Numbers 25:1-9

New American Standard Bible

The Sin of Peor

25 While Israel remained at ^(A)Shittim, the people began ^(B)to commit infidelity with the daughters of Moab. ² For ^(C)they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. ³ So ^(D)Israel ^[a]became followers of ^[b]Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry with Israel. ⁴ And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and ^[c]execute them ^[d]in broad daylight before the Lord, ^(E)so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” ⁵ So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you ^(F)kill his men who have ^[e]become followers of ^[f]Baal of Peor.”

⁶ Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a ^(G)Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, ^(H)while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ^7 (I)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 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. ^(J)So the plague on the sons of Israel was brought to a halt. ^9 (K)But those who died from the plague were twenty-four thousand in number.