Numbers 25  Tree of Life Version

Moabite Seduction and Phineas Arises

25 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the people began to have immoral sexual relations with women from Moab. ² Then they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, so the people were eating, and bowing down before their gods. ³ When Israel became bound to Baal of Peor, the anger of Adonai grew hot against Israel.

⁴ Adonai said to Moses, “Seize all the ringleaders and hang them before Adonai facing the sun, so that Adonai’s fierce anger may be turned away from Israel.”

⁵ So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you, kill your men who have been joining themselves to Baal of Peor.” ⁶ Then behold, a man from Bnei-Yisrael came and brought a Midianite woman to his brothers before the eyes of Moses and of the whole assembly of Bnei-Yisrael, while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting!

⁷ When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen saw it, he arose from the midst of the assembly, took a spear in his hand, ⁸ and went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced them through—both the Israelite man and the woman’s belly. Then the plague among Bnei-Yisrael was stopped. ⁹ However, 24,000 were dead because of the plague!

Parashat Pinchas

¹⁰ Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹¹ “Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen has turned away My anger from Bnei-Yisrael because he was very zealous for Me among them, so that I did not put an end to Bnei-Yisrael in My zeal. ¹² So now say: See, I am making with him a covenant of shalom! ¹³ It will be for him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood—because he was zealous for his God and atoned for Bnei-Yisrael.”

¹⁴ The name of the Israelite man killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a prince of a Simeonite ancestral household. ¹⁵ The name of the executed Midianite woman was Cozbi, daughter of Zur—he was a tribal head of an ancestral house in Midian.

¹⁶ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹⁷ “Deal with the Midianites as enemies and strike them. ¹⁸ For they have been enemies to you in their deceptions of you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite prince, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague on account of the Peor incident.”