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 Baalpeor: 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 Baalpeor.
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.
