6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his 1relatives a aMidianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, bwhile they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

7 aWhen Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand,

8 and he went after the man of Israel into the 1tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the 2body. aSo the plague on the sons of Israel was checked.

9 aThose who died by the plague were 24,000.

The Zeal of Phinehas

10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

11 “aPhinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel bin My jealousy.

12 “Therefore say, ‘aBehold, I give him My bcovenant of peace;

13 and it shall be for him and his 1descendants after him, a covenant of a aperpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and bmade atonement for the sons of Israel.’ ”