1 And Israel stayed in Shittim, and the people began to go whoring to daughters of Moab, 2 and they called for the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed themselves to their gods, 3 and Israel was joined to Ba‘al-Peor, and the anger of YHWH burned against Israel. 4 And YHWH said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them before YHWH in sight of the sun. And the fierceness of the anger of YHWH will turn back from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each kills his men who are joined to Ba‘al-Peor.” 6 And look, a man of the sons of Israel had come, and brought a Midianitess to his brothers before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, who were weeping at the opening of the Tent of Meeting. 7 And Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw, and rose from the middle of the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand, 8 and went in after the man of Israel to the hollow place, and pierced them both, the man of Israel and the woman—to her belly, and the plague was restrained from the sons of Israel. 9 And the dead by the plague were 24,000. 10 And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My fury from the sons of Israel by his being zealous with My zeal in their middle, and I will not consume the sons of Israel in My zeal. 12 Therefore say, Look, I am giving My covenant of peace to him, 13 and it will be to him and to his seed after him for a covenant of a continuous priesthood, because that he has been zealous for his God, and made atonement for the sons of Israel.” 14 And the name of the man of Israel who was struck, who had been struck with the Midianitess, was Zimri son of Salu, prince of the house of a father of the Simeonite. 15 And the name of the woman who was struck, the Midianitess, was Cozbi daughter of Zur. He was head of peoples of a father’s house in Midian. 16 And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Distress the Midianites, and you have struck them, 18 for they are adversaries to you with their frauds, with which they have acted fraudulently to you, concerning the matter of Peor and concerning the matter of Cozbi, daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, who was struck in the day of the plague for the matter of Peor.”