Numbers 25

New International Version

Moab Seduces Israel

25 While Israel was staying in Shittim,^(A) the men began to indulge in sexual immorality^(B) with Moabite^(C) women,^(D) ²who invited them to the sacrifices^(E) to their gods.^(F) The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. ³So Israel yoked themselves to^(G) the Baal of Peor.^(H) And the Lord’s anger burned against them.

⁴The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders^(I) of these people, kill them and expose^(J) them in broad daylight before the Lord,^(K) so that the Lord’s fierce anger^(L) may turn away from Israel.”

⁵So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death^(M) those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”^(N)

⁶Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite^(O) woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping^(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷When Phinehas^(Q) son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear^(R) in his hand ⁸and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;^(S) ⁹but those who died in the plague^(T) numbered 24,000.^(U)

¹⁰The Lord said to Moses, ¹¹“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites.^(V) Since he was as zealous for my honor^(W) among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. ¹²Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace^(X) with him. ¹³He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood,^(Y) because he was zealous^(Z) for the honor^(AA) of his God and made atonement^(AB) for the Israelites.”^(AC)

¹⁴The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman^(AD) was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.^(AE) ¹⁵And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi^(AF) daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.^(AG)

¹⁶The Lord said to Moses,^(AH) ¹⁷“Treat the Midianites^(AI) as enemies^(AJ) and kill them.^(AK) ¹⁸They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident^(AL) involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident.”

Psalm 88

New International Version

Psalm 88^[a]

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.^[b] A maskil^[c] of Heman the Ezrahite.

¹Lord, you are the God who saves me;^(A)
day and night I cry out^(B) to you.
²May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.

³I am overwhelmed with troubles^(C)
    and my life draws near to death.^(D)
⁴I am counted among those who go down to the pit;^(E)
    I am like one without strength.^(F)
⁵I am set apart with the dead,
    like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
    who are cut off^(G) from your care.

⁶You have put me in the lowest pit,
    in the darkest depths.^(H)
⁷Your wrath^(I) lies heavily on me;
    you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.^[d]^(J)
⁸You have taken from me my closest friends^(K)
    and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined^(L) and cannot escape;^(M)
⁹    my eyes^(N) are dim with grief.

I call^(O) to you, Lord, every day;
    I spread out my hands^(P) to you.
¹⁰Do you show your wonders to the dead?
    Do their spirits rise up and praise you?^(Q)
¹¹Is your love declared in the grave,
    your faithfulness^(R) in Destruction^[e]?
¹²Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
    or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

¹³But I cry to you for help,^(S) Lord;
in the morning^(T) my prayer comes before you.^(U)
¹⁴Why, Lord, do you reject^(V) me
and hide your face^(W) from me?

¹⁵From my youth^(X) I have suffered^(Y) and been close to death;
    I have borne your terrors^(Z) and am in despair.^(AA)
¹⁶Your wrath^(AB) has swept over me;
    your terrors^(AC) have destroyed me.
¹⁷All day long they surround me like a flood;^(AD)
    they have completely engulfed me.
¹⁸You have taken from me friend^(AE) and neighbor—
    darkness is my closest friend.

Footnotes

Psalm 88:1 In Hebrew texts 88:1-18 is numbered 88:2-19.
Psalm 88:1 Title: Possibly a tune, “The Suffering of Affliction”
Psalm 88:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 88:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.
Psalm 88:11 Hebrew Abaddon