1 And Israel dwelt in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab,
2 which called the people unto the sacrifice of their gods. And the people ate, and worshipped their gods,
3 and Israel coupled himself unto Baal-Peor. Then the LORD was angry with Israel,
4 and said unto Moses, "Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up unto the LORD against the sun, that the wrath of the LORD may turn away from Israel."
5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, "Go and slay those men that joined themselves unto Baal- Peor."
6 And behold, one of the children of Israel went in against his brethren, and joined himself to a Midianitish woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the multitude of the children of Israel as they were weeping in the door of the tabernacle of witness.
7 And when Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest saw it, he rose up out of the company and took a weapon in his hand,
8 and went after the man of Israel into the whorehouse, and thrust them through: both the man of Israel and also the woman even through the belly of her. And the plague ceased from the children of Israel.
9 And there died in the plague twenty four thousand.
10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11 "Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned mine anger away from the children of Israel, because he was jealous for my sake among them; that I had not consumed the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12 Wherefore, say, 'Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace,
13 and he shall have it and his seed after him, even the covenant of the priest's office forever, because he was jealous for his God's sake and made an atonement for the children of Israel.'"
14 The name of the Israelite which was smitten with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a lord of an ancient house among the Simeonites.
15 And the name of the Midianitish woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur and head over the people of an ancient house in Midian.
16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17 "Vex the Midianites and smite them,
18 for they have troubled you with their wiles with thee, which they have beguiled you, through Peor and through their sister Cozbi the daughter of a lord in Midian, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake."