< Numbers 25 >

1 And Israel remained among the acacias, —and the people began to go away unchastely unto the daughters of Moab;
And Israel at that time abode in Settim, and the people committed fornication with the daughters of Moab,
2 who invited the people unto the sacrifices of their gods, —so the people did eat, and did bow themselves down unto their gods.
Who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate of them, and adored their gods.
3 Thus Israel let himself be bound unto Baal-peor, and the anger of Yahweh kindled upon Israel.
And Israel was initiated to Beelphegor: upon which the Lord being angry,
4 And Yahweh said unto Moses—Take all the heads of the people, and crucify them unto Yahweh. in the face of the sun, —that the heat of the anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel.
Said to Moses: Take all the princes of the people, and hang them up on gibbets against the sun: that my fury may be turned away from Israel.
5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, —Slay ye each one his men, who have let themselves he bound unto Baal-peor.
And Moses said to the judges of Israel: Let every man kill his neighbours, that have been initiated to Beelphegor.
6 And lo! a man of the sons of Israel coming in, who brought near unto his brethren a Midianite woman, before the eyes of Moses, and before the eyes of all the assembly of the sons of Israel, when they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
And behold one of the children of Israel went in before his brethren to a harlot of Madian, in the sight of Moses, and of all the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.
7 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest saw it, so he rose up out of the midst of the assembly, and took a spear in his hand;
And when Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest saw it, he rose up from the midst; of the multitude, and taking a dagger,
8 and went in after the man of Israel into the pleasure-tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, in her parts of shame, —so the plague was restrained from against the sons of Israel.
Went in after the Israelite into the brothel house, and thrust both of them through together, to wit, the man and the woman in the genital parts. And the scourge ceased from the children of Israel:
9 Then was it found that they who had died by the plague were four and twenty thousand.
And there were slain four and twenty thousand men.
10 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses saying:
And the Lord said to Moses:
11 Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, hath turned back my wrath from against the sons of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy, in their midst, so that I made not an end of the sons of Israel. in my jealousy.
Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned away my wrath from the children of Israel: because he was moved with my zeal against them, that I myself might not destroy the children of Israel in my zeal.
12 Wherefore say, —Behold me! giving unto him my covenant of peace;
Therefore say to him: Behold I give him the peace of my covenant,
13 so shall it prove to be unto him and unto his seed after him, the covenant of our age-abiding priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and did put a propitiatory-covering over the sons of Israel.
And the covenant of the priesthood for ever shall be both to him and his seed, because he hath been zealous for his God, and hath made atonement for the wickedness of the children of Israel.
14 Now, the name of the man of Israel that was smitten, who was smitten with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri son of Salu, —prince of an ancestral house of the Simeonites;
And the name of the Israelite, was slain with the woman of Madian, was Zambri the son of Salu, a prince the kindred and tribe of Simeon.
15 and, the name of the woman who was smitten, the Midianitess, was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, —the head of his kindred, of an ancestral house in Midian, was he.
And the Madianite woman, that was slain with him, was called Cozbi the daughter of Sur, a most noble prince among the Madianites.
16 And Yahweh spake unto Moses saying:
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
17 Besiege the Midianites, —and ye shall smite them:
Let the Madianites find you enemies, and slay you them:
18 for, besiegers, were they unto you, with their wiles wherewith they beguiled you, over the matter of Peor, —and over he matter of Cozbi, daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, who was smitten in the day of the plague, over the matter of Peor.
Because they also have acted like enemies against you, and have guilefully deceived you by the idol Phogor, and Cozbi their sister, a daughter of a prince of Madian, who was slain in the day the plague for the sacrilege of Phogor.

< Numbers 25 >