Numbers 25  Revised Geneva Translation

25 Now while Israel stayed in Shittim, the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab,

² who called the people to the sacrifice of their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

³ And Israel was coupled to Baal of Peor. Therefore, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

⁴ And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them up before the LORD, out in the Sun, so that the indignation of the LORD’s wrath may be turned from Israel.”

⁵ Then Moses said to the Judges of Israel, “Everyone kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”

⁶ And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought a Midianitish woman to his brothers, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the Congregation of the children of Israel, who wept before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

⁷ And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the Congregation, and took a spear in his hand

⁸ and followed the man of Israel into the tent and thrust them both through, the man of Israel and the woman (through her belly). So, the plague ceased from the children of Israel.

⁹ And there died in that plague twenty-four thousand.

¹⁰ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹¹ “Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, has turned My anger away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for My sake among them. Therefore, I have not consumed the children of Israel in My jealousy.

¹² “Therefore, say, ‘Behold, I give to him My Covenant of Peace.

¹³ “‘And he shall have it, and his seed after him — the Covenant of the Priest’s office, forever — because he was zealous for his God, and has made an atonement for the children of Israel.’”

¹⁴ And the name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianitish woman was Zimri, the son of Salu, prince of the family of the Simeonites.

¹⁵ And the name of the Midianitish woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, who was head over the people of his father’s house in Midian.

¹⁶ Again, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁷ “Harass the Midianites and strike them.

¹⁸ “For they trouble you with their craftiness, with which they have deceived you concerning Peor, and concerning their sister Cozbi, daughter of a Prince of Midian, who was killed on the day of the plague because of Peor.”