Numbers 25

1 Forsothe in that tyme Israel dwellide in Sechym; and the puple dide fornycacioun with the douytris of Moab;

And Israel dwells in Shittim, and the people begin to go whoring to daughters of Moab,

2 whiche douytris clepiden hem to her sacrifices, and thei eten, and worschipiden the goddis of tho douytris;

and they call for the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people eat and bow themselves to their gods,

3 and Israel made sacrifice to Belphegor. And the Lord was wrooth,

and Israel is joined to Ba‘al-Peor, and the anger of YHWH burns against Israel.

4 and seide to Moises, Take thou alle the princes of the puple, and hange hem ayens the sunne in iebatis, that my wodnesse, `that is stronge veniaunce, be turned awai fro Israel.

And YHWH says to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them before YHWH in sight of the sun; and the fierceness of the anger of YHWH turns back from Israel.”

5 And Moises seide to the iugis of Israel, Ech man sle his neiyboris, that maden sacrifice to Belphagor.

And Moses says to [the] judges of Israel, “Each slays his men who are joined to Ba‘al-Peor.”

6 And, lo! oon of the sones of Israel entride bifor his britheren to `an hoore of Madian, in the siyt of Moises, and al the cumpeny of the sones of Israel, whiche wepten bifor the yatis of the tabernacle.

And behold, a man of the sons of Israel has come, and brings a Midianitess to his brothers before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, who are weeping at the opening of the Tent of Meeting;

7 And whanne Phynees, the sone of Eleazar, sone of Aaron, preest, hadde seyn this, he roos fro the myddis of the multitude; and whanne he hadde take a swerd,

and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, sees, and rises from the midst of the congregation, and takes a javelin in his hand,

8 he entride aftir the man of Israel in to the `hoore hows, and stikide thorou both togidere, that is, the man and the womman, in the places of gendryng. And the veniaunce ceesside fro the sones of Israel,

and goes in after the man of Israel to the hollow place, and pierces them both, the man of Israel and the woman—to her belly, and the plague is restrained from the sons of Israel;

9 and foure and twenti thousand of men weren slayn.

and the dead by the plague are twenty-four thousand.

10 And the Lord seide to Moises,

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

11 Fynees, the sone of Eleazar, sone of Aaron, preest, turnede away myn yre fro the sones of Israel; for he was stirid ayens hem bi my feruent loue, that Y my silf schulde not do awai the sones of Israel in my greet hete, `ether strong veniaunce.

“Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My fury from the sons of Israel by his being zealous with My zeal in their midst, and I have not consumed the sons of Israel in My zeal.

12 Therfor speke thou to hym, Lo! Y yyue to hym the pees of my couenaunt,

Therefore say, Behold, I am giving My covenant of peace to him,

13 and it schal be an euerlastynge couenaunt of preesthod, as wel to hym silf as to his seed; for he louyde feruentli for his God, and he clenside the greet trespas of the sones of Israel.

and it has been to him and to his seed after him [for] a covenant of a continuous priesthood, because that he has been zealous for his God, and makes atonement for the sons of Israel.”

14 Forsothe the name of the man of Israel, that was slayn with the womman of Madian, was Zambri, the sone of Salu, duyk of the kynrede and lynage of Symeon.

And the name of the man of Israel who is struck, who has been struck with the Midianitess, [is] Zimri son of Salu, prince of the house of a father of the Simeonite;

15 Forsothe the womman of Madian that was slayn togidere, was clepid Cobri, the douyter of Sur, the nobleste prince of Madianytis.

and the name of the woman who is struck, the Midianitess, [is] Cozbi daughter of Zur; he [is] head of peoples of a father’s house in Midian.

16 And the Lord spak to Moises and seide,

And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

17 `Madianytis feele you enemyes, and smyte ye hem;

“Distress the Midianites, and you have struck them,

18 for also thei diden enemyliche ayens you, and disseyueden thorow tresouns, bi the idol of Phegor, and bi `the douyter of Corbri, duyk of Madian, her sister, which douyter was sleyn in the dai of veniaunce, for the sacrilege of Phegor.

for they are adversaries to you with their frauds, [with] which they have acted fraudulently to you, concerning the matter of Peor and concerning the matter of Cozbi, daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, who is struck in the day of the plague for the matter of Peor.”