Liber Numeri 25
1 Morabatur autem eo tempore Israël in Settim, et fornicatus est populus cum filiabus 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 quæ vocaverunt eos ad sacrificia sua. At ille comederunt et adoraverunt deos earum.
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 Initiatusque est Israël Beelphegor: et iratus Dominus,
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 ait ad Moysen: Tolle cunctos principes populi, et suspende eos contra solem in patibulis, ut avertatur furor meus ab Israël.
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 Dixitque Moyses ad judices Israël: Occidat unusquisque proximos suos, qui initiati sunt Beelphegor.
So Moses/I said to the other Israeli leaders, “Each of you must execute your men who have joined [others] in worshiping Baal.”
6 Et ecce unus de filiis Israël intravit coram fratribus suis ad scortum Madianitidem, vidente Moyse, et omni turba filiorum Israël, qui flebant ante fores tabernaculi.
[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 Quod cum vidisset Phinees filius Eleazari filii Aaron sacerdotis, surrexit de medio multitudinis, et arrepto pugione,
When Phinehas, who was the grandson of Aaron, saw that, he grabbed a spear
8 ingressus est post virum Israëlitem in lupanar, et perfodit ambos simul, virum scilicet et mulierem in locis genitalibus. Cessavitque plaga a filiis Israël:
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 et occisi sunt viginti quatuor millia hominum.
But 24,000 people had already died [from that plague].
10 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen:
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
11 Phinees filius Eleazari filii Aaron sacerdotis avertit iram meam a filiis Israël: quia zelo meo commotus est contra eos, ut non ipse delerem filios Israël in zelo meo.
“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 Idcirco loquere ad eum: Ecce do ei pacem fœderis mei,
Now tell him that I am making a special peace agreement with him.
13 et erit tam ipsi quam semini ejus pactum sacerdotii sempiternum: quia zelatus est pro Deo suo, et expiavit scelus filiorum Israël.
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 Erat autem nomen viri Israëlitæ, qui occisus est cum Madianitide, Zambri filius Salu, dux de cognatione et tribu Simeonis.
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 Porro mulier Madianitis, quæ pariter interfecta est, vocabatur Cozbi filia Sur principis nobilissimi Madianitarum.
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 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
17 Hostes vos sentiant Madianitæ, et percutite eos:
“[Take your men and] attack the Midian people-group and kill them.
18 quia et ipsi hostiliter egerunt contra vos, et decepere insidiis per idolum Phogor, et Cozbi filiam ducis Madian sororem suam, quæ percussa est in die plagæ pro sacrilegio Phogor.
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].”
