 1 Israel lived in Acacia and the people began to fornicate with the daughters of Moab. 2 They called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 Israel joined himself to Baalpeor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 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 Moses said to the judges of Israel, Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baalpeor. 6 Behold. One of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a woman of Midian, before the eyes of Moses, and before all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 7 When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a spear in his hand. 8 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 children of Israel. 9 And 24,000 died in the plague. 10 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 children of Israel while he was zealous for my sake among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, Behold. I give him my covenant of peace. 13 He shall have it and his descendants after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. 14 The name of the Israelite who was killed, who was struck with the woman of Midian, was Zimri, the son of Salu, ruler of a chief house of the Simeonites. 15 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 The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 17 Trouble the Midianites and strike them. 18 For they trouble you with their lies with which they 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.
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