While Israel remained at ^aShittim, the people began ^bto commit infidelity with the daughters of Moab. 2 For ^athey invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So ^aIsrael ¹became followers of ²Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry with Israel. 4 And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and ¹execute them ²in broad daylight before the LORD, ^aso that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you ^akill his men who have ¹become followers of ²Baal of Peor.”

6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a ^aMidianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, ^bwhile they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 ^aWhen 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 spear in his hand, 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the inner room of the tent and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman, through the abdomen. ^aSo the plague on the sons of Israel was brought to a halt. 9 ^aBut those who died from the plague were twenty-four thousand in number.

10 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “^aPhinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has averted My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was ¹jealous with My ²jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel ^bin My ³jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘^aBehold, I am giving him My ^bcovenant of peace; 13 and it shall be for him and for his ¹descendants after him, a covenant of a ^apermanent priesthood, because he was ²jealous for his God and ^bmade atonement for the sons of Israel.’”

14 Now the name of the ¹dead man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was ^aCozbi the daughter of ^bZur, ¹who was head of the people of a father’s household in Midian.

16 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “^aBe hostile to the Midianites and attack them; 18 for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was killed on the day of the plague because of Peor.”