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Numbers

Baal of Peor and Phinehas

25
Chapter 25
1 Israel settled in Shittim, and the people began to profane themselves with the daughters of Moab. 2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 Israel clung to Baal Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against Israel. 4 The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and hang them before the LORD in the sun, so that the LORD's burning anger may turn away from Israel." 5 Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you kill the men who are clinging to Baal of Peor." 6 And behold, a man from the sons of Israel came and brought the Midianite woman to his brothers before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this. He got up from the middle of the congregation and took a spear in his hand. 8 He went after the Israelite man into the chamber and thrust both of them through—the Israelite man and the woman—through her belly. And the plague stopped among the Israelites. 9 Those who died in the plague numbered twenty-four thousand. 10 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 11 Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest turned back my wrath from the sons of Israel when he was zealous for my jealousy among them, and I did not make an end of the sons of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore, I said, "I am giving him my covenant of peace." 13 And it will be to him and to his seed after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood, in place of which he was zealous for his God and atoned for the sons of Israel. 14 The name of the Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of an ancestral house of the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the struck-down Midianite woman, Cozbi daughter of Tyre, head of a father's house in Midian, it is. 16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 17 Harass the Midianites and strike them. 18 for they are enemies to you in their deceits by which they deceived you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, the one who was struck down on the Day of the plague in the matter of Peor.