Chapter 25

The Sin of Peor

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

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

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

4 The 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.”

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

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.’ ”

14 Now the name of the 1slain man of Israel who was 1slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites.

15 The name of the Midianite woman who was 1slain was aCozbi the daughter of bZur, 2who was head of the people of a father’s household in Midian.

16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

17 “aBe hostile to the Midianites and strike them;

18 for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor.”