While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the
daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of
their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So
Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was
kindled against Israel. And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the
chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the LORD, that
the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” And Moses
said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men
who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”
And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a
Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the
sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they
were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas
the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and
left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after
the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the
man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on
the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by
the plague were twenty-four thousand.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of
Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of
Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that
I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. Therefore
say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, and it shall be
to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual
priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement
for the people of Israel.’”
The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the
Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's
house belonging to the Simeonites. And the name of the Midianite
woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the
tribal head of a father's house in Midian.
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Harass the Midianites and
strike them down, for they have harassed you with their wiles, with
which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of
Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was
killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”
