Numbers 25

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 While Israel was living at Shittim, the people degraded themselves by having illicit relations with the Moabite women.	1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
2 These then invited the people to the sacrifices of their god, and the people ate of the sacrifices and worshiped their god.	2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
3 When Israel thus submitted to the rites of Baal of Peor, the LORD'S anger flared up against Israel,	3 And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
4 and he said to Moses, "Gather all the leaders of the people, and hold a public execution of the guilty ones before the LORD, that his blazing wrath may be turned away from Israel."	4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.
5 So Moses told the Israelite judges, "Each of you shall kill those of his men who have submitted to the rites of Baal of Peor."	5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.
6 Yet a certain Israelite came and brought in a Midianite woman to his clansmen in the view of Moses and of the whole Israelite community, while they were weeping at the entrance of the meeting tent.	6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
7 When Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, and taking a lance in hand,	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 javelin in his hand;
8 followed the Israelite into his retreat where he pierced the pair of them, the Israelite and the woman. Thus the slaughter of Israelites was checked;	8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust 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 but only after twenty-four thousand had died.	9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
10 Then the LORD said to Moses,	10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11 "Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger from the Israelites by his zeal for my honor among them; that is why I did not put an end to the Israelites for the offense to my honor.	11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12 Announce, therefore, that I hereby give him my pledge of friendship,	12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
13 which shall be for him and for his descendants after him the pledge of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous on behalf of his God and thus made amends for the Israelites."	13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
14 The Israelite slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu, prince of an ancestral house of the Simeonites.	14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.
15 The slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, who was head of a clan, an ancestral house, in Midian.	15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.
16 The LORD then said to Moses,	16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17 "Treat the Midianites as enemies and crush them,	17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
18 for they have been your enemies by their wily dealings with you as regards Peor and as regards their kinswoman Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite prince, who was killed at the time of the slaughter because of Peor."	18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.
19 After the slaughter