NumbersChapter 25
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1Israel was staying at Shittim. There the men began to sin sexually with the women of Moab. 2These women also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. The people ate the food and bowed down to these gods. 3So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor. And the LORD's anger burned against them. 4The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people. Put them to death in broad daylight before the LORD. Do this so that the LORD's fierce anger will turn away from Israel." 5So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you must kill any of your men who joined in worshiping Baal of Peor." 6Just then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman home to his family. He did it right in front of Moses and all the people of Israel. They were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7Phinehas saw this. He was the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest. He got up from the crowd and took a spear in his hand. 8He followed the Israelite man into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them. It went through the man and into the woman's belly. Then the plague against the Israelites stopped. 9But 24,000 people died in the plague. 10Then the LORD said to Moses, 11"Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. He was jealous for my honor among them. So I did not wipe out the Israelites in my jealous anger. 12So tell him that I am giving him my covenant of peace. 13It will be a covenant for him and his descendants. They will be priests forever. That is because he was jealous for the honor of his God. He made atonement for the Israelites." 14The Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu. He was the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon. 15The Midianite woman who was killed was named Cozbi. She was the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family. 16The LORD said to Moses, 17"Attack the Midianites and kill them. 18Do this because they attacked you with their tricks. They led you into sin in the matter of Peor. They also tricked you through their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. She was the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor."