1 E Israel deteve-se em Sitim e o povo começou a prostituir-se com as filhas dos moabitas.

2 Elas convidaram o povo aos sacrifícios dos seus deuses; e o povo comeu, e inclinou-se aos seus deuses.

3 Juntando-se, pois, Israel a Baal-peor, a ira do Senhor se acendeu contra Israel.

4 Disse o Senhor a Moisés: Toma todos os cabeças do povo, e enforca-os ao Senhor diante do sol, e o ardor da ira do Senhor se retirará de Israel.

5 Então Moisés disse aos juízes de Israel: Cada um mate os seus homens que se juntaram a Baal-peor.

6 E eis que veio um homem dos filhos de Israel, e trouxe a seus irmãos uma midianita, à vista de Moisés, e à vista de toda a congregação dos filhos de Israel, chorando eles diante da tenda da congregação.

7 Vendo isso Finéias, filho de Eleazar, o filho de Arão, sacerdote, se levantou do meio da congregação, e tomou uma lança na sua mão;

8 E foi após o homem israelita até à tenda, e os atravessou a ambos, ao homem israelita e à mulher, pelo ventre; então a praga cessou de sobre os filhos de Israel.

9 E os que morreram daquela praga foram vinte e quatro mil.

10 Então o Senhor falou a Moisés, dizendo:

11 Finéias, filho de Eleazar, o filho de Arão, sacerdote, desviou a minha ira de sobre os filhos de Israel, pois foi zeloso com o meu zelo no meio deles; de modo que, no meu zelo, não consumi os filhos de Israel.

12 Portanto dize: Eis que lhe dou a minha aliança de paz;

13 E ele, e a sua descendência depois dele, terá a aliança do sacerdócio perpétuo, porquanto teve zelo pelo seu Deus, e fez expiação pelos filhos de Israel.

14 E o nome do israelita, que foi morto com a midianita, era Zimri, filho de Salu, príncipe da casa paterna dos simeonitas.

15 E o nome da mulher midianita morta era Cosbi, filha de Zur, cabeça do povo da casa paterna entre os midianitas.

16 Falou mais o Senhor a Moisés, dizendo:

17 Afligireis os midianitas e os ferireis,

18 Porque eles vos afligiram a vós com os seus enganos com que vos enganaram no caso de Peor, e no caso de Cosbi, filha do príncipe dos midianitas, irmã deles, que foi morta no dia da praga no caso de Peor.

1 Now when Israel was living in Shittim the people became false to the Lord, doing evil with the daughters of Moab:

2 For they sent for the people to be present at the offerings made to their gods; and the people took part in their feasts and gave honour to their gods.

3 So Israel had relations with the women of Moab in honour of the Baal of Peor: and the Lord was moved to wrath against Israel.

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, hanging them up in the sun before the Lord, so that the wrath of the Lord may be turned from Israel.

5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, Let everyone put to death those of his men who have had relations with the women of Moab in honour of the Baal of Peor.

6 Then one of the children of Israel came to his brothers, taking with him a woman of Midian, before the eyes of Moses and all the meeting of the people, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of meeting.

7 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, seeing it, got up from among the people and took a spear in his hand,

8 And went after the man of Israel into the tent, driving the spear through the two of them, through the man of Israel and through the stomach of the woman. So the disease was stopped among the children of Israel.

9 But twenty-four thousand of them had come to their death by the disease.

10 And the Lord said to Moses,

11 Through Phinehas, and because of his passion for my honour, my wrath has been turned away from the children of Israel, so that I have not sent destruction on them all in my wrath.

12 So say to them that I will make with him an agreement of peace:

13 And by this agreement, he and his sons after him have the right to be priests for ever; because, by his care for the honour of his God, he took away the sin of the children of Israel.

14 Now the man of Israel who was put to death with the woman of Midian was Zimri, the son of Salu, a chief of one of the families of the Simeonites.

15 And the woman of Midian who was put to death was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was the head of a family in Midian.

16 Then the Lord said to Moses,

17 Take up arms against the Midianites and overcome them;

18 For they are a danger to you with their false ways, causing sin to come on you in the question of Peor, and because of Cozbi, their sister, the daughter of the chief of Midian, who was put to death at the time of the disease which came on you because of Peor.