1Israel was staying in Shittim. The men of Israel began to commit sexual sins with the women of Moab.2The women invited the men to feasts and sacrifices to honour their gods. The people ate the sacrifices and bowed down in front of the statues of those gods.3So Israel joined in worshipping the god named Baal that was worshipped at Peor. The LORD became very angry with Israel.4The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take all the leaders of these people. Kill them. Put their dead bodies out in the open. I want to see you do it in the middle of the day. Then I will not be angry with Israel.’5So Moses spoke to Israel’s judges. He said, ‘Some of your people have joined in worshipping the god named Baal that is worshipped at Peor. Each of you must kill the people in your tribe who have done that.’6Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman. He did it right in front of the eyes of Moses and the whole community of Israel. They were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting.7Phinehas was a priest. He was the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. When Phinehas saw what had happened, he left the people. He took a spear in his hand.8He followed the man into the tent. Phinehas stuck the spear through the man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the LORD stopped the plague against the Israelites.9But the plague had already killed 24,000 of them.10The LORD said to Moses,11‘Phinehas is a priest. He is the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. Phinehas has turned my anger away from the Israelites. I am committed to making sure I am honoured among them. And he is as committed as I am. So even though I was angry with them, I did not put an end to them.12So tell Phinehas I am making my covenant with him. It is my promise to give him peace.13He and his sons after him will have a covenant to be priests for ever. That is because he was committed to making sure that I, his God, was honoured. In that way he paid for the sin of the Israelites.’14The name of the Israelite man who was killed was Zimri. He was the son of Salu. Zimri was killed along with the Midianite woman. Salu was a family leader in the tribe of Simeon.15The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Kozbi. She was the daughter of Zur. He was the chief of a Midianite family.16The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,17‘Treat the Midianites just as you would treat enemies. Kill them.18After all, they treated you like enemies. They tricked you into worshipping the god named Baal that is worshipped at Peor. They also tricked you because of what Kozbi did. She was the woman killed when the plague came that was connected with Peor. Kozbi was the daughter of a Midianite leader.’
Numbers 25
English Standard Version
Baal Worship at Peor
1While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. (Nu 31:16; Nu 33:49; Jos 2:1; Jos 3:1; Mic 6:5)2These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. (Ex 34:15; Jos 22:17; Ps 106:28; Ho 9:10; 1Co 10:20)3So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.4And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang[1] them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” (Nu 25:11; De 4:3; De 13:17; De 21:23; 2Sa 21:6; Ga 3:13)5And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” (Ex 18:21; Ex 18:25; Ex 32:27; Nu 11:16)6And 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. (Joe 2:17)7When 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 (Ex 6:25; Ps 106:30)8and 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.9Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. (De 4:3; 1Co 10:8)
The Zeal of Phinehas
10And the Lord said to Moses,11“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. (Ex 20:5; De 32:16; De 32:21; 1Ki 14:22; Ps 78:58; Zep 1:18; Zep 3:8; 1Co 10:22; 2Co 11:2)12Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, (Mal 2:4)13and 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.’” (Ex 40:15; 1Ch 6:4)14The 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.15And 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. (Nu 31:8; Jos 13:21)16And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,17“Harass the Midianites and strike them down, (Nu 31:2; Nu 31:7)18for 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.” (Nu 23:28; Nu 31:16; Re 2:14)