Israel Sacrifices to Baal

1And Israel remained at Shittim, and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 2Indeed they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3So Israel joined themselves to [†]Baal of Peor, and the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel. 4And Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all who are the heads of the people and execute them [†]in broad daylight before Yahweh, so that the burning anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel.” 5So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who have joined themselves to [†]Baal of Peor.”

6Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought near to his brothers a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 7And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, so he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, 8and he went after the man of Israel into the [†]tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the [†]body. Then the plague on the sons of Israel was checked. 9So those who died by the plague were 24,000.

The Jealousy of Phinehas

10Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the sons of Israel in My jealousy. 12Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; 13and it shall be for him and his seed after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”

14Now the name of the [†]slain man of Israel who was [†]slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites. 15And the name of the Midianite woman, who was struck down, was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, [†]who was head of the people of a father’s household in Midian.

16Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 17“Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them, 18for they have been hostile to you with their deceptive tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor.”