Numbers 25
1 Nowe whiles Israel abode in Shittim, the people began to commit whoredome with the daughters of Moab:
While the Israelis were camped at a place called Acacia [Grove], some of the men caused themselves to become unacceptable to God by having sex with some of the women of the Moab [people-group who lived in that area].
2 Which called the people vnto the sacrifice of their gods, and the people ate, and bowed downe to their gods.
Then those women invited the men to come when the sacrifices were being offered to their gods. The Israeli men [accepted]. They went to the feasts with the women and worshiped the gods of the Moab people-group.
3 And Israel coupled himselfe vnto Baal Peor: wherefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel:
By doing that, those Israeli people joined the women in worshiping the god Baal [add] the Moab people-group thought lived on Peor Mountain. That caused Yahweh to become very angry with his people.
4 And the Lord sayde vnto Moses, Take all the heades of the people, and hang them vp before the Lord against ye sunne, that the indignation of the Lords wrath may be turned from Israel.
Yahweh said this to Moses/me: “Seize all the leaders of those men who are doing this and execute them while I am watching. Do that in the daytime. After you do that, I will no longer be angry with the Israeli people.”
5 Then Moses sayd vnto the Iudges of Israel, Euery one slay his men that were ioyned vnto Baal Peor.
So Moses/I said to the other Israeli leaders, “Each of you must execute your men who have joined [others] in worshiping Baal.”
6 And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought vnto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the Congregation of the children of Israel, who wept before the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
[But later], while Moses/I and many [HYP] other people were crying at the entrance of the Sacred Tent, while they/we were watching, one of the Israeli men brought a woman from the Midian people-group into his tent [and started to have sex with her].
7 And when Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron the Priest sawe it, hee rose vp from the middes of the Congregation, and tooke a speare in his hand,
When Phinehas, who was the grandson of Aaron, saw that, he grabbed a spear
8 And followed ye man of Israel into the tent, and thrust them both through: to wit, the man of Israel, and the woman, through her belly: so the plague ceased from the children of Israel.
and rushed into the man’s tent. He thrust the spear completely through the man’s body and into the woman’s belly [and killed both of them]. When he did that, the (plague/serious illness) [that had started to strike the Israelis] stopped.
9 And there died in that plague, foure and twentie thousand.
But 24,000 people had already died [from that plague].
10 Then the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
11 Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar, the sonne of Aaron the Priest, hath turned mine anger away from the children of Israel, while hee was zealous for my sake among them: therefore I haue not consumed the children of Israel in my ielousie.
“Phinehas has caused me to stop being angry with the Israeli people, by being as eager as I am [to stop this sinful behavior]. I was ready to get rid of all the Israeli people because I was extremely angry, but Phinehas has prevented me from doing that.
12 Wherefore say to him, Beholde, I giue vnto him my couenant of peace,
Now tell him that I am making a special peace agreement with him.
13 And he shall haue it, and his seede after him, euen the couenant of the priestes office for euer, because he was zealous for his God, and hath made an atonement for the children of Israel.
In this agreement, I am promising to give to him and to his descendants the right/authority to be priests. I am doing this because [he showed that] he was very eager to honor me, his God, by stopping this sinful behavior. He has caused the Israeli people to become acceptable to me again by causing them to be forgiven for their sin.”
14 And the name of the Israelite thus slayne, which was killed with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri the sonne of Salu, prince of the familie of the Simeonites.
The Israeli man who was killed with the woman of the Moab people-group was named Zimri. He was the son of Salu, who was the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon.
15 And the name of the Midianitish woman, that was slayne, was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was head ouer the people of his fathers house in Midian.
The woman’s name was Cozbi. She was the daughter of Zur, who was the leader of one of the clans of the Midian people-group.
16 Againe ye Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
17 Vexe the Midianites, and smite them:
“[Take your men and] attack the Midian people-group and kill them.
18 For they trouble you with their wiles, wherewith they haue beguiled you as concerning Peor, and as concerning their sister Cozbi ye daughter of a prince of Midian, which was slayne in the day of the plague because of Peor.
They have become your enemies, because they tricked you Israeli people and induced/persuaded many of you to worship Baal, and because [one of your men had sex with] Cozbi, who was the daughter of a leader of the Midian people-group. She was killed at the time the plague [started because the people sinned] at Peor [Mountain].”
