Numbers 25

1While Israel was staying at Shittim, the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab.

2And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

3So Israel joined itself to Baal of Peor, and the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel.

4And Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and impale them for Yahweh in broad daylight, so that the burning anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel.”

5And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor.”

6And behold, a man from the sons of Israel came and brought near to his brothers a Midianite woman, before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

7When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand.

8He went after the Israelite man into the chamber and pierced both of them—the Israelite man and the woman—through her belly. Then the plague was stopped from upon the sons of Israel.

9And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

11Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from upon the sons of Israel by being jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the sons of Israel in my jealousy.

12Therefore say, ‘Look, I am giving him my covenant of peace.’

13It shall be for him and for his offspring after him a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.

14The name of the Israelite man who was struck down, who was struck down with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of a father's house among the Simeonites.

15And the name of the Midianite woman who was struck down was Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was head of the clans of a father's house in Midian.

16And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

17Harass the Midianites and strike them down,

18For they are hostile to you through their schemes, by which they deceived you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was struck down on the day of the plague because of the matter of Peor.

19And it happened after the plague.