Baal Worship at Peor
1 While Israel was camped in Shittim, the men began to have sexual relations with the Moabite women. 2 The women invited the men to the sacrifices of their gods, and they ate with them and bowed down to their gods. 3 Israel united with Baal Peor, and the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. 4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them up in broad daylight in the sight of the Lord, that his fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”
5 Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Slay every one of his men who are connected with Baal Peor.”
Phinehas Kills Zimri and Cozbi
6 One of the Israelites came and brought to his brothers, a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the entire Israelite community, while they were mourning at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 7 When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest saw it, he rose up from the midst of the community and took a spear in his hand. 8 He went after the man of Israel into the pavilion and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through her belly. So the plague was stopped among the Israelites. 9 Those who died by the plague were 24,000.
Phinehas’ Reward
10 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the Israelites, in that he was zealous for my sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘I give to him my covenant of peace. 13 It shall be to him and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made an atonement for the Israelites.’ ”
14 Now the name of the man of Israel who was slain, the one slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, son of Salu, the head of the family from the Simeonite tribe. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi. She was the daughter of Zur, who was the head of a Midianite clan.
A Warning against the Midianites
16 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them, 18 for they harassed you with their trickery, when they deceived you in the matter of Peor and in the incident regarding Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”