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 Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Worship of Baal of Peor
25 While Israel was staying at Shittim, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab.(A) 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.(B) 3 Thus Israel yoked itself to the Baal of Peor, and the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel.(C) 4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and impale them in the sun before the Lord, in order that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”(D) 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you shall kill any of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”
6 Just then one of the Israelites came and brought a Midianite woman into his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he got up and left the congregation. Taking a spear in his hand,(E) 8 he went after the Israelite man into the tent and pierced the two of them, the Israelite and the woman, through the belly. So the plague was stopped among the Israelites. 9 Nevertheless those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.(F)
10 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites by manifesting such zeal among them on my behalf that in my jealousy I did not consume the Israelites.(G) 12 Therefore say, ‘I hereby grant him my covenant of peace.(H) 13 It shall be for him and for his descendants after him a covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.’ ”(I)
14 The name of the slain Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, head of an ancestral house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was the head of a clan, an ancestral house in Midian.(J)
16 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites, and defeat them,(K) 18 for they have harassed you by the trickery with which they deceived you in the affair of Peor, and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister; she was killed on the day of the plague that resulted from Peor.”(L)
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