Numbers 25:1-18
Moab Seduces Israel
1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”
5 So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”
6 Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. 12 Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. 13 He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”
14 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them. 18 They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident.”
While the Israelites were camped near Acacia, the men committed sexual sins with Moabite women...The Moabite women invited the men to come and join in their sacrifices to their false gods...So the Israelites joined in worshiping these false gods—they ate the sacrifices and worshiped these gods...There the Israelites began worshiping the false god, Baal of Peor...And the LORD became very angry with them...The LORD said to Moses, “Get all the leaders of these people...Then kill them so that all the people can see...Lay their bodies before the LORD...Then the LORD will not show His anger against all the Israelites.”...So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must find the men in your tribe who have led people to worship the false god, Baal of Peor...Then you must kill these men.”...
At the time Moses and all the elders of Israel were gathered together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent...An Israelite man brought a Midianite woman home to his brothers...He did this where Moses and all the leaders could see...Moses and the leaders were very sad...Phinehas was the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron the priest...Phinehas saw this man bring the woman into camp...So he left the meeting and got his spear...He followed the Israelite into the tent...Then he used the spear to kill the Israelite man and the Midianite woman in her tent...He pushed the spear through both of their bodies...At that time there was a great sickness among the Israelites...But when Phinehas killed these two people, the sickness stopped...A total of 24,000 people died from that sickness...The Lord said to Moses, “I was so angry with the Israelites that I wanted to kill them...But Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, has saved them from My anger...He did this by showing that he feels strongly, just as I do, that My people must worship only Me...Tell Phinehas that I AM making a peace agreement with him...This is the agreement: He and all of his family who live after him will always be priests, because he had strong feelings for his God...And he did what was needed to make the Israelites pure.”...
The Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu...He was the leader of a family in the tribe of Simeon...And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Kozbi...She was the daughter of Zur...Zur was the head of a family and leader of a Midianite tribe...The LORD said to Moses, “The Midianites are your enemies...You must kill them...They have already made you their enemies...They tricked you at Peor...And they tricked you with the woman named Kozbi...She was the daughter of a Midianite leader, but she was killed when the sickness came to the Israelites...That sickness was caused because the people were tricked into worshiping the false god Baal of Peor.”...