Numbers 25

Israel stayed at Shittim, and the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab. The women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods. Israel bound itself to Baal-peor, and the LORD’s anger burned against Israel. The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them before the LORD in the sight of the sun, so that the LORD’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.” Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you shall kill his men who have bound themselves to Baal-peor.” Just then an Israelite man came and brought the Midianite woman to his brothers before the eyes of Moses and the eyes of the whole congregation of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a spear in his hand. He followed the Israelite man into the tent and pierced both of them, the Israelite man and the woman through her belly. Then the plague among the Israelites was stopped. Those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the Israelites by showing my zeal among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal. Therefore say, ‘Look, I am giving him my covenant of peace. It shall be for him and his descendants after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.’” The name of the Israelite man who was killed, who was struck down with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of an ancestral household among the Simeonites. The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur. He was head of clans, of an ancestral household in Midian. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Harass the Midianites and strike them, for they harass you with the schemes they have devised against you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”

Rights and attribution