Numbers 25:1–9

The Sin of Peor

¹While Israel remained at ^aShittim, the people began ^bto play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.

²For ^athey invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

³So ^aIsrael joined themselves to ¹Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel.

⁴The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them ¹in broad daylight before the Lord, ^aso that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”

⁵So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you ^aslay his men who have joined themselves to ¹Baal of Peor.”

⁶Then 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.

^7aWhen 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,

⁸and 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.

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