25Israel 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 in honor of their gods. The people ate and bowed down in front of the statues of those gods.

³So Israel joined in worshiping the god Baal that was worshiped at Peor. The Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

⁴The Lord said to Moses, “Take all of 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 my anger will not burn against Israel.”

⁵So Moses spoke to Israel’s judges. He said, “Some of your men have joined in worshiping the god Baal that is worshiped at Peor. Each of you must kill the men in your tribe who have done that.”

⁶Then a man of Israel brought a woman of Midian to his family. He did it right in front of the eyes of Moses and the whole community of Israel. They were sobbing 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 a tent. Phinehas stuck the spear through both the man and the woman.

Then the Lord stopped the plague against the people of Israel. ⁹But the plague had already killed 24,000 of them.

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