1. Israel was staying in Shittim. The men of Israel began to commit sexual sins with the women of Moab.
2. The women invited the men to feasts and sacrifices in honor of their gods. The people ate and bowed down in front of the statues of those gods.
3. So Israel joined in worshiping the god Baal that was worshiped at Peor. The Lord's anger burned against Israel.
4. The Lord said to Moses, "Take all of the leaders of these people. Kill them. Put their dead bodies out in the open. I want to see you do it in the middle of the day. Then my anger will not burn against Israel."
5. So Moses spoke to Israel's judges. He said, "Some of your men have joined in worshiping the god Baal that is worshiped at Peor. Each of you must kill the men in your tribe who have done that."
6. Then a man of Israel brought a woman of Midian to his family. He did it right in front of the eyes of Moses and the whole community of Israel. They were sobbing at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
7. Phinehas was a priest. He was the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. When Phinehas saw what had happened, he left the people. He took a spear in his hand.
8. He followed the man into a tent. Phinehas stuck the spear through both the man and the woman. Then the Lord stopped the plague against the people of Israel.
9. But the plague had already killed 24,000 of them.
10. The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,
11. "Phinehas is a priest. He is the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. Phinehas has turned my anger away from the people of Israel. I am committed to making sure I am honored among them. And he is as committed as I am. Even though I was angry with them, I did not put an end to them.
12. "So tell Phinehas I am making my covenant with him. It promises to give him peace.
13. He and his sons after him will have a covenant to be priests forever. That is because he was committed to making sure that I, his God, was honored. In that way he paid for the sin of the people of Israel."
14. The name of the man of Israel who was killed was Zimri. He was the son of Salu. Zimri was killed along with the woman of Midian. Salu was a family leader in the tribe of Simeon.
15. The name of the woman of Midian who was killed was Cozbi. She was the daughter of Zur. Zur was the chief of a family in Midian.
16. The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,
17. "Treat the people of Midian just as you would treat enemies. Kill them.