before the Lord where everyone can see in order to turn the Lord's furious anger away from the people.”

said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, and hang them on gallows against the sun, so that my fury may be averted from Israel.”

5 So Moses instructed Israel's judges, “Each of you has to kill all of your men who have devoted themselves to worshiping Baal of Peor.”

And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Let each one kill his neighbors, who have been initiated into Baal of Peor.”

6 Right then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his family tent in full view of Moses and all the Israelites as they were crying at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

And behold, one of the sons of Israel entered, in the sight of his brothers, to a prostitute of Midian, within view of Moses and of all the crowd of the sons of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.

7 When he saw this, Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, left the assembly, grabbed a spear

And when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, had seen it, he rose up from the midst of the multitude, and, seizing a dagger,

8 and followed the man into his tent. There Phinehas drove the spear through both of them, through the Israelite and on into the woman's stomach. This action stopped the plague that had started to kill the Israelites,

he entered after the Israelite man, into the brothel, and he pierced both of them at the same time, specifically, the man and the woman at the location of their genitals. And the scourge ceased from among the sons of Israel.

9 but 24,000 had already died.

And there were slain twenty-four thousand men.

10 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord said to Moses:

11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites, because out of all of them he was passionately dedicated to me, so I did not destroy the Israelites in my passionate anger.

“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has averted my wrath from the sons of Israel. For he was moved against them by my zeal, so that I myself, in my zeal, might not wipe away the sons of Israel.

12 So make an announcement that I am granting him my peace agreement.

Because of this, say to him: Behold, I give to him the peace of my covenant.

13 It will be an agreement that ensures a permanent priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was passionately dedicated to his God and set the Israelites right.”

And the covenant of the everlasting priesthood shall be as much for him as for his offspring. For he was zealous on behalf of his God, and he has made expiation for the wickedness of the sons of Israel.”

14 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu, a family leader of the tribe of Simeon.

Now the name of the Israelite man, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader from the kinship and tribe of Simeon.

15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, a family leader of a Midianite tribe.

Moreover, the Midianite woman, who was put to death together with him, was called Cozbi the daughter of Zur, a most noble leader among the Midianites.

16 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

17 “Attack the Midianites and kill them,

“Let the Midianites perceive you as enemies, and strike them down,

18 because they attacked you deceptively, leading you astray by using Peor and their woman Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader—the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of their devotion to Peor.”

for they, too, have behaved with hostility against you, and they have deceived you insidiously by means of the idol Peor, and by Cozbi, the daughter of a commander of Midian, their sister, who was struck down in the day of the scourge because of the sacrilege of Peor.”