1 And Israel lived in Shittim, and the people began to fornicate with the daughters of Moab.

2 And they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

3 And Israel joined himself to Baal-peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

4 And the LORD said to Moses, Take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.

5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal-peor.

6 And behold! One of the sons of Israel came and brought to his brothers a woman of Midian, before the eyes of Moses, and before all the congregation of the sons of Israel, who [were] weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw [it], he rose up from among the congregation and took a spear in his hand.

8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman, through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the sons of Israel.

9 And those that died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10 And the LORD spoke to Moses saying,

11 Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the sons of Israel while he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.

12 Therefore say, Behold! I give him My covenant of peace.

13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the sons of Israel.

14 And the name of the Israelite who was killed, he who was struck with the woman of Midian, [was] Zimri, the son of Salu, ruler of a chief house of the Simeonites.

15 And the Midianite woman's name who was killed [was] Cosbi, the daughter of Zur. He was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.

16 And the LORD spoke to Moses saying,

17 Trouble the Midianites and strike them.

18 For they trouble you with their lies, with which they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi the daughter of a ruler of Midian, their sister, who was stricken in the day of the plague because of Peor.