IAnd Israel lived in Shittim, and the people began to prostitute themselves to the daughters of Moab.‡ 2And they attracted the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed to their gods, 3and Israel was associated with Baal Peor. And YHWH’s anger flared at Israel. 4And YHWH said to Moses, “Take all of the leaders of the people and hang them in front of the sun, and YHWH’s flaring anger will go back from Israel.”
5And Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you, kill those of his people who are associated with Baal Peor.”
6And, here, a man from the children of Israel came and brought forward a Midianite woman to his brothers before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the congregation of the children of Israel while they were mourning at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.161 7And Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, saw, and he got up from among the congregation and took a spear in his hand. 8And he came after the Israelite man to the enclosure162 and ran the two of them through, the Israelite man and the woman, to her stomach, and the plague was halted from the children of Israel. 9And the dead in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 11“Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, has turned back my fury from the children of Israel by his carrying out my jealousy among them, so I didn’t finish the children of Israel in my jealousy. “Therefore, say: Here, I’m giving him my covenant of peace, 13and it shall be his, and his seed’s after him, a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and he made atonement for the children of Israel.”‡
14And the name of the stricken Israelite man, who was struck with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, chieftain of a father’s house of the Simeonites. 15And the name of the stricken Midianite woman was Cozbi daughter of Zur. He was head of the people of a father’s house in Midian.
l6And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 17“Afflict the Midianites—and you shall strike them— l8because they have been afflicting you with their conspiracies that they made against you over the matter of Peor and over the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a chieftain of Midian, their sister who was struck on the day of the plague over the matter of Peor.
19And it was after the plague.