1 W hile Israel stayed at Shittim, the people were not faithful to the Lord and began to have sex with the daughters of Moab.

And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

2 T hey asked the people of Israel to bring gifts to their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

3 S o Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry with Israel.

And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

4 T he Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, kill them, and put their bodies in the bright daylight before the Lord. Then the strong anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”

And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.

5 S o Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”

And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

6 T hen one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family. Moses and all the people of Israel saw this while they were crying at the door of the meeting tent.

And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

7 W hen Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the religious leader, saw it, he rose up from among the people. He took a spear in his hand

And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;

8 a nd went after the man of Israel into the tent. Then he cut through the bodies of both the man of Israel and the woman. So the very bad disease that spread on the people of Israel was stopped.

And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

9 T hose who died because of this bad disease were 24, 000.

And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

10 T hen the Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

11 “ Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the religious leader, has turned My anger away from the people of Israel. He was jealous with My jealousy among them, so I did not destroy the people of Israel in My jealousy.

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

12 S o say to them that I make My agreement of peace with Phinehas.

Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:

13 I t will be an agreement for him and his children after him that they will always be religious leaders, because he was jealous for his God, and did what he was to do to pay for the sin of the people of Israel.”

And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

14 T he name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri the son of Salu. He was a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites.

Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.

15 T he name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur. Zur was the head of the people of a father’s house in Midian.

And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.

16 T he Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

17 “ Be angry at the Midianites and fight against them.

Vex the Midianites, and smite them:

18 F or they have brought trouble to you with their false ways. They have fooled you and turned you to the wrong way. They have brought you trouble at Peor with Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister. She was killed on the day the very bad disease came because of Peor.”

For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.