Numbers 25
Lexham English Bible
The Plague of Israel
25 When Israel dwelled in Shittim, the people began to prostitute[a] themselves with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods. 3 So Israel was joined together to Baal Peor, and Yahweh became angry[b] with Israel. 4 Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all the leaders[c] of the people and kill them before the sun, so the fierce anger of Yahweh will turn from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who are joined together with Baal Peor.”
6 And behold, a man from the Israelites[d] came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all of the community of the Israelites,[e] and they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of assembly. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest saw, he got up from the midst of the community and took a spear in his hand. 8 He went after the man of Israel into the woman’s section of the tent, and he drove the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, into her belly. And the plague among the Israelites[f] stopped. 9 The ones who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, turned away my anger from among the Israelites[g] when he was jealous with my jealousy in their midst, and I did not destroy the Israelites[h] with my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I am giving to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it will be for him and his offspring[i] after him a covenant of an eternal priesthood because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.’”[j]
14 The name of the man of Israel who was struck with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of the family[k] of the Simeonites.[l] 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was struck was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a leader[m] of a tribe of the family[n] in Midian.
16 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Attack the Midianites and strike them 18 because they were attacking you with their deception, with which they have deceived you on the matter of Peor and on the matter of Cozbi the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was struck on the day of the plague because of the matter of Peor.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 25:1 Or “have sexual relations”
- Numbers 25:3 Literally “the nose of Yahweh became hot”
- Numbers 25:4 Literally “the heads”
- Numbers 25:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 25:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 25:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 25:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 25:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 25:13 Literally “seed”
- Numbers 25:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 25:14 Or “the father’s house” or “the ancestor’s house”
- Numbers 25:14 Hebrew “Simeonite”
- Numbers 25:15 Literally “a head”
- Numbers 25:15 Or “the father’s house” or “the ancestor’s house”
Numbers 25
New American Standard Bible
The Sin of Peor
25 While Israel remained at (A)Shittim, the people began (B)to commit infidelity with the daughters of Moab. 2 For (C)they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So (D)Israel [a]became followers of [b]Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry with Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and [c]execute them [d]in broad daylight before the Lord, (E)so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you (F)kill his men who have [e]become followers of [f]Baal of Peor.”
6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a (G)Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, (H)while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 (I)When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the inner room of the tent and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman, through the abdomen. (J)So the plague on the sons of Israel was brought to a halt. 9 (K)But those who died from the plague were twenty-four thousand in number.
The Zeal of Phinehas
10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “(L)Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has averted My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was [g]jealous with My [h]jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel (M)in My [i]jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘(N)Behold, I am giving him My (O)covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be for him and for his [j]descendants after him, a covenant of a (P)permanent priesthood, because he was [k]jealous for his God and (Q)made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”
14 Now the name of the [l]dead man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was (R)Cozbi the daughter of (S)Zur, [m]who was head of the people of a father’s household in Midian.
16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “(T)Be hostile to the Midianites and attack them; 18 for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was killed on the day of the plague because of Peor.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 25:3 Lit bound themselves to
- Numbers 25:3 Or Baal-peor
- Numbers 25:4 Lit display them (dead) with broken limbs
- Numbers 25:4 Lit in front of the sun
- Numbers 25:5 Lit bound themselves to
- Numbers 25:5 Or Baal-peor
- Numbers 25:11 Or possibly zealous; i.e., impassioned
- Numbers 25:11 Or possibly anger
- Numbers 25:11 Or possibly anger
- Numbers 25:13 Lit seed
- Numbers 25:13 Or possibly zealous; i.e., impassioned
- Numbers 25:14 Lit killed
- Numbers 25:15 Lit he
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