1 While Israel was staying in the Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab.
2 The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods.
3 So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor, and the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.
4 The LORD said to Moses, “ Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD so that His burning anger may turn away from Israel.”
5 So Moses told Israel’s judges, “ Kill each of the men who aligned themselves with Baal of Peor.”
6 An Israelite man came bringing a Midianite woman to his relatives in the sight of Moses and the whole Israelite community while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,
8 followed the Israelite man into the tent, and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman — through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped,
9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000 .
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, so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal.
12 Therefore declare: I grant him My covenant of peace.
13 It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his future descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites .”
