Numbers 25
English Standard Version
Baal Worship at Peor
25 While Israel lived in (A)Shittim, (B)the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 (C)These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses, (D)“Take all the chiefs of the people and (E)hang[a] them in the sun before the Lord, (F)that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to (G)the judges of Israel, (H)“Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”
6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were (I)weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 (J)When Phinehas (K)the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, (L)those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
The Zeal of Phinehas
10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he (M)was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in (N)my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, (O)‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to (P)his descendants after him the covenant of (Q)a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”
14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of (R)Zur, who was the tribal head of a father's house in Midian.
16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 (S)“Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their (T)wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of (U)Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 25:4 Or impale
Numbers 25
1599 Geneva Bible
25 2 The people committeth fornication with the daughters of Moab. 9 Phinehas killeth Zimri and Cozbi. 11 God maketh his covenant with Phinehas. 17 God commandeth, to kill the Midianites.
1 Now while Israel abode in (A)Shittim, the people began to commit whoredom with the [a]daughters of Moab:
2 Which called the people unto the sacrifice of their gods, and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods.
3 And Israel [b]coupled himself unto Baal of Peor: wherefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel:
4 And the Lord said unto Moses, (B)Take all the heads of the people and hang them up [c]before the Lord [d]against the Sun, that the indignation of the Lord’s wrath may be turned from Israel.
5 Then Moses said unto the Judges of Israel, Everyone slay his [e]men that were joined unto Baal of Peor.
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, [f]who wept before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
7 (C)And 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 [g]spear in his hand,
8 And followed the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust them both through: to wit, the man of Israel, and the woman, [h]through her belly: so the plague ceased from the children of Israel.
9 (D)And there died in that plague four and twenty thousand.
10 Then the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
11 (E)Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, hath turned mine anger away from the children of Israel, while he [i]was zealous for my sake among them: therefore I have not consumed the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12 Wherefore say to him, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace.
13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of the Priest’s office forever, because he was zealous for his God, and hath made an [j]atonement for the children of Israel.
14 And the name of the Israelite thus slain, which was killed with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, prince [k]of the family of the Simeonites.
15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain, was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was head over the people of his father’s house in Midian.
16 ¶ Again the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
17 (F)Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
18 For they trouble you with their [l]wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you as concerning Peor, and as concerning their sister Cozbi daughter of a prince of Midian, which was slain in the day of the plague because of Peor.
Footnotes
- Numbers 25:1 With the women.
- Numbers 25:3 Worshipped the idol of the Moabites, which was in the hill Peor.
- Numbers 25:4 Or, to the Lord.
- Numbers 25:4 Openly in the sight of all.
- Numbers 25:5 Let him see execution done of them that are under his charge.
- Numbers 25:6 Repenting that they had offended God.
- Numbers 25:7 Or, javelin.
- Numbers 25:8 Or, in her tent. Chalde and Greek, in her secrets.
- Numbers 25:11 He was zealous to maintain my glory.
- Numbers 25:13 He hath pacified God’s wrath.
- Numbers 25:14 Hebrew, of the house of the father.
- Numbers 25:18 Causing you to commit both corporal and spiritual fornication by Balaam’s counsel, Num. 31:16; Rev. 2:14.
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