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¹ And Israel lived in Shittim. And the people began to fornicate with the daughters of Moab.² And they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. And the people ate and bowed themselves to their gods.³ And Israel was joined to Baal-peor, and the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel.⁴ And Jehovah said to Moses, Take all the leaders of the people and hang them up to Jehovah before the sun, that the fierce anger of Jehovah may be turned away from Israel.⁵ And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each one of you kill his men, those who joined to Baal-peor.

⁶ And, behold! A man of the sons of Israel came and brought in to his brothers a woman of Midian, before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the congregation of the sons of Israel weeping at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.⁷ And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw. And he rose from amidst the congregation and took a javelin in his hand,⁸ and went in after the man of Israel, into the tent room. And he pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the sons of Israel.⁹ And those that died by the plague were twenty four thousand.¹⁰ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,¹¹ Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the sons of Israel while he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not consume the sons of Israel in My jealousy.¹² Therefore say, Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace.¹³ And it shall be to him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and atoned for the sons of Israel.¹⁴ And the name of the man of Israel who was smitten, who was struck with the woman of Midian, was Zimri, the son of Salu, ruler of a father's house of the Simeonites.¹⁵ And the name of the woman who was struck, the woman of Midian, was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a father's house in Midian.

¹⁶ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,¹⁷ Vex the Midianites, and you shall strike them;¹⁸ for they are vexers to you, because of the wiles with which they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi the daughter of a ruler of Midian, their sister, who was struck in the day of the plague because of the matterof Peor.