When Phinehas(A) son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear(B) in his hand and 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;(C) but those who died in the plague(D) numbered 24,000.(E)

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

14 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman(N) was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.(O) 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi(P) daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.(Q)

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When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, followed the Israelite man into the tent,[a] and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman—through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped, but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.(A)

10 The Lord spoke to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with My zeal,[b](B) so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal. 12 Therefore declare: I grant him My covenant of peace.(C) 13 It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his future descendants,(D) because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

14 The name of the slain Israelite man, who was struck dead with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite ancestral house. 15 The name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal head of an ancestral house in Midian.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 25:8 Perhaps a tent shrine or bridal tent
  2. Numbers 25:11 Or jealousy