1
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab .
2
And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods : and the people did eat , and bowed down to their gods .
3
And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor : and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel .
4
And the LORD said unto Moses , Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun , that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel .
5
And Moses said unto the judges of Israel , Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor .
6
And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses , and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel , who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation .
7
And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation , and took a javelin in his hand ;
8
And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel , and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel .
9
And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand .
10
And the LORD spake unto Moses , saying,
11
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel , while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy .
12
Wherefore say , Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace :
13
And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood ; because he was zealous for his God , and made an atonement for the children of Israel .
14
Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.
15
And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian .
16
And the LORD spake unto Moses , saying,
17
Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
18
For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian , their sister , which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.